iPhone 5 may be released in October 2012 (USA)
Soon After the release of Apple’s iPhone 4S, rumours for the iPhone 5 began doing the rounds. According to recent reports, the American company is looking to release the revolutionary new iPhone in October.
The iPhone 5 is expected to have a 4? screen powered by a dual-core A5 / A6 processor and an 8 MP camera. The company had earlier hinted at an August release, however recent news suggests that chipmaker Qualcomm, who will be supplying the chips for the iPhone 5, is facing difficulties in meeting the quality standards setup by Apple.
These radio chips inserted in the Iphone offer better internet connectivity. Further, with mobile oeprators AT&T and Verizon launching their LTE networks, the iPhone 5 will offer users a better chanceat accessing the mobile data.
Apple may release iPhone 5 in June 2012 (USA)
Apple may be planning to release the iPhone 5 by June this year as suggested by new rumours. Apart from the deviation witnessed at the time of the launch of the iPhone 4S, Apple always released the previous iPhones in June.
Prior to the launch of the iPhone 4S, rumours were abuzz that Apple was aunching the iPhone 5 with a new design and advanced features. As per reports, the iPhone 5 will come with a display screen of over 4 inches to provide stiff competition to Samsung’s Galaxy Note, as well as the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III.
The new iPhone is also expected to be compatible with 4G/LTE connectivity. The June release is speculated by analysts to come at a time for Apple to ensure that it does not lose market control to its rival Samsung, which has successfully been churning out devices across the price range.
Mobile data bill to never cross US$ 23.5 per month with Globe (Philippines)
Globe telecom, a leading mobile network provider in Philippines, has launched the new Globe Postpaid PowerSurf, enabling its subscribers to stay connected to the internet via their mobile while saving on data charges.
According to company reports, PowerSurf 99 offers users 50MB of data for US$ 2.3 allowing them to do 1,200 Google searches, tweet 1,600 times, or tag 250 Facebook photos. Further, users can also subscribe to PowerSurf 299 which has 300MB of data for US$ 7 or PowerSurf 499 which gives users 1GB of data for US$ 11.7.
In the event that a user exceeds the usage of their PowerSurf Plan’s MB allocation, they will never be charged more than US$ 23.5 a month, thus offering users unrestricted access to mobile data without worrying about bill shock.
Hence, users can log on and off as much as they want so as to update Facebook, post a tweet, receive push e-mail, search Google or even watch Youtube videos, as they will never be charged ahead of US$ 23.5 for the month, irrespective of the plan opted for.
Joanna Africa, Head for Portfolio Management, Globe has said that bill shock has always been a concern for most of their postpaid subscribers who surf the internet using their mobile phones. Their new worry-free plans, headlined by the US$ 23.5 bill cap, show that Globe truly values superior customer experience by proactively addressing bill shock and helping subscribers cope with their data usage. Further, with the bill cap on PowerSurf in place, they give their postpaid subscribers peace of mind when they surf on their handsets – may it be an iPhone, Android or BlackBerry. For as long as they are registered to any of the PowerSurf plans, they can enjoy mobile browsing without racking up an expensive bill.
Apple overturns German online sales ban by Motorola (USA, Germany)
iPhone maker Apple Inc. has managed to overturn a ruling by the German court which imposed a ban on the sale of some of its products in the country. According to reports, Motorola Mobility had won the legal case and forced Apple to remove some of its iPhone and iPad models from the online store in Germany.
As per sources, a statement by Apple claims that all iPad and iPhone models will be back on sale through Apple’s online store in Germany shortly. Further, Apple appealed this ruling because Motorola repeatedly refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago.
In response to this Motorola issued a statement saying that they are pleased that the Mannheim court has recognized the importance of their intellectual property and granted an enforceable injunction in Germany against Apple Sales International. However, although the enforcement of the injunction has been temporarily suspended, Motorola Mobility will continue to pursue its claims against Apple.
Apple and Samsung lead smartphone shipments in 2011
The demand for smartphones around the world continues to witness a rise as users across segments have been increasingly replacing traditional handsets with smartphones by Samsung and Apple. According to a report by IDC, the worldwide smartphone market went up by 55 per cent in Q4 2011, largely driven by the demand for the Apple iPhone 4S.
As per the report, around 492 million smartphones were shipped in 2011, a 61 per cent rise from 305 million units in 2010. Apart from the introduction of high and medium-end devices by telecom giants Samsung and Apple, affordable handsets by these firms have gone a long way in increasing their presence in the market.
South Korea’s Samsung emerged as the leading smartphone maker for 2011, with the launch of its successful range of the Galaxy series, primarily the Galaxy SII and Galaxy Nexus. The Apple iPhone 4S helped the US manufacturer maintain its market position as well as set a new shipment volume record for a quarter.
Smartphone vendor Nokia attempted to gain back some its market share with the launch of its Windows Phones, the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800, while BlackBerry maker, Research in Motion (RIM), is still working towards recovering from the losses caused due its network outage and hopes to release its updated handset by the end of the year. Taiwanese handset maker, HTC also saw a decline in the volumes shipped in the fourth quarter as compared to the previous quarter.
German court says Apple did not violate Samsung’s patents (Germany, USA, South Korea)
Samsung Electronics has announced that a German court has ruled in favour of Apple Inc, claiming that the USA firm had not violated Samsung’s technology patents. As per sources, Samsung had filed a lawsuit against Apple last year claiming that the iPhone maker had infringed on its technology patents.
According to reports, Samsung has responded to the ruling saying that they are disappointed that the court did not share their views regarding the infringement by Apple of this specific patent in Germany. Further, they will wait for the written grounds of the judgment, and after thorough review make a decision about a possible appeal to the Higher Regional Court Karlsruhe.
The company also said that the ruling relates to only one of several patents asserted by Samsung in the Mannheim court. A ruling on an additional Samsung patent relating to telecommunications standards is due to be handed down by the Mannheim court in the next several weeks.
Reports reveal that the German court had ruled in favour of Apple last week, in another infringement case filed by Samsung against Apple.
Verizon sells 4.2 million iPhones during the holiday season (USA)
Verizon Wireless, a leading mobile operator in the U.S., reported iPhone sales of over 4.2 million in the holiday quarter, more than double its sales in the earlier quarter. However, according to reports, Fran Shammo, CEO, Verizon has said that the increased sale of the iPhones could impact the profit margins for the final quarter of 2011.
As per sources, Mr. Shammo also revealed that apart from the strong sales of the iPhone, the company also saw high demand for the LTE (Long Term Evolution) enabled smartphones which reached a total of 2.2 million handsets. He added that the sale of these devices at subsidized rates could lead to a decline in the fourth quarter margins by 500 to 600 basis points.
Nokia partners with T-Mobile to launch Lumia 710 (USA, Finland)
Finalnd based handset maker, Nokia is hopeful of re-establishing itself in the U.S. by collaborating with mobile operator T-Mobile for the sale of its Lumia 710 smartphone. According to company reports, the smartphone powered by Microsoft’s Windows software is expected to be sold for US$ 50.
With the smartphone market being largely dominated by Apple’s iPhones and Google Android powered smatphones, Nokia hopes to capture some of the market share through its low-priced smartphone. The company reportedly aims to position the Lumia 710 as the affordable smartphone for all consumers. Further, the company has hinted that users will also be provided with unlimited calls to a special concierge line which would help them set up as well as adapt the handset to suit their needs.
