I have an iPhone 5, where am I?

On episode 60 of inThirty we investigate the disappearance of hundreds of iPhone 5 users – apparently the new Apple Maps app is to blame for sending them off course. With the help of special guest Stephen Hackett of 512Pixels.net, we dig into the new Maps in iOS 6 and figure out that while its Flyover feature can make you feel like Super Man, it leaves a lot of users longing for Google’s more down to earth Street View. Chaim and Harry take turns giving their take on turn by turn directions and Chaim reveals that he’s always on time since he uses Google Now on his Galaxy Nexus, and Harry says who needs transit directions in Maps on iOS 6, he’s memorized the rail schedules anyway. Our thanks to Stephen for lending some southern comfort to the debate.

Episode 60 Hangout: http://youtu.be/J7D-KSmKbsI

Guest
Stephen Hackett of 512pixels.net 

Show Notes
On the Timing of Apple’s Map Switch” | Daring Fireball
Maps On the Rocks” | Curious Rat
Apple Maps: Damned If You Do, Googled If You Don’t” | Monday Note
How to Report Problems in iOS 6 Maps | Macworld
The Amazing iOS 6 Maps

Counting on iOS 6

Get your abacus app ready because on episode 59 of inThirty we take you through iOS 6’s launch by the numbers. First we hash out how many people will be running this hexa-release of iOS on the flagship iPhone 5, and it turns out, it’ll be quite a few. Something like 2 million people sacrificed their credit card numbers to the gods of industrial design and expect to have a brand spanking new i5 at their door on September 21. We try to calculate the amount of revenue the preorders will generate for Apple but our screens can’t fit all of the digits. Next, we take you through the BOM, the bill of materials, for the new iPhone 5. We figure out how much an extra 16GB of memory, or if you’re in the 1% and opt for a 64GB iPhone, an extra 48GB of memory really costs Apple, and how much profit they squeeze out of people just so they can store all of their Angry Birds high scores on their phones. Finally, Chaim goes all Suzy Orman on us and looks at the total cost of ownership of a carrier contract subsidized iPhone purchase and compares that to buying an iPhone at, gasp, full retail cost and bringing your own plan. For the students out there we should mention: listening to this episode counts as 3 credits of undergraduate study in macroeconomics.

Episode 59 Hangout: http://youtu.be/ohLyGrA0yb0

Show Notes
Analyst Estimates On iPhone 5 Launch Weekend Sales Range From 3M–10M” | TechCrunch
Apple takes orders for 2 million iPhone 5s; shares hit $700” | Bloomberg Businessweek
Boring” | Curious Rat
AT&T, Sprint chiefs expect strong iPhone 5 sales” | Marketwatch
iPhone 5 Carries $199 BOM, Virtual Teardown Reveals” | iSuppli

iPhone 5 is Alive

iPhone 5 is AliveOne, two, three, four, five, five: It’s here the sixth version of the iPhone, the iPhone 5. Tim Cook, who doubled down on secrecy, took the stage at Yerba Buena and shocked the crowd by introducing a device with a design that no one outside of Apple could have even imagined – well, at least the new iPod Nano and Touch’s designs hadn’t been spoiled by tech bloggers. Chaim is unimpressed, Harry is dying to get the five digits on his right hand around an i5, and Justin admits to having a crush on Jony Ive. We talk about the iPhone 5’s upgraded speakers, its trio of mics, the elongated screen, the sapphire lens coating and its diamond polished chamfers.  Damn it has nice chamfers.

Episode 58 Hangout: http://youtu.be/xOgOWropPOQ

Show Notes
iPhone 5 | Apple.com
iPod Touch | Apple.com
iPod Nano | Apple.com
iPod Classic | Apple.com
Phil Schiller on the iPhone 5 | All Things D
Apple Sole Manufacturer of New Dock Connector | iLounge

12 Ways to Keep up with the iPhone 5 Announcement

Chaim, Harry, and Justin will still be around to clean up the mess after the dust settles, and since our invitations to the event must have gotten lost in our spam folders, here are 12 ways you can catch live coverage of Apple’s iPhone 5 announcement:

All Things D
Anandtech
Ars Technica
CNET
Engadget
GDGT
The Loop
Macrumors
Macworld
Tech Crunch
TUAW
The Verge

 

 

Smartphones Dumbed Down

Motorola Droid Maxx Dunce

Parents, you’ve got to catch episode 57 of inThirty – do you really want your son or daughter starting the school year without being able to explain the differences between the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD and the Motorola Droid RAZR HD? We didn’t think so. Chaim takes us through the ins and outs of Motorola’s new crop of devices while Harry snores. Some are shipping with Android’s latest release, Jelly Bean, but most, unforgivably, come from the factory with the out of date Ice Cream Sandwich. Harry wakes up in time to gush over Nokia’s newest Lumias, all of which sport Windows Phone 8, or at least will, when they ship, but no one knows when that’ll be. Finally, Justin longs for an Amazon based smartphone, even just so he can tear it down. Oh, and wait, isn’t Apple going to announce something in a couple of days? We cover that, too. We don’t want your kid to show up on the first day of school not knowing the specs of the iPhone 5, after all.

Show Notes
Nokia Lumia 920 hands-on preview, pictures and video” | The Verge
Nokia starts over, again: stunning new phones, no release date in sight” | The Verge
Nokia Lumia 820 hands-on preview (pictures and video)” | The Verge
Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD hands-on: bigger battery, beautiful display, Jelly Bean onboard” | Engadget
Motorola Droid RAZR HD hands-on: a 720p Android ICS update with 2,500mAh battery life” | Engadget
Motorola RAZR M official: 4.3-inch qHD display, 1.5GHz dual-core, hitting Verizon for $99” | Engadget
What could be on tap at Apple’s Sept. 12 press event” | Macworld
Motorola to Offer $100 Credit to Owners of Devices Not Eligible for Jelly Bean Update (Update)” | Droid-Life
Rumor: Amazon to Unveil First Smartphone at Tomorrow’s Kindle Event | Droid-Life