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AT&T bumping up upgrade eligibility dates in prep for iPhone Pro?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds, Rumors,

A few days ago we were hearing whispers that AT&T might be bumping up the upgrade eligibility dates for current iPhone customers in anticipation of the next model (iPhone Pro? iPhone HD?) At the time, I logged in to my account, and saw that my upgrade date had not changed, and that it was still going to be sometime in July. Earlier this morning I logged in again, and as you can see, my upgrade eligibility date is now June 23, 2010. The only reason I could see AT&T making this change, which they’ve been doing on a massive scale for current iPhone owners, is so that they will be able to get upgrade pricing on the next model. The benefit there of course is they get to lock them in for another 2-year contract at a time where the iPhone may be coming to other networks. Either way, this is definitely a step in the right direction, compared to last year’s AT&T iPhone upgrade debacle, where the company caved to subscriber pressure for upgrade eligibility to the iPhone 3GS from the 3G.

Opinion: Apple, iPhone 4, and the Case against Gizmodo

Posted by Alex Lifschitz Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Editorial, Features, Handhelds, Rumors,

I’m a pretty crappy journalist.

I do it in my free time, and for the most part, I’m an opinions and hands-on writer. I don’t go monstering around the nation’s capital with a fedora and notepad, and I rarely find myself in a position where I have to probe into anything that matters past an arbitrary release date. I don’t always fact check if I’m not making accusations.

But I know a scummy move when I see one. And Gizmodo’s actions in the iPhone HD prototype debacle have been consistently unethical, unprofessional, and, yes, illegal.

It sucks. Gizmodo’s parent company, Gawker Media, is home to a lot of great blogs and great people – people who seem to have some professional standards. But in the face of such reprehensible journalism, Gizmodo has been inexplicably wearing their tarnished reputation from this saga as if it were some kind of badge of pride. I’m sure they have lawyers going over every step of their story, but how someone in their legal or PR departments could have greenlit this is really beyond my comprehension.

Before I get into the ethical issues of yellow journalism, I think it’s important we establish a fact pattern and what I hold to be the optimal course of actions they could have taken through this whole sordid affair. Join me while I use my rudimentary Google-fu to make my case against the actions of nearly all parties involved.

Click to continue reading Opinion: Apple, iPhone 4, and the Case against Gizmodo

Comparison: iPhone HD vs iPhone 3GS

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds,

Okay, we just hit you with the low-down on the iPhone HD being leaked and given a spec breakdown by Gizmodo, but how’s about we give you a look at the new device when compared against the current iPhone 3GS? Of course, this may not be the actual, final look for the iPhone HD - but it is an Apple prototype, and it is mid-April, so we’d have to say this is near-final.

What are your thoughts on the design approach that Apple has taken to the next iPhone?

Gallery:

Next Apple iPhone revealed!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Design, Features, Handhelds,

Over the weekend, rumors that Apple’s next generation iPhone (iPhone HD?) had been uncovered due to someone leaving it in a bar in San Jose had been running rampant. Images made their way to the Internet, claims that it was a Japanese fake were made, only to be taken back later. Nothing was decisive—until this morning when my pal Jason over at Gizmodo published a complete breakdown of the phone. Yeah, it seems Gizmodo paid someone a pretty penny to get the phone into their hands, and as a result, we pretty much know all about the major features in the next iPhone, which should drop in June. Here are the immediate, obvious feature additions:

Completely new enclosure, with a flat back that is seemingly made of glass or ceramic
Front-facing camera (finally!)
Higher-resolution camera on back
Flash for camera on back
Higher resolution, albeit slightly smaller, display
Separate volume buttons (likely also double as dedicated camera buttons when taking photos)
Noise cancellation mic
Battery has 16% higher capacity
3 grams heavier than iPhone 3GS
Uses a micro-SIM

It’s obvious that Apple has definitely been listening to the complaints and requests from iPhone customers, and they’ve definitely done a lot to make the next iPhone stand out from the pack. In fact, this really looks and feels like the first true step up in the iPhone line, with previous new models introducing few hardware changes over previous models.

This is a big deal, as it is the first time that we can remember a major piece of Apple hardware falling into the hands of a company outsider, let alone press, in advance of it being officially unveiled and announced - especially in this manner. We think that Apple’s chief designer said it best on Twitter earlier this morning, with a simple “This isn’t good.”