There will always come a point when hardware limitations prevent previous-generation iPhone and iPod touch models from receiving the latest version of iOS. The issue is more prominently discussed in the Android community due to the frequency of updates and the time-consuming process vendors face when making customized software elements available on a new Android build. But owners of older versions of Apple’s mobile devices also know the pain of seeing features added to iOS that they will never get to en...

A personal travel blog titled BirdAbroad recently published a story and photos detailing fake Apple Stores that have started to pop up in China. A few such stores exist in Kunming, the largest city in the Yunnan Province, and employees have faked the real Apple Store atmosphere so well that a number of Chinese residents believe the stores are legitimate outlets. Several of the customers are now furious after hearing the truth. “When I heard the news I rushed here immediately to get the receipt, I am so ...

Apple finally approved the official Google+ application for iOS on Tuesday. Google took the wraps off of Google+, its new social network, on June 28th and immediately made an Android application available to its users. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Apple to approve the iPhone version. Google+ for iOS is supported on the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4, provided that the device is running iOS 3.1 or later. There’s no word if a dedicated iPad version is in the works. (more…)

Following the “Antennagate” scandal that cost Apple zero sales last year, a new “Locationgate” scandal took the media by storm earlier this year that ultimately cost Apple zero sales. It was discovered in late April that the iPhone and 3G-equipped iPads were secretly tracking and storing users’ locations. Apple issued a statement seven days later, claiming the culprit was a bug that would be addressed as soon as possible. Apple also said that it does not track its users or their ...

T-Mobile USA has gone on record in stating that its network is now home to more than 1 million unlocked Apple iPhones. While the figure is not incredibly surprising considering the massive popularity of Apple’s smartphone line, it certainly reaffirms the fact that T-Mobile subscribers are itching for an iOS option. Though the overwhelming bulk of iPhones being used on T-Mobile’s network are 3G and 3GS models, unnamed T-Mobile spokespeople also confirmed that the carrier has micro-SIMs in developm...

The Nielsen Company on Friday released its latest findings regarding smartphone data usage and as expected, data consumption continued to increase at an explosive pace in the first quarter of 2011. In the same quarter last year, the average smartphone user consumed 230MB of data on their device each month. Last quarter, that number shot up 89% to 435MB. The heaviest data users are responsible for the bulk of the growth, with average data usage among the top 10% of smartphone owners having grown 155% from 1.8G...

If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would have insisted that no ear buds in the sub-$1,000 price range sound better than my trusty Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10vi headset. I would have been wrong. I still insist that no buds I’ve tried sound better than my 10vi buds — and I have tried many, many pairs — but now I add the caveat, “when coupled with the iWOW 3D.” (more…)

Apple’s media event has kicked off as planned, and the company announced that it has shipped over 100 million iPhones. CEO Steve Jobs also noted that the company has shipped over 15 million iPad tablets — more than every other consumer tablet combined, ever. Apple’s iPhone, which launched in 2007, was the company’s first iOS device. Since its launch, devices like the iPhone 4, iPad and iPod touch have made the platform one of the most popular mobile OSes in the world.

Earlier this month, we exclusively reported that Apple’s new Personal Hotspot feature is coming to all iPhones with iOS 4.3. The feature, which was popularized by Android phones like the HTC EVO 4G, will allow devices to share an iPhone’s 3G data connection via Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, more cautious carriers like AT&T are likely to take their sweet time enabling the service for subscribers. Jailbreakers can purchase one of several apps that enable Wi-Fi tethering, but not everyone wants to bother...

Microsoft on Tuesday launched a new version of its OneNote mobile application for Apple’s iOS platform. Compatibile with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, OneNote allows iPhone users to create, edit and sync notes using Microsoft’s popular cloud-based note-taking solution. OneNote is part of Microsoft’s famed Office suite of products, and is the first Office application to be built by Microsoft for the iOS platform. Microsoft, which has launched several other apps for iOS in the past, has not...

Smartphone users dig apps. Mobile developers dig Apple. Those two truths add up to a whole lot of app downloads from Apple’s iOS App Store. There are currently about iOS 340,000 apps available in the App Store according to Apple’s feeds. Collectively, they will soon have been downloaded a total of 10 billion times. Apple put up a new page to celebrate the imminent milestone, and it is offering a $10,000 iTunes gift card to the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad user who downloads the 10-billionth app. App...

Throwback Thursday was yesterday, but we thought it would be nice to spend a few minutes this Christmas Eve Day looking back on some of the events leading up to the introduction of the iPhone. The iPhone is, after all, a device that served as a catalyst in the mobile industry over the past few years — love it or hate it. It pushed the industry in new directions, causing competitors to approach hardware and user experience design in a whole new way. It even forced Google to rethink the BlackBerry-like OS it ...

It came a bit later than we expected — reportedly due to a last minute Wi-Fi bug on the iPad — but Apple fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Apple has pushed out its iOS 4.2.1 update for the iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and iPod touch. The most notable changes will come for iPad users, who have been anxiously awaiting iOS 4 for what seems like an eternity. They will now be able to enjoy Apple’s multitasking workaround for third-party apps, folders, AirPrint capabilities, a unified in...

If rumors circulating today are to be believed, Apple is set to have a pretty big week in terms of software updates. It’s no mystery that Apple has several new software builds in the works but as always, the company has not announced specific release dates. A new report claims to peg dates for three major upcoming releases, however, and they’re all due this week. First up, OS X 10.6.5 and iTunes 10.1 are both said to be slated for release tomorrow, November 10th. The report also states that iOS 4....