iPhone 5 also headed to T-Mobile USA this fall?

TiPb’s hearing that T-Mobile is well on their way to prepping their iPhone 5 roll out, likely for this October (which just so happens to coincide with the timeline we previously heard Apple was considering for launch). If Sprint iPhone 5 rumors are to be believed, along with previous rumors of iPhone test units running on T-Mobile, we could finally see Apple’s devices on all four major US carriers this year.

While also a GSM/HSPA/HSPA+ network, T-Mobile iPhone 5 would have to work on AWS (Advanced Wireless Services, which operate in the 1700 and 2100 bands), a very different set of 3G frequencies than AT&T. Whether or not Apple could combine all those frequencies into one GSM iPhone 5 antenna array, never mind a single CDMA/GSM “world phone” that could work on Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile, is the question.

AT&T is also into the process of trying to acquire T-Mobile US, in part to use their AWS spectrum to boost AT&T’s own LTE 4G rollout. How, if at all, that would affect an AWS iPhone 4 is unknown. However, Canadian carriers Moblicity, Wind, and Videotron use the same 3G bands as T-Mobile US, so an AWS-compatible iPhone 5 would still have some limited international appeal.

Flipboard To Add Video Content, Head To iPhone

href="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/flipboard.jpg">class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-23354" title="flipboard" src="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/flipboard.jpg" alt="" width="360" height="480" />Flipboard is one of our favorite iPad apps, and according to Reuters, href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/25/us-media-flipboard-idUSTRE77O4XK20110825">it’s about to change in a big way. The customized news app plans to expand from just the text-based media that it currently offers into video offerings, picking up TV shows, movies, and streaming video.

Chairman and Chief Executive Mike McCue says that they’re hoping to add video at the end of this year, with the long term possibility of also selling ebooks through the app.

Up until now, Flipboard has been an iPad only affair, but McCue also said that the company is working on an iPhone/iPod Touch version, for people who don’t have the larger companion piece of hardware.

[via href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/08/25/flipboard-to-add-tv-shows-books-and-movies-iphone-app-on-its-way/">BGR]

App Store Rolls Out Redesigned Category Pages

href="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Screen-Shot-2011-08-25-at-1.20.50-PM-520x258.png">class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-23357" title="Screen-Shot-2011-08-25-at-1.20.50-PM-520x258" src="http://cdn.everythingicafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Screen-Shot-2011-08-25-at-1.20.50-PM-520x258.png" alt="" width="520" height="258" />Apple has pushed out a minor tweak to the App Store layout, bringing category pages more in line with the App Store home page. Previously, when you visited a category (like “games” or “productivity”) you’d just see a grid of icons for apps, with maybe a few highlighted as being “what’s hot”.

Now, starting with “education” and “games”, href="http://thenextweb.com/apple/2011/08/25/apple-rolling-out-new-app-store-category-home-pages/">these category pages have been overhauled to match the App Store home page, with a large rotating banner of important titles, and the “what’s hot” and “new and noteworthy” apps more prominent.

This change is also reflected in the iPad version of the app store.

 

Apple shuts down $0.99 iTunes TV show rentals

Apple seems to have removed $0.99 TV show rentals from iTunes and Apple TV. In a statement provided to Wall Street Journal technology blog, All Things D, Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr explained:

“iTunes customers have shown they overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows. iTunes in the Cloud lets customers download and watch their past TV purchases from their iOS devices, Apple TV, Mac or PC allowing them to enjoy their programming whenever and however they choose.”

Fox seems to confirm the reasoning:

“After carefully considering the results of the rental trial, it became clear that content ownership is a more attractive long-term value proposition both for iTunes customers and for our business. To further enhance the value of ownership, we are working with Apple to make content available within their new cloud-based service.”

Apple announced $0.99 TV Show rentals are part of the all new, all streaming Apple TV in 2010 but never got all the US networks on board, nor did they manage to roll the service out beyond the US. While networks likely felt $0.99 undervalued their content, let’s be clear — it overvalued it. $100 for 100 hours of non-repeatable TV is ridiculous. Subscriptions, which Apple has reportedly been pursuing, make far more sense at scale and volume. Whether the networks will ever agree to that or not is the question. (And at this point there’s no evidence iCloud, despite its ideal positioning, will be part of the answer.)

At least we can take some comfort in the fact that nature has shown in knows what to do to dinosaurs.

[All Things D]

Apple offers Tim Cook 1,000,000 reasons to stay until 2021

In the 8-K filing following their top-level restructuring this week, Apple revealed that they were awarding new CEO Tim Cook quite the signing bonus:

In connection with Mr. Cook’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer, the Board awarded Mr. Cook 1,000,000 restricted stock units. Fifty percent of the restricted stock units are scheduled to vest on each of August 24, 2016 and August 24, 2021, subject to Mr. Cook’s continued employment with Apple through each such date.

As noted by MacRumors, that’s worth almost $400 million at current prices. Half the stock can be divested in 5 years, the other half in 10 years, as long as Cook is still with Apple.

This would, of course, be in addition to his salary, options, and bonuses. (Last year those totaled $58 million.)

No word yet on the corporate jet…

[SEC via MacRumors]

Poll: Average Age of Developers

Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen an incline of the amount of amateur (age-wise) developers taking their stands on the App Store. I know for sure that href="http://www.iphonealley.com/news/7-year-old-ios-developer-connor-zamary-releases-application">there aren’t too many seven year old developers, but I’m curious as to see the approximate age range of developers currently developing for the iOS platform.

I’ve been working with a few 13-16 year old developers in the past few months, so am very interested in what the model is. If you’re an iOS developer (meaning you are currently or have developed for the iPhone, iPod Touch or onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.ipadngravy.com');" target="_blank" title="iPad" href="http://www.ipadngravy.com">iPad), it would be much appreciated if you could vote in the below poll with valid information, as putting in fake info could hinder the ultimate results. No, iPhoneAlley is not attempting to stalk you for pleasure, that’s my job. src='http://www.iphonealley.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif' alt=';)' class='wp-smiley' />

style="display: none;">type="hidden" name="poll_id" value="9" />

style="text-align: center;">What age are you? (developers only)

style="text-align: center;">type="button" name="vote" value=" Vote " class="Buttons" onclick="poll_vote(9);" />

style="text-align: center;">href="#ViewPollResults" onclick="poll_result(9); return false;" title="View Results Of This Poll">View Results

Hopefully the results of the above poll will be surprising to everyone, including myself. It has no closing time, meaning you can keep on voting forever (although only one time for each unique visitor). I know the results won’t ever be a completely accurate representation of the actual age of iOS developers today, but anything that comes out of it will suffice.

Win a FREE mophie juicepack air! [Friday Freebie]

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