iPhone Announcements Imminent

After months of speculation, it looks like an announcement for the forthcoming 7th generation iPhone is imminent. No dates have been confirmed yet, but many industry insiders are predicting September 10th as the day announcements will be made, with availability probably 7-14 days later. It is widely expected that the new phone will look similar to the previous generation iPhone 5, with the addition of a fingerprint sensor, improved processor, better camera and dual LED flashes. There is also a huge amount of speculation that Apple will be expanding the colour range of the new model, to include gold/champagne along with the black and white models we’re used to. Further rumours include the possibility of a lower-cost model (which may be limited to certain countries) sporting a plastic shell and there is the slightest chance that iPad models will be announced at the same event.

Of course it goes without saying that iOS 7 is expected to release along with the new phones, promising many usability updates and a much commented on new look.

If the expected date of 10th September is true, we expect to see press coverage from invited journalists from around the 3rd of the month, so we’ll keep our eyes peeled for updates.

SimCity for Mac Finally Launches

Delayed by six months, the Mac release of SimCity is finally available. This is the first release of a new SimCity game for the Mac since 2003, and the gameplay has changed significantly. For the first time, users are required to have Internet connectivity to play the game, as it involves regional play where cities being controlled by multiple players are able to share resources and citizens, doing business together to enable their own cities to prosper.

And, yes, we’ve had a little look around the game today. While it’s not something we’d spend hours on, it does seem to be a very complex simulation now rather than the slightly boring game it was when CPU’s were less capable, and graphics engines less well developed. The ability to trade resources with neighbouring cities adds a great deal to the game, so once you have your basic zoning done you can really spend a lot of time building your city. Looks like a great update to the genre and we’d love to hear from anyone who is playing it with further feedback.

Three to Launch 4G in December

Finally joining the other major networks offering a 4G network in the UK, Three have announced they will be adding 4G coverage in London, Birmingham and Manchester from December. Their ambitious plan is to have 98% coverage in the UK by the end of 2015. That’s great news for anyone currently on an ‘All You Can Eat’ package with the network as they will continue to offer that service on 4G.

We’ve been using Three for some time and can’t say a bad word for them. Crazily enough our head office mobile coverage has a speed rating 5 times faster than the broadband we get through our local ISP, and we have seen similar results in some areas of London that don’t have high speed broadband yet. Definitely worth a consideration if you live in one of those areas.