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Handhelds, Tablet PCs

The iPad 2

By Vlad Savov posted Mar 2nd 2011 1:15PM

Breaking News

Apple has just made its second-generation iPad official! It features a 1GHz dual-core A5 chip and, finally, cameras, both on the front and rear. The new CPU is said to be up to twice as fast, with graphics performance up to nine times better than on the original iPad, while power requirements have been kept the same. Battery life is, consequently, unaltered, with Apple promising 10 hours. Pricing, too, has been left unchanged, starting at $499 for a 16GB WiFi-only iPad 2 and stretching up to $829 for a WiFi + 3G SKU with 64GB of storage. The new tablet will come with an HDMI output capable of 1080p — which will set you back $39 for the requisite dongle, called an Apple Digital AV Adapter — but there will sadly be no rumblings of Thunderbolt connectivity here. What you will get is an enlarged speaker grille on the back, as expected, and the same 1024 x 768 resolution and IPS LCD screen technology as on the original iPad.

Update: We’ve gotten our first hands-on with the iPad 2 and, boy oh boy, it’s fast!

iPad 2 press shots

720p video recording at 30fps will be on tap from the rear-facing camera, which can also do a 5x digital zoom if you’re into that kind of thing, whereas the front-facing imager will record at a more modest VGA resolution, also at 30fps.

There’s a new cover for the device, which is best defined by Steve Jobs himself: “We designed the case right alongside the product. It’s not a case — it’s a cover.” Basically, it’s a magnetic flap that protects the front and automatically wakes and puts the device to sleep according to whether it’s open or closed. Guess we know what that proximity sensor was about now. These Smart Covers will cost $39 in plastic or $69 if you opt for leather.

The iPad 2 is 33 percent thinner than its predecessor, at a mind-melting 8.8mm, and a little lighter at just over 600g, while paintjob options have been expanded: you’ll get a choice between white and black. It’ll be available on both AT&T and Verizon, and all variants start shipping on March 11th. Apple Retail Stores will start sales at the unusual hour of 5PM, which will probably make online pre-orders the fastest way to get yours.

Apple iPad 2

In terms of new software, Apple’s launching iOS 4.3 alongside the new iPad and bringing with it much improved Safari performance as well as FaceTime, Photo Booth, iMovie and GarageBand (the latter two costing $4.99 a piece) apps specifically for the newly camera-enriched iPad. Personal Hotspot capabilities are also arriving in the latest version of the OS, but they’ll be exclusive to the iPhone 4, so you won’t be able to share your 3G iPad’s connection. We understand the new iPad will require iTunes 10.2, whereas the latest public version is 10.1.2.

iPad 2 FaceTime and Photo Booth apps

You’ll find Apple’s official PR and some slick promo videos below, or you can keep your mouse clicking and check out our first hands-on with the iPad 2.

via The iPad 2 — Engadget.

More stuff from Apple.   Do we need anymore of this?  Sooooo glad i didnt buy an iPad!

iPod touch coming in a ‘few weeks’ with dual cameras and Retina Display, suggests John Gruber

By Ross Miller posted Aug 10th 2010 8:13PM

The sun will rise, pigeons will annoy, and Daring Fireball’s John Gruber will get inside scoops on Apple product releases. So it goes. This time he’s touching on, erm, the iPod touch, making an offhand (though firmly declarative) comment on a post about the Dell Streak: “if you wait a few weeks to buy the Touch, you’ll get one with a Retina Display and dual cameras.” The man’s not one to fool around with such matters, so we tend to believe him here. It also helps that nothing he’s saying would be really surprising — a new iPod in September? With features trickled down from the most recent iPhone? Then again, that camera has proved elusive before.

via iPod touch coming in a ‘few weeks’ with dual cameras and Retina Display, suggests John Gruber — Engadget.

Think about it! Easy or even automatic page turns, an endless library saved as PDF, visual and audio metronomes: The iPad, with an app like ForScore, is kind of the ultimate sheet music machine, no?When people talk about what the iPad's going to be good for, most people jump to the obvious choices: It's going to revolutionize newspapers! And magazines! It might. It'll be great for watching videos! It probably won't. But really, it's the little markets, mostly untouched by the often too-small iPhone. I'm talking about comics. Drum machines. Sheet music.The iPad Is Perfect for Sheet MusicIt's these little nooks that make the prospect of what amounts to a medium-sized piece of touchable glass most exciting, not the obvious—and hyperbolic—predictions about stuff that already has a digital presence. Bring on the niche, iPad devs. [ForScore]

via The iPad Is Perfect for Sheet Music – Forscore – Gizmodo.