T-Mobile offers free iPhone 5 to carrier-switchers

T-Mobile offers free iPhone 5 to carrier-switchers


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SALT LAKE CITY — Apple is quietly preparing its devices for gigabit Wi-Fi in advance of new iPads and mobile devices, while possibly dropping Samsung as its partner in developing its next-generation A7 processor.

T-Mobile trade-in program offers free iPhone 5 to switch carriers

Following T-Mobile's recent announcement that it will begin selling the iPhone 5 on April 12, T-Mobile is now accepting device trade-ins for existing iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S customers. Customers who trade in their existing devices will not pay the $99 down payment on a new iPhone 5, and are eligible for a credit to their account up to $120, depending on the value of the device being traded in.

Although the iPhone 5 will not be available for purchase through T-Mobile until April 12, customers interested in the deal can pre-order an iPhone 5 immediately, and existing customers get the benefit of a device trade-in to offset the cost of the new handset, all without being locked in to a service contract.

Rumor: Apple dropping Samsung for new A7 chip development

The Korea Times reports that Samsung's contract to develop Apple's next-generation iOS processors will not be renewed and that Apple is instead partnering with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). According to an executive at a Samsung partner in Korea, TSMC is reportedly "ordering its contractors to supply equipment to produce Apple's next processors using a finer 20-nanometer level processing technology." This new processor is expected to arrive in Apple products in 2014.

Despite being fierce competitors in the mobile space, Samsung has produced processors and other components for Apple products for several years. According to MacRumors, Samsung hopes its own handsets will fill the gap left by Apple. Although demand for Samsung phones and tablets is constantly growing, some production lines may be shut down if Apple does take its business elsewhere.

Next-generation Macs will support gigabit Wi-Fi

9to5Mac recently discovered a reference to the next-generation, high-speed wireless standard 802.11ac in OS X 10.8.4 beta. This latest beta release was recently released to Apple's developer community, and 9to5Mac quickly explored and discovered a reference to 802.11ac in the system software. Although no Apple hardware supports 802.11ac yet, this discovery strongly suggests that Apple is preparing to update its notebook and desktop lines with new wireless support.

The new wireless standard, dubbed "gigabit Wi-Fi," provides network speeds approaching 1.3 Gbit/sec and will help pave the way for more sophisticated and demanding mobile and network applications. Most notebooks, tablets, smartphones and other wireless-enabled technology support 801.11n, which offers speeds approaching 600 Mbit/sec. This new standard effectively doubles possible network speeds.

Rumor: iPad 5 design inspired by iPad Mini, coming fall 2013?

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French site Nowhereelse.fr has released photos of what it says is the front case of the upcoming "5th Generation" iPad. The photos show that this new iPad design is largely inspired by the iPad Mini, sporting narrower bezels on the sides of the frame, which contrasts with the current iPad uniform bezel widths. These photos support other rumors, indicating that the next-generation iPad will be, unsurprisingly, thinner, lighter, faster and sport an updated design.

These photos come on the heels of rumors by DigiTimes reporting that production on the new iPad is slated to begin this summer with a targeted release for fall 2013. DigiTimes is not famous for its Apple rumor track record, and other news sources say that the next generation iPad may arrive as early as this month. Apple's recent release history has been highly unpredictable, with the third-generation iPad released March 2012 and the fourth-generation model released in October 2012 in conjunction with the new iPad Mini. In February, Apple updated the iPad again, adding a 128-gigabyte model to its lineup.


Brent Anderson is a mobile app developer and founder of Juicy Development LLC. He studies information systems at Brigham Young University and loves connecting businesses with technology in newways. Online at www.BrentJAnderson.com.

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