• apple,  appletv,  ios,  ipad

    Apple Unveils the Revolutionary New iPad

    March 8, 2012 /

    Earlier today, Apple unveiled the revolutionary third generation iPad.

    For all the new features and specifications of the new iPad, check out the Apple website.  You can view Apple CEO Tim Cook’s keynote, the new iPad video, and the new TV spot also on the Apple website.

    In addition to the new iPad, Apple also unleashed a boat load of new software updates, including: iTunes for Mac OS X and Windows, iOS 5.1, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iTunes U, iBooks, Find My iPhone, Find My Friends, iMovie, and Remote.  Use the App Store application on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to upgrade your software.

    On the hardware front, Apple also unveiled the new third edition AppleTV.

    The new iPad can be pre-ordered now and has the same price points as the previous two generations of iPad, and will begin shipping on Friday, March 16.  The iPad 2 is still available at a new low $399 price point.

    The third generation AppleTV is available for order now at the same $99 price point and will begin shipping in 1-2 weeks according to the Apple website.

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  • apple,  ipad,  rumors

    Apple To Hold iPad Media Event on Wednesday

    March 6, 2012 /

    If all the rumors haven’t been enough for you, Apple is ready to publicly talk about the third generation iPad, presumably called iPad 3, this Wednesday.  The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and will get underway at 10am PDT/1pm EDT.

    As of Monday, there is still some debate over the name of the new iPad, whether it will be called “iPad 3” or “iPad HD.”  There are also rumors circulating that there will be a new Apple designed case that falls somewhere between the original black iPad case and the new iPad 2 Smart Cover cases, that protects the entire iPad.  Perhaps the one rumor that I was glad to hear squashed was the one that suggested that each new iPad 3 model would be $79 more expensive to cover the costs of the new display.

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  microsoft,  office mobile,  rumors

    Rumor: Microsoft Working on a Version of Office for the iPad

    February 22, 2012 /

    Take this one with a grain of salt; a big one.  According to The Daily, the iPad only News Corp. daily newspaper, Microsoft is working on a version of Microsoft Office for the iPad.  Just imagine being able to run Word, Excel, and PowerPoint natively on your iPad.

    Sounds too good to be true?  It might be.  Microsoft has come out denying that they are working on an iOS edition of Office and that The Daily flat out got bad information for their exclusive scoop.  I read the report this morning, interestingly enough, on my iPad while reading The Daily.  You can read the full story on The Daily website.

    Following up on the story, The New York Times wrote today:

    “A Microsoft spokeswoman issued this statement: “The Daily story is based on inaccurate rumors and speculation. We have no further comment.” She added that a screen image included with The Daily’s article showing an Office product for iPad was “not Microsoft’s software,” she said. 

    But perhaps that isn’t the entire story. Peter Ha, tech editor at The Daily, said that a Microsoft employee had demonstrated a version of the app on an iPad. “The launch screen may not be final, but the app itself is real,” Mr. Ha said. “We were told that the app was done and it was being tested internally.””

    So is Microsoft working on a version of Office for the iPad?  They might be.  And they might not be.

    Pros:
    1. Windows and Office have long been cash cows for Microsoft.  By releasing Office for the iPad, Microsoft opens the door to some 55 million plus new customers.

    2. Microsoft Office is the de facto office productivity suite, and now we can get Office on our Windows, Mac, and iOS devices; there by eliminating a number of cross platform translation and formatting headaches.

    3. Chances are that you’ve used a version of Office before and you will be instantly familiar with how to use the software.

    Cons:
    1. Microsoft wants to keep Office as a Windows Phone 7, Windows 8 Tablet Edition exclusive to help differentiate tables and phones running Windows from those running Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, or RIM’s BlackBerry OS.

    2. The iPad is regarded, by-and-large, as a content consumption device, not a content creation device. There may not be a strong demand for Office-on-an-iPad to justify the cost to develop the software.

    3. The development of iOS applications will draw resources away from the Windows and Mac OS X Office development teams.

    Personally, I think Microsoft is testing the water for iOS applications.   They’ve already released Bing, MSN for iPad, OneNote and Microsoft Lync 2010 for iPad.  There are a few iPhone applications also, including SkyDrive, Windows Live Messenger, and Photosynth.  That’s a lot of toes to dip in the water without developing a full blow Office suite.  I think OneNote and Lync 2010 are strong indications that Microsoft is at the very least, considering releasing a version of Microsoft Office for the iPad.  Only time will tell.

    [Via The Daily, The New York Times…]

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  • apple,  dataviz,  docs to go,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch

    Documents to Go for iOS Receives Minor Update for Excel Files

    February 21, 2012 /

    Documents To Go for iOS was updated today to include fixes for launching Excel files from the iOS search screen and other undocumented minor bug fixes.

    Documents To Go is an office suite for iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad that allow you to work with native Microsoft Office documents.  Documents To Go also features the InTact Technology that keeps the original file formatting ‘in tact’ after it has been edited on your iOS device.

    Documents To Go is $9.99 in the App Store (link), $16.99 with Exchange Server support (link).  The update is free to all who have previously purchased the software.

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  • apple,  bn,  ipad,  kindle,  rumors

    Rumor: 8GB Nook Arriving This Week

    February 21, 2012 /

    A new rumor has appeared in today’s Wall Street Journal, siting the technology website The Verge, indicating that book retailer Barnes & Noble could begin selling an 8GB version of their Nook tablet as early as this week.

    “The Verge reported Monday that Barnes & Noble Inc.  is expected to release a new Nook Tablet with 8 gigabytes of built-in memory later this week. That could allow the book retailer to match or even undercut Amazon.com Inc.’s $199 price on its Kindle Fire tablet, which has 8 GB of memory. Barnes & Noble’s existing Nook Tablet, released about the same time as the Kindle Fire last November, has 16 GB of memory and sells for $249.”

    I’ve toyed with the idea of getting a Kindle Fire to play with, but in all honesty, I don’t because I don’t ready many books for enjoyment.  At least the iPad, Kindle Fire, and the BN Nook can all play Angry Birds!

    [Via The Wall Street Journal.com…]

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  • apple,  ipad,  rumors

    Rumor: iPad 3 Logic Board Poses for the Camera

    February 20, 2012 /

    Is this the new logic board for the iPad 3 that is expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks?  Many people believe that the next Apple CPU would be the “A6,” but that may not be true.

    “[I]f this photo is to be believed, that assumption appears to have been incorrect, with Apple instead having branded the upgraded package with the A5X name. 

    A date code of “1146” on the A5X indicates that it was manufactured in the 46th week of 2011, which would have corresponded to November 14-20. 

    An “A5X” as a step-wise upgrade to the A5 corresponds with progression of processor part numbers as revealed by BGR in February. At the time the A4 was known to be the S5L8930X, the A5 as the S5L8940X and the new iPad processor as S5L8945X.”

    Apple is widely expected to introduce the iPad 3 at a media event on March 7.

    [Via MacRumors.com…]

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  • apple,  mac,  mac os x,  macbook pro

    Apple Unveils OS X Mountain Lion

    February 17, 2012 /

    In a move that surprised many, Apple today announced the next major release of Mac OS X 10.8, Mountain Lion.

    With Mountain Lion, Apple continues to blur the lines between OS X and iOS, so much so, the advertising tag line is, “Inspired by iPad. Re-imaged for Mac.”

    With more than 100 new features to look forward to, Mountain Lion is going to be a must upgrade for Mac users with modern hardware (2009 and later).  The tentpole applications for Mountain Lion include deep iCloud integration, Messages (replacing iChat), Reminders and Notes (taking over for features in the Mail application), Notification Center, Share Sheets, deep Twitter integration, Game Center, AirPlay Mirroring (requires a second generation Apple TV), and Gatekeeper.

    Additionally, the Software Update control panel will be making the jump from a stand alone application to a feature inside the Mac App Store application – just like the software update feature in iOS.

    You can read more about the major features of OS X 10.8 on Apple’s Mountain Lion website.

    With today’s announcement, Apple has made Messages available as a free download to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion users.  You can download Messages for OS X from the Apple website.

    While Apple was publicly talking about Mountain Lion today, they weren’t talking release schedules or pricing.  Apple was only saying, “OS X Mountain Lion arrives this summer.”  Mountain Lion, like Lion before it, will be available only as a purchase from the Mac App Store.  Registered developers can download a beta version of OS X Mountain Lion starting today with a $99/year paid subscription.

    I remember when Apple first started talking about how Lion was going to bring many of the iOS features to OS X and was not really looking forward to ‘dumbing down’ my Mac.  But Lion has been a nice upgrade and I’m perfectly comfortable with it, so much so, I’m looking forward to getting Mountain Lion installed sooner rather than later.

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  • android,  att,  google,  samsung

    BGR: Samsung’s Galaxy Note is the Most Useless Phone I’ve Used

    February 15, 2012 /

    Ok BGR’s headline made me laugh and so I had to read the article.

    “Samsung and AT&T are getting ready to launch a new smartphone, superphone, phablet or whatever else you want to call it, and I picked one up earlier today. It’s the first time I have used or even held the device personally, and I really need to share some immediate thoughts even though a full review is forthcoming. This is a phone, after using it for a few hours, that feels like it is too big to be taken seriously. That’s the end of it.”

    [Via BGR.com…]

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  • apple,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch,  steve jobs

    Tim Cook Speaks at Goldman Sachs Conference

    February 15, 2012 /

    Earlier today, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke at Goldman Sachs technology conference.  If you missed the event, like me, you can still read a transcript of the Q&A session with Cook thanks to the efforts of the good folks over at MacRumors.com.

    “Apple is this unique culture and unique company. You can’t replicate it. I’m not going to witness or permit the slow undoing of it. I believe in it so deeply.  

    Steve grilled in all of us over many years, the company should revolve around great products. We should stay extremely focused on a few things, rather than try to do so many that we did nothing well. We should only go into markets where we can make a significant contribution to society, not just sell a lot of products.”

    How can you not love Apple’s products?  Like Apple or not, the company is in good hands and will continue to lead the technology sector for years to come.  I’d think Steve would approve.

    You can read the full Q&A transcript on MacRumors.com.

    [Via MacRumors.com…]

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