English: The "Made for iPod, iPhone, iPad" emblem appearing on accessories approved by Apple Inc. for iPod, iPhone, and iPad. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Is There a 4th Member of the Family Coming - iPad mini
Rumours might abound. Rumours might abound of an "iPad mini"
But now, they're fed by media reports from South Korea, China, and Taiwan, saying Apple has ordered Samsung screens that are 7.86 inches measured on the diagonal. That would make for a screen about half the size of the current iPad, which has a diagonal measurement of 9.7 inches.Apple iPad mini rumors resurface
WHY IT'S A GOOD IDEA: A smaller tablet would help Apple further its lead in the tablet market.
"From a competitive standpoint, we believe an iPad mini with a lower price point would be the competition's worst nightmare," says Shaw Wu, an analyst at Sterne Agee. "Most (competitors) already have a tough enough time competing against the iPad 2, as well as the new iPad."
WHAT IT MIGHT COST: It could be hard for Apple to make money from an iPad-quality 7-inch tablet that sells for $299. Analysts at IHS iSuppli estimate that a smaller tablet would cost around $250 to produce, a figure that doesn't include development costs, packaging or patent royalties. That suggests Apple would price it at $329 or $349.
WHY IT'S A BAD IDEA: A smaller iPad would be a headache for software developers.
"Going to a different screen size ends up being a ton of work," says Nate Weiner, the creator of Pocket, an application that stores Web pages and other material for later reading.
"If you take, for an example, an interface built for the iPad and try to cram it into the Kindle Fire, it just doesn't fit," he says.
However, developers who have already adapted their programs to the Kindle Fire or other 7-inch tablets wouldn't face a big hurdle in adapting to a third Apple screen size, Weiner says.
By now we have heard all sorts of things about iCloud.
But the thing I am most interested in is how it will help me access documents that I am working with or need access to across my devices from my laptop to iPad to iPhone and my iMac at home.
I'm much more interested in how the service could theoretically improve my cross-device productivity.
Right now, iPad file management requires a combination of several kludgey methods.
Search the Web - including this very site - and you'll find plenty about the awesomeness of Dropbox, but not every iOS app supports it (including any of Apple's). The apps that do support Dropbox each rely upon their own implementation.
All this is true of Apple's own iDisk, too, except that we haven't spent much ink extolling that service's virtues.
(I don't use iDisk anymore. I found it slow and occasionally hungry for eating up my files.)
But if iCloud means we can stop relying on sending files between apps, we'll be thrilled.
Thus, my wish for iCloud is that it includes Dropbox-esque live document sharing and synchronization between Macs and iOS devices.
I want it to be built in such a way that developers can include it in their apps as easily as they can embed an Open dialog box (on the Mac) or call up the virtual keyboard (on iOS).
All the work - the syncing, the interface itself - should fall under Apple's purview, so that the experience is constant and equally available to all developers.
As I imagine it, I could create a document in Pages on my Mac and save it to iCloud.
When I go to my iPad, I can open the same document there from iCloud within the mobile Pages app.
And as with Google Docs, if I leave the document open on multiple devices at the same time, each of them automatically updates on-the-fly to remain current with whichever version I'm actually editing at that moment.
If iCloud merely simplifies that process with Dropbox-style syncing that's baked into the core of both Lion and iOS 5, I'll be on cloud nine.
But if Apple wants to send my joyousness levels into the stratosphere - and really, why wouldn't the company share that goal? - the process of saving files to and from iCloud will be seamless and nearly invisible.
Though I love Google Calendar, I prefer iCal overall, and iCal's Google Calendar support is weak.
Image via WikipediaSource: gainesville.com SAN FRANCISCO — Steven P. Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, interrupted his medical leave on Wednesday to introduce the company’s much-anticipated new iPad, a thinner, faster and lighter version of its popular tablet computer that will sell at the same prices as the original models.
Mr. Jobs alluded to his leave but neither commented on his health nor said whether he planned to return to the company in the near future.
“We’ve been working on this product for a while and I just didn’t want to miss today,” he said.
The iPad 2 includes front and rear cameras, allowing video conversations, and comes in black and white versions. It will be available on March 11 in the United States at prices ranging from $499 to $829. It will be available in more than two dozen other countries on March 26, Mr. Jobs said.
But the details of the product were somewhat overshadowed by Mr. Jobs’s unexpected presence. His appearance lifted the mood of Apple’s fans and investors who have worried about the deteriorating health of the company’s visionary leader. Mr. Jobs was greeted with a standing ovation as he walked on stage in an auditorium here, and within minutes, Apple’s shares jumped more than $3, or nearly 1 percent.
“It is clear that he is still in charge,” said Tim Bajarin, an analyst with Creative Strategies. “His presence underscores how important he feels the iPad is to Apple’s future.” Though gaunt, Mr. Jobs, who turned 56 last week, looked roughly the same as he had in October, the last time he appeared in public to introduce a product.
In a sign of the intensifying competition in the tablet market, Mr. Jobs not only promoted the features of the overhauled iPad, but also took potshots at Apple’s rivals, calling them “copycats” and saying they had been unable to match the first iPad on features or price. The market for tablet computers is far more competitive now than when Apple began selling the iPad nearly a year ago. Companies like Samsung, Dell, Motorola, Research In Motion and Hewlett-Packard have introduced rival tablets, though some will not be available until later this year.
But Apple’s rivals have yet to make significant inroads with consumers, in part because they have had difficulty matching the iPad’s pricing. The Motorola Xoom, for instance, costs $800. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is available for about $500, but at 7 inches, is much smaller than the iPad, which is nearly 10 inches.
The new iPad is built around a new chip that Apple designed, called A5, which is faster than its predecessor. Mr. Jobs said graphics performance would be nine times as fast. The new iPad is 8 millimeters thick, one-third thinner than the original and slightly thinner than the iPhone 4. Mr. Jobs said that at 1.3 pounds it was a fifth of a pound lighter than the earlier model, yet it has the same 10-hour battery life.
“It feels totally different,” Mr. Jobs said.
Alluding to the white iPhone 4, which Apple announced but never introduced, Mr. Jobs said the white iPad 2 would be available from Day 1. The new iPad’s 3G models will support connections from AT&T and Verizon.
Mr. Jobs predicted that the iPad 2 would help Apple widen its lead in the market. “We think 2011 is clearly going to be the year of iPad 2,” Mr. Jobs said.
Some Apple developers said that they were impressed by the iPad 2, noting that it was more powerful yet simple to use.
“The technology is becoming more and more invisible,” said Ge Wang, the co-founder and chief technology officer of Smule, a company that makes virtual instruments for the iPad and the iPhone. Mr. Wang, who also directs an orchestra of digital instruments at Stanford, said Smule had considered making its software available on other tablets but had decided against it for now. “Nothing else comes close,” he said of the iPad.
While the iPad 2’s improvements are significant, analysts said they were largely expected.
“There were no big surprises,” said A. M. Sacconaghi Jr., an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Company. “It is an incremental step forward. But it certainly makes Apple very competitive in the market today.”
Mr. Sacconaghi said the new features, along with the iPad’s stable of more than 65,000 apps, would ensure that Apple retained its lead in the market for now.
Apple did not update the figures for iPad sales. In January, the company said it had sold nearly 15 million iPads in 2010, generating about $9.5 billion. Mr. Jobs said 65,000 apps had been tailored for the iPad.
Apple’s share of the global tablet market reached 85 percent by the end of 2010, according to estimates by eMarketer, a research firm. Apple will sell an estimated 34 million iPads in 2011, or more than triple the 10 million tablets expected to be sold by its rivals, eMarketer said.
Along with the new iPad, Apple introduced a new version of its software, iOS, and two new popular applications already available on its Macintosh line of computers: iMovie and Garage Band.
Mr. Jobs also announced that books from Random House, a holdout publisher, would be available on its iBookstore. He said 100 million books had been downloaded since the company introduced the store a year ago.
Underscoring Apple’s power in digital media distribution, Mr. Jobs also said iTunes had recently surpassed 200 million accounts with credit cards that enable customers to buy music, videos, books and apps with a click.
In a show of Apple’s knack for innovative design, Mr. Jobs demonstrated a new thin iPad cover that attaches to the tablet through magnets, is able to turn the device on and off, and doubles as a stand.
Source: arstechnica.com
Apple has released iOS 4.3 beta 2 to developers, and some digging into various system files has already revealed clues to new features that may be coming to the next-generation iPad.
It also hints at new social media services, Ping notifications, and a possible February 9 announcement date for the next-gen iPad hardware.
Providing some clues about future camera features for the iPad is an image used to show a preview of what a new wallpaper image will look like on your home screen.
That image contains icons for what looks like FaceTime, Camera, and PhotoBooth applications.
This suggests that the upcoming iPad hardware revision, expected in the next couple months, will indeed have at least a front-facing camera if not also a rear-facing camera.
Other system files suggest that PhotoBooth will offer image filters like Thermal Camera, Mirror, X-Ray, Kaleidoscope, and more.
Additionally, this image shows that the icon for Calendar appears to be set to February 9.
9to5Mac speculates that this could be a hint that Apple will announce (though not necessarily ship) new iPad hardware on that date.
The same image in previous versions of iOS showed the date as January 27, the date the original iPad was announced.
Apple announcements have often been scheduled on Tuesdays in years past, though, and February 9 is a Wednesday.
Apple's special announcement events have been known to come on other days of the week, so this date is at least plausible.
Other evidence in iOS 4.3 beta 2 suggests that Apple is paying more attention to social media services for its mobile ecosystem.
For instance, Ping will now have the ability to receive push notifications (for whatever that's worth) in iOS 4.3.
Additional strings and messages buried deep within the system reveal a "Media Stream" feature that looks to be incomplete, leading to speculation that the feature won't be ready until iOS 5 or later.
However, it appears to reference features like "Find My Friends" to locate friends nearby, as well as sending "Photo Streams" to those friends.
The feature also seems to be connected to MobileMe, possibly for syncing and media storage, suggesting Apple will integrate more features into the service to justify its $99 yearly fee.
The social media features aren't iPad-specific, however, and are likely to work across iPhones and iPod touches as well.
Media Stream and Find My Friends probably won't surface until well after the next-gen iPad's expected launch in late March or early April.
Put simply, Dropbox is an amazingly useful combination of a Web service and a Mac OS X program that work together to make your data accessible from anywhere and to keep it synchronized between your computers.
Once you've installed the Dropbox application and set up a Dropbox account, anything you place in a special Dropbox folder on your Mac is automatically copied to the Dropbox servers, as well as to any other Macs you've set up with that Dropbox account.
If this sounds a bit like the iDisk feature of Apple's MobileMe service, that's because it's similar - except that Dropbox is fast and reliable.
Dropbox is also smarter about copying files: It transfers smaller files before larger ones, copies only the parts of each file that have changed, and compresses all data for the trip.
And Dropbox is better about handling sync conflicts - if the same document is modified on two computers at the same time, Dropbox keeps both copies, adding a "oeconflicted" message to the name of one.
For example, I personally use my Dropbox folder for storing all my in-progress documents, letting me work on those documents from any of my Macs.
I can also access those documents using the Dropbox app for iPhones and iPads, and I can even edit them on my iOS devices using apps such as the Elements text editor.
In addition, many Mac programs, such as TextExpander and 1Password, can use Dropbox to ensure all your Macs have the same settings and data; and because your Dropbox folder is a standard Finder folder, you can use Automator or a utility such as Hazel to automate task across your Macs.
Strengths:
Dropbox offers hassle-free access to synced files on all of your machines.
An amazing feature is that you can also retrieve deleted files, so this product also provides a versioned backup solution.
Dropbox offers a generous 8GB of free storage space, which can be upgraded to 50GB or 100GB plans for a monthly fee.
Weaknesses:
Some users may find 8GB of storage space is rather limiting, but this can be upgraded for a monthly fee.
Overall:
Dropbox truly is one of those amazing must install applications.
More importantly, customer service on the forums is excellent.
Overall:
I've only been using Dropbox for about 3 months now, but I can say, hand on heart, that it is one of the best pieces of software that I have ever used in my life.
Dropbox is an indispensable part of my workflow, and it keeps getting better and better with each release.
Now that it handles most Mac metadata properly, it integrates seamlessly with the Finder; and with Web-browser access, as well as Dropbox software—and Dropbox-enabled third-party programs—available for OS X, Windows, Linux, and iOS, you can access and edit your data from anywhere and any device.
I have yet to find an easier way to share data with other computers and other people. And did I mention the outstanding DropBox documentation?
Note in the PC world review they list "but forces you to do all your sync management from one unmovable folder" This is not true.
Image via Wikipedia Source: thenextweb.com Digitimes has cited a report from Chinese news portal Economy Daily News which suggests that Apple’s next generation iPad will incorporate five new features, adding video calling, lighter body, USB ports, new display technology and new 3-axis gyroscopes.
The new features have long been subject to speculation, different sources have already suggested that Apple will feature its FaceTime technology in the iPad 2. With both front and back cameras, users will be able to use the FaceTime service on their iPad, contacting friends and family on their iPhone 4, iPod Touch and Mac computers.
It has also been rumoured that Apple were experimenting with using carbon fiber panels and utilising thinner glass, reducing the mass of the iPad, a device that is currently considerably heavier than other tablet devices in the market. Introducing Apple’s Retina Display technology, coupled with thinner and lighter glass, will ensure high-resolution output and colour performance whilst making the device more portable.
The mention of USB ports is very interesting, particularly as Apple users have long campaigned for them to be added to their tablet devices. This would also signal that iOS would need to be updated to include file management support, something Apple has never offered within its operating system previously.
By adding 3-axis gyroscopes, its possible that Apple will usher in a new wave of tablet physics games, allowing the company to target gamers and younger customers.
Apple understandably remains tight-lipped about its plans, we can expect more information to become available at the beginning of 2011.
Image via Wikipedia Source: digitimes.com
As Apple is set to start mass producing its next-generation iPad 2 at the end of February, and sources from upstream component makers pointed out that Apple is increasing iPad 2's resolution to 2048 by 1536 and the new strategy is expected to widen the company's technology gap with its competitors.
Apple has also recently started adjusting its iBooks 1.1 application with some designs for bookmark icons to allow it to support the larger resolution, noted the sources adding that the larger resolution should provide the company's App developers more convenience, while all future applications will be able to run under any of Apple's machines including the 27-inch iMac.
In 2011, Apple's iPad series should be able to ship more than 40 million units, the sources estimated. Apple is estimated to have ordered 1.6-1.8 million iPads in January with the order volumes for February expected to drop. iPad 2's initial shipments are expected to be 400,000-600,000 units.
More details are surfacing about the next generation of iPhone and iPad, including that both devices will feature Qualcomm chipsets and that the iPad 2 will have an SD card slot. The Verizon iPhone 4 utilizes a Qualcomm chipset instead of the Infereon version used in the AT&T/GSM iPhone in order to connect to Verizon's CDMA network. However, Engadget reports that the Verizon iPhone 4 is just the first of many Apple devices that will use Qualcomm as its primary chipset. Both the iPhone 5 and the iPad 2 will utilize a dual CDMA/GSM chipset from Qualcomm, assuring that both devices work on Verizon and AT&T simultaneously. There won't be a need for two different versions of the same device. According to Engadget's sources, the new iPad will be slimmer and sleeker, but will retain its 10-inch screen. It will have two cameras (something that we've often heard) and a "super high resolution" screen much like the Retina Display in the iPhone 4, though it won't have the same pixel density. The most surprising revelation though is that the iPad 2 will have an SD card slot built into the device. And contrary to previous reports, it will not have a USB port. Still, the ability to load and unload media and documents via a traditional SD card is a surprising but welcomed addition. The iPad is on track for an April release, once again in line with previous reports. There is no word about what new additions will be made to the iPhone 5, but it is going once again be a complete redesign of the device. It will run on Apple's A5 multi-core CPU. One thing it won't have is support for 4G LTE connections, though. While we have to classify all of this information as unconfirmed rumors, all of this information lines up with previous leaks and reports about Apple's upcoming 2011 line of iOS devices. We want to stress though that Apple still has a few months before the release of either device, so they could easily change designs or features before their eventual releases. InsiderLeak: iPad 2 going CDMA/GSM dual mode, iPhone 5 dual-coreElectronistaPC Magazine -Mashable -Beatweek Magazineall 73 news [...] http://aditmemble.com/gadget/ipad-and-iphone-will-use-chip-dual-mode/ iPad and iPhone Will Use Chip Dual-Mode? version used in the AT&T/GSM iPhone in order to connect to Verizonâ¬(TM)s [...] Read more on Mashable This entry was posted in Ipad and tagged iPadonly, newspaper, postponed. http://technologyischangingus.wordpress.com/2011/01/15/ipad2-and-iphone5/ iPad2 and iPhone5 «Technology Is Changing Us If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Nov 19 2010(Bloomberg)
Apple Inc. may introduce a thinner iPad in the first half of next year with features such as a camera for video-calling and chips made by Qualcomm Inc. that let it work on global wireless networks, analysts say.
Production may start as early as January, with an introduction to the public by February or March, said Mike Abramsky, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets in Toronto.
The device will feature Qualcomm chips that allow a Web connection on both GSM and CDMA networks, the dominant radio standards used in mobile phones, said Brian Blair of Wedge Partners, who said he expects an April debut.
"They can sell it around the globe without having to worry if it works with one carrier's network or another carrier's network," said Blair, who is based in New York. Infineon Technologies AG, whose wireless business is being acquired by Intel Corp., now makes those radio chips for the iPad.
The announcement's timing would put the iPad on an annual cycle of introductions similar to those of iPhones and iPods.
Paul Jacobs, chief executive officer of San Diego-based Qualcomm, declined to comment when asked in a Nov. 16 interview if his company's chips will be part of new products by Apple.
Apple declined to comment, said Natalie Harrison, a spokeswoman.
Suppliers of parts to the iPad have had fourth-quarter orders cut by about 10 percent, said Patrick Wang an analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities in New York.
The most likely explanation is that Apple wants to draw down inventory ahead of the new model's launch in the first quarter of 2011, he said.
New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading.
The shares have risen 46 percent this year.
Qualcomm, up 3.7 percent this year, advanced 24 cents to $47.96 in Nasdaq trading.
The iPad, which went on sale in April, accounted for about 13.7 percent of Apple's revenue last quarter, more than the nine-year-old old iPod media player.
The device helped establish a market for tablet computers that blend the capabilities of a smartphone and notebook computer, leading rivals such Samsung Electronics Co. and Research In Motion Ltd. to introduce their own models.
Apple may sell 48 million iPads next year, said Blair.
--Editors: Margot Slade, Romaine Bostick
To contact the reporters on this story: Adam Satariano in San Francisco at asatariano1@bloomberg.net; Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net
What are the benefits of an iPad over a netbook or an iPhone?
Cassandra G asks:
I’m not being facetious, but what exactly is the point of the iPad? Why not get a netbook or an iPhone?
My partner wants an iPad and *I* want justification for spending this amount of money!
Many thanks.
Ceatif Diva 4 days ago
It appears from the comments to your question those who do not have an iPad have little good to say about then. But those who own one and have taken the time to learn what they can do, wouldn't be without them. I had a PC laptop and it never met my expectations, my iPad has exceeded them.
As far as iPad vs. Netbook is concerned - I own both. I bought my netbook about a year ago and have used it maybe two or three times at most - and got quite frustrated while using it. I got the iPad about a month ago and I've used it on a daily basis. Some people might say that they need a physical keyboard but honestly most netbook's keyboards are a lot more difficult to use than the iPad's onscreen keyboard. Other than that, it's such a sleek device and there's no end to how you can use it because of the variety of apps that are available.
Put the iPad together with the camera connection kit and you'll never have to travel with a laptop again imho.
Compared to the iPhone is another story - it really depends on what your needs are. With the iPad itself there's the choice of 3G or WiFi.
And then in comparison it to the iPhone - do you want a camera? Do you want to use it to listen to music in your car? If that's the case - go for the iPhone instead. But if you want to watch movies, play games, send emails, read ebooks and even blog (to a certain extent) - go for the iPad. You don't have to convert .avi files if you use a free app like VLC, you can watch flash videos using the paid app Skyfire, and there is multitasking with the new OS that was just released.
I'm a huge fan of the iPad - despite the fact that my first impression of it was that it was just an oversized iPod Touch. Your partner is going for the good stuff!
Well, firstly the iPad is the beauty to the Netbook's beast.
Secondly, the iPad (and iPhone) is more of a multimedia device that's great for video, web browsing, or social networking with email.
The Netbook on the other hand is more functional. It's just like a laptop only smaller. You can video char, type in long documents and work with lighter apps that don't strain the CPU too much (serious graphic software would be a no-no).
From what I have hear, it's more difficult to type on iPad's on-screen touch keyboard than it is on a netbook.
You cannot really compare these three on a one-to-one basis.Your choice will boil down to what you ultimately plan to do on any of these devices.
The screen size of the iPad makes a lot of things more comfortable ~ movies, eBooks/pdfs and webpages (there are lot of webpages not optimized for mobile devices)... for example a friend of mine is using it for reading newspapers and as a cookbook in the kitchen, two things where the iPhones' screen size will hit it's limits regarding usability.
As for netbooks there is probably lot of room for discussion.
My personal points would be:
~ Touchscreen
easier and more comfortable to use than keyboard and trackpad
imagine holding your netbook with one hand, and type with the other *no-fun*
~ Screen size
while all Apps are made for iPhone/iPad screens most Software is not for Netbooks
if you ever run Outlook or Excel on a Netbook you will know what I mean
~ ease of use
A Netbook basically is a mobile PC with "low end hardware". You don't have to be a rocket scientist but sooner or later you will run into the same Windows/Linux challenges and problems.
Solving those without losing data and settings is the same pain as on a PC. For an iPad it's like 2 clicks ~ restore to factory defaults, restore backup which is automatically created by iTunes.
~ Security, Malware and compatibility
On an iPad you don't really have to worry about that (except for it being stolen, which is the same for all and any devices). Apple does all the testing and stuff before Apps get into the App Store.
I did buy a netbook about a year ago and all I have done so far is testing out a few Linux distros... it's small and bulky, the power adapter is huge and when leaving the optical drive at home I could also leave the whole thing because my iPhone (or for that matter an iPad) can do the very same things.
Instead, it uses NAND-based memory to duplicate the functions of a spinning hard disk, which would suck up enough power to send battery miser Steve Jobs over the edge.
All your applications, videos, photographs, downloaded music, movies, television programs and other data goes into the flash memory.
Depending on how much money you decided to throw at Apple, your iPad has 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB of storage space.
Compared to a new Mac or PC, the iPad's storage is Lilliputian: The low-end MacBook Pro, for example, has a 160 GB hard drive, while the cheapest iMac sports 500 GB.
But it's in line with the capacity of its closest cousin, the dinky iPod Touch.
Can I print from the iPad?
No. Apple didn't stick a USB port in the tablet.
You'll have to shunt what you want to a print to a PC or Mac using e-mail, or sync the iPad using iTunes or MobileMe, then print from there.
I want to read some books. What do I do?
Apple's supposed to add its free iBook app to the App Store on Saturday.
Install it and you'll be able to purchase e-books from the limited stock - limited compared to Amazon.com's e-book inventory, at least - that Apple's put together for the launch.
Last week, Amazon announced it would rewrite its Kindle software - already available for the iPhone, as well as the Mac and PC - for the iPad.
On Friday, the Kindle iPad app became available.
And how does the iPad do as an e-reader?
We haven't put hands to one long enough to find out.
Can I watch movies, TV?
You can rent movies or purchase television episodes from iTunes, or if you're a Netflix member, download the free app to stream movies and TV shows to your iPad. ABC has also posted viewing software (ABC Player) on the App Store, the only major television network to do so by late Thursday.
Can I do real work on my iPad?
Depends on how you define real (as opposed to fake work, which for us means a nap or ESPN), but you can write and crunch numbers and craft soul-sucking presentations if you buy the three apps that make up the iPad version of Apple's iWork suite. Apple's used a way-back machine to return to the days of the unbundle, when suites weren't collections with a single price, but an agglomeration of separately-purchased programs that worked together, more or less. In other words, you buy the three applications - Pages, Numbers and Keynote - separately from the App Store. Of course, if you're a numbers person and wouldn't know a gerund from a gradated background, you pay for only what you want and the hell with the rest.
There's no camera on the iPad, so how do I get photos onto the thing?
Out of the box, the sync cable is your friend: Use it and iTunes to synchronize collections on your computer with the iPad. By the way, you'll need to update your Mac or PC to iTunes 9.1 - Apple slipped that out Tuesday - to sync with the iPad and organize the books you buy with the iBook app. If there's $29 burning a hole in your pocket, you can spring for the iPad Camera Connection Kit. One of the two adapters accepts a camera's SD memory card; the other links your camera's USB cable with the iPad. Too bad the kit doesn't ship until later this month.
I tried the on-glass keyboard and hate it.
The iPad also syncs with Bluetooth keyboards, so if you have one of those, you should be able to link and use it without any trouble. Apple sells a combination keyboard and iPad dock - called, not surprisingly, the iPad Keyboard Dock - that also includes an audio jack for connecting the iPad to speakers or a stereo system. While some reviewers have received a dock, Apple's not shipping to the rest of us until late this month. An Apple-branded Bluetooth keyboard - basically, the same keyboard as in the dock - also costs $69 and is available now.
I have a MobileMe account. Can I add the iPad to the list of my devices to sync?
To MobileMe, Apple's sync and storage service, the iPad is just another device. You can sync the mail, contacts and calendar on the iPad with your iPhone, Mac or PC; use MobileMe's 20GB iDisk to store documents, like those you create with the iWork apps; register with the Find My iPad feature; and remotely wipe a lost or stolen tablet. If you don't have a MobileMe account, you can try the service for 60 days free of charge.
Wi-Fi may be plentiful these days, but it's far from ubiquitous.
A device like the iPad is just begging for always-on Internetaccess, whether it be for checking mail, surfing the Web, or even keeping up with your latest game of Words with Friends HD.
Apple's iPad Wi-Fi + 3G delivers on that promise, though the 3G experience may occasionally have you searching about for a Wi-Fi access point tout de suite.
Outwardly, the 3G-enabled iPad is almost identical to its Wi-Fi-only counterpart.
Everything my colleague Jason Snell said in his original iPad review holds true with this device, as the differences between the two models are few.
Outwardly, the 3G-enabled iPad is almost identical to the Wi-Fi model, and the two share almost all of the same features, with the exception of those related to 3G networking and GPS.
For the privilege of those few features, however, you will be paying a bit extra: the 3G models command a $130 premium over their Wi-Fi-only siblings, making the price tags $629 for the 16GB version, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB.
And keep in mind that the higher price covers only the 3G hardware inside the iPad.
In order to actually use the 3G service, you'll need to pay for one of the two monthly plans that Apple and AT&T have teamed up to offer: a $15-per-month plan that allows you 250MB of data transfer or a $30-per-month plan that allows you unlimited data.
And unlike the iPhone service agreement, which requires a two-year commitment with AT&T, you can cancel your 3G plan for the iPad at any time.
If you've spent any time with an iPhone 3GS, then you'll be pretty familiar with the iPad's 3G performance, as under-the-hood investigations show that the two use the same hardware.
Performance
Speed Tests for 3G (left) and Wi-Fi (right) show a big advantage for Wi-Fi.
Given that the iPad also boasts the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, there's no contest between the two: Wi-Fi will beat 3G every single time.
I ran a few speed tests using the Speed Test iPhone application and, though unscientific, Wi-Fi's superiority was readily apparentâ¬"in one test at my home, Wi-Fi was an astounding 70 times faster at downloads and 30 times faster at uploads.
Other tests (such as the one pictured here) showed less of a disparity, but still universally deemed Wi-Fi the winner.
Of course, such performance varies widely depending on the quality of the AT&T network in your location.
And given that poor performance on AT&T's 3G network has been one of the major complaints with the iPhone, don't expect magically better performance on the iPad.
The apartment to which I recently moved resides in a spotty coverage zone for AT&T's network, and I've experienced frequent signal drops, poor coverage, and slow service on both my iPhone 3GS and my 3G-enabled iPad.
I also have one of Apple's recent 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Stations, which helps me get the most out of my Wi-Fi network.
If you live, work, or otherwise spend a lot of time in a place with solid 3G coverage, you should find the iPad's 3G performance to be perfectly serviceable for most common tasks, like reading e-mail, surfing the Web, checking RSS feeds, and keeping up with social-networking sites like Facebook or Twitter.
But when you start to get into more intensive tasks, the cracks in the 3G network begin to show.
While I was able to stream video, audio, view maps, and so on over the 3G connection, the performance was sometimes subpar.
Streaming via Netflix's iPad app, for example, yielded video that was mostly watchable, though it did suffer from frequent pauses in playback as the video re-buffered.
Interestingly, YouTube streamed over a 3G connection (above) is substantially lower quality than the same clip over Wi-Fi (below).youtube-over-3g.png
The quality of the video delivered over the 3G network is also noticeably lower than what you get via Wi-Fi.
Netflix, for example, down-samples the video, though it's passable.
Performance varied hugely depending on location, with streaming basically impossible to use at my home.
However, I did find that other locations yielded better results, and in one particular incident, I actually had to flip the iPad's cellular data connection off and then on again to yield better speeds.
The Plans
As I noted in my first look at the 3G iPad, managing your AT&T account on the iPad is simple: you can sign up, monitor your usage, change your plan, and even cancel it all from the iPad's Settings app.
If you want to keep an eye on how much bandwidth you're chewing up, there are two options: one is to use the meters under Settings -> General -> Usage, which tell you how much data has been sent and received over the cellular data connection.
While relying on the cell phone connection, I saw the battery power dip much lower than it had on any day while using the Wi-Fi model, but not so much so that I was unable to get a full day's use out of it.
My colleague Mr. Snell made the case for a 3G version of the iPad well before it shipped, and having one in my hands, I find myself inclined to concur with his conclusions that 3G connectivity gives this version of the iPad a measure of flexibility missing from the Wi-Fi-only version.
Source: Macworld.com
Posted on Apr 4, 2010 7:20 am by Jason Snell
Before diving into the details of the iPad, it’s worth recapping some of the details of the product. There are currently three versions available, all identical save for the amount of onboard storage: a $499 16GB model, $599 32GB model, and $699 64GB model. Three other models with built-in 3G networking in addition to Wi-Fi will be available later in April, at the same storage sizes: 16GB for $629, 32GB for $729, and 64GB for $829. Before you buy a Wi-Fi-only model, it’s worth considering how you might use the 3G models.
Results are in seconds. Best results in bold. Reference systems in italic.
iPad tested with iPhone OS 3.2. All other devices were tested running iPhone OS 3.1.
With the iPhone and iPod touch, Apple has been reluctant to talk about processors and speeds, preferring to treat those products as magical black boxes. But we must forgive Apple for crowing a little bit about the processor that powers the iPad, because it was custom-designed by Apple itself. The new A4 processor, running at 1GHz, is a “system on a chip”—in other words, it was built to run the iPad, not chosen from a parts list and adapted to work for the iPad.
Geeky chip talk aside, the iPad flies. It was fast at almost everything I threw at it. The only times I found myself waiting were either for content to download over the network or for one of the iWork apps to convert a file into its native file format. Games played smoothly, with gorgeous graphics. There’s no lag when panning and zooming around large images. Any touch-based device stands or falls based on how quickly and smoothly the content on the screen can react to the movement of fingers on that screen. The iPad passes that test masterfully.
As a bare measure of speed, I ran the SunSpider JavaScript performance test from within the iPad’s Safari browser. The iPad passed the tests in 10.4 seconds. Last September I ran that same test on every iPhone OS model ever released, and the fastest device of the lot (the iPhone 3GS) ran the test in 15.5 seconds. (In contrast, the original iPhone took 43 seconds to run that test.) So the iPad has taken the crown as the fastest iPhone OS device on the planet.
Apple hasn’t released details of the battery that’s powering the iPad, but whatever combination of battery and power efficiency is lurking behind that aluminum back, it’s impressive. Apple boasts a 10-hour battery life for the iPad, and most reports from reviewers who have spent a week or more with the device suggest that the real-world life of that battery is even longer. My two days with the iPad bear out those reports. If you charge the iPad overnight, you can pretty much use it the whole day.
We’ll have more extensive speed and battery testing in the next few days at Macworld.com, but the short version is this: it’s fast and the battery lasts.
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