Apple launches iPhone 5S, 5C; eyes India & China

 Apple has, for the first time, unveiled a cheaper smartphone, named the iPhone 5C. It has almost the same specifications as iPhone 5, which was launched as the company's flagship device last year, but in a plastic body.

The iPhone 5C (with contract in the US) is cheaper than all new iPhones launched till now, and is said to be targeted at emerging markets like India and China. With the launch of iPhone 5S, Apple has discontinued the iPhone 5 that was rolled out last year and served as the flagship model till now.

Apple also launched its pricey new iPhone 5S, which will take over from iPhone 5 as the latest flagship device of the company. It will be available in three colours - gold, white and black.

But the wow appeal usually associated with Apple's launches clearly seemed to be missing from today's event. Unlike in the past when iPhone's newer models turned slimmer, lighter, glitzier each year, Apple seemed to have reserved most of its attention to what lies inside the body this time.

However, in a bold move aimed to take on rivals Microsoft and Google, Apple also announced that it was making its premium productivity suite iWork, which can be downloaded free with iOS 7.

under the hood of iPhone 5S
Unlike the iPhone 5C, this device is made using aluminium and is powered by the A7 processor. The A7 chip is the only one in the world to feature the 64-bit desktop-class architecture and is twice as fast as previous processors in performing tasks and rendering graphics.

"With up to twice the CPU and graphics performance, almost everything you do on iPhone 5s is faster and better than ever, from launching apps and editing photos to playing graphic-intensive games," claimed the company.

The new iPhone 5S has an 8MP camera, which comes with dual-LED flash. The camera's sensor is 15% larger than that of its predecessor and offers better low-light performance.

Apple claims that this phone's camera can take 20 photos in two seconds, features auto image stabilization and records 720p videos at 120 frames per second (which is the highest for any smartphone). 1080p videos are recorded at 30fps.

iPhone 5S also has an all-new M7 chip that tracks motion data without waking the A7 chip and interacts with health apps to give fitness data. However, Apple claimed the two-chip system does not affect battery life of the device, which offers 250 hours on standby and 10 hours of talk time on 3G networks.

At the launch, the company showcased the gaming prowess of the iPhone 5S, which supports OpenGL 3.0 standard. The new phone delivers more details and makes graphics more vivid.

Google had recently introduced the OpenGL 3.0 standard in Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean). It can render rich and complex visual effects, previously only possible on desktops and gaming consoles.

Apple has also introduced a new, hi-tech biometric feature called Touch ID, using which one can unlock the phone with the touch of a finger.

Setting up Touch ID to recognize your fingerprint is easy, and every time you use it, it gets better. The Touch ID sensor recognizes the touch of a finger so the sensor is only activated when needed, preserving battery life.

All fingerprint information is encrypted and stored on the chip itself. Touch ID can also be used as a secure way to approve purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store or iBooks Store.

"iPhone 5s is the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, delivering desktop class architecture in the palm of your hand," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

"iPhone 5S sets a new standard for smartphones, packed into its beautiful and refined design are breakthrough features that really matter to people," Schiller claimed.

Pricey proposition
iPhone 5S ( with contract) will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model. The 16, 32 and 64GB unlocked variants have been priced in the US at a hefty $649, $749 and $849, respectively. This is the same pricing format followed by Apple for previous iPhones.

In first phase, iPhone 5S will start retailing in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK on September 20. A new iPhone 4S 8GB model will also be available for free on contract.

Cooking old wine for Asia
Apple's move to launch a cheaper version is clearly aimed at boosting penetration in key Asian countries like India, China and Japan. However, many may be disappointed as iPhone 5C comes across as old wine in new bottle since it has received hardly any hardware update.

Instead of cutting the prices of its older models, Apple has adopted a different strategy this time. "In the past, we've lowered the price of the current iPhone, making it accessible to more people. This year, we're not going to do that," said Schiller teasingly.

"The business has become so large that this year we're going to replace the iPhone 5, and we're going to replace it with not one, but two new designs," he reiterated.

Of the two devices launched tonight, this is how Schiller described the cheaper variant made of polycarbonate: "iPhone 5C is beautifully, unapologetically plastic."

iPhone 5C will come in two variants and will have two-year contracts. It will come in five colours - green, grey, light blue, peach, and yellow.

It has a 4-inch screen and comes with Apple's A6 processor, which power the now-discontinued iPhone 5. This new cheaper iPhone has an 8MP camera with a five-element lens, similar to the one used in iPhone 5. Connectivity options in the new handset include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi.

The 16GB variant of this smartphone will cost $99 on contract, while the 32GB version has been priced at $199. The unlocked 16 and 32GB versions of the iPhone 5C have been priced at $549 and $649, respectively. The company also announced cases in six colours for this handset, which will cost $29 a piece.

iWork now offered free
Earlier, Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the launch event at Apple headquarters in Califiornia, US, with an introduction of the company's new iOS 7 operating system. Cook surprised everyone by announcing that Apple was making available free with the new iOS 7 five of its premium paid productivity software apps such as iPhoto, iMovie. Pages, Numbers and Keynote are collectively known as iWork suite. The move clearly seems aimed at taking on Microsoft Windows Mobile and Android devices.

iOS comes on September 18
iOS7 will be available for downloads from September 18, which is in contrast to Apple's past practice of rolling out the iOS update on the day of unveiling the latest iPhone. The delay could disappoint Apple aficionados, as also the fact that iOS 7 updates won't apply to many older generation devices.

It is a bad news for many existing owners of Apple's mobile devices such as iPhones and iPad. The older generation devices won't get the iOS 7 update which will apply only to iPhone 4 and 5, iPad 2 and 3, iPad mini, and the 5th-gen iPod touch. This means the owners of the iPhone 3GS and iPad 1 would be left high and dry.

The iOS 7 which will come pre-loaded on the two new iPhones, will feature new icons and ringtones; several new Siri features (including a male voice option); redesigned search and Safari browser; new multitasking layout in a 3D look; new camera features, including Sqaure (for Instagram photos) and better segregation of images as per location, occasion and time.

It will also have a new Control Center, besides Notification Center that can be opened even on a locked screen by merely swiping down from top to bottom of the screen. Other features include improved multitasking, AirDrop and iTunes Radio.

iOS and Android evenly poised
With Apple shipping its 700 millionth iOS device next month, it will become the most popular mobile operating system in the world. claimed Cook.

Interestingly, Apple and rival Google are neck to neck vis-a-vis app downloads. Apple's App Store had 900,000 apps and 50 billion total downloads according to the company's announcement made at the time of launch of iOS 7 on June 10. Google's Android had 1 million apps and same 50 billion downloads as announced by the company while launching the Android 4.3 on July 24.

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Samsung beats Nokia to emerge No.1 in India: Report

Buoyed by high demand for smartphones, the mobile handset market in India is estimated to have grown by 14.7% in 2012-13 to touch Rs 35,946 crore, according to a Voice&Data Survey.

The market grew from Rs 31,330 crore in FY'12 with Korean electronics maker Samsung dethroning Nokia from the top position this year, the survey said.

The 18th annual survey 'V&D 100' covered over 30 mobile handset companies doing business in India across categories like feature phones, multimedia phones, enterprise phones and smartphones.

The survey attributed Samsung's rise in Indian market to its rich product portfolio catering to customers of all budget categories.

"Samsung handset prices range from Rs 1,500 to Rs 50,000 and come in varied screen sizes. These two factors helped the company grab customer's attention, besides the product quality and new features," it added.

The survey said Samsung ended the year with revenues of Rs 11,328 crore in 2012-13 as compared to Rs 7,891 crore in FY'12, a growth of 43.6%. It also became the market leader with 31.5% market share.

On the other hand, Nokia, with 27.2% market share, dropped to the No 2 spot.

In the 12 months ended March 2013, Nokia's revenues from Indian operations were placed at Rs 9,780 crore as compared to Rs 11,925 crore in FY'12, as per the survey.

"Nokia's drop in market share started when the company failed to sense the need of a dual-sim phone for the Indian consumer, and the same was tapped by the Indian players years ahead of global players like Nokia," it added.

Nokia's Lumia series phones that witnessed huge growth globally in the initial phases could not draw much attention in India.

The survey said Apple's revenues grew 417.2% to post revenues of Rs 1,293 crore in FY'13 as compared to Rs 250 crore in the year ago period.

Though India was never a focus market for the Cupertino-based smart devices maker till some years back, in the last two years, the iPhone maker has started making inroads slowly.

"In the last fiscal, Apple made some disruptive changes in its sales strategy, which paid off. Appointing Ingram Micro and Redington as the national distributors for their entire sales, and offering EMI schemes to the consumers to buy the most coveted Apple product changed the game for them," the survey said.

Apple now enjoys 3.6% market share in India having the smallest number of handset models in its portfolio.

Homegrown handset maker Micromax captured the third position with 8.7% market share. In FY'13, Micromax posted revenues of Rs 3,138 crore as against Rs 1,978 crore in FY'12, a growth of 58.6%.

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Apple to launch two iPhone versions in Sept: WSJ

Apple has asked its Taiwan-based supplier to begin shipping two new versions of the iPhone next month, including a lower-cost model, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Journal, citing unnamed sources, said Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision, the parent company of Foxconn in China, was readying both a standard iPhone with new upgrades and a less expensive model with fewer features.

Last week, the news site AllThingsD, part of the same company as The Journal, said Apple had scheduled a September 10 event to unveil the new smartphones as part of an effort to regain momentum.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

Apple's move comes with its chief rival Samsung reportedly set to unveil its own smartphones and other devices, including a smartwatch. Speculation has centered around whether Apple will shift its strategy to include a lower-cost handset to appeal to more consumers, especially in emerging markets.

A survey released by Gartner last week said Apple's share of the smartphone market worldwide fell to 14.2% in the second quarter, while Samsung's share rose to 31.7%.

Gartner said the Google Android operating system was used on 79% of smartphones sold in the period.

Apple TV may get gesture control feature

The new Apple TV may have gesture control as one of its features, according to fresh rumours sparked off by sources close to the company. 

According to The Huffington Post, there was a lot of talk recently about the TV that is said to be in development and Apple is working on a service that would allow people to skip TV advertisements, with the company paying money to the networks that they would lose with fewer people watching the ads. 

The report said that the news follows Apple's plans to purchase PrimeSense, an Israeli company which designs 3D sensors that allows people to interact with devices, being the technology behind Xbox Kinect. 

The report added that the company's facial and body recognition technology could given an Apple TV the power to recognize who is watching, enabling the device to have customized profiles.

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Apple developer site remains shut 4 days after hacking

A website that Apple uses to communicate with its community of some 6 million software developers remained shuttered on Monday, four days after a cyberattack that prompted a harried upgrade to prevent future breaches. 

It was not immediately clear what data, if any, was been compromised by the attack. 

Apple said in a notice released late on Sunday that names, mailing addresses and emails may have been accessed by unknown attackers. It added that "sensitive personal information" was encrypted and could not be accessed. 

Security experts said Apple's brief statement made it difficult to assess the severity of the breach. 

"I am not exactly sure what happened. I do not know what to make of this," said Charlie Miller, author of the iOS Hacker's Handbook. 

Miller said he received an email from Apple on Monday warning him about the breach, adding that he hoped none of his personal information had been compromised in an attack. 

Still, he said he had not seen any indications that suggest other attacks on Apple could soon follow. 

"I don't think this indicates any system problems in their security," he said. 

Data breaches are relatively common because hackers are constantly identifying new ways to attack by exploiting software bugs and leveraging mistakes in the way companies configure websites and computer systems. Hackers are also relentless in sending emails with malicious links and attachments to targeted companies. 

Security experts speculated that the site may have been attacked using one of several widely known security bugs in web technology, but there seemed to be no consensus. 

A man claiming to be a Turkish security researcher posted a video on YouTube and sent out comments on Twitter saying that he was responsible for the attack on Apple's developer site and had done so in a bid to publicize a security bug. 

Apple declined comment on his claim, which could not be independently verified. The man could not be reached for comment. 

Other corporate victims of recent security breaches include: Evernote, LinkedIn Corp, LivingSocial and Sony. 

Apple said in its statement to developers that it was completely overhauling the technology on the shutdown site, which it hoped would soon be back online. 

It may be in hot demand as developers are writing and testing apps to run on iOS 7, the next-generation operating system for iPhones and iPads that Apple is planning to release in the fall. 

It was the second security breach that the company has disclosed in five months. In February, the maker of Macs and iPhones said that some Mac computers had been infected by hackers who had also attacked Facebook and other technology companies.

Apple's iPhone, iPad 'engine' made in U.S., says Cook

Foxconn may assemble the iPhone and iPad in China, but key components are made in the good ol' USA, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, speaking today at the D10 conference.

"This is not well known...but the engine for the iPhone and the iPad are built in the U.S. in Austin, Texas," Cook said.

Cook is almost certainly referring to Samsung's Austin chip plant, where the A5 -- and presumably the newer A5X -- chips are made.

Foxconn may assemble the iPhone and iPad in China, but key components are made in the good ol' USA, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, speaking today at the D10 conference.

"This is not well known...but the engine for the iPhone and the iPad are built in the U.S. in Austin, Texas," Cook said.

Cook is almost certainly referring to Samsung's Austin chip plant, where the A5 -- and presumably the newer A5X -- chips are made.

"The glass is made in a plant in Kentucky," he added, referring to the Corning's Gorilla Glass facility.

 

These are points worth making as Apple has been primarily identified with Asia-based Foxconn in the production of the iPhone and  iPad.

And that has been a sticky issue for Apple as the U.S. grapples with high unemployment, which is partially the result of U.S. companies outsourcing more and more production to China.

Cook also talked about how manufacturing in the U.S. was a challenge because of the lack of tool-and-die manufacturing expertise, according to Reuters.

"On the assembly piece, could that be done in the U.S.? I hope so, again, one day," he said.