So the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sprint was so desperate to get the iPhone now that AT&T’s exclusivity deal is up, they actually bet the future of their company on it: they’ve placed an order for over $20 billion in iPhone sales over the next four years. Sprint won’t break even on the deal until 2014, and if the iPhone suddenly becomes less popular (yeah, right), the deal could sink the company.

That’s a big story. It seems almost unbelievable, in fact, that Sprint would bet the future of its company on just one device, but that’s exactly what they appear to have done.

Want to know something even more unbelievable, though? According to a follow up report… Sprint’s ballsy deal secured them exclusive rights to the iPhone 5.

If you still haven’t heard the news, last week we launched our new “Deals” hub for Cult of Mac. We’re bringing Apple fans the best deals in cutting-edge software and apps. Right now we have the amazing email-app, Sparrow, on sale for $6. With only two days remaining on this deal, users need to act now before our discount is over. Also, we’re hosting a giveaway for five free copies of Sparrow. The contest ends today at 5PM, so sign up while you still can.

We’ll be offering all kinds of deals: free app codes; 72-hour sales on premium packages; and bundles of the best apps — all at savings of 30% to 90% off retail. Teaming up with StackSocial allows us to bring special expertise to Deals.CultofMac.com We will be using our knowledge of what Mac users want to create highly relevant offers designed to cater specifically to the demands of Cult of Mac’s core readership, the Apple enthusiast. We hope you keep checking out deal.cultofmac.com to join the experience.

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Okay, so tomorrow, Apple’s going to announce iOS 5’s new feature, Assistant, which allows you to control your iPhone 4S using just your voice. Big deal, you might be thinking, somewhat sarcastically. But it is a big deal.

In fact, one of the co-founders of the company behind Apple’s Assistant technology says it’s no less than a “world-changing event.”

Analysts foreseeing Apple introduce two iPhones at Tuesday’s event should get their eyes fixed. That’s the message from a Wall Street expert predicting the tech giant will unveil one new handset, but reduce prices on the iPhone 4 to $99 and the iPhone 3GS to free with carrier contract.

Contradicting an earlier news report that Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs is expected to attend Tuesday’s iPhone event, a technology blogger claims Jobs is “just not feeling well enough” to publicly appear.

Apple continues to out-muscle Android online, according to a new report of devices using the Internet. Despite fewer mobile devices, iOS-powered products in September collectively accounted for 54.65 percent of the mobile market, versus 16.25 percent for Android.

Well, this is certainly unexpected. Apple may have kept secret a big change to the App Store that they’ll announce at the “Let’s Talk iPhone” event tomorrow: app rentals.

Now that questions over when the iPhone 5 will appear seems to be settled, new speculation has shifted to whether former CEO and Apple stage-master Steve Jobs will show up on what was supposed to be new CEO Tim Cook’s day.

Verizon Wireless has reportedly offered staff at its call centers ‘unlimited overtime’ this Tuesday — the day Apple is set to announce its fifth-generation iPhone. Although recent reports claim the device will launch a week or two after the event, Verizon is “expecting something big to drop THAT DAY.”

There is a bombastic upstate New York car dealer who loves to say his auto sales are “huge.” However, the first day of iPhone 5 sales expected to start this week, could redefine the definition. The enormous “pent up demand” for the new iPhone will “shatter” Apple’s previous one-day sales record of 1.7 million handsets, according to a Wall Street analyst.

The Mac and Mac OS X have changed tremendously in their nearly three-decade long existence, but some problems stand the test of time. Finder Error Code 36 has plagued Mac users since the Beige Days:

My girlfriend and I have matching 13″ MacBook Pros (4Gigs RAM and both with ample HDs) and are the same “age”. We both are music nuts and have tons of music and my Mac performs beautifully but her computer has been pausing/stalling (with spinning beach ball) when she plays music on iTunes. This happens mainly, but not limited to, when the screensaver starts up. We took it to the Genius Bar and their solution was to disable the screensaver with a hot corner. I find that solution unacceptable.

Apple’s big media event is Tuesday and you can bet that they will be talking about iCloud their new service which is going to replace MobileMe. So it might be a good idea to get ready by backing up some of your data before making the switch.

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While many of the details about Apple’s upcoming iPhone may remain a mystery until its unveiling on Tuesday, one thing we can pretty much be certain of is that the device will pack the company’s latest dual-core A5 processor. And thanks to that chip, the fifth-generation iPhone will boast significantly faster graphics performance.

Apple’s upcoming ‘iPhone 4S‘ seems to have appeared all over the place over the past few days. Firstly the Cupertino company itself leaked the device within an iTunes beta, then Cincinnati Bell listed it — along with the iPhone 5 — on its website. Vodafone Germany is the latest to claim its share of the free publicity, listing the device on its website with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB of storage.

I wish I never sold my original iPhone. Being seen around town using an iPhone with a brushed aluminum back would make others jealous of my uniqueness. The iPhone 4? Dude, that was so 2010. My original iPhone can’t even create folders or multitask, but no one else has one so it makes me like fifty times more awesome than anyone using an iPhone 3GS.

You’re probably snickering at this ridiculous idea that a unique design completely trumps functionality. I don’t blame you. However, a lot of Apple fans are falling into the trap of this same ideology that claims the looks of the new iPhone are more important than the functionality it will bring with it. Many claim that if Apple “only” releases an iPhone 4S it will be a huge disappointment to fans. “We’ve waited 16 months for a new iPhone and all they’re giving us is a minor spec bump? This is crap!”

What some Apple fanboys don’t understand is the iPhone 4S isn’t “just a spec bump.” The new iPhone, regardless of its physical appearance, will be a significant improvement to the greatest phone ever made.

Of course no one wants to be stuck with an ugly phone that looks five years behind the curve, but before rising up in revolt against the iPhone 4S, let’s consider the current state of technology and where the iPhone 4 currently ranks.

If retail stores are good enough for Apple, they’re good enough for Google.

It’s getting close! With Apple set to hold its next media event on Tuesday, the folks in Cupertino have already put up a “Let’s Talk iPhone” banner outside of the Apple campus auditorium. The icons on the banner match the invites that were sent out to the press last week.

As you can see, the venue resides at 4 Infinite Loop. Apple’s auditorium only holds between 200-250 people, so expect Tuesday’s keynote to be an intimate affair.

(via 9to5Mac)

Apple and Facebook are two tech titans that have been known to butt heads every now and then. When Apple introduced the Ping social network in iTunes, Facebook denied Apple access to integrate the two networks. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Ping is just one example — there have been multiple talks behind closed doors that have resulted in the two companies almost parting ways for good.

Over the weekend, Mashable posted inside information on the convoluted history of Apple and Facebook. Stories include the Facebook integration in iOS 4 that never saw the light of day, Steve Jobs paying Mark Zuckerberg a visit about an iPad app, and how Facebook and Apple nearly fell out because of HP.

Sometimes you just want to write something down. Some people would call this process “journaling,” or even “keeping a diary.” In reality, the whole concept of keeping a journal or diary is about recording memories and thoughts. It’s therapeutic. It’s comforting.

Day One by Bloom Built is a beautiful and simple app for journaling on the Mac, iPad, and iPhone. The app balances features with simplicity to bring you an excellent environment for writing on a daily basis.

Gizmodo’s been locked out of Apple events indefinitely since they bought a stolen iPhone 4 prototype, but that doesn’t mean they are without resources to get scoops: they sent a spy into Foxconn’s new factory in Brazil, and walked out with proof that Apple will unveil a cheaper iPhone 4 sometime soon with the model N90A.

Pictures after the jump!

Ho-hum. Another iPhone. Tuesday’s Apple event is going to be boooo-ring, right?

Well, not so fast. I think that from a milestone perspective, Tuesday’s announcement may be among the most important Apple has ever made. 

Apple has seeded iWork beta 4 to developers with added support for iCloud services in iOS 5. Developers can test the iCloud “Documents and Data” service to sync content wirelessly between iWork apps.

iOS 5 and iCloud should be unveiled to the public this Tuesday alongside the next iPhone. When iWork is officially updated with iCloud support, users will be able to create a document on one device and have it synced wirelessly across other devices and iCloud.com.

iBooks has also received a minor update to version 1.3.1 in the App Store. The update includes “important stability and performance improvements” that are most likely related to iOS 5.

9to5Mac has dug up a hidden gem in the latest iTunes beta that directly references the iPhone 4S. This is different from all of the other 4S rumors. This time it’s coming directly from Apple itself.

Not only does iTunes beta 9 mention the iPhone 4S, but it also affirms that rumor that Apple’s next smartphone will strongly resemble the iPhone 4 and feature a dual-mode/GSM + CDMA baseband.

As everyone eagerly awaits Apple’s “Let’s talk iPhone” event on Tuesday, October 4th, another big tech company that begins with an “A” has scheduled an event during the exact same time.

Adobe will be holding a keynote, titled “Creativity unleashed,” on October 4th at 10am. The event is part of the company’s annual MAX developer conference, and will focus heavily on how Adobe is “transforming the creative process across mobile devices, personal computers, and the cloud.”

Think you have more old Macs lying around the house than you need? Well that’s probably true, but you likely can’t compete with this veritable fortress of old Macs in Quebec. Vintage Mac lover Cyber@ctif recently posted this picture of his “wall o’ beige” on the RetroMacCast website.

Another twenty or so Compact Macs should complete the outer wall fortification. I particularly like the lone Color Classic standing above the rest on a pillar of ImageWriters and StyleWriters. Must be the Commander.