Apple iPhone 5c Dock Unboxing

Every iPhone needs its own dock, that’s Apple’s mandate and the newly launched iPhone 5c is no exception. But there are a couple of reasons why there’s a new dock for the iPhone 5c, which is seemingly just a plastic shell with the same internals as the 5. Well, technically yes and I have answered the question right there. It’s a new plastic shell and with difference in build comes difference in thickness and weight. But the thickness is more of the concern here. While you might be able to use the iPhone 5′s dock for the 5S, it is impossible to do so for the 5c, and hence why we picked one up from Hong Kong for our blue iPhone 5c. Take a look at the unboxing and hands on video here -

The dock works as you’d expect. It has a lightning connector to connect your iPhone to. The iPhone 5c slides in without any problem, but unlike some docks, this one doesn’t support different “seats” for using with a case. Apparently, Apple still thinks people use iPhones without a case, even after releasing its own official cases. Oh well.

A snuggle-y fit -

The bottom of the dock is made of a rubber grip. It’s virtually identical to the iPhone 5′s dock except for the variations in size.

The back of the dock has the 3.5mm jack and the lightning connector. It is advisable to use this dock with a Mac instead of connecting it directly to a wall socket, for the obvious advantage of syncing.

A closer look at the lightning connector of the iPhone 5c dock.

Well, that’s about it really. If you are looking to pick one up, the photos might help. 

Apple iPad Mini refreshed with a retina display, A7 64 bit processor and a $399 price tag

Along with the new iPad Air, Apple has also refreshed the “mini” version. Yes, the iPad mini has gained the much awaited retina display upgrade along with the new A7 64 bit processor that debuted on the iPhone 5s recently. Otherwise, the device is almost untouched but to be frank, the iPad mini’s retina display and the A7 are substantial upgrades to the device, and it will make it much more viable than before. This is now really just a smaller version of the iPad, the complete functions in a smaller form. It is priced at a higher $399 for the retina version while the original iPad mini now retails at a lesser $299 along with the newer version.

Here are the full specifications of the iPad mini -

• 7.9 inch Retina Display with 2048×1536 resolution
• Apple A7 64 bit processor and 1 GB RAM(?)
• 4x faster CPU and 8x faster GPU than A5
• 2x Faster WiFi plus LTE support for some variants
• 1o hour battery life
• 5 Mp iSight 1080p camera
• Starts from $399 for the 16 GB WiFi version

As you can see from the specs, the iPad mini gains two things that people have desperately wanted, and that seals the deal for most, for this generation. It will be interesting to see how Apple takes this forward to the next generations as we are starting to see some disruptions in the market share and the huge momentum of small and cheap Android tablets eating the iPad sales. Once again, we have a retail launch date of November 1st for the iPad mini too, and unfortunately, yet again, there is no mention of India on the launch countries list. But we hope it arrives here soon, and more than that, hope the original iPad mini gets that price cut here. It’s still a great device for the price, in our opinion. But what do you think? Are the new iPads substantial upgrades matching up with your expectations? Let us know in the comments section below.

Apple iPad Air with a new thin and light design and A7 64 bit processor announced

Apple has just announced the refresh to its iPad lineup with the new iPad Air and the iPad mini with retina display. The iPad Air not just gains a new name, it also gains a new thin and light design. Learning from the engineering of its own iPad mini, the iPad Air loses a lot of weight to weigh just a pound, while thinning down its bezels and overall thickness to just 7.5 mm. The iPad Air also looks a lot like the iPad mini in terms of the design language with beautifully rounded corners, chamfered edges and a smooth finish for the back. The internals also gain a generational boost with the new A7 64 bit processor that debuted on the iPhone 5s. Apple marks a 72x increase in graphics performance when compared to the original iPad which makes things interesting.

Lets go through all the specifications of the new iPad Air -

• 9.7 inch 2048×1536 Retina Display
• 7.5mm thickness, 1 pound = 454g weight
• Apple A7 64 bit processor with M7 motion co processor
• Dual WiFi antennas – MIMO, but no ac support
• 5 MP iSight camera with 1080p video recording
• Two mics for noise cancellation and Siri
• Available in Silver & White and Space Gray and Black
• Starting at $499 for the 16 GB WiFi version

As you can see from all the specifications above, not much has changed in the overall idea. It still has the same display, no bigger displays as rumoured, and there is no change to the cameras, although we are sure that would have been unnecessary at best. The interesting changes are obviously the thinness and the design that makes the iPad Air the lightest (big?)tablet in the world. It’s going to be so much easier to handle the iPad with a single hand now. In fact it will be revolutionary, like Apple might say. The 64 bit architecture is a welcome for the iPad because it is just going to make the already powerful apps even more powerful. People balked at the inclusion of the 64 bit processor on the iPhone, but they would be happy to see that the iPad has gained the same advantage, which will be put to better use on a larger screen real estate.

The device is slated to be available starting November 1st, which is just a week away in many countries, unfortunately excluding India. But we are sure India will see a launch soon. Price at $499 for the base 16 GB version, the prices remain the same throughout the variants, and the iPad 2 will still be on sale for $399.

Apple to offer Live Video Stream for today’s event

Apple usually offers live video stream of their WWDC and other special events, but they did not offer live steam for last month’s iPhone event. Now they are offering live stream of today’s special event happening in San Francisco, USA. The stream will only work on Safari on iOS 4.2 or later on any iPhone, iPad, iPad mini or iPod touch or Safari 4 or later on a Mac running on OS X v10.6 or Apple TV.

Apple CEO Tim Cook along with other Apple executives such as Senior Vice President, Design, Jonathan Ive are expected to unveil next generation iPad thinner than the current one with next-gen A7X processor and a new iPad mini with Retina Display and a A7 processor. These are also expected to have upgraded cameras.

Apple is also expected to announced new MacBook Pros with Intel Haswell processor, better display and other hardware and software products including redesigned iLife and iWork for both Mac and iOS and new Apple TV.

Apple’s keynote kicks off at 10:00 AM Pacific Time (PT) or 10:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).

Live Stream Link