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Apple has been an LTE straggler -- maybe that's a good thing

Apple has taken a wait-and-see approach to 4G LTE, and that may pay off for the iPhone 5.

While LTE on Verizon's network has become a standard offering for Android phones over the last year or so, Apple CEO Tim Cook has resisted -- until Wednesday.

Cook always said pretty much the same thing: iPhone-use LTE chipsets aren't good enough yet for Apple.

And he had a point. Previous generations of LTE tech had power-consumption and chip-integration tradeoffs. Plus, Verizon's build-out of LTE has been steady but slow. (It just reached an area near my stomping grounds, … Read more

What I'd like to see in the iPhone 5

I've owned an iPhone every year since its 2007 debut. Every one. The reward for such reckless upgrading has been a sense of the iPhone's evolution over those years. What started as a device that had not many apps to speak of, but dripped futurism, has become an always-on, location-aware, frighteningly integral part of my nervous system.

While I've listed what we expect out of the next iPhone, I haven't told you what I want. So, here's my own personal list of what matters most...to me.… Read more

Apple's next iPhone to sport 4G LTE tech, report says

Apple's next iPhone will sport speedier fourth-generation wireless networking, according to a report.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Wall Street Journal says Apple's next iPhone will work with some but not all 4G LTE networks in the U.S. and other countries when it's released.

AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint have 4G LTE networks in the U.S. These networks offer considerably faster data speeds than 3G networks, though use differing frequencies.

4G LTE technology was largely expected to be included in last year's iPhone model, the iPhone 4S. Apple chose … Read more

Upset! iPhone 4S surrenders U.S. crown to Galaxy S3

Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S3 surpassed the iPhone 4S as the top-selling U.S. smartphone in August, the first time that Apple's flagship phone has relinquished its position atop the smartphone food chain.

That's according to Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley, who checks in with retailers to see how each phone is doing.

The iPhone 4S, which initially launched with AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint Nextel, and then expanded to a number of other carriers, has held the top spot as the single best-selling phone ever since it launched in October. To have held on to … Read more

Get top dollar for iPhone trade-ins

Wednesday's Update pays top dollar to bring you the top stories:

Analysts are predicting that as many as 10 million iPhones could be sold if Apple launches it in September. That's because many reports are pointing to a Sept. 21 release date for the next model. So if you're planning on selling your old phone for cash, you should plan ahead to make the most money. Trade-in sites like eBay Instant Sale, NextWorth and Gazelle are already seeing an increase of visitors looking to sell an iPhone 4S or iPhone 4.

You can get more money for … Read more

Verizon LTE hits 34 new markets, blankets 75 percent of U.S.

The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network will be available in 34 new markets, starting tomorrow, and cover more than three-quarters of the nation in a total of 371 markets.

The carrier, which made the announcement today, added that its 4G LTE coverage is expanding 38 existing markets tomorrow as well.

The latest rollout further widens the gap between Verizon and its competitors when it comes to 4G LTE, an increasingly important selling point as consumers begin to care more about network speeds and how quickly they can browse the Internet, stream music, and download attachments and pictures on their smartphones. … Read more

Cheaper? Sure. But a discounted iPhone 4S is no bargain

Now is not the time to buy Apple's iPhone 4S.

It may seem obvious to some, but it's advice worth repeating as a public service announcement: ignore the recent discounts from Sprint Nextel and Apple on the iPhone 4S. If you're interested in an iPhone, wait a few weeks until the next iPhone is released, then make your call.

After Sprint dropped the price of its flagship phone to $149 from $199 last week, it is now bundling a $100 gift card to anyone who buys a smartphone online. Apple will reportedly match the deal by offering … Read more

Beware the allure of Apple's Retina Displays

Apple's Retina Displays are drop-dead gorgeous. But be careful what you wish for.

Like many, I got the third-generation iPad because of the 2,048-by-1,536-pixel-density Retina Display. And, like many, I didn't see a huge difference at first.

That was then. Now it's painful to pick up my Dell laptop with its 1,366x768-pixel 13.3-inch display and Windows 7 fonts (note: font-smoothing utilities go just so far).

And while my 11.6-inch MacBook Air fares better than the Dell (it packs the same number of pixels but into a smaller area giving it a higher PPI … Read more

Apple's iPhone 4S drops to $149 with Sprint

Apple fans may be quick to read into this: over the weekend, Sprint dropped the price of its iPhone 4S from $199 to $149.

Could this be in anticipation of the iPhone 5?

Sprint's $50 price cut, first reported on by AllThingsD, comes before competing carriers have dropped their prices. AT&T's iPhone 4S is still $199, as is Verizon's.

According to AllThingsD, rumor has it that the price slash is a Sprint promotion but with Apple's approval. A spokesperson for the carrier told CNET that the price drop is simply a back-to-school promotion.

Apple … Read more