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In an interview curiously timed just ahead of Samsung’s Galaxy S IV shindig tomorrow, Apple senior VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller took time out to tell the Wall Street Journal exactly where he believes his company’s product outpaces its Android competition. There’s no mention of the Korean company or its flagship product by name, but he took care aim at a frequent target of Android foes: fragmentation.

Android is often given a free replacement for a feature phone and the experience isn’t as good as an iPhone. When you take an Android device out of the box, you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with…They don’t work seamlessly together

According to the WSJ, he also shared company data indicating four times as many customers had switched to iPhone from Android during Q4 as the reverse. We’d be interested in seeing what those numbers look like in the quarter of the next Galaxy’s release just to follow up, but owners of either product can find more (predictable) talking points at the source link.

Update: Had enough? Apparently Phil hasn’t, continuing his media tour to Reuters — did he lose our number? — rattling the fragmentation saber again, and this time pointing it squarely at rival Samsung. Citing Google’s own Android Dashboard data, he pointed out that only 16 percent of users are on Jelly Bean despite it being out for a year. Also called on the carpet is the Galaxy S IV ahead of its launch, as he said customers will wait for an update yet again after it ships with last year’s software. Your move, Samsung.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Wall Street Journal, Reuters

Well, hello there, the worst-kept secret in tech. Apple’s iPad mini is the company’s newest device, a 7.9-inch tablet that’s designed to go toe-to-toe with Google’s Nexus 7. For now, it’ll sit alongside the iPad 2 and fourth-generation iPad, and as it packs the same 1,024 x 768 display as the second-generation slate, apps will carry across without any resizing. While Phil Schiller didn’t mention Google or the Nexus 7 by name, the rival slate (and Google’s app library) was compared to the newest iOS device. On stage, he claimed that the screen, which is .9-inch larger than the Nexus 7, gives the iPad mini 35 percent more display area than Google and ASUS’ collaboration.

On the hardware size, the 7.2mm thick, .68 pounds device has been manufactured with an “all new” process that gives it the same anodized edges as you’ll find on the iPhone 5. If you were hoping for equal specifications to the big-daddy iPad, you may be mildly disappointed. While it will pack a 5-megapixel camera and an LTE modem (if you opt to buy a cellular model), it’s running the last-generation A5 CPU. However, the slower internals and less potent display may account for how the company has been able to squeeze out a claimed 10 hours of use despite the constrained space for a battery. Pre-orders for the $329, 16GB WiFi-only model begin on Friday (October 26th) and will begin shipping on November 2nd. The cellular-equipped models will begin shipping a few weeks afterward on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, with the 16GB base model costing $459, running all the way to $659 for the 64GB unit.

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Continue reading Apple announces 7.9-inch iPad mini with a 1,024 x 768 display, A5 CPU and optional LTE for $329

Filed under: Tablets, Apple

Apple announces 7.9-inch iPad mini with a 1,024 x 768 display, A5 CPU and optional LTE for $329 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that we know much, much more about Apple’s latest iPhone, we can’t help but wonder why certain features are missing from the iPhone 5. For instance, near-field communication — standard in many iPhone competitors — is notably absent. This seems especially odd considering iOS 6’s Passbook feature, which acts like a virtual wallet for gift cards, boarding passes, and other such things, would be a perfect fit for NFC technology. “Passbook does the kinds of things customers need today,” Apple senior VP Phil Schiller told All Things D.

Schiller also explained the reason for the iPhone 5’s new “Lightning” port, which allows for faster data transfer between phone and computer, but also requires an adapter ($29) for use with Apple’s previous wire standard. Apparently Apple’s future lineup would be impossible without the new connecter, according to Schiller. He attempted to assuage concerned consumers with one hopeful promise: “This is the new connector for many years to come.”

And finally, when pressed on wireless charging — a main feature of Nokia’s flagship Windows Phone 8 device, the Lumia 920 — Schiller said such a feature offers little to consumers beyond confusion. “Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated,” he said. As per usual, the iPhone 5 will charge via USB — using the new dock connector, of course. But surely, turning a bunch of cables into just one giant wireless charging plate aligns well with Apple’s simplicity design, right?

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Apple’s Phil Schiller explains new ‘Lightning’ port, doesn’t think much of NFC and wireless charging originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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