It should come as little surprise, what with the well-publicized iPad preorder sale starting today, but the Apple Store has been taken down for updating. Apple’s new tablet kicks off at $499 and is expected to go on sale at 8.30am EST; of course, Apple could surprise us and add a few more updates into the mixture as well. Recent rumors have tipped an updated Mac Pro desktop, using Intel’s new Core i7-980 Gulftown processor.
There has also been disappointment recently regarding Apple’s apparent reluctance to put one of the newer Core i5 or i7 processors into their MacBook Pro line, which is currently still using the last-generation of Core 2 Duo chips. Still, we wouldn’t be surprised if Apple kept today’s excitement solely for the iPad.
The WiFi-only iPad models will be priced at $499 for the 16GB iPad, $599 for the 32GB iPad and $699 for the 64GB iPad. Unfortunately we’ll have to wait until late-April for the 3G version of the tablet, which will be priced at $629, $729 and $829 respectively for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models.
Apple have made no secret of the fact that they’re positioning the iPad as an ideal ebook reader device, but if Barnes & Noble have their way – and if they can navigate the App Store guardians – iBooks won’t be the only way to buy ebooks on the tablet. According to the retailer’s blog, a version of their free B&N eReader app – already available for the iPhone and iPod touch – is in development for the iPad, and B&N expect it to be ready at roughly the same time as the iPad itself.
The software should allow pretty much the same functionality as versions for other platforms, together with B&N’s own dedicated nook ebook reader (which we reviewed late last year). That will mean you can buy content directly from the app through B&N’s eBookstore (which has over 1m ebooks, magazines and newspapers) together with access existing purchased content.
What remains to be seen, of course, is how happy Apple are with the prospect of on-device competition for the ebook and digital magazine market. They’ve put a lot of work into their own iBooks app – and the necessary content deals behind it – and as would-be rivals in the digital music industry have discovered, aren’t afraid to block competitors from their devices if they think they’ll be treading on their toes.
Mobile manufacturer and platform market share stats for the US are in for the month of January thanks to comScore, and as usual, they tell a fascinating (and somewhat unpredictable) story of what's actually going on at the cash registers. Motorola -- which has long since fallen off its high horse on the global stage -- still maintains a commanding presence in the American market by representing some 22.9 percent of all subscribers, though that's down 1.2 percent from October 2009; that's particularly interesting in light of the Droid's success, and a possible sign that smartphones still aren't on the cusp of dominating the phone market overall. Samsung recently touted the fact that it had held onto the States' overall market share crown, though Sammy was undoubtedly referring to sales, not subscribers -- in other words, there are still a ton of legacy RAZRs out there inflating Moto's stats.
Turning our attention to smartphone platforms, BlackBerry OS, iPhone, and Android all saw gains, while Windows Mobile and Palm both saw significant downturns. You might use Palm's loss of 2.1 percent of overall market share in a single quarter as a big nail in webOS' coffin, but we're inclined to believe this includes legacy devices -- and considering the huge installed base of Palm OS-based handsets (Centros, for instance) that are coming off contract these days, it's neither surprising nor alarming to see that kind of drop. Android's gain, meanwhile, likely comes in large part from WinMo's whopping four percent loss -- it's no secret that WinMo 6.x is well past its expiration date with customers leaving in droves (even before Windows Phone 7 Series announcement), and our informal observations lead us to believe that many of those folks are heading for Android. After all, it's kind of convenient that Android gained 4.3 percent and WinMo lost about the same, isn't it? BlackBerrys still dominate the American smartphone landscape, and the iPhone market looks like it might be mature for the time being -- Apple added just 0.3 percent to its market share in the quarter, possibly a sign that folks are holding out for whatever Cupertino brings us come Summer. Is this a sign that Palm needs to step up its game yet again? Undoubtedly -- but at the same time, we wouldn't call the loss of those Palm OS subscribers a death knell just yet.
Naturally, we need to first disclaim this noise by saying that rumors of third-party multitasking capability in the iPhone are as old as the iPhone SDK itself. That said, it's hard to ignore a new reference to a "multitasking dialog box" buried deep within the iPhone SDK 3.2 beta that -- while not new to beta 4 specifically -- we're told didn't exist in 3.1.3. Now, the wildest possible speculation would have us believing that this is the very first by-product of a new multitasking system for developers that's being developed for the platform, presumably destined for an appearance in OS 4.0 when it's introduced along with new hardware this summer -- but it's just as likely that Apple will continue to keep the iPhone's multitasking capability to itself, a function it uses liberally among the phone and music apps, just to name a couple. For what it's worth, AppleInsider is citing a tipster claiming that Apple's got a "full-on solution" to multitasking that would properly address its main concern -- battery life issues -- for release this year, so maybe we'll be able to chuck those awful push notifications before we know it. Now if you'll excuse us, we'll be over here in the corner running a few dozen apps on our Pre Plus.
Whether or not you consider this three years in the making or not, this rumor has several thousand people out there breathing a large sigh of relief. One of the most highly regarded (missing) features on the iPhone, it seems that times are certainly changing, as Apple have gone ahead and included the feature into the new build of their Operating System. Oh, did we forget to mention? This is just a rumor.
Apple’s been thinking about multitasking from the get-go. They’ve mentioned it a couple times, at a few key points over the years since the launch of the iPhone, and there’s never been any question that the Cupertino-based company has been working on some kind of multitasking technology. There’s all sorts of reasons why Apple didn’t want multitasking on their device, primarily the concern for battery life, security, and resource allocation. But, there’s also the fact that the iPhone lacks the kind of User Interface generally seen for multitasking devices. The multiple homescreens are great for the iPhone, but unless Apple has created some new UI elements, it might be kind of hard for them to launch such a feature.
Luckily, they’ve got some pretty bright minds bunkered at headquarters. According to the words whispered into the ears of AppleInsider, it seems that Apple has found a “full-on solution” to the multitasking conundrum. Whatever that means, we don’t know, but we can guess that it’s going to be unlike anything we’d expect. The details of the feature, along with the entirety of the iPhone OS 4.0 are under lock and key right now, because apparently the OS isn’t ready for prime time. In fact, it seems that it’s still a ways off. As soon as we hear more, we’ll pass it on.
If you needed any more proof that Apple's lame cat-and-mouse game with the iPhone jailbreak community has only served to increase the scene's resourcefulness and creativity, look no further than the iDongle, a slick piece of hacker-made hardware that can jailbreak and activate an iPhone 3GS or iPod touch running OS 3.1.2 just by plugging it into the dock connector. What's more, it allows a jailbroken iPhone to be rebooted away from a computer, which is currently a problem for on-the-go hackers -- just stick this guy in your bag and you'll be good to go. There's only a dozen prototypes right now, but pre-orders are being accepted to raise funds for production -- we've got a feeling quite a few people are going to be interested. Video after the break.
One of the most popular brands of gear in all of geekdom is Apple. Pretty much everything Steve and his fruity cohorts make turns out to be gold, other than Apple TV anyway. Among the most popular devices Apple offers is the iPhone with hoards of dedicated users. If you want to show off your fondness for the iPhone, Jailbreak Toys has the perfect fridge magnets for you.
The individual magnets look like the icons form the iPhone home screen and can be arranged to whatever design you want. Each of the magnets measures 7/8″ x 7/8″ and are made from some sort of epoxy. The outer cardboard packaging is 9.5″ x 5″.
It’s not clear is the iPhone looking frame in the picture above (which could be the cardboard outer packaging) is included or just for showing off the magnets on the website. The company points out that the magnets are not affiliated with Apple. I have to wonder if Apple will go after these guys to stop them from ripping off their icons. You can get your own set now for $12.99 with free shipping if you order three sets.
Whatever happened to that dreamy Line 6 / Apple tie-up? Who knows, right? While those two sort out their future behind the scenes, Paul Reed Smith Guitars is stepping up to take advantage of an obvious market opportunity. The newly announced Guitarbud is a simplistic accessory that allows axe slingers to jack their guitar into an iPhone or second-generation iPod touch, all while providing a headphone output in order to keep the noise making to yourself. We're told that the device works with pretty much any recording-supported app (even Apple's own Voice Memos), though PRS obviously recommends that you check out its JamApp guitar amp simulator / tuner / training tool. Best of all, it's available today for £29.95 (or $29.95 here in the States), putting you just a few yard mowings away from securing your own personal aural sanctuary. Too bad the reviews from early adopters aren't so promising...
A new Consumer Reports survey has put Apple comfortably ahead of Lenovo, Toshiba, Dell and other computer manufacturers for after sales care, with consistently strong performance in phone support, online support and general problem-solving ability. The results lend further weight to Apple’s all-encompassing hardware and software experience, reducing the amount of bounce between companies that PC notebook owners are often faced with.
The survey looked at over 7,000 laptop and desktop owners and their experience of customer support services over a twelve-month period. Lenovo and Toshiba took the number two and three spots, while Acer/Gateway/eMachines languished in a disappointing last place with owners reporting mediocre phone support and a poor track record for actually seeing their machines fixed.
Apple’s computing strength is its degree of control over both the hardware and core software its users experience. As well as defining the MacBook and Mac laptop and desktop ranges themselves, they couple that with OS X and various suites of self-developed software for which Windows users often have to look to various vendors to satisfy. While some have criticized the Apple ecosystem for reducing user-choice and permitting ongoing “premium” pricing, there’s a lot to be said for owners experiencing issues having them solved on the first call to tech support, rather than being bounced between hardware and software providers.
With the imminent arrival of the iPad, it seems likely that Apple’s new tablet will fall somewhere in-between the company’s Mac range and their iPhone smartphone. The latter, while still a carefully controlled, in-house platform, does force users to deal with AT&T (or other regional carriers) when it comes to cellular connectivity. The iPad, while certain models will have integrated 3G data, adds in an extra degree of separation with carriers themselves, however; 3G service is managed on a contract-free, per-month basis, and can be set up – and canceled – on the iPad itself. Owners should only ever have to deal with Apple’s Genius Bars if their tablet develops issues.
We’re interested to hear your own technical support experiences, not only with Apple but also with the other brands mentioned in Consumer Reports’ survey. Let us know in the comments, which vendors are scoring strong – and which are falling short – when it comes aftercare.
That's the "glass is half full" attitude we like, Verizon -- always looking for a way to sign a few more of those lucrative data contracts, no matter the circumstances! Turns out Big Red is tipping off its staffers on how it can encourage customers to go with the WiFi-only version of the iPad and pair it up with a device like the MiFi rather than shelling out $130 more for integrated AT&T 3G and waiting a few extra weeks. As usual, Verizon's keen on playing up the anti-AT&T sentiment it's cultivated in its recent ad campaign by openly calling its biggest competitor's 3G network "overloaded," but we see one big hangup: 5GB of data on a Verizon MiFi is going to run you $60 a month, twice as much as AT&T will be charging for its dedicated, unlimited iPad plan. Then again, AT&T's own boss thinks WiFi's a bigger deal than 3G for this thing, so who knows -- maybe this is a zero-sum game for both of these guys.
It should come as little surprise, what with the well-publicized iPad preorder sale starting today, but the Apple Store has been taken down for updating. Apple’s new tablet kicks off at $499 and is expected to go on sale at 8.30am EST; of course, Apple could surprise us and add a few more updates into the mixture as well. Recent rumors have tipped an updated Mac Pro desktop, using Intel’s new Core i7-980 Gulftown processor.
the Apple ecosystem for reducing user-choice and permitting ongoing “premium” pricing, there’s a lot to be said for owners experiencing issues having them solved on the first call to tech support, rather than being bounced between hardware and software providers.
