Weekly News Roundup – 21 September 2012

Once again the week is coming to an end and that means it’s time for a roundup of the past weeks news!

iPhone 5 Now on Sale in the U.S. – The iPhone 5 just launched in the U.S. along the east coast. Fortune’s Philip Elmer-Dewitt is at the 5th Avenue Store and notes that the line is longer than last year’s iPhone 4S line:

We’re here at the big glass cube of Apple’s (AAPL) flagship Fifth Avenue store for the launch of the iPhone 5. The queue of customers isn’t as long as the 1,200 that greeted the iPad 2, but at 7 a.m. — one hour before doors open — I counted 710 heads, 52% more than the 400 at the iPhone 4S launch.

Thieves Steal $100,000 Worth Of iPhone 5s From Japanese Carriers – The Wall Street Journal reports that Japanese carriers Softbank and KDDI-owned au were both broken into this morning, just hours before the iPhone 5 was set to go on sale. Three stores were hit across Osaka and more than 191 iPhone 5s were stolen — 116 of which were from Softbank.

Apple hiring developers to work on widely-criticized iOS 6 Maps – A number of postings to the Apple’s job site reveals the company is looking to bolster its newly-released Maps app, which has been almost universally panned since iOS 6 launched on Wednesday.

iOS 6 adoption above 15% after just 24 hours, report says – An analysis on Thursday by Chitika Insights claims Apple’s new iOS 6 was installed on over 15 percent of compatible devices in the mobile operating system’s first 24 hours of availability.

Google has an iOS 6 Maps app awaiting approval. It is solely up to Apple to approve.  – If you are missing Google Maps after updating to iOS 6 over the past 24 hours, good news may be just around the corner.

London Underground Mocks Apple’s New Maps App In iOS 6 [Humor] – There’s an awesome image flying around Twitter this morning that shows someone working for the London Underground has a great sense of humor. On one of the many signs littered around London’s tube stations, someone has written:

For the benefit of passengers using Apple iOS 6, local area maps are available from the booking office.

Swiss Federal Railways and watch maker Mondaine considering legal action over iOS 6 clocks app –  Swiss newspaper Blick.ch reported today SBB is attempting to contact Apple over the issue and confirmed with SBB spokesman Reto Kormann that Apple is not authorized to use the design.

Lightning connector viewed as longterm investment, may not be replaced for 10 years – Apple’s new Lightning connector, introduced alongside the iPhone 5 last week, is thought to be a key longterm investment for the company, and will possibly have a lifetime of ten years.

iPhone 5 Teardown Reveals Easy-To-Swap Screen, Beefed-Up Home Button – After boarding a plane to Melbourne, Australia to be one of the first in the whole world to get their hands on an iPhone 5, the folks at iFixit have torn it apart and found that — surprise — the new iPhone seems to actually have been designed with easy repair in mind. Partially, at least.

Apple Speaks Out On iOS 6 Maps Issue, Urges Patience – Apple spoke out today about the issue in a statement to AllThingsD, saying, essentially, that people need to be more patient.

French Union Calls for Apple Retail Store Employee Strike Coinciding with iPhone 5 Launch – Reuters reports that a union representing roughly a quarter of Apple’s retail employees in France has authorized a strike to protest working conditions at the company’s stores. The strike is being timed to coincide with tomorrow’s 8:00 AM iPhone 5 launch for maximum impact

Samsung Preparing to Add iPhone 5 to U.S. Patent Lawsuit – Reuters reports on a new court filing from Samsung revealing that the company is preparing to add Apple’s new iPhone 5 to a lawsuit currently underway in the United States seeking to ban Apple’s devices from sale in the country over patent infringement.