Picture of Alleged iPhone 5S Motherboard Leaks, Shows Off A7 Processor

A photo of what is allegedly the iPhone 5S’ motherboard has been let loose, showing off what appears to be an A7 processor. According to iOSDoc, who acquired the photo from a trusted source, the alleged motherboard is quite similar to that of the iPhone 5, indicating an incremental upgrade is inbound, similar to iPhone 4/4S territory.

Further speculation explores what we’ve already heard and, in the Apple world, these expectations aren’t outside the realm of possibility. Apple’s upcoming device will reportedly come with a quad-core chip clocked at 1.2GHz, along with Jony Ive’s repainted iOS 7 and a “highly improved Siri.”

Additionally, the next iPhone will come with PowerVR quad-core SGX554MP4 GPU that’s featured in the iPad 4, meaning folks will see an improved gaming experience. Other supposed enhancements include 2GB of RAM and, the holy grail of iOS user’s dreams: widgets in iOS 7.

None of this is substantiated and sounds more like hope than actual fact. Still, plenty of what’s being suggested sound like logical upgrades, though the rumors about what we’ll see in iOS 7 are certainly interesting, especially with Scott Forstall out of the picture.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Alleged Photos of Apple’s iPhone 5S Are Fake

Photos of what are allegedly Apple’s iPhone 5S assembly line were recently leaked. As always, it’s hard to tell if these images are legitimate or not, but 9to5Mac originally suggested that the photos could be showing us a new iPhone 5S with a few tweaked internals. Turns out the images might not only be fake, but they might actually be parts of a knockoff iPhone 5.

MacRumors says that it’s fairly certain the leaked parts are of an iPhone 5 clone, a fake version of the iPhone 5 that’s likely sold as a cheap knockoff, and that it’s most certainly not the iPhone 5S. The site noticed that the battery is smaller than the iPhone 5, there’s a microSD card slot, there’s a connector that doesn’t resemble the new Lightning port and there are “loose red and black wires.”

We imagine that the iPhone 5S will resemble the iPhone 5, as the photos above do, but apparently these aren’t the real deal.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

iOS 6.1.1 fixes cellular issues with iPhone 4S

Apple has issued a 23 MB update for the iPhone that fixes an unknown cellular performance and reliability issue for iPhone 4S users. iOS 6.1.1 is available by checking for updates on your iPhone, updating via iTunes or via support download from Apple.

[Source: TUAW]

Chinese Source Claims iPhone 5S and 5-Inch iPhone 6 to Launch in 2013

Brightwire translates a report from the Chinese media which claims that Apple will be launching both an iPhone 5S and a 5" iPhone 6 this year:

- A source told Chinese mobile phone information site Laoyaoba.com that he has seen the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 at Apple's suppliers. Both models may be released in 2013, according to the website's microblog on Thursday evening. 
- The source noted that the iPhone 5S resembles the iPhone 5, and the five-inch iPhone 6 is lighter and thinner.

This rumor adds to a chorus of reports that Apple is seriously considering a larger form-factor iPhone in the near future. While early reports had suggested that such a model wouldn't see the light of day in 2013, later reports continue to point to a 4.8"-5.0" device coming soon from Apple. 

All these rumors have generated a significant amount of speculation on how such a larger model might make sense in Apple's iPhone lineup, especially when comparing it to Samsung's current offerings. 

Due to Apple's use of Chinese manufacturers and the need to prototype their designs, it's possible that all of these sightings could be true, yet Apple may still not launch such a device in 2013. If Apple does begin ramping up production for 2013, we expect we'll see parts of this larger device to also begin to leak out of China.

[Source: MacRumors]

Unauthorized Unlocking of New Mobile Phones Set to Become Illegal in U.S.

As noted by Tech News Daily, a new federal policy in the United States is set to go into effect this Saturday that will make it illegal for certain mobile phone owners to unlock their devices for use on other carriers unless specifically authorized by their carriers. The policy applies to newly purchased devices beginning on Saturday, but not to legacy devices purchased prior to that date.

In October 2012, the Librarian of Congress, who determines exemptions to a strict anti-hacking law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), decided that unlocking mobile phones would no longer be allowed. But the librarian provided a 90-day window during which people could still buy a phone and unlock it. That window closes on January 26.

Unlocking devices allows users to take their phones to other carriers such as T-Mobile or to use SIM cards from international carriers while traveling abroad without needing to purchase expensive international roaming packages from their domestic carrier.

Users can, of course, still purchase unlocked iPhones at unsubsidized prices, and, last April, AT&T began unlocking iPhones for customers whose contract terms were completed or who had paid early termination fees to end them early. The SIM card slots on the Verizon iPhone 5 are already unlocked, while Sprint announced that it would unlock the SIM card slot on its iPhones for international usage three months after purchase. 

In the decision outlined in the Federal Register, these policies were cited as reasons for not allowing an unlocking exemption to the DMCA for newly purchased devices.

The Register concluded after a review of the statutory factors that an exemption to the prohibition on circumvention of mobile phone computer programs to permit users to unlock "legacy'' phones is both warranted and unlikely to harm the market for such programs. At the same time, in light of carriers' current unlocking policies and the ready availability of new unlocked phones in the marketplace, the record did not support an exemption for newly purchased phones. Looking to precedents in copyright law, the Register recommended that the class designated by the Librarian include a 90-day transitional period to allow unlocking by those who may acquire phones shortly after the new exemption goes into effect.

Carriers such as AT&T already forbid unauthorized unlocking in their customer contracts, but the clarification of DMCA policy with respect to unlocking will now make the issue a criminal one. iPhone unlocking services have enjoyed a fair amount of popularity, and while a substantial pool of eligible legacy devices will remain, it appears that these services will be unable to legally unlock any new devices for their customers.

[Source: MacRumors]

Google's Blogger for iOS adds iPhone 5 support, more save post options

Regardless of the mobile platform, Google's oftentimes keeping the majority of its apps up to date, and while the iPhone 5's been around for a few months now, it's still nice to see more and more software be optimized for the device. That being said, on-the-go typers will be glad to learn that Blogger for iOS has been on the receiving end of an update today, which, most notably, makes the application friendly with the 4-inch screen found on Apple's flagship handset. Additionally, Blogger now includes native support for the first three generations of the iPad, while other useful features were also added to the blogging app, including handy post options like "Save as Draft," Publish" and "Cancel." The new version is live in the App Store, so go on and tap the source link below if you're looking to improve your powered-by-Google blogging experience.

[Source: Engadget]

iPhone 5 Launches in 33 New Countries Including China

Unlike the chaos that reigned at the iPhone 4S launch earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal reports that the iPhone 5 appears to have been quite subdued. It is unclear, however, how much of the change may be due to lack of interest and how much may have been related to snowy weather and changes in Apple's sales policies designed to reduce scalping and other factors that have led to problems at previous launches.

Friday’s iPhone 5 launch was notable for a different kind of white: a rare accumulation of fresh snow that blanketed the nearly empty plaza outside the Sanlitun store. 

At 8 am on Friday, when the store opened to hurrahs from employees, only two consumers stood inside a cordon set up by Apple, though they were joined by a desultory snow man someone had made on a bench near the entrance.

Apple's new sales policies require customers to enter a lottery for the right to purchase an iPhone in the store, with winners being given specific windows of time in which to pick up their devices.

[Source: Engadget]

MapsOpener jailbreak tweak sets Google Maps as default maps app

Some iPhone users who’ve tried the new Google Maps already will want to use the app instead of the often criticized Apple Maps. Sadly, Apple doesn’t yet offer a way to make Google Maps the default application, which would allow iOS users to choose which mapping app opens when mapping URLs are clicked or using Siri.

As expected the crafty folks in the jailbreak community have already cooked up a new tweak called MapsOpener that will make Google Maps the default. You can check out the tweak courtesy of Hashbang Productions and available via Cydia’s Big Boss repo.  As we told you earlier this week, jailbreak tweak FullForce will also make Google Maps scale to the iPad’s large screen. Check out MapsOpener demoed below.

 [Source: 9to5Mac]

Dropbox 2.0 launches for iOS with new Photos tab and a streamlined UI

Most of us would call the Dropbox mobile app very utilitarian, built for browsing files and not much else. It's becoming more of a media viewer in its own right with its just-arrived Dropbox 2.0 for iOS users. The cloud storage service gains a dedicated Photos tab that takes advantage of all those automatic uploads from the past few months: the panel organizes photos by the time taken and offers an unintrusive full-screen mode for reliving memories. Hitting the major milestone has also given Dropbox an incentive to rework the interface as a whole, simplifying uploads to specific folders alongside removing the visual clutter. The developer hasn't yet given Android the same treatment, although the company's tendency to keep its major apps on an equal footing suggests it won't be too long before everyone gets a clearer view of their images in the cloud.

[Source: Engadget]

Facebook app update on iPhone gets reconstructed timelines, promises faster reminiscing

Right on the heels of an Android update, Facebook's also gave its iOS iteration a similar refresh. According to the short iTunes listing, version 5.3 gives a speed boost to your news feed, with the primary social news page now loading updates quicker. We just updated the app on the iPhone 5 and there's certainly an improvement on news refresh speeds and when scrolling down to grab older updates. The new app also lets you designate which album photos are uploaded to -- a convenient addition if you haven't already automated that whole upload-to-Facebook thing.

[Source: Engadget]

Amazon Instant Video streaming app now available for iPhone and iPod touch

iPad owners have had access since early August, and at long last, iPod touch and iPhone users can say "Us too." The second major reason to crack open the App Store today has just surfaced, with Amazon confirming that its Instant Video app is now available for two of Apple's more bantam iOS products. Much like the iPad version, this one provides access to over 30,000 titles from Prime Instant Video available to Prime members for no extra cost, while the roaming public at large can tap into some 140,000 titles at various price points. To watch movies or TV episodes from Amazon Instant Video on iPhone and iPod touch, customers can simply search for the content they've already rented or purchased from Amazon Instant Video, and the company's also throwing in "Your Watchlist" and "Your Video Library" features, too.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple begins selling unlocked iPhone 5 in the US, starting from $649 (update: LTE bands)

It's that special time of the year... that is, when Apple decides to unfetter the iPhone for US shoppers. The Cupertino crew has quietly started selling the iPhone 5 in an unlocked, off-contract form that will work on GSM, HSPA+ and (if you're in the right countries) LTE networks. There's few surprises versus what we've seen in years past, or in other regions: the unlocked iPhone 5 ships in the same capacities and colors as the carrier-bound model, and starts from $649. That's still expensive for those still used to buying on an agreement, and it won't represent as much bang-for-the-buck as a $350 Nexus 4. If you're yearning for the LTE the Nexus 4 lacks and don't mind living in an iOS universe, however, Apple is ready and waiting.

[Source: Engadget]