iPhone

As rumors swirl about Apple's manufacturing partners kicking into high gear to produce the next version of the iPhone, a new report adds some more detail on what could be inside the new device.

The latest comes from Vietnamese site Tinhte, which says Apple's next iPhone (expected to be called the 5S) will sport a 12-megapixel camera. That's as compared to the 8-megapixel sensor found on both the iPhone 5 and 4S.

Now it wouldn't be unusual for Apple to make improvements to its camera, which it's done with each successive iPhone model. But the … Read more

What do you do with a 26-carat black diamond that's been in the family for generations? If you're a fan of Apple with a few extra coins clanking around in your pocket, you apparently attach the jewel to an iPhone.

According to CNN and British craftsman Stuart Hughes' Web site, "Joe," a businessman from Hong Kong, commissioned Hughes to turn an iPhone 5 into a shiny $15 million affair.

After crafting a solid gold chassis, Hughes added 600 white diamonds as decoration, and reserved the Home button to be adorned with the aforesaid black diamond. … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Ever wondered how Apple employees travel around the Cupertino campus?

- Taking New York's upcoming Citi Bike Share plan for a test ride.

- Why don't cell phones have a dial tone?

- Forget following teens, your new favorite Tweeter is 94 years old.

- Speaking of old people, here's Jeff's dear, old granny with a 404 sticker on her walker.

- Speaking of speaking of old people, here's a soul-cuddling video of an older landlady lip-syncing her favorite song from the 1930s.… Read more

T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert boasted that the carrier had "one of its biggest weekends in the history of the company" thanks to the launch of the iPhone on Friday.

T-Mobile on Friday launched the iPhone in its stores for the first time, finally catching up to its larger rivals, and even smaller regional carriers. Sievert told CNET that iPhone sales did better than he expected, although he declined to provide specific figures.

"We had really ambitious internal goals, and we beat them," he said.

The iPhone is important to T-Mobile in multiple ways. It … Read more

Apple's next-generation iPhone has already prompted supplier Foxconn to bump up its ranks.

Also known as Hon Hai Precision, the Taiwan-based supplier confirmed today that it has hired around 10,000 employees for the assembly line at its factory in Zhengzhou since the end of March, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The Zhengzhou plant is a major producer of the iPhone.

A spokesman for Foxconn told the Journal only that the company increased its workforce to meet seasonal demand from customers. But "executives familiar with the situation" said the extra employees were hired specifically to get … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Electrosensitive community moving to a secluded town in Green Bank, Va.

- Facebook fixes comment threads for Pages and public figure.

- A promising 'Home' for the Facebook obsessed.

- Five ways to get more out of Facebook Home.

- Prepare a digital will for your Google accounts.

- Roger Ebert's Twitter lives on.

- Microsoft exec reportedly leaves job following testy Xbox tweets.… Read more

NEW YORK--There are bright summer mornings in midtown Manhattan when tech enthusiasts happily line the streets around the famous Apple "cube" on Fifth Avenue or sneak to nearby carrier stories to land a new iPhone or iPad.

This was not one of those days. It was gray and soggy outside T-Mobile's flagship store in midtown Manhattan this morning, a wet reminder that winter isn't quite over despite what the calendar says. Similarly, T-Mobile hasn't yet succeeded in attempts to move past its own dark season.

But T-Mobile, for once, had a reason to celebrate. Today … Read more

Suppliers and vendors in China are buzzing about Apple releasing a lower-priced, plastic smartphone in July, and according to another analyst report that supports the rumors, the device could sell for $350 to $400.

Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White wrote that he attended a technology trade show in China and spoke with companies that worked with Apple.

His report mirrored an earlier analyst report that Apple will announce the lower-priced iPhone and the iPhone 5S at the same time in June and then release the products in July. White's report included some pricing details as well.

"We … Read more

Prepare yourself for a heady dose of tech nostalgia, as we explore the origins -- and evolution -- of Apple's iPhone.

Hit play on the video above and see Steve Jobs' iconic gadget traced back to its roots. We'll be charting the most important new apps and features that the iPhone has sprouted over the years -- as well as its biggest mis-steps.

These days, we take highfalutin smart phones for granted, and it's easy to forget that prior to 2007, so-called smart phones were little more than blocky plastic bricks, with hard-to-view screens and slathered with … Read more