News flash: Apple is adding a new storage option for the iPad with Retina display. Come Tuesday, February 5 the new iPad will sell with 128GB of valuable space in black and white for $799 (Wi-Fi model) and $929 (WiFi + Cellular model). Once it’s out, the latest and greatest fourth-gen Apple slate will be available in 16, 32, 64, and 128 gigabyte variants. Perhaps this will pave the way for iPhones and iPods to finally see storage capacity bumps in the future.
[Via Apple]
Another iPad is about to be released into the wild that is the general public. Tomorrow, on Friday March 16, “the new iPad” will go on sale at Apple’s retail stores starting precisely at 8AM local time in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, the UK, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Want to avoid the mass hysteria that will likely ensue at the company’s retail bases? Apple confirms that US customers can also venture to Best Buy, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, Target, and Walmart to pick up their “resolutionary” tablet. Don’t forget the new iPad starts at $499 for the 16GB WiFi model and climbs all the way up to $829 for the 64GB 4G + WiFi version; so don’t forget your fat wallet on your way out. Consequently, the iPad 2 drops to $399 and is only offered in the 16GB variant; $529 for the WiFi + 3G model. And don’t forget; also out tomorrow is the new, 1080p-capable Apple TV ($99) featuring a streamlined UI. The hockey puck and the slate, they were made for each other.
[Via Apple]
On Wednesday Apple announced the next generation iPad. No, it is not called the iPad 3 or the iPad HD; it’s simply the new iPad. In addition to updating what Apple CEO Tim Cook calls “the poster child of the post-PC world,” the March 7 keynote also introduced enhancements to iOS, iCloud, Apple TV, and the mobile versions of iWork and iLife. First let’s focus on the most talked about news at hand, the new iPad; then jump after the break to read about everything else.
First and foremost, the new iPad features Apple’s Retina Display technology. They’ve managed to pack four times more pixels into the new iPad’s 9.7 inch multitouch screen than the tablet’s predecessor. The new iPad sports an impressive 2048 x 1536 resolution with a 3.1 million total pixel count (264 pixels per inch) and 44% greater color saturation over the iPad 2. This means that the new iPad contains more pixels than your average HDTV (1920 x 1080)! Packing all of these pixels in a relatively small space means: razor-sharp text, richer colors, and when viewed at a normal distance iPad owners will not be able to discern individual pixels and this makes for a better overall user experience.
Powering the new iPad is the Apple A5X high-performance low-power system-on-a-chip. It serves as a dual-core processor with quad-core graphics. The new chip will help the iPad run faster and support the millions of pixels glaring out of the Retina Display. It will also manage the tablet’s equally impressive battery life. The new iPad boasts the same longevity as the iPad 2: 10 hours of use on WiFi and 9 hours on a cellular network.
The camera on the backside of the iPad has been upgraded to iSight Camera status. It’s a five-megapixel shooter and full HD 1080p video recorder. The camera features backside illumination, f/2.4 aperture, a 5-element lens, a hybrid IR filter, an Apple-designed ISP (Image Signal Processor) that allows for auto exposure, auto-focus, auto face detection, auto exposure lock and auto focus lock, and auto white balance. In video recording mode, you’ll notice video stabilization and temporal noise reduction. On the front you’ll still find a FaceTime camera that takes VGA-quality stills and also shoots video at up to 30 frames per second.
Although Siri has yet to make her way to the iPad, Apple has included a piece of the personal assistant in the new slate. The virtual keyboard now features a new Voice Dictation key (it’s a microphone icon) that translates what you say into the text you want to type. Dictation supports English and other languages like British, French, German, Japanese, and Australian. It’s also compatible with third-party apps meaning you can dictate your Tweets or Facebook status updates if you like.
With the new iPad, Apple has embraced 4G LTE data speeds. Again they are working with AT&T and Verizon to bring these ultrafast speeds to consumers in the US. The new iPad features the most wireless bands ever shipped in a device; check them out: the AT&T model includes 4G LTE (700, 2100 MHz), UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); and the Verizon model includes 4G LTE (700 MHz), CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz). Rate plans can be viewed here. Elsewhere Apple is collaborating with Bell, Rogers, and Telus to bring these speeds to other countries around the world. Additionally, the new iPad can act as a personal hotspot to share its data speeds with up to five devices over WiFi, Bluetooth, or USB. And speaking of which, the new iPad also packs Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 4.0 technology.
At 9.4mm thin and 1.4 pounds, the new iPad will come in black and white variants and maintain the same capacity and pricing scheme as its predecessor. It’ll start at $499 for the 16GB WiFi-only model and will reach up to $829 for the 32GB WiFi + 4G model. The iPad 2 will remain on the market at one Benjamin cheaper; it will only sell in the 16GB capacity at $399 for the WiFi-only model and $529 for the WiFi + 3G model. The new iPad will release on March 16 in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. One week later it will come out in 25 more countries making the new iPad the fastest product rollout for Apple. It’s available for preorder today at Apple’s website.
Jump after the break for more on iOS, iCloud, Apple TV, and updates to the mobile versions of iWork and iLife. Continue reading Apple announces the new iPad, updates iOS, Apple TV & iCloud, and intros a mobile iPhoto
They say good things come to those who wait. After sitting through two iterations of Apple’s tablet, Facebook for iPad has arrived. On Monday Facebook dropped a dedicated app to access to the social network in the App Store. The house that Zuck built is calling it a “hands-on Facebook” that takes advantage of the tablet’s large, hi-res display. Organizing and flipping through photo albums is easier than before, as is chatting, playing games, and navigating around. Facebook also went ahead and updated its iPhone/iPod touch version to make its aesthetic match that of its bigger brother. The iPhone version of the app features the same left-hand navigation pane for a more streamlined experience and search is more comprehensive. Download the new Facebook app for iOS devices today, gratis.
[Via Facebook Blog]
At long last, Skype for iPad is here. Everything you’re used to using on the iPhone/iPod touch version of the app has been ported to the tablet and optimized for the bigger screen. Like the iPhone version this app allows for two-way video calling between other iPads, iPhones, iPod touches, Android devices, PCs, Macs, and HDTVs over WiFi and 3G. It also takes advantage of both the front and back-facing cameras. For the rest of the deets, hop after the break to read the full app description. There you’ll also find a brief demonstrative video. But I know what you really want: click here to download the free Skype for iPad app today.
[Via SkypeBlog] Continue reading Skype drops new app tailor-made for the iPad
One more April Fools prank for ya!
[Via Gizmodo]
Enjoy this stop motion-enhanced Plasticine model in action!
[Via Gizmodo]
The BBC comedy series Spout brings us a shocking look into the severe medical condition known as iPaditis. I recently visited the doctor and was diagnosed with a mild case of it; if you own a touch-based iDevice I suggest you do the same.
[Via Gizmodo]
The next generation iPad is nearly here. Tomorrow, March 11 it arrives in stores. Starting at 5PM local time, all 236 Apple retail stores in the US, AT&T stores, retailers like Best Buy, Target, Verizon Wireless, and Walmart and select Apple Authorized Resellers will unleash iPad 2 unto the world. Starting at 1AM Pacific Time customers will be able to order the tablet online through the Apple Store. As you know, the iPad ranges in price from $499 to $829 determined by storage capacity (16, 32, 64GB) and connectivity (WiFi, WiFi + 3G with AT&T or Verizon). Black and white models will be available at launch. For those of you who have patiently been waiting for updated iPad hardware, today is the day to reward yourself and celebrate.
And here’s a nice surprise. Along with iOS 4.3, Apple has let loose the new iPad versions of GarageBand and iMovie one day early. They’re both available for download at the App Store for five bucks each.
Official PR after the break. Continue reading iPad 2 on sale tomorrow, here’s when & where to get it
Today Apple released the latest version of their mobile operating system–that is, iOS 4.3–one day earlier than expected. Just about coinciding with the launch of iPad 2, iOS 4.3 brings with it all kinds of goodies including significantly increased Safari performance, iTunes Home Sharing, AirPlay improvements, iPad side switch behaviors, and personal hotspot functionality for iPhone 4; it’s all detailed right here. Bug fixes and the like are bundled in too; hop after the break to find a rundown of what’s included. iOS 4.3 is a free download for all GSM iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and third and fourth-gen iPod touch owners. Connect your iOS device to a computer, fire up iTunes, and you’ll be notified to download and install the update.
In related Apple news, their hobby puck has also received a welcome system update. ATV owners will now be able to stream baseball and basketball games through the ether straight to their TVs thanks to MLB.tv and a NBA League Pass Broadband support. These services require pay subscriptions. In addition, Netflix has received 5.1 audio support. Cheers to that!
[Via Engadget 1, 2] Continue reading iOS 4.3 out now; Apple TV receives new content and enhancements
“New times require new journalism. Our challenge was to take the best of traditional journalism, competitive shoe-leather reporting, good editing, a skeptical eye, and combine it with the best of contemporary technology.” That’s how News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch opened up the launch event for his company’s brand new digital newspaper The Daily. It’s being described as “the industry’s first national daily news publication created from the ground up for iPad.” News Corp. and Apple worked together to come up with a news source tailor-made for the tablet community. The Daily will push out new content every day and publish up to 100 pages focused on these specific areas: news, sports, gossip and celebrity, opinion, arts and life, and apps and games. It takes advantage of the iPad’s multitouch display by providing interactive methods of implementation. For example, the home screen of the app provides readers with a carousel view of the day’s news, and you can easily swipe through them and tap on the ones that interest you most. Also, you can use your fingers to take a 360 degree view of a photograph. In addition to photos, the paper will highlight news using text, embedded videos, audio, information graphics, and real-time data and social feeds. For example, inside the gossip and celebrity section you might find a Twitter feed of a celeb who is making headlines and discover what she is up to that way. In short, The Daily allows its editors to deliver stories to their readers in new and exciting ways that simply are not possible in the realm of TV, radio, and traditional papers.
The Daily also includes… A selection of articles can be read aloud to you by actual people (read: no GPS-like robotic voices); the paper can be customized with your preferences (think: weather, sports teams); the apps and games section provides reviews and ratings for select iPad applications and will link you directly to the App Store if you decide to purchase an app; Sudoku and crossword puzzles are available to play within the app; readers can leave comments on Daily stories in either written or audio form; said stories can be bookmarked and saved for reading later; stories can be shared with others via Facebook, Twitter, and email (those who receive shared stories can read Web-friendly versions of the articles even if they’re not subscribers).
Readers are promised a new Daily to be automatically downloaded to their iPad straight from the either 365 days a year with new content everyday. If a day happens to be packed with breaking news, the editors can jump into the paper at any time and provide readers with the latest news (they can even change the cover story if they like). All of this comes at a price; since The Daily is an iPad-driven news source News Corp. does not have to worry about paper, factory, and delivery costs and the savings trickle down to the subscriber. It’s priced at $.99 per week or $39.99 annually, not bad at all. The first two weeks of use are free, thanks Verizon Wireless. It’s first application made available on the App Store featuring a subscription model; subscriber fees are billed directly to an iTunes account. The Daily app is available to download today right here.
The Daily promises a new voice for a new technologically-advanced era. I’m excited that a powerfully influential force in Murdoch’s News Corp. is behind the first digital paper made from the ground up for the iPad, and I’m equally curious to see how newspaper readers respond to it. It’s easy to assume that the young crowd of 20-somethings will take the charge in signing up for subscriptions, but what I’m most interested in seeing is whether or not those people who are used to reading traditional (read: physical) papers will take a liking to The Daily and transition over to it. At the get-go it certainly takes advantage of Apple’s tablet in terms of browsing and visually immersive experiences, so we’ll have to see if the editorial team can keep things up all throughout the year. If they continually pump out new content and update the app appropriately with readability improvements, I envision a bright future for the newspaper readers of tomorrow.
Look after the break a visual tour of The Daily and official PR.
[Via The Daily] Continue reading News Corp. unveils ‘The Daily’, the first iPad-driven news publication
We’ve seen some rather crude uses of the iPad forced to make music happen, but nothing like this. Alt-hip-hip group Gorillaz produced a 15 track album called The Fall using 20 iPad apps and just a few other instruments. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered in 32 days while the band was on tour. Frontman Damon Albarn fell in love with the iPad when he first got it, and shortly thereafter decided to “[make] a completely different kind of record” with it. Here’s the list of apps the band used:
Speak It! / SoundyThingie / Mugician / Solo Synth / Synth / Funk Box / Gliss / AmpliTube / Xenon/iElectribe / BS-16i / M3000 HD / Cleartune / iOrgel HD / Olsynth / StudioMiniXI / BassLine / Harmonizer / Dub Siren Pro / Moog Filatron
While it “has a much slower and more basic vibe than the Gorillaz’ normal high-production, technically superior collections” (as described by CNN), there’s no denying the sheer amount of ambition that went into this unique project. Preview the first track “Phoner To Arizona” after the break.
The Fall is a Christmas gift for the fans; right now it’s available in digital form on the Gorillaz website. (To stream the album you must supply them with your name and email address; to download a copy for keeps you’re required to become a fan club member.) The album will officially release in physical form sometime next year.
[Via Gizmodo] Continue reading Gorillaz produce an album on the iPad