Maxis first to activate 4G LTE for Apple devices - iPad 4, iPad mini, iPhone 5

In another first for Maxis, owners of Apple devices (at least the latest ones) will get to experience super-fast mobile connectivity now.

In short,

• Customers using the iPhone 5, iPad mini and iPad 4 (iPad with retina display), can now enjoy 4G LTE speeds in selected areas
• By the third quarter of 2013 more areas in Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Baru will be covered

Are you currently using one of these?

I suppose this is one of the key areas the telecommunications service provider is campaigning on, which is good.

In February 2013, Maxis launched two 4G LTE smartphones - the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC One XL, -  the first two smartphones to be activated on Maxis' 4G LTE network


Maxis activates 4G LTE for Apple devices

MAXIS Berhad has announced that customers using the iPhone 5, iPad mini and iPad 4 can now enjoy the speed of its 4G LTE (Fourth Generation Long-Term Evolution) network.

In 2009, Maxis was the first to introduce the iPhone to Malaysia, said its joint chief operating officer (COO) Suren J. Amarasekera. It is now announcing that customers using the Apple iPhone 5, fourth generation iPad with Retina display and iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular model can use its 4G LTE network.

With 4G LTE, customers using iPhone 5, iPad mini and iPad 4 can experience download speeds five to 10 times faster than 3G, enabling them to upload pictures and video 10 times faster, Maxis claimed. Following the 4G LTE activation for these Apple devices, customers on Maxis iValue plans as well as data plans of 1G and above will receive an SMS requesting them to update the settings on their devices.

Once they do so, they will automatically be able to experience 4G LTE speeds in Maxis 4G LTE coverage areas. In areas where 4G LTE services are not available, the device will automatically and seamlessly fall back onto Maxis’ 3G network.


Areas covered by Maxis 4G LTE service:

• Bangsar, Mont Kiara, Desa Park, Damansara Heights
• Cyberjaya
• Damansara Utama
• Kota Damansara, Sunway Damansara
• Puchong (Wawasan Puchong, Bandar Kinrara 1, Bandar Kinrara 3, Bandar Kinrara 4, Bandar Puteri)
• Seapark, Dataran Prima, Tropicana
• Petaling Jaya Section 13, 14, 17, 19, SS2
• Sunway, Kampung Tunku, SS2, SS3
• Taman Desa, Pantai Dalam, Old Klang Road
• Taman Gembira, Desa Petaling
• Taman Kinrara 2, Taman Kinrara 3, Taman Kinrara 4
• Taman Megah (SS23, SS24, SS26), Kelana Jaya
• Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Bandar Utama, Mutiara Damansara
• USJ3, USJ4, USJ5, USJ9, USJ11, USJ12, USJ13.

TheGreenMechanics: Let's hope the cost of data subscription will become cheaper, as increase of speed means more traffic in data exchange which translates to more revenue for the competing telco companies.

For more details, refer to www.maxis.com.my/4GLTE.

Available now: iPhone 5 price in Malaysia - RM2,199

iPhone users looking to upgrade their handset in Malaysia can now do so with the announcement of its availability here today. I saw it in my mailbox and I thought I should share it with other readers.

The official pricing is out and it starts at RM2,199 for the 16GB variant.

The price start at exactly as I have predicted in my iPhone 5 pricing Malaysia article. The following is the official prices from Apple-store Malaysia:

Variant       Price
16GB   -    RM2,199
32GB   -    RM2,499
64GB   -    RM2,799

Just in case Apple decided to take down their pricing page in the future, here is the snapshot of the colour choices and prices:

You may also be interested to read:

1) iPhone 5 pricing in Malaysia - earlier prediction/extrapolation
2) New iPhone 5 is here. Should you upgrade from 4S? - comparing it with Samsung's

iPhone 5 price in Malaysia

The US unlocked prices for iPhone 5 was revealed hours after its official launch on September 12, 2012. AppleInsider quoted Apple iPhone comparison page prices of unlocked 16GB, 32GB and 64GB iPhone 5 models at $649, $749 and $849, respectively.

U.S. unlocked prices shown with asterisk *

iPhone 5 Malaysia prices

It has not been announced yet but from past experience and by  extrapolating, prices for Malaysia market is likely to be as follows (at current exchange rate):

16GB : RM2,299.00
32GB : RM2,599.00
64GB : RM2,899.00

Given that Malaysia prices are RM100 lower than the extrapolated US versus Singapore prices, I am putting my money on Malaysia prices starting at RM2,199 (16GB).

Let's see in 3 to 4 weeks' time.


Other things to consider: nano-SIM

The new nano-SIM is a shrink-equivalent of the micro-SIM and measures 12.3mm x 8.8mm with thickness of just 0.67mm, or about 15% thinner than micro-SIM. You cannot cut your existing micro-SIM into nano-SIM, the same way you did it previously by cutting normal SIM to micro-SIM.

The card is shrinking further. From L - R: Normal SIM, micro-SIM, nano-SIM

There is still no confirmation on nano-SIM availability in Malaysia, so even if you get an iPhone 5 in the next week or two, you won't be able to use it as your primary device.So, you may want to reconsider your intention of asking your friends or relatives in Singapore to buy one for you.

New iPhone 5 is here. Should you upgrade from 4S?

The latest iPhone, the iPhone 5 was introduced yesterday that saw the still 'new' 4S being relegated to the mid-tier of iPhone devices. Announced on September 12, it will be up for pre-orders (in the USA and selected countries) on the 14th. Shipment starts on September 21st.

It will be available first in 9 countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, then in other country world wide.

First impression: It looks exactly like the 4S and 4

The slab is made entirely of aluminum and glass. At 7.6mm, many online commentary - including some well known websites - wrongly quoted the new iPhone as the "world's thinnest smartphone". Instead, that should read "thinnest iPhone ever".

Vital stats of the iPhone 5:

Display       : 4-inch
Resolution  : 1136 x 640 pixel
Thickness   : 7.6 mm
Weight       : 112 g
Camera      : 8MP, front-facing: 1.2MP

Prices of the iphone 5 are similar to the iPhone 4S when it was first launched. In the US, the iPhone 4S now available in single variant (16GB) only, sold at $99 while the iPhone 5 will be offered in 16, 32, and 64GB iterations for $199, $299, and $399 respectively. The retail price without string to telcos starts at $649 (USA).


Closer home: Singapore, one of the earliest wave

In Singapore, the iPhone 5 will be available without contract (unlocked) for a recommended retail price of:-

16GB model: S$948    (US$772)    - approx. RM2,399
32GB model: S$1,088 (US$886)    - approx. RM2,799
64GB model: S$1,238 (US$1,008) - approx. RM3,099

Second look: iPhone 5 does look tall, probably disproportionate.
A little bit of effort needed to get use to it.

The narrow but tall design reminds me of the long gone Nokia 9500, a premium Nokia product during its days. Of course iPhone 5 looks much better, but I can't help thinking about Apple's innovation in terms of look, or the lack of it.



They shrunk the 30-pin connector into a digital type called Thunderbolt (Lightning). This new connector made the old one completely obsolete! There goes my docking station, my charger and data cable. They are completely useless without adaptor (additional un-necessary purchase).



My previous iPhones have all been of black finishes. I must admit though that this White & Silver variant of the iPhone 5 is appealing.


Dimensions comparison with its rival's flagship, the S3:

Height x Width x Thick
Galaxy S3  : 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm
iPhone 5    : 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm



The new iPhone 5 compared to the latest offering from Samsung (Galaxy S3): There are a lot of websites offering information on technical & specifications of the two, but you have to feel the slab in your hand to appreciate the uniqueness of both.

Don't discount the iPhone 5 just yet until you touch and feel it. For me, I will stick to my 4S for the time being. With the gradual rather than radical changes in specifications of the latest device, I don't feel that the need to upgrade is sufficiently justified.

The new iPhone (iPhone 5) is almost here

That's September 12.

And the Cupertino electronic giant is suggesting it will finally be a "5". Many expected the 4S to be a much redefined iteration when it was announced late last year, only to be (disappointed, are you?) with the same '4' with dual-core processor, a Siri and a better camera (8MP) as additional features to the squarish slab.

Today is September 11, so, That's tomorrow!

☺ UPDATES, UPDATES: ☺ 
1) Now that the iPhone 5 is here. Should you upgrade from iPhone 4S?
2) iPhone 5 prices in Malaysia?


No doubt the new iPhone 5 would catapult Apple sales but for now let's see some statistics for crunch. In the tablet market the iPad is still the king. But in the smartphone business, Samsung mobile phones remained the most popular in the US with 25.6% of the market (as at the end of July):

Samsung    - 25.6%
LG             - 18.4%
Apple         - 16.3%

Smartphones powered by Google's Android software continued to dominate the US market and elsewhere in the world. This is a case of 'open-source' Android versus propriety iOS system:

Android     - 52.2% (US market)
iOS           - 33.4%
Others      - 14.4% (Windows, Syambian, etc)

The iPhone progression: Nothing much has changed.

In order to achieve the much-talked 4" display, the iPhone 5 is said to become longer but no change in the width. How ugly could that be? But wait. The iPhone is always full of surprises. Let's see tomorrow if it is a pleasant one.

For now I am a happy user of the 4S.

New iPhone (iPhone 5) to debut on September 12, 2012

If you have been waiting for the next iteration of the iPhone, mark your calender on September 12 and tune in to the online news.

Image grab from Bloomberg Businessweek headlines video on July 31. Businessweek believes it has some details of the next iPhone.


According to iMore, Apple is planning to debut the new iPhone (iPhone 5 or whatever they decide to call it later) on September 12, 2012, and to be followed by its release on September 21. This would mean that the current iPhone 4S would have been in the market for less than a year by the time the next generation is announced.

My source for mostly accurate information of Apple products, The Loop gave its 'yep' to the piece of news. This information comes from sources who have proven accurate in the past. The website owner, Jim Dalrymple was at the event in California when the iPhone 4S was announced last year.

Details, according to Bloomberg Businessweek include:

• Larger screen                                (current iPhone 4S screen is 3.5")
• Thinner body                                 ( iPhone 4S is 9.3mm)
• Works with the faster 4G network    (iPhone 4S is on 3G)
• First new major design since 2010

Really, this is nothing like the details that people want to hear but at least it is something that is sure to be included in the new gadget.

We have been hearing that the new iPhone is likely to spot a 4-inch display, with a 16:9 screen version, and that newer iOS devices will have smaller dock connector. Rumour has been circulating around for a while now that that SIM card would shrink further from the current 'micro' size.

It seems that Apple is planning to squeeze quite a lot of things into the new gadget. But for the iDevice fans, they'd surely hope this iteration is not just to keep up with Samsung S3, but to set the bar higher.

iPhone 4S is just about 11 months in the market and I am one of the earlier buyers of this version, so, I'm not really looking at upgrading to iPhone 5 just yet. But we'll see; hopefully Tim Cook and his team come up with some surprises up their sleeves.