Apple partner claims iPhone 6 heading for Russia in September

Apple’s business partner in Russia has just blurbed out that the next-generation iPhone – the iPhone 6, if you will – is scheduled to become available in the 144 million people market this September.

Proceed with caution: we’re having a hard time believing a third-party retailer would be privy to such a crucial piece of information.

For all we know, this guy could be looking for free press or could be taking us for a ride. On the other hand, we’ve heard about a September launch before.

For instance, Japan’s Nikkei agency last week said that a 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone are due as early as September of this year, a notion echoed previously by the credulous Wall Street Journal, afew analysts and other sources.

Also, the September timeframe does coincide nicely with Apple’s Fall release schedule for iPhones established since the iPhone 4s’s release back in 2011…

Maxim Nogotkov, the CEO and owner of a Russian company called Svyaznoy said (thanks, Leonid!) that “the iPhone 6 will arrive in Russia in September”.

Here’s video evidence (Flash required) of Nogotkov making the claim during an interview with the Russian DOZHD TV channel (mark 1:08).  

Nogotkov’s company has strong ties with Apple in the Russian market, being Apple’s iPhone retailer there since late-2012. The firm operates a chain of Apple-related retail outlets called ‘C-Store’.

In fact, Apple has had to depend on Svyaznoy to sell iPhones in Russia almost exclusively since the country’s wireless carriers refused to carry the device in a dispute last summer regarding subsidies and marketing costs.

These carriers have now resumed sales and Apple recently opened a web store in the country to sell the iPhone directly to consumers.

For more context, Svyaznoy found itself under antitrust scrutiny after retail giant Euroset filed a complaint with Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service.

If past rumors and the recently leakedschematic drawing (heavily blurred) are anything to go by, Apple is prepping to introduce two new screen sizes this year, one designed around a 4.7-inch screen and the other boasting a 5.5-inch display.

Apple’s contract manufacturer Pegatron will allegedly start producing these iPhablets at the end of summer. Foxconn, Apple’s primary supplier, is said to have started trial production of the next iPhone with a sapphire-strenthened screen back in January, with the initial production run hitting about hundred units.

According to one study, one out of each three respondents would be happy to pay a $100 more for a large-screened iPhone. Are you among them?

Plausible renderings depict ultra-thin iPhone 6 with sapphire glass backing

A new batch of renderings depicting Apple’s next iPhone is making the rounds on the web this morning, and with a good reason. French blog NowhereElse has teamed up with prolific 3D artist Martin Hajek to envision what the iPhone 6 could look like. 

But rather than pull specs out of thin air to justify impossible or downright stupid features, the renderings are actually based upon the leaked schematics of a 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone form factor discovered by Japanese blog Macotakara. 

In my personal opinion, these are the most compelling, most plausible iPhone 6 mockups to date. Jump past the fold to have a look at them and then chime in with your thoughts in the comments… 

Kudos to Nowherelse and Martin Hajekfor bothering to think differently. 

As you can see for yourself, the envisioned device is a dramatic evolution of the existing iPhone 5s concept with some familiar features like Lightning I/O, the Touch ID Home button, front-facing FaceTime camera and standard holes along the bottom for the speaker, mic and a 3.5mm jack – except for the volume buttons which in Hajek’s mind should be a single rocker (and I concur).  

The bezel-free screen and slim profile depicted on the images are based upon the recently leaked schematics depicted above, which also includes a single-bulb circular flash next to the rear camera not incorporated in these renderings.   

If you’re wondering, the rumors point to a 7.1mm thin device (the iPhone 5s is 7.6mm thick) that should be lighter than the 5s. Is that an all-glass back? Strengthened with thin sheets of sapphire, perhaps? 

I love the smooth, rounded edges – notice the gaps that separate the antennas. I wonder about the battery performance given the larger enclosure with more room for components.

 

Of course, this concept is entirely based on the presumption that the leaked iPhone 6 engineering drawings, which we have no way of confirming at this stage.

How to enable Facebook Chat Heads anywhere in iOS 7

Facebook’s Chat Head feature is now available to use anywhere in iOS 7 thanks to a timely update to the well-received MessageBox tweak. If youcan remember, MessageBox was thejailbreak release that allowed users to enjoy Chat Heads anywhere in iOS, not just in the default Facebook app. 

Developer Adam Bell has updated MessageBox to play nice with iOS 7, freeing the Chat Heads feature from the confines of Facebook’s Paper app.  

Before installing MessageBox for iOS 7, be sure that you have Facebook’s Paper app installed on your device. Once MessageBox is installed, you’ll find a preference panel with a lone kill-switch for enabling or disabling the tweak. As with the majority of preferences, you can find MessageBox’s in the stock Settings app.  

Open Facebook’s Paper app, and tap the chat icon in the upper right-hand corner to invoke the Chat Heads. Exit the Facebook Paper app, and your Chat Heads will follow you even when on the Home screen or in another app. There’s a bit of a delay between exiting the app and the Chat Heads appearing on the Home screen, so just be patient.  

Chat Heads can be moved anywhere on the Home screen and while within other apps. Physics are used to help dock the Chat Heads to the edge of the screen wherever you decide to move them. If you want to close the Chat Heads, just tap and drag them down towards the bottom of the screen near the waiting ‘x’ button.  

If you’re a Facebook user, and you happen to be rocking a jailbroken iPhone, there really is no better way to stay in contact with your friends. It’s the ultimate jailbreak tweak for Facebook fans, because it allows you to take your friends with you wherever you decide to go on your iPhone.

Like the previous version of MessageBox, this version is 100% free and available for download right now on Cydia’s BigBoss repo. What do you think about MessageBox for iOS 7? Share your opinions down below in the comments.

MathPass: use simple math problems to unlock your iPhone

MathPass is an interesting newjailbreak tweak that’s perfect for those who are just beginning to learn multiplication, or for those who just want to stay alert and have a little fun doing it. MathPass asks you to answer simple multiplication problems from the Lock screen, with the product being the Passcode that will unlock your device.

For example, MathPass might ask: ten times one is? Your answer would then be 0010. It’s 0010 and not just 10, because you’re required to enter a four digit passcode in order to unlock your device. That’s pretty much the whole gist of MathPass in a nutshell.  

All of the questions featured in the version of MathPass that I reviewed are of elementary difficulty level. The latest update to MathPass suggests that additional difficulty level options will be added, but it was unavailable to test during this post. 

MathPass uses libPassword—a library for the iOS passcode—to easily store the default passcode on your device so that it will allow other tweaks to control passcode requirements. When you first install MathPass, you’ll be asked to enter in your passcode so that libPassword can store it for use with other tweaks like MathPass.

MathPass is a fun to use tweak, but if there was one complaint to be made about it, it’s that the difficulty level is nonexistent. It would be nice if you could amp up the difficulty level, but as I stated, that looks like a feature update that’s due to touch down at any moment now.

You can download MathPass free of charge from Cydia’s BigBoss repo. After taking it for a go, sound off in the comments with your thoughts and opinions.

Apple to raise prices on some international App Stores in the next 24 hours

In the next 24 hours, Apple will be making a few changes to price tiers available to iOS developers as a result of fluctuating foreign exchange rates.

The adjustments will affect seven countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Israel, with most of the affected markets set to experience price hikes due to the weak local currency.

The firm has adjusted App Store prices a few times in the past and these changes are no different.

The company has informed registered iOS developers of the retail price changes via an email communiqué today…

To account for changes in foreign exchange rates, retail prices for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac applications on the App Store and Mac App Store will be increased for the following five currencies: the Australian Dollar, Indian Rupee, Indonesian Rupiah, Turkish Lira and South African Rand.

There’s no word how much more customers in Australia, India, Indonesia, Turkey and South Africa will pay for mobile and desktop apps going forward.

Apple also said that retail prices for Israeli New Shekels and some price tiers for the New Zealand Dollar will be decreased. For those wondering, price tiers on the U.S. App Store won’t be changing come tomorrow.

The changes Apple outlined involve paid applications for both iOS and OS X.

“Price adjustments on the App Store are made periodically due to changes in foreign exchange rates,” explains Apple. “Within 24 hours, you will see the new Pricing Matrix in the Rights and Pricing section of Manage Your Apps on iTunes Connect.”

Indeed, Apple, indeed – the firm has changed retail prices several times in the past.

iTunes Connect is a web service developers use to manage their apps, upload their submissions to Apple, change screenshots and app descriptions and more.

Apple launches TD-LTE capable iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display in China

Do you remember these two new iPad models that were discovered following the recent release of iOS 7.1? At the time, we speculated that these were likely releases for future versions of the iPad in China – and we were right.

Apple just announced the launch of TD-LTE iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display models, bringing high-speed performances to its customers in China…

Apple® today announced TD-LTE capable models of iPad Air™ and iPad mini™ with Retina® display, bringing high-speed LTE performance* to iPad® customers in China, are available starting today. The new iPad models give customers the ability to connect to today’s most advanced cellular data networks at blazingly fast speeds, so users can surf the web or download email and apps even faster.
iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display models supporting TD-LTE also accommodate the TD-SCDMA mobile standard, and join existing iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display WLAN + Cellular models in support of Personal Hotspot connectivity and other advanced cellular technology (GSM/EDGE, DC-HSDPA, HSPA+) to provide customers in China fast cellular access in whichever iPad model they choose.

Both models are available today in China. For more details and pricing information, you may refer to the full press release.

Production of 4.7-inch iPhone 6 screens to start in May, 5.5-inch model delayed

Production on screens for the 4.7-inch version of Apple’s next iPhone could start as early as May, according to a new report from Reuters. Citing supply chain sources, the outlet says that Japan Display and other manufacturers are readying their facilities and could begin churning out panels next month.

Unfortunately, for those looking forward to the oft-rumored 5.5-inch model, it sounds like production issues have forced Apple to delay the handset. Reuters says that manufacturers are running into difficulties with in-cell technology, and the larger displays may not go into production for several months…

Here’s Reuters’ Reiji Murai with more:

“Apple Inc suppliers will begin mass producing displays as early as May for the next iPhone, expected to be launched this autumn, with a 4.7-inch screen likely to be produced first while a 5.5-inch version could be delayed, supply chain sources said. [...]
Both iPhone 6 screens are expected to use in-cell touch panel technology – built into the screen and allowing for thinner construction than with standard touch panel films – that was introduced with the iPhone 5, the sources said.
But due to difficulties with in-cell production technology for the larger 5.5-inch size, one of the sources said, a decision was made to begin mass production with the 4.7-inch version alone. 

The outlet reaffirms that Japan Display Inc, Sharp Corp and South Korea’s LG Display Co Ltd have all been tapped to make the screens—something we’ve heard in a number of reports. Japan Display will be the first to start production, at its main plant in Mobara, in May, with the others ramping up in June.   

Last week, Japan’s reliable Nikkei news outlet reported that Apple would be launching both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone models in September. It also named the above 3 suppliers as next-gen display manufactures, and noted that the panels would be of higher resolution than Apple’s current-gen handsets.