“Apple could release a midrange iPhone in addition to the iPhone 5, itself rumored to debut in coming weeks,” Nicholas Kolakowski reports for eWeek. “If that comes to pass, it’ll mark a new phase in Apple’s mobile strategy: the moment when it stopped battling Android in a more general way, and decided to ram Google’s operating system head-on.”
“That hardware will run iOS 5, a significant update to Apple’s mobile operating system,” Kolakowski reports. “It includes boosted interoperability with Twitter, a new feature called Newsstand that consolidates e-periodical subscriptions, and a Reminders app, among other features. Apple is also launching its iCloud service, which will sync user content and push it to various devices via the cloud.”
Kolakowski reports, “If it comes to pass, cheaper iPhones with more powerful hardware will counter the Android devices currently flooding the low- to mid-price smartphone market, even as the iPhone 5 goes toe-to-toe against premium Android devices.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
iPhone 5 is to iPod Nano
as
iPhone (?) is to iPod Classic
or not
Is it me or is it just when companies like Apple start embracing services like Facebook or Twitter those things start to lose their popularity? Sure not dead yet but it seems we’re about to crest the top of the hill.
Social networks I think are like when 60’s TV music group The Monkees (the Prefab Four) came out of retirement in the late 80’s and people said “Far Out, Groovy, Right on!!” and then after a moment’s reflection said “On second thought get the heck out of here!”
What would blow the market wide open is owning a cool piece of tech hardware that is the Apple iPhone, wifi only, with a low priced talk plan from the carrier.
I can’t tell how many times I read from posters that iPad wannabe killers from other companies don’t get it when they think they need to add everything AND the kitchen sink to make their tablet seem better. Like it has a HDMI, ethernet and USB-3 ports and FLASH so the whole internet is available. Please… Just give me Apple’s attention to detail and quality design on just a ‘phone’ and I’ll be happy.
Regarding “Twitter and Facebook losing popularity”, I feel the same way about smart phone / tablet apps. I’ve been collecting apps since 2008 and now have plenty of apps that I do not use, need or want. It has become “boring” and having 300,000+ apps to chose from in an app store does not entice me. I can’t remember the last time I browsed the iTunes store for the latest iPhone/iPad apps. “He’s just not into you!”, comes to mind. Now this is just me and my feelings. Someone who just purchased their very first iPad or iPhone will be a more willing shopper, duped like I was, regarding the faux aura of must have apps…
For me, I found that I use a couple of utility apps regularly, another 5 utility apps seasonally or sporadically and about 5 game apps out of the 250+ apps that I have.
So I say screw mandatory data plans. Give me an iPhone with wifi only. If their are parts of the iPhone that demand 3G service, get rid of them Apple and create a iPhone Air, based on the philosophy of the MacBook Air and its lack of Flash, optical drive and ports of plenty. I want to have a cool iPhone, with iOS, and just make calls on a neat piece of tech hardware. 3G data, LTE speeds, SMS/MSM texts have lost their appeal. Especially since the phone carriers are charging more and/or providing less.
ATT, Verizon, Sprint, et. al., just give me a $40.00 talk plan on a wifi only Smart Phone plan and keep your data and text plans to yourself! Do that and watch those carriers that fail to do so see their client base churn.
A wifi only iPhone? What are you thinking of dipstick? Just suppose that one day you might leave the house – what will you do then?
My, aren’t you full of useless advice and unnecessary insults today.
I think he’s saying a voice-only cell plan … all other data must use wifi. Sounds like a great idea to me.
He made an equally snotty comment to another poster on an early topic. A lack of tack lessens the value of anything else he might say, IMHO