Mondaine Threatens Legal Action Against Apple For iPad Clock App

The release of iOS 6 yesterday added many enhancements and features to iOS devices including a new beautifully simplistic native clock app made by Apple exclusively for the iPad. At first glance, it was immediately apparent that the clock interface was that of Mondaine's classic Swiss railway station clock design. Both Mondaine, the Swiss watch maker behind the Swiss railway station clock, and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) threaten to take legal action against Apple for having no authorization to use the iconic Swiss watch face. 

Radically Redesigned iPod Nano Announced

Today was a big day not only for the iPhone, but also for Apple's iPod lineup. The 7th generation iPod Nano has been completely redesigned once again. It features a 2.5" multi-touch screen with the resolution of 240x432 (202ppi) to display what appears to be a completely new UI as well. It is obvious that the Nano has taken many of its design cues from the iPhone, such as the home button. The new Nano has an aluminum unibody frame and is even slimmer than the new iPod touch with the thickness of just 0.21-inches (5.4mm), and features a white glass front. Some other features include Bluetooth and an FM tuner. The new iPod Nanos will also come with Apple's latest lightning connector.

Along with the newly redesigned iPod itself, you can expect to find the new "EarPods" that will start to accompany Apple's mobile devices in place of the old Apple earphones.  

The iPod Nano is available in 7 different vibrant colors and only in 16GB at $149 beginning sometime in October. They will be available for preorder on Apple's website on September 14th, along with the iPhone 5 and iPod Touch. 

Apple iPod Touch 5 Announced With 4-Inch Screen, 5MP Camera

At today's Apple media event, Apple has also announced a new redesigned iPod touch 5. The 5th generation iPod touch has the same 4-inch Retina IPS display as the iPhone 5 and features an anodized aluminum back design which is available in a slew of beautiful colors never before seen on the iPod touch. It's also the thinnest and lightest iPod touch Apple has made coming in at 0.24-inches (6.1mm) thick aluminum enclosure and weighing only 3.10 ounces (88 grams). The all-black iPod touch 5 will feature a black exterior and glass display while the rest of the new colors will only be available with a white glass display.

Hardware specs have obviously been much improved in this iteration of the iPod touch. The biggest improvements in the 5th generation iPod touch are the back facing iSight camera that now sports a larger backside-illuminated 5-megapixel camera sensor with LED flash capable of shooting full 1080p HD video with improved image stabilization and f/2.4 optics. Apple is certain the iPod touch's new improved camera will replace your pocket point-n-shoot. There's also a front facing 720p HD FaceTime camera.

The performance has also seen a boost. The iPod touch 5's "new" dual-core A5 chip which combines both the CPU and GPU processors in one is said to offer seven times greater performance over last gen models. Battery life is rated for 40 hours of music, or 8 hours of video playback.

The 5th generation iPod touch also features an arguably brilliant new color matching hand lanyard loop accessory that attaches to a metal button-like anchor that pushes up. Apple says the lanyard loop will provide a more secure hold of its handheld gaming and media device. We must say, it certainly looks a lot better than it actually is useful as far as hand lanyards go.

Apple's iPod touch 5 will come bundled with the new EarPods and will be available in five colors at 32GB and 64GB capacities for $299 and $399, respectively. Pre-orders open up on September 14th but will only start to ship in October.

The iPhone 5 Officially Revealed

Finally, we can let go of our breaths now. The iPhone 5 has officially been unveiled at Apple's keynote presentation today at the Yerba Buena Center. Before you join the millions of anticipating customers waiting to preorder the latest and greatest, let us do you a favor and shed some light on what occurred within those walls. 

If you have been following the rumors that were being steadily leaked since a couple of months ago, then you already have the official iPhone 5 in your head. Macrumors and 9to5mac have done an extremely accurate job at releases these rumors and it turns out, just about everything has come true. Apple's flagship device comes in a stunning aluminum and glass body that they allows the iPhone 5 to shed 20% of the old iPhone's weight, appearing 18% more sexy than before. Featuring the long awaited 4" Retina display that boasts 1136 x 640 pixels, it retains its original width that we find on the iPhone 4/S but with an increase in height.

The traditional 30-pin dock connector has also been replaced. In place of it is now a much smaller 9-pin connector that Apple calls the Lightning connector. This much smaller connector leaves more room for other important additions such as larger speakers that Apple has been known to lack. Don't worry, you don't have to repurchase all of the dock accessories you've ever purchased. Apple is selling a lighning connector to 30-pin connector along with the iPhone. 

To our dismay, Apple has chosen to stick with the same old 8 megapixel rear facing camera but with a thinner sensor and a sapphire crystal lens cover. However, some new features you'll find on the iPhone 5 are the built-in panorama capability and improved photo capture speeds as well as low-light performance. As for on-the-go video production, the iPhone 5 is capable of 1080p HD video. The front-facing camera has gotten a boost too. Capable of 720p HD video, the FaceTime HD Camera is what they're calling it, can send clear and crisp FaceTime or Skype videos on 3G/LTE or Wi-Fi. Keep in mind that if you're on AT&T and without a Mobile Share plan, you're stuck on Wi-Fi only. 

Now that you're done drooling over the exterior, we're ready to take you through an inside tour. As expected and long overdue, the iPhone 5 will come with 4G LTE capabilities on the three major US carriers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint), and will also be compatible with other carriers around the world. As for Wi-Fi, the iPhone 5 got a buff on that too. 

A reason why Apple has been so behind on 4G availability to their iconic mobile device has been the huge hit on battery life. Now, not only has Apple solved that issue, they improved the battery life from the iPhone 4/S. The iPhone 5 is now capable of up to 8 hours of use on 3G or LTE, 10 hours on Wi-Fi, and a mighty 225 hours of standby time.

With speedy connectivity, Apple had to also include a speedy processor. Jumping to an A6 processor that is double what its predecessor was, the new processor will be able to handle the latest and most demanding apps available. 

Call quality has not been a huge issue for the iPhone, but Apple has made it even better with one more microphone, racking it up to three in total. These microphones will be located in the front, the back, and the bottom for improved voice recognition for Siri and better noise cancellation. 

Apple will have both the black and white versions available for preorder and he black version comes in a black anodized aluminum back while the white version is the raw silver/grey colored aluminum. 

Now for the hit on your credit card. The iPhone 5 is priced at $199, $299, and $399 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models, respectively with a new two year contract. The iPhone 4S has been discounted to $99 and the iPhone 4 is free with a new two year contract. If for some reason, you were looking forward to the 3GS, you would have to look at 3rd party retailers. 

Be ready to preorder on Friday, September 14th and expect to be rocking the iPhone 5 on September 21st. 

Apple May Refresh iPod Lineup This September?

All eyes are set on Apple's iPhone 5 event this September, but the iPhone 5 might not be the only iDevice that Apple will announce. We think that it's likely that Apple will also refresh its entire iPod lineup with larger storage capacities, new form factors as well as a redesigned 5th generation iPod Touch with a 4-inch screen that'll come in multiple vibrant color choices for the first time ever. Our mockup above is only a small taste of what we could expect a vibrant colored iPod Touch to look like.

Apple Officially Holding iPhone 5 Event On September 12

The day is set, Apple has officially announced today that it will hold its iPhone 5 event as usual, in San Francisco on September 12th at 10AM PT sharp. Apple's press event invitation cleverly hints at a big '5' in the shadow of the event's date meaning that Apple's next generation iPhone will indeed be called the iPhone 5 as we were all speculating. We're excited to see what the iPhone 5 brings!