Tearing apart Apple's latest creation, the new iPad

The iPad 3 launched this morning to queues at stores around the world (unless you went to Walmart at midnight last night). It's a tradition for the most die-hard of Apple fans to camp out for the latest products. Now that the crowds are dispersing, it's time for another tradition — tearing that sucker apart. Old favorite iFixit stepped up to the plate yesterday having procured one of the new iPads from a midnight opening in Melbourne, Australia. It's now been officially confirmed that the iPad 3 has twice the RAM of the iPad 2. Aside from 1 GB of DRAM (comprised of two 4Gb Elpida LP DDR2 parts), iFixit found that much talked about dual-core Apple A5X processor with integrated quad-core graphics, a 9.7-inch Samsung-manufactured Retina Display, a Broadcom BCM4330 802.11a/b/g/n Baseband/Radio with Integrated Bluetooth 4.0+HS, a Qualcomm MDM9600 3G and 4G wireless modem (not the expected 2nd generation MDM9615), and a Qualcomm RTR8600 multi-band/mode RF transceiver for LTE bands. The iPad also boasts 16, 32 or 64 GB of Toshiba NAND flash memory and a 5 MP HD rear-facing camera. The biggest thing you'll see when taking apart the iPad is the battery, which is massive. This was expected, considering Apple has beefed up the graphics and added that stunning Retina Display. The battery in the iPad 2 was a 25 watt-hour Li-ion, while the iPad 3 boasts a 42.5 watt-hours battery. iFixit reports that takes most of the space inside the iPad. No kidding, look at that thing. As far as DIY repairs are concerned, the iPad 3 scores a depressing 2 out of 10 on the repairability scale/ No surprise there, really, as Apple has gained some notoriety for making its products inaccessible when it comes to home repairs. What is surprising is that iFixit is actually downgrading the iPad 2′s score from last year, too. “While the new iPad's design is essentially the same as the iPad 2, which we gave a repairability score of 4, we've learned a lot about the design since then. We've spent the last year trying to repair the iPad 2 with mixed success,” writes Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit. “We are awarding the new iPad an abysmal 2 out of 10, and retroactively dropping the repairability score of the iPad 2 to a 2 as well. The adhesive on the front is extremely difficult to remove without damaging the glass, making repair and end-of-life recycling very difficult.” So, don't try this at home unless you have supreme confidence in your tinkering skills.

New iPad game pits humans against their cats

The new iPad is launching tomorrow and you can bet there are tons of excited and eager Apple fans that just cannot wait to get their hands on the device. However, they might have some competition, thanks to this latest cat-friendly iPad game from Friskies. When the iPad first launched, it became clear that it wasn't just people that found the device engaging. Videos started popping up on YouTube of cats pawing away at the tablet, and this prompted cat food company Friskies to release a few cat-friendly iPad games for the iPad owners with feline friends. This week, the company is announcing the launch of another cat-friendly game, except this one is a bit different. In what's thought to be the first ever interspecies iPad game, You vs. Cat sees the human player try to ‘score' by flicking objects past their cat, who is positioned on the other side of the iPad. The job of the cat is to stop the objects from passing, like a goalkeeper. Check out the ad for the game below to see it in action. The video gives a pretty good idea of how it works, even if they did use people dressed as animals/mascots as the human players. Oh well, that's March Madness for you.

main page top 10 events archive tags search e-shop cell phones cameras icolour ifashionable contact us Is your new iPad heating up?

Apple's latest hot ticket seems to be a tad too hot to hold, some users are reporting. New iPad owners on the MacRumors forums and Apple's own support community complain that the slab's lower left corner can get a little warm during extended use. Don't get excited though, reports seem to vary by user - some are reporting that their tablet becomes too uncomfortable to hold while others say that it only gets "slightly warm" and that it's "expected." How's your new iPad treating you?

The new iPad: are you buying one?

Today is the day many have been patiently, or not so patiently, waiting for. The new iPad saunters onto shelves around much of the globe, and into the sweaty palms of the "gotta-have-its." So, were you dazzled by that display? Or tempted by the LTE and new graphics chip? Maybe you're upgrading, or treating the partner (by treating yourself)? Perhaps you were hoping for the rumored smaller device, or just gotta have something Android.

iPad launch day: Where are all the sell-outs?

iPad launch day is quite a fiasco. Apple Stores around the country see eager customers line up hours or even days ahead of the tablet's release, and people often wait hours before they finally make it into the store to purchase an iPad - if there are any left. While there was still plenty of hype surrounding this year's launch, it didn't quite seem the same. Apple's new iPad is a big upgrade compared to the previous model, featuring a faster dual-core A5X processor with quad-core graphics, an upgraded 5-megapixel camera, optional embedded 4G LTE, a slightly redesigned case and a gorgeous better-than-1080p HD Retina Display. But launch day still seemed much more subdued than it was for the release of the original iPad and the iPad 2. Read on for more. BGR called a dozen Apple Stores in and around New York City between 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. EDT on Friday in order to find out whether or not they still had the new iPad in stock. In years past, checks like these were fielded by apologetic sales associates breaking the news that launch-day inventory had been completely depleted. This year, however, we didn't find a single store in the New York area that reported a complete stock-out. Of the 12 Apple Store we spoke with, each and every one still had iPad Wi-Fi inventory available, with just four stores saying that 64GB models were sold out in both black and white. Most stores reported having a significant number of units still in stock and several said they would likely still have inventory tomorrow. “We have plenty left,” one sales representative told me when I asked if there would likely be any units remaining later this evening. “Take your time.” Four stores reported being completely out of iPad Wi-Fi + 4G models, and five more said they were out of the AT&T version of Apple's new tablet but still had the Verizon Wireless model in stock. When we asked if there were still people waiting on line for iPads, we were told by a representative at the Grand Central Apple Store that there was indeed still a 30-minute line for new iPads. The only other store to mention a line was in New Jersey, and the sales associate chuckled as she reported, “Yeah, there's three people on line right now.” A number of Apple's retail partners received launch-day iPad inventory as well, and we called a handful of Best Buy locations to see if the story would change at all. We still didn't speak to a single location that reported a stock-out, however. Workers at three Best Buy stores said that all or most models were still in stock and a fourth said that AT&T models were completely depleted but “plenty” of 16GB and 32GB Verizon models were still available. A salesperson at Best Buy Columbus Circle in Manhattan reported that the iPad has been “flying off the shelves,” but he said that all Wi-Fi models and both Wi-Fi + 4G models were still in stock when we called shortly after 6:15 p.m. At the time of this writing, the real-time iPad tracker set up by Chitika indicated that Apple's new iPad accounted for just over 2.1% of iPad traffic across its network. Apple stated earlier this week that pre-orders were sold out and demand for the new iPad was “off the charts.” Did the majority of day-one iPad buyers pre-order their tablets online this year? Did Apple finally manage to build more than enough tablets to meet demand? Or is the new iPad just not resolutionary enough to warrant the turn-out we have seen in years past? We won't know for sure until Monday when, or if, Apple shares launch-weekend sales figures. In the meantime, if you want a new iPad and you haven't yet picked one up, odds seem pretty good that you can still find one fairly easily if New York area availability is any indication.

Apple's new iPad already jailbroken, public release coming soon

Within hours of the new iPad's release, iPhone hacker MuscleNerd had already managed to jailbreak the tablet. The hacker took to Twitter to announce his discovery, however he notes that it is “just a first step” and there is “still lots of work to do” with no estimated time frame for a public release available at this time. MuscleNerd uploaded two screenshots to confirm his claims, one displaying root access and the other showing the Cydia app store.

Under the microscope: a closer look at the new iPad

Sure, you can take us on our word that the new iPad really is that much sharper than its predecessor - or, you can opt for a more scientific approach, and peek at that Retina display under a microscope. Our own Richard Lai slid his 64GB WiFi iPad under a USB scope, going far beyond the naked eye for a close-up look at those gorgeous high-density subpixels. As you can imagine, it's impossible to distinguish one dot from the next when you're looking at a cool three million pixels packed tightly within a 9.7-inch slab, but that view clears up quite nicely under a 230x microscope. What you'll see is that those tiny red, green and blue dots are now significantly smaller, when compared to the iPad 2. That means text that's easily legible without a pinch, smooth icons and far sharper pictures. There's a dramatic improvement for sure, but is that new display alone enough to justify the upgrade for you? A quick click through the gallery below should help clear things up.Richard Lai contributed to this report.

Watch new iPads flood America in real-time

Thousands upon thousands of consumers in cities across America are taking delivery of their new iPads today, and many more lined up at Apple Stores and other retailers to be among the first to own Apple's latest iOS-powered tablet. Early reviews were overwhelmingly favorable - Gizmodo summed them up nicely - and countless consumers have taken to Facebook, Twitter and other social networks to sing praises of Apple's new slate. Seeing the incessant chatter slide through a Twitter timeline is one thing, but popular ad network Chitika has taken iPad-watching to the next level. Read on for more. Developers at Chitika have created a special webpage they call the new iPad tracker. As the name might suggest, the firm's widget tracks the proliferation of Apple's third-generation iPad as consumers across the country use them to load apps and visit websites that serve Chitika advertisements. Chitika's network identifies new iPads according to their unique user agent string, which is read each time ads are served to a device. The new iPad tracker shows three unique sets of data in real-time. First, a pie chart represents new iPad usage versus first-generation iPad and iPad 2 usage over the course of the past hour. The line chart that follows displays third-generation iPad adoption per hour in a time series, and the third shows new iPad adoption by state. Apple's new iPad features a dual-core Apple A5X processor with integrated quad-core graphics, a new 5-megapixel camera, optional 4G LTE connectivity and a high-definition Retina Display. BGR published a hands-on preview of the new Apple iPad on Friday, and we said its new display looks “unreal, like it's not a digital display at all, but an actual printed glossy photo.”

Strum your iPad with a iPic Capacitive Stylus

Friday night I was watching one of my favorite shows Shark Tank, where one of the “contestants” was trying to get funding for their iPad musical instruction app called Miso Music Plectrum. After the show, I checked out the app and some subsequent research turned up a surprisingly interesting new stylus that is shaped like a guitar pick. The iPic from Woodees can be used like a standard capacitive stylus, but it can also be used to “play” virtual stringed instruments by providing a more traditional feel. Priced at $14.99, the iPic is available in several colors and can also be used with gloves.

It's 8:00AM, do you know where your new iPad is?

For readers in the United States who were too eager to pre-order a new iPad and wait for it to be shipped, too tired to head out at midnight and purchase an iPad from Walmart, and too sane to fly east and buy Apple's new slate before the sun rises over North America, 8:00 a.m. is go-time. Apple's new iPad is finally available for purchase from brick and mortar retailers on the East Coast, and lines have been forming throughout the night as Apple fans look to get their hands on the company's latest wares. The new iPad features a faster dual-core Apple A5X processor, an improved 5-megapixel camera, optional 4G LTE connectivity and, of course, Apple's new Retina Display with better-than-1080p HD resolution. We'll publish our iPad review some time next week and in the meantime, we'll have a hands-on preview up later this morning and BGR Editor-in-chief Jonathan Geller will be appearing live on CNBC's Fast Money around 12:00 p.m. EDT to discuss the new iPad. UPDATE: Our quick hands-on preview is now live.

Sky Sports for iPad 2.0 launches with live TV streaming, F1 Race Control companion

Another day, another app release from the folks at Sky, who have this time around delivered v2.0 of Sky Sports for iPad (formerly Sky Sports News). Coming just in time for the F1 2012 season, this iteration includes not only live streaming of the four Sky Sports channels and Sky Sports F1 HD, but it also has a new F1 Race Control companion feature built-in. During a race, it lets viewers choose from eight different camera feeds with in-car and pit lane views, in-race highlights, live race data like lap times and integrated social media feeds - while these are just for racing now, according to Sky's blog post, we may see similar ones for other sports soon. Access to the app is included with various Sky TV packages, while those in the UK and Ireland without a TV plan can get access to the app and Sky Sports News channel streaming for £4.99 per month, billed through iTunes. Check it out there for a few more screenshots or to download and get ready for the Australian GP.

‘Infinity Blade 2′ update adds 2048 x 1536 iPad Retina Display graphics

No matter how you slice it, Infinity Blade II is a pretty gorgeous game, but it'll look amazing on your third-generation iPad's Retina Display. Chair Entertainment just updated the hack-and-slash adventure with 2048 x 1536 high-resolution graphics, ahead of the new iPad launch tomorrow morning. While you might rather have the brand-new Infinity Blade: Dungeons to play instead, we'd definitely be happy to revisit the picturesque environs of the second game in the series while we're waiting for Chair's dungeon crawler. Take a peek at a full-res 2048 x 1536 screenshot of the game in this ZIP, or a slightly smaller one right here in your browser window.