iPad and Apple
March 11th, 2011 at 6:51 AM EST | by inu846W
Apple’s new iPad 2 tablet went on sale today, starting online at apple.com and att.com and in store at 5pm local time at select retail locations like Best Buy. iPad 2 is currently shipping within 2-3 weeks, after the first round of buyers saw a shipping time of 5-7 business days after purchase.
iPad 2 comes with some new features like a faster processor, front and rear-facing cameras, and a slimmer, lighter design, an upgrade from its first-generation version. The new device was announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who is currently on medical leave, at a media event in San Francisco March 2.
Though it probably won’t be as difficult to buy iPad 2 today as it was on last year’s launch day for iPad 1, with long lines at stores and a sluggish online purchase experience from Apple, iPad 2 is still expected to sell very well. One analyst from Gleacher & Co. thinks there could be as much as 600,000 iPad 2 sales by the end of this weekend.
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March 10th, 2011 at 1:56 PM EST | by inu846W
A research firm analyzing the tablet market said Thursday that Apple was to blame for 83% of all tablets sold in 2010, even though iPad sales didn’t start until April 2010. IDC’s “Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet and eReader Tracker” also stated the Apple iPad represented 73% of tablets shipments in the last quarter of 2010.
Apple had boasted last week during the iPad 2 announcement event that they “own” 90% of the tablet market. But the latest research says that’s not quite true. But close enough, huh? 83% for 2010 is still a commanding lead.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab managed to eek out 17 percent of tablets sold in the 4th quarter of 2010, becoming the iPad’s primary competitor during that time. With Samsung and a chorus of other competitors starting to emerge, Apple’s market share dropped from 33 percent in the 3rd quarter to 73 percent at the end of last year.
The good news for Apple is IDC expects them to keep between 70 and 80 percent of the tablet market under their control for 2011. That’s in the face of a dozen or more tablets being launched this year.
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March 9th, 2011 at 1:40 PM EST | by inu846W
Apple has just released the latest version of its operating software for iPad, iPhone and iPod, iOS 4.3. Its launch was originally set for this Friday when iPad 2 goes on sale.
iOS 4.3 comes with several new updates and improvements. Javascript in the Safari web browser is now faster. A “Personal Hotspot” is now possible in conjunction with iPhone4 using AT&T, but you must purchase a tethering plan. iPad users can take advantage of a 3G connection by being wirelessly connected to iPhone 4. This feature has been available between iPhones and iPads that are jailbroken, but now Apple has sanctioned its use in iOS 4.3.
Users can also now take advantage of iTunes Home Sharing, enjoying shared iTunes content over Wi-Fi. Music and movies can be streamed from a Mac or PC to an iOS device through a local wireless network.
Third-party applications also get support for AirPlay. You can stream audio and video to Apple TV, or audio to AirPort Express. Photos and videos can also be shared.
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March 7th, 2011 at 11:31 AM EST | by inu846W
Where and When to Buy iPad 2
The big day for those who want to buy iPad 2 is approaching. iPad 2 will be launched this Friday, March 2011 at 4:00am Eastern time (just after 1am on the west coast) through apple.com and at 5pm Eastern time at Apple retail stores.
Best Buy and Target will also sell iPad 2 on launch day. Best Buy locations will start selling iPad 2 in their stores at 5pm Eastern time this Friday, according to an iPad 2 FAQ on Best Buy’s website. Target will probably follow suit with a 5pm launch as well, though that has not been confirmed.
If last year is any indication on waiting lines to buy an iPad, then you probably will want to line up as early as possible to make sure you can walk out of the store with an iPad 2 in your hand this Friday. Walmart and Sam’s Club are slated to sell iPad 2 as well, but an on sale date for those stores has not yet been set.
Best Buy and Walmart will sell iPad 2 on their websites, but both currently have the availability online as “coming soon”. We’ll let you know when they will be available.
All Things Digital put together a chart to help explain the iPad 2 data plans for AT&T and Verizon:
As with the first-generation iPad, AT&T is offering the same data plan rates – 250MB/$15 and 2GB/$25 with the prepaid option. If you happen to go over your plan rate with data usage, you can order another 250MB or 2GB plan. If you choose the “postpaid” option, AT&T will charge you another $14.99 for 250MB and $10 per 1GB of data transfer should you go over your monthly allotment.
There’s good news for those first-generation iPad users who signed up for the unlimited data plan with AT&T in April of last year, which was canceled a month later. Those users will be “grandfathered” in with the new data plan, according to Engadget, allowing them unlimited data usage for $29.99 per month.
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March 6th, 2011 at 9:21 AM EST | by inu846W
Forbes has gotten wind of news that indicates a major retailer in the US is expected to provide iPads to its on-floor sales associates. The source of the news says the unnamed retailer operates 1,100 stores. Considering Best Buy’s relationship with Apple in the past, and the fact they operate about 1,100 retail stores, it’s likely that Best Buy is the generous company in question.
The number of iPads to be distributed to these lucky employees could be in the tens of thousands.
This may boost Best Buy’s “Connected Store” program which began last year in some of their stores. The program’s aim is to connect customers with gadgets and allows for hand-on interaction with many devices.
Populating every Best Buy store with iPad-toting salespeople would be a boon for Apple, which would not only sell tens of thousands of devices for the purpose, but also have its wares in constant, high profile use across the country.
The benefits are less assured for Best Buy, which has struggled financially in recent quarters. That said, the aim of the Connected Stores is to make Best Buy shops more alluring destinations and to encourage people to purchase devices by offering as interactive and informative a shopping experience as possible. If an army of iPads helps Best Buy achieve this goal, then the gamble will be worthwhile.
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March 2nd, 2011 at 3:47 PM EST | by inu846W
Apple announced the iPad 2 today at a media event in San Francisco to an invite-only crowd of media reporters. Steve jobs made a surprise appearance, though his attendance was rumored, and spoke often throughout the 70 minute event.
You can order the iPad 2 starting March 11, color choices include black or white.
Pricing is as follows:
16GB WiFi – $99, 32GB WiFi – $599, 64GB WiFi – $699
16GB 3G – $629, 32GB 3G – $729, 64GB 3G – $829
Let’s take a look at what the iPad 2 has to offer:
Body:
The new iPad 2 design is 1/3 thinner and 15% lighter than the original iPad weighing only 1.3 pounds.
New iPad 2 Features and Apps:
A much anticipated upgrade for iPad is the forward(VGA) and rear(720p resolution) facing cameras. Users can now enjoy the FaceTime video conferencing feature between 2 iPads, iPad and iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and iPad and Mac. The rear facing camera shoots HD video to be used with iMovie and can also be used with FaceTime to shoot video from the opposite side of the iPad. Learn more about FaceTime here or more about the cameras here.
Photobooth compliments the new iPad cameras and allows users to edit and manage their photos easily. And with iMovie, editing videos is easy simply by using your fingers. Videos can be uploaded directly to Vimeo, CNN iReport, and YouTube. Cost will be $4.99 and availability is March 11. Learn more here.
GarageBand for iPad is a great advancement. It allows you to use your own instrument or play different instruments within the iPad like piano and drums. Included are touch instruments, guitar amps, loops, 8 track recording, mixing capabilities. The cost is $4.99 and will be available March 11 with iOS 4.3.
The iPad can now be shown on your HDTV through the new HDMI cable. This feature will show on your TV exactly what is on your iPad screen in full 1080p. The cable also charges the iPad at the same time as viewing and will cost $39.
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