Apple could crush quarterly iPad sales record with projected 20 million in Q2

Newsflash: The Apple iPad is still really, really popular. And according to Needham & Company analyst Charlie Wolf, it's now even more popular than it's ever been. Apple Insider reports that Wolf has revised his previous projection of 13.5 million iPads sold in the second quarter of 2012 all the way up to 20 million, even more than the 15 million iPads it sold during the 2011 holiday quarter.

Wolf is even more bullish about the iPad's potential future sales as well, since he sees that the tablet is being adopted much more rapidly by businesses than the iPhone was after its release.

“In our view, it's only a matter of time before iPad shipments exceed iPhone shipments,” Wolf wrote in his note to investors on Thursday. “The iPad is invading the business market at a much faster pace than the iPhone. In addition, the iPad will launch in China on July 20th. This should provide a significant boost in sales now that Apple is providing Chinese languages and services on its iOS platform.”

Apple iPad Mini To Sport A 7.85' Display, Cost Around $249!

In accordance with recent reports of Sharp being involved in the manufacturing of Apple products, the latest report mentions that the iPad Mini will sport a Sharp-manufactured IGZO LCD display, which by virtue of its characteristics, will aid Apple in slimming down the design. Purportedly, the new iPad will sport a Retina Display and cost between $249 and $299 based on the storage capacity. It's very announcement could trigger its competition with the rest of the world. Apple iPad Mini's veridical existence could spell doom for the countless Android tablets that are already struggling to compete with the ever-premium and market-dominating full-sized iPads. While there are no specs on the smaller sized iPad or even a confirmation if that thing is real, there have been multiple reports of a smaller iPad hiding in Apple's sleeve. Source that report this do not have any significant evidence to confirm the truth either. However, considering the market scenario where smaller sized tablets are more than becoming a norm, it wouldn't seem unfair if Apple too joined the league. On the other hand, observing that Apple has almost always refrained from adopting trends that are most common  until it considers that the time is right. Take for instance the classic real case of an iPhone with a larger display. Apple held off too long (and even until now) to announce an iPhone with a larger display than 3.5" even as the iPhone is breaking into a fifth generation product while the rest of the smartphone industry was raining with devices sporting over 4" in size or significantly larger. While analysts believe that Apple will announce the iPad Mini to meet demand for smaller tablets, there is no established evidence of Apple iPad Mini being on the horizon, but considering that Apple may evolve its stereotyped 3.5" display sized iPhone to a 4" or bigger one with the release of the unannounced iPhone 5, the possibility of a smaller iPad too seems (at least slightly) substantial. Is this an indication that we might probably see something interesting this October besides the iPhone 5? Only time will tell. We will keep you posted as more details surface. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, click here to know more.

iPad Mini mass production set to start in September, announcement may come by October

The oft-rumored iPad Mini is in the news yet again. This time two different ‘mainstream' publications, if you can call them that, the WSJ and Bloomberg, each have a report regarding Apple's supposedly upcoming tablet.

Mass production for the device will start in September. According to nameless officials at Apple's component suppliers, the Cupertino company has told them to prepare for mass production – which would certainly signify that Apple has made up its mind about launching the Mini tablet.

  The new device's screen will be 7 to 8 inches diagonally, and the iPad Mini will arrive on the market before the end of the year. It may get announced by October, perhaps alongside the next-gen iPhone. The iPad Mini's screen will have a resolution lower than that seen in the new iPad.

If this is true, then Apple probably won't claim the Retina brand for this particular display. Common sense says that Apple's probably going to go with 1024×768, which has been used in both the original iPad and the iPad 2. Since the iPad Mini will be smaller, the pixel density will be higher than in those two tablets anyway, while, of course, not being anywhere near Retina territory.

At less than 8″ though, few consumers will probably consider the 1024×768 resolution a downside to Apple's new tablet.

Getting back to the size of the device, this is nothing new of course. The most rumored size so far would make the iPad Mini's display 7.85 inches diagonally.

iPad mini rumors resurface like so many leftovers, have production start in September

There have been rumors of a shrunken iPad since time immemorial, so you'll have to forgive us if we look at most fresh claims with a jaded eye. Still, when both Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal hear that Apple is close to producing a tablet with an 8-inch or smaller screen, there might be some fire to go with the smoke. What details that exist are unsurprisingly thin outside of the dimensions, although Bloomberg understands that there won't be a Retina display like in the current 9.7-inch slab. That's not a shock given the size and likely cost concerns — we're more interested in the talk of nearing production plans with an uncanny level of synchronicity. The Wall Street Journal has caught murmurs that volume production ramps up in September, while its business paper rival Bloomberg thinks that an announcement could come “by October.” We still won't be shocked if these are just wild misinterpretations of an upsized iPod touch or become nothing but vapor. Should they pan out, however, our good friend the Nexus 7 could feel some heat this fall.

NYT: Office for iPad is still on

Microsoft vehemently objected to Office for iPad rumors almost as soon as they first showed up, quashing hopes in the process — or so we thought. The New York Times now contends that Redmond's PR might just have been exercising plausible deniability: sources for the newspaper assert that Office for iPad is still a reality and that the details, not the app itself, are in dispute. Most of the questions instead surround the launch day and price. A follow-up answer from Microsoft hasn't settled much other than to get the boilerplate no-comment remark, but we wouldn't be surprised if Google's acquisition of Quickoffice spurs a few discussions at Microsoft about tablet-native Office suites for more than just Windows 8.

An inside look at how iPads are made

Apple's iPad and the conditions under which it is built are topics that surface regularly on technology blogs and in the mainstream media. While the company did recently initiate a review by the Fair Labor Association, human rights organizations regularly take Apple to task for not doing more to ensure factory workers employed by its China-based manufacturing partner Foxconn are treated well. Foxconn and parent company Hon Hai employs hundreds of thousands of workers, however, and hundreds more travel from around the country each day to line up and apply for jobs at Foxconn's various plants. Marketplace Shanghai bureau chief Rob Schmitz was recently given a rare opportunity at operations within Foxconn's Shenzhen iPad factory, and his crew was permitted to film a number of active stations on the iPad assembly line that have never been seen before. The result is an inside look at some of the fascinating technology that goes into building the world's most popular tablet. Marketplace's video follows below.

iPad is bringing Lithium-Polymer battery prices down

The battery capacity of the new iPad is around 65% bigger than in the iPad 2. That's so in order to accommodate for the Retina Display, and the quad-core graphics chip which subsequently has to render a lot more pixels than in the old tablet. Let's not forget 4G LTE connectivity, which is now an option for the first time in Apple world. That's also universally considered to require more power than other data connectivity solutions. So the increased capacity is there for a reason, and the resulting battery life turns out to be almost the same as the previous generation tablet. That's how power hungry that display and connectivity chip are. iPad 2 and new iPad batteries side by side Because of Apple, prices of Lithium-Polymer batteries, like those used in the iPads, are bound to fall in the near to medium-term future. That's because Apple is leading a newfound demand for large LiPo batteries, that are now being used in everything from tablets to ultrabooks. Basically, Apple's focus on great battery life for its tablets hasn't gone unnoticed in the industry, and its competitors in both the PC and the ‘post-PC' fields are taking notice and trying to emulate that experience. There's plenty of production capacity, and the sheer size of these batteries isn't a cause for concern. The main issues that manufacturers face have to do more with the required thinness for some batteries, and not with size in itself. And since production capacity is not limited, an increase in demand will just lead to more production. Which in turn will lead to lower prices. So hopefully more mobile device makers will decide to put bigger batteries in their products, perhaps convinced to do this by the lower prices that are expected in the future. Battery life is currently one of the main problems of modern mobile devices, but using bigger batteries is possible, as the Motorola RAZR MAXX has proven. Furthermore, it's not even that detrimental to a device's thickness anymore. And with battery prices going down too, there's absolutely no reason for companies to continue to treat us with subpar battery life on our mobile devices.

Apple patent suggests face unlock may come to the iPhone and iPad

Apple patent documentation made public this week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office indicates that the Cupertino-based company is exploring different ways to utilize the forward-facing camera on its devices. The patent, which was uncovered by AppleInsider, describes a system that could scan and detect a user's face to unlock a device. If the user cannot be identified by the system, he or she would by asked to enter a security code, much like Google's face unlock technology. Apple isn't looking to use face detection to simply unlock a user's device, however. After a user's face is recognized, the software could be used to set pre-determined settings and launch various applications. “If the detected human face is recognized… an operation of the (device) can be modified based upon the recognized human face,” the patent application reads. “The modification can include executing a pre-defined set of operations such as opening email, opening text messages, and so forth.”

Apple reportedly testing 7.85-inch iPad prototype

Apple is reportedly “noodling with” a smaller 7.85-inch iPad model in its labs, according to John Gruber of Daring Fireball. Gruber revealed the information on an episode of The Talk Show after host Dan Benjamin asked if Apple was going to come out with a smaller tablet. “Well, I don't know. What I do know is that they have one in the lab...a 7.85 inch iPad that runs at 1024x768... it's just like the regular iPad shrunk down a bit,” Gruber said. “I've heard from multiple people that this is something that they're kind of noodling with.” He went on to say that he has not heard anything regarding Apple's plans to release the smaller model, and it is unclear if it will ever make it to market. Gruber speculated that Apple may have prepared the prototype in response to the Kindle Fire. He also suggested that it could possibly be unveiled at the Cupertino-based company's Worldwide Developers Conference, since it's unlikely that Apple will unveil a new iPhone at the event. We have seen numerous rumors regarding a smaller 7.85-inch iPad in the past. The slate is expected to be priced in the $249 to $299 range and could launch in the third quarter of 2012.

Apple 'captures' new iPads due to WiFi complaints

Ah, it's that old Apple chestnut, reception issues. Apple is investigating complaints from customers over poor WiFi-connectivity on its new iPad. According to a lengthy forum thread, many users are experiencing connection drops and poor performance. An internal AppleCare document has now leaked to 9to5Mac, explaining how Apple is to "capture" and replace 3rd generation tablets that suffer from the intermittent connectivity. The issues appear to affect the WiFi-only model of Apple's latest hardware, with SIM-connected variants apparently safe due to the black antenna panel. Employees are told to test that iPads aren't suffering issues due to software kinks and return wonky units to engineers for testing and a full health check.

J.P. Morgan increases Q1 iPhone and iPad estimates

J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz has made “significant increases” to both his iPhone and iPad sales projections for the first quarter of 2012, raising his price target on Apple stock from $625 to $715, Apple Insider reported on Tuesday. The analyst previously estimated that Apple would ship 28.1 million iPhones in the first quarter of 2012, however he now believes shipments will reach 31.1 million units. Full-year iPhone shipments for 2012 are now expected to total 138.2 million units. Moskowitz thinks Apple's next-generation smartphone will launch in the second half of 2012 and include a “thinner body and LTE capability.” He projects iPad shipments to reach 13.8 million in the first quarter, up from his earlier estimate of 10.1 million units, and his full-year shipment estimate was raised to 69.6 million tablets, up from 59.8 million. Apple will also “refresh its MacBook portfolio, including the Air, in the next three months,” Moskowitz wrote in his note to investors. He continued by saying that the company needs to improve its specifications and features while introducing lower price points to stay ahead of the “Ultrabook crowd.”

iPad owners weigh in: Heat ‘issue' deemed non-factor

An overwhelming 98% of new iPad owners are either “very satisfied” (82%) or “somewhat satisfied” (16%) with their Apple tablets, a recent survey conducted by ChangeWave has determined. This is hardly a surprise, and BGR called the slate not one but two steps ahead of its competition when we reviewed the new iPad in March. Also not surprising is the fact that the majority of iPad owners don't seem to care very much about the supposed heat issues that constantly pop up in the media's coverage of the tablet. When ChangeWave polled 200 new iPad owners and asked what they disliked most about the third-generation Apple tablet, 7% listed excessive heat. A majority named the cost of the device as their biggest dislike (26%), and the cost of wireless data plans (23%) was the second-most disliked thing about the iPad. Despite being widely praised for its battery performance, 6% of those polled said short battery life was their most significant dislike. ChangeWave's full press release follows below. New iPad Owners Weigh in on the Latest Apple Tablet BETHESDA, MD - April 2, 2012 - Two weeks ago, the new iPad hit the market with a bang. But now that the Apple tablet is in the hands of consumers, what is their initial reaction towards the new device? A March 22-28 survey of 200 new owners looked at their impressions of the new Apple iPad, including overall satisfaction with the device, key likes and dislikes, and the impact of the heat issue. ChangeWave Research is a service of 451 Research. Customer Satisfaction User satisfaction with the new iPad is even higher than previous iPad ratings from a February 2012 ChangeWave survey.  More than four-out-of-five new iPad owners (82%) say they are Very Satisfied with the device.  Another 16% say they're Somewhat Satisfied. Here is a head-to-head comparison of the new iPad user survey results with previous iPad user results from the February 2012 ChangeWave survey. Top iPad Likes and Dislikes We also queried new iPad owners on the specific features they liked best and disliked most: What do you like best about the new iPad?  (Choose No More Than Three) By a landslide, the High-Resolution "Retina" Display (75%) is what new iPad owners report they like best about the device. Long Battery Life (22%) comes in a distant second, followed by 4G LTE Capability (21%) and the Faster Processor (20%) New iPad Dislikes When asked what they dislike most about their new iPad, users cited the Cost of the Device (26%) and the Cost of the Wireless Data Plan (23%) as their two biggest gripes. And what do you dislike most about the new iPad?  (Choose No More Than Three) Two other issues were each cited by 8% of owners - the iPad's Size/Weight and its Amount of Flash Memory Storage. Additional dislikes mentioned include its Integration with Other Devices (7%), Excessive Heat Coming From the Device (7%) and Battery Life (6%). No other issue was cited by more than 5% of new owners. A Closer Look At The iPad 'Heat' Issue In a recent release, Consumer Reports stated that the new iPad can heat up to as much as 116 degrees Fahrenheit when plugged in and continually running a game. While the consumer publication considered this to be "very warm," they said it wasn't especially uncomfortable if held for brief periods and they didn't consider it to be a safety concern. To gauge new iPad owner reaction to the heat issue, we presented respondents with a brief summary of the Consumer Reports findings on the new iPad and asked how much of a problem the issue of excessive heat was for them.

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.”