store

For games, no big rush to speedy iPhone 3GS

The iPhone 3GS is already wooing game developers with its faster, more powerful platform, but don't expect a ton of games fully taking advantage of it to flood the App Store--yet.

Though 1 million iPhone 3GSs sold in one weekend, the latest Apple mobile device is essentially still a niche product, compared to the 40 million original iPhones, iPhone 3Gs, and both iPod Touch models already sold. And those won't be able to run games with the same efficiency and speed as the new iPhone 3GS.

In short, it's still too early to declare the era of iPhone 3GS games officially arrived. Some game makers are waiting, or not creating games to take advantage of the device at all. Some say it's "not wise" to play specifically to what is still a small slice of the audience combing Apple's App Store for the latest downloads. For example, Pop Cap, the company behind Peggle and Bejeweled for the iPhone, said its games are benefiting from the faster load times the 3GS offers, but it has no plans to create games that are iPhone 3GS-specific.

This wait-and-see approach may be contrary to what some expected. The iPhone 3GS was essentially an update to the iPhone 3G. The "S," we were told, stands for "speed." Indeed, there's a faster processor, a PowerVR SGX graphics chip that can handle 3D rendering, and support for OpenGL ES 2.0, a standard use for creating 2D and 3D graphics. It also has a magnetometer and a video camera, unlike other Apple mobile devices.

Apple confirms it banned iPhone porn app

Yesterday was a little confusing.

Thursday saw the first softcore porn app arrive for the iPhone, only to disappear hours later. Many, including myself, thought Apple had approved and then banned the app, but a note on the developer's Web site indicated that he asked for the app to be removed.

The developer's note read:

"The Hottest Girls app is temporarily sold out. The server usage is extremely high because of the popularity of this app. Thus, by not distributing the app, we can prevent our servers from crashing. Customer satisfaction is more important to us than … Read more

Smaller crowds line up for iPhone 3G S on first day

SAN FRANCISCO--What a difference a year makes.

Apple released its third-generation iPhone Friday, but considerably smaller and quieter crowds came out for the smartphone's debut. It was a stark contrast to the frenzied first day sales of the original iPhone and last year's iPhone 3G. Friday's lines outside stores across the country were reportedly 100- to 200-people deep in some places, falling short of the lines that sometimes stretched for blocks in 2007 and 2008.

Also different this year was the activation process for new phones. Both Apple and AT&T's servers appeared to hold up much better this year, with many buyers Friday morning reporting quick, easy transactions. After just an hour, folks lining up outside Apple and AT&T stores in New York City, San Francisco, and Emeryville, Calif. were filing into the stores in an orderly manner, with no brawls breaking out over line-jumping or the headache-inducing activation problems of last year to be found.

The relatively lower turnout in the early morning wasn't really unexpected. Both Apple and AT&T offered a few more options for purchasing the 3G S this year that appeared to reduce the chaos--offering preordering and the ability to reserve iPhones for in-store pickup. Some customers who may have wanted a new phone are not yet eligible for an upgrade from AT&T unless they want to pay a hefty "early upgrade" fee, and for others, the 3G S isn't that much of an improvement over the 3G model released last year. … Read more

Live blog: iPhone 3G S launch day

The rolling rollout of the iPhone 3G S is under way. Apple's latest iPhone has been going on sale Friday at 7 a.m. local time in each time zone where it's available.

We've got a team of people covering the launch. In the East, CNET News' Caroline McCarthy and Marguerite Reardon are reporting live from Apple and AT&T stores in Manhattan. Out West, Erica Ogg, Josh Lowensohn, and James Martin are keeping tabs on iPhone sales in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Are people lining up the way they have for past iPhone launches? Is the phone everything they expected it to be? Does it really take just 10 to 15 minutes to get set up? Tune in and find out as the day goes along.… Read more

iPhone 3G S hits stores Friday: Will the crowds follow?

Despite the intense amount of interest in Apple's third-generation iPhone, this Friday's launch of the device may not bring out the hordes of Apple fans like it has in years past.

The first days that the original iPhone was on sale in June 2007 (and the iPhone 3G last July), lines at Apple and AT&T stores across the country snaked around city blocks, filled with both newbies and Apple's most loyal customers anxious to be the first to get their hands on the much-anticipated smartphones. Some of the most ardent iPhone devotees camped overnight to … Read more

Change of plans: Apple stores to open at 7 a.m. Friday

Apple Stores will now open an hour earlier than planned on Friday when the iPhone 3G S goes on sale.

Doors will now open at 7 a.m. in all time zones instead of 8 a.m. as the company had previously stated. The move makes sense since AT&T stores are opening at 7 a.m. Friday, though only for customers who pre-ordered an iPhone. AT&T's doors will open to sell the phones at 9 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis.

As usual, we'll be following iPhone sales in various time zones. Will … Read more

Symbian: We have time to beat Apple's iPhone

I had dinner Monday night in London with David Wood, futurist at Symbian, and came away feeling strangely calm. Perhaps it was the exceptional food at Veeraswamy, capped off by a bitter chocolate ice cream....

Or perhaps it was the fact that Wood has spent 21 years with Symbian (and Psion before it was acquired by Nokia), long enough to live through several mobile revolutions and not get too ruffled by any particular one.

In fact, over the course of our dinner Wood pulled out his back-to-the-future Psion Series 5mx on several occasions, a device released a decade ago yet … Read more

Apple readies new retail store design in Arizona

Apple has chosen Scottsdale, Ariz., to showcase its latest retail store designs. The new Apple store is opening Friday night and features some firsts for the company.

Pictures of the Scottsdale first appeared on The Loop late last night. With its cube-like structure, the store, which is set to open at 6 p.m. local time, is reminiscent of the company's popular Fifth Avenue location in Manhattan. The difference is, in Scottsdale, the cube is the store, instead of just one of its architectural features.

When looking through the wall of windows on one side, you can see straight … Read more

Dell selling downloadable Microsoft software

Update at 2:00pm PDT: Comment about Microsoft selling own products at retail price has been added.

You no longer have to drive to your local Staples or Best Buy to grab the latest copy of Microsoft Office.

Dell has become the first non-Microsoft company allowed to sell downloadable Microsoft products at its Dell Download Store. The agreement, announced Thursday, gives Dell the right to sell Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Expression Web and similar Microsoft programs directly to online customers.

"With everyday savings plus on-demand access, the Dell Download Store addresses our customers' two main concerns: price and immediacy,&… Read more

Apple selling iPhone 3G S at 8 a.m. June 19, AT&T at 7 a.m.

This post was udpated with information about AT&T store hours at 3:45 p.m. PDT.

Apple offered clarification Wednesday for when exactly the new iPhone 3G S will go on sale.

Though Apple Senior Vice President of Marketing Phil Schiller said during his keynote speech at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference that the phone will first be available in the U.S. and seven other countries on June 19, he didn't offer a specific time. The 3G S will go on sale starting at 8 a.m. (in all time zones) next Friday. We know … Read more