Category: iPhone

Do you still have a 4-inch iPhone? You’re not alone!

Some data was just released by a mobile analytics company called Mixpanel that show that about 32.22% of active iPhone users have a 4-inch screen. For those of you playing at home, that’s an iPhone 5, 5c and 5s, as well as the rumored 5se – a new 4-inch iPhone that is said to be released in March this year.

 

By the way – iPhone 5se? Like Fivesy? Isn’t that a bit too cute? Or is it exactly cute enough….

 

According to the data, the iPhone 5S represents 20% of current active iPhones, the iPhone 5 is at 7.53% and the iPhone 5C sits pretty and plastic at 5.66%.

 

Are you still using a 4-inch screen? Do you want to be? A lot of people love the size  and usability of the 4-inch, but as the last few iPhone updates were bigger, those people are left using 2 year old technology, even if it is on a perfect sized screen for them. That’s why the iPhone Fivesy. (5se) Coming in at a purported $500, this little guy has a lot of people considering the upgrade.

 

Will you be upgrading from your 4-inch screen to the Fivesy? Or will you make the leap to the iPhone 7 at the end of the year?

 

Either way, when you decide to upgrade, make it a little easier and sell your stink old iPhone to us!

 

 

 

Top 10 Things you shouldn’t do with your phone

We’ve all had these fancy pocket computer phone things for a while now, but there’s still people out there that need some iPhone courtesy learnin’! In that vein, here’s 10 things mobile phone users should never do! In our humble opinion anyway, and what do we know?

 

1. Please don’t miss social opportunities that you mistake as awkward social situations by pretending that you’re texting.

When we use technology to avoid possibly awkward situations, we’re simply avoiding learning how to manage ourselves in possibly awkward situations. Once we learn that, we can turn these situations around to use them in our advantage. Evil genius or awesome Yogi advice?

 

 

2. Don’t go one step further and pretend to be on a phone call, cos, you know, the phone will probably ring.

There is no sage advice with this one. Just don’t risk it, please. For humanity’s sake.

 

3. Don’t Judge people on their smartphone choice or lack of choice.

Just because you made a choice based on your own understanding of how technology works well in your own life, does not mean you should judge other people for making a different decision. Your opinion on which brand is better may be important to you, but calling people sheep or stupid for their smartphone choice is irrelevant and, well, dumb. People make different choices, get over it.

 

4.Please don’t put your phone on loudspeaker, put it right in front of your mouth and then proceed to yell into it.

This. This just hurts everyone’s ears and some people’s souls. Please consider the poor souls around you. Speaking quietly is far more effective in business and personal relationships, at any rate. However, it is far more acceptable if you are yelling into your phone because you are pretending it is a microphone, and that you are Steven Tyler.

 

5. Don’t Frape.

In case you don’t know, Fraping is when someone leaves their phone or computer unattended and has their FaceBook app or page open. The aim is to then go ahead and try to make them seem stupid/gay/pregnant etc to their many friends and loved ones.

Who is actually laughing at these? Please stop. The only exception is if it is totally awesome, like this one.

 

6. It’s totally the cool thing these days to make sure that no-one uses their phone at the dinner table. We get it, people are trying to be disconnected from the outside world, and only connected to the people in the physical space around them.

But please, understand if someone has to have their phone on. Sometimes people have things going on in their lives that means they need to be connected to the outside world. It doesn’t mean they’re rude.

 

7. On the total opposite hand, don’t take out your smartphone to do anything that is less important that what is happening in the room around you. Especially if there is something happening that is important to someone you care about.

 

8. DON’T USE YOUR MOBILE PHONE WHILST DRIVING.

It’s so tempting, we know, and we know you’re super awesome at things and can do two or three things at once, and we know you’re one of the best drivers you or anyone else knows, but that’s what other people thought, minutes before they crashed.

Just don’t do it.

 

9. Don’t forget to use your upgrade!

Sirs! Madams! You should upgrade! Why are you waiting around with a stinky old phone? You can do better, you can be better! Upgrade! And then don’t you dare leave that stinky old phone in a drawer. Sell it for CASHMONEY.

Then smile!

Lastly,

 

10. Don’t forget to be super grateful and happy about the tiny fancy computer in your pocket that lets you communicate, educate, create, listen to music, play games and movies, take photos and video. It’s kind of ridiculous.

 

 

Apple facing first ever decline in Sales this quarter?

The Apple earnings call was yesterday, and all looked pretty good, with a bunch of profit and revenue records being broken. However. CEO Tim Cook also warned/advised that they’re expecting iPhone sales to decline  in the March quarter.

 

This would make it the first year-over-year decline since, well, ever, and it will happen if they sell less than 61.2 million iPhones in the quarter.

 

So many iPhones….. 

 

This would also contribute the Apple’s expected decline in overall revenue, forecasted at $50-$53 billion. The same quarter a year ago had a total revenue of $58 billion.

 

However Cook did mention that 60% of customers who owned an iPhone before the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus haven’t upgraded yet – which means come September and the iPhone 7, BAM EVERYONE UPGRADES! Better be worth it, Cook!

 

Even though the decline was talked about, and remains talked about, with some calling it the end of the iPhone, etc, etc, it’s not, and Apple remain positive about their sales. Which they should, you know, ‘cos they’re selling so many iPhones. 

 

 

 

 

Apple Earnings call details

Today was the day when Apple held their earnings call, detailing the financial results of the first fiscal quarter of 2016 – which is actually, just to confuse you, the fourth calendar quarter of 2015.

 

So how have Apple been going? Plugging along quietly? Well, you might have guessed it, because they seem to be pretty good at it – it was record breaking.

 

For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $75.9 billion and a net quarterly profit of $18.4 billion.

 

Just a drop in the bucket, really.

 

Interestingly enough, international sales accounted for 66 percent of revenue. And just to put the cherry on top of the very expensive pie,  Apple currently holds $215.7 billion in cash and marketable securities, partially offset by $53.2 billion in long-term debt.

 

Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Apple sold (again, a record)  74.8 million iPhones during the quarter, Mac sales were down slightly to 5.3 million units sold from 5.5 million units in the year-ago quarter, and iPad sales were also down with a measly 16.1 million (from 21.4 million).

 

From the Sauce, CEO Tim Cook:

 
“Our team delivered Apple’s biggest quarter ever, thanks to the world’s most innovative products and all-time record sales of iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple TV, the growth of our Services business accelerated during the quarter to produce record results, and our installed base recently crossed a major milestone of one billion active devices.”

 

 

 

 

New iPhone research

Is your iPhone making you crazy? Normally it’s the people trying to talk to you through your iPhone that’ll make you nutso, but according to new research – you’re iPhone’s not helping out either.

 

A study carried out by Dr Michelle Drouin, from Indiana University-Purdue, found that 89% of university undergraduates had experienced ‘Phantom vibration syndrome’, which tricks the brain into thinking your phone has vibrated – indicating a notification – when no such thing has occured.

 

You know that feeling, that little nudge against your leg or pocket area, and then you think – ‘Ooh, I think that’s my personal telephone telling me that someone wants to talk to me or liked something I did.’  But then you take your phone out and it’s just there, looking ta you, like ‘what? Nothing to see here.’

Stupid iPhone.

 

The syndrome, whilst having a official and slightly scary name, is yet to actually harm a human (bar the ego).

 

 

 

Are you having iPhone 6s battery problems? Read this

This past week, folks who own an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus have been experiencing problems with the battery display on their iPhones. Apparently the display does not automatically update as the battery drains – so they have no real idea what’s going on with how charged their iPhones are. Not helpful!

 

Apple is now aware of the complaints, and it looks like it’s got to do with Time zone and/or time settings, and they’re looking at finding a solution. . From the Sauce:

 

“If you change the time on your iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus manually or change time zones when traveling, you might notice that the battery percentage doesn’t update.”

 

So – the advice is – if you notice the problem affecting your iPhone, restart it, and make sure the time is being automatically set in Settings.

 

 

Skype Bringing Group Video Calling to mobile!

Did you know that Skype free video calling is 10 years old? But… but how can the future be so old? Weren’t we just dreaming about video phone calls? Weren’t we just watching a Jetsons epsiode about that? Are we that old?

 

Yes. Yes we are. But there’s good news too! To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of said video calling, Skype has announced that they are bringing group video calling capabilities to mobile devices!! For free! WHAT.

 

Yump, coming soon to an iPhone near you – all your friends faces!! Who’s up for a group Skype to celebrate? Wherever you are, go to the fanciest place you know and let’s internet party! Long Distance Party Time! (LDPT for short, obviously).

 

We’ll have to pick a time and date in a little bit, because Skype is rolling out the feature over the next couple of weeks. If you want early access (you do) you can register here with your email address and Skype user name.

 

Watch the announcement below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Watch 2 details

apple watch

 

According to the rumors doing the tech rounds, the Apple Watch 2 will begin an earlier than expected trial production round by the end of January. Qanta, the Chinese based manufacturers responsible for the original Apple Watch, is said to be the main source (if not only source) of production for the 2nd Gen Apple Watch.

 

Other manufacturers, however, such as Foxconn,  may be sourced to help supply the 2nd generation after Qanta apparently experienced less than stellar profit returns on the original.

 

So what can we expect?

 

Expect the 2nd generation Apple Watch to have a thinner case, a FaceTim camera (yay!) and an upgraded Wi-Fi chip, so you can do more without being attached to your iPhone.

 

Expect health technologies to shine on this device. Although CEO Tim Cook recently said that he didn’t want the Apple Watch itself to go through the whole FDA APPROVAL rigmarole, Apps and other side by side tech would probably be moved in that direction.

 

Recent additions to Apple seem to cement that idea, with hires like Anne Shelchuk, who has a doctorate in biomedical engineering, system design engineer Nathan Clark, who has a doctorate in biomedical engineering and a patent for a device that separates cells, and Craig Slyfield, a mechanical engineer who’s co-authored several papers related to measuring and visualizing human bones in 3D.

 

So, we can conclude that the Apple Watch 2 will have a FaceTime camera, x-ray vision capabilities, and a cell separator. Neato.

 

App Store Booming

The 2015 Holiday season was good for Apple in a few ways, one of them being that it was the biggest ever for the App Store. How big is big, you ask? Well, big happens to be $1.1 billion spent on Apps and in-app purchases over a 2 week period ending January 3rd.

 

That’s big.

 

On New Years day alone, customers spent over $144 million dollars.

 

From the Sauce,  Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller;

 

“The App Store had a holiday season for the record books. We are excited that our customers downloaded and enjoyed so many incredible apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV, spending over $20 billion on the App Store last year alone.

 

We’re grateful to all the developers who have created the most innovative and exciting apps in the world for our customers. We can’t wait for what’s to come in 2016.”

 

Apple said it has now created over 1.4 million jobs attributable to app development and non-IT jobs supported by the app ecosystem.

 

Apps, huh. Who knew?

 

 

 

AT&T stopping 2 year contracts

Starting tomorrow January 8, 2016, AT&T will introduce a “pricing simplification effort”. What does that mean? That means the end of device subsidies, friends. It also means the end of two-year contracts.

 

Dun Dun Duuuun. After the 8th, both new and existing AT&T customers will only be able to purchase a smartphone at full price or with an AT&T Next payment plan.

 

It seems like some corporate users will be able to continue making two-year contract purchases.

 

From the Sauce, in a statement given to Re/code:

 

“With $0 down for well-qualified customers, the ability to upgrade early and down-payment options available with even lower monthly installments, our customers are overwhelmingly choosing AT&T Next,” AT&T told Re/code. “Starting January 8, AT&T Next will be the primary way to get a new smartphone at AT&T.”

 

Check out AT&T Next here.