iPad Development
March 19th, 2011 at 9:32 AM EST | by inu846W
image from appleinsider
Some people are finding out the recording quality from the microphone in the iPad 2 WiFi model is better than the microphone in the 3G model.
iLounge looked into the matter and thinks the problem may stem from the new position of the microphone in iPad 2. The first-generation iPad’s microphone was placed in the top corner next to the headphone jack. The iPad 2’s microphone is placed in the top center of the device.
iPad 2 WiFi models house the microphone within the aluminum casing, but the 3G models have the microphone located within the plastic antenna strip.
iLounge says:
Perhaps due to this change in materials, the Wi-Fi model offers markedly cleaner audio than that of the 3G, which sounds slightly muffled and echo-prone as a result. Curiously, we found the GSM 3G model’s audio to be slightly preferable to that of the CDMA model, which seemed to suffer the issues more severely. The problem is particularly evident when the iPad’s screen is facing the user, as is the case when using FaceTime and a great many other apps; it is unclear whether Apple will make any modifications to the devices’ microphones mid-production to help minimize the differences.
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March 17th, 2011 at 10:24 AM EST | by inu846W
At least two companies Apple uses to help manufacture iPad 2 have temporarily shut down to assess damages due to last week’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan. This may cause production delays that could last into June.
Gene Munster from Piper Jaffray is aware of the dynamic situation with some iPad 2 production companies and said they haven’t been able to fully determine damages and currently don’t have a timeline for resuming production.
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. and Toshiba have temporarily shut down. The former supplies BT resin used in production printed circuit boards for chips in iPad and iPhone while the latter produces about 40% of the world’s flash memory, a lot of that used in iOS devices.
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Apple Smart Cover for Apple iPad 2 – Black
 Keep your iPad 2 free of dust and protected against bumps and scratches with this cover that features a leather exterior with a microfiber lining. The cover magnetically aligns with your iPad for an ideal fit.
Apple Smart Cover for Apple iPad 2 – Black
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But recent events may not spell doom and gloom for Apple. They’ve signed on with other vendors to meet production needs in times like these. Apple’s competitors may not have put such plans onto action themselves.
Munster goes on to say:
“This strategy has proven to be an effective way for Apple to leverage its balance sheet and its position as one of the largest buyers of many of the components it uses; moreover, this strategy may prove particularly helpful if supply is limited and pricing increases.”
“Finally, we believe Apple buys futures on important components, which will help offset near-term pricing swings. Our conclusion is that Apple is well positioned to suffer proportionally less than its competitors.”
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March 16th, 2011 at 10:47 AM EST | by inu846W
The demand for iPad 2 continues as Apple struggles to keep up with online orders. The period to wait for Apple to ship your iPad 2 has steadily increased since last Friday. On launch day last week there was only a 2-3 day waiting period before your device was shipped. Now that period is 4 to 5 weeks, after climbing to longer waiting periods throughout the past few days.
UBM Techinsights found out more information about the A5 dual-core processor:
Based on analysis performed by UBM TechInsights Lab and Process Analysis personnel, we can say that the A5 in our possession is definitely manufactured by Samsung using their 45nm process. UBM TechInsights used optical die and SEM cross-section images to analyse important features such as die edge seal, metal 1 pitch, logic and SRAM transistor gate measurements. These features were then compared to other manufacturers in our database, including other Samsung 45nm parts. The previous generation Apple A4 processor was also fabbed on Samsung’s 45nm process.
Apple has delayed the launch of iPad 2 in Japan, originally scheduled for March 25, due to the recent devastation suffered there. You can donate money through iTunes that will help people in Japan.
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March 14th, 2011 at 9:53 AM EST | by inu846W
The graphics processing unit in iPad 2 has been identified as the PowerVR SGX543MP2, as step up in speed and performance from its previous version found in iPad 1 and iPhone 4.
Anadtech has run some benchmark tests for speed and performance of iPad 2 against the first-generation iPad and its most worthwhile competition, the Motorola Xoom.
Architecturally the 543MP2 has more than twice the compute horsepower of the SGX 535 used in Apple’s A4. Each shader pipeline can execute twice the number of instructions per clock as the SGX 535, and then there are four times as many pipes in an SGX 543MP2 as there are in a 535. There are also efficiency improvements as well. Hidden surface removal works at twice the rate in the 543MP2 as it did in the 535.
Apple claimed an improved 9x graphics speed with the new iPad 2 at the media event to announce the new tablet on March 2. Anadtech was not able to confirm that claim, but approached 7x speed in the various tests they performed with different games. In each graphics test, iPad 2 was much faster than the Xoom.
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March 12th, 2011 at 3:21 PM EST | by inu846W
photo from engadget.com
With the successful launch of iPad 2 and an expected 600,000 units to be sold by the end of this weekend alone, it seems there’s a touch of grey to this silver lining.
Some iPad 2 users are reporting problems with their screens. Yellowish spots are appearing under the LCD screen on some new iPads, but this may not be a big concern as one may think. The same thing happened with some iPhone 4s that were bought around its launch day last year. The problem ended up going away eventually as the bonding agent used to hold the screen to iPhone’s body evaporated.
There’s also another problem with light escaping through edges on the screen. The problem gets worse or better as the brightness level is adjusted and is also noticeable when using some apps with dark or black backgrounds.
Check out a video of the problems in question after the break.
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March 11th, 2011 at 11:03 PM EST | by inu846W
For some, it was a dark and dreary day. For others who languished in the geek lust of gigabytes, it was a joyous time filled with madness only Dr. Frankenstein could dream of.
Just when the iPad 2 thought it would be sold into a good home, its dreams of years of playful and continued use came to a swift and abrupt end at the hands of the devious and ravenous villains at iFixIt.com.
Plucked from the retail shelves of its maker, the Apple device soon was torn asunder to satiate the nerdy appetite of techies across the country. “What’s in it?”, they asked. “We’ll show you”, replied iFixIt.
The A5 processor has manufacture dates of late January and mid-February 2011. Production was clearly ramping up through the last minute. It looks like the A5 processor is the APL0498, replacing the A4/APL0398 seen in the iPad 1 and iPhones.
Ripped from its metallic insides was the central processing unit, the A5 dual-core processor.
As screwdrivers took to the bearings that held the device together, iPad 2 knew it was soon to be scattered into pieces, a RAM chip here, a rear-facing camera there. No more was the tightly held together sum of its parts, iPad 2 was now rendered useless and separated.
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