Top 10 iPhone and iPad stories of 2010 is a headline about headlines that should come with a spoiler warning. The mere fact we had to include the word iPad this year spills the beans on the biggest story of the last 12 months. But it wasn’t the only big story — far from it. Follow on after the break as we look back at the triumphs and tragedies and the news and rumors that made for the most monumental stories of 2010.

1. iPad

Even before it was released, before we knew the official name for it, pundits said Apple’s tablet would be a flop. Then Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, proclaiming it was better than a laptop and better than a smartphone for the web, email, photos, ebooks, movies, games, and music. And customers bought it by the millions. Nothing less than an attempt to make the personal computer more personal, to mainstream the digital appliance, the iPad established a category that had floundered for a decade and once again sent competitors scrambling not only to keep up, but to stay relevant. (Especially post iOS 4.2.)

• Complete iPad coverage

2. iPhone 4

With iPhone 4 Apple boldly claimed they were revolutionizing the phone. Again. Just like 2007, they were right. With a 960×640 Retina Display, 5mp camera and 720p HD video recording, FaceTime video calling, and a glass and stainless steel design as sexy as it was controversial — they were right. It sold 14 million its first full quarter on the market. Any other company, any other time, and iPhone 4 would have been our #1 story of the year, but Apple this year also introduced the iPad, pushing iPhone 4 — as incredible as it seems, to #2.

• Complete iPhone 4 coverage

3. Antennagate

We mentioned the iPhone 4 design was controversial, and while the double layers of glass have some worried about cracks, it’s that aluminum antenna that started a media circus this summer. Actually, it was real problems with the antenna under low signal conditions compounded and combusted by Apple and Steve Jobs’ flippant initial response — “you’re holding it wrong.” A few months, and millions of free Apple (and TiPb!) bumper cases later and “antennagate” is gone from the headlines, consigned to year-in-review fodder like this. The only question is what, if anything, will change with iPhone 5’s antenna next year.

• Complete antennagate coverage

4. White iPhone 4

“Great artists ship” is a quote Steve Jobs is very fond of. When it comes to the white iPhone 4 originally shown off alongside its black counterpart at WWDC back in June… well, we’re still waiting. Many other companies miss shipping dates but Apple isn’t many other companies. It’s rare for them, especially in consumer electronics. That’s probably what made this a story that wouldn’t go away. Currently re-re-(re?)-scheduled for spring 2011, many have stopped waiting and either bough the black, had aftermarket white conversions done (like Leanna!), or just decided to wait for iPhone 5, which should hit the market only a few short months later.

• Complete white iPhone 4 coverage

5. Android invasion

A year ago all the fanboy fights were between iPhone and BlackBerry (see Kevin, CrackBerry). Then came Droid and Verizon’s marketing muscle. That made Android mainstream, and Google’s Nexus One completed the one-two punch with tech geeks. Since then it’s been iPhone vs. Android in the trenches, on the blogs, and especially in the comments here on TiPb. While users on both sides will argue the pros and cons, the polish and the power, Android competition has inarguably kept the pressure on Apple and Google, ultimately providing better devices for all of us.

• Complete iPhone vs. Android coverage

6. Adobe wars

Apple and Adobe are at war on two fronts. While users have been complaining about the lack of Flash player support on iPhone since 2007, Adobe simply didn’t have the technology until betas began appearing in late 2010, and then… Apple chose not to support them. At the same time Apple changed their SDK license to prevent the use of cross-compilers like Adobe’s Flash CS5 Packager. Adobe accused Apple of locking developers to Xcode, preventing Adobe from locking them into CS5. Apple accused Adobe of years of complacency and intermediation. There’s still no Flash player support, but…

• Complete Apple vs. Adobe coverage

7. App Store reloaded

Whether it was Adobe’s complaints and the threat of governmental investigation, or whether Apple took one look at Epic’s Unreal 3 Engine running on iOS, 2010 represented another rare occurrence — Apple called a mulligan, a do-over. The SDK dropped the cross-compuler and location-based advertising restrictions, and not only that — Google Voice was actually approved for the iPhone, along with a slew of other apps that would never have been let in years or even months before. Apple also published guidelines for the first time, and the app approval process became considerably faster. Oh, and we got Infinity Blade courtesy of that aforementioned Unreal 3 Engine.

• Complete cross-compiler coverage

8. Gaming

Infinity Blade was only one of the gaming breakthroughs we saw this year. In addition to breathtaking graphics we also saw multiplayer online come our way via Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus. Real Racing combined eye-popping, Retina Display graphics and multiplayer for a truly knock-out combo. And on the casual side Angry Birds became a pop culture phenomena once again showing graphics, multiplayer, and even physical controls aren’t key to top tier title — game play is. Add to that the iPad, where many of the same games come to bigger, better life on a 9.7-inch screen and 2010 was the year Nintendo and Sony were put on notice when it came to iOS gaming.

• Complete iPhone and iPad game coverage

9. Jailbreak

Advanced users, power users, tweakers — call them what you want but they wanted functionality Apple was still unwilling or unready to provide. Whether it was unlocking from AT&T, one of the last remaining exclusive carriers, or the ability to theme with Winterboard, get glance-able data with LockInfo, get more convenient texting with BiteSMS, use AirPlay anywhere with AirVideoEnabler, toggle faster with SBSettings, or accomplish a hundred other useful, individualized things, despite the improvements in the App Store, Jailbreak continued unabated in 2010.

• Complete Jailbreak coverage

10. Verizon iPhone

This could easily have been story #1 given the amount of attention — and sheer quantity of rumors — that the Verizon iPhone generated in 2010. But that’s happened every year since 2007. What made this year different was the quality and sources of the rumors — the big guns of mainstream media no less. According to the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, BusinessWeek and others, the Verizon iPhone is finally a done deal and we’ll see it in early 2011 — no doubt making it one of the biggest stories for next year, no doubt.

• Complete Verizon iPhone coverage

Your top stories?

Well there they are, our picks for the top 10 iPhone and iPad stories of 2010. Did we miss one (or several) that you think were even bigger stories? Let us know what you think were the biggest stories of 2010, and give us your take on them in the comments!

Top 10 iPhone and iPad stories of 2010 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

The TiPb Store has the coolest iPod nano watch straps, including the Griffin Wristlet for iPod nano, the Giffin Aerosport for iPod nano, and the Griffin Slap for iPod nano. So if you just got a hot new iPod nano for Christmas and want to wear it as a super sweet watch, take a look and order away!

The Griffin Slap for iPod nano are cool, fun, multi-color slap bracelets straight from the 80’s that Griffin has brought back with a vengeance for the tech of 2010. They are easy to put on your wrist, just hit them against your wrist and they wrap perfectly around your arm. [TiPb Store link].

The Griffin wristlet for the iPod nano fits around your wrist with tough stretchy silicon then protects and covers the iPod nano. You can still access all of the controls and it even has a back slit allows access to the iPod Nanos clip. [TiPb Store link]

The Griffin AeroSport watch strap for the iPod nano is the perfect gift for every athlete and fits almost any wrist size. It is made of lycra so will be comfortable while you work out [TiPb Store link].

Do any of these tempt you? Send us some pictures if you pick one up!

Sponsored by the TiPb iPod nano accessory store

TiPb Store: We have iPod Nano watch straps, baby! [Sponsored] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

RunKeeper Pro has been made available to everyone for free today. The offer lasts until the end of January 2011 so don't delay, go and grab yourself a copy of this fantastic app for free.

In an effort to encourage more people to get off the couch, and as a show of appreciation to the RunKeeper community for your terrific support for the last two and a half years, we’re making the RunKeeper Pro app (usually $9.99 USD) free to download now through the end of January!

RunKeeper Pro uses your iPhone’s GPS to track your fitness activities, some of the features include activity tracking, personal online dashboard, map views, activity sharing on social networks and email as well iPod music integration and loads more.

What more do you need to kick-start your fitness goals for 2011!

[iTunes Link]

RunKeeper Pro free until the end of January is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

What new and amazing iPhone and iPad apps and games do you want to see in 2011? This year brought us everything from Word Lens to Infinity Blade, Google Voice to Apple FaceTime, multiplayer online video games to background navigation and internet radio streaming.

As incredible as those apps and games are can you imagine what we’ll see next year? Let us know your dream list of iPhone, iPod touch, iPad (and maybe Apple TV?!) for 2011 in the comments!

TiPb asks: What iPhone and iPad apps do you want to see in 2011? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

There is a interesting bug in iPhone 4 photos where a blue tint shows up in the middle of the image. This bug has been widely noted and appears to effect only the back, 5mp camera and not the forward facing VGA camera. It also seems to still be a problem under iOS 4.2.1. Some have stated that this may because of the lighting conditions, while others have noted this effect under many different types of light. I have not had this issue myself with my iPhone 4 or heard of any of my friends having it either. I wrote too soon! I tried taking a picture of a white blanket with my iPhone 4 for the post… and here is what happened..

After the shock lifted, I realized that at close range, I too have a blue tinge on my photos.

This is quite an annoying issue and I have been told of many people exchanging their iPhone 4’s only to get another phone and have the same problem. This seems to be an issue which effects most if not all iPhone 4’s. This issue also occurs with video.

Possible causes

• fluorescent lighting
• iPhone 4 defect

Potential fixes

• use incandescent lighting
• install Camera Spot Fix app
• exchange iPhone 4
• live with it

Want to know if this happens on your iPhone 4? Take a picture of something white like a piece of paper from close range (2 to 3 feet) and let me know what you see. You may be as shocked as I am.

Let me know if you have this problem and if any fixes have worked for you. Also, does it affect your day to day use?

[Thank you Peter for emailing in this bug!]

iPhone 4 bugs: Blue tint in center of photos is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

It looks as if famed iPhone hacker George Hotz aka Geohot, might be coming back again with a jailbreak called Rubyra1n. According to Redmond Pie, Geohot registered the domain name for Rubyra1n on March 27, 2010 when he also registered for Limera1n.com.

Of course this doesn’t mean that it will be out soon or that he will even utilize this as his next release but it could show a possible iOS 4.2.1 untethered jailbreak coming in our future (one can hope anyway!). Gehot isn’t on Twitter anymore (if you’re following someone there, it’s a fake), and has not responded to claims that this will indeed be his next jailbreak tool but it shows that he doesn’t appear to be out of the jailbreak game as he stated previous to his Limera1n jailbreak tool.

As with everything jailbreak we will have to just wait and see what, if anything, occurs. As always if anything changes or we hear anything else we will update and let our faithful #TeamJailbreak fanatics know the minute we know something!

What do you think Rubyra1n will be used for? Is it just a domain name that may never be used, will it bring an untethered miracle to iOS 4.2.1, or could it be saved for another, more crucial update like… iOS 5? (Hey, why not speculate huge!)

[ Redmond Pie ]

Rubyra1n the next Geohot Jailbreak tool? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

It took a while but Skype for iPhone has finally hit version 3.0 and now includes video calling, not only over Wi-Fi like Apple’s FaceTime but over 3G as well! Here’s the complete update list:

• Make Skype to Skype video calls on WiFi and 3G (Additional Data charges may apply)
• Call Skype desktop users (Mac OS X or Windows) and other iPhone users.
• Two-way video calls supported on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch 4th gen.
• Receive only video supported on iPad and iPod touch 3rd gen, with no camera.
• Make video calls in portrait and landscape.
• Skype video calling requires iOS 4.0 or above.

We’re testing it out now and will update asap with results. How’s it working for you?

UPDATE: First impressions after the break!

[Free - iTunes link, thanks @laniceto for the head's up!]

Skype for iPhone 3.0 with video calling it works well. Over Wi-Fi it doesn’t look as good as Apple’s FaceTime but it looks good enough and the ability to connect to Skype users (whose numbers eclipse FaceTime users) makes it killer. Over 3G is looks about the same as Wi-Fi, which is great because FaceTime forced onto 3G via Jailbreak hacks like My3G doesn’t look as good.

I tested it out with Brian Tufo and it was solid on both ends, Wi-Fi and 3G. When in Wi-Fi I could still hit the Home Button and put the call into background mode but the video froze on the other end. My iPhone was pretty slow and by the time I made it to Settings and flipped Wi-Fi off, then went back to Skype we’d lost the call but Brian was able to call me back over 3G easily enough.

UPDATE 2: For those asking, Skype over 3G used an average of 2.1MB of data up and 1.3MB of data down per minute, so if you’re on a restricted data plan you’ll want to exercise extreme caution.

Overall Skype for iPhone 3.0 with video calling is solid.

Skype for iPhone hits 3.0, adds video calling over Wi-Fi and 3G is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

BusinessWeek is adding to the Verizon iPhone rumor heap with word that the near-mythical device will launch sometime after CES and before Valentine’s Day — in other words between mid January and early February 2011. Attributed to “a person familiar with Apple’s plans” (boy he gets around!), BW says:

Apple (AAPL) will likely host one of its splashy product introductions to announce a new version of the iPhone that works on Verizon’s (VZ) network. Customers are expected to stampede to the new pairing, leaving AT&T (T), until now the exclusive U.S. distributor of the iPhone, with an enormous problem.

Or just leave AT&T with less network congestion and a happier remaining customer base? While AT&T will no doubt lose some customers to Verizon, and other manufacturers will lose users to the iPhone on Verizon, BW also points out that at least both of them will be in the game, unlike Sprint and T-Mobile US.

Is Verizon enough carrier choice for you, or do you think Apple should do in the US what it does pretty much everywhere else now — offer iPhone on all major carriers?

Verizon iPhone to launch between mid January, early February 2011 [Rumor] is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog