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Apple has suffered its largest stock decline for 11 months amid waning demand for the iPhone 5.
Apple has suffered its largest stock decline for 11 months amid waning demand for the iPhone 5.
On January 14, shares of Apple decreased to below $500 for the first time since February. The stock did, however, end the day at $501.75. On January 15, though, it settled for a low of $485.92.
The Wall Street Journal recently said sources indicated that Apple reduced screen orders for the iPhone 5 by almost 50 percent due to weakened demand, as well as decreasing component orders.
Back in December, 2012, UBS analyst Steven Milunovich reduced his iPhone sales estimates for the March, June, and September 2013 quarters by 5 million units within each quarter, noting that the company is unlikely to enjoy the same success it experienced during 2012.
Following the iPad 4 and iPad Mini's launch, Apple lost $35 billion in market valuation in what turned out to be its largest share price decrease in four years. Its highest market valuation was over $700 billion, but that figure has been dropping ever since the launch of the iPhone 5.
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Nearly six years after the debut of the iPhone, mobile applications are beginning to mature. The best mobile apps of 2012 – with a few notable exceptions – are more about refined practicality rather than anything revolutionary.
So while this year’s list lacks medium-defining breakthroughs like Instagram and Shazam, it showcases new and meaningfully updated apps that simply work better than their competitors. In this age of algorithmic aggregation, we also salute titles that have a decidedly human touch.
Of course, any attempt to rank the “best” apps within any period of time will be questioned and debated. Ask 100 different people to rank their favorites, and you’ll likely get 100 different variations.
The apps we selected were either released or significantly updated between January 1 and December 21 of this year. Titles that debuted on iOS or Android in 2012 that were previously available on another platform are eligible for inclusion. All of our selections were sourced, ranked and finalized by Appolicious advisors and members of our community. In all, about a dozen members of the Appolicious editorial team offered their favorites. We also surveyed the most active and influential users of Appolicious sites and applications. We did not account for the number of app downloads or overall popularity. Our qualitative assessment is based primarily on the production value, utility and creativity baked into each cited application.
Here goes.
Google Maps (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free) While Tim Cook was a runner-up to President Obama for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2012, the app of the year comes from Apple’s primary nemesis. Google Maps was far from broken when Apple, for business reasons, elected to go with its own Map app for iOS 6. When the iPhone 5 came out, users tapping into the iOS 6 Maps app couldn’t see the Statue of Liberty. This was just one of countless Apple Maps fails. Of course, it’s easy to lambaste Apple for laying an egg here. Yet the larger point is that we take for granted the reliability, clarity, and ease of use of Google Maps. This stuff is hard. That is why we are thankful that Apple earlier this month approved a brand-new version of Google Maps for iOS 6 devices. New competition from Apple, which will inevitably improve its mapping capabilities, pushed Google to develop the best map app yet for any device.
Camera Awesome(iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free) During our mid-year check-in, we had Camera Awesome as the best new app to come out during the first half of 2012. Developer SmugMug is not resting on any laurels. Since that time, Camera Awesome became universally available on all iOS devices and is inspiring many of us to snap pics with our iPads. Camera Awesome – which is superior to the pre-installed iPhone camera and all other third-party photography apps – also integrated with Tumblr. The app’s “1-Tap Share” feature is now accessible with all major social networks.
Slices for Twitter (iPhone, iPod touch $4.99 Android free) From reading commentary during live news and sporting events, to sharing information about public transportation during Hurricane Sandy, to finding out what your friends are up to this weekend, Twitter in 2012 emerged as a (if not the) primary resource for real-time news and information for mainstream users. With millions of feeds to follow, however, it’s challenging for five-year veterans and newbies alike to keep this vast flow of information organized. While there are many third-party apps that help users categorize who and what they follow on Twitter, Slices is the best one for smartphones right now.
Flipboard (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free) The worldwide leader in socially curated news had a busy year after being named our favorite app of 2011. Highlights from 2012 include Flipboard’s arrival on Android devices, YouTube, and Google+ integration, as well as a picture-perfect partnership with the New York Times. I’d argue that it’s better to read all the news that’s fit to print via Flipboard than anywhere else.
Khan Academy (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free) Touchscreen devices will revolutionize education in the months and years ahead. In early 2012, Salman Khan took his library of more than 3,500 lesson-specific educational videos to iDevices. The Khan Academy app enables users to easily navigate their way through comprehensive and engaging tutorials on subjects that range from raising venture capital to the Baroque period in art history. Khan Academy also lets users view the transcripts from each lesson, and easily find and drill down on passages that are most insightful.
Songza (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free) Audio streaming services like Pandora, Slacker and Spotify are changing the ways in which we consume music. Rather than listening to albums or pre-programmed playlists, we now have access to entire “stations” on our computers and mobile devices built around our favorite artists and songs. This year, the Songza app added a human element to this kind of algorithmic-driven music curation with a major update that showcases playlists created for particular moods or times of day. Best of all, even after hundreds of hours of happy listening, I still haven’t heard an ad on the free service.
Viggle (iPhone, iPod touch, Android free) You no longer need to feel guilty about wasting the day away curled up on the couch watching television. With the Viggle iPhone app, you can get compensated from the likes of Amazon.com, Starbucks and the Gap merely for watching and checking in to many of your favorite programs. Viggle uses audio recognition technology similar to what is found in apps like IntoNow and Shazam to do much of the work for you. Just sit back and appreciate that you are getting rewarded for doing absolutely nothing.
Brewster Address Book (iPhone, iPod touch free) Keeping track of all your contacts across email, telephone numbers and social networks is challenging. Brewster is an uber contact-management tool that syncs to your iPhone’s contact list, but also Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail and Foursquare. The app has a simple and visually striking interface that showcases the images and names of your contacts as you scroll across the screen. Brewster will automatically determine your “Favorites” based on activity, and lets you easily search for contacts or create your own distinct lists.
Next Draft – The Day’s Most Fascinating News (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free) While there is nothing technologically groundbreaking about this app, which publishes daily email newsletter content from satirist and current events junkie Dave Pell, you will feel smarter and happier after you download it. There are hundreds of apps that let you filter and curate news around your particular interests, but there is only one that compiles 10 of the “Day’s Most Fascinating News” stories with Pell’s unique wit and insight.
Action Movie FX (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free) From the production company of producer J.J. Abrams (Lost, Super 8, and the latest iteration of Star Trek) comes this entertaining app, which lets users superimpose special effects into video clips they record with their iDevices. While Action Movie FX suffered from early stability issues and is not really an app you’ll need to use every day, its playful production values and Skywalker-inspired sound effects make it worthy of top billing.
Atlas by Collins (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad $6.99) The world is at your fingertips with Atlas by Collins. This robust app features satellite mapping images, physical maps, political maps with states and territories marked out, environmental maps, population statistics and even mobile technology and Internet usage maps. Atlas By Collins also features street-level viewing for any location on the map, in-depth country profiles, and 200,000 data points for cities, towns and major natural landmarks.
Crackle – Movies & TV (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free) While there were no technological breakthroughs from this Sony-developed video-streaming service in 2012, we salute Crackle for its exclusive programming. In August, Jerry Seinfeld returned to the small screen with his “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” online series that was shown exclusively on Crackle. Netflix and Hulu may be splashier, but neither could show Seinfeld riffing with Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner while eating Chicken in the Pot soup and watching Jeopardy.
Vyclone (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free) Vyclone may be the next big video-editing app thanks to its social take on video recording. When users take a video with Vyclone, the app looks for others who are shooting video nearby and then edits the video clips together so the same footage can be seen from multiple angles. Ideal for large events like sports games, events and concerts, Vyclone could create a new socially focused, video-editing standard.
Stitcher Radio (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free) Although podcasts don’t have the same pop-culture cachet as apps, the digital audio files are a godsend to talk-radio junkies and anyone who appreciates the spoken word. From past episodes of This American Life and Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! to comedy programs like The Nerdist and WTF with Marc Maron, to long-form interviews from your favorite sports commentators, there are podcasts that appeal to virtually every interest. Regrettably, the Podcasts app that Apple debuted earlier this year is buggy and – if not monitored correctly – can eat up a lot of storage. The best bet for podcast discovery on iOS and Android devices comes from the fifth-generation edition of Stitcher Radio, which rolled out earlier this year.
Highlight (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free) Highlight, which alerts you when a Facebook friend or individual with similar interests is in your vicinity, was the most successful app of its kind to emerge from South By Southwest in March. Since that time, Highlight has significantly improved with new features that let users send group messages to those nearby and comment on their friends’ profiles. The app’s notification system is also vastly improved.
Clear (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad $0.99) What separates Clear from hundreds of other task-management apps are its ease of use and beautiful design. A recent update enables the app to work alongside iCloud, so you can share task lists between your MacBook and iPhone seamlessly. Other newer features include the ability to switch lists quickly, and paste text into Clear and have it auto-format into a list.
Pocket (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free) While many were predicting the demise of Pocket with the arrival of iOS 6 and the ability to read articles offline in Safari, the app remains the best “Read it Later” alternative for all iOS and Android devices. Accessing content through the app is a pleasure. Its other features – such as changing text size, sharing through myriad services, and archiving finished content – are simple and intuitive.
Showyou (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad free) A fully operational Apple TV is at least six months away — likely longer. In the meantime, there are a handful of great video-discovery apps that can be viewed on the big screen thanks to Apple TV and AirPlay Mirroring. Showyou is the best. This year, Showyou completely revamped its iPhone application, making it easy to locate videos shared by Facebook and Twitter contacts, as well as via search and a curated directory. What separates Showyou from its competitors are clever in-app messaging features and a vibrant community.
Paper by FiftyThree (iPad free) Doodlers and more serious artists alike can embrace this beautifully designed iPad application, also named by Apple as one of the best of 2012. Created by the Microsoft team that brought us Courier, Paper cleverly labels drawing tools by utility (“sketch”) rather than their actual name (“pencil”). There is a lot here that can be enjoyed for free, with extra tools on sale within the app.
Zinio (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android free) Although Zinio first appeared on iOS devices in 2009, the digital magazine application is more recently pioneering how consumers purchase advertised and editorially curated products on touchscreen devices. A partnership with ShopAdvisor lets readers purchase and learn more about products they are interested in without leaving the page they are reading. Zinio has a roster of more than 5,500 publications that can be read seamlessly across any mobile and desktop device worth owning.
Like other sites, we’ve been getting a lot of tips this evening that Wi-Fi in iOS 6 is acting up. Several of our readers have informed us that their Wi-Fi quit working after attempting to connect to a faulty Apple page shortly after updating to the latest version of iOS.
Don’t worry, the problem has been pinpointed. As explained by developer Steve Streza, iOS devices are programmed to ping a test URL upon connecting to a Wi-Fi network to see if it’s protected by a “captive portal.” And that test page has been down all afternoon…
“When an Apple iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod) connects to a WiFi network, the first thing it does is make a request to the URL http://www.apple.com/library/test/success.html.
The purpose of this request is to discover if there is a “captive portal” in the way. A captive portal is when, after connecting to the WiFi, any web request you makes gets redirected to a login/ToS page. In order to continue, you must either login with a username/password (or sign up, then login), and/or access the Terms of Service.”
Anyway, it sounds like Apple was able to correct this issue on their end, so no update will be necessary. But if you’re still having Wi-Fi problems, you can try the following:
Toggle your Wi-Fi off and on – Settings app > Wi-Fi OR
Set your device’s HTTP Proxy to Auto – Settings app > Wi-Fi > Blue icon next to the network you’re connecting to > Scroll to the bottom
One of these methods should cure your iOS 6 Wi-Fi troubles. If not, be sure to let us know in the comments below.
If for one reason or another you want to copy your iPhone contacts from your phone to your SIM card, you’re pretty much screwed because Apple doesn’t let you do that easily.
When there’s a will, there’s a jailbreak app! It’s called SIManager and it will help you move your contacts from iPhone to SIM.
SIManager is available on Cydia for free from the iSpazio repo. Simply download the app and launch it to get started…
To import your contacts from your iPhone to your SIM card, hit the little settings icon at the bottom, then hit “Copy iPhone to SIM”. All the contacts you have on your iPhone will be backed up to your SIM card.
Now if you want to move these contacts that are on your SIM to your iPhone, go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Import SIM Contacts. All the contacts that are on your SIM card will be transferred to your iPhone.
The iPhone 5 features a new 4-inch display, 4G LTE data speeds, and a new battery that Apple claims lasts longer than the iPhone 4S despite the larger display and the 4G LTE capabilities. And while iPhone 5 battery life reviews have been mostly positive, there are always ways to improve battery life with the iPhone and we wanted to share some tips about how to get better battery life with the iPhone 5.
The company claimed that the iPhone 5 gets better battery life than the iPhone 4S in its iPhone 5 announcement and initial tests reveal that it gets about the same, if not a little better mileage than the iPhone 4S.
Users are seeing anywhere from 8 to 12 hours of usage with the iPhone 5 and that’s downright impressive for Apple’s first attempt at an 4G LTE smartphone.
We show you how to get more out of your iPhone 5 battery.
And while impressive, there are some things that users can do to help improve the battery life on the iPhone 5. They might not add an extra five hours, but they should help to add some extra minutes, something that is often crucial while on-the-go.
Here are a few tips for improving the battery life on the iPhone 5.
Turn Off Wi-Fi/4G LTE
One of the ways I used to conserve battery life on my iPhone 3GS was by turning off the Wi-FI when I was out and about. This way, the phone wasn’t trying to connect to Wi-Fi networks I wasn’t going to use. With the iPhone 5, users will not only want to turn off Wi-Fi when not using it, but 4G LTE as well.
By turning both of these off when you need them, you’ll be saving yourself some extra battery life.
Fortunately, turning both of these off is quick and easy. For Wi-Fi, head into Settings and at top, you’ll want to click your Wi-Fi network. You’ll be taken to a new menu where you can toggled Wi-Fi On or Off. Switch it to Off.
Toggling off 4G LTE and Wi-Fi will help preserve battery life on the iPhone 5.
To turn off 4G LTE data speeds, head into Settings, then General. Once there, tap Cellular. There, you will see an option for Enable 4G LTE which has a toggle. Toggle it to Off.
Turn Down Screen Brightness
One simple trick that could save you quite a bit of iPhone 5 battery life is turning down the screen brightness. The screen eats up a lot of juice and by toning it down a bit, the strain on the iPhone 5′s battery will ease a bit.
This is simple as well. Go into the Settings on your iPhone 5. From there, you’ll see an option that reads Brightness & Wallpaper. Tap that option and you’ll be taken to a screen that looks like the one below.
By default, it should be around 50% but you have the option to turn it lower or even toggle off Auto-Brightness which will keep your iPhone 5 at a constant level, perfect when you’re in an environment where there is consistent lighting.
Turn Off Location Services/Notifications
While many of the services offered in iOS are extremely useful, they can also eat up battery life when turned on. We recommend shutting down twoof these in particular if you wish to conserve battery life on your iPhone 5.
1. The first, Location Services. Location Services is the feature in iOS that uses GPS and crowd-sourced Wi-Fi to constantly determine your location. This is a particularly useful feature in the Maps application but it also is used by an assortment of other third-party apps. Turning this off could help save battery life.
To do this, first go into Settings. From there, scroll down to Privacy. Tap that and then tapLocation Services at the top. At the top of the next page is a toggle where you can flip Location Services to Off.
2. And second, it’s time to turn off Push Notifications which are the notifications that pop up on your home screen when something happens in one of your apps. For instance, when someone posts something on Facebook.
Go to Settings, then Notifications. You’ll then see a long list of applications to choose from. From here, you can either turn of Do Not Disturb which will disable all Notifications or you can manually turn the ones you don’t care about off when tapping on their name. Personally, I disable just about every single one.
You also might want to think about taking the Stocks and Weather widgets out of Notification Center. To do that, simply click on the appropriate one and toggle Notification Center to Off.
Switch Email to Manual
Another trick I have used in the past is to switch my Mail to manual. What I mean by that is, by default, your iPhone 5 will be fetching new data aka checking for new email automatically. This used to eat up battery on my iPhone so I turned it off, set it to manual and got great results.
To do this, go to Settings. Then, head to Mail, Contacts, Calenders. Scroll down and tap on Fetch New Data. There, you have the option of turning off Push completely if you want but I recommend scrolling down and tapping on Manually.
What this means is that you’ll now have to manually check for email. Fortunately, Apple just made this simple. In iOS 6, you no longer have to tap to refresh email. You just have to pull down and it will check for new mail. A fantastic trade-off for a little more juice.
Restart the iPhone 5
A simple trick to get better battery life is just to restart your iPhone 5 once in awhile to flush its system. If you’re like me, you’ll often leave your device on for weeks maybe even months at a time without restarting it. Just by holding down the power button and turning it off, you may be able to gain back some precious battery life.
Simply hold the power button and Slide to Power Off when it asks you to.
Reset All Settings
Something else to try in order to improve iPhone 5 battery life is resetting all of your settings. This will turn back the clock on your settings without deleting the apps and data found on the iPhone 5.
Reset all settings to get fix battery life issues on the iPhone 5.
To do this, head to Settings. Then, tap on General. Next, scroll to the bottom and tap on Reset. Tap on Reset All Settings. If you’re prompted, enter your Passcode. Wait for the reset to finish then use your phone until it gets down to 0% then shuts off.
Then, plug in your iPhone 5 until it charges to 100%. This should help to solve any battery life issues you’ve been having.
Airplane Mode
Airplane Mode isn’t just useful for when you’re on a flight. It can also be used to save precious battery. By putting your iPhone 5 into Airplane Mode, it will disable all data/cellular related services. That means no data, no phone calls, no texts. This makes it perfect for battery life emergencies.
To turn on Airplane Mode, head into Settings and toggle Airplane Mode to On.
Last Ditch Effort – Restore
If none of these work, there is a last ditch effort that iPhone 5 owners can perform in order to try and resolve battery life issues. Again, this should only be attempted if nothing else has improved your battery life and you’re not getting what you want.
First, you’ll want to make a backup of your iPhone 5 so you don’t have to reinstall all of your applications or move all of your files.
The backup process begins after you plug your device into a computer. If it doesn’t happen automatically, you can force a backup to occur.
Simply go into iTunes, right click on your device, and select Back Up. I recently did this with my iPhone and while it takes a bit of time, it’s going to be necessary for what you do next.
Make sure your device is still plugged in. Then, through iTunes, click your device on the left-hand menu which should being up a screen that looks like the one below.
Click Restore. This will transform your phone into the iPhone 5 it was when it first arrived. No files, no apps, nothing.
Once that is done, you will again want to right click your device in iTunes and you’ll want to selectRestore from Back Up. This should restore your iPhone 5 to the way it was before, apps and all, but with better battery life.
It can be updated directly by the OS vendor, so no need to wait until the manufacturer or network provider releases an update
A tad more apps available
750,000
vs
700,000
8% more apps available
CONNECTIVITY
Sizably faster downloads
100 MBits/s
vs
42 MBits/s
2.4x faster downloads
CAMERA
Has manual iso
Yes
vs
No
This allows to manually set the ISO level.
Has AF tracking
Yes
vs
No
With AF tracking, once you choose the subject and press the shutter release part way down, as the subject moves, the autofocus will follow it. No more out of focus shots.
Has a dedicated camera button
Yes
vs
No
A dedicated camera button lets you taking snapshots more easily
Has continuous autofocus when recording movies
Yes
vs
No
When recording movies they stay focussed and sharp.
Has a CMOS sensor
Yes
vs
No
The CMOS sensor captures the image. Most devices have CCD sensors but some have CMOS sensors which is produced by a CMOS process and has emerged as an alternative to charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensors leading to better image quality.
Has manual white balance
Yes
vs
No
This allows to manually set the white balance.
PHYSICAL
Significantly shorter
123.8 mm
vs
151.1 mm
27.3 mm shorter
Significantly lighter
112 g
vs
183 g
71 g lighter
Appreciably less body volume
55.1 cm³
vs
114.3 cm³
2.1x less body volume
Notably narrower
58.6 mm
vs
80.5 mm
21.9 mm narrower
Much thinner
7.6 mm
vs
9.4 mm
1.8 mm thinner
DISPLAY
Higher pixel density
326 ppi
vs
267 ppi
23% higher pixel density
Two pixels share one subpixel
No
vs
Yes
On some displays, especially AMOLED, two pixel share one subpixel like green; screens w/o sharing are crisper
RECORDING
Somewhat more microphone(s)
3
vs
2
1 more microphone(s). More microphones result in better sound quality and enable the device to filter out background noise.
19 Reasons for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2
CPU
Significantly faster CPU clock speed
4x 1.6 GHz
vs
2x 1.2 GHz
2.7x faster CPU clock speed
CONNECTIVITY
Has a radio
Yes
vs
No
It works as an FM radio with included headsets
Has a MicroSD slot
Yes
vs
No
Internal Storage can be extended with MicroSD cards
Has NFC
Yes
vs
No
Near-field-communication (NFC) allows wireless transactions like payments
Has USB mass storage support
Yes
vs
No
It can transfer files, music, photos via USB, no need to install additional software
Has DLNA
Yes
vs
No
It can stream videos and movies to other devices over-the-air, using the standard DLNA protocol.
MEMORY
Much more RAM memory
2 GB
vs
1 GB
1 GB more RAM memory
CAMERA
Measurably more megapixel (photo, front camera)
1.9
vs
1.2
1.6x more megapixel (photo, front camera)
POWER
Substantially more battery power
3,100 mAh
vs
1,440 mAh
2.2x more battery power
Can be charged via standard USB cable
Yes
vs
No
It can be charged with a standard USB cable with your computer or with USB power supplies
Has a removable battery
Yes
vs
No
The battery is removable and can be replaced by the user if broken
DISPLAY
Considerably higher resolution
720 x 1280 px
vs
640 x 1136 px
27% higher resolution
Has a Corning® Gorilla® Glass display
Yes
vs
No
Special glass that is durable enough to resist many real-world events that commonly cause glass failure
Plenty bigger screen size
5.5"
vs
4"
37.5% bigger screen size. The bigger the screen size is, the better the user experience.
OS
The browser has word wrap
Yes
vs
No
The web browser has automatic word wrap when zooming, the user can easily read long lines without scrolling horizontally.
Plays Adobe Flash
Yes
vs
No
Adobe Flash with Video and Sound is supported in the device's browser
PHYSICAL
Distinctly lower SAR for head (USA)
0.23 W/kg
vs
1.18 W/kg
0.95 W/kg lower SAR for head (USA). SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) describes how much radio frequency energy emitted by the device will be absorbed by your body. The rate is measured at head level. The legal limit is 1.6 W/kg in the USA.
Clearly lower SAR for head (EU)
0.17 W/kg
vs
0.95 W/kg
0.78 W/kg lower SAR for head (EU). SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) describes how much radio frequency energy emitted by the device will be absorbed by your body. The rate is measured at head level. The legal limit is 2.0 W/kg in the EU.
Significantly lower SAR for body (USA)
0.95 W/kg
vs
1.18 W/kg
0.23 W/kg lower SAR for body (USA). SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) describes how much radio frequency energy emitted by the device will be absorbed by your body. The rate is measured at hip level. The legal limit is 1.6 W/kg in the USA.
