Grading iOS 6 Maps: pass or fail?

Grading iOS 6 Maps: pass or fail?

Almost as soon as Apple released iOS 6 users flocked to the new first-party (read:non-Google) Maps app and unleased a torrent of complaints (1, 2, 3) about it. There's no denying the sex-appeal of Maps' new photo-realistic and interactive 3D views, but would you trade transit and Street View data for it?

Generally, the biggest complaints are coming from users outside of the major metropolitan cities that iOS 6 Maps supports. For example, check out this screenshot of Bowling Green State University (as noted by @iOS6Maps) in iOS 5:

And then in iOS 6:

(Someone was so put off by @iOS6Maps Twitter account that it got it suspended. Hmmm...)

The other big complaints center around the iOS 6 Maps' lack of transit, Street View, POI data and sub-standard traffic reportage. Theamazingios6maps.tumblr.com is cataloging some of the more egregious failures in the new Maps.

In lieu of them, Apple focused on turn-by-turn navigation, 3D Flyover views and its own traffic data. Michael Degusta blogs that "Apple is risking upsetting 70% of the world’s population" with the feature removals, noting that 63 countries (representing a population of 5 billion+) will be without one or more of the Maps features previously available in iOS 5.

I'm still using my trusty iPhone 4, so my biggest complaint with iOS 6 Maps is that voice navigation isn't supported on the iPhone 4. You need an iPhone 4S or 5 for that. I've been using navigation in the TomTom app on my iPhone 4 for a couple of months, so it's not a hardware limitation. And TomTom includes a huge POI database from FourSquare. iOS 6's lack of navigation on the iPhone 4 is a classic example of planned obsolescence on Apple's part. It intentionally crippled Maps on the (two generation old) iPhone 4 to force users to upgrade.

To be fair, Siri also took a lot of criticism when it was released. It has since maturated into a flagship feature of iOS that many users find very useful. Apple's first-party Maps app is sure to improve over time -- collecting map data is extremely labor intensive and traffic data will grow via crowdsourcing -- but did Apple move too soon?

When Apple killed its YouTube app, Google was quick to respond. Danny Sullivan notes that after only a week, YouTube is the #1 free app in iTunes. So many have taken solace in thinking that Google will release its own Maps app for iOS (like it did with YouTube), but it's being cagey and won't confirm that a Google Maps app for iOS is coming.

City slickers are sure to dig the new 3D flyovers, but what about everyone else? What's your take on the new iOS 6 Maps? (Please note your locale in your comment.)

UPDATE: In June, Wired's Christina Bonnington noted that Google executive Jeff Huber confirmed in a comment on a Google+ post that the company would be releasing its own Maps app for iOS. Huber wrote, “We look forward to providing amazing Google Maps experiences on iOS.”

UPDATE 2: Apple has given this statement to AllThingsD regarding Map-gate:

Customers around the world are upgrading to iOS 6 with over 200 new features including Apple Maps, our first map service. We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover, turn by turn navigation, and Siri integration. We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just getting started with it. Maps is a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.
... and AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski notes that "the team assigned to the app is under lockdown right now working to fix it."

UPDATE 3: 9to5Mac claims that Google has been developing Maps for iOS for "years" and that a version of Google Maps for iOS 6 "has been submitted to Apple" and is awaiting approval.

Why the iPad Mini may go HD, like the iPhone 5

Why the iPad Mini may go HD, like the iPhone 5

Assuming the photos and measurements recently posted at nowhereelse.fr (English translation) of a physical model of the iPad Mini from GizChina turn out to be real, the iPad mini won't have a 4:3 display like the full-size iPad.

DisplayMate's Dr. Raymond Soneira notes that Apple increased the iPhone's aspect ratio -- from 1.50 in the iPhone 4 to 1.78 in the iPhone 5 -- and concludes that the same thing could happen with the iPad Mini, especially if it is positioned for selling TV content, which has 16:9.

Soneira notes that 4:3 aspect ratio screens are great for reading because they have the same aspect ratio as content on 8.5 x 11-inch documents, but that smaller 7 to 8-inch screens with 4:3 aspect ratios will be noticeably letterboxed with 16:9 content, with reduced image size.

Keeping the 768 pixel height in the iPad mini will allow apps written for 1024 x 768 to be displayed with letterbox borders as they are on the iPhone 5. Based on this, Soneira thinks that there are four possible resolutions for the iPad mini, with 1152 x 768 being the most likely:

1024 x 768 is 4:3 = 1.33

1152 x 768 is 3:3 = 1.50 

1228 x 768 is 16:10 = 1.60

1366 x 768 is 16:9 = 1.78

If you think about it, a 4:3 iPad Mini really doesn't make very good sense. This might even tie in with Steve Jobs' original objections to a smaller size. But for consuming content, which is how Google and Amazon are marketing their 7 inch Tablets, and how Apple will most likely market theirs as well, something closer to 16:9 makes a lot more sense...

The oft-rumored, 7.85-inch screen "mini" iPad is rumored to go on sales in early November -- November 2 to be exact. Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports that invitations for the Apple event are going out on October 10 for an event on October 17.

Australia’s love affair with Apple

Australia’s love affair with Apple

According to web analytics company Statscounter, 69 percent of all mobile web browsing in Australia comes from iOS devices. That figure has moved little in the last two years; it is well above the world average of 24 percent, and quite a bit higher than the US' 50 percent.

The Statscounter data seems believable — it is gathered from a tracking code placed on 3 million websites around the world and the sample sizes are large — with more than 17 billion page views per month, 1.5 percent of them from Australia.

Why is Australia so different to the rest of the world? It's not because there has been a slow embrace of Android — it accounts for 28 percent of all traffic, about the same as the UK. Here, in Australia, expensive data plans before the arrival of the iPhone undoubtedly slowed take-up of the smartphones alternatives. In the US, Android adoption started much earlier, and usage is now up to 41 percent of all mobile traffic, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world will follow.

In fact, what makes Australia different is that mobile use has become a two horse race. After iOS and Android, all other platforms account for just 4 percent of the market; compared to 47 percent globally.

This is partially a reflection on slower turnover of models — some countries are still using Blackberry devices, for example — but, also, the influence of Nokia cannot be ignored. By the start of this year, Nokia had sold 1.5 billion such devices, and Statscounter shows that it has captured 15 percent of the world mobile browsing market; Nokia's Symbian OS currently accounts for 12 percent.

Series 40 took off in South America, Asia, and Africa — places where the iPhone is too expensive. Perhaps the real future, at least in emerging markets, is for lower costing and less feature-rich devices.

In last week's Twisted Wire podcast Alcatel Lucent's Jason Collins talked about how the intelligence found on our phones will eventually move into the cloud. We won't need the app-centric features of an iPhone, just a solidly built form factor, with the rich functionality offered through a web browser. If, and when, that happens, you have to wonder whether Aussies will still love their iPhone — and at what price?

Samsung takes on Apple's iPhone 5 as Galaxy Tab 10.1 ban scrapped

Samsung takes on Apple's iPhone 5 as Galaxy Tab 10.1 ban scrapped

Samsung has launched legal action against Apple's iPhone 5 in the US, and has also succeeded in getting a temporary ban against its Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet lifted.

The moves mark the latest chapter in the long-running global battle between the two companies, which saw Apple win more than $1bn in compensation from the Korean manufacturer in August.

In that verdict, the jury found Samsung was infringing on Apple's intellectual property in its Android smartphones but not its tablets. Judge Lucy Koh had previously granted Apple a preliminary injunction against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and late on Monday — with Samsung pointing out that more than a month had passed since the verdict — she agreed to scrap that ban.

However, that was a relatively small event compared to Samsung taking on the iPhone 5, Apple's flagship iOS device as of September.

In a filing made on Monday, Samsung's lawyers added the iPhone 5 to a previous filing they had submitted in June. They said the alleged infringements were the same in the iPhone 5 as in previous iterations of the smartphone, and they had clearly been unable to include it in the original suit as it had not yet been launched at the time.

According to Samsung, Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch all infringe on two mobile broadband standards patents and/or six feature patents held by the Korean company.

The company has also claimed that the iPhone 5's 4G/LTE functionality infringes on its patents, but has not yet sued over those patents.

The US patents involved in this suit are:

No. 7,756,087: Method and apparatus for performing non-scheduled transmission in a mobile communication system for supporting an enhanced uplink data channel
No. 7,551,596: Method and apparatus for signaling control information of uplink packet data service in mobile communication system
No. 7,672,470: Audio/video device having a volume control function for an external audio reproduction unit by using volume control buttons of a remote controller and volume control method therefor
No. 7,577,757: Multimedia synchronisation method and device
No. 7,232,058: Data displaying apparatus and method
No. 6,292,179: Software keyboard system using trace of stylus on a touch screen and method for recognising key code using the same
No. 6,226,449: Apparatus for recording and reproducing digital image and speech
No. 5,579,239: Remote video transmission system

Hong Kong no longer sells world's cheapest iPhone

Hong Kong no longer sells world's cheapest iPhone

Apple's iPhone 5 in Hong Kong will be priced from HK$5,588 (US$721) contract-free, which is an increase of almost 10 percent compared to the HK$5,088 (US$656) pricetag for iPhone 4S.

According to overseas reports, an unlocked iPhone 5 in the United States will be priced from US$649, which is lower than what will be offered in Hong Kong.

The duty-free Asian city previously offered Apple products priced in line with those in the U.S. but buyers do not need to pay any consumption tax when they purchase goods in the city. This makes the prices of Apple products in Hong Kong the most competitive worldwide.

However, it also makes Hong Kong a destination for smugglers, especially those trying to resell goods to China where Apple products are generally sold at least 20 percent more than in Hong Kong due to various taxes imposed on the goods.

As the Hong Kong dollar is pegged with the US dollar, making exchange rates between the two currencies stable over time, Apple's move to lift the retail price of iPhone 5 in Hong Kong could only be explained as an strategic approach in the region.

The U.S. company will benefit most from the price hike as the move is unlikely to scare off the consumers since the US$721 per set for iPhone 5 is likely to remain competitive compared to most other countries.

On the other hand, if the retail price of iPhone 5 in China remains unchanged starting from 4,999 yuan (US$792) this time, it will still leave room of some US$70 over the pricetag of a same handset sold in Hong Kong. This will still allow the reselling business in China attractive for potential smugglers

Questions about the iPhone 5 nano-SIM

Questions about the iPhone 5 nano-SIM

It seems that there's been quite a rush to pre-order the newest shiny thing to come out of Apple, the iPhone 5, with 2 million snapped up in 24 hours. Judging from my mailbox, an awful lot of you are expecting your new handsets to land on September 21.

But it seems that some of you are already anticipating a speed bump in your enjoyment of your new iPhone -- the petite nano-SIM that Apple has chosen to adopt. If you're picking up an iPhone 5 and planning on having it replace your current handset, whether that be an iPhone or not, you're going to have to wait until you get your hands on a compatible nano-SIM from your carrier, and then wait for the carrier to transfer your account from the old SIM card to the new one.

Note: Contract handsets will be supplied with SIM cards.However, Apple also sells contract free handsets in a number of territories. 

Some of you are already wondering if you can bypass this potentially tedious process and slash your existing SIM card down to size. Here's a question from today's Hardware 2.0 mailbox:

What's to stop me cutting down my existing SIM to fit into my new iPhone 5? I chopped a full-size SIM to fit into my iPhone 4 when that was released so I don't see why I can't just do the same.

Technically, yes, you can. The chip part of the SIM card is unchanged. All that's different is the plastic housing that it is embedded into. And that's the problem.

With the micro-SIM, all that was different was the height and width of the card, so you could just chop off excess plastic until it would fit. It wasn't really that tricky to do, and it wasn't long until SIM cutters hit the market that allowed you to do the job in one go.

However, things are different with the nano-SIM. Not only is it smaller, it's also thinner. 12 percent thinner, in fact, down from 0.76 mm to 0.67 mm. It doesn't sound like a lot, but if Apple has engineered the tolerance tight on the new SIM card tray, it could be enough to jam the SIM in the handset, or even damage the SIM or the handset.

The tolerances might be loose enough to make this a moot point -- after all, I had a dual-SIM adapter installed in my iPhone 4 that fitted under the existing SIM and had a ribbon cable that squeezed between the SIM tray and slot that worked perfectly -- but at this stage we just don't know.

Some have suggested not just chopping down an existing SIM, but then sanding it down slightly to fit. Over on sister site CNET Asia, John Chan has a comprehensive how-to guide which seems easy enough to follow. If you're feeling adventurous then it's worth a go, but do bear in mind a few things.

First, if you wreak your SIM, your new handset as well as your old handset will be out of action until you get a replacement SIM. Cutting and sanding the SIM exposes it to stresses -- particularly bending -- that it's not designed to handle. Also, if you sand it too much, it's dead.

Secondly, there's also scope for cutting it wrong. Again, do that and it's not going to work.

Also, thirdly, if you're going to attempt this, make sure the SIM card is clean and free from plastic debris before inserting it into your new iPhone 5. You don't want your new handset contaminated with plastic dust.

Personally, as much as I hate waiting, I'd either wait until I get a nano-SIM, or see what result other -- more daring types -- have in cutting down SIMs. If it turns out that the sanding is unnecessary then the whole endeavor becomes a lot easier.

Another question I've being asked a lot is this one:

Do you think that there will be a shortage of nano-SIMs come September 21?

This is a tough question to answer.

I'm not aware of any carrier that has started to send nano-SIMs out to customers who have pre-ordered iPhone 5's, which means that there will be a rush for them once the handsets are out. If carriers started trickling out the new SIMs now would at least alleviate some of the rush come shipping day.

In spite of Apple's figures, we still don't know how new iPhone 5s will actually land on launch day. What we do know though is that carriers all around the world are going to need to make sure they have plenty of nano-SIMs to hand to accommodate for these new handsets, but it's quite possible that there will be shortages in some areas.

I think that it is quite possible that some people picking up an iPhone 5 on launch day won't be able to use it for a few days until they get their hands on a compatible SIM. I know it's tough having to wait, but that's how it is at times.

2M iPhones in 24 hours, Office 2013, power over USB

2M iPhones in 24 hours, Office 2013, power over USB

The Apple craziness has died down (at least until the iPhone 5 launches later this week), but overnight it was Microsoft's turn to shine.

The Redmond-based company officially announced its Office 2013 prices and packaging, and it's really pushing the subscription-based model for its "premium" products. To allay any fears that customers are paying a subscription for a word processor, Microsoft has thrown in Skype minutes and more SkyDrive storage. Small Business Premium customers also have a few added bonuses, like HD video conferencing and hosted email.

Of course, it hasn't completely eliminated its traditional pay-once products, but, depending on your circumstances, they might not represent value for money. If you're having difficulty deciding which is right for you, ZDNet contributor Ed Bott has broken down what you'd lose and gain from each.

While there are no firm dates for the release of Office 2013, the company did finally confirm what we've all known for a while: Windows 8 and its Surface RT tablet will be made commercially available on October 26, and will launch the day before, on October 25, in New York City.

The tablet in particular has some tongues wagging; there are concerns over what the competition might mean for Android. At least on the business front, ZDNet contributor Ben Woods asked, "What does an Android tablet (or even iOS) offer that a Windows tablet can't?" Integrating Android or iOS into a business has always been an issue, but what if Microsoft makes the integration between desktop and device completely seamless? That might be something to give at least Android a run for its money.

Android is also not feeling much love from the Apple camp, which is now able to wave its figures in its face. In just 24 hours, Apple secured 2 million pre-orders, eclipsing previous records for its smartphone and leading to demand outstripping the company's ability to supply the new device, despite the controversy surrounding its changed charging adapter.

But speaking of charging adapters, we could be just a few months out from seeing laptops and more power-hungry devices charged via a new technology called USB power delivery. The idea is pretty smart: TVs of the future, which are already fixed and plugged in to an outlet, may have a special USB port that can be used to charge a laptop and send/receive data at the same time. Sounds like a great idea for those presentations.

But don't expect any Japanese manufacturers to be pumping this sort of technology out of China anytime soon. Panasonic and Canon have shut down their plants following Chinese protests against Japan over a national dispute regarding the ownership of a set of islands in the East China Sea. Sony is also avoiding any travel to the country out of fear for its staff's safety.