The written musings of a long-time Apple //e and Macintosh tech nerd. Opinions are my own.
I don’t know which is more plausible: seeing a unicorn or a real – not hacked – white iPhone 4.
AppleInsider.com is reporting that CDMA and GSM versions of the white iPhone 4 for both Verizon and AT&T are “nearly ready.”
With some 8+ months having already passed since the black iPhone 4 went on sale, is there really anyone at this point, who has put off the purchase of an iPhone 4 just to get the white one? I didn’t think so.
[Via AppleInsider.com…]
Ok, so it’s clear that two things are not going to happen in the next two months:
So what am I suppose to do with my 22 month old Sprint edition Palm Pre running a pre-release beta build of webOS 2.0.1?
I think for the next six months I’m going to continue on Sprint (with at least four months going contract free), buying a replacement stock Palm Pre/Pixi battery, and going back to webOS 1.4.5.
My Pre has suffered the test of time and has at least three cracks in it’s exterior casing, and one of the cracks has caused the microUSB door to fall out. (For the record, I didn’t break it off.) The battery is holding about 60% charge these days, so a new battery is going to be a must to make it until Q4, which is when the iPhone 5 could be arriving. (Some bloggers seem to think that the iPhone 5 will go live this summer with iOS 4, and get a major software upgrade in September or October. Others think Apple will continue to run with the iPhone 4, in black and white, until the ‘September-ish’ timeframe.)
So that brings me back to webOS. Don’t get me wrong: webOS is a great operating system. I really do like it. It’s just that it isn’t grabbing the attention of consumers like iOS and Android are doing. The webOS pre-release beta build that I have on my phone is working, however, the code isn’t optimized to run on 2-year old hardware, and it is a bit ‘sluggish’. (HP, to their credit, hasn’t released webOS 2.0.1 to the Pre/Pixi toting public. The experience would be sub-optimal to anyone except the hardcore Palm fan – something I still consider myself.)
So, fellow Palm Pre users still rockin’ it on Sprint, what are we going to do on June 6, 2011? Time is almost up.
Apple enjoyed long lines and strong sales of their new table device, iPad 2 this weekend.
The iPad 2, which went on sale this past Friday at 5pm, generated the kinds of lines that the previous iPad and iPhone 4 created. According to a post this weekend on AppleInsider.com, Piper Jaffray researcher said that there where over 1,000 people in line at Apple’s 5th Ave retail store in Manhattan, New York City. Friday afternoon hoping to get their hands on the new device.
Throughout the weekend, “supply checks” at various Apple retail locations and other authorized resellers indicated that the iPad 2 had been selling well and that some models had already sold out.
Orders placed online for any of the Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + 3G models of iPad 2 are listed as shipping in 3-4 weeks.
In the days leading up to the iPad 2 launch, Apple was not taking online reservations or pre-orders as they had done with the original iPad and the Verizon iPhone 4. As a result, the launch of the iPad 2 generated the kind of customer lines that have become almost common place for an Apple mobile device product launch.
For competitors hoping to finally get product out on the market this year who had been chasing after the original iPad, the bar has just been raised that much higher.
[Via AppleInsider.com…]
Earlier today, Apple has released the iOS 4.3 update for current model iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch mobile devices. iPad 2, which will go on sale at 5pm on Friday (3/11/11) will come pre-loaded with iOS 4.3 from the factory.
Interestinly absent from the iOS 4.3 part is the new CDMA Verizon iPhone 4. The Verizon iPhone 4 will not receive an update along side it’s GMS counterpart on rival wireless carrier, AT&T.
iOS 4.3 provides some new features, including iTunes Home Sharing (streaming between your Mac or PC and your iOS device), iPhone 4 Personal HotSpot (Mi-Fi like cellular Internet connection sharing), and a new preference to allow iPad owners to chose the function of the slider switch (screen rotation lock or mute switch).
In addtion to the new features, iOS 4.3 also enhances the Safari browser and the AirPlay feature, which requires a second generation AppleTV, first introduced in iOS 4.2. ComputerWorld.com also reports that iOS 4.3 patches some 59 iOS bugs.
iOS 4.3 supports all current model iDevices, include: iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 GMS, iPad, and iPad 2, iPod touch (2009), and iPod touch (2010). There is no world on when iOS 4.3 will be coming to the Verizon iPhone 4 or the second generation AppleTV.
To install iOS on your device, first upgrade iTunes to the latest release, and then connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your computer and follow the on screen upgrade prompts.
Update
Apple has released a software update for the second generation AppleTV to bring it to version 4.2. Click the Read More link for details.
AppleInsider.com reports that Apple has updated the second generation AppleTV software version 4.2.
New features of the update, as highlighted by Apple, include:
To update the software on your second generation AppleTV, use the software update feature in the settings menu.
[Via AppleInsider.com…]
Call me a fanboy. Call my a loyalist. But when I find something that works for me, I stick with it. That has been the case with Palm and Palm OS/webOS and it is also true of Apple and Sprint.
I’ve been with Sprint for almost four years now. I’ve gotten good customer service from them, their coverage is good in my area, and I’ve become friends with the local Sprint store staff.
I’ve also used Palm’s gear for 10+ years now, and Apple’s computers since 1984; starting with the Apple ][e.
Now that Apple has built a CDMA/EVDO iPhone for Verizon, the buzz on the Internet is practically deafening about when Sprint might ink a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to the Now Network.
PPCGeeks.com has an interesting article posted from last week asking if history is repeating itself. I’ll let them explain.
“Everyone noticed when Sprint quit promoting a certain part of their own EVO commercial on TV, which had one quote that stated “the EVO was a superior option to the iPhone 4”. Recently, Sprint altered this commercial to remove the iPhone 4 quote entirely.
What beatweek noticed, and what we find interesting as well, is the fact that history seems to be repeating itself. Remember when Verizon had comments about the iPhone, barely a year ago, and then they eventually pulled this commercial, with no explanation, from the TV commercials? Well, Sprint is now doing the same thing.”
Interesting. I’d like to think that now that the CDMA iPhone hardware exists, Sprint is talking with Apple. I’d like to stay with Sprint, but with my 2-year contact for my Palm Pre set to expire in four months, I’m willing to jump to “Big Red” to get a pair of iPhones for my wife and I. Either way, it looks like I’m ready to take a break from HP/Palm webOS devices.
[Via PPCGeeks.com…]
I think that the headline says it all. After 3-years of wild speculation, debate, and outright arguing, today, Verizon Wireless and Apple took the wraps of the Verizon 3G CDMA edition of the insanely popular iPhone 4.
People interested in getting a 16GB or 32GB Verizon iPhone 4 can pre-order their phones starting on February 3, and can purchase their phone on a first come, first served basis at Verizon Wireless locations or Apple retail stores starting on February 10.
“We are pleased to introduce millions of wireless users to the industry leading iPhone 4 on the nation’s most reliable network,” said Lowell McAdam, president and chief operating officer of Verizon. “This is an important step for the industry as two great companies join forces to give wireless customers one of the most important technological additions to the mobile landscape this century.”
“Verizon Wireless customers have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on iPhone 4, and we think they are going to love it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We have enormous respect for the company Verizon has built and the loyalty they have earned from their customers.”
Pricing & Availability
iPhone 4 will be available on the Verizon Wireless network beginning Thursday, February 10 for a suggested retail price of $199.99 for the 16GB model and $299.99 for the 32GB model with a new two year customer agreement. iPhone 4 will be available at more than 2,000 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide, online at www.verizonwireless.com/iphone, at Apple Retail Stores, at the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), at Apple Authorized Resellers, and by calling 1-800-2 JOIN IN.
For more information, you can read the joint press release on the Apple website. Verizon has also posted a FAQ for the CDMA iPhone 4 and related terms of service.
Didn’t get the cool new phone or iDevice for Christmas that you were hoping for? Are you sitting on a pile of cash or gift cards? Don’t worry! There are still deals to be had on new and refurbished hardware between now and the end of the year.
Apple (Refurbished Hardware)
AT&T Wireless (Refurbished Hardware)
Keep reading for Verizon Wireless and Sprint phones.
Sprint
Verizon Wireless
Depending on the phone model and service plan, a $36 activation fee may apply.
According to a PreCentral.net article posted today, the Palm Pre, the original HP webOS device, has reached End of Life (EOL) status on the Now Network.
“Today we’ve received word from a trusted Sprint source that the end is here for the original Palm Pre, with Sprint marking the device as EOL (End of Life). It’s not a surprise after it already disappeared from their site, but it’s still a blow: we still find that the largest and most loyal webOS contingent lives on Sprint.
Quantities of new Palm Pre phones in Sprint warehouses are very low (we’re talking hundreds of units here), so it shouldn’t be too much longer before the phone is completely sold out.”
With the Palm Pre gone, Sprint customers will only have the option of the original Palm Pixi should they want to use a Palm phone and stay with Sprint. There has been no word as to whether or not Sprint will pick up the new HP Palm Pre 2 that has already gone on sale in O2’s network in France, and will be headed to Verizon and AT&T in the near future.
Personally, without a new high-end HP Palm or Apple iPhone on Sprint’s Now Network, I’m not sure how long I’ll be sticking with Sprint past the end of my 2-year contact that I signed when I purchased my Pre. Sprint, you have until April, 2011 to pick up either the HP Palm Pre 2 or newer device or an Apple iPhone. If not, I’m heading for Verizon or AT&T.
[Via PreCentral.net…]
Despite all the shenanigans caused by a recent post at TMoNews.com about T-Mobile selling Apple’s iPhone 4G, does anyone else think that a black Apple sync/charge cable is cool? A white cable looks good with a white iPod or with the mythical white iPhone 4G. But a white cable with a black iPod Classic, iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad just doesn’t seem right.
The T-Mobile cable is intended for European T-Mobile customers who are traveling State side and is expected to sell for $14.99. (In Germany, T-Mobile is a non-exclusive carrier of the iPhone.) I can’t say that if I happened pass a T-Mobile store that has this cable that I won’t pick one up.
The bottom line: So far, AT&T is still the only game in town for an iPhone. Verizon has all but been confirmed to start selling the iPhone 4G in early 2011. No word at this time if T-Mobile or Sprint will ever end up ironing out a deal with Apple to sell the iPhone.
Apple has announced, sort of, via a company spokesperson, that the elusive white iPhone 4 won’t appear until the spring of 2011.
John Paczkowski, of the Digital Daily blog, contacted the iPhone maker and received the following word:
“We’re sorry to disappoint customers waiting for the white iPhone yet again, but we’ve decided to delay its release until this spring.”
[Via Digital Daily…]