Apple has begun notifying developers that the App Store will now accept iOS 5 apps (apps built with the iOS 5 SDK, targeting iOS 5 API).

The next generation of the world's most advanced mobile operating system will soon be in the hands of hundreds of millions of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch customers. This major new release features more than 200 new features and an updated SDK with over 1,500 new APIs and developer tools.

Get your apps ready for the next generation of iOS. Install the GM seed of iOS 5 and build your apps with Xcode 4.2 GM seed. Test your existing apps for compatibility, review the iOS Data Storage Guidelines, and submit your new apps that take advantage of the exciting technologies in iOS 5 today.

Read the iOS Readiness Checklist now and submit your iOS 5 apps for review.

We’re officially past the Rubicon here folks.

Apple has announced that the new iPhone 4S, set to be released on October 14, is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera – well, that’s what people keep referring to it as, anyway. In fact, this camera is so much more than a simple 8 MP camera; Apple sums it up great as:

The you-can't-believe-it's-on-a-phone camera.

The biggest thing that wowed me about the iPhone 4S camera is that it is equipped with an f/2.4 lens. This has many great benefits:

• The aperture will open wider, allowing more light to hit the sensors which means better, brighter photos.
• The shutter will be able to move faster, ensuring that those action shots are crisp and lacking of blur.
• Even in dark, low-lit environments, you will be able to capture photos without using a flash.

This lens, combined with the A5 processor chip and it’s digital signal processor, will allow you to snap photos with virtually no shutter lag (Apple says 1.1 seconds for the first picture, less for subsequent pictures). With the additional added feature from iOS 5 that gives quick camera access to the lock screen, you can say goodbye to missed moments.

Another great feature of the iPhone 4S camera is face detection. This isn’t new to point-and-shoot cameras, so it’s definitely a welcomed addition to the iPhone. When taking a portrait or group shot, the camera will focus on the most prominent face and balance exposure across up to 10 faces.

Some other improvements to the camera include a hybrid infrared filter and advanced algorithms in iOS 5 for even more color accuracy, better white balance, and greater dynamic range.

In my opinion, the least exciting thing about this camera is the bump to 8-megapixels. However, it is nice to know that I’ll be able to get decent 8″x10″ prints from the iPhone 4S camera or crop them down without causing too much damage to the final image.

I hate to say it, but for the average user, the iPhone 4S’s camera will, in many ways, be better than most DSLR cameras equipped with a kit lens.

Hit the link below to check out the sample photos on Apple’s website. They’re stunning.

Source: Apple

TiPb’s iPhone 4S Forum are now open for business! Whether you need help deciding if you should upgrade, or which carrier to go with, or what storage amount, or how to transfer your data — you get the idea — our iPhone 4S Forum is the place to get help, or just to chat with fellow iPhone 4S enthusiasts.

We’ve also combined our GSM iPhone 4 and Verizon iPhone 4 Forum so now there’s one iPhone 4 Forum to rule them all, both for last year’s model and the new $99 2011 version. (And yes, we still have an iPhone 3GS Forum for those of you eyeing the free model.)

Once you’re set on devices, make sure you hit up our iOS 5 Forum and iCloud Forum to get the complete picture, then scroll on down for even more!

Oh, and we’re giving away a Jawbone JAMBOX in the Forums today, and who knows what we’ll be giving away there tomorrow…?

Registration is free, so head on over now!

As of right now, it appears as though AT&T will not be honoring upgrade prices for the iPhone 4S to early iPhone 4 adopters. In the past, early adopters have been able to purchase the new iPhone at the upgrade price even though their account wasn’t technically available for an upgrade yet.

I purchased the iPhone 4 on the day of release, but when checking my availability for the iPhone 4S from Apple’s website, I’m presented with the following prices:

Before November 25, 2011:

• iPhone 4S: 16GB – $449
• iPhone 4S: 32 GB – $549
• iPhone 4S: 64GB – $649
• iPhone 4: 8GB – $349
• iPhone 3GS: 8GB – $199

The prices listed for after November 25 are the same prices that Apple announced earlier today: $199, $299, $399, $99, and $0.

If history repeats itself, AT&T will come to their senses and move the upgrade dates to October 14. This is normal behavior for them: send customers into a panic, then change their minds at the last minute. However, there is still the possibility of them sticking to their guns and not budging with their prices.

If AT&T sticks with these prices, will you still be lining up to essentially pay a $250 fee to purchase the iPhone 4S 42 days sooner?

Apple has posted their streaming video feed for the Let’s Talk iPhone event. So if reading all the live blogs and news still isn’t enough for you, you can hop on over to Apple’s events page and watch the keynote address for yourself.

To summarize, here’s what you can expect -

• The normal facts and figures Apple always gives us
• A revamped iPod Nano and an addition of a white iPod Touch
• A recap of what iOS 5 will bring come October 12th
• Introduction of the iPhone 4S
• New features including Siri and many more

When the YouTube and iTunes versions show up, we’ll add them in. Meanwhile, hit the link below to watch the keynote for yourself.

Apple Events

Looks like the old Siri app will officially be yanked from the App Store on Oct. 15, hot on the heels of Apple baking it into iOS 5 on iPhone 4S. It also looks like while Siri for iPhone 4S will be available in the US and UK, it won’t be available in Canada at launch. At least Apple’s Canadian website is completely devoid of any Siri mention at all.

I’d make an accent joke here, eh, but if true, it’s disturbing for Canadian users. Why would Canada be left out? Either a patent issue or a licensing issue that’s unique to Canada?

And without Siri — the highlight of Apple’s Let’s Talk iPhone event — is an iPhone 4S enough of a new phone to still interest Canadian consumers?

UPDATE: Jim Dalrymple checked with Apple PR and reports Siri will indeed be coming to Canada. [The Loop]

Apple is now offering a new service called AppleCare+. AppleCare+ is only available for the iPhone and adds accidental damage to the usual AppleCare.

AppleCare+ for iPhone extends repair coverage and technical support to two years from the original purchase date of your iPhone and adds coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage due to handling, each subject to a $49 service fee.

As well as this additional feature of accidental damage, AppleCare+ still offers all the previous features of AppleCare; such as two year repair coverage and technical support from the original purchase date. To qualify for AppleCare+ it must be taken out at the same time as you buy your new iPhone and costs $99.

Source: Apple

 

Apple has posted a video guide to its just announced Siri service. It starts with a jogger using a wired headset to ask Siri to read his messages. He then he dictates a reply all without breaking stride. He then asks Siri to start to play his running mix to continue his run! If Siri works this well, it is going to be a really compelling feature on the iPhone 4S.

 

Now that Apple has officially announced the iPhone 4S and put its specs on the table, we can put those specs up against the other baddest phones on the planet — the current flagship devices for Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and webOS.

Each, of course, has its own unique advantages:

• iPhone 4S is blazing fast with the elegant and powerful iOS 5 and the jaw-dropping Assistant artificial intelligence-meets voice control system.

• Samsung Galaxy S II has a huge, incredibly bright display, ultra-thin profile, and Google’s Android 2.3 Gingerbread with TouchWiz on top.

• BlackBerry Bold 9900 brings touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard together in a way unseen since the best days of the Treo and combines in all the killer communication power of the BlackBerry 7 platform.

• HTC Titan makes other big phones feel small, with a gigantic screen, the polish of Microsoft’s Metro UI, and the features of the newly releases Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update.

• Pre3 may never see the light of day, thanks to HP, but we include it here so a) we can look at the battle that might have been, and b) our webOS friends don’t kick us in the shins.

It’s a more competitive market than ever before so check out the phones above and let us know — did iPhone 4S just vault Apple back to the top?

As announced at Apple’s Let's talk iPhone event, the Gold Master seed of iOS 5 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch is now available for download. Developers can grab the download via developer.apple.com and start testing their apps out on it to ensure compatibility.

If you're a registered developer go grab it now. If you notice any changes, drop us a line or let us know in comments!