Apple's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launch weekend sales hit 9 million units, killing concerns that numbers would fall flat. The company's previous opening weekend iPhone sales figures came last year when the iPhone 5 hit 5 million. Apple's opening weekend sales for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c hit 9 million units Apple CEO…
Jeff Gamet
Jeff Gamet is the Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X” from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also hosts TMO’s Daily Observations podcast, co-hosts The iOS Show podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other shows, too. Jeff dreams in HD.
Articles by Jeff Gamet
iFixit iPhone 5s Teardown Reveals Touch ID, but no M7 Chip
While the rest of the world is fighting to get their hands on the gold iPhone 5s, iFixit was busy stripping one down to its frame. Inside, they found Apple's Touch Id fingerprint scanner, but the M7 motion and fitness chip wasn't anywhere to be seen. iPhone 5s: Lots of parts, but no M7 chip…
iOS 7: How to Disable the iPhone's Parallax Effect
Now that iOS 7 is in the wild I'm getting some interesting questions, like one from a friend who discovered the parallax motion effect that moves the background behind the Home screen icons triggers their migraines. How do you fix that, they asked. Simple: enable Reduce Motion. Tilting your iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, or iPhone…
Want an iPhone 5s? Line Up and Good Luck
Apple is only hours away from online orders for the iPhone 5s in the United States, and countries where online sales have already begun are showing 7-10 day wait times. If you don't want to wait that long, line up early at your local Apple Store because it looks like retail inventory will be limited,…
iOS 7: Go Bold for Easy to Read Text
iOS 7 sports a new look all the way down to the fonts used to display text and the time, and it turns out it's just a little too difficult on some people's eyes. If that's you, it's easy to make iOS 7's text more eye-friendly. Read on to learn how. Standard text (left) isn't…
iOS 7: Far More than Another Pretty Face
You know when someone says they remodeled and you show up expecting to see a fresh coat of paint and a new rocker chair from Ikea, but instead find a new kitchen, hardwood floors instead of shag carpet, and a bathroom with a heated floor that's been enlarged to take up that old spare bedroom?…
iTunes 11.1 Hits the Web with iOS 7, iTunes Radio Support
Apple has been busy rolling out app updates ahead of the release of iOS 7 on Wednesday, and the latest to get some love is iTunes for the Mac and Windows. Version 11.1 is now available, and it includes support for iOS 7 and Apple's new music streaming service iTunes Radio. Download iTunes 11.1 ahead…
iCloud Gets a Facelift Ahead of iOS 7 Launch
Apple rolled out an update for its iCloud website ahead of Wednesday's official launch of iOS 7. The site refresh brings iOS 7's look and feel to the web-based versions of Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Notes, Reminders, and Find My iPhone. iCloud's new look is very much iOS 7 iCloud users can try out the betas…
Apple Airs First iPhone 5c Commercial
With the iPhone 5c set to hit store shelves this Friday, Apple is hitting the airwaves with its first commercial showing off the the new smartphone model. The iPhone 5c is Apple's brand new mid-range iPhone model that does away with the familiar glass and metal back for several colors of plastic.
iPhone 5s: It Doesn't Make Sense to Steal Your Finger
The iPhone 5s includes Touch ID, Apple's new fingerprint recognition technology. You can use it to unlock your iPhone and authenticate for iTunes Store payments, but Touch ID is raising concerns that criminals will now cut off your finger when they steal your shiny new iPhone. The crooks that want your iPhone are better off…
iPhone 5s Online Orders, In-store Purchases Start Sept 20
Apple will begin accepting online orders for the iPhone 5s on Friday, September 20, at 12:01AM pacific time (3:01AM eastern), and in-store purchases will start at 8AM local time, as will iPhone 5c in-store purchases. Since the iPhone 5s isn't available for pre-order, there's a good chance that means Apple's inventory will be very limited.…
How to Tell Which iPhone You Have Before You Trade Up
With the imminent release of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, plenty of people are considering trading in their current model to help subsidize the cost of their new phone. If you aren't sure exactly which model you have, never fear. Apple has a handy cheat sheet online that makes it easy to sort out.…
Canaccord Raises AAPL Target on iPhone 5s Expectations
Following the introduction of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley raised his target price for Apple's stock from US$530 up to $550. Mr. Walkley thinks Apple's aggressive rollout plans, plus the strong feature set on the iPhone 5s will drive up revenue during the holiday buying season. Canaccord Genuity: iPhone…
Apple Brings Space Gray to iPod Lineup
Apple introduced space gray as the new black for the iPhone 5s on Tuesday, and the not-so-black black is making its way to the iPod lineup, too. The company quietly updated the color options for the iPod touch, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle. Apple's iPod line, now available in space gray In addition to space…
WSJ: New iPhone Really Will Have a Fingerprint Scanner
Apple will be hosting a special media event Tuesday morning where it is expected to unveil new iPhone models. Rumors have been circulating that one of the new features will be a fingerprint sensor built into the Home button, and now the Wall Street Journal is chiming in with its own version of “yep.” Sources…
Microsoft Brings Xbox Music to iPhone Ahead of iTunes Radio Launch
Microsoft released an iPhone and iPad compatible version of its Xbox Music app on Monday ahead of Apple's iTunes Radio launch. Apple has been testing its music streaming service with iOS 7 beta and is expected to officially launch it when the new version of its iPhone, iPad and iPod touch operating system ships. Xbox…
Samsung's Galaxy Gear: Doomed to Fail
Samsung's new Galaxy Gear smartwatch may have had a longer life as a rumor than it will as a shipping product. Samsung jumped the gun to beat Apple to market with a serious contender in the smartwatch game, and the company made several compromised and a fatal flaw: the Galaxy Gear is a US$300 accessory.…
Germany Lifts iCloud Mail Push Delivery Ban
A German Appeals Court has given back some of iCloud's functionality in the country by lifting an injunction blocking the email push delivery feature. The injunction was part of a Motorola patent infringement lawsuit that alleged the email push notification feature Apple offers iOS users relied on technologies that weren't properly licensed. Motorola Mail push…
Upgrade Pricing: The Mac App Store's Achilles Heel
Developers are resourceful people, and when presented with a problem that seems unsolvable they'll work even harder to find a solution. That's exactly what The Omni Group did to overcome the lack of upgrade pricing on Apple's Mac App Store. Their new tool, called OmniKeyMaster, lets users who buy Omni apps through the Mac App…
When Apple's Iron Fisted Control Backfires Users Suffer
Apple released an update for Find My iPhone on Thursday that updated the app's icon, but also temporarily blocked access to its features unless you had an Apple Developer Account. The issue was fixed relatively quickly, but it highlighted why the soon to be released iOS 7 needs a way for users to prevent some…
Gold iPhones: Moving Beyond the Demographic of Me
It's pretty much a given that Apple is adding gold as a third color option for the next iPhone model. It's no secret that I have been less than enamored with the idea, but based on some of the photos leaking to the Internet maybe the gold iPhone 5S won't be so bad after all.…
Chuck La Tournous and John F. Braun Talk Tech Battles, iCloud, and More
The Mac Observer's Chuck La Tournous and John F. Braun both hit the podcast circuit this week to talk about the controversy between open and closed tech ecosystems, how consumer apps fit in the iCloud world, the just released Steve Jobs biopic, and more. Chuck spent his time talking on The Mac Jury, and John…
Gold: Apple Really is Making Smaug's iPhone
I haven't been too keen on the idea of Apple making a gold version of the iPhone and instead have been thinking that's a better option for the rumored iPhone 5C. Based on the word on the street, I'm flat-out wrong, and that instead of being garish, it'll be a product that Smaug would be…
New Photos Show Silver iPad mini-like iPad 5 Back
New photos showing what looks to be the back panel for the next generation iPad have surfaced, and true to rumors show a design that matches the design of the current iPad mini. The silver back panel also includes cutouts for stereo speakers, which is another feature that's already available on the mini. New photos…