iPhone 5s

Apps on iPhone 5s twice as likely to crash than iPhone 5/5c, study finds

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Along with the iPhone 5s being a big seller, the new Apple handset has another not so welcome feature: its apps crash twice as much those on the iPhone 5c or iPhone 5.

The likely culprit: the iPhone 5s's 64-bit A7 processor coupled with the 64-bit iOS 7 operating software and existing 32-bit apps. Apps running on the 64-bit iPhone 5s have a two percent crash rate.

That's compared to just one percent for apps running on the iPhone 5c or iPhone 5, which use the previous-generation A6 chip and a 32-bit version of iOS 7...

iFixit’s internals-exposing wallpapers for the iPhone 5s/5c

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

Every week, iDB brings you a handful of our favorite device backgrounds in our 'Wallpapers of the week' series. Now, typically these images consist of solid-color graphics, textures, or gradients—a popular post-iOS 7 brush.

But for those looking for something a little more edgy than all of that, you might be interested in these new wallpapers from iFixit. These hi-res images show the guts of your iPhone 5s or 5c, giving you a sort of see-through effect...

Apple gains approval to sell iPhone 5s/5c in Brazil

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Apple has gained approval to sell its iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in Brazil. That country's National Telecommunications Agency granted the tech giant the right to use the 4G-ready 2600 Mhz band, an upgrade from the previous 700 Mhz.

The new handsets are being produced at Foxconn's Brazil factories. The government's approval follows Apple winning the right to use the iPhone trademark. The only question remaining: when will the new smartphones appear on shelves in Brazil...

Best Buy to offer $100 for old phones towards purchase of iPhone 5s, 5c

Cody Lee ∙ October 10, 2013

It appears that Best Buy is on the verge of launching another smartphone trade-in promotion next week. According to a new report, the retailer will begin offering a minimum of $100 for select older, working handsets.

The catch here is that this trade-in money must be used to purchase a new iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c at the subsidized price—meaning you'll have to sign a new two-year agreement with one of Best Buy's carrier partners...

Apple seeks expert in China Mobile’s TD-LTE ahead of iPhone deal

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 9, 2013

Apple is a bit like a black hole: only by detecting its effect on nearby objects can observers discern its real intention. The latest clue to Apple's China card is a job posting seeking a networking expert in a technology only used by China Mobile. The engineer would be based in Beijing, supporting China Mobile's 3G technology TD-SCDMA, as well as TD-LTE, which the world's largest carrier is testing.

This latest report comes as the iPhone maker supposedly nears a deal with the carrier, which counts 63 percent of China's 1.2 billion wireless consumers among its subscribers. Still, Apple refuses to comment...

Apple announces major iPhone 5s/5c expansion

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2013

Apple initially launched its new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c handsets on September 20 in the United States and an additional ten major international markets. Today, the company announced a major expansion that will see both handsets hit more than 25 new markets around the world beginning October 25, with more than a dozen additional countries receiving both handsets on November 1.

The full breakdown is right after the break...

Qualcomm backtracks on ’64-bit A7 is a marketing gimmick’ claims

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Last week, Qualcomm's CMO Anand Chandrasekher made headlines for comments he made during an interview regarding Apple's new A7 processor. He called the chip a 'marketing gimmick,' and said 64-bit holds no real benefit for users.

But pundits were quick to challenge Chandrasekher, pointing to apps and games with A7 support as proof that the 64-bit architecture holds value. And Qualcomm must agree, because it has issued a statement backtracking on the claims...

Some iPhone 5s owners plagued with blue screen of death

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 8, 2013

In the past week or so, we have been inundated with numerous tips about an apparent issue with Apple's iWork productivity suite running on the iPhone 5s.

Folks have been emailing us about their top-end iPhone abruptly restarting each time they'd fired up Apple's Pages, Numbers or Keynote app.

Digging deeper, the problem raises its ugly head not just with iWork but some third-party apps as well. I'm just scatter-shooting here, but this could be due to the iPhone 5s's A7 chip and the transition to 64-bit computing.

Sure enough, a quick hop over to Apple's support forums revealed a thread with similar complaints where the iPhone 5s goes into a blue screen prior to respringing - hence the Blue Screen of Death moniker.

As this issue continues to persists, I though you should know about how it manifests itself and tell you about a band-aid solution. Apple of course is cleverly keeping mum on the matter and is yet to respond with a software fix for the glitch. Read on...

Nat Geo photographer commends iPhone 5s camera

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

During his latest trip to Scotland, National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson snapped over 4,000 photos using his new iPhone 5s. And he had nothing but good things to say about the smartphone and its camera.

In a Nat Geo blog post, Richardson shared some thoughts on using the device, noting that what surprised him most was picture quality. He never felt like he was settling for photos because he was using a mobile phone...

NTT DoCoMo hurt by iPhone wait, iPhone 5c too pricey for India’s prepaid market

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

Did Japan's largest carrier wait too long to offer the iPhone? That's the impression after NTT DoCoMo lost a record 66,800 net users in September, dropping its market share to 46 percent. By comparison, KDDI and SoftBank, which sold iPhones soon after its 2007 introduction, gained ground adding 270,700 and 237,700 users respectively.

DoCoMo blamed customer loss on inventory shortages and consumers who waited until Apple's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c September 20 sale date. Hoping to regain some momentum, the nation's largest carrier announced opening online sales of the iPhone 5s to all customers. Meanwhile, in India things have gotten a little tricky for Apple's $100 cheaper colorful iPhone 5c...

OtterBox introduces new wallet case for the iPhone 5, 5s

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

If you've been looking for a wallet-case combo for a new iPhone 5s, or your current iPhone 5, you may want to check out OtterBox. The company just announced a new Commuter Series Wallet case.

The case will fit both the iPhone 5 and 5s, and combines OtterBox's legendary toughness with the slimmer design of its Commuter series. And on the back, a space for your credit cards and money...

iPhone 5s is top-seller in the US with iPhone 5c close behind

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 4, 2013

Apple's new iPhone 5s became the top-selling smartphone in the US during September. New numbers show the 5s and 5c were among the top three smartphones sold by all four major domestic carriers.

Helped along by record sales, the iPhone 5s also replaced Samsung's Galaxy S4 as the best-selling smartphone among AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, according to Canaccord Genuity Friday...