GameRating

Earlier today, CNET were reporting on the opening of the Apple/Verizon stores for iPhone on Verizon. They reported that, at 6:50AM ET, only eight people were in the queue at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store. Pictures from inside the Apple Store today confirm that:

As found by 9to5Mac, the developer seed of iOS 4.3 - the next software update for iOS devices - shows clearly that the iPad will have front and rear facing cameras.

The screenshot above, from 9to5Mac's website, shows that in one of the .plist files of the iOS operating system, a key value named "Back Facing 1MP Photo", showing that the camera on the back of the iPad is to be a 1 MegaPixel one. It was also found that the front-facing camera on the new iPad will be the same as the iPhone 4's FaceTime camera (VGA). That's right, you guessed it, FaceTime is coming to iPad!

Along with FaceTime, it has been discovered that "Photo Booth" is coming to iPad. Photo Booth is the same application on the Mac that lets you mess around with the webcam - add effects, different backgrounds etc.

With the recent release of iOS 4.3 to developers, I've noticed that, on the download page, "iPhone 3G" and "iPod Touch 2nd Generation" are not listed. This almost certainly means that Apple are phasing out software updates for iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2nd Generation.

Some of the new features in iOS 4.3 are:

Effective from today, it has been reported that Apple will be scrapping the 10 percent re-stocking fee for returned goods to its retail stores. Some conditions of this are that the product must be in reasonable condition, and be returned within a certain period of time.

The idea around the fee was to cover costs to repackage and return to its original condition - fair enough - but not when people want to upgrade their products, for example.

A support company, which has been officially authorised by Apple, has sued a customer for "complaining". Dimitris Papadimitriadis, a greek Apple support customer, had a few issues with his iMac, and decided - by Apple's suggestion - to take it into an authorised service centre, Systemgraph - A decision he later regretted.

After dropping his iMac off at the service centre, with dark patches on the screen, he was informed that the repair would consist of replacing the LCD screen, and an interior & exterior clean. When he received the iMac back, he felt that the state of the iMac had actually gotten worse. Damp patches behind the screen, and the same LCD screen were just a couple of the issues he faced. The customer had this to say (translated):

"I insisted that such computer ceases to be credible and relied on Article 540 of the Civil Code and section 5 of Act 2251, pursuant to which I have legal right to ask for a refund or replacement with my new PC under warranty."

Systemgraph refused to provide a refund, because he didn't buy the iMac from them, So, like many would, he posted his story on a popular internet forum. Systemgraph found this post, and later sued him for €200,000 (~£170,000 / ~$265,000) with the claim that he had damaged the reputation of his company.

A court case is due to take place on the 19th January 2011.

Apple Start the Year well on the Stock Market.

2011 Marks the 10th anniversary for Mac OS X, and the iPod, big stuff, a big year for apple. Apart from celebrating the 10th anniversary, Apple have two amazing prospects to look forward to. First is the new Mac App Store opening, this is definitely going to be a success. The other is its partnerships with verizon, big stuff, a big year.

Unfortunatly GameRatingUK did not manage to get into the 'Top 10 most visited Website of 2009 or 2010'.

However Over the Last few months GameRatingUK has seen a significant surge in hits & views. The team here at GameRatingUK HQ would like to thank all our members & guests, who contributed to finish 2010 on a high.

From All the Staff: Happy Near year! And we look forward to a promising 2011!

It was announced back in October this year, and promised by Jobs himself to be released within 60 days. Well, we're passed those 60 long days now, yet no sign of the Mac App Store in your dock. Don't fear, it's coming soon! 6th January to be exact. So, what can we expect from this new platform?

1. Auto-Install - There'll be no need to drag that .app file to the Applications folder anymore. Apple will be kind enough to install it for you!
2. Auto-Updates - Remember the *sad face* when an application announces it needs an update just when you want to use it? That will happen no longer, with Apple's auto update feature!
3. No Serials - There'll be no need to keep hold of your serial keys for applications. Your applications will be tied to your Apple ID.

So, those are the main benefits of this new Mac App Store, which will be available as an additional download on the 6th January 2011, or as part of Mac OS X Lion when it pounces in 2011!

Research was carried out by a website called 'GoodMobile' for just over a month, to monitor which phones were searched by British Consumers.

Vs

According to 'TechWatch' the Results showed that the iPhone 4 was not at the top, in-fact not even close by Apple's standards. At the top of the search list were HTC's Latest releases; Desire HD, Desire, and Wildfire. These were followed by the Samsung Galaxy S and the Nokia N8. While the iPhone 4 was found at a surprising 6!

Is Apple loosing the battle in UK? Leave a Comment Below.

Orange UK announced today that it will lower it's price on Apple's Wifi + 3G iPad, if the public are willing to sign up to a data plan contract. (There's always a catch!)

It was announced from the most legitimate source available: http://newsroom.orange.co.uk (Orange UK)                 Quoted; 'Orange UK today announced it will offer new purchase options for iPad users, including more affordable prices when purchased with a data service plan, for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G models in the coming months.'

It is rumoured that the contract will start from as little as just £200, and predicted to be released early December, during the Christmas shopping peak. Other network's are suspected to follow shortly after Orange take's the plunge.