AllThingsD reports that some unnamed sources have claimed that the iPad 3 will be unveiled in the first week of March, at a special event. There are no hard details about the new tablet’s availability, but there’s no reason for it not to follow the pattern established by the iPad 2 launch – the device being in stores a week or so after the announcement.

Hardware-wise, almost everything we’ve heard about the iPad 3 over the past couple of months or so seems to be confirmed yet again. So, the sources say, Apple’s new tablet will come with a much faster processor (quad-core, we assume) and a greatly improved graphics chip, and a Retina Display with a resolution of 2048×1536 or similar. The iPad 3 should be almost identical, looks-wise, to its predecessor, again, like we’ve heard before.

Apple usually launches a new iOS version with its new iPhones and iPads, and it looks like the iPad 3 unveiling won’t be any different. Your Daily Mac found hints about an iOS 5.1 release on March 9 or around that date. And that would certainly fit with the aforementioned information regarding the iPad 3′s launch time frame, so we’re advising you to have a smaller than usual quantity of salt nearby for this one. The iOS 5.1 release date hint comes from newly published operator profiles for Apple’s existing iOS devices (seen in the image above).

So there you have it. All signs currently point to a joint iPad 3 – iOS 5.1 launch early next month. Are you excited yet?

• Apple to launch iPad internationally on May 28
• Apple iPad available in the US on April 3, pre-orders start this month
• Apple orders 7.85″ iPad Mini display samples from LG Display and AU Optronics
• Apple iPad 2 international launch delayed by half a day
• Apple’s next generation iPad to be called iPad 2S, not iPad 3?

Someone claiming to be in possession of said tablet has sent BGR some screenshots showing output from a development and debug tool called iBoot. From those photos, some details about the iPad 3′s hardware can easily be inferred.

First off, it looks like the previous rumors were true and the iPad 3 will have a quad-core processor, probably one that is going to be called A6 by Apple. The CPU has the model number S5L8945X. The dual-core A5 found in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S has the model number S5L8940X, and the A4 seen in the original iPad, the iPhone 4, and the iPod touch 4th generation is the S5L8930X.

There will be two different iPad models (J1 and J2), one of which will have Wi-Fi-only connectivity (as you’d expect), the other however coming with GSM/CDMA/LTE mobile data support as well. If that will be just one SKU to pull off working on three different network types on who knows how many bands worldwide, that would be quite the feat indeed. Even if there will be different SKUs for different mobile data types (like what we see now with the iPhone, for example), the LTE support is notable (though we’ve heard about it before).

That’s all the news for now. Keep in mind though that these screenshots could be fake. That said, the stuff they depict does seem rather logical, so perhaps they aren’t. You’ll know for sure when we do.

• iPad 2 to be followed by iPad 3 later this year?
• WebOS 2.0 screenshots leak
• Apple iPad officially coming to Verizon on October 28. No 3G, Wi-Fi only
• Apple’s next tablet to be called iPad HD, not iPad 3?
• Verizon iPhone to get unlimited data. AT&T says Verizon’s network is too slow for iPhone users

So now that Verizon got its iPhone, it would seem logical that China Telecom would want in on the action. After all, it would be selling the same SKU as Big Red.

And indeed, China Telecom and Apple have agreed on the carrier starting sales of the iPhone 4S. However, one last hurdle remained: to be able to sell that device in China, three different operating licenses were required. In mid-January, Apple received the last of them, so now it’s all up to China Telecom.

The carrier is apparently doing some preparatory work for the launch of the iPhone 4S (whatever that may mean). The Apple smartphone is expected to arrive in China Telecom stores in February or early March at the latest.

Unfortunately we don’t have any pricing details yet. However, having the iPhone on two different carriers for the first time may spur some competition in China. And if China Telecom wants to gain customers fast it will surely undercut China Unicom’s pricing for the iPhone.

Anyway, if you’re in China and haven’t bought an iPhone 4S yet, perhaps you should wait a month or so tops and see what China Telecom has to offer before you go and buy from China Unicom.

Via China Daily

• 5 million iPhones bought by China Unicom – sales to debut in September
• iPhone 3G S may hit China in Q4 2009 as China Unicom and Apple sign 2-year deal
• Apple iPhone 4 will be available in China on September 25th
• China Unicom will launch iPhone 4 next month, gets iPad 3G exclusive too
• China Unicom to announce the iPhone today and launch it in October

The operator is going to discontinue three devices before the end of this month, and a big name in March. The HTC Flyer, Nokia E6, and BlackBerry Torch 9860 have all apparently run out of time at Orange, since their End-of-Life is at the end of January. So by the day after tomorrow, don’t expect to see either of these in stores (unless they still have some unsold units lying around, that is). Needless to say, if you want any of these three phones badly (and on Orange), act fast, otherwise you may be disappointed.

Due to be discontinued in March is the iPhone 3GS. That will leave only the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S in the operator’s portfolio, which is certainly decent enough for Apple fans in the UK. Yet if for some reason you absolutely want an iPhone 3GS, you should plan to get yours before March.

These things do periodically happen in the mobile world, as the operators are getting ready to sell new devices, sometimes some of the old ones need to go. It’s only natural.

Via PocketNow

• Orange to launch iPhone in ten more countries
• Apple launches iPhone Your Life mini-site
• Apple delays white iPhone 4 again, won’t be available until “later this year”
• White iPhone 4 Being Tested With T-mobile 3G
• Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders: 1 million in the first 24 hours

According to Forbes, a Microsoft spokesperson recently declared:

“While the Xbox Live experiences and games always work best on the Windows platform, we understand that some Xbox fans may be using other types of devices. To satisfy that need, we are working to extend a few of our Xbox experiences and titles to other platforms.”

Sure enough, there’s not specific platform mentioned, but since Android and iOS are currently market leaders, it makes perfect sense for Microsoft to have them in mind as a first option for expanding Xbox Live’s presence.

Microsoft has already launched an Xbox Live app for iPhone and iPad in December, but this doesn’t offer the full Xbox Live experience that users will get if the Redmond giant indeed decides to make the gaming network compatible with iOS.

• Microsoft Gaming System for your Zune, Xbox, PC and PDA
• Microsoft launches OneApp, helping feature phones to become smarter
• Confirmed: Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, Plants vs Zombies and more coming to Windows Phone 7
• New in WP7: Windows Phone Live – to sync and remotely control your smartphone
• #MWC10: Windows Phone 7 Series UI video preview

7.4 million of those smartphones were iPhones. This leaves 1.8 million units for Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone to share – and it’s probably safe to assume that Android’s got a big chunk of that. Even so, I’m surprised to see that the number of Androids isn’t higher – since AT&T has some really nice high-end Android smartphones (like the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, HTC Vivid, or Motorola Atrix 2).

AT&T also announced that it sold 571,000 branded computing device (including tablets and aircards) in Q4 2011, and has added a total of 2.5 million wireless subscribers.

Via Press release

• About 4 million Nokia N8 smartphones sold until now?
• 290.5 million phones sold in Q3 2009, Samsung and LG break new records
• Samsung has sold 2 million Galaxy S smartphones in Korea, more than Apple’s iPhone
• Gartner: cell phone sales declined 6% in Q2 2009, smartphone sales grew 27%
• Nokia reports Q4 2009 results: 126.9 million phones sold, 39% market share

This time it’s one of 9to5Mac‘s sources, a Foxconn employee no less, and apparently the same person who said that there won’t be an iPhone 5 released in 2011, just the iPhone 4S – and said that while everybody was busy speculating about the revolutionary new design found in the iPhone 5 to be launched in 2011. That alone makes this rumor monger more trustworthy than 99% of others in our eyes. Then again, he could be wrong this time, so do have some salt nearby.

The rumor of the day isn’t really that much. Once again, it’s reiterated that the iPhone 5 will come with a 4+inch screen (so could be even bigger than 4-inch). There are many prototype versions being tested, and one of them has the screen made by LG (which is a completely useless bit of intel).

None of the devices have a teardrop shape. This is important because at one point last year the new teardrop shape of the iPhone 5 was all the rage (back when everyone thought the iPhone 5 would arrive in 2011). So no. All the samples so far have been symmetrical in thickness.

The good part is that none of the samples currently being tested looks anything like the iPhone 4/4S. Although it’s interesting to note that at this point neither of these samples represents the final version of the phone.

Which obviously means that there’s still a way to go before it reaches production. But the source claims that the iPhone 5 “is now gearing for production” (no, that doesn’t really mean anything, stop trying to understand). How can it be gearing for production at the same time as there are still many different prototypes floating around? The source didn’t say, conveniently.

Anyway, if we believe the gearing for production bit, and if we take the iPhone 4S timeline as an example, it means that the iPhone 5 could be launched in the summer, following in the footsteps of the iPhone 4 and 3 GS, and moving away from the fall launch seen by the iPhone 4S. Why would Apple do that when that fall quarter was its biggest ever? Again, the source didn’t say.

The good news is that after two years, Apple seems to have managed to create a new phone design. That in itself is something to celebrate, and will undoubtedly be touted by the company as one of the main new features of the iPhone 5. Just wait and see.

• Apple engineer warned Jobs about iPhone 4 antenna problems
• Apple’s next iPhone will arrive in fall 2012 with a completely new design, rumor says
• Another rumor confirms iPad 3 shipping in March, says iPad 4 will follow in October
• Rumor: iPhone 5 to have a metal chassis and a 3.5-3.7-inch screen after all
• Report: iOS 5 Postponed Until Fall?

Following a pretty bland Q3, when everything was up compared to 2010, but some numbers were down compared to Q2, the company has delivered some very impressive sales, revenue, and profit numbers – most undoubtedly having to do with the launch of the iPhone 4S. It was the first time when Apple moved its new phone launch to Q4, and the first time when it let more than a year pass between phone releases. And that shows. Apparently there was a lot of pent-up demand for a new Apple phone. And that all turned into record sales, even from the first weekend.

So what are the numbers? Apple has sold 37.04 million iPhones in Q4, which is 117% more than last quarter, and 128% more year-on-year. At that rate, Apple has probably just become the No.1 smartphone maker in the world again. That was a position it first held during the second quarter of 2011 (after Nokia’s infamous February 11 Windows Phone announcement torpedoed its smartphone sales in the short term), but lost in Q3 to Samsung. In Q4, Samsung is expected to have sold around 35 million smartphones, and that’s according to pretty optimistic analysts. So if that’s the case, then Apple is clearly No.1 once again – as there’s no other manufacturer even close to these numbers at the moment.

Equally interesting is the fact that Apple sold more iOS devices in Q4 2011 than all Android devices combined. Google recently reported that 60 million new Android devices were activated during the quarter. But Apple sold 62 million iOS units during the same period.

So one company, with exactly six products on the market (the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3 GS, iPad, iPad 2, and iPod touch), managed to outsell the myriad of companies selling dozens (if not hundreds) of different Android gadgets. That’s an astonishing accomplishment.

But don’t expect this to continue. It has been an interesting quarter, but the numbers are so heavily influenced by the iPhone 4S launch (and, apparently, how eager people were to give Apple their money after one year and a half without a new phone launch) that we’ll have to wait a quarter or two to see if there really is a trend here (and Apple really can overtake Android) or this was just an exception.

Apple has kept its lead over Android in the ‘overall sales’ category, having sold 315 million iOS devices since the original iPhone was introduced in 2007. Google recently reported that it has activated just 250 million Android devices so far. Whether or not Google will be able to reduce that difference is again up to how Apple will do in the following few quarters. If what we’ve seen in Q4 2011 is the start of a trend, then clearly it won’t. If not though, Google may overtake Apple in this metric at some point – though it’s looking to be a lot harder after seeing these numbers than it felt like a few months ago.

In the fourth quarter of 2011, Apple’s revenue grew to $46.33 billion (63% more than the previous quarter, and up 79% YoY) and its net profit to $13.06 billion (up 97% from Q3 and 117% YoY). The company’s gross margin was 44.7%, compared to 38.5% one year ago. International sales accounted for 58% of the quarter’s revenue.

According to Apple, the US and Japan were markets where sales were particularly good in the last three months of last year, with China pretty strong too (where the iPhone 4S wasn’t even available yet). Speaking of China, the biggest gift-giving holiday over there has started a couple of days ago, and the iPhone 4S is now available (launched strategically to capture those sales, of course). So do expect Apple’s numbers for the first quarter of 2012 to be heavily influenced by sales of the iPhone 4S in China.

• iPhone sales fell in Q3, Apple may lose the No.1 smartphone maker spot to Samsung or even Nokia
• Apple sold 14.1 million iPhones this quarter
• Apple posts another record quarter, new iPhone confirmed to come before the end of September
• Microsoft OEM partners ship 1.5 million WP7 devices in 6 weeks. It’s a very good start
• Gartner: cell phone sales declined 6% in Q2 2009, smartphone sales grew 27%

Samsung has officially announced that the white Galaxy Note would arrive in the UK this Monday, January 23. However, for the beginning, you’ll only be able to buy it from John Lewis on Oxford Street, London, “with £250 of free music, films and e-Books for the first 100 customers.”

Starting February, the Galaxy Note in white will be released via other UK channels.

The Samsung Galaxy Note features a huge 5.3 inch HD (1280 x 800) Super AMOLED display, S Pen technology, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 8MP rear camera with 1080p video recording, 2MP front-facing camera, and Android Gingerbread. The device will be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich starting later this quarter (until then, it already received a software update that brings enhanced keyboard and other improvements).

Via EuroDroid

• Pink Samsung Galaxy Note coming soon
• Samsung Galaxy Note headed to Rogers Canada
• Samsung Galaxy Note will be launched in Canada in Q1 2012
• Samsung Galaxy Note to be launched in Canada in mid February
• AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note press photos show up

Chinese case maker Chinee has recently unveiled cases especially made for an “iPad 2S”. These cases (you can view them here) should fit a device designed to be 1mm thicker than the current iPad model – hence 9.8mm. Moreover, 9to5Mac says the Chinese company “claimed such design knowledge came from sources within Apple’s supply chain.”

Now, why would Apple want to make a thicker iPad instead of a thinner one? Well, if the new device has a 2048 x 1536 pixels display, LTE connectivity and a quad-core processor, as rumored, it will certainly need a seriously large battery. So, larger battery – thicker case.

Apple could officially announce the new iPad in early February, hence in less than a month from now. We’ll find out then if its name is iPad 2S, iPad 3, or… something else.

• iPhone 5 and iPad 3 may come with quad-core processors, iOS 5.1 beta reveals
• New Generation iPads Coming in 3-4 Months
• Apple to announce iPad 3 and iOS 5.1 in early February?
• iPad 3 and iPhone 5 to have IGZO panels from Sharp?
• iPad 2 mockups suggest the new tablet is thinner than the first model

You’ll be able to buy a brand new 32 GB iPhone 4S for just $199.99 with a new three-year contract from either Bell or Telus. Alternatively, if BlackBerry is more your kind of thing, the Bold 9900 could be yours for just $29.99 if you agree to sign a new three-year contract with Rogers.

The iPhone’s price drop is $70, and the BlackBerry Bold 9900 will be $100 cheaper than it’s been so far, so this will be a great opportunity for you to purchase a new smartphone.

Via MobileSyrup

• Rogers to sell BlackBerry Bold for $399 with 3-year contract
• Blackberry Bold 9700 Now on Rogers; Prices Cut on Other Blackberry Devices
• BlackBerry Bold 9780 on its way to Wind Mobile in Canada, will cost $450
• Rogers’ Nokia N8 to cost $80 on contract; other upcoming devices priced
• Canada: BlackBerry Torch 9860 now available at Telus, Bold 9900 and Torch 9810 get discounted

Now a new report from Japanese website Macotakara suggests that Apple may plan to officially announce the new iPad in early February, at the same time with iOS 5.1. According to the website, the tablet should go on sale in March (as previously rumored).

Of course, until Apple confirms an iPad event for early February, we should take this with an iGrain of iSalt.

Like the upcoming iPhone 5, the iPad 3 should bring a quad-core processor and LTE connectivity. Other rumored features: 2048 x 1536 pixels display, 2MP front-facing camera, and a rear camera of at least 5MP.

• Apple’s next generation iPad to be called iPad 2S, not iPad 3?
• Nvidia-powered quad-core smartphones to be showcased at MWC 2012. HTC Edge maybe?
• iPhone 5 and iPad 3 may come with quad-core processors, iOS 5.1 beta reveals
• New Apple iPad with front-facing camera spotted during News Corp event?
• Dell Streak 10 Pro name pretty much confirmed

The newest of them all is the Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus, which was officially unveiled at the beginning of this month. The Ace Plus (pictured below) runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and features a 3.65 inch HVGA display, TouchWiz UI, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash, 512MB of RAM, 1GHz single-core processor, 3GB of internal memory, and MicroSD card support.

Customers will be able to buy the Galaxy Ace Plus SIM-free, too, starting February.

The Lumia 710 (which is also headed to Orange and Three) will be Vodafone’s second Windows Phone Mango handset from Nokia, after the Lumia 800.

As for the BlackBerry Bold 9790 (already available unlocked in the UK), this will come with BlackBerry OS 7, a 2.44 inch HVGA touchscreen display, full QWERTY keyboard, NFC, 1GHz single-core processor, and a 5MP rear camera.

Via TechRadar

• BlackBerry Bold 9790 coming to Three UK
• BlackBerry Bold 9790 now available at Vodafone UK
• Nokia Lumia 800 bundled with free Xbox at Orange UK
• Nokia Lumia 710 will bring More Windows Phone Mango to Orange UK
• BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 officially announced

And now Bloomberg is reporting that iPad 3 “mass production began at the start of this month, with factories running 24 hours a day in China”, and the tablet should indeed hit the market in March.

Bloomberg is also citing “three people familiar with the product”, implying that the next generation iPad will come with LTE connectivity, and a quad-core processor (it’s not the first time we’re hearing this).

Another enhancement should be in the display, which could have a huge 2048 x 1536 pixels resolution (it remains to be seen if Apple will use the Retina Display moniker here).

When finally announced, the iPad 3 will become the first major product introduced by Apple since the death of Steve Jobs (October 5, 2011).

As for the next generation iPhone – let’s call it iPhone 5 – this should also feature LTE connectivity. According to AppleInsider, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty says the iPhone 5 might use a quad-mode chip (made by Qualcomm) that would provide 3G and LTE support across all “network flavors.” Keep in mind that this quad-mode Qualcomm chip has nothing to do with a possible quad-core processor for the new iPhone – although such a CPU is also expected.

Another thing hinted Katy Huberty is that the iPhone 5 will be slimmer than iPhone 4S (which is 9.3mm thick). I don’t think the new Apple smartphone will be thinner than the likes of Motorola Droid Razr (7.1mm) or Huawei Ascend P1 S (6.68mm), but … well, let’s wait and see.

I assume the iPhone 5’s display will also sport a higher resolution. After all, Apple needs to do something about all these HD Android smartphones announced recently (like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, or Sony’s brand new Xperia Ion and Xperia S).

Of course, none of the above-mentioned rumored features are surprising. In fact, I’ll be surprised if Apple won’t include LTE and quad-core processors in the list of novelties the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 are going to bring. Even Windows Phones now support LTE (with the Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC Titan II being the first to do so), and the new iPhone and iPad would certainly disappoint without this feature. Moreover, both Verizon and AT&T are offering LTE services, and Sprint (which joined the iPhone bandwagon when the 4S model was released) is going to do it, too, starting mid 2012.

• iPhone 5 and iPad 3 may come with quad-core processors, iOS 5.1 beta reveals
• Apple’s next tablet to be called iPad HD, not iPad 3?
• New iPhone 4S / 5 tipped for September launch (again)
• iPad 3 to come with quad-core A6 processor, LTE?
• Apple to announce iPad 3 and iOS 5.1 in early February?

In the past few days, we’ve seen many rumors about the next iPad, but none of those said anything about its processor. This bit of leaked info, though, may prove to be very good news for would-be buyers of Apple’s next-gen mobile hardware.

9to5Mac found references to a quad-core processor in the latest iOS 5.1 beta’s processing-core management software. The references come thanks to a hidden panel that describes cores which are supported by iOS devices.

In the image above, “/cores/core.3″ almost certainly refers to a quad-core CPU architecture. That’s because references to Apple’s dual-core A5 processor are “/cores/core.1″, and single-core CPUs are referred to as “/core/core.0″. Those are the existing naming conventions within Apple’s processing-core management software.

Therefore it’s quite clear that Apple is at the moment testing a quad-core device with iOS 5.1. What makes this more interesting is that if the iPad 3 is to launch in March, as we keep hearing, than it’s clearly being tested right now with Apple’s software. Which, you guessed it, would make this the device with the quad-core processor.

And following last year’s logic, when the iPad 2 first got the dual-core processor that eventually made it to the iPhone 4S, it’s probably not a stretch to think that the next iPhone will sport a quad-core CPU too.

Of course none of this stuff can be proven just yet, but this little detail, if true, certainly makes the next iPad seem a lot more appealing.

• Dual-core 2GHz smartphone coming from Samsung next year?
• Quad-core Meizu MX will be released in May 2012, new UI in tow
• HTC Edge to launch in March or April running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• Nvidia-powered quad-core smartphones to be showcased at MWC 2012. HTC Edge maybe?
• iPad 3 to come with quad-core A6 processor, LTE?

Once again, we find out that the iPad 3 will have a Retina Display (this time the actual resolution is thrown in for good measure – 2048×1536). The new tablet will apparently also feature longer battery life. Its other features will be less than impressive, though – again, this is in line with the most recent rumor, so it’s probably how things will go down.

The iPad 2 will still be sold after the iPad 3 launches, for a base price of $399. We still hope Apple will pull something similar to what it did with the iPhone 4 when the iPhone 4S launched and release an 8 GB iPad 2 for just $299, but it remains to be seen if that will actually happen.

Image via BGR

Even if a $399 iPad won’t do much against Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet and its aggressive $199 pricing, it will do some harm to Android tablet makers, especially those that still like to overprice their products. With this move, Apple will manage to slow Android’s tablet growth a bit.

So far so good. But this is where today’s rumor leaves reality-based contraptions and heads swiftly into absurd territory. See, it claims that Apple will launch a new iPad (let’s call it iPad 4) in October.

Here we go again. So rumor mongers have apparently learned nothing from last year’s iPad 3 debacle. What, you don’t remember that? How the iPad 2 was apparently ‘rushed to market’ in Spring, and how there was going to be a new iPad 3 in Fall 2011?

Yeah, like that happened. So in case you thought that was a good idea for Apple, you probably believe this now. Let’s be clear: there’s absolutely no reason for Apple to launch two tablets in the same year. Not in 2011 and not in 2012. Who knows, maybe the need will arise next year. But up until then? No.

If the iPhone 4S, which, let’s face it, is nothing more than an iPhone 4 with a couple of additions, can break all sales records of all Apple smartphones ever, then clearly people aren’t upset at the pace at which Apple updates its hardware. So they won’t be upset if the iPad 3 ‘only’ comes with a Retina Display (and perhaps better cameras, as rumored yesterday). And they’ll buy the iPad 3 in droves.

Further, today’s ‘report’ claims that the iPad 4 will be launched in the Fall because of pressure from Windows 8 tablets which will launch then. This is ridiculously funny, and I bet someone at Apple is rolling on the floor laughing at it.

When has Apple ever pre-empted competition with a new product release (please limit your soul-searching to mobile devices only)? Never. Why would Apple be afraid of Windows 8 tablets and rush a new iPad to market to ‘fend off’ their threat?

This Fall, Apple will still be the No.1 tablet maker in the world. If Windows 8 really is that good, and sales of tablets running it will be good, then maybe, just maybe expect an ‘answer’ from Apple next year. There’s absolutely no reason to do it any sooner. None at all.

So yes, Apple is clearly already working on the iPad 4 as you read this. But that’s because these mobile devices are being worked on for at least 12 to 18 months before they’re released. And not because Apple will launch it this year.

• Apple iPad 3 won’t be out this year, but was it ever meant to be?
• Apple’s next iPhone will arrive in fall 2012 with a completely new design, rumor says
• 3 million iPads sold – good news for Apple ahead of iPhone 4 launch
• Rumor: iPad 3 to come with Retina Display, 8 MP camera, and FaceTime HD, iPad 2 will drop to $399
• iPad 2 to be followed by iPad 3 later this year?

That is of course just a brand, but what it means is that the iPad 3 will get a higher-resolution display than the first two generations of the tablet. And the rumor du jour, courtesy of iLounge’s Jeremy Horwitz, also says something about the iPad 3 packing a Retina Display.

But it doesn’t stop there. The new iPad will reportedly have a camera on par with that in the iPhone 4S or iPhone 4 (so 8 MP best-case scenario), and the front-facing camera will gain HD video support – which means FaceTime HD video chats will be possible (in case anyone is still using FaceTime).

Because of the Retina Display and some other new components (the camera, perhaps), the iPad 3 will be around 1 mm thicker than the iPad 2.

The launch should happen around March, and the pricing scheme will remain unchanged from the iPad 2, with the cheapest version being $499. However, the iPad 2 may remain on sale even after the iPad 3 is released.

The iPad 2 will then see its price dropped to $399, or even $299 if Apple decides to sell a previously unheard of 8 GB version of the tablet.

The iPad 2′s price drop will ensure that Apple has a solid competitor to Amazon’s Kindle Fire (priced at $199). Yes, the iPad will still be $100 or $200 more expensive than Amazon’s offering, but all Apple products are perceived as being premium, so many people may just opt to buy a $299 iPad rather than a $199 Kindle Fire. And let’s not forget that the iPad has the bigger screen, which is a plus for some.

Because this strategy would closely follow what Apple has done with its smartphones when the iPhone 4S was launched, I think it makes a lot of sense and it’s probably what we’ll see happen. So sorry, but there probably won’t be a 7.85-inch new iPad Mini – at least not announced alongside the iPad 3. There’s simply no incentive for Apple to create two new tablets, when it can just come up with one marginally improved product (again replicating the iPhone 4S strategy) – after all, a higher-res display and better cameras are nice features to have but… that’s it?

The iPhone 4S has showed us that people will buy Apple mobile devices in droves even if they are just marginal improvements compared to their predecessors. So the iPad 3 will clearly be a huge success.

Via BGR

• Another rumor confirms iPad 3 shipping in March, says iPad 4 will follow in October
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich ported to Amazon Kindle Fire
• Amazon “Kindle Fire” tablet to be unveiled Wednesday
• FaceTime is coming to the iPad and iPod Touch
• Amazon has sold over 2 million Kindle Fire tablets so far

That’s excellent timing by Apple (well, maybe except for the fact that it’s a Friday the 13th), especially considering the Chinese New Year which falls on January 23 in 2012. The run-up to that day is in China akin to the famous ‘holiday shopping season’ in the ‘Western’ world, and many Chinese will surely choose an iPhone 4S as the item to gift this year.

Apple certainly needed to do all it could not to miss this huge sales opportunity. And now it won’t. So expect the worldwide sales numbers for the iPhone 4S in the first quarter of 2012 to be heavily influenced by the Chinese launch.

The other countries and territories that will also get the new iPhone on January 13 are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Botswana, the British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, the Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guam, Guinea Conakry, the Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and Uganda.

• iPhone 4S (CDMA) to be launched by China Telecom in February or March
• Orange to launch iPhone in ten more countries
• China Unicom officially confirms Apple deal; iPhone will be launched in Q4
• No agreement between Apple and China Unicom yet
• China Mobile wants both Apple’s iPad and iPhone

According to DigiTimes and unnamed sources in Apple’s supply chain, the Cupertino giant intends to use IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) panels for its next generation mobile devices, starting with the new iPad – most likely called iPad 3.

The IGZO panels should be made for Apple by Sharp. IGZO is a technology that enables displays to provide improved light transmittance at high pixel densities, while consuming less energy than IPS panels – so it seems to be a perfect choice for that rumored QXGA (2048 x 1536 pixels) screen that the iPad 3 should come with.

Another report from DigiTimes has it that the new iPad would use a huge 14,000 mAh battery (instead of the 6,900 mAh one featured by the iPad 2).

As for the iPhone 5 (or whatever its final name will be), apart from possibly having an IGZO display, it could come with a completely new design – unlike the iPhone 4S, which is basically an iPhone 4 with new internals.

Of course, none of these details can be confirmed for now.

• Production for iPad 3′s QXGA displays has reportedly started
• New Apple iPad 3 to come in Q4 with huge display resolution?
• Apple’s next tablet to be called iPad HD, not iPad 3?
• iPad 3 To Launch in 2012; Apple Already Certifying Components
• 7.85 inch iPad Mini to come in late 2012, iPad 3 in Q1 2012

We also reveal which phone we believe comes on top in this test, and draw some other interesting conclusions at the very end. One thing is for sure: all three are well rounded high-end smartphones that are interesting and unique in their own right.

Read on to find out more.

User interface

With Galaxy Nexus, iPhone 4S and Lumia 800 on hand, we’ve got all three major smartphone operating systems present in this test – Android 4.0, iOS5 and Windows Phone 7 respectively. It’s safe to say that the operating system is where the most striking differences will come out that will have big – if not the biggest – impact on your day-to-day experience using the smartphone.

Android 4.0, also codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) by Google, has seen a number of notable changes in the UI in an effort to make the OS more user friendly, and also to unify the mobile and tablet versions of this OS. The underlying structure of Android, including its greatest qualities, remained unchanged. In comparison to the other two players in this test, Android provides user with the richest customization options, most notably with the 5 homescreens that can be populated with useful widgets as well as application shortcuts.

Unlike Android, iOS visually changed very little since 2007 when Apple introduced the iPhone and revolutionized the touchscreen user interface on mobiles. There’s the horizontally scrollable grid of apps and folder, while an omnipresent bar with 4 shortcuts sits near the bottom of the screen.

It’s clear that Apple is still reluctant to wander even half-step away from the winning formula that has simplicity as one of its main draws. With iOS5, however, Apple managed to nab some successful ideas from competitors, most notably the ‘new’ notification center that combines all system and app events into a pull-down window that is extremely reminiscent to that on Android. The change is nevertheless very welcome in iOS5 and iPhone 4S, especially because it fits so organically with the rest of the OS, enriching the already solid user experience.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 follows closely iOS philosophy in simplicity but with its very own tiles inspired user interface. Nokia Lumia 800 ships with Windows Phone 7.5 update, codenamed ‘Mango’. The main idea of this mobile operating system revolves around having everything easily accessible in a vertical grid of live tiles that Microsoft calls Metro UI.

The tiles can be re-organized on the homescreen, and new ones can be quickly added from the application list. In terms of customization, however, WP7 is still quite basic and in a similar league with iOS5. However, if you especially look for a phone with a fresh approach to user interface, and large, easy to read fonts, then Windows Phone 7 is probably the way to go.

While Android remains clearly unbeaten in terms of offering the most freedom in tweaking the look & feel of the system, it also has the steepest learning curve among all three platforms. On the other hand, Windows Phone 7 with Metro UI is not only interesting to look at, but also provides the most intuitive user experience on a mobile phone so far.

Pre-installed apps & services

Android takes the most liberal approach from the three platforms as it allows a more or less traditional method of mass file storage. Just like using a flash memory stick, the user can easily move any kind of content to and from Galaxy Nexus mass memory without the need of dedicated desktop software (provided, you use a Windows PC). The disappointing part is that Galaxy Nexus memory is non-expandable since the phone lacks an SD card slot. The good news – in comparison to previous versions of Android on phones, ICS allows the use of all built-in storage space for app install purposes.

Aside from core Android apps, Galaxy Nexus also unsurprisingly comes pre-loaded with a range of different Google specific apps that most are already familiar with, like GMaps, Google+ or Google Books. There’s nothing else beyond that – after all, Galaxy Nexus is a ‘Google phone’ that is meant to provide a stock Android experience – the user is set free to mold the phone in accordance to his or hers liking.

The iPhone 4S is closely tied to iTunes ecosystem, and the desktop app is the central hub for syncing content wirelessly or via USB. Among pre-installed regulars like Google Maps, Safari web browser or music player, there’re also some new services from Apple including iCloud, iMessage and Siri.

As the name already implies, iCloud is cloud-based content management service that comes with free 5GB of virtual space for every iSO5 user. The service automatically backs-up and restores user content like contacts, photos, documents and apps, and thus is extremely useful if you own other iDevices with the same Apple ID. Another useful service is iMessage as it enables free instant messaging between iOS5 devices using Wi-Fi or 3G connection. Siri is the more novel feature that is sort of a personal digital assistant that can provide information (like current time, weather or maps directions), set up reminders, record notes (there’s a dictation feature) or play your favorite song on request. But whether Siri will become a serious asset to your mobile experience or ultimately end up as a gimmick – that will depend entirely on you. The built-in social networking integration in iOS5 is limited to Twitter only, so you’ll have to look into some 3rd party solutions for the complete set.

On Windows Phone, content is synced via USB or Wi-Fi connection using Microsoft’s Zune desktop software. Quite annoyingly, there’s no traditional mass storage mode, so transferring local files, such as photos or music, is a no-go without Zune. From notable pre-installed apps, there’s Nokia Maps & Nokia Drive to fill in your digital navigation needs, and XBox Live, that serves as the central hub for gaming on WP7 and syncs with your 360’s Avatar and Achievements.

Document viewing and editing is already built-in and handled by the free Office app. Thanks to SkyDrive integration, documents are also stored in the cloud (user gets 25GB of space for free) where they can be easily shared between the phone and computer. The email app is extremely straightforward to setup, and allows managing several inboxes from a single place. Built-on social networking features are also well covered, and you can setup Twitter, Facebook and Windows Live accounts that will automatically consolidate with your phonebook. While it might sound rather complicated, the execution as it turns out is pretty slick, but you do need to have use for social networks to really appreciate all those extra features.

From the perspective of built-in features, Nokia Lumia 800 with WP7 shows the strongest performance in this test – there’s barely any need for 3rd party apps to hit the ground running.

However, a developed ecosystem is important above and beyond, and this is where iOS5 on iPhone 4S shines with its cloud support that provides a truly engrossing experience.

Apps

A place where you can browse, buy and download third-party apps for your phone, the app store is an indispensable part of any working smartphone ecosystem. While the ecosystem is designed to keep you engrossed, it’s the constant supply of new apps that keeps the experience fresh and interesting.

Both the Android Market and Apple App Store excel with their incredibly rich libraries, and there’s very little sense in trying to highlight which one is the largest. Android Market has considerably more free apps to offer, while the App Store remains unbeaten in the number of quality gaming tittles, but even there Android is catching up fast.

Comparatively speaking, the most struggling here is Windows Marketplace. Apps and games are usually a great deal more expensive than on other platforms, and the selection, although improving at a steady pace, is nowhere near the app stores from Google or Apple. The importance of this might depend entirely on the user: if you plan on using just a select few 3rd party apps with your Nokia Lumia 800, then Windows Marketplace might even satisfy you completely.

A good idea would be to check the Marketplace website beforehand, to see what is actually there and what is missing. It could very well be that the particular app you know and love on another platform is also present on WP7. Or, at the very least, there’s a decent enough alternative available.

If you love exploring and trying new apps, then Android should be on top of your list. The redesigned Android Market provides a comprehensive overview of apps – new and old alike – and the background installs and updates on Galaxy Nexus happen so effortlessly it’s hard not to recommend Android over other platforms in this section.

Prices

When deciding smartphone to pick as your communications device for the next two years, the price is no minor consideration. , whether you get it for free with 24 monthly payments commitment, or shell out a hefty sum up-front. To help you decide – we checked the prices at which Nokia Lumia 800, Galaxy Nexus and iPhone 4S are available in U.K.

Operator prices in the table are in British Pounds, for the cheapest monthly plan on which you can get your smartphone for free, on 24 month contract. Unlocked prices are from Amazon UK.

Conclusions

As we mentioned early on, all three phones have something unique and worthwhile to offer. That, of course, only makes the final decision harder to make. But, if we absolutely had to pick an overall winner in this test, then it would be the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

The Google phone smashed its competition with a brilliant quality HD screen, impressed with the OS customization options and the vast amount of free apps in the Android Market. It was also the only phone that struck us with that old-school smartphone vibe that seems to be missing on other major platforms. At the same time, Apple iPhone 4S drew us in with its versatile 8 Mpix camera and very tight integration with other iDevices. And, finally, Nokia Lumia 800 won us over with its intuitive user interface, rich built-in features and attractive monoblock design.

It should be obvious by now that none of the phones are universally flawless, and careful deliberation of each platform’s weakness and strengths in the light of user’s priorities is required. Because it’s not just about the hardware that you buy – now the emphasis should be on the software and services that comes along with the phone.

If you already own a Mac, an iPad and watch your movies via Apple TV – the choice is obvious – the iPhone 4S. The new Apple phone will also be the best choice for those who like to explore an incredibly rich app ecosystem available for iOS devices, and who do not mind paying additional £100+ for the privilege.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the best choice if you like to tinker with your mobile device. Various launcher apps, third party firmware and tons of other customization options in an unfettered Google Experience device makes this phone a geek’s dream. It’s also for those who rely a lot on various Google cloud services. You simply won’t get a better integration of those features anywhere else. If you think that the bigger the display the better the device – Galaxy Nexus is also the best choice. But be warned – the screen real estate comes at a price. The Google flagship is huge, and one hand operation can be a challenge even for the biggest hands.

Nokia Lumia 800 is the best device if you are just moving into smartphones after dumping your good old feature phone, and wouldn’t mind saving £100 while still getting a first class smartphone experience. Windows Phone 7 OS is super simple to set up and use even if you are a complete newbie. It also has the best Facebook integration around. So, if you have a lot of FB friends, you won’t go wrong with new Lumia. The same for Microsoft Office and XBox integration.

Choosing which platform you will invest in – Android, iOS or Windows Phone – can have an enormous influence over what phones you will continue buying in the future. So it goes without saying – choose wisely – and, on top of all, enjoy!

• iPhone to get Google Maps with free navigation?
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs Nokia Lumia 800 vs iPhone 4S Comparison/Review. Part 1 – Hardware & Performance
• Nokia Lumia 710 – some thoughts and hands-on
• More info on iPhone 4.0 OS: multitasking via Expose-like interface
• Nokia S60 Devices to get touch interface next year

Samsung Galaxy Nexus represented Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, iPhone 4S stood for Apple’s iOS 5 and Nokia Lumia 800 for Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.

In the first part of this comparison/review we look we checked out the device hardware and performance. In the second part tomorrow we will look at software and features.

Design & Ergonomics

The Galaxy Nexus remains true to its Samsung roots as it is mainly based on different kinds of plastic. The build materials aren’t necessarily cheap but rather very uninspiring, especially for a high-end device. The design is also kept very simple, where the only diversity comes from the textured battery cover, while the front of the device is completely bare and button-less. The phone sits quite nicely in palms thanks to the slight hump at the back, but due to the enormous size of the screen – 4.65 inches – the overall usability takes a hit.

Clearly ambitious in its undertaking, Apple iPhone 4S takes the design to extreme heights. The phone consists of two glass panels separated by a stainless steel frame (thankfully the antenna problems have been resolved with 4S), which makes the phone pretty to look at, but also quite impractical. The glossy glass surface can easily get smeared with fingerprints, and getting it scratched isn’t too hard either if you’re not careful. On top of all that, the phone is extremely slippery, and we’ve already seen some vivid examples of what happens when the glass structure of iPhone 4 meets its worst enemy: the gravity. These undoubtedly premium materials also contribute towards making 4S the heaviest phone in this test.

Nokia 800 Lumia seems to take the golden middle ground both in terms of built materials and usability. It’s made from a solid block of polycarbonate plastic that is not only eye-catching but also quite practical as it barely leaves any fingerprints. The smooth surface and curved sides of the shell also provide some extra grip in comparison to the other two phones in this test. The screen is also decently sized – 3.7 inches – which makes 800 Lumia neither too small nor too big, so the phone fits nicely in hands and pockets alike.

Display

All three are standard candybar touchscreen phones, and as a result, the quality of the display has an immense impact on their look, feel and usability. Unsurprisingly, the first phone to separate from the rest is the Galaxy Nexus with its sheer size of the screen that literally dwarfs the tiny in comparison screen on the iPhone 4S.

(In this and other display pics: top – Lumia 800, middle – Galaxy Nexus, bottom – iPhone 4S)

But there’s far more to Galaxy Nexus than just the physical dimensions of the screen. Samsung has also equipped Galaxy Nexus with an HD quality screen of 1280 x 720 pixels that can easily rival and surpass Apple’s retina display (960 x 640 pixels). Due to smaller physical size, the 3.5 inch screen on iPhone 4S offers a slightly higher pixel density than Galaxy Nexus (316 vs 330 ppi), but both screens look incredibly sharp and detailed. On the other hand, the WVGA resolution of 480 x 800 pixels doesn’t look quite as impressive on Nokia’s 3.7 inch screen.

In terms of picture quality, Samsung Galaxy Nexus with its AMOLED display (in the middle) also comes first, followed closely by Nokia’s own AMOLED display (top), and Apple, unsurprisingly, taking up the rear with its LED-backlit IPS TFT screen. All phones have exceptional viewing angles and great sunlight legibility, but Nokia’s screen comes off as noticeably darker for some reason.

While the physical size could be an issue for some users, it’s easy to recommend Galaxy Nexus HD screen that puts its rivals to shame with the combination of vibrant colors, great contracts and just the sheer amount detail. This especially applies to users who find themselves frequently surfing the web or watching movies on a phone – those particular kind of experiences are head and shoulders above the competition.

Performance

All 3 phones are considered high-end smartphones and are equipped accordingly to run their environments. There are, of course, some notable differences in the hardware amongst the three.

Android has proven to be the more resource heavy OS, and the speedy 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and a whopping 1 GB of RAM really comes into play on Galaxy Nexus to ensure a very fluid and responsive user experience. Unlike most other Android phones with their custom skins or launchers that sip away extra processing power, the Galaxy Nexus additionally benefits from running a clean, unaltered version of the OS.

Apple, and, more recently, Microsoft, has taken a different kind of approach by strictly tailoring hardware to their OS. As a result, Windows Phone 7 runs nicely with the single core 1.4 GHz Scorpion CPU on board the Lumia 800, and no noticeable hiccups were encountered while performing tasks.

The dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 processor on the iPhone 4S, on the other hand, feels more like a response to the market’s shift to dual-core smartphones. The most dramatic improvement over the older generation iPhones is the increased performance in graphically demanding 3D games, and as such, the 4S is well catered towards people who are passionate about this form of digital entertainment.

As mentioned earlier, all phones in this test showed admirable performance on their respective platforms, and opening & switching between apps happened with no interruptions in most cases. If, however, we had to nominate the winner solely judging by its raw computing power, then Galaxy Nexus would take this round.

Camera

By looking at the specs sheet, it appears like Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be not on equal footing in this part of the test. While its hardware in many ways derives from Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S2, the camera has been reduced from 8 to 5 Mpix, which is exactly the same amount as the last Google phone, the Nexus S. On the opposite side of the ring, the other two contestants share a similarity for once as they both are keen to show off their cameras in the same 8Mpix league.

Despite the inferior megapixel count, the underlying improvements in Galaxy Nexus camera in comparison to its predecessor were enough to make the end result look good. Even more so, the quality of the still shots is fairly acceptable in comparison to the other 2 phones in this test.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Apple iPhone 4S

Nokia 800 Lumia

The biggest disappointment, and surprise, comes from Nokia Lumia 800 – the Finns usually put a lot more effort in their smartphone cameras. On the surface, the photos taken with Lumia 800 appear to be OK, but closer inspection reveals that some finer detail is washed away. Could that perhaps be noticeably improved with subsequent software updates? Only time will tell.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Apple iPhone 4S

Nokia 800 Lumia

The camera interface is pretty straightforward and easy to use on all 3 phones, but Nokia does earn a few points back with its more expansive settings that allow tweaking things like white balance, contract, saturation and ISO. In comparison, the Galaxy Nexus and especially iPhone 4S camera settings are very bland, but nothing some 3rd party apps couldn’t fix.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Apple iPhone 4S

Nokia 800 Lumia

Due to the very limiting dimensions of phones, the built-in cameras have always been about having the right compromises. In that respect, the iPhone 4S camera, even though far from showing flawless performance, did manage to deliver the most consistent results throughout the tests. More often than not, this 8Mpix shooter from Apple impressed me with its rich colors and sharp detail, and the ability to take HDR pics right from the start proved to be the icing on the cake.

Battery life

Depending on the user, the results here can vary drastically. The 1430 mAh Li-Po battery took iPhone 4S to the top position in our tests, giving almost 2 full days of moderate usage. That feat was followed with solid 1.5 days from Nokia Lumia 800 with its 1450 mAh battery. Despite having the beefiest battery – 1750 mAh – Galaxy Nexus came in last with an up-time of slightly above one day. It didn’t do too bad – in fact, with its massive screen, the Android could have fared much worse than it actually did.

Also worth noting, Galaxy Nexus is the only phone in this test with a replaceable battery. So, if you’re used to prolonging your phone’s life with an extra battery pack or two, you should take that into a serious consideration.

____________________________

That’s about it for the hardware bit of our Galaxy Nexus vs Lumia 800 vs iPhone 4S review. Check back tomorrow for the second part, where we take a closer look into what makes these devices tick – the software and features inside.

• Verizon exclusive Samsung Galaxy Nexus gets its full specs leaked ahead of October 11 unveiling
• Samsung Galaxy S II unsurprisingly passes drop test that shatters the iPhone 4S
• Some Nokia Lumia 800 phones have battery issues, software update coming soon
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs Nokia Lumia 800 vs iPhone 4S Comparison/Review. Part 2–Sofware, UX&Conclusions
• The first Google Nexus One review shows up

In fact, on Saturday, December 24, and Sunday, December 25, a total of 3.7 million Android devices were activated. This information comes from Google’s Android boss himself, Andy Rubin, via a tweet.

It wasn’t long ago that the same man reported that Android activations had reached 700,000 per day. So it looks like over the holiday weekend, those numbers shot up to almost twice and half as much.

No matter how anti-Android you may be, these numbers are great. Of course we assume that the daily activations number for this week has gone back down to around 700K. And those 3 million+ new devices joining the Android world over the weekend won’t have a very big influence in the overall numbers for this year, but nevertheless this is quite the achievement.

And before iOS fans get angry, know that the numbers for Apple’s mobile operating system were very close to Android’s. Analytics firm Flurry reports that iOS and Android activations taken together were at a 6.8 million level on Christmas Day (December 25). Strangely though, Flurry doesn’t break down how many of those ran which OS. And since Andy Rubin gave us a ‘full weekend’ number, calculating exactly how many iOS devices were sold on Sunday, and how many Androids, is impossible.

Still, even if we assume that the majority of those 3.7 million Android activations happened on Sunday, it’s clear that iOS either saw more activations, or wasn’t far behind Android. But there really are just too many variables to estimate actual numbers.

After all, let’s not forget that these numbers include smartphones and tablets (in Google’s case), and smartphones, tablets, and the iPod touch (for Apple). That also means it’s impossible to draw any conclusions about how smartphone market share may have been impacted by the holiday sales.

But we do have some comparisons to make. For example, on Christmas day 2010, 2.8 million iOS+Android devices were activated. Which means this year’s number is 140% higher. Also, the average number of activations between December 1 and December 20 was 1.5 million. Compared to that, the Christmas Day number represents a 353% growth.

The conclusion here is clear: smartphones and tablets are increasingly being received as holiday gifts.

Oh, and in case you’ve been wondering, app downloads, on both iOS and Android, were also at an all-time high during the Christmas weekend. Not at all unexpectedly, we might add, since those newly activated devices need some apps on them, don’t they? 242 million downloads have happened on Christmas Day, again on iOS and Android combined. That’s 125% more than the average number of downloads in the December 1-20 period, which was 108 million.

From Christmas through New Year’s Day, Flurry expects app downloads to reach an amazing 1 billion.

• Google activated 250 million Androids so far, may have topped 1 million/day in the second half of Q4
• More than 300,000 Android phones activated each day, says Andy Rubin
• Google now activates 350,000 Android devices daily. 3 billion Android apps installed around the world
• Google activates 160,000 devices daily. Android 2.2 Froyo released to manufacturing partners
• Google activates 500,000 Androids per day now, on the way to 200+ million this year

Speaking of that, today’s rumor (courtesy of BGR) claims that the new iPhone (let’s call it iPhone 5, even if Apple decides that iPhone 4G sounds better) will arrive in the fall, about one year after the iPhone 4S. That would mean that Apple has permanently changed its iPhone release schedule from the summer months (like before this year), to the fall (autumn for those of you not in North America). Perhaps the company thinks that the new gadget excitement wears off before the holiday season hits if said gadget is launched during the summer.

The new iPhone will also be completely redesigned, rumor has it. Of course we’ve heard this countless times before. And after seeing that the iPhone 4S looks exactly the same as the iPhone 4, the rumor mongers switched gears and now it’s the next iPhone which will have the redesign. Let’s hope so. At least so the rumors (about this) stop.

But how redesigned, you ask? Well, it will have an aluminum back, a la the iPod touch 4th generation. The bezel, however, will be interesting, because it will apparently be made of a rubbery and/or plasticky material that closely resembles that used in today’s bumper cases. That bezel will be reminiscent of the iPhone 3GS, and will be double-purpose. First of all, it will be a buffer zone between the glass front of the phone and the aluminum back. Second, it will also serve as an antenna housing. That will allow Apple to create the entire back cover out of aluminum, and not cut out a big portion of it and replace it with plastic just above the antennas, like in the iPad 3G versions.

If you managed to somehow forget, previous rumors have been talking about the iPhone 5 coming with a larger, 4-inch touchscreen too. Add that to all of the details you learned today, and you have… more rumored iPhone information.

Which probably isn’t worth much, to be honest. By fall next year, you will have read many dozens more of these, so make sure you buy enough salt for the new year. Because you’ll need plenty of it nearby for most of the Apple-related rumors you’ll be hearing.

• Rumor: iPhone 5 coming this summer with 4+inch screen
• Rumor: iPhone 5 to have a metal chassis and a 3.5-3.7-inch screen after all
• Report: iOS 5 Postponed Until Fall?
• Antennagate reportedly cost Apple about 13% of iPhone 4 sales. Verizon iPhone wanted by many users
• New iPhone to have Magic Mouse-like touch-sensitive case

Unfortunately though, this doesn’t work on iDevices powered by the A5 processor. So if you have an iPhone 4S or an iPad 2, you’ll have to wait some more before you’ll be able to load up an untethered jailbreak on your gadget.

But if you have any other iOS5-compatible iDevice (iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, iPod touch 4th generation, or iPod touch 3rd generation), you’re in luck. To read more about the jailbreak, head over to pod2g’s blog (that’s the developer who made all of this possible). For instructions, the iPhone Dev-Team has you covered.

If you already have a tethered jailbreak on your iDevice, you can simply untether it by running an app called Corona (which you can find in Cydia). And if you like your iDevice jailbroken, you probably shouldn’t update to iOS 5.0.2 when that becomes available, since it will “cut your jailbreak possibilities”, pod2g has warned in a tweet.

Via The Verge

• Apple iOS 4.3.2 now out for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, iOS 4.2.7 for Verizon iPhone
• Apple’s iPad jailbroken in no time
• Flash comes to jailbroken iDevices
• iPhone 3G S purplera1n jailbreak released and available for download
• PwnageTool 2.0 released for old iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch

See, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been banned in Germany on September 9, because, in short, its aspect was much too similar to that of Apple’s iPads. So Samsung decided to work around the Apple patents it supposedly infringed upon in the original tablet. And that’s how the Tab 10.1N was born. And for a very short while, all seemed to be well in Germany.

But Apple didn’t sit idly by, and when it saw that Samsung started selling the redesigned tablet, it pushed for yet another injunction to ban the sale of the new tablet too.

The final ruling on that will happen on February 9, but it looks like Apple won’t have its way this time. The presiding judge in this case, Johanna Brueckner-Hofmann (who was also the judge who banned Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the first place) has said that it’s unlikely that Apple will get its injunction granted. That’s because Samsung’s new design seems to be different enough from that of the iPad not to confuse people. This view is preliminary, though.

The judge was quoted by Bloomberg BusinessWeek saying that

“consumers are well aware that there is an original and that competitors try to use similar designs, so buyers are vigilant when looking at products. We don’t think that someone buys a Samsung to make his table neighbor at the coffee house believe he owns an iPad.”

Samsung has changed the bezel design for the Galaxy Tab 10.1N. There’s less glossy black, and more metal around the edges. The speakers have also been moved to this newly-enlarged metal area, and are thus visible when you’re looking at the front of the tablet. The Korean company has also added a big Samsung logo underneath the screen, which will further help consumers not mistake this tablet for Apple’s.

And the strategy seems to have worked, at least for now. We’ll see what the future turns up. Perhaps Samsung will finally decide to make its entire (say, 2012) product range less similar to Apple’s, in which case many courts in the world will suddenly find they have less patent infringement cases to deal with.

Or maybe this strange cat and mouse game will continue next year. One way or the other, Apple’s major new addition to the mobile world in 2011 has to have been the patent war. Make of that what you wish.

Via BGR

• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 back on sale in Germany after redesign
• German court upholds Galaxy Tab 10.1 injunction, Apple lawyers mark additional notch in belts
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0N Plus shows up in Germany, circumvents Apple’s design patents
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 temporarily banned in Europe, Apple rejoices
• Federal judge orders Samsung to turn over next generation phones, tablets to Apple lawyers

According to DigiTimes, “sources in the supply chain” are saying that Apple will likely release the 7.85 inch iPad in the fourth quarter of 2012, with production for its panels to start at the end of the second quarter.

Before that, in the first quarter of the year, the Cupertino company should introduce the successor to the iPad 2, most probably called iPad 3 (reportedly, this will have a 10 inch display with a resolution increased to 2048 x 1536 pixels).

The 7.85 inch iPad should have the same screen resolution as the iPad 2 (1024 x 768). Other specs are not known for the moment, but this alleged iPad Mini will obviously allow Apple to test the market with a direct competitor to Amazon’s new and quite popular Kindle Fire (at least 2 millions of them have been sold until now).

• Production for iPad 3′s QXGA displays has reportedly started
• Rumor: iPad 3 to come with Retina Display, 8 MP camera, and FaceTime HD, iPad 2 will drop to $399
• Amazon Kindle Fire still selling very well
• New Apple iPad 3 to come in Q4 with huge display resolution?
• Amazon has sold over 2 million Kindle Fire tablets so far

The production of current iPads remains steady with 14-15 million units expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011.The iPad 2 deliveries will then decline to 4-5 million in Q1 2012 as suppliers ramp up the production of the next iPad.

Foxconn, one of Apple’s major contractors, will start manufacturing the next iPad in January 2012.  Sources in the supply chain are expecting 9.5-9.8 million units to be delivered at the end Q1 2012.

All those rumors above only confirm the obvious. Apple releases the next generation of iPad in March/April every year. And is about to do the same in early 2012

• New Apple iPad 2 to have three versions
• Apple’s next generation iPad to be called iPad 2S, not iPad 3?
• Apple iPad 2 shipments may start in February
• Apple sells 1 million iPads (only in the US)
• 7.85 inch iPad Mini to come in late 2012, iPad 3 in Q1 2012

Aside from that, the mobile search results pages will also display movie posters, short summaries, ratings and of course, theaters and showtimes for movies that you’re searching for. Additionally, movie information is updated instantly, which means you no longer have to wait for the next search results page to load since this is done as you swipe through the movie posters.

Finally, you can learn more about a particular movie that interests you just by tapping on the movie title. This action will display movie details including casts and a full summary of the movie. The updated mobile search result pages will also let you view the official trailer when available. And if you see an underlined showtime, you can tap on it to buy tickets directly through your iPhone or Android devices.

The new feature of Google Mobile Search is currently available in US only. Google didn’t mention whether this feature will be also be rolled out in other countries.

• Google Search for mobile now brings you movie trailers
• Google optimizes search results pages for iPhone and Android
• Google Search for iPhone and Android enhanced with app search results
• New Google Image Search results available for Android, iPhone
• Voice-enabled Google Mobile app for iPhone now available

Given the importance and potential of contactless 3D input, it’s impossible to think that this Microsoft invention has gone unnoticed by Apple. I’m pretty sure that folks at Cupertino are busy developing their own version of Kinect, and re-imagining how you interect with your Macs and iPhones with the help of 3D control devices.

Today we get the first glimpse at Apple’s own project Natal (a code name Kinect was known by at Microsoft when still in development). It comes in the form of Apple patent application called “Three dimensional imaging and display system”

With the help of high speed infrared laser, Apple’s 3D control system creates a volume of space where all movements of objects, like user hands, can be observed by high-speed photo detector. The movements are then translated into control gestures used to manipulate user interface on computer screen.

Apple’s 3D controller, as described in the application, is much more limited then Microsoft’s Kinect. But this is just one patent app that made it to the public domain, so far. They must be playing with much more advanced things in Apple’s R&D labs today.

I’m really looking forward to see what the end result of these efforts will be, when Apple finally makes something that they think is ready for the market.

• VR/3D Controller for your Sony PS3
• Apple is looking beyond Multi-Touch
• Microsoft Veda. New look at mobile convergence
• iOS/ iPhone 5 to get pop-up radial menus?
• Samsung files patent for cellphone sign language recognition

Proview Technology in Shenzhen is a subsidiary to Hong Kong Proview International Holdings Limited. Proview also has a location in Taipei which was the branch that registered the iPad name in numerous countries and regions back in 2000. Proview Shenzhen registered the trademark back in 2001. In 2009, Apple bought the rights to use the trademark for 35,000 pounds or 54,616 dollars, but what caused a problem was the fact that Proview Shenzhen could still use the trademark rights on the mainland of China. The two have been duking it out legally ever since. Earlier this week, Apple’s lawsuit against Proview Technology was denied by the Municipal Intermediate People’s Court in Shenzhen.

Proview Shenzhen was once a powerful flat-panel display producer, but is currently on the verge of bankruptcy due to the global financial crisis. The company is seeking 10 billion yuan or 1.6 billion US dollars in compensation for Apple infringing their trademark.

It looks as though Apple will either have to pay up, or change the name of their iPad in China. It’s interesting to see Apple on the other end of a legal battle since they usually are the ones winning the cases. We will keep you updated on the status of this situation.

Xinhuannet News

• Fujitsu may sue Apple over the iPad name; a Windows-based iPad dates from 2002
• Apple Sued Over The iCloud Name
• Apple unveils fiscal 2011 Q2 results: 18.65 million iPhones, 4.69 million iPads sold
• LG can’t make enough displays for Apple’s iPad
• WiFi Apple iPad available in China on September 17th

All you have to do is visit this website http://aka.ms/wpdemo on your mobile browser, and you will access an interactive HTML 5 web page that gives you a full tour of the operating system. It allows you to experience the tiles on your own home screen and even gives you a couple of demos of simple tasks such as checking your email or sending a text message.

It would be pretty sweet if this web page could actually convert your OS to Windows Phone Mango, but that feature is currently not available. Kudos to Microsoft for thinking outside of the box with a cool promotional HTML 5 demo of their own OS.

Gizmodo

• Verizon rolling out Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update for HTC Trophy today
• Microsoft confirms some Windows Phone Mango features
• Microsoft Windows Phone Mango officially announced, brings IE 9, Groups, Threads and more
• NEC’s “Bubble Talk” service enables voice message sending on the fly
• Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update coming in H2 2011 with HTML5 support?

Reportedly, the new iPad will have a 10 inch IPS screen with a 2048 x 1536 resolution, for a total of 3,145,728 pixels – four times more than the 786,432 pixels found on the displays of iPad 1 and iPad 2.

It’s not the first time we’re hearing the new iPad would have such a huge resolution. And it also wouldn’t be the first time when Apple increases the resolution of a product’s display so drastically – the iPhone 4 brought a 960 x 640 screen (another 4x increase – compared to the iPhone 3GS’ 480 x 320 resolution).

The exact name of the new iPad is still a mystery. It could be iPad 3, or iPad HD, or who knows what else. In any case, Apple will most likely announce the new tablet in early 2012.

It remains to be seen if that 7.85 inch iPad Mini will also be announced. Shim says “there’s no reason” why it shouldn’t be – but, well let’s wait and see what Apple has to say on this.

• 7.85 inch iPad Mini to come in late 2012, iPad 3 in Q1 2012
• New Apple iPad 3 to come in Q4 with huge display resolution?
• Apple’s next tablet to be called iPad HD, not iPad 3?
• Rumor: iPad 3 to come with Retina Display, 8 MP camera, and FaceTime HD, iPad 2 will drop to $399
• iPhone 4′s retina display better than AMOLED? Not really, says Samsung

Unfortunately for those looking for the 32GB or 64GB iPhones for Sprint, it doesn’t appear as if Radio Shack will be carrying them, judging by the absence of them from the Radio Shack memo. The pricing will be the standard $199.99, not unexpected considering Apple has a pretty firm grasp on pricing. Per the memo, Radio Shack encourages their local salespeople to talk up Sprint’s unlimited plan, currently the only way to get unlimited data on the iPhone in the United States (unless you are grandfathered into an unlimited plan). Previously, Radio Shack had only offered the iPhone 4 8GB for Sprint in their stores, as well as the iPhone 4S for the other two carriers.

To briefly recap the specs of the iPhone 4S, it’s got the Apple A5 processor, 512MB of RAM, the 3.5-inch LCD screen, that great 8MP 1080p camera as well as all the iOS software, including Siri, the new person digital assistant that’s captured the imagination of everybody.

The iPhone 4S has already been added to Radio Shack’s website (though you can’t order it there), and so you’ll probably be able to find it in your local store if it normally carries cell phones.

• AT&T LG Thrill 4G gets delayed again, will be available on September 4
• Sprint will offer unlimited data for the iPhone
• Sprint may offer the iPhone 5 with unlimited data plans, unlike Verizon and AT&T
• Sprint admits losing customers to AT&T’s iPhone. Hopes EVO 4G will fix that
• T-Mobile’s Full Monty is the UK’s first true ‘unlimited everything’ plan, available from February 1

Navigon 2.0 for iPhone comes with a fresh look and a new User Interface, and is “the first iPhone navigation app to offer quarterly map updates” (for a one-time fee), as well as the “first iPhone onboard navigation app that separates the app from the maps” – this letting you choose the map regions you want to download (for example, you can download the map of only one state if you want to).

Navigon is offering the new iPhone app for discounted prices until November 30, as follows:

• Navigon 2.0 for iPhone North America: $39.99 instead of $59.99
• Navigon 2.0 for iPhone USA: $29.99 instead of $49.99
• Navigon 2.0 for iPhone Canada: $29.99 instead of $49.99
• Navigon 2.0 for iPhone East, Central or West: $19.99 instead of $29.99

If you’ve already bought a previous version of Navigon for iPhone, the update to version 2.0 is provided at no extra costs. The new app is available as of today via App Store.

An official video promo of Navigon 2.0 for iPhone can be watched below:

Via Press release

• Nokia smartphones to come with free GPS navigation – now official
• Fring for iPhone and iPod touch adds video calls
• TomTom for iPhone 1.2 offers text-to-speech and other new features
• More than 1 million PayPal iPhone apps downloaded in three weeks
• First-gen iPhones bought after May 27th can be swapped for iPhone 3G for free, says AT&T

That said, Samsung isn’t your average mom and pop store. So it went back to the drawing board and designed a new Galaxy Tab 10.1 for Germany. This new tablet is probably designed around the issues that have prevented the original model from going on sale, so in theory the new Galaxy Tab 10.1N should have no trouble arriving in German stores.

In fact, it’s already available in one. Cyberport is taking orders for a white version with 16 GB of built-in storage. The price being asked is €549, and the tablet is expected to be in stock in the next few days.

Pictured above are both the new Galaxy Tab 10.1N (seen on top), as well as the ‘old’, patent-infringing model at the bottom. As you can see, Samsung has altered the bezel, using more and more visible metal, supposedly to help differentiate the tablet’s look from that of the iPad.

Of course, Apple may sue Samsung once again, but until the courts have their say on that, this product may start shipping and arriving in customers’ hands. And so Samsung and Apple seem to be playing a (probably quite expensive) cat and mouse game. We’re interested to see what will happen in the future. Perhaps Samsung’s next year lineup will be designed to be just a little less similar to Apple’s products, in which case this whole patent madness may slow down. We can hope.

Via mobiFlip.de

• Apple probably won’t succeed in banning Samsung’s redesigned Galaxy Tab 10.1N in Germany
• German court upholds Galaxy Tab 10.1 injunction, Apple lawyers mark additional notch in belts
• Apple removes Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 from IFA. Forgets about Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE on T-Mobile
• Samsung fights back against Apple with ten patent infringement claims
• Apple iPad available in the US on April 3, pre-orders start this month

Don’t get too excited, though. The iPhone 4S that can be bought unlocked will only work on GSM networks (AT&T, T-Mobile), so you won’t be able to use it on Verizon or Sprint.

Anyway, just as expected, the unlocked iPhone 4S 64GB costs $849, with the other models (32GB, 16GB) being $100 and $200 cheaper: $749 and $649, respectively.

If these prices don’t scare you, you can order an unlocked iPhone 4S (in either black, or white) right now here at Apple’s US website. Unfortunately, Apple won’t be able to ship your order immediately, but only in 1-2 weeks. Even so, I’m sure the launch of the unlocked iPhone 4S is great news for lots of T-Mobile customers (who still can’t buy the handset on contract, as T-Mo has remained the only major US carrier not included in Apple’s smartphone-related plans).

• Apple now sells unlocked iPhone 4 starting at $649
• Sprint starts taking pre-orders for the iPhone 4
• Verizon might not get the iPhone until 2012
• Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders have started in the US and Canada, unlocked or with contract
• Sprint iPhone 5 and iPhone 4 expected to be released in October

Aside from that, the new software version comes with improved voice recognition for Australian users. It also restores multitasking gestures to the original iPad, a feature which was strangely removed in iOS 5. Finally, some bugs relating to Documents in the Cloud have also been squashed.

This is Apple’s first over-the-air update for its iDevices, since iOS 5 introduced that capability. As such, your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad should notify you that the update is available. If it hasn’t done so yet, you can go to Settings > General > Software update and coerce it into manually checking. It should find it then download and install it, though be advised that the procedure may take a while.

Via PhoneDog

• iOS 4.3.3 now available with fixed location tracking
• Apple iOS 4.3.2 now out for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, iOS 4.2.7 for Verizon iPhone
• Untethered iOS 5.0.1 jailbreak now available for all devices except the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S
• Apple’s iOS 5 is now available to download
• iPhone 2.0 software coming free to iPhone in July, $9.95 for iPod Touch

Last month, Apple announced the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4′s successor. This new smartphone looks almost identical to the iPhone 4, yet Apple bragged about some improvements it has made to the antenna in the iPhone 4S (compared to the already revolutionary one seen in its predecessor, of course). Naturally, many people wondered whether that meant that the reception issues were not present on the iPhone 4S.

Well, we now have an answer. Consumer Reports has announced that the iPhone 4S doesn’t in fact suffer from ‘Antennagate’ as the media affectionately called the iPhone 4′s reception issues. Consumer reports is a well known US-based organization that was last year one of those who tested the iPhone 4 and found the flaw in its design. What’s more, Consumer Reports has refused to recommend the iPhone 4 because of that flaw ever since, even if on all other counts the phone is certainly recommendable, so to speak.

The organization still refuses to recommend the iPhone 4 even today, since it says that Apple hasn’t done anything to make the issue go away – it’s still there, alive and well, even inside iPhone 4s sold these days.

The iPhone 4S though is another story. Because it passed the reception test, it has become one of Consumer Reports’ recommended smartphones. However, rather interestingly, the iPhone 4S did not manage to best certain Android-powered devices, in the organization’s opinion. The handsets which it considers better overall than Apple’s latest offering are the Samsung Galaxy S II, the Motorola Droid Bionic, the LG Thrill 4G, alongside several other phones that have larger displays than the iPhone 4S and run on faster 4G networks.

There have been some complaints recently about iPhone 4S battery life, and Apple even said it identified a few bugs in iOS 5 that may have caused issues. The company plans to fix those bugs in an upcoming iOS release. Meanwhile, Consumer Reports found that iPhone 4S battery life is comparable to that of the iPhone 4, and there were no notable battery problems spotted in some additional tests that were performed. So if there are any issues, they’re apparently device-dependent.

• Consumer Reports’ engineers confirm iPhone 4 reception issue, suggest duct tape as quick fix
• Apple engineer warned Jobs about iPhone 4 antenna problems
• Apple: yes, iPhone 4 has reception problems, but it’s your fault
• iOS 5.0.1 now available, fixes battery life issues
• Free bumpers for all iPhone 4 buyers, white iPhone 4 to come at the end of July

The app features an interface optimized for iOS, push notifications, comprehensive search across the whole inbox, threaded conversations, one-click photo uploads, and split view (only on the iPad).

Unfortunately, mere hours after its launch via iTunes, the Gmail iOS app has been removed by Google because “it contained a bug which broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app.” Google is currently working to fix the problem and re-release the app. Meanwhile, “everyone who’s already installed the app can continue to use it.”

When the bug is fixed and the Gmail app is again available in the App Store here, it will be compatible only with devices running iOS 4+.

Via Google Mobile Blog

• Apple’s iOS 5 is now available to download
• Google+ app now available for iPhone users
• Gmail and Google Calendar for iPhone and Android updated
• Google Sync now has push Gmail support for iPhone, Windows Mobile
• iOS Gmail App coming soon

Current iOS users were forced to access their Gmail through a third party app or through the web-based view, but they didn’t have access to the best new feature of the iOS Gmail app, push notifications. We saw a leaked video earlier in October that detailed many of the new features of the Gmail iOS app. These features included increased search functionality, contact icons, improved threads, and other small tweaks.

Unfortunately, we don’t have any info on a release date yet since the app hasn’t been officially announced, but you can probably expect it to become available in the comings weeks if it has already been submitted for approval. We will keep you updated on the status of the iOS Gmail app.

Parislemon

• Droid X approved for Gingerbread update
• Verizon’s HTC Droid Eris will get an update on July 16th, it’s not Froyo
• Google enhances mobile search for iOS and Android
• LG KF700 Now Shipping
• Gmail and Google Calendar for iPhone and Android updated

And now the iPhone 4S can be pre-ordered in 22 additional territories, where it will be released on October 28, which is next Friday. These 22 countries are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

If you are in one of these countries and it doesn’t have an online Apple store, you should contact your local Apple distributor or your carrier of choice as you may be able to place a pre-order there.

The international Apple online stores all seem to report shipping times of 1 to 2 weeks at the moment, which isn’t exactly in line with the date when the iPhone 4S will be available in stores. Still, if you don’t like (literally) waiting in line, pre-ordering is probably your safest bet.

Via MacStories

• New Apple iPhone 4S announced with dual core A5 chip, 8MP camera, global connectivity
• Apple iPad 2 international launch delayed by half a day
• Apple iPhone 4 coming to 17 new countries this Friday
• Nokia has closed its US and UK online stores
• iPhone 4 launch day craze: AT&T sold out, Orange FR has 20K units on 600K demand, O2 limits sales to current customers

If you were curious to find out just how much the iPhone 4S costs to make, we’ve now got the answer for you. And it may shock those of you who’ve bought one unlocked (or are planning to). See, the 16 GB iPhone 4S carries a bill of materials (BOM) of $188. Add to that the manufacturing cost per unit of $8, and you reach the conclusion that Apple’s newest smartphone costs just $196 to make.

If you bought one on contract for $199.99, you’ll think that’s a lot. But it isn’t. Your carrier paid Apple more than $600 for the device it sold you for $200. The difference is called a subsidy, and it’s the reason you had to sign a two-year contract. Your carrier will get that difference back (and then some!) from your monthly bills.

The 32 GB iPhone 4S costs $215 to make, and the 64 GB version costs $254. The price differences are obviously because increased capacity flash drives cost more.

What’s funny is that Microsoft hopes that Windows Phones will cost less than $200 to make… sometime next year. And undoubtedly with hardware that will be inferior to the iPhone 4S. That speaks volumes about Apple’s supply chain prowess, but also about the fact that the iPhone 4S indeed doesn’t have any revolutionary new hardware in it. In fact, the ‘freshest’ component inside, the processor, was first seen in the iPad 2, so even that is a few months old at this point. The older the hardware, the cheaper it is – so it makes perfect sense that the iPhone 4S is that cheap to make.

And if you’re wondering where the difference between the $196 that it costs Apple to make the iPhone and the $600+ that carriers pay for it goes, look no further than Apple’s pockets.

Via iSuppli and AT&T

• Why Apple doesn’t need a new cheaper iPhone Nano alongside iPhone 5
• Apple iPhone 4S sales reach 4 million in the first weekend
• Apple iPhone 4 sales: more than 1.7 million in the first week-end
• Unlocked iPhone 4S available now at Apple USA
• 5 million iPhones bought by China Unicom – sales to debut in September

And it’s a regional carrier, C Spire. If you don’t know that name, it’s because this company has been known as Cellular South up until a couple of weeks ago when they decided to rebrand. Of course, you’ll be the judge of whether the new brand is better than the old one.

So C Spire has put out a press release today announcing that it will sell the iPhone 4S soon – “in the coming weeks”. If you’d like to be the first to know more details, you can go to C Spire’s iPhone-minisite and register your interest now.

No pricing information has been made public by C Spire yet, but we’re obviously expecting it to offer the device for the same price that the other three carriers do – $199.99 with a two-year contract. We’ll let you know when you can buy an iPhone 4S from C Spire.

Anyway, it’s definitely nice to see an iPhone reach regional carriers, especially after the many years when AT&T was your only choice if you wanted an Apple smartphone in the US.

• Orange UK announces the iPhone, O2′s exclusivity ends
• iPhone 4S (CDMA) to be launched by China Telecom in February or March
• C Spire launches the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play for $49.99
• Telecom Italia and Vodafone Italy’s iPhone 3G will not be carrier- subsidized, pricing nearly tripled
• Survey Says: 91% of Japanese Won’t Buy iPhone

So let’s dig in. The company posted quarterly revenue of $28.27 billion and net profit of $6.62 billion. Compared to the year-ago results of $20.34 billion and $4.31 billion respectively, that’s a 38% bump in revenue and a 53% jump in net profit.

However, compared to the previous quarter (which would be Q2 in the calendar, but Apple’s fiscal Q3), things aren’t as bright. Revenue is down by 1%, and net profit is 10% lower.

It’s basically the same story when we look at iPhone sales numbers. Solid growth compared to last year, a slowdown compared to last quarter. Apple sold 17.07 million iPhones this quarter, which is 21% more than last year, but it’s also 19% less than last quarter.

iPads have been doing better. Apple sold 11.12 million of them this quarter, which is 166% more than last year, and 20% more than last quarter.

The iPod is slowly being replaced in people’s purchasing decisions by iPhones or iPads, that seems pretty clear. Apple sold 6.62 million iPods this quarter, which is 27% less than last year.

iOS units sold this quarter were approximately 31.5 million, according to Horace Dediu‘s estimates, which is almost 5% less than last quarter. That number is heavily influenced by the poor iPhone (and possibly iPod touch) sales, since, as mentioned before, iPad sales are basically growing like crazy quarter after quarter. In fact, Apple has sold 40 million iPads so far. Apple sees the tablet market becoming larger than the PC market in the future, and that’s certainly a possibility, though probably not a very near-term one.

Regarding the iPhone’s performance, it has to be said that during this quarter, almost everyone was anxiously waiting for the next iPhone. That didn’t come in the third quarter, so its sales aren’t included in these numbers. And naturally sales of the previous model started to decrease when the iPhone 4S announcement came near. And Apple says that the reduction in iPhone sales came near the end of the quarter, when speculation about the new model reached a new high.

However, because of this sluggish iPhone performance, an interesting thing may happen. Apple’s crown of being the No.1 smartphone manufacturer in the world will probably only last one quarter. Apple has held that crown last quarter, but in this one it’s almost sure to lose it to Samsung, unless the Korean company posts some seriously bad results (which it almost certainly won’t). Interesting is also the fact that even Nokia may once again be in front of Apple. All it takes for that to happen is the Finnish company selling 400,000 more smartphones than last quarter. And with its new device launches over the past few months, who knows, perhaps it’s going to surprise us.

As for the future, Apple naturally expects its next quarter (the fourth of 2011 in the calendar, but the company’s first 2012 quarter) to break records. That’s entirely possible, seeing as how the iPhone 4S has already broken a ‘sales in the first weekend‘ record. Add to that the fact that there will also be a holiday shopping frenzy, and over the holidays, gadgets have become very popular gifts, and this perspective starts to make sense. The company expects its revenue to be $37 billion in the next quarter, which would be 30% more than in this quarter.

• Apple sold 14.1 million iPhones this quarter
• Apple unveils fiscal 2011 Q2 results: 18.65 million iPhones, 4.69 million iPads sold
• Apple posts another record quarter, new iPhone confirmed to come before the end of September
• RIM reports strong growth, 3.9 million new BlackBerry subscribers
• Apple sold more iOS devices in Q4 2011 than all Androids combined, reclaims No.1 smartphone maker spot

According to the Taiwanese Economic Daily News, two potential suppliers – Korean LG Display and Taiwanese AU Optronics – have recently sent samples of their iPad Mini displays to Apple. EDN sources tell them that Apple has already set the specifications for the smaller tablet, which is scheduled to ship early next year.

iPad mini display panel size is 7.85” and it has the same resolution as the iPad 2.

There is a lot of speculation that iPad Mini is Apple’s  response to the cheap 7” Kindle Fire that Amazon launched earlier this month. But I do not think this is a case.

While Steve Jobs dismissed 7” tablets in Apple’s earnings conference call a year ago, it does not mean much. Steve has been known to publicly deny and dismiss a lot of products until Apple was ready to launch them. E.g.video iPod or even the idea of tablet PC itself.

A smaller 7-8” iPad does have a lot of merit in and of itself. In addition to being cheaper due to smaller display panel size, it will be a much more portable device, easier to carry around, which could make it attractive to a whole new set of customers.

And while Apple seems to have found a sweet spot, “one size fits all” form factor for the iPhone, and has no immediate plans to change that, tablets are a very different category of device. It is a completely new and uncharted market, with a lot of room to explore an additional device sizes and form factors.

Broadening a product range with a cheaper, smaller and more portable tablet should help Apple maintain the market dominance it enjoys now, even longer.

Hat tip to @dnystedt for the pointer

• New, smaller Apple iPad in the rumors again
• Smaller, cheaper Apple iPad to come in 2011?
• Apple iPad 3 won’t be out this year, but was it ever meant to be?
• New Apple iPad 3 to come in Q4 with huge display resolution?
• Apple iPad available in the US on April 3, pre-orders start this month

If for some reason you haven’t done that, here’s the skinny. A few guys decided that they’d like to see how the brand new iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy S II will do when faced with concrete issues (bad pun, I know). So they took an iPhone 4S, and a Galaxy S II, and dropped them. Three times each, from two different heights at first, and then a face-first test at the end.

As you’d expect, the iPhone 4S gets shattered. That’s absolutely no surprise because the 4S seems to be identical on the outside to the iPhone 4, which was notorious for having shatter-prone glass. Yes, some of you may point out that glass in glass and it will shatter, yet consider that the screen in the Galaxy S II is also glass, and it survives all the falls untouched. I don’t know where Apple gets the glass for the iPhone from, but it’s clearly no Gorilla Glass.

So the Samsung Galaxy S II won this unscientific test, and by a mile. Aside from its glass screen, the phone is made out of plastic, which may also have something to do with its drop-resistance. Still, from time to time it’s nice to see a head-to-head where an Android phone wins against an Apple device in something other than raw processing power.

Via Android Police

• Samsung Galaxy S II LTE now available on NTT DoCoMO in Japan
• Samsung Galaxy S II shows up at Orange UK
• New iPhone 4S / 5 may have a curved glass display
• Samsung Galaxy S Infuse 4G is headed to Rogers in Canada
• Samsung Galaxy S II to cost €548, ship in May (in Switzerland)

That’s because HTC thought that Apple infringed on some of its patents. That request was filed in May of last year, and now we get the first response from the ITC about this particular complaint (yeah, things sometimes move amazingly fast in the legal world).

And it isn’t good news for HTC. An ITC administrative law judge found “no violation” by Apple of HTC’s patents. This fight isn’t over, though. This is apparently just a preliminary ruling. In February (almost two years after the complaint was first made) the full commission will decide whether to uphold or reject today’s decision.

So in theory there’s still a chance that HTC might win this thing, but it really doesn’t look likely. Not that it did last year. But the company probably had to do something – after Apple had sued it a few months earlier. And this is how it decided to respond.

Via Reuters

• Nokia files another complaint against Apple, says 46 patents are now infringed
• First Nokia vs Apple trials to take place in 2012. Nokia apparently wants $1.3 billion from Apple
• Nokia files new complaint against Apple, says most of its devices infringe patents
• HTC says Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod should be banned in the US (but this will never happen)
• Samsung now wants to stop iPhone 4S sales in Australia and Japan

And it was truthful. Today the WSJ reports that Samsung has taken this legal fight to Australia and Japan as well. The company filed for preliminary injunctions in the Tokyo District Court in Japan and the New South Wales Registry in Australia. The iPhone 4S isn’t the only device Samsung is trying to get banned – also affected are the iPhone 4 and iPad 2.

The filing in Japan alleges that Apple infringes on technology and UI patents that Samsung holds, while in Australia Samsung cited patents related to wireless telecommunications standards.

Usually these kinds of spats end in cross-licensing deals, but Apple seems intent on not agreeing to that. So the truth is that we have no idea how this will end. Or if. Or when. But one thing’s clear: we’ll keep you posted.

• Samsung wants to block Apple from selling the iPhone 4S in Italy and France
• Nokia says iPad 3G also infringes patents, sues Apple again
• First Nokia vs Apple trials to take place in 2012. Nokia apparently wants $1.3 billion from Apple
• Nokia files another complaint against Apple, says 46 patents are now infringed
• HTC says Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod should be banned in the US (but this will never happen)

As a comparison, the iPhone 4 managed just 1.7 million sales in its first weekend, but there’s a caveat to take into account when comparing numbers. The iPhone 4 was initially available in just five countries (the US, the UK, France, Germany and Japan). On top of those, the iPhone 4S was also sold in Australia and Canada, and that may influence the numbers a bit.

But anyway, this is probably Apple’s biggest ever product launch, and it’s pretty clear that the iPhone 4S has sold more than the iPhone 4 in its first weekend. Exactly by how much is hard to tell at the moment considering the territorial availability issues described above.

This is a great start for Apple’s newest iPhone, and it goes to show that people have been anxiously awaiting something new from Apple. Perhaps delaying the launch by a few months was just a strategy to get even more people to go for an iPhone 4S. We’ll never know.

Apple has also let us know that 25 million people are already using iOS 5, the company’s newest mobile operating system version which was also launched last week. In rough numbers, that means that about 21 million people have already updated to this version of the OS. Apple also boasts that 20 million people have signed up for iCloud, its new services offering.

• Apple iPhone 4 sales: more than 1.7 million in the first week-end
• Apple to launch iPad internationally on May 28
• 3 million iPads sold – good news for Apple ahead of iPhone 4 launch
• Samsung wants to block Apple from selling the iPhone 4S in Italy and France
• Samsung now wants to stop iPhone 4S sales in Australia and Japan

Specs wise, the iPhone 4S spots that same 3.5-inch Retina display we saw on the iPhone 4, but with better hardware this time around. It has a better 8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD recording and the same dual-core A9 processor found in the iPad 2. The iPhone 4S runs on Apple’s latest mobile OS, iOS 5.0. Probably one of the coolest new features is Siri, your own personal assistant. Basically, you give Siri a task and she completes it. You can check out our in-depth look at Siri by our own Staska here.

If you were lucky enough to be one of the many who pre-ordered their iPhone 4S through Apple or through a carrier, congrats. If you weren’t as lucky, we have a full list of the places you’ll be able to go and grab an iPhone 4S . The obvious choice would be the Apple Store, although we don’t know how long it will take until they are sold out. Your next best bey is the carrier of your choice, although all three have been sold out online, they have all stated that they will carry some stock. RadioShack, BestBuy, Sam’s club, and Target are all good retail alternatives. If you plan on getting your iPhone 4S today or already pre-ordered yours, let us know how long it took you to get it and what your initial thoughts are on the device.

• Sprint starts taking pre-orders for the iPhone 4
• All iPhone models (4S, 4 and 3GS) will be available at Best Buy
• Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders have started in the US and Canada, unlocked or with contract
• iPhone 4S on its way to C Spire (Cellular South)
• Sprint will offer unlimited data for the iPhone