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Apple is aggressively ramping up its iPhone 5 supply chain in order to make sure that customers looking for the smartphone can get their hands on it easily and quickly come the holidays, according to stock checks and supply analysis conducted by Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster (via Fortune).

The analyst and his team conducted nightly checks of supplies at 100 Apple Stores in the U.S., and found that stock levels have improved significantly during the past 10 days, with availability of AT&T and Verizon climbing fast, and Sprint also remaining consistent after having risen previously.

Apple also recently moved the availability of its iPhone 5 models via its online store to two weeks, a slight but significant improvement from the 2-3 weeks it has been promising since earlier in November. Based on current availability trends, Piper Jaffray estimates that Apple will have same-day stock of iPhone 5s in most stores within two weeks, Munster concludes in the note he issued to investors Wednesday.

The last few years have been tremendously successful for Apple in terms of holiday iPhone sales, culminating in banner years in 2010 and 2011 thanks to the new fall release schedule for iPhones, which used to go on sale beginning in June. For Apple to continue to capitalize on holiday shopper appetite for its latest smartphone, the company needed to address supply bottlenecks and reported issues with manufacturing partners in order to make sure that customers shopping for the iPhone 5 could find it in stores and online. Supply chain optimization is one of CEO Tim Cook’s specialties, and it seems like the efforts he and his company have taken so far will indeed help make sure everyone who wants to give an iPhone 5 as a gift this year should be able to.

Welcome to Tuesday evening everyone! Today we found out that shipping times for the iPhone 5 have gone down to two weeks, which should be good news for those who have been waiting to get their hands on one. HP announced that Autonomy’s “serious accounting improprieties” have left it with a whopping $8.8 billion bill, while afterward insiders were saying that HP never wanted to close on the Autonomy deal in the first place.

We had a lot of talk about Black Friday deals and sales today, with Apple kicking off its Black Friday festivities at midnight on November 23. Xbox Live has plenty of deals for you to take advantage of as well, while we heard that Steam will be kicking off its autumn sale tomorrow. T-Mobile strengthened its 4G network in a number of markets today, while the 2013 Nissan Leaf was revealed in Japan. A new survey is saying that kids want Apple products most for Christmas, with new rumors tipping the Galaxy S IV for a February 2013 launch.

A snazzy looking white Nexus 4 has popped up on TalkTalk, while Lenovo unveiled the new ThinkPad Carbon Touch today. The FTC may not have enough evidence to hit Google with an antitrust lawsuit, and Razer has released its new Death Adder 2013 gaming mouse. Reggie Fils-Aime is saying that the Wii U has a long way to go, while Nintendo says that more Wii U stock is on the way, with the US as a priority. Skype 3.0 has landed on Android, and today was the 27th birthday of Windows 1.0 (they grow up so fast).

RIM’s stock took a jump after an analyst predicted that BlackBerry 10 has a 20 to 30 percent chance of success, and Nokia released HERE Maps for iOS. Sony pushed update 2.0 for the PlayStation Vita out the door today, while Gearbox released Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage for Borderlands 2. Finally tonight, we’ll end with a couple of interesting stories from NASA: it turns out that the Mars Curiosity Rover has discovered something big that NASA isn’t telling us, while scientists have snapped a picture of the Super-Jupiter planet Kappa Andromedae b. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, enjoy the rest of your night everyone!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: November 20, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Those who grab the new iPhone 5 direcly from Apple’s website will have a two week wait period, the latest drop in what has been a steady decline in wait time. Previously, those who ordered were faced with an ambiguous “two to three weeks.” Before that, it was even longer, with customers having to wait three to four weeks for shipping.

This comes after repeated statements from Apple’s manufacturer Foxconn that the Chinese company was struggling to meet demands. The iPhone 5 is complex to make, says Foxconn’s CEO Terry Gou, compounding the issue with maintaining supply. Also likely contributing is increased quality control requirements that have been implemented to reduce the number of damaged devices going out.

For those who want to get their hand on the device sooner, the handset is being offered through three carriers, with some customers reporting fast ship times. Also available is Apple’s online phone pick-up reservation system. Between the hours of 10PM and 4AM, a limited quantity of iPhones can be ordered and made available for next-day pickup at the customer’s local store.

The iPhone 5 is available in White and Black varities, with a starting price of $199 depending on model and carrier. You can get service through AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. The 16GB model is priced at $199 with contract, the 32GB model is priced at $299 with contract, and the 64GB model is priced at $399 with contract.

[via CNET]

iPhone 5 shipping time down to two weeks is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Those of you waiting for the return of the official Google-powered mapping in app form to iOS for your iPhone and iPad may not have long now with a report saying they’re putting the “finishing touches” on the software. This report comes from the Wall Street Journal where they’ve got an anonymous source inside Google noting the near-complete build status. This person with “direct knowledge” of the innards of Google’s Maps segment notes that they’re note entirely certain that Apple will approve of the app once it’s ready for action – but we can’t imagine such a situation, in all fairness.

What we’ll quite likely see in a release of Google Maps in app form for the iPhone and iPad is a standard approach not unlike what Android users currently use. Included will more than likely be turn-by-turn navigation and spoken-aloud commands between the user and the device. Don’t expect Siri to be immediately joyful about working with the app, of course, as Apple’s own Maps app is now the product of choice for the iOS platform.

Meanwhile Google continues to update their browser-based mobile version of Google Maps, that being available right this minute for all iOS device. That version of Google Maps has been available for some time with a specifically tuned set of controls and user interface made for touchscreen devices of all sizes. Google has given no real official confirmation on when they’ll release a Google Maps app for iOS.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see more information surrounding Apple Maps and the Google Maps comeback to iOS. This release is long-awaited mainly because iOS devices had been working with Google Maps technology since they were originally released, and here with the newest versions of the devices and the mobile operating system, Apple has come forth with their own Maps solution. This new maps solution was widely panned upon release, this prompting Apple to apologize and suggest that people work with 3rd party apps until Apple Maps was up to snuff.

Google Maps for iPhone and iPad near “finishing touches” is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Those looking for the light at the end of the legal tunnel may want to take a seat: Apple and Samsung’s ongoing patent war just got a bit more crowded. Both sides are fighting to add hardware to their respective patent claims. The U.S. District Court in San Jose is approving these additions too, adding the iPhone 5 to Samsung’s claims and approving the Apple’s updated complaint to include the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S III. More devices could be added, too — Judge Paul Grewal specifically warned Apple to “think twice” before opposing future amendments on Samsung’s part, which might include the iPad mini and 4th generation slate. For better or for worse, never-ending litigation and sticky sales injunctions seem to becoming an unfortunate mainstay of the modern product cycle. We’ll let you know when the ongoing battle poses a threat to your upgrade plans.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Samsung

Court approves addition of iPhone 5, Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note to Samsung v. Apple lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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