9to5Mac.com is reporting that the iPad will go on sale at Best Buy, Sam’s Club, and Walmart on March 11 along side Apple retail store and Apple.com.
[Via 9to5Mac.com…]
iPad 2 Coming To Best Buy, Sam’s Club, and Walmart on March 11
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iPad Competitor “Cat Fight”
I just finished reading John Paczkowki’s Digital Daily post titled “HP to RIM: Our iPad Challenger Is More Original Than Your iPad Challenger”, in which HP and RIM fight over who’s Apple iPad clone is more original.
Mr. Paczkowski writes:“Isn’t this ironic. Hewlett-Packard and Research in Motion, two companies that haven’t officially launched their first tablets yet, talking smack to one another the day before Apple debuts its second.”
Read the full article on Digital Daily.com.[Editor’s Note: I’m sorry, but I had to replace the original article’s Dr. Seuss art with the two women locked in a “cat fight” because that was the first thing that popped into my head when I read the headline. My apologies for my sense of humor.] -
Apple: 2011 The Year of iPad 2
Apple indirectly squashed iPad 3 rumors today be calling 2011 “the year of the iPad 2.”
If I talked to you in the last two weeks warning that iPad owners hold off on getting an iPad 2 because iPad 3 could be coming in September, you now have an official Smartphone Fanatics green light to purchase an iPad 2.
[Via AppleInsider.com, Engadget.com…]
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iOS 4.3 Coming Soon, iTunes 10.2 Available Now
Along side of today’s iPad 2 event, Apple released iTunes 10.2 for Mac OS X and Windows PC, and previewed iOS 4.3, which will be released on March 11 also.
iOS 4.3 Update
In iOS 4.3, Apple has added incremental improvements to Safari and AirPlay. Apple also baked in iTunes Home Sharing, iPad Side Switch (formerly known as the orientation lock switch and mute switch) preference setting, and, for the iPhone 4, the Personal Hotspot.
iOS 4.3 will be available for current model iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models. While reading the Apple website for details on iOS 4.3, the second generation AppleTV was not mentioned, however, I expect that device to also receive an update before too long.
iTunes 10.2 Update
iTunes was updated to 10.2 today to bring support to Macs and Windows PCs for the new iOS 4.3 features, and probably support for the iPad 2, however, the iPad 2 was not specifically mentioned in the update description.
iTunes 10.2 can be downloaded now via the Software Update control panel on your Mac or PC.
Check out all the details over at Apple.com.
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Apple Unveils iPad 2, Ships March 11
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad 2 today. Bask in it’s coolness, now in two colors: Black and White.
The new iPad features a new lighter design, a dual-core Apple A5 processor, FaceTime cameras, and all for the same $499 price point as the original.
iPad 2 will go on sale at 5pm on March 11, 2011. For more details, check the Apple website.
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What Would Change on the Apple iPad
On Feb 24, The Daily, the iPad daily newspaper, asked readers what feature would they change for iPad 2 and whether or not they would upgrade or defect to another tablet platform. The responses where interesting.
39% of the people who responded by the time I got around to reading the article had stated that the feature they are most interested in is a front facing FaceTime camera. And with rumors of the iPad 3 possibly shipping in September along side new iPod touch models, 55% of the people who responded, again at the time I had voted, said that they would wait until the third generation Apple tablet to upgrade.
[Via The Daily…]
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The Daily Gets Another Free Preview Extension
The Daily, the iPad only digital newspaper, has received another extension to it’s free preview period. The preview period continues to be sponsored by Verizon and will be free to iPad users until March 21, 2011.
Once the preview period for The Daily expires, subscriptions to the new digital newspaper can be subscribed to as an in app purchase of $0.99 per week or $39.99 per year. The Daily, as the name implies, is published 365 days a year.
For more information about The Daily, check out The Daily website.
Rumor: Hmmm….I wonder when the iPad 2 will begin shipping? The week before, perhaps?
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Apple Supply Chain In Good Shape Analyst Reports
Over the last two days, rumors have been circulating on the Internet that Apple has been facing supply chain problems that would delay the launch of the iPad this spring and the iPhone by several months each.
iPad 2
Hours after the initial reports began to surface, Apple’s stock price began to sink. By the end of the day yesterday, new reports from analysts including Concord Securities’s Ming-Chi Kuo, are now reporting that their checks of the Apple supply chain is in good shape. Mr. Kuo estimates that Apple will be able to manufacture and be ready to sell somewhere in the neighborhood of up to 5 million iPad 2 units by the end of March with another round of about 3-4 million units in April. So, in a two month period, it is estimated that Apple could have 7-9 million iPad 2 units to sell to customers eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new iPads. The rumor of iPad 2 launch date delays is likely due to what Mr. Kuo reports as a late shipment of displays for the new device which is not expected to impact the launch of iPad 2.
About the only people who aren’t excited about the debunked reports of lipping iPad shipment dates are the likes of HP, RIM, and Motorola who are trying to put up a credible alternative to the iPad.
iPhone 5
Apple’s 2011 refresh of the iPhone, dubbed iPhone 5, is expected to be introduced in early June at Apple’s annual World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) with a ship date of weeks after the event.
Details are still sketchy around whether or not Apple will release both a GSM and a CDMA iPhone 5 at the same time and whether or not iPhone 5 will become available for sale here in the US on AT&T and Verizon’s networks simultaneously or not.
With some software developers and analysts suggesting that Verizon’s sales figures of the new CDMA iPhone 4 are not as high as originally expected, I’m looking to see what the sales figures of a Verizon iPhone 5 will be.
If you look at the timing of the Verizon iPhone release, it is in the middle of a contract cycle with the AT&T GSM iPhone 4. Last year, AT&T raised the cost to terminate smartphone contracts early to over $300 per line. In today’s economy, that is surely putting pressure on people who signed up with AT&T to get the iPhone, but would prefer to be on the Verizon network.
Come June 2011, there will be a number of AT&T iPhone 3GS and Sprint Palm Pre users coming of contract who will be free and clear to jump to a newly minted Verizon iPhone 5.
[Via AppleInsider.com…]
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The Daily Get Updated to 1.0.1
Earlier today, News Corp released an update to their iPad only newspaper, The Daily.
The Daily 1.0.1 brings the much needed performance and stability updates to the app. With today’s update, The Daily has gone from “a nice idea with a poor user experience” to an app that performs the way you would have expected it to. After installing the update, I immediately noticed the improvements in performance, stability, and the initial load experience.As a note to current The Daily users, you must first delete version 1.0.0 before installing the 1.0.1 update. That is an important safety tip. If you just tap the install button, you are going to update in place, which clearly, News Corp, says not to do.There is one week left to the free Verizon sponsored “test drive.” Buy this time next week, it is expected that you will need to start paying $0.99 a week or $39.99 for a one year subscription to The Daily. It is currently unknown what content, if any, will be available for free after this week. -
The Daily: I’ll Probably Subscribe
Tomorrow, News Corp and Apple are scheduled to introduce, and hopefully, launch, a new digital only newspaper for the iPad called The Daily. The Daily will be provided by a new subscription service Apple has been developing as part of their iOS and iTunes ecosystem. An update to iOS 4.3 is in the works, however, it is not yet clear if that update or an update to iTunes is required to enable the new subscription service.
If the rumors are correct, subscriptions to The Daily will cost $0.99 a week, a very reasonable price in my opinion.
There has been some chatter on the Internet about whether or not The Daily will be heralded as a success or if it will be a bust. Those who think it will be a bust point to the face that there are plenty of news websites that are free on the Internet, and they are correct.
Call me old fashioned, but I still like to get my news from papers like The New York Times and The Washington Post. The Wall Street Journal is another outstanding newspaper. But I don’t subscribe to the print editions anymore because I’m looking to cut costs and the same articles are available for free on the respective websites. (The Wall Street Journal is the exception.)
On my iPad, I have the New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today apps loaded. The first two have already indicated that they will start charging for access to their news. USA Today, as far as I know, will remain free for the time being.
For me, there lies the rub. I’m looking to cut costs and the writers who work hard every day to bring me news from around the world want to get paid so they can put food on the table. And that is why I’m willing to give a subscription to The Daily a try.
The price is right and with only a half dozen sections, I can read the entire edition even on my busy schedule.
I’ll be interested to see what gets unveiled when News Corp Chairman & CEO Rupert Murdoch and Apple Vice President of Internet Services Eddy Cue take the stage tomorrow morning in New York.
[Photo via AppleInsider.com…]
