PSA: Google October 29 Press Event Cancelled

Due to Hurricane Sandy, that is currently heading towards the East Coast of United States, Google decided to cancel its press event this coming Monday.

We expect to see the on this event next-generation of Nexus devices, including the Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 10 tablet computer. It is also expected that Google will announce the next flavor of its yummy desert-named mobile operating system.

There is no word yet on when the event will be moved, but I'll keep you posted any announcement by the company. 

In the meantime, check out this rendering of the next Nexus phone based on the leaked images floating around the Internet. 

iPhone 5: Pricing and Release date in Philippines

iPhone 5 teaser in Apple Philippines Website

iPhone 5: the most anticipated phone of the year. And when it went on sale, it immediately became not only the best selling iPhone, but best selling smartphone. It features a lot of first for the iPhone, including a larger display, thinner and lighter body, improved SoC, etc. But when will it be available in the country, and how much would be the damage?

Date of Availability

When Apple announce the iPhone 5, it was initially available in 9 countries including US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK for preorder and went on sale September 21, 2012. It becomes available in 22 more countries after 7 days after, but Philippine launch date of the smartphone hasn't been announced by Apple, nor Globe Telecom and Smart Communications.

If we look on the previous iPhone releases, we can see the trend on how long it takes for the smartphone to be released by the carries in the country.

iPhone generation	US Release Date	Philippine Release Date	No. of days
iPhone 3G	July 11, 2008	Around August 2008	~ 30
iPhone 3GS	June 19, 2009	July 9, 2008	20
iPhone 4	July 24, 2010	September 26, 2010	94
iPhone 4S	October 7, 2011	December 16, 2012	70
iPhone 5	September 21,2012	TBA	N/A

The iPhone 3GS was made available in the country 20 days after it went on sale in the US, while iPhone 4 and 4S took more than 2 months. Looking at the release dates above, the iPhone 5 may be released in the Philippines in late-November or early-December time-frame. This is roughly based on previous release dates, and may be delayed due to rumors that Foxconn, Apple's OEM, is facing production delays due to the new design of the smartphone. One executive in the company said it was the hardest iPhone they have ever assembled since the original.

Pricing

iPhone 5 will probably be priced similarly to the pricing of Globe and Smart postpaid plans when the iPhone 4S went on sale last December, that is P1,799 plus a cash out of 4,800 for unlimited data and P800 consumable for Globe, while P2000 for unlimited data and certain minutes of calls and number of text messages for Smart, both in 16 GB capacity. For the prepaid version, Smart and Globe sell it around P30,000 to P35,000 for the base configuration. 

Upcoming Tech Events

Apple will hold an event this coming Tuesday, but Google and Microsoft are also set to launch new products in line with this year's holiday season. Here's the list of the companies' events as all as their own press invites:

October 23, 2012 - Apple rumored iPad mini event

October 25, 2012 - Microsoft Windows 8 Launch

October 29, 2012- Microsoft Windows Phone 8 Launch

October 29, 2012 - Google Nexus Event

Aside from the above product launches, companies, including Apple, Amazon and Electronic arts will hold their quarterly earnings call this month. Microsoft, on the other hand, will hold developer conferences for its Windows platform. 

Be sure to check back on this blog to get updates on these events. 

What to expect on Apple's October 23, 2012 event

Apple's usual colorful, yet intriguing event invite.

Apple, Inc. sent an invite last Tuesday for an October 23 event, with a phrase "We've got a little more to show you." 

According to many technology sites, including the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital, the event would point out to the introduction of the long-rumored Apple's smaller 7.85 tablet computer 'iPad Mini'.

iPad mini, as called by many tech sites, would have 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi), same as iPad 2's with the same 4:3 ratio. It is said to have the same internals: Dual-core A5 chip, 512MB of RAM, forward and back facing cameras (unknown optics) and the usual WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. It will also feature the new Lightning Connector, which is currently being used by iPhone 5 and latest generations of iPod touch and iPod nano. 

It is also rumored that Apple would release 24 models of the tablet: multiple color options, 16, 32 and 64 GB storage capacity, WiFi only and WiFi+Cellular models. But CNET's Senior Editor Brian Tong debunked the idea and pointed that it will have 12 configuration options, and the other half would be the updated New iPad with thinner and lighter body, updated LTE chip and will feature the new lightning connector.

But that's not the only product that is likely to be introduced in the event. The smaller 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, as well as the the updated line of Mac minis and iMac all in ones are expected to launch in the event. 

Pricing and Availability

The iPad mini is expected to be priced starting at €249 in its base configuration and will go on sale November 2, that is 9 days after its introduction. 

The MacBook Pro with Retina Display will start at $1,699 and the Mac mini is said to retain its price, starting at $599. For the iMac, it will probably be more expensive than its current pricing. All of these will go on sale immediately after the introduction.

The event will happen October 23, 10:00 AM Pacific, which is 1:00 AM  the following day here in Manila. 

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