Federico Viticci

10804 posts on MacStories since April 2009

Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, where he writes about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, iPad, and iOS productivity. He founded MacStories in April 2009 and has been writing about Apple since. Federico is also the co-host of AppStories, a weekly podcast exploring the world of apps, Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about portable gaming and the handheld revolution.
@viticci@macstories.net
@viticci.macstories.net
viticci@macstories.net

A Freezing Cold Winter, An Exploded iPhone

Well, this is one of those stories worth to be told on the Internet. Imagine this: you live in Norway, and it’s cold outside. And by cold, we mean dozens of degrees below Zero. Scandinavian freezing cold works like that. A Norwegian woman is driving her car, with the iPhone plugged in the stereo playing some music.

Suddenly, her iPhone explodes.

The glass shattered, the iPhone broken on its magical Ive-designed back. She takes the iPhone to the nearest Apple Store, the Geniuses say they can’t repair it under Apple’s policies because an iPhone isn’t meant to be working under such temperatures. Fair enough, but Norwegian law for consumer protection allows the woman to claim her guarantee to be valid, as it overrides Apple’s standard iPhone policies if the device has been used under normal conditions. Freezing is normal in Norway.

It’s quite an interesting story, I told you. I hope my iPhone never finds itself in the freezing cold of Norway. [MobileCrunch via speechorgan]

iPad 2 Coming on April 2nd or 9th?

As reported by MacRumors, according to German website MacNotes the next-generation iPad may launch in the first week of April, on the 2nd or 9th. The website reports that the iPad 2 will launch in the first “two Saturdays” of April. The first-generation iPad came out on April 3, 2010 – a Saturday.

Reliable sources told us about the upcoming launch of the Apple iPad 2: the first or second Saturday in April will see the first sales of Apples new tablet. The iPad 2 will sell US-only for three months, and Apple Store-only for up to half a year. In July, more countries will follow. Walmart, Best Buy and Co. maybe have to wait until October until they are allowed to sell Apples new tablets.

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Outside for iPhone Comeback: Retina Graphics, Free Notifications

The last time I reviewed Outside for iPhone, a beautiful weather app by Robocat, I focused on the interface design that went into the app and the fact that, unlike other weather apps for iPhone, it allowed users to set up push notifications for certain weather conditions. Stuff like, “hey, perhaps you’d like to wear a t-shirt today” or “make sure to grab your gloves”. It was a clever system, easy to understand and packed inside fancy graphics that made Outside truly stand out in the crowded App Store market.

Months passed, the iPad and iPhone 4 came out and Outside basically disappeared. No word from the developers for months, then a “we’re working on it”. See, I really wanted to use Outside on my iPhone 4 but I couldn’t stand the fuzzy graphics. With version 1.2, released last night and available at a discounted price of $0.99, Outside makes a comeback with totally redesigned graphics updated for the Retina Display. Read more

With Version 1.1, Verbs Becomes A Great AIM Client for iPhone

When I reviewed Verbs for iPhone a few weeks ago, I was disappointed by the lack of AIM support and the overall feeling that the app was rushed to the App Store. Verbs came with a delicious interface design and cool ideas such as a Messages-like approach to IM chats, but the fact that I couldn’t plug into my AIM account and I was forced to use Google Talk was a major downside for me. Also, there was no support for local notifications: once you were out of the app, you wouldn’t know if someone was writing to you on Google Talk. The app was beautiful and elegant, but I couldn’t use it at all.

The latest 1.1 version released in the App Store fixes all these issues, and has become the best AIM client for iPhone for me. Verbs is the same elegant and refined app I tested weeks ago, only I can actually use it now. Read more

T-Mobile’s New Commercial Pokes Fun at iPhone, Verizon

T-Mobile may hide its frustration for not having the iPhone with clever commercials, but it’s pretty clear that they would love to have the device on their portfolio. In their latest commercial, the carrier’s lady says that even on Verizon, the iPhone can’t compete with the 4G network offered by T-Mobile. Either Verizon or AT&T, 3G is slow.

“How do you tell them apart? Does one of them have nation-wide 4G like me?”, T-Mobile girl asks. Verizon guy replies: “No choice is still a choice”. I guess no iPhone choice is still a choice for T-Mobile, too. [Youtube via 9to5mac]

The CDMA iPhone’s Next Stop: Asia

According to “sources from upstream component makers” close to Digitimes, the CDMA iPhone won’t be an exclusive to Verizon in the US (as also confirmed by Apple’s Tim Cook at the Verizon event) but it’s headed to China, Japan and South Korea. Digitimes reports the CDMA iPhone is manufactured both by Pegatron and Foxconn; Foxconn’s model (whose shipment started in December 2010) will be exclusive to the United States, while Pegatron’s version will ship to China and “other countries”.

Pegatron started shipping its CDMA iPhone 4 in January 2011 and Foxconn started in December 2010. Foxconn’s model will be solely supplied to the US, while Pegatron’s model will be supplied to China and other countries. Since US-based telecom carrier Verizon currently has over 93 million users in the US, the launch of CDMA iPhone is expected to double the number of the current iPhone users in the market.

Since Apple is also set to start supplying its CDMA iPhone to Japan and South Korea, the company’s iPhone shipments in 2011 are expected to reach a new record.

Reports surfaced in the past suggested the CDMA iPhone would be available in India, China (via China Telecom) and other CDMA European carriers. This latest Digitimes report also points to Apple adopting new technologies like “halogen-free connectors, carbon fiber internals, solar glass charger plates and double-webcams”.

Also in iOS 4.3: “Find My Friends”, iPad 2 Camera Files

iOS 4.3 looks like the beta OS that keeps on giving. We’ve already seen how the new OS contains gestures that hint at deeper multi-touch capabilities for iOS devices, and new camera effects that suggest software like Photo Booth may come to the iPhone or iPad. References of new iPhone and iPad models were also found in iOS 4.3.

A new feature called “Find My Friends”, discovered by MacRumors, points to a new social networking system based on geo-location and tied to MobileMe. Such a service – again, basing only on the name – may allow users to check on friends’ location like Google Latitude or Loopt. We have seen Apple experimenting with location and social patents before; a new functionality in iOS 4.3 like “Find My Friends” would be great to let nearby iPhone users communicate with each other while using the MobileMe infrastructure. Read more

References of New iPhones and iPads Spotted in iOS 4.3

A new OS comes along, and with a bit of digging into its code it reveals the secret of the next devices to come out from Cupertino. Engadget took a look inside the latest iOS 4.3 SDK and discovered mentions of new iPhones and iPads:

  • iPhone3,3
  • iPhone4,1
  • iPhone4,2
  • iPad2,1
  • iPad2,2
  • iPad2,3

To recap, iPhone3,1 and iPhone3,2 are the current models on AT&T and Verizon, respectively. While iPhone4,1 and iPhone4,2 point to the next-generation device known as “iPhone 5”, the 3,3 code reference suggests a new iteration of the iPhone 4. Perhaps the white one?

Oh, and about the iPads? We’re pretty sure those 3 models are for the iPad 2 in its GSM, CDMA and Wi-Fi only versions.

Next iPhones and iPads To Lose Home Button? Not So Fast

Jonathan S. Geller over at BGR reports that, according to his sources, we may see Apple removing the Home button from the next-generation iPhones and iPads, to be released this year:

We have exclusively been told that the reason Apple just added multitouch gestures for the iPad in the latest iOS 4.3 beta is because the iPad will be losing the home button.

In addition to the home button disappearing from the iPad, we’re told that this change will make its way over to the iPhone as well. Our source said Apple employees are already testing iPads and iPhones with no home buttons on the Apple campus, and it’s possible we will see this new change materialize with the next-generation iPad and iPhone devices set to launch this year.

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