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People walk down spiral steps in a newly-opened Apple Store in the Wangfujing shopping district of Beijing, China, Oct. 20. Apple Computer opened its fifth store in mainland China, and it is the largest in Asia.
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iPhone 5 fans celebrate their new gadgets
Adrian Dennis / AFP - Getty Images
Apple Store employees applaud a customer after he bought a new iPhone 5 on the day of its release at Covent Garden in London on Sept. 21.
Michael Dalder / Reuters
Ralf Marth celebrates being the first customer at an Apple store to get an iPhone 5 in Munich Sept. 21.
William West / AFP - Getty Images
James and Tamsyn Vohradsky hold up their new phones after becoming the first buyers of Apple's new iPhone 5 from the flagship store in Sydney, on Sept. 21.
Luke Macgregor / Reuters
First in line, Ryan Williams, reacts as he enters the Apple store to purchase the first new Apple iPhone 5 at the Apple Store in Covent Garden in London Sept. 21.
Apple's iPhone 5 hit stores in a festive global roll out, with long queues of devotees undeterred by a lukewarm welcome from experts and complaints about the smartphone's new mapping system.
Didn't pre-order? How to get yours as soon as possible
iPhone 5 pre-orders pass 2 million in 24 hours
Video: No room for fanboys: Protesters, sell-outs crowd iPhone line
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
People wait on a set of stairs to get into the Apple store to purchase the new iPad as they went on sale around the world March 16 in New York City.
Steps away from new iPad
Hundreds of buyers lined up for hours, and in some cases overnight, as the Apple iPad went on sale in the U.S. and nine other countries. They did so even though Apple started accepting online orders a week ago.At Apple's flagship retail store on New York's Fifth Avenue, the composition of the line, and the way many customers were paying for two iPads each with wads of cash, suggested that many of the tablets were destined to be resold abroad.
-- Msnbc.com wire services
Related links:
Waiting to score the newest iPad from Apple
Eduardo Munoz / Reuters
Customers wait in line to buy Apple's new iPad at a department store shortly after the 4G-ready tablet computer went on sale at midnight, New York City, March 16, 2012.
Michaela Rehle / Reuters
Christof Wallner, 23, from Austria, the first buyer of the new iPad in Germany, poses after purchasing the tablet in front of the Apple store in Munich, March 16, 2012. Apple's new iPad went on a sale in Germany on Friday and more than 500 people waited on the line to purchase the new device in front of the shop prior to its opening.
Mainland Chinese wait all night outside Apple store for release of iPhone 4S
It's interesting that the iPhone is manufactured in mainland China, but locals weren't able to buy the phone until today.
Feng Li / Getty Images
Chinese people wait outside an Apple store all night before the mainland release of iPhone 4S on Jan. 13, 2012 in Beijing, China. Apple recently announced iPhone 4S will be released in China and 21 other countries on Jan. 13.
Feng Li / Getty Images
The Apple staff change the iPhone 4S display at the Apple store in Beijing.
Feng Li / Getty Images
Chinese policemen draw the cordon as people wait outside an Apple store.
Feng Li / Getty Images
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Jeff Chiu / AP
In this photo taken Oct. 25, 2011, a photo of an old keyboard is shown next to a letter written about Steve Jobs at Stanford's Green Library in Stanford, Calif. Historians and entrepreneurs who want to understand the rise of Apple Inc. and its founder Steve Jobs will find a treasure trove of clues in Stanford University's Silicon Valley Archives.
'This joker is going to be calling you': Archives offer a window into the early days of Apple
In the summer of 1976, a printer who had just met Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak jotted down an apologetic note to a colleague about the young entrepreneurs: "This joker [Jobs] is going to be calling you ... They are two guys, they build kits, operate out of a garage ... Told him we'd like to see what they've got ... Sounds flakey. Watch it!"
The letter forms part of Stanford University's Apple Collection, a treasure trove of documents, books, software, videotapes and marketing materials that were donated by Apple in 1997.
"Through this one collection you can trace out the evolution of the personal computer," Stanford historian Leslie Berlin told The Associated Press. "These sorts of documents are as close as you get to the unmediated story of what really happened." Read more.
- Slideshow: Steve Jobs - 1955 - 2011
First statue of Steve Jobs unveiled in Budapest
Laszlo Balogh / Reuters
Hungarian sculptor Erno Toth unveils his statue of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs during a ceremony in a private business park in Budapest, Dec. 21.
Zsolt Szigetvary / EPA
A man takes picture with an Apple iPad of a Steve Jobs monument by Hungarian sculptor Erno Toth in the Graphisoft Park, Budapest, Dec. 21.
According to Reuters:
A Hungarian software company unveiled what it said was the world's first bronze statue of Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs Wednesday, calling him one of the greatest personalities of the modern age.
The bronze work by sculptor Erno Toth stands in the Budapest campus of architectural software maker Graphisoft.
"He was one of the greatest (personalities) in our era, that's what we wanted to express with this sculpture here," Graphisoft Chairman Gabor Bojar told Reuters.
Huge Apple store opening at NYC's Grand Central
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
People walk through the new Apple store in Grand Central Station on Dec. 7, 2011 in New York City.
Hal Morey / Getty Images
Beams of sunlight streaming through the windows at Grand Central Station, New York City, circa 1930.
Grand Central Terminal is an architectural treasure that has been captured in memorable photos. Apple Stores are also known for their distinctive design, so it's fascinating how the architects attempted to create something compatible with Grand Central. Do you think they succeeded?
AP reports:
NEW YORK — One of the world's largest Apple stores is opening at the landmark Grand Central Terminal.
The 23,000-square-foot (2,140-square-meter) personal electronics business will start selling to the public on Friday.
By leasing to Apple, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it is quadrupling the rent for Grand Central's east balcony and an adjacent one overlooking the cavernous main concourse with its famed night-sky ceiling.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
People walk through the new Apple store in Grand Central Station on December 7, 2011 in New York City.
Jason Kempin / Getty Images
An exterior view of the new Apple Store location under construction in Grand Central Terminal on Nov. 23, 2011 in New York City.
Camera shootout: iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and HTC Amaze
John Brecher / msnbc.com
Daylight on a cloudy day as shot by Canon G10, HTC Amaze, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.
By John Brecher
As part of a joint product test with msnbc.com's Gadgetbox blog, I tested three cellphone cameras: iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and HTC Amaze, a phone marketed for its photographic capabilities.
For comparison, I shot the same stuffed animals in four lighting situations:
- Daylight (cloudy)
- Indoor fluorescent lights
- Very dim LED lamp (exposure f/2.8 at 1/2.5 second, ISO 400)
- Built-in flash
I included a Canon G10 in the mix, because while we definitely want to know what the best phone camera is, the ultimate question is whether a phone can replace a good point-and-shoot camera.
A few easy conclusions: Overall, the iPhone 4S is decidedly better than the iPhone 4. In low light, both old and new iPhones are better than the HTC Amaze.
In terms of image quality, the iPhone 4S looks almost as good as the G10 in all but very low light conditions. Some of this is subjective — you may or may not prefer the iPhone's color saturation, for example.
As someone who's ruined plenty of shots by blowing out the highlights, I can say that the iPhone's smaller sensor does hinder it in some ways. Look for the abrupt transition from detailed to blown-out highlights on the 4S and iPhone 4 shots, compared to the far smoother highlight handling of the G10.
There's more to a camera, though, than the image quality it produces. It's also a matter of handling. It's great that iPhones running iOS5 let you use the volume key as a shutter button. HTC's Amaze also has a hard button. Tapping a touchscreen interface can introduce more camera shake.
Also, If you do want to override automatic white balance and exposure, a dedicated camera is the easiest and best tool. There are apps and tweaks for iPhone and other phones, but it involves a lot of tap-dancing with your fingers. And if you're trying to shoot lots of images in rapid succession, it's faster to use a real camera.
Still, the iPhone 4S comes the closest to putting run-of-the-mill point-and-shoots out of business. Your dedicated camera had better be high performance, like the Canon PowerShot S100, or somehow qualitatively different, to make it worth carrying along.
As for the test pictures, you can see our daylight comparative results above and the rest below. There's no HDR and no use of post-processing in Photoshop other than resizing. All cameras were shot on auto for white balance, exposure and focus.
John Brecher / msnbc.com
Daylight on a cloudy day as shot by Canon G10, HTC Amaze, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.
John Brecher / msnbc.com
Overhead fluorescent lights indoors as shot by Canon G10, HTC Amaze, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.
John Brecher / msnbc.com
Overhead fluorescent lights indoors as shot by Canon G10, HTC Amaze, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.
John Brecher / msnbc.com
Built-in flash indoors as shot by Canon G10, HTC Amaze, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.
John Brecher / msnbc.com
Built-in flash indoors as shot by Canon G10, HTC Amaze, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.
John Brecher / msnbc.com
Very dim indoor light as shot by Canon G10, HTC Amaze, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Exposure was f/2.8 at 1/2.5 second at ISO 400 on Canon G10.
John Brecher / msnbc.com
Very dim indoor light as shot by Canon G10, HTC Amaze, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Exposure was f/2.8 at 1/2.5 second at ISO 400 on Canon G10.
John Brecher has been a professional photographer for 15 years, and has shot for msnbc.com for the last five.
Jeff Chiu / AP
A man walks past an Apple store employee which was closed off by a white curtain in Palo Alto, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 19. Apple closed a number of its stores for a memorial service for co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs. The service took place at company headquarters in Cupertino, and was also webcast to employees worldwide.
Apple employees celebrate Jobs, stores close
AP reports:
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple Inc.'s famous penchant for secrecy remained intact Wednesday as the company's retail stores were curtained and employees were close-lipped about a private memorial service to celebrate the life of company co-founder Steve Jobs.
The service, announced to Apple employees in an email by CEO Tim Cook, took place Wednesday morning at company headquarters in Cupertino. It was also being webcast to employees worldwide.
Apple planned to keep its stores closed for several hours so employees could watch the service. At stores across Northern California, white curtains were draped across the windows to block the view from outside.
Tribute to Steve Jobs created in sticky notes
Michaela Rehle / Reuters
The face of Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs created in adhesive notes on the window of an apple store in Munich, Germany Oct.17. Jobs, counted among the greatest American CEOs of his generation, died on October 5, 2011, at the age of 56, after a years-long and highly public battle with cancer.
After seeing all the sticky notes left in honor to Steve Jobs last week, I came across this today and was struck by the image.
More on PhotoBlog of Steve Jobs.
Slideshow: Steve Jobs through the years.
Apple fans around the world pay tribute to Steve Jobs
msnbc.com staff and news service reports:
"I was so saddened. For me it was like Michael Jackson or Princess Diana — that magnitude." Stephen Jarjoura, 43, Sydney.
"My teachers asked me what kind of person I wanted to be and I told them I wanted to be like Steve." Henry Men Youngfan, engineering student, Beijing.
From the titans of high technology to teenagers armed with iPads, millions of people around the world mourned digital-gadget genius Steve Jobs as a man whose wizardry transformed their lives in big ways and small. Read the full story.
Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
CUPERTINO, CA: Chinese exchange students from nearby De Anza College use candles to create the Apple logo and Steve Jobs' last name in Chinese characters.
Kin Cheung / AP
HONG KONG: A boy looks at a figure of Steve Jobs next to flowers laid in his tribute at an Apple store.
Yuriko Nakao / Reuters
TOKYO: An apple is placed next to a flower at the entrance of the Shibuya Apple store.
Yuriko Nakao / Reuters
TOKYO: Satoko Sakai prays in front of flowers outside the Shibuya Apple store.
Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
CUPERTINO, CA: An iPhone-lit tribute to Steve Jobs outside Apple headquarters.