The iPhone Dev Team has detailed a very early jailbreak method for the now official iOS 5.1 update. Beta 6 of redsn0w 0.9.10 will crack all devices based on the A4 and earlier. With the exception of iPhone 3GS units with older firmware, however, the jailbreak is tethered and will need to be reused every time the device is given a hard reboot.
The overhauled Apple TV costs less than $64 to make, even though it sells for $99, says iSuppli. The research firm notes that the most expensive part in the set-top is actually Apple's custom A4 processor, valued at $16.55. By radically reducing the cost of components in the new model, it should theoretically be more profitable than the older one. iSuppli comments that the use of the A4 may provide special savings, since the chip is already installed in the iPad, iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch.
DIY repair shop iFixit this afternoon finished a teardown of the new Apple TV. The close look reveals that the hub has the same variant of the A4 processor as the iPod touch and has 256MB of RAM, rather than the 512MB of the iPhone 4. Apple has also put just a single 8GB Samsung flash chip to both hold the OS and cache movies during the streaming process.
Steve Jobs in an e-mail this evening suggested that Apple TV delays won't prevent the media hub from arriving before the end of September. A buyer worrying that the Apple TV would have to ship early next week to make the target was given a simple "yep" answer by the executive. It's not certain that the Mac Rumors transcript is a confirmation, as a chance exists that Jobs was simply reinforcing the writer's views.
iFixit continued its investigation of the latest round of iPods today with a teardown of the fourth-generation iPod touch. Going deeper than the FCC look, the repair shop confirmed that the Wi-Fi antenna has been moved to the front, eliminating the need for the black plastic window on earlier models. It also confirms that Apple is using Toshiba flash memory for the main storage on the iPod; other Apple devices usually depend on Samsung.
(Updated with official info on Nano and iOS) A brief check of the Apple TV's technical specifications reveals that it is actually based on an A4 processor, like the iPad, iPhone 4 and the new iPod touch. The architecture is an ARM design customized by Apple, nominally with mobile products in mind. In the Apple TV it replaces a relatively low-grade Intel chipset.
In sync with the launch of the fourth-generation iPod touch, the FCC has posted Apple's filing for approval in the US. The shots show that the iPod touch manages to have a completely internal antenna despite the lack of the black plastic covering from the back. It also notes that the antenna has an insulator to reduce interference, though this is more likely to be for internal interference since the steel back isn't known to be used for reception.
Android 2.2's browsing performance is now much faster than on any iOS device, a new round of tests has discovered. In JavaScript, used most often by web apps but also by many other sites, a Nexus One running 2.2 was twice as fast as an iPhone 4 in the universal SunSpider test run by Ars Technica and over four times faster in the V8 test.
The iPhone 4 is Apple's most expensive ever phone to make short of the original phone itself, a price breakdown by iSuppli has found. A 16GB example costs about $187.51 in raw parts; the bill is less than the $223 of the 2007 original but more than the $173 iPhone 3G and the $178.96 iPhone 3GS. Most of that cost increase is attributed to the LG Display-built 960x640 IPS screen, which is estimated to cost $28.50 all by itself.
A quick dissection of the iPhone 4 by iFixit has discovered that it theoretically has performance as least as good as an iPad. The already-known A4 processor should run at the same 1GHz clock speed as seen in the Apple tablet, in spite of the smaller size, but with 512MB of memory should be better with multitasking. Whether Apple has quietly underclocked or otherwise detuned the A4 isn't known, but early benchmarking has suggested it's faster than an iPhone 3GS but not as fast as an iPad in practice.
iMovie for iPhone will be one of the most demanding mobile video editing apps to date when it's released, contacts within Apple said today. The software will need an iPhone 4 as only the A4 would have enough power for both the 720p video and real-time transition effects. iPads were also ruled out by TidBITS' informers, as the tablets aren't designed to adapt to the iPhone 4's 960x640 resolution; the lack of a camera is also a major factor.
ARM stocks have risen by as much as 32 percent in Thursday stock trading, apparently on the basis of resurgent rumors of an Apple buyout bid, says Reuters. Though Apple has not yet been reached for comment, a spokeswoman for ARM has denied the existence of any talks, and reiterated statements by CEO Warren East, saying that a takeover would not make any sense. A Panmure Gordon analyst suggests that investors are simply being bullish on ARM's prospects, given its technology's importance in current and forthcoming tablets, like the iPad.
Rumors of the new iPhone getting a 960x640 screen were supported today by claims from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple's new device will reportedly not only get the higher resolution but a much higher quality IPS (in-plane switching) panel with a relatively new technology to ease reading outdoors. Fringe-field switching, or FFS, would improve the viewing angles and readability in sunlight and is allegedly being used to improve the viability of iBooks on the iPhone, Kuo said.
A pair of surprise tests from Vietnamese sites have provided a slew of new details about the future iPhone, including video (shown below). Unlike the lost prototype, this version appears to be near or at final production and has a 16GB capacity that suggests Apple either has a low-end model planned or won't change storage. A higher resolution screen is also in evidence through an Apple engineering demo, but whether it's 960x640 or a lower density like 800x480 isn't known.
Apple today was confirmed to have bought out Intrinsity. The deal rumored in progress earlier is now said to have been finalized and may be made public soon. Apple representative Steve Dowling didn't either confirm or deny the buyout and said the company doesn't declare its ultimate aims when it does acquire other companies.
The next-generation iPhone (often called the iPhone HD) will use Apple's own custom processor, a scoop from anonymous executives maintained today. Where the iPhone 3GS and earlier models were using primarily Samsung-designed chips with an Apple influence, the next iPhone will supposedly use a primarily Apple-created silicon. Features weren't discussed with the Korea Times contact, but a variant of the iPad's A4 processor is the most probable candidate.
(Updated with backing details) The now widespread leaked new iPhone received additional confirmation tonight from tech writer John Gruber. After contacting sources, the historically accurate blogger now believes the device is an authentic test mule that was simply lost. The situation may be urgent as the iPhone is "a unit Apple is very interested in getting back," the writer said.
Following iFixit's recent iPad teardown, the company has proceeded to delve one step further by dissecting Apple's A4 chip. Chipworks, a semiconductor reverse-engineering company, helped destroy the device and explore its components using professional lab equipment such as scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) and high resolution x-ray machines.
The A4 processor in the iPad is far faster than the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running the Nexus One, according to early benchmarks. Although both run at 1GHz, Apple's chip is usually at least 9 percent faster loading most websites; it's up to 60 percent faster with very visually intensive websites. The AnandTech tests noted some unusual spikes, but even discarding these is an average of 10 percent faster.
A quick teardown of the iPad by iFixit on Saturday has revealed some of the component details beyond those shown in the FCC shots. Model numbers on the A4 processor show that, while it may have been designed by Apple, the chip was actually manufactured by Samsung. iPhone and iPod touch models have used Samsung-designed processors in the past.
Apple's fourth-generation iPhone could mark the first significant change in the screen area if a part obtained by repair outfit iResQ is evidence. What's claimed to be the front glass is about a quarter-inch taller than the existing platform and may have a slightly different screen as a result. It also appears to move the proximity sensor to above the top speaker and glues the touchscreen layer to the LCD where the iPhone 3G and 3GS are separate.
