Rumor: 7.85-Inch iPad Mini Enters Production

Make way for the iPad Mini: Apple's smaller tablet has entered mass production in Asia, according to a report at the Wall Street Journal. The new iPad's display will be 7.85 inches diagonally, slightly larger than the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD. It will probably be slightly more expensive than those tablets too; we're betting $300 to $350.

The WSJ reports that the iPad Mini will have a lower resolution than the most recent iPad's 9.7" display, which makes perfect sense, though we'd be surprised if Apple gave it a non-Retina screen just to keep costs low.

Will Apple announce its down-sized tablet this month, in lieu of its customary October music event? And if it does, will you buy one? Let us know in the comments.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.

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iSorry - A History of Apple's Apologies

Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a public apology for Apple's new Maps app today, stating that the company "fell short" of "the same incredibly high standard" its customers expect it to meet.

This isn't Apple's first apology and probably won't be its last, but it may be its most satisfying.

It's not hard to see why a consumer-electronics company wouldn't want to admit its mistakes too definitively; beyond the risk of class action suits, it can be bad for a company's reputation. Because, the fact is, apologies make for news. (Yes, we realize we're complicit in this.)

But historically, Apple's apologies (we came up with ten) have often left something to be desired. Coupled with the sometimes unreasonable expectations it encourages in its customers, Apple's understandable restraint in acknowledging problems might come off as smug or prevaricating. Still, what's more repellant than an insincere apology?

Here's our account of Apple's reluctant admissions that even Apple makes mistakes over the last five years, complete with background info and a bit of kindergarten-culture commentary.

Sorry You Paid So Much for Your iPhone. (Sept 2007)

This is actually Apple's first on-record public apology we could find. Two months after the original iPhone was released, it got a pretty major price-drop: $200 across the board. The 8GB iPhone went from $599 to $399. Understandably, anybody who'd bought the iPhone when it first launched (or, worse, the day before it got a price drop) felt cheated.

Did Apple give them their $200 back? iDon'tThinkSo. But it did offer them $100 in store credit. And Steve Jobs actually said "We apologize for disappointing some of you." And Apple's price drops since have been more predictable.Of course, Jobs' apology came after three lengthy paragraphs explaining why dropping the iPhone's price was the right decision - that a bigger user-base would be better for everyone with an iPhone, and that "if you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you'll never buy any technology product."

And he was right about both those things. But he didn't acknowledge that what bothered folks was the capricious nature of the price-drop. There's a reason the rhythmic life cycle of iPhone models (and prices) is foreseeable these days.

Source: Apple

Sorry (And Sorry Again) MobileMe Is Broken. (July 2008)

The precursor to iCloud (and successor to .Mac) had a bumpy launch, with server problems, a broken webapp and other bugs. And because advertised MobileMe's cloud syncing as "push", users were disappointed to find that their computers would only sync every 15 minutes.

Apple's response in this case was refreshingly sincere: "we are going to stop using the word ‘push’ until it is near-instant on PCs and Macs, too. [And] we want to apologize to our loyal customers and express our appreciation for their patience by giving all current subscribers an automatic 30-day extension to their MobileMe subscription free of charge."

Not bad! Of course, that apology came in an email...

Source: Wired

Sorry About Baby Shaker. (Apr 2009)

The same week the App Store saw its billionth download, Apple pulled an app that had users quiet a crying baby by, well, shaking their phones.

The app was discovered by a Shaken Baby Syndrome advocacy group, but by the time they'd organized a protest and alerted the media, Apple had already pulled the app and issued its biggest apology yet:

"This app is deeply offensive and should not have been approved for distribution on the App Store. We sincerely apologize for this mistake."

But Patrick Donohue, founder of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, wasn't satisfied. Citing Apple's refusal to release its criteria for App Store gatekeeping, he said Apple's statement was "directed at the media to kill the story. This is the most cynical apology I have ever seen."

Source: Information Week

Sorry the iPhone 4 Is Our Hottest Phone Ever. (June 2010)

Check out Apple's bragpology after high pre-order demand for the iPhone 4 crashed its site:

"Yesterday Apple … took pre-orders for more than 600,000 iPhone 4s. It was the largest number of pre-orders Apple has ever taken in a single day and … many of our order and approval systems malfunctioned. Many customers were turned away or abandoned the process in frustration. We apologize to everyone who encountered difficulties, and hope that they will try again."

Source: Apple

Sorry You're Holding Your iPhone 4 Wrong. (July 2010)

Remember Antennagate, when just touching part of an iPhone 4's aluminum side might drop a call? Apple didn't apologize for this one at first, recommending that iPhone 4 owners "avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases," and calling the problem "a fact of life for every wireless phone."

When people still insisted the issue was way worse on the iPhone 4 than any phone they'd ever used, Apple released a second statement, explaining that the "dramatic drop in bars" was caused by phones falsely displaying more bars than the signal strength called for. "The formula we [have used] to calculate how many bars … to display is totally wrong," Apple told the press, before explaining that the problem would be "fixed" by a software update that made the first three bars bigger and easier to see.

Apple did remind customers that they had 30 days to return their iPhone if they didn't like it, but the statement maintained that "the iPhone 4's wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped," and its guidelines for technical support staff still instructed, "We ARE NOT appeasing customers with free bumpers – DON'T promise a free bumper to customers."

Source: Engadget, Apple, Gizmodo

Sorry Our Last Apology Sucked. (July 2010)

Thought Antennagate was over? So did Apple, but customers and the media had other plans.

While Apple never recalled the iPhone 4 or admitted to a design flaw, it did eventually offer some customers a free bumper case, and the phone's antenna design was eventually quietly revised to fix it.

Siri: "Sorry My Servers Are Down." (Nov 2011)

In early November last year, early adopter of the iPhone 4S experienced Siri outages. Her servers may have been down, but Siri still had the manners to say, "Sorry I am having trouble connecting to the network."

Sorry Siri's Pro-Life. (Dec 2011)

If you lived in New York and asked Siri for directions to the nearest abortion clinic, it would have told you last December that she couldn't find any. If you lived in DC, Siri would have taken you to an anti-abortion "crisis pregnancy center".

When Nancy Keenan of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League brought the issue to Apple's attention, Tim Cook responded personally:

"While [Siri] can find a lot, it doesn't always find what you want. These are not intentional omissions meant to offend anyone, it simply means that as we bring Siri from beta to a final product, we find places where we can do better and we will in the coming weeks."

Calling it a "glitch" isn't exactly an apology, but if that's all it was, maybe an apology wasn't warranted.

Source: Business Insider

Sorry the Galaxy Tab Isn't Cool Enough to Be an iPad Knockoff. (Coming Soon)

Back in July, Apple lost an infringement case against Samsung in the UK. In his ruling, Judge Birss said the Galaxy Tabs "are not as cool" as the iPad.

But he also ordered Apple to print a public apology to Samsung for accusing it of design theft. Apple has a stay on this order until the appeal is heard in October, so check back soon to find out just how awesome Apple's next apology is.

Source: Bloomberg

What do you want to see your favorite (or least favorite) electronics company apologize for? Let us know in the comments.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.

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Watch The New Paranormal Activity 4 Trailer

Check out the brand new second trailer for Paranormal Activity 4, opening in theaters October 19:

Via Apple iTunes.

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iPhone 5 launch draws Apple fans worldwide

PLANET EARTH –  In a now familiar global ritual, Apple fans jammed shops from Sydney to Paris to pick up the tech juggernaut's latest iPhone.

Eager buyers formed long lines Friday at Apple Inc. stores in Asia, Europe and North America to be the first to get their hands on the latest version of the smartphone.

In London, some shoppers had camped out for a week in a queue that snaked around the block. In Hong Kong, the first customers were greeted by staff cheering, clapping, chanting "iPhone 5! iPhone 5!" and high-fiving them as they were escorted one-by-one through the front door.

The smartphone will be on sale in the U.S. and Canada hours after its launch in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Britain, France and Germany. It will launch in 22 more countries a week later. The iPhone 5 is thinner, lighter, has a taller screen, faster processor, updated software and can work on faster "fourth generation" mobile networks.

The handset has become a hot seller despite initial lukewarm reviews and new map software that is glitch prone. Apple received 2 million orders in the first 24 hours of announcing its release date, more than twice the number for the iPhone 4S in the same period when that phone launched a year ago.

'I love Apple. It's only the iPhone for me.'

- 25-year-old fan Hidetoshi Nakamura

In a sign of the intense demand, police in Osaka, Japan, were investigating the theft of nearly 200 iPhones 5s, including 116 from one shop alone, Kyodo News reported.

Analysts have estimated Apple will ship as many as 10 million of the new iPhones by the end of September.

Some fans went to extremes to be among the first buyers by arriving at Apple's flagship stores day ahead of the release.

In downtown Sydney, Todd Foot, 24, showed up three days early to nab the coveted first spot. He spent about 18 hours a day in a folding chair, catching a few hours' sleep each night in a tent on the sidewalk.

Foot's dedication was largely a marketing stunt, however. He writes product reviews for a technology website that will give away the phone after Foot reviews it.

"I just want to get the phone so I can feel it, compare it and put it on our website," he said while slumped in his chair.

In Paris, the phone launch was accompanied by a workers' protest -- a couple dozen former and current Apple employees demonstrated peacefully to demand better work benefits. Some decried what they called Apple's transformation from an offbeat company into a multinational powerhouse.

But the protesters -- urged by a small labor union to demonstrate at Apple stores around France -- were far outnumbered by lines of would-be buyers on the sidewalk outside the store near the city's gilded opera house.

Not everyone lining up at the various Apple stores was an enthusiast, though. In Hong Kong, university student Kevin Wong, waiting to buy a black 16 gigabyte model for 5,588 Hong Kong dollars ($720), said he was getting one "for the cash." He planned to immediately resell it to one of the numerous grey market retailers catering to mainland Chinese buyers. China is one of Apple's fastest growing markets but a release date for the iPhone 5 there has not yet been set.

Wong was required to give his local identity card number when he signed up for his iPhone on Apple's website. The requirement prevents purchases by tourists including mainland Chinese, who have a reputation for scooping up high-end goods on trips to Hong Kong because there's no sales tax and because of the strength of China's currency. Even so, the mainlanders will probably buy it from the resellers "at a higher price -- a way higher price," said Wong, who hoped to make a profit of $129.

Tokyo's glitzy downtown Ginza district not only had a long line in front of the Apple store, but another across the main intersection at Softbank, the first carrier in Japan to offer iPhones.

Hidetoshi Nakamura, a 25-year-old auto engineer, said he's an Apple fan because it's an innovator.

"I love Apple," he said, standing near the end of a two-block-long line, reading a book and listening to music on his iPod.

"It's only the iPhone for me."

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Would You Like an Adapter with That?

At Apple's announcement earlier this week they unveiled a wealth of new accessories to go with their new products. But while some are great additions, others are downright annoying. Here's the scoop on the new accessories:

THE GOOD:

EarPods with remote and mic ($29)

We haven't had a chance to blast Passion Pit through these little guys yet, but we're optimistic about Apple's updated earbuds, which will ship with all the new iPhones and iPods.

They were certainly in need of a re-design. Even if you somehow managed to keep the things from falling out, they blasted sound right at your concha (the bowl-shaped part of your outer ear behind the ear canal), which actually amplifies the sound away from your ears and toward the people on the bus around you. The new EarPods, for which Apple took design cues from high-end earbud makers like Bose and Shure, direct sound to the parts of your ear that can actually hear them.

And - another boon of being designed to fit in your ears - they might not fall out so much.

iPod Touch loops (2/$9)

Even if you wouldn't worry about dropping it while you take pictures or play accelerometer-based games, the 5th-gen iPod Touch's attachable lanyard is awesome. Here's why: if you leave it on all the time, you'll never have to cram your whole hand into your pocket to pull the device out; just tug it out by the lanyard. (Have you seen someone in skinny jeans try to pull an iPhone out of their pocket sitting down?) The loop attaches near the bottom of the device (where the headphone jack is) so this little trick will work even when you've got your headphones plugged in.

Apple's selling them in packs of two, because who are we kidding: we'll lose these little things like crazy.

THE BAD:

5W USB power adapter ($19)

One un-announced update to Apple's iDevice line: the classic white, cube-shaped wall-to-USB adapter. As far as we can tell, this new version is 100% identical to the old one; it's just $10 cheaper. Of course, that's still $19 for an accessory that probably costs $3 to make. Whatever you do, just don't order the $29 version by mistake; for some reason it's still showing up in the store.

THE ANNOYING:

Lighting to 30-pin adapter ($29) and adapter-cable ($39)

We get it, Apple. You love your proprietary hardware. We'll admit those reversible "Lightning" cables are a step up from your 30-pin silliness; heck, they're maybe even better than micro-USB. But thirty (or forty) bucks for this tiny converter? Come on!

Forget that our old iPhone docks won't actually work as docks with the lightning-port. Pricing the converters like this straight-up punishes any customer who doesn't throw out their old accessories and buy new ones whenever they buy a new phone, all the while masquerading as a concession for those of us who'd rather not.

Will you buy any of these direct from Apple or wait for 3rd-party alternatives? Let us know in the comments.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.

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Apple unveils the iPhone 5

SAN FRANCISCO –  After weeks of speculation, anticipation and a hearty dose of hype, Apple unveiled the next generation iPhone at a special event in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and vice president of marketing Phil Schiller took the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where Apple has held many past product launches, to release the newest, largest, fastest iPhone ever.

"It's an absolute jewel," Schiller told the crowd of fans.

Made entirely of glass and aluminum, Schiller said the new version of Apple's flagship device is 18 percent thinner than before and 20 percent lighter than the 4S. It sports a larger, 4-inch screen, meaning the company could fit in an extra row of icons.

'We think you're going to love it.'

- Scott Forstall, senior vice president of software

It's also compatible with several new wireless networks, including HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, and LTE -- meaning the iPhone can finally match the wireless speeds of competing products such as the Samsung Galaxy line. The new iPhone 5 is also twice as fast as the 4S, Schiller said, thanks to a smaller, faster processor called the A6.

The new phone sports an 8MP camera, similar to earlier models, but it has better low-light performance and faster image captures. Schiller showed off a photograph captured by the new phone that he said was 28 megapixels.

"Here's pictures from the iPhone 5. These are from the camera... untouched," an apparent reference to Nokia, which was called out last week for faking images from its flagship Lumia 920 phone.

But not everything about the new phone is sure to delight. Schiller confirmed the rumors that had alarmed millions of fans prior to the release of the phone: The old dock connector is going away.

"A lot has changed and it's time for the connector to evolve," he said. The smaller new connector uses fewer pins and is reversible; to use old devices such as speaker docks with the new phone will require an adapter named "Lightning."

The iPhone 5 will run a new version of the software that powers the iLineup, deemed IOS 6. It contains mapping software with turn by turn directions and satellite imagery, a full-screen version of the Safari web browser and an improved version of the Siri voice-control system.

Owners of older iProducts, specificlaly the iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2 will be able to upgrade for free to iOS 6, he said.

"We think you're going to love it," said Scott Forstall, senior vice president of software for the company.

At the same event, Apple unveiled several new products, including revamped versions of the popular iTunes music store software and new iPod music players. 

"It's an amazing time at Apple," Cook said to begin the show, noting that 83 million visitors popped by their local Apple stores and over 7 million people downloaded the latest operating system update, Mountain Lion. The company sold 17 million iPads last quarter, Cook said.

"[Apple] sold more iPads than any PC manufacturer sold of their entire PC line," Cook told the crowd -- 84 million as of June.

The phone will cost the same as the iPhone 4S when it debuted: starting at $199 with a two-year contract in the U.S. Meanwhile, the price for the iPhone 4S will drop to $99 for new contract signers, and the iPhone 4 will be free.

The new iPhone will ship on Sept. 21; IOS will be available Sept. 19.

More at FoxBusiness

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Apple's likely iPhone 5 announcement expected to kick off holiday shopping season

SAN FRANCISCO –  After weeks of speculation, anticipation and a dose of hype, Apple is widely expected to announce a new smartphone at an event in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Apple isn't saying anything about the topic of the event, but the email invitation it sent to reporters contains a shadow in the shape of a "5" -- a nod to the iPhone 5. It is being held in San Francisco at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater, where Apple has held many product launches.

The new model is expected to work with fourth-generation, or 4G, cellular networks. That capability is something Samsung's Galaxy S III and many other iPhone rivals already have. A bigger iPhone screen is also possible. The new model will likely go on sale in a week or two.

Apple also plans to update its phone software this fall and will ditch Google's mapping service for its own, as a rivalry between the two companies intensifies.

In a related development, Google said Tuesday that it is releasing a new YouTube app for the iPhone and the iPad. The changes come amid the expiration of a five-year licensing agreement that had established YouTube as one of the built-in applications in Apple's mobile devices.

Still unknown is whether Apple will announce a smaller version of its iPad on Wednesday.

Apple dominates the market for tablet computers, shipping seven out of every 10 tablets worldwide in the second quarter, according to research firm IHS iSuppli. Rivals have been trying to compete by producing smaller, cheaper models --such as Amazon's Kindle Fire. A mini iPad would challenge those relative newcomers.

New iPod Nano will be a wristwatch for the iPhone 5?

Sales of Apple's iPhones are still strong, though the company lost the lead in smartphones to Samsung this year. Samsung Electronics benefited from having its Galaxy S III out in the U.S. in June, while Apple was still selling an iPhone model it released last October. A new iPhone will allow Apple to recapture the attention and the revenue.

Amid expectations of a new iPhone, Amazon, Nokia and Motorola all tried to generate interest in their products last week, hoping that a head start on the buzz will translate into stronger sales. Makers of consumer electronics are refreshing their products for the holiday shopping season.

Amazon announced four new Kindle Fire models and a new line of stand-alone e-readers, while Nokia and Motorola unveiled five new smartphones between them.

Nokia and Microsoft, in particular, are trying to generate interest in a new Windows operating system out next month. The two phones announced by Nokia are among the first to run Windows Phone 8.

Here's a look at what to expect in the coming months:

-- REKINDLING THE FIRE

Amazon.com's 7-inch Kindle Fire is one of the smaller tablets with decent sales. On Friday, it will sell an updated version with a faster processor, more memory and longer battery life. It will also cut the price to $159, from $199, making it far cheaper than the iPad, which starts at $399 for the 2011 version still on sale. (The most recent ones start at $499.)

Amazon is also releasing higher-end models under the Kindle Fire HD line. A 7-inch one will go for $199, while an 8.9-inch one will go for $299. There's also a $499 model that can use the 4G cellular networks that phone companies have been building. A data plan will cost an extra $50 a year. The smaller HD model will start shipping Friday, while the larger ones will be available Nov. 20.

Amazon also refreshed its line of stand-alone e-readers, offering the Paperwhite, with its own light source. Tablets such as the iPad and the Fire don't work as well in bright light because they are lit from the back. Amazon says the light on the Paperwhite is directed down at the display.

Barnes and Noble, which makes the 7-inch Nook Tablet, may have an update this fall as well.

Apple suing Polish grocery store for infringement

Toys R Us, meanwhile, said Monday that it is making a 7-inch tablet aimed at children. The Tabeo will go on sale Oct. 21 for $149.99.

-- MOTOROLA'S RETURN

Though it's a pioneer in the cellphone industry, Motorola hasn't had a hit since the Razr phone came out in 2004. Under new owner Google, Motorola Mobility is trying to change that.

Last week, Motorola announced three new smartphones bearing the Razr name. The $99 Droid Razr M will be in Verizon Wireless stores this Thursday, the day after Apple's announcement.

Motorola will have two high-end models, the Razr HD and Razr Maxx HD, later this year. It's emphasizing long battery life -- up to 21 hours of talk time for the Maxx HD, or 10 hours of video streaming.

These are the first major products from Motorola since Google bought the company for $12.4 billion in May. Google, meanwhile, continues to sell a 7-inch Android tablet, the Nexus 7, made in partnership with AsusTek Computer.

-- CALLING ON WINDOWS

Microsoft Corp. will release a new version of the Windows operating system on Oct. 26, one that's designed to work on both traditional computers and tablet devices. A new version of the Windows Phone system is coming out, too.

Once-dominant phone maker Nokia Corp. has been struggling in the shadow of Apple and Android, and it's counting on the new Windows system for a revival. Last week, Nokia and Microsoft unveiled two new devices under Nokia's Lumia brand -- the 820 and the 920.

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop says the new phones will go on sale in the fourth quarter in "select markets." He didn't say what they would cost or which U.S. carriers would have them. Investors were disappointed, and Nokia's stock fell 16 percent on the day of the announcement.

Samsung, which surpassed Nokia as the world's largest maker of mobile phones in 2011 and overtook Apple in smartphones this year, showed off a Windows 8 phone late last month. It didn't announce an availability date either.

-- SURFACE

Microsoft plans its own tablet computer, too. It's new territory for Microsoft, which typically leaves it to others to make devices using its software. Now, it will be competing against its partners.

The Surface tablet will come in two versions, both with 10.6-inch screens, slightly larger than the iPad's. One model will run on phone-style chips, just like the iPad, and will be sold for a similar price. A heavier, more expensive version will run on Intel chips and be capable of running standard Windows applications. The Surface will go on sale on Oct. 26.

-- NEW BLACKBERRYS

A year ago Research In Motion Ltd. disclosed that it was working on a next-generation phone system for the BlackBerry, which now looks ancient next to the iPhone and Android devices. It was supposed to be out in time for this year's holiday season. That won't happen.

In June RIM pushed the release of BlackBerry 10 devices into early next year, saying it wasn't ready. That means RIM will not only compete with the new iPhone and Android devices out this fall, but it will also have to contend with the new Windows devices.

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BlueToad Takes Credit for All those Leaked iOS Device IDs

Remember when the hacking collective Operation AntiSec published 12 million Apple Unique Device Identifiers (UDIDs) and claimed they'd stolen them from an FBI laptop?

Well, the data didn't come from the FBI, and as Apple is phasing out the UDID with iOS 6's new API, the hack was little more than an embarrassment for anyone.

The actual source of the stolen data came forward this morning with a public apology, after reaching out to and cooperating with the criminal investigation of the hack. BlueToad Inc., a digital publishing company that has released 139 iPhone apps and 150 iPad apps, acquired the UDID data through its regular, above-board operations, and did not have access to iOS users' account information or credit card numbers.

After cross-checking the published UDID list with the company's records, BlueToad CEO Paul DeHart told NBC with a "100% confidence level, it's our data." Given that the FBI denied having any Apple UDIDs on file, and that Apple denied ever giving them out, this certainly makes more sense.

Still convinced it's a conspiracy? Share your theory in the comments.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN. 

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