Leaks suggest unlocked iPhones coming Wednesday, voice recognition in iOS 5

A pair of leaks have hinted that Apple begin selling unlocked iPhones at U.S. Apple Stores on Wednesday and add voice recognition support from Nuance in iOS 5.

Update: Chronic has issued a correction that unlocked GSM iPhones, not new MacBook airs, are coming to U.S. Apple Stores on Wednesday, claiming his source "mixed up part numbers." According to the rumor, the part numbers for unlocked iPhone 4 models are MC603 (16GB, Black) MC604 (16GB, White) MC605 (32GB, Black) MC606 (32GB, White).

MacBook Air leak

Twitter user Chronic, who has been a source for leaks on Apple products in the past, first noted late Saturday that his sources have "100% confirmed" a Wednesday release for a MacBook Air update. Early on Sunday, Chronic added that Apple Store displays will be updated on Tuesday night to launch the company's annual Back To School promo alongside the new MacBook Airs.

The leak comes on the heels of an exclusive AppleInsider report that Apple is scheduled to begin mass production of revitalized MacBook Airs this month with an initial build volume of roughly 400,000 units.

Though Chronic has yet to hear specific details on what changes will be made to the new MacBook Airs, Apple is expected to move the notebooks to Intel's 32-nanometer Sandy Bridge architecture via the chipmaker's ultra-low-voltage Core i5 and Core i7 chips, which feature between 3MB and 4MB of Smart Cache and support a theoretical maximum of 8GB of internal system memory. Rumors of a June launch of Sandy Bridge-powered MacBook Airs emerged in February.

Apple revamped the thin-and-light notebooks in late 2010, adding an 11.6-inch model to the lineup for just $999. The laptops instantly became best-sellers, with one analyst reporting that they were "flying off the shelves" over last year's Black Friday weekend.

Voice control in iOS 5

Chronic also posted a pair of screenshots of an alleged internal build of iOS 5, displaying settings for "Nuance Dictation" and "Nuance Long Endpoint." In addition, a "Mic on space key" may provide further evidence of the rumored voice recognition support in iOS 5. The features are reportedly disabled for the developer build of iOS 5.

In May, it was suggested that Apple would deepen its relationship with Nuance, which makes voice recognition technology, in iOS 5. However, Apple neglected to demonstrate voice control features at last week's Worldwide Developers Conference. After Apple's keynote, several sources claimed that voice features weren't ready in time for WWDC.

Apple has been expected to add complex voice command features to iOS since it acquired Siri, the developer of a voice search app that supported open-ended questions, last year.

5 things Apple borrowed from Android for iOS 5

Apple's iOS 5 is slated for release this fall, presumably with iPhone 5. But the Android Army doesn't have to wait, like the iPhone idolators. Android users can have some of those features now. Looks like Apple has been doing a little copycatting. Again.

It's funny, since hardcore Apple enthusiasts are so quick to accuse whenever they see anyone copying the slightest thing from Steve Jobs' company. They're not as fast to acknowledge when Apple does the, ah, borrowing. I'm glad to do it for them.

With that brief introduction, here's my second top-5 list within 12 hours presented in order of importance.
It's coincidental there are two so close together; don't expect this to be habit.
1. Cloud Synchronization. iPhone users had pseudo-sync with MobileMe, which Apple is retiring, but it was nothing like what Google offers Android users. On Android phones, signing into the Google account syncs up all the search and information giant's services -- and when switching phones also restores apps, settings and personalized features, like desktop wallpaper. With iOS 5 and iCloud, iPhone users will get most of the sync benefits Androiders have long enjoyed.
2. Notifications Center. Apple gets kudos for better presentation, but Google had the concept first. Just about Android's best user interface feature is the notifications bar across the top of the phone's screen. Now, instead of annoying notifications that interrupt or are lost in numerical count on an app in another screen, iPhoners can enjoy the convenience of notifications collected in one place and pulled down for easy reference. Google be warned: I know lots of would-be iPhone switchers who stick with Android because of notifications.
3. Over-the-air updates. Apple has made iPhone slave to iTunes for far too long. How ridiculous that iPhone users have to plug in to a computer to update. Androiders have long enjoyed the convenience of OTA. It's about time Apple cuts the update cord that binds the iPhone chain gang. Free them! Freedom!
4. Photo sharing. Android users know the many benefits of using an open system, where developers are allowed to tap into the platform capabilities. One of my pet iOS peeves: Photo sharing. On Android, from the camera or photo gallery, I can send photos to any supported service installed on the phone. So if I want to take a photo and send to Twitter, Android let's me do that from the camera. Oh, but not iOS. Apple presents sharing options for its services but none other.
That will change with iOS 5, which will take Apple's grubby hands off and let third-party apps grab on. Photo sharing will be available from the camera and photo gallery. But why wait, when Android has your back? Today.
5. Twitter. On Android, Twitter is perhaps too much of a good thing. Who really wants to sync Twitter with their contacts? Twitter, like many other apps, can tap deep into Android -- like the aforementioned photo sharing. Apple is following Google, but I must concede going seemingly deeper. Androiders can tweet from some apps, like the browser and YouTube, a capability iPhoners will get from Twitter being integrated into iOS 5.

Apple's iOS5 - breaking ground or breaking hearts?

Many iOS5 improvements were borrowed from existing apps and services.
From what we’ve seen so far, there’s a lot to like about the latest iGadget software update. Previous iOS upgrades have mainly focused on playing catch up with other smartphone platforms, but I’d say iOS5 is perhaps Apple’s biggest update in terms of assimilating great features previously offered by third parties.

Adding handy third-party features to iOS is one of those areas where Apple is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t. Assimilate new features and it’s accused of acting like the Borg, but leave them out and it’s seen as lagging behind competing platforms such as Android. So should third-party developers take it as a compliment or a slap in the face? If they’re smart, they’ll see it as an opportunity to grab new customers by expanding features to stay one step ahead of Apple.

In many cases Apple’s new iOS features only partially replicate the functionality of existing third-party apps and services. Look at the impressive Dropbox and how it compares to iCloud’s new integration with iWork. It’s a mistake to think that one negates the need for the other, because they actually specialise in different tasks.

Dropbox is handy for getting files onto your iPad, especially if you’re dealing with a wide range of formats from a wide range of devices. Dropbox’s Achilles’ Heel on the iPad is that it won’t sync edited files back to the Dropbox service (there are webDAV workarounds but they take some extra messing about and aren’t foolproof). This is where iOS5’s new native iCloud sync features are certainly useful, if iWork is your productivity suite of choice, as it promises to sync edited files between Pages running on iGadgets and Macs.

Apple isn’t likely to replicate Dropbox’s wider format and platform support any time soon because it’s more interested in improving the i-centric ecosystem. Meanwhile there’s a place for both on your iPad.

Another example is Mobile Safari’s new Reading List feature and how it will impact Instapaper. At first glace Reading List is a death sentence for Instapaper, as it also lets you easily mark webpages that you want to reader later on other devices. Once again, Apple has restricted itself to its own ecosystem - with Reading List only syncing marked webpages between Mobile Safari on iOS5 and Safari on MacOS 10.7. This leaves the door open for services such as Instapaper to cater to a much wider range of devices and platforms, plus add extra features to integrate with other third-party services.



In both cases, Apple’s new features could be a blessing for Dropbox and Instapaper as iGadget lovers discover iOS5’s built-in features and then go searching the App store for something with a little more advanced functionality.

The future isn’t so bright for one-trick pony apps and services which can easily be completely assimilated into iOS. If anything, iOS5 is a timely reminder for developers that you need to think big in order to stay one step ahead of Apple.