iPhone 4

Analyst: iPhone 5C may exclude Siri, but will boost margins and attract new sales

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

For some time, Wall Street investors and Apple watchers have stressed the iPhone maker must adjust to more modest profit margins, as well as a worldwide reality where cheap Android smartphones enable competitors to attract price-conscious consumers. Now comes a voice saying Apple could have it all: a cheap handset, fatter margins and a larger international audience.

By attracting the prepaid market, Apple's much-expected iPhone 5C will do all that by going after a huge pool of prepaid wireless customers that's four times larger than the current U.S. subscribers. Meanwhile, another analysts believes he knows the cheaper iPhone will exclude some features, such as Siri...

Your iPhone 4 is actually gaining value, study finds

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Unlike the auto which loses much of its value the moment you drive off the dealer's lot, iPhones tend to remain valuable to owners. According to new research, Apple's handset does better at retaining its value, compared to Android phones. In a related study, trade-in programs are increasingly important to smartphone owners deciding on carriers.

Although the value of Android phones fell by as much as a third in three months, iPhone prices actually go up. The price of an iPhone 4 asked on eBay was 10.3 percent higher than at the start of the three-month period, one Wall Street analyst found...

Ban veto: Obama’s pro-Apple ruling cripples ITC as future patent weapon

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 5, 2013

What's the likely impact of the weekend decision to veto a proposed ban on sales and imports of Apple's older iPhones and iPads? Aside from the expected self-congratulations and condemnations, the action by the Obama administration puts in question the value of patents and the ability of rivals to knee-cap their competitors via ITC rulings.

The most immediate impact may be further delays in Apple's quest to ban imports of Samsung devices. The final ITC ruling is expected Friday on whether Samsung products the iPhone maker says infringes patents should be blocked from the US, according to a Monday report...

Obama Administration vetoes ITC’s US sales ban on Apple products

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 9, 2013

Huge news out of Washington this afternoon, as reports are coming in that President Obama has stepped in and vetoed the ITC’s decision to place a US import ban on a handful of Apple's older iOS devices. The ban came after the International Trade Commission found some of Apple's products infringed on 2 Samsung cellular patents.

The ruling was handed down on June 4, and exclusion orders were sent to the White House, giving Obama's Administration 60 days to veto the ban based on "public policy." And that 60-day deadline would've ended soon, but it looks like the President has heeded to the requests of Verizon, AT&T and others to overturn the ITC's decision...

CaptCase: a cleverly crafted iPhone folio case and card holder

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

I have tested my fair share of folio style or wallet type cases for all iOS devices. Each has its own eccentricities and the CaptCase for iPhone 5 is no different. With a mission to utilize simplicity of design to provide a beautiful and functional product, the company strives to create accessories that "enhance the use of your smartphone, without getting in the way."

There is one excellent feature of the CaptCase that proves their point. This is the only folio style iPhone case I reviewed with a cutaway in the front panel to allow phone calls. Truly, an excellent feature with functionality at the fore. Many others must agree, as CaptCase easily reached its Kickstarter goal..

‘UnthreadedJB’ untethered jailbreak released for CDMA iPhone 4 on iOS 5.1

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Make sure you read that title very carefully before you get too excited. Yes, there's a new jailbreak out, and yes, it's untethered. But odds are, you're not going to fit its compatibility requirements. It only works for CDMA versions of the iPhone 4, and the app only runs on Linux.

It's called UnthreadedJB, and it's developed by a group of people under the same name. To be fair, this is the first untethered jailbreak we've seen for iOS 5.1—I believe Absinthe 2.0 was for iOS 5.1.1—so it doesn't come without acclaim. And several users have confirmed that it works...

Verizon asks Obama to prevent upcoming iPhone sales ban

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 25, 2013

In April, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ordered an import ban on the iPhone 3G/3GS/4 after determining Apple had violated Samsung's 3G cellular technology patent. Apple was hoping the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) would overturn ITC's decision on the basis that Samsung was asserting a standards-essential patent.

Needles to say, Apple asked ITC to stay an order while the court considered the appeal, arguing the sales ban would "sweep away an entire segment of Apple's product offerings." And in an interesting twist earlier this week, the nation's top carrier Verizon Wireless pressured President Obama to intervene in the Apple v. Samsung case and veto the impending ban...

Apple navigates low revenue, tight margin future

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 24, 2013

Tuesday's announcement by Apple that it sold more devices but with less profit during the June quarter seems to have reset investor expectations about the tech giant. The key to Apple introducing new products going forward now appears to be the ability to sustain Wall Street confidence that CEO Tim Cook can continue steering the ship effectively without the hand of late co-founder Steve Jobs.

Although overall quarterly revenue of $35.4 billion topped the consensus of $35 billion, profit fell 22 percent to $6.9 billion. As a result, Cook tried to reassure investors, announcing Apple was "laser-focused and working hard on some amazing new products" set for the fall and 2014...

Older iPhones comprise almost half of Apple’s U.S. handset sales

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 22, 2013

Apple's iPhone 5 accounts for just over half of the company's smartphone sales, with 48 percent coming from the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, according to new research. That compares to the iPhone 4S which comprised about 75 percent of Apple sales almost a year after launch.

The figures illustrate how a larger portion of Apple's smartphone revenue is being generated by lower-cost iPhone models, a concern for investors heading into Tuesday's third-quarter financial report...

High-end smartphone market gone, warns analyst

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 22, 2013

Welcome to the commoditization of smartphones, or the Emachining of the iPhone. As the handsets move from only the hands of first-adopters to something even your grandma owns, prices are plummeting. It is to the point where one analyst declares the end of the high-end smartphone gold rush.

The average price of a smartphone has fallen nearly $100 in the past year as consumers dismiss talk of 4G and other technical debates, concentrating on just one question: is it good enough and within reach of their wallet...

Could Apple Stores sell more iPhones?

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 17, 2013

Can Apple more than triple the percent of iPhones sold at its retail stores, pumping up sales of its flagship smartphone?

While CEO Tim Cook is pushing the idea, some observers question whether the goal of selling half of all iPhones in Apple Stores is in fact attainable.

The Apple CEO says he'd like in-store sales of iPhones - now at fifteen percent - to match the fifty percent of handsets serviced by Apple Store Geniuses. Currently, around 90 percent of iPhones are purchased either through U.S. carriers or third-party resellers...

Strap-E iPhone case carries your cash, credit cards and more

Cody Lee ∙ July 14, 2013

I've long been in search of a proper wallet-iPhone case combo that would allow me to leave my conventional wallet at home. I've tried the BookBook, the HEX and several others, but have yet to find one that met my requirements for form and function.

This new Strap-E case looks interesting though. It's a slim (only adds 3mm to your iPhone) plastic, slide-on case that has durable, injection molded loops on the back that allow it to carry cash, credit cards and almost anything else you can fit in your pocket...