Apple: New iPhone 5 Is Thinner, Lighter, Longer… Just Better

Apple® today announced iPhone® 5, the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina™ display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless technology*—all while delivering even better battery life.** iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features including: the all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography and turn-by-turn navigation; Facebook integration; Passbook® organization; and even more Siri® features and languages.
“iPhone 5 is the most beautiful consumer device that we’ve ever created”“iPhone 5 is the most beautiful consumer device that we’ve ever created,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We’ve packed an amazing amount of innovation and advanced technology into a thin and light, jewel-like device with a stunning 4-inch Retina display, blazing fast A6 chip, ultrafast wireless, even longer battery life; and we think customers are going to love it.”
iPhone 5 is the thinnest smartphone in the world, with an all-new 7.6 mm anodized aluminum body that is 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than iPhone 4S. Designed with an unprecedented level of precision, iPhone 5 combines an anodized aluminum body with diamond cut chamfered edges and glass inlays for a truly incredible fit and finish.
The new 4-inch Retina display on iPhone 5 delivers even more pixels than iPhone 4S, making the already incredible Retina display even better. By making the screen taller, not wider, iPhone 5 is just as easy to use with one hand so you can tap, type and scroll the same way you always have, while enjoying even more of your content including amazing apps optimized for the larger Retina display, widescreen HD video, a full five days of your Calendar and more of every web page.
iPhone 5 supports ultrafast wireless standards including LTE and DC-HSDPA, so you can browse, download and stream content even faster. To support the latest LTE technology, Apple has pioneered a unique single-radio LTE solution that provides blazing fast speeds while fitting perfectly into the new remarkably thin design. iPhone 5 features dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi support for a wireless experience up to 150 Mbps.***
The all-new A6 chip was designed by Apple to maximize performance and power efficiency to support all the incredible new features in iPhone 5, including the stunning new 4-inch Retina display—all while delivering even better battery life. With up to twice the CPU and graphics performance, almost everything you do on iPhone 5 is blazing fast for launching apps, loading web pages and downloading email attachments.
The 8 megapixel iSight® camera is the most popular camera in the world and with iPhone 5, it’s even better. The new camera is completely redesigned with incredible optical performance, yet amazingly it’s 25 percent smaller than the camera in iPhone 4S. The new iSight camera in iPhone 5 features a sapphire crystal lens cover that is thinner and more durable than standard glass with the ability to provide crystal clear images. The new panorama feature lets you capture jaw-dropping panorama images of up to 28 megapixels by simply moving the camera across a scene in one smooth motion. New video features include improved stabilization, video face detection for up to 10 faces and the ability to take still photos as you record. A new FaceTime® HD front facing camera makes FaceTime calls incredibly clear and can also be used for self portraits and recording 720p HD video. iPhone 5 also allows you to share photos with friends and family using iCloud’s Shared Photo Streams.
iPhone 5 features the new Lightning™ connector that is smaller, smarter and more durable than the previous connector. The all-digital Lightning connector features an adaptive interface that uses only the signals that each accessory requires, and it’s reversible so you can instantly connect to your accessories. The Lightning-to-30-pin Adapter is also available to connect iPhone 5 to legacy 30-pin accessories.****
iPhone 5 introduces new enhanced audio features including a new beam-forming, directional microphone system for higher quality sound, while background noise fades away with new noise canceling technology. iPhone 5 now includes support for cellular wideband audio for crisper word clarity and more natural sounding speech. Wideband audio will be supported by over 20 carriers worldwide at launch. iPhone 5 comes with the new Apple EarPods™ featuring a breakthrough design for a more natural fit and increased durability, and an incredible acoustic quality typically reserved for higher-end earphones.
iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new user features including: an all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation and an amazing new Flyover™ view; Facebook integration for Contacts and Calendar, with the ability to post directly from Notification Center; Passbook, the simplest way to get all your passes in one place; new Siri features, including support for more languages, easy access to sports scores, restaurant recommendations and movie listings;***** Siri and Facebook-enabled apps like Photos, Safari® and Maps; and Shared Photo Streams via iCloud®.
Pricing & Availability
iPhone 5 comes in either white & silver or black & slate, and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the 64GB model. iPhone 5 will be available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, and through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPhone 5 will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK on Friday, September 21, and customers can pre-order their iPhone 5 beginning Friday, September 14. iPhone 4S will also be available for just $99 (US) and iPhone 4 will be available for free with a two-year contract.****** iOS 6 software will be available on Wednesday, September 19 as a free software update.
iPhone 5 will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries on September 28, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
* LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks, check with your carrier for details.
** Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.
*** Based on theoretical speeds, actual speeds may vary.
**** Sold separately.
***** Not all features are supported in all countries.
****** Availability varies by carrier.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple’s PR website (www.apple.com/pr), or call Apple’s Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.
© 2012 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iPhone, Retina, Passbook, Siri, iSight, FaceTime, Lightning, EarPods, Flyover, Safari and iCloud are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Sabpab Trojan: Mac Users Have Another Foe To Look Out For

The Huffington Post reports:

If you have yet to equip your Mac with Apple’s latest Java update to protect it from the Flashback trojan said to infect over 600,000 devices, now might be a good time to do it. Apparently, there’s another trojan making rounds on unprotected Macs.

Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at computer security firm Sophos explained in an April 13 blog post that this new backdoor trojan, dubbed “Sabpab,” connects to a control server using HTTP and follows the orders of hackers who can enter a victim’s computer, upload and download files, run commands and take screenshots.
This malware is similar to the Flashback trojan, writes Cluley, in that it doesn’t require user interaction to infect a device and it takes advantage of the same vulnerabilities in Java software.
According to Costin Raiu, director of global research and analysis at IT security company Kaspersky Lab, the malware is being spread through Word documents that exploit these Java vulnerabilities. Raiu published his ownfindings on the trojan, which he calls Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a.
Raui discovered that there are actually two variants of the trojan in existence — the earliest version was supposedly created in February, while the more recent one was created in March. As Cult of Mac pointed out, Raiu believes the more recent version of the trojan may have been released as part of the Pro-Tibetan attacks on Mac OSX users that also took place in March and spawned malware like “Luckycat.” Raui also notes that the IP address of the website from which hackers are controlling and commanding the trojan was also used in the “Luckycat” malware attacks.
To check if your Mac has been infected with this new trojan, Forbes suggests that users search for these files on their devices:

• /Library/Preferences/com.apple.PubSabAgent.pfile
• /Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.PubSabAGent.plist

But whether you’re sure your Mac has been hit or not, it’s best to be proactive with your Mac’s security by keeping its software up to date. You can access Apple’s most recent updates by downloading them here or manually updating your software by following these instructions here.

Mac Flashback Trojan Affects Thousands: Apple Reacts 

The Huffington Post reports:

If you thought your Mac was safe from harmful computer viruses, think again.
Ars Technica reported on April 4 that the “Mac Flashback trojan” has returned with a vengeance in recent weeks, now affecting hundreds of thousands of Apple laptops.
Ars first reported about the issue on April 2, explaining that anti-virus and computer security firm F-Secure had spotted the virus in action.
Later, on April 4, the site pointed out that it was Russian IT-security solutions vendor Dr. Web that revealed how widespread the problem has become in a post published on the Dr. Web blog earlier on the same day.
Dr. Web explained that a system gets infected with the Mac Flashback trojan “after a user is redirected to a bogus site from a compromised resource or via a traffic distribution system.” A specific JavaScript code on the site that contains the virus is then used to load a Java applet, which is how the malware makes its way onto a user’s computer.
In response to the problem, Apple released an update on April 3 to patch up the security holes that exist in Java. While all Mac-owners should make sure to update their devices, you can always check to see if your Mac has been infected using your device’s Terminal. Directions for this process, as well as for how you can manually disinfect your Mac, have been provided by F-Secure. (You can access the patches via Apple Support, here or here.)
As of April 4, Dr. Web found that more than half of the 555,000 infected computers were in the United States, nearly 20 percent were in Canada and nearly 13 percent were in the United Kingdom.
Malware analyst Sorokin Ivan has since shared that the virus has now reached 600,000 devices, tweeting the following, later on in the day on April 4…
First signs of the Mac Flashback trojan appeared last September; back then the virus had weaseled its way onto devices through malicious links offering installation of Flash Player.
The virus eventually prompted software company Oracle — which, according to CNNMoney, has been responsible for Java programming since it acquired Sun Microsystems in 2010 — to release a Java security update on February 14, more than a month before Apple did.
Mike Geide, senior security researcher at cloud security company Zscaler ThreatLabZ, warned of the importance of keeping your software up to date, no matter what OS you use.
“This latest wave of infections is a wake-up call to Mac users that their system is not immune to threats,” Geide said in an emailed statement. “And the need to follow best security practices, such as remaining current with patches, is ubiquitous — it doesn’t matter if you’re using Windows, Mac, or even mobile phone.”

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For more details on today’s Apple Event in New York City, visit Cult Of Mac.

Apple Planning Media Event In New York City This Month

Cult Of Mac reports:

Apple is planning a media event in New York this month, according to AllThingsD. While we shouldn’t expect to see the iPad 3 or a new Apple TV, AllThingsD’s usually-reliable sources have indicated the event will be “important,” but not “large-scale.”
Apple’s iCloud exec, Eddy Cue, is expected to show at the event in late Janurary. The last time Cue took the stage in New York was to help launch the iPad-only magazine by News Corp called The Daily.

• But, for sure, several sources underscored that the event is not related to an upcoming version of the iPad 3, the next iteration of the popular tablet device that many expect to be available in 2012.
• Also unlikely, the rollout of Apple’s large-scale rethinking of the interactive television initiative that it has been working on. While the company is expected to launch a new Apple TV product later in 2012, such an event would almost certainly be held in the heart of the industry in Hollywood or at least in Silicon Valley.

AllThingsD seems to believe that the event could involve some sort of iAd announcement. Apple has reportedly been looking for a mobile ad executive since Andy Miller left last summer. AllThingsD has had reliable information on Apple’s future plans in the past. The publication correctly predicted the date and location of the iPhone 4S announcement last October.
Separately, Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has given this report from AllThingsD one of his classic “yep” confirmations. Dalrymple has also provided very reliable information on Apple in the past.
What do you think Apple will announce at its upcoming media event in New York?
Update: TechCrunch is reporting that Apple’s media event will focus on publishing and ebooks:

• According to the source the event will not involve any hardware and instead will focus on publishing and eBooks (sold through Apple’s iBooks platform) rather than iAds. Attendance also be more publishing industry-oriented than consumer.
• The event will unveil improvements to the iBooks platform according to the same source, and is not “major.”

Apple Hydrogen Fuel Cell Battery Plans Revealed 

The Huffington Post reports (Tipped by Blog reader & friend Sharyle):

Apple is planning to make devices powered by hydrogen fuel cells, according to patent applications published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The plans could create computers and phones with weeks-long battery power. It would also make the devices lighter and less bulky.
According to the Telegraph, hydrogen fuel cells work by converting hydrogen and oxygen into water and electrical energy. This technology is already being explored for cars and the military.
“Our country’s continuing reliance on fossil fuels has forced our government to maintain complicated political and military relationships with unstable governments in the Middle East, and has also exposed our coastlines and our citizens to the associated hazards of offshore drilling,” reads the patent application. “These problems have led to an increasing awareness and desire on the part of consumers to promote and use renewable energy sources.”
This won’t come as much of a surprise to those who follow Apple closely. The company has filed several other patent applications for similar technology, as reported by Apple Insider in October.
Check out a diagram of the system, courtesy of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Steve Jobs: Fox News “A Destructive Force In Our Society” 

The Huffington Post reports:

Steve Jobs told Rupert Murdoch that Fox News was a “destructive force in our society,” according to the blockbuster biography of the late Apple CEO.
Poynter was the first to uncover Jobs’ blunt words about the network in Walter Isaacson’s new book. Isaacson writes that, after speaking at a News Corp. retreat, Jobs unloaded on Murdoch:

• “You’re blowing it with Fox News,” Jobs told him over dinner. “The axis today is not liberal and conservative, the axis is constructive-destructive, and you’ve cast your lot with the destructive people. Fox has become an incredibly destructive force in our society. You can be better, and this is going to be your legacy if you’re not careful.” Jobs said he thought Murdoch did not really like how far Fox had gone. “Rupert’s a builder, not a tearer-downer,” he said. “I’ve had some meetings with James, and I think he agrees with me. I can just tell.”

This was part of Jobs’ apparent love of tough talk with other powerful people. He also told President Obama that his economic policies would rob him of a second term.
Nevertheless, Jobs was a close collaborator with Murdoch, working with him on the mogul’s iPad newspaper The Daily.

Apple iPad Ban, Requested By Samsung, Denied By Dutch Court

The Huffington Post

A Dutch court refused Friday to grant Samsung an injunction banning Apple from selling iPhones and iPad tablets in the Netherlands, dealing the South Korean electronics giant a defeat in its global patent battle with its American rival.
The civil court in The Hague rejected Samsung’s argument that Apple should not be allowed to sell devices such as tablets and smartphones that use 3G mobile technology patented by Samsung because the Cupertino-based company does not have licenses to use the technology.
In Friday’s ruling, the court said that because the 3G technology has been accepted as an industry standard Samsung is obliged to offer Apple licenses under “fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory” – or FRAND – terms.
The court said in a statement that the licensing fee Samsung sought from Apple “was so far out of step with the obligation to make a FRAND offer that it can be concluded that Samsung is not genuinely prepared to enter a FRAND license agreement with Apple.”
The ruling added that if Samsung makes Apple a fair and reasonable offer for a license fee and the companies still cannot reach agreement then Samsung can file a fresh patent dispute injunction request.
At a hearing last month, Apple lawyer Rutger Kleemans claimed Samsung sought the injunction to “hold Apple hostage” because Apple had accused Samsung of copying its iPhone and iPad designs in a separate Dutch case.
“It’s a holdup,” Kleemans said. “Because Apple dared to take action against Samsung’s copycat tactics.”
In April, Apple Inc. sued Samsung in the United States, alleging the product design, user interface and packaging of Samsung’s Galaxy devices “slavishly copy” the iPhone and iPad.
Samsung Electronics Co., based in Suwon, South Korea, fought back with lawsuits of its own, accusing Apple of patent infringement of its wireless telecommunications technology.

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Waits In Line & Buys Two iPhones 4S 

Cult Of Mac reports:

Here’s Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak getting two white iPhone 4s’s set up at the Los Gatos, California,Apple Store today, just eight minutes after the doors opened. Woz was first in line, after having waiting since noon the previous day.

The woman in the center is Woz’s wife, Janet Hill. It’s unknown whether one is his and the other is hers, or whether they’re both for Woz. He’s been known to carry two iPhones so he can surf the Internet on one while talking on the other.
That shiny thing on the table, by the way, is Woz’s bad-ass stainless steel business card.