iTweakiOS Accuses Apple of Throttling iPhone and iPad Data Speeds

UPDATE: The iTweakiOS blog accusing Apple of throttling data speeds has been removed, and Kevin Fitchard of GIGaom has debunked the rumor.

Joseph Brown from iTweakiOS, the developers behind the T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint carrier hacks, claims Apple is working with wireless carriers to slow down the data speeds of certain iOS devices. In a very detailed and long blog post, Brown explains why iPhones are being "out-performed by Android devices," and why he thinks his recent carrier hacks have been able to deliver increased data speeds. Brown says both "Apple and the carriers have implemented coding to purposely slow down or limit the data speeds" a device can achieve.

iPhone Throttling

Brown posted several examples of "throttle coding" (pictured above) from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, while noting "T-Mobile is the exception" to the throttling accusation. Brown doesn't claim to know why Apple and the carriers are limiting data speeds, he just says they are.

Fix Your Broken iPhone 5 Display for $149

One of the best deals in iPhone 5 repair just hit Apple retail locations. The Genius Bar will now perform in-store iPhone 5 display repairs for just $149 for those who didn't bother to purchase AppleCare. According to MacRumors, Apple stands to save around $1 billion per year by performing the repairs locally at retail locations.

iFixit repair iPhone 4 screen

Customers will also benefit, now that a busted or malfunctioning iPhone 5 screen can be repaired in-house, saving both time and money. Apple is shifting its services to provide more repair options at a lower cost. This has pressed independent repair outfits to drop pricing in a bid to remain competitive against the iPhone manufacturer.

Five Funny Vine Channels Worth Following

There should be an explosion in Vine activity now that Twitter has released its popular video sharing app to the Google Play store. This means almost anyone with a smartphone will now be uploading videos, and that Wil Wheaton will finally be joining the Vine community. As most users already know, Wheaton will not be the first celebrity on Vine. The app is full of famous people such as Jimmy Fallon and Tyra Banks, but there are also plenty of lesser known celebrities making a huge splash on the app with their daily hilarious videos. Here is a quick look at five Vine channels worth following... Especially if you're a new user.

Funny Vine Videos

#5. Andy Milonakis' odd videos are always making it to the "Popular Now" section of the Vine app. His Creepy Money Dispenser, where he forces random strangers to take money while wearing an off-putting mask, is probably his funniest running gag. Milonakis is also known for uploading a few videos each day, which is always a plus on Vine.

Don't Plug Your iOS Device Into This Charger

Ever borrowed an iPhone USB charger from a stranger? Watch out. Now a Georgia Institute of Technology research team has proven that a specially designed charger can inject malware into your iOS device effortlessly in under a minute. At least that's the result of their research to create a proof-of-concept malicious accessory, to be fully revealed at the Black Hat security conference this July.

Apple USB charger hack

The research abstract briefly describes "how USB capabilities can be leveraged to bypass [USB] defense mechanisms." Not only this, but the malware is disguised once installed to hide itself "in the same way Apple hides its own built-in applications." In case you were wondering, the experiment was performed with the latest and greatest version of iOS.

More Gold iPhone 5S Parts Revealed

There's no shortage of Apple rumors circulating this year ahead of WWDC. Next week the company is not expected to announce any new hardware, but a completely redesigned iOS 7 instead. The iPhone 5S won't see the light of day until this fall. In the meantime, this hasn't stopped Nowhereelse.fr from leaking more iPhone 5S parts photos.

iPhone 5S parts

After all, the next generation iPhone is said to have already entered trial production. Although the device will have the same form factor as the current model, the iPhone 5S reportedly has internal improvements and will come in multiple different colors. Anyone who remembers how long the white iPhone 4 was delayed can be forgiven for being skeptical when it comes to these reports.

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