iPhone 5 ship time drops to two to four days

iPhone 5 buyers aiming to order the phone online through Apple now face a wait time of only two to four days.

That's a hefty improvement over the three to four weeks originally estimated when the phone was first available through preorders in September. Supply finally started to catch up with demand around mid-November, when the estimate fell to two to three weeks. Since then, the ship time has continued to fall.

Of course, iPhone 5 buyers not far from a physical Apple Store may prefer to shop in person.

Recent analyst surveys of several Apple Stores show no wait time, … Read more

Apple wins patents on iPhone 4 design, MagSafe

Apple has won several patents today from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Apple had filed for a patent on the iPhone 4's design and was awarded it today. Interestingly, Apple also received a design patent on the white iPhone -- a device that, in 2010, was delayed due to "challenging" production issues.

Patently Apple was first to discover the patents.

Not to be outdone, a patent on the iPad's case was also awarded to Apple, along with the company's Smart Cover, which magnetically connects to the tablet and sits on top of … Read more

iPhone 5 snags 100,000 preorders through China Unicom

The iPhone 5 is off to a strong start at its latest carrier.

After kicking off preorders for the new phone early yesterday, China Unicom took in more than 100,000 online reservations by 4 p.m. local time, Chinese news site Sina Tech said today.

China's second-largest carrier will officially launch the iPhone 5 on December 14, following a promise that it would offer the device to its subscribers by year's end.

Some of the early buyers liked the simple reservation process as well as the phone, Sina Tech reported. Customers are asked to fill in their … Read more

PopSlate case adds second screen to iPhone 5

Look at your smartphone case. If it's plastic or rubber, it's way behind the times, man. You might agree with that sentiment after seeing PopSlate, an innovative iPhone 5 case with a rear 4-inch e-ink screen currently making waves on Indiegogo.

True to its name, PopSlate offers a customizable slate -- sort of like a second screen -- that enables the owner to display any picture(s) on the iPhone as a black and white image on the back of the phone case. To change images, owners can tap the back of the phone twice, or alter a pic through the related PopSlate app. … Read more

Shellphone: Mother Nature crafts an iPhone loudspeaker

The next time you hold a shell up to your ear, you may hear your boss talking rather than the sounds of the ocean. The Shellphone is exactly what it sounds like, a shell that's been fashioned into a loudspeaker for the iPhone.

There are no power adapters and no batteries, just the natural shape of the Whelk shell to amplify the iPhone's speaker. WAAM Industries is raising funds on Kickstarter to put Shellphones into production.… Read more

The 404 1,176: Where where Brian admits he has a problem (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Justin wanted to like the modern take on The Rockettes at Friday's showing, didn't.

- Father of SMS reflects on 20th anniversary of first text.

- News Corp shuts down The Daily.

- These companies hate your guts.

- StickNFind Bluetooth stickers are the best idea you didn't think of.

- Apple trying to patent wireless charging.… Read more

Audiobooks HQ for iOS: 5,000+ audiobooks for under $2

I love audiobooks. Nothing makes a car ride faster or more pleasant than a good spoken-word book piping through the speakers.

That's why I've routinely championed smartphone-powered services like Audible, Audiobooks.com, Simply Audiobooks, and Tales2Go.

Now there's another app worth adding to your audiobook arsenal: Audiobooks HQ, which gives you access to more than 5,000 public-domain titles -- all for a measly $1.99.

The app connects you with two catalogs: the Globe Radio Repertory and Librivox. The former contains just four works (including "Don Quixote" and "Madame Bovary"), while the … Read more

iPhone 5 pushes Apple to No. 2 spot among U.S. phone makers

The new iPhone has given Apple a slight lead over LG in U.S. mobile market share, according to new data from ComScore.

For the three months ending in October, Apple stole second place from LG by grabbing a 17.8 percent share of the entire U.S. cell phone market, up from 16.3 percent in the prior three months. LG trailed with 17.6 percent, a drop from 18.5 percent.

Released at the end of September, the iPhone 5 undoubtedly gave Apple the boost it needed to rise up the mobile phone charts. Over the past year, … Read more

iPhone 5 sales even better than earlier thought, Canaccord says

The iPhone 5 is selling at a brisk pace, analysts at investment bank Canaccord Genuity say, and supply for Apple's newest smartphone has "dramatically improved."

Based on channel checks in November, the company has found "very strong sales" of the iPhone 5 at AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, as well as in international markets. Given the checks, as well as Apple's strong plans for an iPhone 5 ramp to 240 carriers in 100 countries by year's end, including China, Canaccord has slightly increased its estimates for iPhone sales in the December quarter.… Read more

Apple denies Samsung's claim that it withheld juror info

Samsung is trying to raise doubts about a $1 billion jury verdict that found the company violated Apple's patents, but some of Samsung's new claims are in dispute.

Samsung alleges that the jury decision in August, which found Samsung had infringed Apple's patents involving the iPhone and iPad, was tainted partly because Velvin Hogan, the foreman, withheld information about a lawsuit he was involved in with Seagate, one of Samsung's partners.

Samsung, which also suggested Apple knew about Hogan's conflict with Seagate and withheld the information, demanded that Apple disclose what it knew. On Friday, … Read more