Poll

Poll: did opening weekend iPhone 5 sales disappoint?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 11, 2018

You may have heard that the "boring" iPhone 5 sold five million units during its first weekend on availability in nine major markets. Apple also announced that a hundred million iOS devices are now running iOS 6. But even as Apple notes that "we sold out of our initial supply" of iPhones while promising to "regularly" stock retail stores, first-weekend sales came in below the six million units estimated by analyst Gene Munster (ten million was his best case scenario). As a result, Apple's shares are down two percent in pre-market trading, perhaps indicating that Wall Street was expecting Cook & Co. to perform slightly better...

Poll: will you pre-order the iPhone 5 or stand in line?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 21, 2012

Apple is taking iPhone 5 pre-orders starting 12:01am Pacific, 3am Eastern on September 14. That’s tomorrow and less than 24 hours from now. In addition to the online Apple Store, carriers Sprint, AT&T and Verizon have confirmed they will be taking pre-orders for the phone at the same time.

Several regional U.S. carriers also announced availability and retailer Walmart said it will be taking pre-orders at its U.S. stores starting at 8am, priced at $189.97 with a two-year AT&T, Verizon or Sprint contract.

With plenty of options for those who are planning on upgrading, I'm wondering if you prefer pre-ordering or standing in line for this year's iPhone...

Poll: which iPhone 5 are you?

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 12, 2012

Isn't it funny how no one is bitching about the two-tone iPhone 5 design now? Prior to the announcement, you were pretty divided over the controversial design, with 53 percent upvoting the two-tone thing and the remaining 47 percent saying it looks hideous.

It's here now, it is two-tone and boy does it look great, thanks to Apple's production polish and some top-notch Photoshop work. If there's one thing we can all learn from this, it's not to take blurry shots of engineering samples and leaked shells for granted: the final production units always feel and look substantially smoother and sexier compared to the samples leaking out of Asia.

The two-tone design entails some interesting design solutions: the handset is no longer purely black or white. Instead, Jonny Ive and his team took advantage of two similar colors to subtly accent the phone's trim, not just the glass stripes on the back.

If you'll be getting yourself an iPhone 5, we'd love to hear which one it's gonna be: the white & silver combo or the black & slate one...

Fox says new iMacs are “imminent”, but will they go Retina?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

The iMac, Apple's ultimate all-in-one desktop, could be refreshed alongside the next iPhone five days from today, or perhaps in October alongside a rumored smaller iPad or maybe even later - but quite possibly by Christmas the latest.

Regardless of a launch date, new iMacs are said to be "imminent", if you believe Fox News reporter Clayton Morris who issued a report based on unnamed sources that signified Apple's next-generation iMac lineup is ready to go. Be that as it may, I'm wondering whether Apple plans to throw in an all-new Retina iMac model to make things a tad more interesting...

Poll: what’s this square thing inside the iPhone 5 for?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

A set of four new high-quality photographs have emerged, seemingly depicting the complete front assembly of Apple's next iPhone, due for unveiling at a San Francisco media event next Wednesday. These new images provide a detailed look at a square chip which leaked earlier and prompted pundits to speculate that it houses a Near-Field Communications (NFC) sensor, later debunked by the eagle-eyed experts over at AnandTech.

One of the theories has it that this thing is a fingerprint sensor, based on Apple's hasty $356 million acquisition of smart sensor maker AuthenTec. There are other possible answers to this mystery and I couldn't help myself collecting all the plausible possibilities in an amusing poll, included right below...

Poll: will Apple launch refreshed iPods alongside the iPhone 5?

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 4, 2012

With invites for Apple's long-rumored September 12 media event sent out earlier today, all eyes are on the next iPhone, as subtly hinted by a "5" lurking in the shadow on the invite graphics. A separate media event is also believed to be in the works around October for a mini iPad. This leaves us with the obvious question: how does a third iPod-related presser fit between these two?

Per conventional wisdom, Apple could refresh iPods alongside the iPhone at the September 12 event. On the other hand, such a high-profile iPhone introduction - perhaps the most important product launch in Apple's history - deserves an exclusive media event of its own. We've put together a quick poll to let us know about your expectations come next Wednesday (it ain't a YES/NO poll)...

Poll: is the next iPhone going to be world-phone LTE compatible?

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 15, 2012

Less than four weeks from Apple's September 12 iPhone 5 event, U.S. carriers continue aggressive deployment of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology, making it all too easy to get carried away with the wonders of high-speed 4G networking on the next iPhone.

After all, 4G is thought to be one of the headline features of the device. On the other hand, this is going to be the first iPhone ever to have 4G, meaning some limitations and teething problems are likely to be expected, as is always the case with first-gen everything from Apple.

Regular users will probably assume that just because the next iPhone is 4G LTE, it's gonna work on whatever carrier's fourth-generation LTE network. That may not be the case and if the third-generation iPad is an indication, the iPhone 5 could disappoint some international users with limited support for LTE frequency bands.

That being said, we're asking you to take a long and hard look at the current state of technology and vote on the kind of LTE support you think the iPhone 5 will have...

Poll: how often do you use the stock iOS YouTube app?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Yesterday's release of iOS 6 Beta 4 has brought another proof of the de-Googlification of iOS, with Apple unexpectedyl removing the native YouTube app because "our license to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended". Google, of course, was quick to point out that it will be releasing its own YouTube client on the App Store shortly.

It's much ado about nothing, really: the vast majority of videos embedded in web pages play in-line in the mobile Safari browser and users can always browse a much larger selection of clips via the mobile YouTube site.

That didn't stop Twitter and Techmeme from lighting up yesterday with hysteric reports over Apple's move. Heck, it apparently rattled one guy so much that he announced switching to Android...

Poll: is Samsung’s F700 an iPhone copy?

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 1, 2012

An interesting argument arose in the Apple-Samsung litigation related to Samsung’s F700 handset. As you know, Samsung sought to present this and other handsets - but the F700 in particular - as trial evidence of prior art that they were designing handsets akin to the iPhone before Apple got to announce its phone in January of 2007.

Judge Lucy Koh excluded that device and a bunch of other Samsung phones from the hearings, but Samsung defiantly publicized the slides yesterday, angering the Judge.

Apple had originally included the F700 as patent infringing in its suit, but later dropped it as it realized Samsung was working on this before the iPhone was released and especially after learning that Samsung applied for a South Korean design registration application in December of 2006, a month before the iPhone’s public unveiling.

Kill me but I just don't see any similarities between the F700 and the iPhone, especially not ones that could establish prior art for either party.

Maybe you do?

Poll: do you like the two-tone iPhone 5 design?

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 29, 2012

A surprising amount of tidbits that have come out of the rumor-mill point to a two-tone design for a sixth-generation iPhone, be it home buttons, front and back plates, leaked schematics and engineering samples or even fan artwork.

The case for a two-tone iPhone has become much stronger earlier today when a repair shop put together all those parts floating around Asia, seemingly depicting what a fully-assembled iPhone 5 could look like. The thing ticks all the right boxes, like a relocated headphone jack on the bottom, a smaller 19-pin dock connector and a taller four-inch display (both confirmed by credible media outlets).

No matter from which angle you look at it, the assembly does look legit. It's plausible design-wise with its high-quality milled aluminum feel, thinner appearance and a slightly beveled shiny edge. As always, some people will love the new look and others will loathe it simply because it doesn't look new enough. Which side of the fence you're on?

Poll: did you buy Mountain Lion?

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 26, 2012

Apple released OS X Mountain Lion some 36 hours ago exclusively via the Mac App Store at a breakthrough price of just $19.99 a copy, with rights to install the operating system on up to five different Macs authorized with the same Apple ID account.

If yesterday's poll is anything to go by, you seem to be appreciating the bang Mountain Lion is offering for your buck, with nearly 80 percent of respondents saying that the software is worth its asking price.

But assessing the perceived value of a piece of software is one thing and actually taking the plunge is an entirely different matter. Today's poll, yet another YES/NO survey per popular demand, asks a simple question, whether or not you've bought Mountain Lion yet...

Poll: is Mountain Lion worth its asking price?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

As you know, Apple today released OS X Mountain Lion. It will run you only twenty bucks a copy, which includes rights to install the operating system on up to five different Macs. Mountain Lion builds upon its predecessor Lion in that it streamlines your experience with additional iOS tricks, deep integration with iCloud, Facebook and Twitter and interesting new capabilities such as PowerNap and Gatekeeper, to name a few.

It also includes a handful of apps ported from iOS, such as iMessage, Reminders, Notes, Game Center and Notification Center, in the hope that it'll help new Mac owners get up to speed quickly. At that breakthrough price, Mountain Lion should be a no-brainer. But as is often the case, the price is a reflection of the product's perceived value.

For some, Mountain Lion is worth every cent. There are also those who feel that even twenty bucks is too high a price for an OS that underwhelms with just a handful of truly new features while spoiling the fun by insisting on a bunch of glorified iOS apps with that forced skeuomorphic design.

Which camp do you belong to?