Ipad

Apple unveils iPad mini + Shocks everyone with iPad 4

Apple has unexpectedly revealed a fourth generation iPad, called, well the iPad 4.

Featuring an upgraded A6X CPU, Apple claims the iPad 4’s new processor will double both the CPU performance and the graphics performance of the previous A5X CPU used in the third generation new iPad.

Though the shell is the same size as its predecessor, the iPad 4 is more energy efficient, boasting 10 hours of continuous battery life.

Apple has also included its new Lightning port, a Retina Display and two times as fast Wi-Fi as previous iPad models, while the camera has also been tweaked for a better performance.

Apple has also announced the iPad 4 will be LTE compatible, and noticeably in the background of Apple’s San Jose presentation was the Everything Everywhere logo, suggesting the UK will be able to enjoy faster network speeds when the iPad 4 arrives here in Blighty.

A Wi-Fi only 16GB version of the iPad 4 will cost you $499 (£313), while a Wi-Fi and cellular version 16GB version will set you back $629 (£395). Both variants are available in black and white.

Apple has introduced an iPad Mini. The new pencil-thin (7.2mm) iPad mini comes a mere half-year after the third generation iPad was introduced. Apple says it is as light as a pad of paper.

All software that runs on iPad runs on Mini, though it is borne of a separate design, said Apple’s Phil Schiller.

Display area on the iPad Mini is a third larger than that on its Android competitors, Schiller said, and 50 percent larger than Android for surfing Web. With Wi-Fi configuration, It will be priced at £269. ($329)

Pre-order yours starting October 26. Or buy the Wi-Fi model at your favourite Apple Retail Store starting at 8:00 a.m. on November 2. Wi-Fi + Cellular models available late November.

Will the iPad 3 drop in price now they showed off the 4th Gen? Who knows.

What do you think of the iPad Mini and the iPad 4? Will you be buying the Mini or the 4th gen or both? Let us know in the comments below!

iTunes 10.5 – Now available for download

Summary: Full of iCloud goodness.

Ahead of tomorrow’s release of iOS 5 and iCloud, Apple has released an update for iTunes.

iTunes in the Cloud
iTunes now stores your music and TV purchases in iCloud and makes them available on your devices anywhere, any time, at no additional cost.

Automatic Downloads
Purchase music from any device or computer and automatically download a copy to your Mac and iOS devices.

Download Previous Purchases
Download your past music, TV, app, and book purchases again, at no additional cost. (Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer on the iTunes Store)

Sync More
Sync with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 5.

Wi-Fi Syncing
Automatically sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iTunes any time they’re both on the same Wi-Fi network.

iTunes 10.5 brings with it compatibility with iOS 5 and iCloud, and adds support for the iTunes Match part of the iCloud service.

iTunes Match is a $24.99/year subscription service that allows users to have their entire music library synced with Apple’s database of over 20 million tracks, making those songs available for use on any iCloud-enabled device. If a particular track isn’t available on iTunes, don’t worry, it can be uploaded so it too is available to all your devices.

If you’re going to be upgrading to iOS 5 tomorrow then you will need this update, so get it now rather than having to fight it out tomorrow.

Updated (07:01PM) with information on Windows-specific elements of iTunes 10.5
ITunes 10.5 requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later. On the Windows side, iTunes patches a slew of vulnerabilities, including several that could allow a remote attacker to execute malicious code. iTunes 10.5 also marks the first time an iTunes installation on Windows doesn’t include (or require) QuickTime.

The iPad 2

The iPad 2

Apple has just made its second-generation iPad official! It features a 1GHz dual-core A5 chip and, finally, cameras, both on the front and rear. The new CPU is said to be up to twice as fast, with graphics performance up to nine times better than on the original iPad, while power requirements have been kept the same. Battery life is, consequently, unaltered, with Apple promising 10 hours. Pricing, too, has been left unchanged, starting at $499 for a 16GB WiFi-only iPad 2 and stretching up to $829 for a WiFi + 3G SKU with 64GB of storage. The new tablet will come with an HDMI output capable of 1080p — which will set you back $39 for the requisite dongle, called an Apple Digital AV Adapter — but there will sadly be no rumblings of Thunderbolt connectivity here. What you will get is an enlarged speaker grille on the back, as expected, and the same 1024 x 768 resolution and IPS LCD screen technology as on the original iPad.

Update from Engadget: We’ve gotten our first hands-on with the iPad 2 and, boy oh boy, it’s fast! – awesome.

The iPad 2

720p video recording at 30fps will be on tap from the rear-facing camera, which can also do a 5x digital zoom if you’re into that kind of thing, whereas the front-facing imager will record at a more modest VGA resolution, also at 30fps.

There’s a new cover for the device, which is best defined by Steve Jobs himself: “We designed the case right alongside the product. It’s not a case — it’s a cover.” Basically, it’s a magnetic flap that protects the front and automatically wakes and puts the device to sleep according to whether it’s open or closed. Guess we know what that proximity sensor was about now. These Smart Covers will cost $39 in plastic or $69 if you opt for leather.

The iPad 2 is 33 percent thinner than its predecessor, at a mind-melting 8.8mm, and a little lighter at just over 600g, while paintjob options have been expanded: you’ll get a choice between white and black. It’ll be available on both AT&T and Verizon, and all variants start shipping on March 11th. Apple Retail Stores will start sales at the unusual hour of 5PM, which will probably make online pre-orders the fastest way to get yours.

The iPad 2

In terms of new software, Apple’s launching iOS 4.3 alongside the new iPad and bringing with it much improved Safari performance as well as FaceTime, Photo Booth, iMovie and GarageBand (the latter two costing $4.99 a piece) apps specifically for the newly camera-enriched iPad. Personal Hotspot capabilities are also arriving in the latest version of the OS, but they’ll be exclusive to the iPhone 4, so you won’t be able to share your 3G iPad’s connection. The minimum compatible version of iTunes for the new iPad 2 will be the freshly released 10.2.

The iPad 2

Live: From Apple’s iPad 2 event

We’re going to be liveblogging Apple’s iPad 2 announcement (and whatever else they have in store). Check back at the times below, and get ready to make history together!

UPDATE TO ALL:
Please check engadget! for the latest pictures and news.






10:15AM Doctors are using the iPad… and spending more time with patients. Also, the iPad has been performing brain surgery.

10:14AM Chicago schools… using the iPad, seeing huge gains.


10:13AM Yes, Apple.

10:13AM Phil: Some people call this a post-PC device.

10:13AM Gist of the video — the iPad is magical. Sales were through the roof. Stuff is amazing.


10:12AM Phil Schiller: No one predicted this would be as successful as it’s been.

10:11AM Hmm… screen just says… Video. Oh there we go.

10:11AM “We made a video about 2010, the year of the iPad…” Video time!

10:11AM “One of the things that’s helped us roll this out so fast is our retail stores. They were built for moments like this. We have hundreds of Apple stores now. Without them, we wouldn’t have been successful.”


10:10AM Ouch — Honeycomb logo… 100 apps.

10:10AM “There’s never been anything like this for photography… 65,000 apps specifically for the iPad.”

10:10AM “They’re taking advantage of this incredible, magical UI.”

10:10AM “Fantastic games, a lot of apps for business and vertical markets. The things people are doing here are amazing.”

10:09AM Steve is showing off some of the iPad app selection.

10:09AM “Samsung put one out last year. They said ‘our sell-in was quite aggressive, 2m, but our sell out was quite small’.” Zing!


10:09AM “Many have said this is the most successful consumer product ever launched. Over 90% market share… our competitors were flummoxed.”

10:08AM “We sold 15m iPads… that’s more than every tablet PC ever sold.”

10:08AM “When we said the iPad was magical, people laughed at us. But it’s turned out to be magical. And people questioned whether it was an ‘unbelievable’ price — well ask our competitors.”

10:07AM “Today we’re here to talk about Apple’s third post-PC blockbuster product. That’s how we think about these things. We started with the iPod, then we added the iPhone, and then the iPad. Every one has been a blockbuster.”

10:07AM “We’re in a position where most of our revenue comes from these products.”

10:06AM “Lastly — we recently shipped our 100 millionth iPhone.”


10:06AM “A lot of people have tried to copy this.”

10:05AM “Another milestone… let’s look at the App Store. We recently paid out over $2b to devs in total. Devs have earned over $2b from selling their apps on the App Store.”


10:05AM “Now Amazon doesn’t publish their numbers, but it’s likely this is the most accounts with credit cards anywhere on the internet.”


10:05AM “That’s iBooks. As you know, that’s one of our three stores. They all use the same Apple ID to access them. Recently, we just crossed 200m accounts.”




10:04AM “We have over 2500 publishers in the iBookstore.”

10:04AM “Users have downloaded over 100m books in less than a year. Today we’re announcing that Random House is bringing over 17k books.”

10:03AM “We’ve got something great to announce today, but first some updates. First iBooks.”

10:03AM “We’ve been working on this product for awhile, and I didn’t want to miss it.”

10:03AM Standing ovation for Steve Jobs. People are flipping out. He looks good!

10:02AM Whoa! Steve is out!

10:02AM The lights are going down… we’re about to begin!

9:59AM “Ladies and gentlemen, our presentation will begin shortly. Please switch devices to silent mode.”

9:58AM As you can by the photo, the chair / table setup is here… just like when Steve showed off the first iPad.

9:58AM Did we mention that they’re playing a lot of Beatles right now?

9:56AM For those wondering — no sign of Steve here, but Jony Ive is in the front row.

9:54AM If you’re seeing any trouble with comments, don’t panic. It looks like Disqus might be experiencing the Apple effect right now.

9:52AM It’s all Beatles all the time here.

9:51AM Joz is also in the house, just being Joz.

9:50AM Packed house today — we can see Tim Cook and Phil Schiller near the stage right now. Expect to see more of them.

9:46AM Okay, we’re in our seats and… the Beatles are on the sound system.

09:31AM We’re inside and waiting to sit down! All the usual suspects are here — and we’ve heard that Pixar’s John Lasseter is somewhere in the mix as well.

08:00AM – Hawaii
10:00AM – Pacific
11:00AM – Mountain
12:00PM – Central
01:00PM – Eastern
06:00PM – London
07:00PM – Paris
09:00PM – Moscow
11:30PM – Mumbai
03:00AM – Tokyo (March 3rd)
05:00AM – Sydney (March 3rd)

All content and photos copyrighted © to engadget.com and Aol Tech.

Apple iOS 4.2: The First 24 Hours

Apple released iOS 4.2 into the wild about 24 hours ago, and users installing the software update have found improved HTML 5 features, quirky bugs and limited AirPlay support.

The highly anticipated mobile operating system refresh brings iOS 4 features such as folders and multitasking to the iPad for the first time. And many were excited to get their hands on AirPlay (a feature that lets you stream content from your iOS device to an Apple TV) and AirPrint, which allows you to print to select printers on a wireless network.

But it hasn’t been a perfect launch for iOS fans. Here’s a look at some of the early impressions and problems with iOS 4.2 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Content Gets Limited AirPlay

An iOS 4.2 feature getting a lot of attention is AirPlay, which lets you stream audio and video content from your iOS device to a new Apple TV. You can also use AirPlay to stream music through AirPort Express. But, at least for the moment, AirPlay isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. AirPlay works really well with stock Apple iOS applications such as YouTube, Photos and iPod (video and audio), but that’s about it.

You can’t stream video from your iOS device’s Safari Web browser, for example, and PC World’s sister publication Macworld found that many other video playback applications wouldn’t work with AirPlay.

Blogger John Gruber also said you can’t use AirPlay to stream a video shot using your iPhone to an Apple TV. “That’s an obvious feature, right? Shoot a video on your iPhone, then play it back for family and friends on your big TV via AirPlay,” Gruber said. I guess we’ll have to wait for iPhone 5 for that feature.

The Case of the Disappearing Content
Some users were shocked to find that after upgrading to iOS 4.2 their music, video and podcasts were no longer in the iPod application. It turns out that iOS 4.2 has a quirky bug causing some iOS devices to fail to recognize iPod content. One solution on Apple’s forums that appears to fix the problem is to sync your iOS device with iTunes, and click on the triangle next to your iOS device icon in iTunes’ left sidebar. Then you select the “Music” heading underneath your device to see the music library on your handset. Select a song on your iOS device and play it, then sync your device one more time. Your content should return.

Apple has opened up some more iOS goodies for Web apps in iOS 4.2, according to mobile Web developer Maximiliano Firtman. Besides improvements to mobile Safari’s HTML 5 support, Web developers can now use the accelerometers found in iOS devices to enhance their Web apps. Accelerometers are able to sense the orientation of your device, which allows iOS handsets to switch from portrait to landscape view and is a key component in iOS gaming.

If you’d like to try the new feature out, point your iOS device’s Safari browser to ad.ag/wjmtgt. The sample site lets you move a red ball back and forth across your screen by tipping your device. For best results lock your screen orientation before trying it out.

Find My iPhone Hack

Apple made its Find My iPhone application, which lets you track your device from a Mac or PC, free to iPhone 4, iPad and new iPod Touch users running iOS 4.2. Find My iPhone was originally bundled with Apple’s $99-per-year Mobile Me cloud sync service. Unfortunately, if you’ve got an iPhone 3GS, 3G or older iPod Touch, you’re out of luck as there’s no way for you to use Find My iPhone for free … or is there?

Lifehacker claims it has found a simple solution to let you use Find My iPhone for free on an older iOS device. All you need is an iPhone 4, iPad or new iPod Touch (even a friend’s will do) and your older handset. First, download Find My iPhone on the newer iOS device and sign in to the app using your Apple ID connected to a Mobile Me account. Even though the service is free you need to sign in to Mobile Me (for free) for the feature to work.

Once you’ve got the newer device ready, you can download and install the free Find My iPhone app on your iPhone 3G or 3GS. Then log in once again with your Apple ID tied to the same Mobile Me account you used on the newer device.

You should now be up and running with Find My iPhone on the older iOS device for free, and you can disable Find My iPhone on the newer handset if you have to give it back to a friend. Check out Lifehacker for complete details, and let us know in the comments if this trick works.

Hardware Switch Revolt

Installing iOS 4.2 on the iPad switches the device’s hardware button on the upper right side from a screen lock button to a mute switch. The move puts the iPad in line with other iOS device that also have a similar hardware-based mute function. But some iPad users are not happy about the change. My colleague Jared Newman said in October that he was sorry to see the hardware screen lock function go, while the folks at Gizmodo have decided to protest the change. The gadget blog is calling for disgruntled iPad users to post, “Hey #Apple, change the #iPad switch back to screen lock!” on Twitter, Facebook and comment sections everywhere in the hope that Apple will change its mind. Good luck with that.

iOS 4.2 is compatible with these devices
– iPhone, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4.
– iPod Touch 2nd generation, iPod Touch 3rd generation, iPod Touch 4th generation
– iPad.

Have you tried out iOS 4.2? What’s been your experience so far?