Yahoo's free phone offer snubs RIM's BlackBerry
This story originally appeared on CBSNews.com's sister site, CNET.com.
Research In Motion is getting no respect from Marissa Mayer.
Yahoo's new CEO informed employees yesterday that they would be getting the new smartphone of their choice from Apple, Samsung, Nokia, or HTC. Through the program, Yahoos will have access to the industry's newest and hottest phones, including the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3, HTC Evo 4G LTE, and Nokia Lumia 920.
In addition to purchasing the phones, Yahoo will also pay employees' voice and data bills.
But what they won't pay for is a BlackBerry. Once the de rigueur instrument of business communications, RIM's smartphone was left off the list.
Apple: No free 30-pin adapter for iPhone 5 buyers
Apple's Lightning to 30-pin adapter.
/ AppleiPhone 5 buyers won't be getting a Lightning to 30-pin adapter on the house after all.
Reports that the new phone would come with the adapter surfaced today after some of Apple's online stores listed it as packaged with the iPhone 5.
The information on Apple's U.K. iPhone 5 order page specifically said that "your phone includes a Lightning to 30-pin Adapter for connecting 30-pin accessories to devices featuring the Lightning connector."
But it seems Apple committed a bit of a gaffe here. Customers who called or chatted with Apple reps about the adapter eventually learned that the information was wrong.
The company has since removed all references to the free adapter from the pages in question. An Apple sales rep confirmed to me by phone that the adapter is not included with the iPhone 5.
Continue »
iPhone sales surge, pushing back delivery dates
NEW YORK (AP) - Delivery times have climbed quickly as Apple takes orders for the iPhone 5, suggesting strong demand.
Apple Inc. began taking orders for the phone at 12 a.m. Pacific time Friday, promising delivery by next Friday, when the new phone also goes on sale in stores.
Four hours later, the expected delivery time had grown to two weeks, according to Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White.
White said the quick rise in the expected delivery time suggests much stronger demand than Apple expected. Last year, one-week delivery of the iPhone 4S was available into the afternoon of the first order day.
"Clearly, iPhone 5 fever is in full swing," White said.
AT&T and Sprint are still promising delivery by next Friday, while Verizon Wireless is promising delivery on Sept. 26.
Google reportedly forces Acer to drop competing OS
Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET
Google is allegedly playing hardball with its Android partners.
The company forced Acer to drop its support of Alibaba's new mobile operating system, Aliyun, threatening to pull its Android-related cooperation and support if Acer didn't, according to a report from the Dow Jones Newswires.
Acer was originally scheduled to hold a press conference today to show off a smartphone running on Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba's Aliyun platform, but it cancelled the event. Acer told Dow Jones that it will continue to talk with Google and hopes to still use Aliyun.
Related stories
Alibaba told CNET that Acer was notified by Google that it would cease their partnership if Acer supported Aliyun.
Continue »
iPhone 5 sales exhaust initial supply
Apple's online store in France handled iPhone 5 orders with no trouble, but not all e-commerce sites handled the load so gracefully.
/ Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET(CNET) The iPhone 5 hiccuped onto the market today, taking down several online stores and quickly selling out the first supply of Apple's new smartphone.
Initial stock from Apple for release day delivery sold out in less than an hour. Those looking to purchase the phone just after 1 a.m. PT discovered new orders from Apple's online site had estimated shipping times of "2 weeks" instead of the original "delivers by" September 21 message.
How far back can Apple push it? In the case of the iPhone 4S last year, Apple extended delivery of new orders out to three to four weeks after the launch. Some buyers ended up canceling online orders and waiting in line at retail stores instead.
Continue »
TaskRabbit: Sell ya a spot in iPhone 5 line
Enterprising line-goers in San Francisco trying to sell spots further up to people near the back at the iPhone 4S launch last October.
iPhone 4S goes on sale (live blog)
That won't stop people from lining up though, and one company is already gearing up for that with a way to buy a spot in line to secure one of the phones on day one.
Continue »
Apple iPhone 5: A technological evolution
(CBS News) There's no denying that Apple's iPhone was a game-changing device. Six updates later, fans still anxiously await news of what the phone features.
Apple iPhone 5 pre-orders start Sept. 14 after midnight
Apple's new iPhone 5, iPod devices
"I have been looking forward to this for two and a half years," Steve Jobs, the late co-founder of Apple, said to a captive audience. "Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone." Jobs unveiled the first iPhone at the Macworld Conference in San Francisco on January 9, 2007.
Continue »
Apple iPhone 5 pre-orders start Sept. 14 after midnight
Apple
(CBS News) Apple fans mark your calendars! Pre-orders for the iPhone 5 will start at 12:01 a.m. PT on Sept. 14.
Orders can be placed at the Apple Store online. The iPhone 5 will be available in stores on Sept. 21 in nice countries, including the U.S, Canada, U.K. France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Additional countries will see the iPhone 5 on Sept. 28.
Continue »
Nintendo says Wii U will launch on Nov. 18
Reggie Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, discusses the upcoming Wii U gaming console, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012 in New York. The gaming console will start at $300 and go on sale in the U.S. on Nov. 18, in time for the holidays, the company said Thursday.
/ AP Photo/Mark LennihanA "deluxe" version will sell for $350. It will be black instead of white and include extra features such as more memory, a charging stand and the game "Nintendo Land."
Nintendo Co. has been trying to drum up excitement for the Wii U, which is the first major gaming console to launch since 2006.
Continue »
iPhone 5: The good, the bad, the oh...shiny
Apple's new iPhone 5.
/ Apple(CBS News) Apple announced details of the iPhone 5 Wednesday at a press event in San Francisco. First impressions of the device are mixed, leaving many wondering if Apple has lost its magic.
The iPhone 5 is taller, thinner, lighter and faster than its predecessor. So why do the critics seem indifferent? Most agree that the technology is impressive, but the wow factor is missing.
"There is nothing not to like about the phone. It's aces. Just aces," says Wired's Mat Honan. "And yet it is also so, so cruelly boring."
Continue »
Apple announces iPod nano, touch, EarPods
CNET/James Martin
(CBS News) Apple announced a new line of iPods Wednesday at a press event in San Francisco.
Apple's iPod nano features a larger 2.5-inch screen, FM tuner with pause, Bluetooth connectivity and seven colors: purple, green, blue, yellow, red, black and silver.
The iPod touch is the thinnest and lightest yet, weighing 88 grams. The display size is 4-inches, like the iPhone 5 and features an A5 chip, 5 megapixel camera with backside illumination, hybrid IR filter, five-element lens, f/2.4 aperture, autofocus and Sapphire crystal.
Continue »
Apple iPhone 5 announcement, what else we learned
CNET/James Martin
(CBS News) Apple announced the iPhone 5 Wednesday at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. The new phone includes several hardware upgrades and some key software updates.
The iPhone 5 features a larger 4-inch screen, 8 megapixel camera, 1080p video recording, a 720p front-facing camera, panoramic photos and a new dock connector called Lightening.
The software demonstration reiterated features debuted at Apple's Worldwide Developer's conference, where the tech giant announced iOS 6. The biggest updates to the software is the debut of Apple maps, which features turn-by-turn navigation and 3D.
Continue »
Apple announces iPhone 5: larger, faster, 4G LTE
CNET/James Martin
(CBS News) Apple announced the iPhone 5 Wednesday at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. Rumors leading up to the highly anticipated smartphone were at fever pitch.
Apple iPhone 5 announcement, what else we learned
Pictures: Apple's new iPhone 5, iPod devices
CNET: Apple anounces new iPhone
CNET: Complete coverage of Apple event
Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook started off the event saying, "We've got some really cool stuff to show you." Cook continued by giving updates on Apple Stores, MacBooks, OS X Mountain Lion and iPads.
Continue »
Apple accidentally outs iPhone 5 name, new iPod Touch, Nano
Search results for 'iPhone 5' on Apple's website
/ Screenshot by Zack Whittaker/CNET(CNET) Apple's next-generation smartphone will be called the iPhone 5, according to an inactive link accidentally posted on the company's own Web site hours before the highly anticipated device is expected to be announced in San Francisco.
Tune in Wednesday starting at 9 a.m. PT for our Apple iPhone event live blog.
By searching Apple's Web site for the term "iPhone 5," the search results yield a listing to a press release primed for later today. In the address listing, it says: "Apple-Introduces-iPhone-5," giving a fairly clear indication of what the forthcoming device will be called, 9to5Mac reported earlier today.
Continue »
Foxconn faces allegations of forced student labor
Getty Images
(CBS News) Questions over labor violations at Foxconn have resurfaced. This time, the manufacturing plant is under fire over allegations that it forced interns to work on assembly lines to build iPhones, by telling the students they would not graduate school if they did not work.
According to a New York Times report, students are allegedly being forced by teachers to work in factories in order to address staffing issues.
iPad manufacturer Foxconn under fire again, Apple responds
Apple cares about every worker in its supply chain, says Tim Cook
