In this week’s edition of News and Rumors, we find out more about Verizon’s release of the iPhone 4 this week and take a look at how well the device is selling. In addition, we’ll hear strong iPad 2 rumors and learn about a potential release for iOS 4.3, which might come this month. Finally, we have a rumor regarding Daniel Negreanu and a huge challenge he might be taking up very soon.
Verizon iPhone 4 Sold Out
Apple’s and the Verizon’s online stores are showing that they have sold out of their initial iPhone 4 stock for existing Verizon customers. The Verizon version of the iPhone 4 sold out in just 17 hours and Verizon has stated that February 9th at 3:00am will be when non-Verizon customers can order the iPhone 4. The phone will be in stores on February 10th.
More Comments from Verizon
On Friday, Verizon announced that the pre-sale event of the iPhone 4 was the fastest selling debut in the history of the company. It’s quite a story since the phone went on sale at 3:00am and orders were halted by 8:10am. The company didn’t announce how many phones were sold, but general availability starts on the 10th. The device will be available at Verizon, Apple, Best Buy, and some Wal-Mart stores. Apple is allowing interested buyers to place orders and make reservations one day in advance.
iPad App Store Updates
Apple updated the iPad App Store on Friday, which enhances users’ abilities to filter app searches and also figure out which ones they bought, but didn’t install. The new search filters appear as a toolbar at the top of search results pages. They allow users to pare searches by category, customer rating, price, release date, and device compatibility. There are approximately 300,000 applications available for iOS devices and 60,000 targeted for the iPad.
iOS Coming on February 14th?
There’s a report from MacStories that Apple is planning to release iOS 4.3 to the public on February 14th. There is a lot of speculation that iOS 4.3 and the announcement of the iPad 2 will come in the next two weeks. AT&T has rolled out support for personal hotspot devices with modified data plans for tethering, which starts on February 13th.
iPad 2 Rumors
iLounge is reporting some supposed information about the iPad 2. First, the site is saying that Apple is building Near Field Communications (NFC) capabilities into the new iPad 2 and that developers are working to create accessories that can interface with the NFC chips included inside the iPad 2. The second and perhaps more exciting rumor is that Apple might be moving from the aluminum shell it has now to one made from carbon fiber in order to reduce the weight. The report also states that Apple hasn’t given up on an iPad Mini device, but its release with this coming generation of iPad is unlikely.
iPad 2 Announcement Rumors
We’re hearing that Apple is planning to have a media event at the end of the month to launch the iPad 2. There are not many details out there in terms of a specific date or time for the announcement, but the timing seems right. We all know Apple has been prepping the iPad 2 and there have been reports of people spotting prototypes around the Bay Area. There has even been an unconfirmed tip that an iPad 2 commercial was being shot in Los Angeles last week.
WWDC Potentially May Be Coming June 5th
Possible dates for this year’s WWDC are rumored to be June 5th to June 9th. It should be noted, however, that last year this rumor was wrong. Since Apple no longer comes to MacWorld Expo, the WWDC has become the major Apple event of the year.
Daniel Negreanu Gearing up for SuperStar Showdown?
Popular PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu is reportedly gearing up his game to participate in the SuperStar Showdown against Viktor “Isidulr1” Blom. There has been widespread speculation that Negreanu has been studying up heads-up No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha and even getting lessons from Randy “Nanonoko” Lew. The next match-up for Blom is on February 13th against tournament beast Eugene Katcholov.
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