iBlockbuster Weekend For Apple’s Latest Release

Apple Inc. announced on Monday that it had sold a higher than expected number of iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C in the first three days after its launch on Friday. As per the figures, a total of 9 million iPhones have been sold and that has prompted the company in issuing quite an optimistic financial forecast for the future. In early trading on Monday, the shares of the iPhone maker rose about 4.5% and reached $488.64. The sale of these two new models was double of that of the iPhone 5 in the first weekend after its launch in the past year. In its first three days on the market, the iPhone 5 had managed to sell about 5 million units.

Any analyst stated that the sales figure for the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C was indeed impressive and it looks like the company will be selling every 5S that they will manufacture. It had been expected by Wall Street analysts that the company would be selling approximately 6 million units of the two new iPhones. The financial forecast of the company was tweaked to reflect the high number of sales, which is quite an unusual move for the smartphone giant. The company’s previous forecast had included revenue of the fourth quarter of about $34 billion, but it was now adjusting it to $37 billion.

In addition, Apple had forecasted that the gross profit margin would be about 36%, but its estimates had been raised to 37%. Average revenue forecast by the analysts was about $36.10 billion. According to other analysts, the number of sales shows that Apple still bears a very strong connection with its customer base. The critics had assumed that Apple had lost its golden touch, but customers were clearly not singing the same song. The product has received the approval of customers and it’s not the numbers, but the sentiment that counts.

Initial supplies have been eroded by the demand of the iPhone 5S and a number of online orders will be shipped to customers in the next couple of weeks. It was the first time in the history of the company that two iPhones had been launched simultaneously and long lines had formed outside stores in San Francisco, Tokyo, New York and other cities as people were eager to get their hands on the top-of-the-line iPhone. As of Friday, the gold-colored version, which is also available in grey and silver, was sold out. The color will now only be available in October.

From Monday, the other two colors were also sold out and will only be available in October. Tim Cook, Chief Executive of Apple Inc. said that the demand for the new devices was incredible and although the initial supply of iPhones had run out, the stores would continue to receive their shipments of the device regularly. He stated that the patience of the customers was appreciated and the company would be working to provide them with their phones as soon as possible. Apple had also rolled out the iOS 7 just before the launch of the new devices.

The Upcoming iPad Is Narrower with Retained Screen Size

The next iPad from Apple's - referred "iPad 5" by experts – is going to be significantly thinner and less wide than its previous version, while with the same screen size, as per the leaked parts displayed on a website recently. However, the new repetition of iPad mini, first introduced in October last year, is exactly in the same size, as per the cases leaked to Lewis Hilsenteger from Unbox Therapy.

According to Lewis, the cases were from a reliable source that proved to be dependable in the past. Finish on these cases, showed in 2 videos suggests that the cases were made by an Apple supplier. He further added that the parts recently became available in limited quality, and had been made by an OEM which delivers orders to companies like Apple.

A video for this 9.7’’ iPad shows that the upcoming model, which is an update of version introduced in last October, will be considerably thinner, and almost 17cm wider than 18.5cm screen of the previous model, since the bezel on longer sides of its screen has now been made thinner. The cut in the width refers that the latest iPad could be easily picked up in just one hand, as per Hilsenteger. iPad 5 also has better speakers in its base, and a more right-angled profile instead of a "bathtub" shape like in the previous models.

Apple Embracing Video Game Controllers

One of the most sophisticated and renowned companies in the tech world is Apple Inc. Based in Cupertino, California, this American multinational corporation revolutionized the world with its amazing and stunning products such as the iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac computers. The company is second to none and has its hands dipped into a lot of pies. Now, it seems that Apple Inc. is making a move in the direction of the video game controllers. The company is now angling to court people who create sophisticated games and those who play them by spurring the development of game controllers for its computers and mobile devices.

New software specifications have been developed by the Silicon Valley tech giant that will help other companies in making game controllers, which will be compatible with its iPod Touches, iPhones, iPads and Macs. It was said by the company that the specifications which had been listed would ensure that all the controllers would boast consistent and proper sets of control. These elements would be such that both game makers and players would be able to rely on them. The document sent to the developers stressed that there should be ways to control the video games and that the controllers should only be used for enhancing the gameplay instead of being a requirement.

It is mentioned in the document that the related software and controller specifications will be part of the iOS 7, which is an upcoming version of the mobile operating system of Apple that was unveiled by the company at its annual developer conference on Monday. In addition, these specifications and software will also be part of the revision of the Mac operating system i.e. Mavericks or OSX 10.9. In a public presentation at the event, the plan of Apple Inc. regarding the controllers was discussed briefly in a slide. This was an indication that the controllers will be part of the company program related to licensed accessories named the MFi.

The issue was also discussed in a closed-door session at the same event. The controller defined in the Apple document is such that devices like the iPhone can be inserted into it. However, this is only possible when there will be control buttons placed on the edge of the controller and also versions that can connect to Macs and iOS powered devices wirelessly. This move by the iPhone maker for providing support to game controllers is said to be the most overt efforts of the company to invite advanced and sophisticated games to its devices.

Many gamers tend to favor controllers because they allow easier and faster commands and movements and these attributes are extremely helpful in sports games and combat. In regard to traditional videogame consoles like Sony Corp’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Corp, they are said to be a hallmark. Some game makers have tried to build games that would require controller buttons, but the attempts haven’t been very successful. This strategy of Apple can aid the company in improving its position against the devices that are powered by Google’s Android operating system.