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iPhone 5c

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Announced alongside the iPhone 5s in September 2013, the iPhone 5c ($0 on contract from the Apple Store) is currently Apple’s entry-level iPhone. Made with a plastic rear shell and a glass face, it is effectively a repackaging of the iPhone 5, seemingly designed to create differentiation with the highly similar-looking iPhone 5s.

The iPhone 5c continues to use the A6 chip, 8 megapixel camera, and 4-inch Retina display found in the iPhone 5, but modestly improves the front-facing FaceTime HD camera, adds support for more LTE bands, and increases the color choices from two to five. Apple chose a basic white, as well as somewhat faded green, blue, pink, and yellow tones. Every version has a black front.

One thing that the iPhone 5c’s new shell offers is durability: the glossy plastic rear shell is not as easy to accidentally scuff or shatter as the metal and glass iPhone 5 it replaces. On the other hand, Apple only offers it now in an 8GB capacity, which is too little space to store apps, music, and video at the same time. As it’s currently sold, the iPhone 5c is designed to be a very basic phone for first-time iPhone users, as well as something to get people in the doors to choose something better. We wouldn’t recommend it over any other current-generation iPhone unless you only plan to use it for communications, very small apps, and video streaming — not storage.

An Apple Pencil for iPad Air 2, iPad mini and iPhone: Adonit launches new $79 Pixel stylus as worthy competitor to Apple Pencil

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Update: Adonis Pixel is now on sale for $69.99.

The stylus market was shaken up last fall with Apple’s first-party entrance into the race with the Apple Pencil, which works in concert with special sensors in the iPad Pro display for pixel-accurate recognition. This left third-party stylus accessory manufacturers in a quandary — how can they compete with the officially-endorsed Apple Pencil?

The Pixel stylus is the answer from Adonit, on sale today for $79.99. Not only is Adonit’s stylus $20 cheaper than Apple’s, it has a huge advantage in terms of iOS device compatibility. It’s the closest you’ll get to an Apple Pencil for an iPhone, or an Apple Pencil for iPad that isn’t a Pro model.


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Report: FBI actually paid less than $1 million for tool to unlock San Bernardino iPhone

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FBI via iDB

In a new report, Reuters this evening is claiming that the FBI paid less than $1 million for the tool it used to unlock the San Bernardino gunman’s iPhone 5c. Apple, of course, denied to create a tool to do so, so the FBI went through a third-party to gain access. The report, citing “several U.S. government sources,” further claims that the technique can be used on any iPhone 5c running iOS 9.


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Microsoft releases Word Flow keyboard for iPhone with one-handed mode, custom backgrounds

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Microsoft is bringing its predictive Windows Phone keyboard, called Word Flow, to the iPhone. The third-party keyboard is now available for free in the US App Store. The keyboard features traditional keycap input as well as the popular swiping-between-letters gesture input method popularized by Swype.


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Report: While no new data was found on the San Bernardino iPhone, it still helped the FBI

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CNN today reports that while the FBI did not find anything new on the San Bernardino iPhone 5c that it unlocked without Apple’s help, it has “produced data the FBI didn’t have before.” Essentially, not finding anything new on the device is what the FBI needed to know in order to answer some of its remaining questions regarding the case.


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Report: Senate members being briefed by FBI on method used to unlock San Bernardino iPhone 5c

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Just over a week ago, the FBI revealed that it had successfully unlocked the iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino gunmen without the help of Apple. To this day, the FBI has not publicly disclosed the method it used to gain access, and it’s unclear if it ever will. The National Journal, however, reports today that the FBI has been briefing members of the Senate on how it was able to gain access to the locked iPhone.


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Opinion: Why the FBI accessing the San Bernardino iPhone doesn’t mean it’s all over

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See italicised updates below, with statements from both the Department of Justice and Apple.

The battle between the FBI and Apple over accessing a work phone used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists started as headline news and ended in a rather anti-climactic fashion.

The high-profile congressional hearing was due to be followed by a big showdown in court. Instead, the FBI asked that the hearing be vacated, and later quietly announced that it had, with help, managed to gain access to the phone. Nothing to see here, move along.

But while this particular case may be settled, it’s extremely unlikely that this will be the end of the matter – for two reasons …


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Apple posts three exclusive ‘environmental’ iPhone and iPad wallpapers on its website

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As part of Apple’s Renew program, where the company is encouraging people to recycle their old devices to help the environment, Apple has posted some exclusive environmental wallpaper to download on its website. The URL (apple.com/thanks) is given out on cards in Apple Stores to people who recycle their old device in store, as a small gesture of appreciation.

However, the URL is open to anyone to visit and download some cute, exclusive, iOS 9 wallpaper that isn’t included in the default list of iOS wallpaper …


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DOJ asks that hearing w/ Apple be vacated, says it found ‘possible method’ to unlock iPhone

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Apple Unveils New iPad Models

Update #2: Apple has responded to the latest filing from the Department of Justice saying that if the government is unable to succeed in unlocking the device on its own, Apple will demand to know everything about the method by which it tried.

Update: The judge has granted the DOJ’s motion to vacate the hearing.

Apple was set to face off against the FBI in court tomorrow regarding its refusal to unlock the iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino gunmen. Now, however, the government has moved to vacate tomorrow’s hearing, saying that it has found an outside method with which to unlock the iPhone.


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Apple Store goes down ahead of iPhone SE + more announcements later today

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On schedule, the Apple Online Store has gone down ahead of the media event later today. The website reads ‘We can’t wait to show you what we have in store’.

At 10 AM PT in Cupertino, Apple will hold its March press event. The company is expected to announce a new 4 inch iPhone, dubbed the iPhone SE, as well as a 9.7 inch iPad Pro and updates to its Apple Watch line.


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Over 40 companies to back Apple in court battle over iPhone encryption backdoors, rival Samsung remains undecided

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Apple and the FBI are set to start its court battle for the San Bernardino case in a couple of weeks, March 22nd. In support for Apple’s position, over 40 companies, organizations and individuals will file amicus briefs later today to rally against the government order for Apple to compromise its own iPhone security measures. Facebook, Google, Dropbox, Microsoft, Snapchat and more will sign on to briefs in the case, according to sources.

Via The New York Times, support was not immediate. Company execs were initially worried about the consequences on the industry if Apple lost out to the FBI. Bloomberg reports Samsung supports the idea of encryption but will not commit to file an amicus brief for its smartphone rival, the Samsung statement said it remains undecided on its court position …


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Apple/FBI: Tim Cook sends memo to employees, wants government to drop All Writs Act demands, posts customer FAQ

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Obtained via Buzzfeed, Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent a memo this morning to employees reaffirming its position against the government in the Apple/FBI iPhone backdoor case. He thanks Apple employees and feedback from customers for their public support and says that whilst Apple has no sympathy for terrorists, the data security of hundreds of millions of law-abiding citizens is threatened by the government order.

Apple wants the government to withdraw its demands justified by the All Writs Act and encourages an open discussion between law enforcement, technology and privacy experts on privacy issues. In addition, Apple has posted an expanded question and answers page as a followup to Tim Cook’s original open letter to better inform the public of the situation.

In the memo, Cook openly notes that it does not feel right to be fighting against the government when defending constitutional liberties and freedoms.

Apple is a uniquely American company. It does not feel right to be on the opposite side of the government in a case centering on the freedoms and liberties that government is meant to protect.


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Report: Apple to get more time to formally respond to government’s request for access to locked iPhone

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Bloomberg reports this evening that Apple is getting an extension on its Tuesday deadline to make a decision and respond to the court order asking them to aid the government in retrieving data off of an iPhone 5c used by one of the gunmen involved in the fatal San Bernardino shootings last December. Apple now has until February 26th to respond to the request in court.


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Apple publishes letter responding to FBI iPhone unlock demand: ‘an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers’

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Apple has just posted an open letter in response to the FBI unlock request for iPhone data in a San Bernardino court case, signed by Tim Cook. Apple says that the FBI court order is an unprecedented step which threatens the security of its customers. With ‘implications far beyond the legal case at hand’ at stake, Apple has posted its public response to start communication with regard to this issue.

Apple says it has complied with valid warrants in regard to the San Bernardino case, but now the FBI has gone too far in Cook’s eyes … asking Apple to create something ‘ too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.’


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Apple stops iPhone 4s & 5c sales in India as it raises ASP with iPhone 5s

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As Apple continues to look to India as a market for extraordinary growth, it has now stopped selling the iPhone 4s and iPhone 5c in the country in an effort to raise the average selling prices of its devices and increase profits. The Economic Times reports that Apple made the decision due to its profitability and average selling price being “under strain” in India.


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U.S. judge orders Apple to help FBI access data on San Bernardino gunman’s iPhone 5c

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A United States magistrate judge in California has today directed that Apple must help the FBI break into the cell phone of the one go the men behind the fatal attacks in San Bernardino last December, NBC News reports. Last week, FBI Director James Comey complained that the government couldn’t break the encryption on the iPhone used by one of the gunmen.


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Apple officially acknowledges iPhone bricking ‘1970 date’ bug, says upcoming software update will fix

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Last week, it was discovered that setting your iOS device system date and time back to January 1st 1970 would crash your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch effectively bricking it. Setting the date back this far would prevent the iPhone or other iOS device from booting up until the battery died.

AppleCare has been flooded with people bringing in their devices after trying out this bug … Now, Apple has officially acknowledged the problem on its Apple Support website. The company says it will release an upcoming software update to prevent this issue from affecting iOS devices in the future.


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4-inch iPhone 5se & iPad Air 3 planned to go on sale March 18th

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Apple is currently on target to start selling its next iPhone and iPad models the same week that the new products are introduced in March. Apple is currently planning to introduce a new 4-inch iPhone dubbed the “iPhone 5se” and a new iPad Air at an event on Tuesday, March 15th, then put the products up for sale online and in retail stores as early as Friday, March 18th, according to sources. Apple is unlikely to offer pre-orders for the new devices, according to sources who cautioned that the plans could still change.


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Opinion: Apple’s rumored 4-inch iPhone 5se may well be worth seriously considering

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iPhone 5 one handI remarked on a recent episode of 9to5Mac’s Happy Hour podcast that the rumored 4-inch iPhone would absolutely need to take Live Photos for me to even consider giving it a serious test run. I’ve taken enough really good Live Photos — full resolution still images with brief motion and sound captured as well — on my iPhone 6s Plus that it’s one feature I wouldn’t trade.

Then on Friday we had Mark Gurman’s reporting that Apple was planning Live Photos, an iPhone 6s feature, for the expected 4-inch iPhone 5se (which likely won’t be called 6c). Today that reporting was followed up with the possibility that the iPhone 5se could have the same processor and co-processor as the iPhone 6s, albeit with fewer pixels to push with a smaller display.

Suddenly the iPhone 5se is sounding less like last year’s hardware recycled and more like a serious 4-inch phone to consider. But who is the iPhone 5se for and is it really worth considering if you’re like me and run to the latest and greatest hardware? I’m still thinking through this prospect myself, and I have a few thoughts worth considering before the device is officially unveiled …


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Apple’s iPhone continues to top Flickr’s most popular camera list in 2015

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Flickr today released their list of most popular cameras and brands used for photos shared on their site this year, and it’s no surprise that Apple’s iPhone continues to top the list. The iPhone 6 alone tops the list of most popular camera on Flickr in 2015, accounting for 5% of all photographers on the photo sharing site this year. Various models of the iPhone from 2015 and earlier still in use take 8 out of the 20 slots on the top camera list this year. In total, Apple-branded cameras made up 18.52% of ones used on the service this year.


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Latest iPhone 6c rumor repeats metal casing claims, claims launching in Jan, on sale in Feb

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A Chinese report (via GforGames) citing “Foxconn insiders” and other unnamed sources claims that the iPhone 6c, Apple’s rumored 4-inch entry-level phone to replace the 5c, is due to be announced by Apple in January and go on sale in February.

Apple may have used the term “unapologetically plastic” to describe the iPhone 5c, but the latest report about its 6c successor repeats earlier rumors that Apple will be switching to metal this time around.

There have been mixed rumors on the spec of the iPhone 6c … 
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Pixelmator for iOS 9 adds iPad split-screen multitasking, 64 megapixel image editing, more

3. Pixelmator for iPad and Multitasking

Pixelmator today released the latest version of its photo editor for iPhone and iPad, Pixelmator version 2.1. The update brings full support for iPad iOS 9 multitasking, the ability to import and edit 8K resolution images, Open-In-Place document management across iOS and more.

As part of general improvements for iOS 9, such as adoption of Apple’s new system font (San Francisco) in the UI, the primary change is the addition of the iPad multitasking support. This means Pixelmator can now be docked to the side of the screen using Slide Over. On more recent iPads, you can also pop Pixelmator into Split View for true 2-app side-by-side multitasking.


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Poll: Some users reporting sluggishness and crashes with iOS 9 — is your iPhone slower after the update?

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Along with the new features, iOS 9 promised an improvement to the ‘foundation’ of iOS with performance boosts and battery usage improvements across the system. However, as always seems to happen with new versions of iOS, not all users are satisfied. There have been many reports that iOS 9 is causing lagginess, especially on older hardware such as the iPhone 5. Some phones are getting stuck on the ‘slide to upgrade’ screen and users are frozen out of their devices completely.

Seeing as iOS 9 supports all the same devices as iOS 8, it’s quite important that the OS runs well on all iPhones and iPads, not just the recent Apple devices with the faster A7 or A8 processors.

How has the iOS 9 affected your iPhone? Is it slower than before the update … or maybe it’s actually faster? Let us know with the following poll …


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