Apple says demand for its new iPad is "off the charts"; stock held for pre-orders all sold

appleinsider

Apple has officially acknowledged that iPad stock set aside for preorders is sold out, while noting also that customer response to the device has been "off the charts."
Within two days of the unveiling of the new iPad, new orders of the iPad had already slipped from this Friday's launch day delivery to a ship date of March 19. Apple has since confirmed in a statement that preorders of the touchscreen tablet have run out, as noted by USA Today.
"Customer response to the new iPad has been off the charts and the quantity available for pre-order has been purchased," a company spokesperson said. "Customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date."
Given the response to the device, Apple is expected to set new sales records later this week when the device launches. Pre-existing records for the Cupertino, Calif., iPad maker were already impressive, as it experienced crushing demand for its second-generation tablet last year, with orders quickly slipping to multi-week shipping estimates. A month after the iPad 2 was released, Apple's then chief operating officer Tim Cook said during a quarterly conference call that "staggering" demand for the device had caused the "mother of all backlogs."
Apple has presumably significantly increased its production volume for iPad in anticipation of high demand, but it has also expanded its ambitions with a faster international rollout for the device. Whereas the iPad 2 was released in just the U.S. before launching overseas two weeks later, Apple plans to sell the new iPad in a total of 12 regions from day one. Those markets include: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US Virgin Islands.
The standout features of the new iPad are its Retina Display and the addition of 4G LTE connectivity. The device also contains a faster A5X processor and an improved camera.

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Lenovo's 9.7" Android ICS IdeaTab clears the FCC for a near-term launch

engadget

Lenovo's been hard at work with various Android phones and tablets so far this year, and here's yet another one that's just popped up in FCC's database. Dubbed the IdeaTab S2109 (or S2109A-F, to be specific), we're told by a reliable source that 'tis an Ice Cream Sandwich tablet assembled by Foxconn, and it'll come with a 9.7-inch, 4:3 IPS display (supplied by Chi Mei), a TI OMAP chip and four powerful SRS-ready speakers as featured on the beefy K2010. The above diagram suggests said slate has a microSD slot accessible from the outside, and if you take a closer look at the product label, you'll see that the device requires a whooping 2.5A input at 5V, which means it'll come with a 12.5W adapter -- a lot higher than many tablets' maximum consumption at 10W (including the new iPad) or below. Here's hoping that this is an indication for a faster charge time.

As for availability, we heard that this S2109 will launch at some point this month, though our shy friend didn't specify which market it'll debut in -- the FCC document lists Germany, Canada, US, India, Russia, Turkmenistan, Mexico, Chile, Japan and China. If Android on a 4:3 screen sounds like your cup of tea then stay tuned for more news.

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New iPad first unboxing comes from Vietnam

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The new iPad is mere days away from arriving in stores and in the hands of millions, but Vietnamese tech blog Tinhte is ahead of everyone as it’s the first one to get a retail unit for a quick unboxing video. The third-generation iPad gets unboxed with a quick tour of the software and we get to see the high-res Retina display in action on a real retail device.

The first thing you’d notice is the way the packaging has evolved. The original iPad released in 2010 was pictured with the focus on the screen - a surprisingly large, 9.7-inch display that was the highlight as it was bigger than the 3.5-inch iPhone display. The iPad 2 packaging focused on the side of the tablet where Apple stripped its girth significantly. The iPad 3 follows that idea despite being a hair thicker.

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iPad: What's in a Name?

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Apple  finally drew the curtain on its next-generation iPad, revealing a device that looks a whole lot like last year's model but is definitely packing some heavier guts.

First of all the screen is now a super-sharp Retina display, so named because theoretically you shouldn't be able to spot the individual pixels with a naked eye. It's like the display you can already find on an iPhone 4 or 4S.

Also, as usual, the new iPad is loaded with faster processors -- it's got a new A5X chip with quad-core graphics.

The device's cameras have been given a brush-up, with the rear cam now able to record HD video. And now the iPad is available with 4G LTE wireless for those who don't mind paying for cellular data. This strongly hints at the possibility that the next iPhone may be an LTE device as well.

The new iPad follows Apple's standing price structure. Models start at US$500 and go all the way up to $830 for LTE plus maximum storage. Meanwhile, the iPad 2 now starts at $400.

Now, about the name -- I haven't called it an "iPad 3" or an "iPad HD" because apparently that's not its name. Apple is only referring to it as the "new iPad." That could lead to a little initial confusion, but on some levels it does make sense. Apple doesn't call its latest MacBook Pro the "MacBook Pro 7" or whatever generation it happens to be on. If you need to know which generation it is, you can find out, but in terms of branding and casual reference, it's just a MacBook Pro. And now its seems iPads will just be iPads.

Besides, the naming convention for the iPhone is already getting a little weird. The second model had a three in it, the fifth model has a four in it, and if they call the next one "iPhone 5," it'll actually be the sixth generation.

And who knows, maybe Apple's also taking a swipe at Android for what critics have said is its fragmented nature.

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iPad 3 specs and release date: rumor round-up

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Well, folks, it's once again the beginning of the year, which means we're once again close to witnessing the launch of another iPad. However, as always, Cupertino has done its best to keep any details away from prying eyes, so we're pretty much left to deal with a number of rumors and some other speculation. But, our excitement for the third offering in Apple's tablet line is too big, not allowing us to stay still and wait patiently until the company finally lifts the veil off the new iPad. That's why we wanted to gather all the few, but very interesting tid bits around the iPad 3 and see if this would allow us to get a better idea of what the final product may end up being.


iPad 3 vs iPad 2S vs iPad HD

Right from the start, we should acknowledge the fact that there are two main theories surrounding the upcoming Apple tablet: the first one claims that what we'll see will be introduced as a full-fledged, redesigned successor (iPad 3), while the second one sticks to the belief that we'll actually be treated to a slightly upgraded, refreshed model (iPad 2S).

Of course, the exact product name shouldn't bother us, as long as there are enough new features and improvement. Initially, it was rumored that the iPad 3 will come with a quad-core A6 processor - a logical move forward from the dual-core A5. However, some unofficial sources have claimed that it's also possible for us to see an iPad 2S with an enhanced dual-core A5 (A5 is the iPad 2's processor), instead of a quad-core A6.

UPDATE: According to a recent rumor, Apple's third generation tablet will be known as the iPad HD, which is a name that would clearly highlight the device's upgraded display. That same iPad HD moniker also appeared on an accessory listing not long ago. Of course, the name could be nothing but a placeholder, so nothing is certain just yet.


iPad 3 specs

iPad 3 specs and release date: rumor round-up
Leaving the iPad 3 vs iPad 2S vs iPad HD clash to the side, there are still other sources that would rather assume that the iPad 3 will have a processor dubbed A6, however, it will still be dual-core, but will have an overall better performance and a significantly more powerful graphics unit. As you can see, everything surround the next iPad's processor right now can fall into the category of wild speculation, and the many different takes on the matter don't really help us determine which one's the most likely. One idea is shared by all theories, though - the iPad 3 will have a faster processor! Whether it will have two or four cores, however, remains to be seen.

The screen is another vital point that's been subject to a lot of debate in the community. Obviously, the iPad 2's 1024x768 pixel, 132 ppi display isn't among the prettiest ones, due to its relatively low pixel density, so having a higher resolution in the new model seems anything but unexpected. All in all, the debate here centers around the question if the iPad 3 will have a higher-res display, or not. If yes, everyone is looking at 2048x1536 px, as this would double the pixel density of the screen, the same way that Apple once doubled the pixel density of the iPhone, when introducing the iPhone 4. If the screen size remains the same - 9.7", and it probably will, that would translate into a ppi (pixels per inch) of 264, allowing for much finer text and details, but a bigger strain on the hardware as well.

Then comes the subject of LTE. Thankfully, everyone seems to agree here that the iPad 3 should sport LTE connectivity (though it's 99% sure that there will also be a Wi-Fi-only variant), compatible with Verizon's and AT&T's 4G networks. For now, Qualcomm is seen as the most probable producer of the chip, though surprises can still be expected. Naturally, the radio is also believed to support other connectivity options such as HSPA+ and EV-DO Rev. A and B, where 4G LTE is unavailable.

iPad 3 specs and release date: rumor round-up
One of the more peculiar rumors insists that the new Apple iPad will be thicker than its predecessor by about 1mm. And while that different won't be really noticeable to the naked eye, it sure intrigues us to know why such a measure could have been taken. The answer is that — again, according to those fellas that are said to be familiar with the matter, but no one actually knows who they are — this change was needed in order to be able to fit a larger battery, which, some say, will be able to provide a battery life that's almost twice as long. Wow! This actually sounds pretty cool, and we do hope it will turn out true. One millimeter of thickness for almost 2x the battery life - oh, we are so a-OK with that!

Of course, many people out there (with and without any internal knowledge) believe that the iPad 3 will have an upgraded camera, and we're willing to agree, though we don't expect any wonders in this respect.

iPad 3 specs and release date: rumor round-up
UPDATE: Some claim that the next-gen iPad will drop the physical home button in favor of a capacitive one, and they even have evidence to back up that theory.

If you take a close look at the official invitation to Apple's March 7 event (pictured on the right), a physical button is, obviously, missing on the device's bezel.

Of course, whether these claims hold water or not will become known in a very short while.


iPad 3 release date and pricing

Now, for the question that's probably in everyone's head right now. When is Apple going to finally put an end to all of this wild speculation and unveil the real thing? Once again, it's hard to find a single, solid theory that's able to make everything else seem like far-fetched guesses, but there is a couple of dates that are being suggested for us to mark in our calendars. Having in mind that the first two iPads were introduced in January and the very beginning of March , respectively, it makes sense for Apple to hold an event very, very soon.

The more optimistic forecast is that Apple will show us the device on February 29, and will then launch it sometime around March 9. The other prognosis prefers the first week of March as the time of unveiling, and then sees mid-March as the timing for the eventual release. There's one conclusion we can draw from all this - the iPad 3 should come out of hiding by mid-March at the latest.

UPDATE: Apple will be hosting an event on March 7, and it is pretty certain that the next-gen iPad will be under the spotlight. And given that new iPad accessories are reportedly already in stock at some big box retailers' outlets, we can expect the device to be made available for purchase soon after its announcement. As far as pricing is concerned, rumor has it that the next iPad will cost just as much as the iPad 2 does.

And that's pretty much all we have, folks. Now tell us - are you excited about the upcoming iPad 3? What other stuff do you think will make its way into the device? What would YOU like to see in it? We're looking forward to hearing what you think!

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iPad 3 Latest Reports Say Screen Sharpness is Nearly as Good as Billed

pcworld

Apple's enhanced display on its yet-to-be-unveiled iPad 3 appears to be the worst kept secret, judging by all the eyes that are reportedly able to see it.

MacRumors owner Arnold Kim says anyone can buy the next iteration of the popular tablet at the Chinese website TrueSupplier. The skinny: The screen measures 9.7 inches in diagonal, the same size display as used in the iPad and iPad 2, but the resolution is four times as sharp.

Apple is reportedly expected to take the ribbon off the iPad 3 on March 7. Experts say it could include support for 4G LTE, more internal memory, and perhaps Apple's first quad core processor. For now, a lot of the speculation is focused on the display.

"When comparing the iPad 3 display to one from an iPad 2 under a microscope, the difference in resolutions becomes readily apparent, with the iPad 3 display's pixels appearing to be one-quarter the size of those on the iPad 2," reports MacRumors, which says it got its hands on one and used its measurements to extrapolate what the iPad 3 screen resolution should be: 2048 by 1536. That's four times the resolution of Apple's current and first-generation tablets.

PCWorld’s Matt Peckham has made the interesting point, however, that the "retina" description that's been applied to the next iPad is simply a marketing term Apple uses to refer to displays with greater than 300 ppi (pixels per inch), which is the maximum number the average human retina can discern. The iPhone 4 and 4S, running at 960 by 640 pixels across 3.5 inches diagonal, meet this requirement, but the iPad 2, running at 1024 by 768 pixels across 9.7 inches diagonal, doesn't.

When you compute a 2048 by 1536 pixel density across a 9.7-inch screen, it comes out to about 264 ppi, short of the generally accepted 300 ppi threshold. But, as the pundits point out, that's still a big improvement from the iPad 2's pixel density.

As for where MacRumors got the display, Kim said it wasn't stolen, but rather is readily available, much to Apple's chagrin. He says the TrueSupplier site sells an "OEM Apple iPad 3 LCD Screen Display Replacement" for $122.99.

On its website, Truesupplier says it serves more than 65 percent of the U.S. market and is a global provider of mobile data products, software and consulting services, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, with branches in Hong Kong. Apple iPads are made in China, and Apple is currently embroiled in a spat with a Chinese company that claims it holds the rights to the iPad name in China.

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March Madness not free this year for streaming on mobile devices

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Last year, CBS and Turner Sports allowed those with the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad to catch the action of March Madness for free. This year, Android owners can join in on the fun. But CBS and Turner are charging for the service this year, asking viewers to pay $3.99 to catch the action. This is not the first time that fans of NCAA Men's Basketball had to pay for streaming video to a mobile device. Back in 2009, before it split the cost of an NCAA T.V. deal with Turner, CBS charged Apple iPhone users $4.99 to have the tournament action streamed to their phone.
You can't fault CBS and Turner for trying to recoup part of the 14-year, $10.8 billion broadcast license that the duo entered into with the NCAA in 2010. Streaming of sporting events to mobile devices is still in its infancy and it is hard to see how the networks can cover the cost of obtaining rights to these events without charging mobile device owners for the privilege of viewing the action. Last year when the streaming was free, usage across platforms for early-round games was as high as 3 million unique users daily.

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Samsung Galaxy Note “coming soon” to RadioShack, hints tipster

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We are sure that the Samsung Galaxy Note, with its gargantuan 5.3-inch display and blazing fast 4G LTE connectivity, is a device that many of our readers would not mind owning. Some might have even waved $299 goodbye and pre-ordered theirs already straight from the carrier's online store. However, penny pinchers will most likely wait patiently and see how much third party retailers will be willing to sell them a Samsung Galaxy Note for.

One of the places that the Samsung Galaxy Note for AT&T will be offered may be RadioShack, if the information that an anonymous tipster just provided for us is to be trusted. Unfortunately, all we know is that the phablet is “coming soon” with its pricing and availability being a mystery for now. Still, since the Galaxy Note is launching on AT&T on February 19, it might not be long until we know further details on the matter.

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Galaxy Tab 2's Big Leap is Android 4.0

Samsung's first tablet running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Galaxy Tab 2 announced today, succeeds the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab with little change besides the latest software.

Don’t expect anything groundbreaking in the specs department: the Galaxy Tab 2 runs on a 1GHz dual-core processor, with 1GB of RAM and a 7-inch display with a 1024 by 600 pixels resolution. It has a 3-megapixel camera at the back and a front-facing VGA camera on the front for video calls. The Tab 2 is 0.41 inches (10.5 mm) thick and weighs 0.75 pounds (344 grams), compared to the iPad 2’s 0.34 inches (8.8 mm) thickness and 1.32 pounds (601 grams) weight.

Samsung said the Galaxy Tab 2 will come in 8, 16, and 32GB models (a microSD card slot allows for extra storage of up to 32GB), as well as Wi-Fi only and 3G varieties. The company didn’t give out pricing and availability for the U.S., but confirms the tablet will first release in the UK and Scandinavian countries in March, priced at around $450 for the Wi-Fi-only model, and around $550 for the Wi-Fi + 3G model -- hovering near the iPad.

pcworld

 
New Services

On top of Android 4.0, Samsung is adding its Hub line of services, including music, bookstore and newsstand, games and movies for purchase or rent. As usual, Samsung tinkered with the original Android 4.0 interface and added the Touchwiz skin, which includes S Suggest, an app recommendation service, and AllShare Play, which can live stream content from a PC to the tablet.

Since Samsung did not confirm the U.S. pricing for the Galaxy Tab 2, it’s unclear whether the company is targeting the best-selling Android tablet, the Kindle Fire; or the tablet market leader, the iPad. If international pricing is any indication, the Tab 2 has a price tag equivalent to iPad 2, although it offers a smaller screen for the same money. Compared to the Kindle Fire, the Tab is almost twice as expensive and very close in specs, aside from the cameras.

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Google gets EU approval to buy Motorola

The European Commission also said today it would monitor Google's and its rivals' use of patents to make sure that the deal complies with EU antitrust rules.

"We have approved the acquisition of Motorola Mobility by Google because, upon careful examination, this transaction does not itself raise competition issues," Joaquín Almunia, Commission vice president in charge of competition policy, said in a statement. "Of course, the Commission will continue to keep a close eye on the behaviour of all market players in the sector, particularly the increasingly strategic use of patents."
In its blog post, Google said: "We're happy that today the European Commission approved our proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility, which we announced in August. This is an important milestone in the approval process and it moves us closer to closing the deal. We are now just waiting for decisions from a few other jurisdictions before we can close this transaction."

Google went on to say that the Motorola acquisition is meant to "supercharge Android." But the main reason Google is buying Motorola is for the company's 17,000 patents and its 7,500 pending patent applications. In the EU's examination of the deal, it was looking to see how Google's ownership of these patents would affect competition.

Motorola's patents could help Google fight off lawsuits from companies, such as Apple, which claim that Google's partners are infringing its patents via the Android operating system. Google has said it will help defend its partners.

There's also a chance that Google, which until this point has not made any smartphone or tablet hardware itself, could get into that business via Motorola. But European regulator Almunia said in a statement that he cleared the deal because Google's business model with Android has been to keep the software open to competitors. And he expects that to continue. But he also said he'd be monitoring Google to make sure that's the case.

And he expressed concern that so much power for setting technology standards rests in the hands of companies that hold the patents on smartphones. Google said last week that if it's allowed to buy Motorola and its patents, that it will make those patents available for license at fair and reasonable rates. The company also promised to keep a cap on the fees it charges for licensing its technology. And it also said it would outline conditions under which it would sue companies for patent infringement.

U.S. and European regulators generally coordinate their reviews of big mergers. So it's likely that the U.S. Department of Justice may soon announce its approval for the merger.

Google wanted approval for the deal in November, but the review process went longer because the European regulators asked for more documentation in the case.

Google is also under investigation by European regulators looking at whether the search giant is abusing its dominant position in online search and advertising.

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Apple's shares break the $500 barrier, on the way to a trillion dollar company?

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Despite fair labor disputes at its supplier factories and suggestions that the iPhone 4S won't sell as well as before due to being housed in an iPhone 4 chassis, Apple keeps on breaking sales records and it gets reflected in the share price.

It broke the $500 psychological barrier today, lifted with the broader market thanks to the Greek rescue relief, and now one Apple share costs more than a basic iPad 2.

A lot of analysts believe that the stock is still way undervalued for the performance that Apple is delivering, as it only sells at 14 price-to-earning ratio at this price. Compare that to Amazon, for example, which sells at 137 P/E, and made only quarter of a billion in Q4, dwarfed by Apple's nearly $7 billion in pure profit.

Still, investors were weary about the passing away of an inspirational leader as Steve Jobs, but apparently his legacy and product pipeline will ensure Apple's well-being for quite some time, and now the bets are whether Apple will become a trillion dollar company in a few years, as today it stands close to $500 billion already.

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Going After Google, Apple Fires Shot To Android's Heart

According to Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs said, “I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,”
It is old news that Apple (AAPL) has been fighting legal battles across the globe against Google (GOOG) Android vendors.  (For background, please see Apple Wins Another Round Against Samsung Galaxy In Germany.)

forbes

Now for the first time, Apple has fired at the heart of Google Android with its new lawsuit against Samsung filed in federal court in San Jose, Calif.
It is the first shot at Google’s heart for the following reasons:

Clear Aim at Ice Cream Sandwich

Ice Cream Sandwich is the latest and greatest Android version from Google.
The lawsuit is going after Galaxy Nexus. Nexus is Google’s code for the lead device. Google works with one hardware vendor to offer a lead device for every major version. The vendor gets the first mover advantage in the market place. Google gets a device to the market that fully complies with Android official version without modifications by the vendor.

The official version is also known as ‘stock Android.’ In the past, Google appears to have refrained from implementing infringing features in stock Android.
Going after the lead device running stock Android shows that the clear aim of Apple is Google Android’s heart.

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