Items tagged with iPhone 5
Some people take “swiping” a little too seriously. A former senior manager at the Taiwanese corporation Foxconn has been indicted for stealing and selling 5,700 iPhones in China. It is estimated that the manager, identified by his family name Tsai, pocketed $50 million TWD ($1.56 million USD) during his escapades. Tsai worked in a testing department in Foxconn factory in the southern mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen. Tsai and his eight accomplices sold thousands of test iPhone 5/iPhone 5s smartphones to stores in Shenzhen between 2013 and 2014. These phones were initially supposed to be scrapped. Foxconn reported the missing phones after an internal audit last year. Tsai was questioned earlier...
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Does Xiaomi's Mi 4 handset bear a resemblance to Apple's iPhone 5? You betcha, and Xiaomi boss Hugo Barra isn't ashamed to admit as much. However, he's not willing to concede that Xiaomi is stealing Apple's designs, as famed design chief (for Apple) Jony Ive once alleged when stating the similarities between products isn't "flattery," but "theft." Chinese startup Xiaomi has risen in the ranks as a maker of premium Android smartphones that sell for less than what Samsung charges. And like Samsung, Apple takes issue with Xiaomi's designs. Samsung was once sued for copying the look and feel of Apple's iPhone products, and you have to wonder if Xiaomi find itself the target of litigation someday....
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In addition to the revised 15-inch MacBook Pro and 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina Display news from this morning, Apple has introduced a new accessory for all Lightning-equipped iPhones: the iPhone Lightning Dock. The addition of the dock is surprising for two reasons. First, why did it take so long for Apple to release a Lightning Dock compatible with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus? Secondly, is Apple out of its Vulcan mind by charging $39 for a hunk of plastic? To add insult to injury, Apple doesn’t even include an extra Lightning USB cable in the box; you’re on your own on that front. For $39, you’d expect a little extra love from Apple, but I digress. With that said, the iPhone Lightning...
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Are you sitting down? Good, because this may surprise you: Apple just fessed up to there being a "small percentage" of iPhone 5 devices that may suddenly experience shorter battery life or need to be charged more frequently. It's not that often that Apple admits to defects -- Steve Jobs told users they were holding the iPhone 4 wrong when reports of poor antenna reception emerged, and then Apple recycled the same excuse in response to the iPhone 5's camera flaw. And the fact that it's overly prone to scratches and chips? That's normal. Ah, but we digress. The point here is that some iPhone 5 models have what Apple finally considers a legitimate problem, and that's the battery. It doesn't affect...
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FreedomPop is determined to turn the wireless industry on its head. You may recall that FreedomPop last year made waves by launching a free mobile phone service for select Android devices in certain areas, and it nearly immediately sold out of $99 HTC Evo Design 4G handsets it was offering with the service. FreedomPop would later expand its smartphone plan offerings, but until now, iPhone users weren't invited to participate. That all changes today. FreedomPop has once again expanded its program to now include slightly older iPhone devices. The company will sell you a refurbished iPhone 5 model for $349, which you can then use on its no-cost "Basic 200 Monthly" plan. It includes 200 voice minutes,...
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Good news for iPhone 5 users who have been struggling with a finicky sleep/wake button. Apple has acknowledged the issue and set up a special website where you can request a free repair. According to Apple, the issue affects a small percentage of iPhone 5 models in which the sleep/wake mechanism may stop working altogether or work intermittently. If you're experiencing the issue, head over to the support page and input your phone's serial number to see if you qualify, as apparently Apple knows exactly which batch(es) of iPhone 5 models exhibit the issue. You should also be aware that if there's any damage that could impair the replacement of the sleep/wake button, such as a cracked screen, it...
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Apple's yearly release cycle makes it expensive to always have the latest and greatest iOS smartphone available when you're trying to juggle a two-year service agreement, but you're not totally out of luck. If you're tempted to upgrade to the iPhone 5S because of its 64-bit A7 processor but are stuck with an iPhone 5, you can go the usual routes -- eBay and/or Craigslist -- or trade it in at Walmart. Wally World's trade-in program offers an immediate credit from $50 to $300 for more than 100 smartphones, with the iPhone 5 eligible for the $300 credit. The Samsung Galaxy SIII fetches $175, while the Galaxy S2 is worth $52, to name a few examples. These prices are for working, non-damaged phones....
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If you like living on the bleeding edge of technology, now is a terrible time to pick up an iPhone or iPad device. Apple has begun inviting members of the press to its headquarters on September 10, presumably to announce the next iPhone, and you have to think a tablet refresh can't be far behind. So, if you snatch up an iPhone 5 today, you'll kick yourself next week for not having waited. The same doesn't apply if you could care less about owning the latest and greatest, and are more concerned with scoring a deal. If that's what floats your boat, you can head over to Walmart and pick up a discounted iPhone 5 or iPad tablet. By inking a 2-year service agreement with any of the big three wireless...
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Apple's latest iPhone models were beat out by a pair of Samsung Galaxy devices in a new smartphone brand study released today by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The 2013 study provides satisfaction benchmarks for 10 of the past year's best-selling smartphone models in the U.S. and rates them on a scale of 0-100, with higher scores representing higher levels of satisfaction. Samsung's Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II both took top honors by scoring 84 on the 100-point scale, beating Apple's iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, both of which scored 82. The iPhone 4 scored 81. Curiously missing from the benchmark chart is Samsung's Galaxy S4, but that's because the study was fielded just prior...
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While relatively rare in the grand scheme of things, it's not unprecedented for a mobile phone to cause a physical injury, only up until now they've mostly been related to overheating. A bad battery could heat up until it explodes or catches on fire, leading to the occasional recall, be it for a cell phone, a laptop, or any other electronic device. However, we've never heard of a person dying from using their phone while charging, until now. Ma Ailun, a 23-year-old woman from China who worked as a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, was apparently electrocuted when taking a call on an iPhone 5 that was plugged in and charging, Reuters reports. Following the incident, Ma's sister issued...
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There doesn't exist a mobile platform more popular than Android, a statement that will probably ring true for a long time to come. Android has the most market share on a global scale, and it leads in the U.S., though if Apple's looking for signs of encouragement, it can point to iOS closing the gap (somewhat) domestically, according to data by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Though the three-month period ending May 2013, Android claims the lion's share of the mobile market in the U.S. with a 52 percent penetration rate. Not terribly far behind is iOS, which is installed on 41.9 percent of smartphones, up 3.5 percent from the same period a year ago, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech says. And then there's...
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Best Buy is renewing an iPhone trade-in promotion in which you can waltz into your local Best Buy location, hand over your iPhone 4 or 4S handset, and essentially receive a free iPhone 5. You actually earn a credit of up to $150, which you can then use the cover the cost of a 16GB iPhone 5 in either black or white. The 16GB iPhone 5 runs $200 (subsidized) at Best Buy, minus a $50 instant rebate that's in effect until June 29. You may recall Best Buy held this same promotion earlier this month, on June 1st, to be exact. While the electronics chain isn't disclosing how many older iPhone models it received on that day, the company did say it marked the biggest day ever for its four-year-old trade-in...
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No matter how badly you need a new phone, if you're considering the iPhone 5 on Verizon Wireless, it may be in your best financial interest to wait just a little bit longer. In exchange for your patience, you might pocket $100, which is the amount Big Red is rumored to be reducing Apple's flagship phone device. News of the impending price drop comes from Twitter user "evleaks" who it's worth mentioning is usually spot on about such things. If he's again correct, you won't have to wait very long, just about another week or so. "Upcoming Verizon promotion: $100 off iPhone 5 beginning mid-month," @evleaks posted to Twitter. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell what will qualify for the $100 savings....
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There are luxury phones, like Vertu's $10,000 Android device, and then there's the world's most expensive iPhone device, an iPhone 5 reconstructed with expensive jewels and gold. The centerpiece of the lavish iPhone is a rare and flawless 26-carat black diamond inlaid where the Home button used to be. The black diamond alone is worth in the neighborhood of $14.5 million dollars, and if you want to purchase this one-of-a-kind device, it'll cost you £10,000,000 (around $15.3 million in U.S. currency). A Chinese businessman commissioned Stuart Hughes to build the obscenely expensive handset. Hughes, a designer from Liverpool, is known for lavish projects, including the most valuable aquarium...
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