Whole shipment of iPhone 5s stolen from French airport

Just before the Japanese launch of the iPhone 5, three stores were robbed of a total of 191 units. Then about a week ago, an employee of a London O2 store made off with an entire shipment of 250 iPhone 5s, which are worth about £100,000.

Now there’s a report that on Tuesday there was yet another major iPhone 5 theft, which occurred in France. The number of units stolen wasn’t confirmd, but the whole thing played out like a heist movie.

The iPhone 5 shipment was being loaded on a plane at Marignane airport when three armed robbers blocked the vehicle used to load the plane with two BMWs. The gunmen then forced the driver to follow the two cars and a Renault Master that lead the way.

About 10km down the road, the robbers stopped and loaded the shipment (which also included a number of Apple laptops) in the van. After they were done, they set the airport’s truck on fire and drove off.

The police investigating is ongoing.

Note: the image above is not an actual photo of the incident, just a photo of something being loaded on a plane with a quickly photoshopped Apple logo.

Source (in French)

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

iOS 6 update hits 100 million installs

Today Apple announced the iPhone 5 broke a new record – 5 million units sold in the first three days of its market availability. The press release contained some statistics about the iOS 6 updates as well.

According to the issued statement the iOS 6 landed on more than 100 million devices already, excluding the iPhone 5 units.

The iOS 6 update is available for the iPhones 3GS, 4 and 4S; iPads 2 and 3 (a.k.a. the new iPad); and iPods Touch 4 and 5. It started seeding on September 19 and 100 million iDevices are already running it. Surely there are a few million more to come, since not every iOS users is eager to update (they either don’t know there is an update or they just don’t want to get lost with the Apple Maps).

So while this is an impressive number, it’s not a surprising one considering the huge iOS user base and the global availability of the update.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Apple sold a disappointing 5 million iPhone 5 units in three days

Apple sold a record-breaking 5 million iPhone 5 units in three days — a million or so short of Wall Street's expectations.

Apple sold a record-breaking 5 million iPhone 5 units over the past three days, the company announced today. The number tops its previous record of 4 million units sold during opening weekend, which was set last year by the iPhone 4S.

“Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a statement. “While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone.”

Despite the self-congratulations, sales of the iPhone 5 have fell well short of lofty Wall Street estimates. Apple analyst extraordinaire Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray predicted that Apple would sell 6 million to 10 million iPhone 5 units in its opening weekend. He added that 6 million would count as a “worst-case scenario.”

Apple’s stock price had fallen more nine points, at the time of this writing, to $691.

The iPhone 5 broke the record for first-day sales, clocking in 2 million sales in 24 hours after the device became available for pre-order on September 14. The iPhone 4S set the previous record last year, with more than 1 million units sold in a single day.

The iPhone 5 is currently available in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and the U.K. Apple also announced today that the handset would become available in 22 countries on Friday, September 28, and 100 countries total by the end of the year.

New features added to the iPhone 5 include a 4-inch display, 4G LTE connectivity, an improved FaceTime camera for video chat, and a thinner and lighter design.

Check out our in-depth review of the iPhone 5 here.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Apple iPhone 5 back panel scratch test confirms you better buy a case

The iPhone 5 anodized aluminum body might be bending the laws of physics and everything, but it’s also shaping out to be quite sensitive. First we learn that some units come chipped out of the box and now we get this scratch test, which confirms that peeling the paint from your brand new iPhone 5 is easier than you might have thought.

The video is created by the ever helpful ifixit and shows how the iPhone 5 back panels handles keys and metal rings. The iPhone 4S was subjected to the same tests for comparison’s sake and it seemed to handle them way better than its successor.

So it appears that you will need to be extra careful with your new Apple iPhone 5, if you are to preserve it in mint condition. We’d normally suggest you buy a case or a bumper, but given that the super slim waistline is one of the iPhone 5’s key selling points, you probably just need to reserve a pocket in your jeans/purse for it.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Apple boasts 2 million iPhone 5 units sold in 24 hours

Apple claims a new record, with more than 2 million iPhone 5 units pre-ordered in the first 24 hours.

Apple sold more than 2 million iPhone 5 units in the first 24 hours of pre-order availability, the company boasted in a press release this morning. That’s more than twice the 1 million iPhone 4S units the company sold last year — more than twice! See, the iPhone 5 isn’t as boring as you thought, according to Apple.

Last year, Apple sold app approximately 1 million iPhone 4S units in the first 24 hours, and more than 4 million units during the first weekend. We wouldn’t be surprised to see another press release from Apple touting record weekend sales of the iPhone 5 as well.

The iPhone 5 went on sale at about 12:01a.m. in U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore on Friday, September 14. The iPhone 4S, on the other hand, was not initially available in Hong Kong and Singapore, which presumably helped boost early iPhone 5 sales figures.

AT&T, the first U.S. wireless service provider to offer the iPhone, also released a statement this morning saying that the iPhone 5 is “the fastest-selling iPhone the company has ever offered.” The iPhone 5 is also available through Verizon Wireless and Sprint in the U.S., as well as a number of smaller carriers.

Due to the supposedly unprecedented demand for the latest iPhone, Apple says that “initial supply” of the smartphone has already been depleted. While “the majority” of pre-ordered iPhone 5 units will arrived on customer doorsteps by the previously promised September 21 launch date, says Apple, some people who pre-ordered the iPhone 5 won’t receive their devices until sometime in October.

All 356 Apple retail stores in the U.S. will begin selling the iPhone 5 at 8a.m. on September 21 — but you’ll likely have to stand in line to get one. Fortune reports that Apple fans in New York City have already begun camping out for the big launch. A better bet is to hit up an AT&T, Verizion, or Sprint retail shop, which will begin selling the iPhone 5 in-store at the same time as Apple.

The iPhone 5 features a new, 4-inch Retina display made with in-cell technology, 4G LTE connectivity, an A6 system-on-chip, dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity, and the new iOS 6 mobile operating system. People with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S can all update to iOS 6 on Wednesday, September 19.

To learn all the details of the iPhone 5, click here. And check out our complete breakdown of iOS 6 here.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Samsung sells 20 million Galaxy S3 handsets in first 100 days

Samsung's Galaxy S3 is still flying off the shelves, with 20 million units sold in its first 100 days.

The Galaxy S3 continues to sell at great speed, with Samsung announcing Thursday that 20 million devices have now been sold since it made its debut 100 days ago. The phone is the Korean tech company’s fastest-selling handset to date.

Samsung was confident from the start that the high-end S3 would do magical things for the electronics giant, with its head of mobile communications, JK Shin, claiming on launch day back in May that it would sell 10 million units before the end of July. It managed the feat with more than a week to spare.

This week it was reported that in August the S3 outsold Apple’s iPhone 4S for the first time since the 4S hit the market in October 2011 – though of course, this could be down to some Apple fans holding off buying a new iPhone until later this month, when the so-called iPhone 5 is widely expected to make its debut.

Sales of the S3 may be impressive, but if the expected iPhone 5 sells like the 4S did earlier this year – 35.1 million units in the first quarter – then it’ll soon slip back behind Apple as the smartphone of choice for the majority of users. Some analysts predict sales of the new iPhone could top 10 million within a week of going on sale.

Also, there’s a chance that sales of the S3 could drop to zero overnight – at least in the US – if Apple succeeds in its attempt to have the device banned from sale over the matter of patent infringement.

For the time being though, the Korean company will be more than happy with the way its Android-powered S3 is moving off the shelves. Consumers have been attracted by its sleek design, large 4.8-inch screen and array of features, including face-, gesture- and voice recognition functionality. A powerful 8-megapixel camera which, among other things, allows you to take photos while recording video, has also helped it to stand out from the crowd. Now, how long before it notches up its 30 millionth sale?

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com