Apple’s iPad media event has just gone live. The company will be providing a live video coverage of the new iPad keynote event. The event is being held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

Apple CEO, Tim Cook, will take the stage to announce new product launches and updates for this year before we enter the holiday season. The email invite sent out to the media suggests that the company will “cover” many product announcements.

Rumors and reports published in the past provide enough evidence to expect new iPad 5 (fifth gen) and second gen iPad mini. We could also get new Haswell MacBook Pro models, final release of Mac OS X Mavericks, new iLife and iWork software updates and more.

iPad 5 is widely expected to feature a thinner and lighter design inspired by the advancements made with iPad mini. Hardware specifications are expected to include new 64-bit A7 chip, improved camera and possibly new Touch ID sensor.

There have been many conflicts reports about a second gen iPad mini with retina display. It is unclear if Apple will introduce the new smaller iPad with a high resolution display.

During WWDC Apple showcased a sneak peek at the new Mac Pro. Apple could use today’s event to announce shipping date for the high end Mac for the professionals.

This year Apple is offering a live video feed of the iPad launch event. Live video stream of the event is available on Apple’s website. In order to view live video streaming of the October iPad event you’d require Safari 4 or later on OS X v10.6 or later, Safari on iOS 4.2 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 5.0.2 or later.

Apple recently sent out media invites for the new iPad launch event scheduled for October 22nd. The company is busy making preparations for the iPad event decorating the venue with huge posters resembling the invite.

This year Apple is expected to announce new iPad 5 and second gen iPad mini alongwith other product updates. The theme of the fall event is “We still have a lot to cover.” It doesn’t give us much insight into what the company has in store for us however, based on many analysts reports and rumors published in the past we certainly have a fair idea of what to expect.

The company has a history for fine tuning their products to perfect and have a certain penchant for making products thinner and lighter. Fifth gen iPad is widely expected to shed some weight it put on during its third iteration. In addition to losing some weight it will also become smaller with thinner bezel. In the past, when announcing iPhone 5 Apple in its advertisements asked how can a phone become larger yet lighter and thinner.

Second gen iPad mini is rumored to feature retina display. The smaller tablet from Apple has the same resolution as an iPad 2. iPad mini is the only iOS device that doesn’t ship with a high resolution model. Even though many rumors have suggested that we might get a high resolution display some analysts have expressed doubt over cost and product rates.

The fall event is also expected to feature OS X Mavericks, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro and other product updates as well.

{Images via Apple Spotlight and MacRumors}

Apple’s new product lineup, including the iPhone 5, iPad mini, and fourth generation iPad is finally coming to China, after the Cupertino company had trouble with specific certifications that the country requires. Earlier in the week, the iPhone 5 received certification in China, and was eligible to go on sale.

On Friday, Apple announced that they would be bringing the iPhone 5 to China, alongside the iPad mini and the fourth generation iPad. All of the iOS devices would go on sale over the next several weeks, with all three available in retail stores by the end of the month.

Apple today announced the Wi-Fi versions of iPad mini and fourth generation iPad with Retina display will be available in China on Friday, December 7, and iPhone 5 will be available on Friday, December 14. iPad mini and the new fourth generation iPad with Retina display are currently available in 42 countries, and iPhone 5 is available in 47 countries, including the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the UK.

China generally requires more certification than other countries and as a result, most products such as Google’s services, and Apple’s devices are introduced later. The iPhone 4S arrived two months after release in the United States, and the third generation iPad arrived four months after initial release.

However, it is crucial that Apple still bring their products to China, as it accounts for 15% of the company’s revenue. Apple CEO Tim Cook has mentioned multiple times that China is a big opportunity for Apple, with the company opening more retail stores to increase its presence in the country.

{Via MacRumors}

Recently, the Chinese government approved the sale of the new iPad in the country, and the WiFi version of the popular tablet went on sale after being certified. In a report from MarketWatch, it was confirmed that the Cellular model of the new iPad, identified as such by the A1430 model number in the database, received its network access license early on Wednesday.

As a result, Apple will now be able to sell the Cellular model in addition to the WiFi models in China and will be able to begin shipping to Apple Stores in the country. Apple has been continuously adding to the list of countries receiving the new iPad, and is now beginning to introduce its products in new markets across Asia, which is also a large source of Apple’s international revenue.

According to China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, an Apple device with third-generation, high-speed wireless data capabilities has been issued the license needed for the company to begin sales in China.

The device, listed as “model number A1430″ is compatible with the 3G standard wide band code division multiple access, or WCDMA. The language used by the regulator suggests the device is the new iPad, which has yet to launch in China. Vendors often begin selling new devices within weeks of network access licenses being granted.

Apple is continuously adding to their country selection page; last week, the Philippines and Guam, and most recently Honduras and Paraguay. Apple’s new iPad is continuing to dominate the tablet computer market and will continue to help the company’s revenue increase as they enter new and emerging markets overseas.

{Via MacRumors}

Earlier this month, Apple launched the new iPad in over 30 new countries and is now looking to continue to add to its list of countries. Apple is bringing the new iPad to Guam and the Philippines on May 29. Apple did not make an official announcement for the addition of the two countries and instead silently updated its Where to Buy page, allowing users to select their country of purchase.

Under Guam and the Philippines, a message indicates that it will be released there on May 29. Asia is one of Apple’s new emerging markets and is a large part of Apple’s quarterly revenue, with new Retail Stores opening in China, Japan, and Authorized Resellers in other countries.

The new iPad, in Guam and the Philippines will be available via Authorized Resellers as well as Apple’s Online Store and the cell carrier in the region, Global Telecom. The new iPad launched earlier this year, in March and has sold over 30 million units, and continues to sell as the most popular tablet computer in the market.

{via AppleInsider}

Apple released the iPad 3 only a few days ago and already it has been a big success. The company recently announced that they have already sold 3 million of the new devices under 4 days. The new iPad was considered by some to be only a minor upgrade with the 5 megapixel camera, new Retina Display and 4G LTE.

The Cupertino company called this the “strongest iPad launch yet.” This puts the New iPad as the most successful iPad launch ever. Apple continues to improve upon its products every year and reaches a higher number of sales each quarter.

CUPERTINO, California―March 19, 2012―Apple® today announced it has sold three million of its incredible new iPad®, since its launch on Friday, March 16. The new iPad features a stunning new Retina™ display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics, a 5 megapixel iSight® camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video, and still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G supports ultrafast 4G LTE networks in the US and Canada, and fast networks around the world including those based on HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA.**

“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold―the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can’t wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.”

With the launch of the iPad 2, Apple did not report the first weekend sales, however, the company sold over 300,000 of the original iPad with the first batch of one million taking 28 days to move and ship. Apple also experienced a massive success with the iPhone 4S, with customers experiencing long  queues.

If you haven’t planned which Apple Store you are going to camp outside overnight in the UK this Thursday night to buy the iPad you can do so using this web page on Apple’s site.

In case you didn’t know already the Apple iPad finally goes on general sale in Stores in the UK this Friday!

Whether you’ll be at home Friday morning and planning to pop out at breakfast time to get one. Or you’ll be on the pavement outside an Apple Store. Do make sure you set your alarm clock for Friday morning. Because Apple are planning on opening early that day. You can pick up an iPad from 8am onwards. Expect queues!

The iPad will not only be available at Apple Stores either. From Friday onwards the iPad will also be in stock at 139 Currys and PC World stores across the UK. Dixons Group is said to have a 60 day exclusivity window to stock the iPad in its two electronics outlets.

With that many stores stocking the iPad, and Apple expecting them to sell like hot cakes (or like iPads even) you have plenty of places to try and get hold of one. But don’t wait too long as we suspect stocks will be limited. Supply problems persist in the US. Other countries are also getting iPads, and there are a bunch of anxious people with online orders still waiting for delivery too.

In fact after checking in with a few other people we know in Europe, apparently pretty much every country that Apple is launching the iPad in this Friday has store opening early at 8am! Good news, if you’re an early bird, or can’t sleep on iPad-eve!

If you are in the UK let us know your plans in the comments for Thursday night, or Friday morning.

And do make sure to send us an iconic shot with your iPad outside an Apple Store on Friday!

However, the iPad launch in stores in the UK is still going ahead on the 28th of May and customers will be able to walk into stores and pick one up then. Presumably after queuing for a while. The Regents Street Apple store says it expects customers to camp outside overnight to ensure getting their “Jesus Tablet”.

Whilst one can understand that Apple would like to have some in-store stock for such an important launch, this seems a little hard on customers who have already ordered their device online, shown their loyalty to Apple, and agreed to wait until the 7th of June to get their iPad that others now may well be able buy over a week earlier.

I know if I was one of the customers with an outstanding order I’d seriously consider cancelling my order before, or perhaps after, I had a go at getting one from an Apple store on the 28th. I am assuming that Apple have not charged anyone in the UK prior to dispatch, which is normally the case.

I am sure Apple won’t mind people doing that. But it would have been nice if they had been upfront about it.

What do you think? Is Apple being a little dismissive of online customers in the UK? Let us know in the comments…

Apple have just announced that the official launch of the iPad is being pushed back until the end of May. Previously it was to happen at the end of this month. They cite major demand for the iPad in the US as the primary reason. Although to be honest it’s also probably to do with production yields not being as high as they would like. Apple have faced some problems with their iPad manufacturing capacity as we reported just prior to the official launch.

Here is the full statement from Apple :

Although we have delivered more than 500,000 iPads during its first week, demand is far higher than we predicted and will likely continue to exceed our supply over the next several weeks as more people see and touch an iPad.

We have also taken a large number of pre-orders for iPad 3G models for delivery by the end of April.

Faced with this surprisingly strong U.S. demand, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the international launch of iPad by one month, until the end of May.

Apple has yet to even confirm international prices for the iPad. I can confirm that iPads are available for around 24,000 Baht and 31,500 Baht (for the 16GB and 32GB versions respectively) in downtown Bangkok today. That’s around twice the retail price Apple have set in the US, and is of course from grey importers. [gnarlykitty]

Are you getting frustrated by being unable to put an order in for your Jesus Tablet? Let us know in the comments.

Journalists, and hacks alike, entice insiders with favours for information. While Apple are rumoured to seed misinformation within their own ranks to trip up and sniff out potential fifth columnists. All because some employees or suppliers for a fleeting moment of madness see the intrigue and prestige of being part of a rumour as being more valuable to them than their job or contract. Remember the fabled Asteroid breakout box which brought down Think Secret?

Meanwhile social media wannabes, the equivalents in our industry of Paris or Perez Hilton, desperately try to stay relevant with bogus tweets or Facebook posts hinting at some hitherto unknown piece of inside information.

Once the product comes to market people have been known to fly half way round the world to snag their devices early. Some simply skip work, college, or school, to sleep on the pavement outside stores overnight to queue, and hopefully pick up their devices on launch day.

But let’s also remember Apple products don’t always materialise. Just like the many false starts we had with the iPhone, and the countless new Newton rumours. And what about the PowerBook G5! Remember that one? Or the disappointments we have at various shows and the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) where predicted product specification bumps, or new software, simply don’t appear. Right now some of the Apple faithful are complaining that Apple’s portable lines are not being updated in a timely fashion, and “real” computer users are suffering because of the iPad, iPhone and iPod taking Apple’s focus from their main business. One guy even emailed Steve, and got a typically short and almost cryptic email reply saying simply “Not to worry”. But let’s make no mistake, like it or not, Apple’s real business is currently very much mobile devices. And even it’s traditional portable computers play second fiddle to the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad.

Nowadays of course we actually don’t have to queue outside stores for new toys. We can just give Apple money via it’s website for products sight unseen. Some of which aren’t even in manufacture at the time of ordering!! Often their software and even their final hardware specs, and even their components are in flux. Nevertheless the magic elves who work in China will load them all onto a pallet at some point in the future, and FedEx will fly them to us like Santa Claus.

This is exactly the case with the iPad. In the last few weeks hundreds of thousands of iPad devices have been purchased on the strength of one man’s sales pitch. Oh, and a smattering of web videos. That man is Steve Jobs. And he is someone who is revered for possessing something which is euphemistically called an ‘RDF’. A Reality Distortion Field. I know he has it. I’ve experienced it.

But then even an old industry hack like me ordered my last 17″ Unibody MacBook Pro the same way. Sight unseen. Bought on the basis of well earned trust from Apple, and some specs and pictures on a web page for a product they promised would do all it said, and more. Come to think of it I did that with my fist 17″ PowerBook G4, and my 17″ MacBook Pro immediately after that. And my Newton, my PowerBook 170, and my PowerBook 540c,and my G5, and several other desktop and laptop devices from Apple over the years. I still have them all too! And they all still work! What other company other than perhaps Ferrari, Bang and Olufsen or Porsche can boost this kind of faith from it’s customers in it’s products?

When people are finally able to buy these new gadgets some of those individuals use their initial order allocation to make a fast buck on eBay by selling their second or third device at a premium. This has happened with other devices from other manufacturers. Like the Sony PS3 at launch. But it is unprecedented how this happens with pretty much every product Apple puts out.

Most recently we had this madness with the iPhone. And all this will happen to some degree or other again with the iPad next week. Many will have purchased their initial allocation of 2, in the US with the aim of making back the price of the iPad they choose to keep. Some will sell both of their allocation of iPads, and buy another later. Some will jealously guard the one they scraped cash together to buy, and wait with baited breath for a knock at the door. I’ve done that too!

Some Apple ‘cultists’ work in networks with friends and colleagues to ensure delivery of units to people outside of Apple’s initial launch umbrella. Which is typically limited to the US initially. Within days you’ll be able to find iPads for premium prices on all global regions of Craig’s List and eBay.

Of course, once we get them there is the inevitable un-boxing videos and pictures that some of us will post to our blogs, or on YouTube. Only the smell of a new car can come even close to rivalling the smell and touch of new Apple packaging. Even if the amount of goodies, stickers, cables, and even packaging that you get with your new toy has declined alarmingly in recent years! I almost cried when I got my 3G iPod Touch. It came in a box not far removed from something I’d expect to get a set of cheap headphones in. But even so it was still a stylish plastic box!

And I’ve just been talking about the customers of this company so far! I haven’t even started talking about the armies of people who work for more organised Apple grey import and export outfits.

Behind the scenes elsewhere, entire industries of web sites, and black market organisations exist to ship Apple products around the world and supply outlets like MBK in Bangkok with iPhones, iPod Touches or iPads on the same day as people in the US are buying them legitimately. Early in the iPhone’s lifetime we had them literally being stolen from warehouses in parts of Europe for distribution in other parts of the globe where the devices were in short supply. And these grey imports typically fetch 2 to 3 times the real retail value of the same “toys” on Apple’s web site.

At the height of iPhone mania people were being paid to fly to the US to sign up for phone contracts in blocks of 10 or 20 and fly back to Asia with the phones to re-sell. I still don’t know quite how these groups were getting away with this, as they presumably had to sign up for some kind of telecoms contract in the US to get these phones. But when people couldn’t get them in the US you couldn’t move for them in Asian markets. iPhones were going for $1000 dollars or more in markets in Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia that I knew of. And I am not just talking about the large markets. You could find the 3GS iPhone a couple of days after launch in my local mall in Thailand.

The iPad launch will be no exception. I’ve already been contacted by numerous people asking me if I have sources for iPads on launch day. As well as having been contacted by people who want to sell me iPads on launch day. One friend says if I can’t help he will take his 25,000 Baht ($780US) he has saved to a store he got his iPhone from on launch day, and get his new iPad there. And he expects, as I do, that he’ll find one too. Although he’ll probably be asked to pay more then he wants to really. But he’ll still pay it. And that will be for a base model that retails at $499 in the US.

Such is the power and attraction of Apple products on launch day. It seems that we may see a little bit of the bad old Apple history replay itself with the iPad. As I (and others) predicted, and we reported, it seems that the iPad production lines have not been running smoothly. US pre-orders are already closed for launch day. And people outside the US are starting to panic as it seems that we’re going to go through a period where production has to catch up with demand. In recent years, and for new devotees of all things Apple this will seem bizarre and frustrating. But for those of us that have been around for a while we’ve seen this all beforeÉ

Sure other manufacturers, and game publishers have this effect on their customers once in while. We all remember the PS3 launch. Or Halo launches. And the Wii. But Apple products do this consistently each and every product launch. Why is that? Apple did seem to limit it’s launch numbers almost deliberately in the past as a marketing ploy. Limited supply has an effect on people wanting things after all, and drives the hype machine. Something Apple used to have to worry about more, but really don’t have to these days. More recently it actually seems that this is simply because Apple conservatively estimated demand (playing it safe as launching new tech has it’s risks) and was overwhelmed, or (as is the case tie the iPad) seems to have been let down by suppliers and manufacturers to some degree.

When Apple launched the Newton I spent most of the day before sitting in Virtuality PLCs office on the phone. Virtuality was the Virtual Reality company I worked for at the time. I was on the phone to shops in the US with my credit card in hand arranging the purchase and shipping of my new toy from the US as soon as possible after they received stock. A few hours later I was on an overnight run to the FedEx depot in Reading to pick up my package as it was walked out of the door of customs there. The FedEx guy thought I was mad sitting in my car in the dark on a trading estate at 4am. These days I would probably get arrested under some kind of anti-terror law if I behaved that way. I had cash on hand to deal with the customs charges. I didn’t care. Because in those days Apple kit sold at an exchange rate of £1 to $1 in the UK. Even though the dollar was half the value of the pound. So even if my import duty worked out at 100% I still paid less for my Newton than waiting to buy it in the UK legitimately. And of course I got it on day one, give or take US to UK flight times!

Nowadays things are not so bad. Those of us outside the US still have to wait longer for critical launches. But even here in Thailand I can have stuff shipped to my door from Apple’s factories in China free of charge. And at almost the same price as the product in the US. How things have changed!

I myself have “been there done and done that” with regards to Apple launches over the years many times. And I thought I might have grown out of if by now. But even I, sitting in Bangkok, am smugly self assured in the knowledge that I will have an iPad on or around the 3rd of April. It’s simply a matter of how long the plane from the US takes to get here. Yes, I got a friend to pick me one up! And I owe him a slap up dinner when he gets to Bangkok! And I am genuinely excited about the iPad. Not because it’s a computer, or a games machine. But because it’s one step closer to the mythical “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” that we’ve all wanted from being a kid. The iPhone is the Star Trek Communicator to the iPads “Hitchhikers Guide”. I vaguely hoped that I could have my touch screen, portable device for “making stuff” with the iPod Touch or the iPhone. But they are not quite big enough. Great as they are. The iPad, however, is. It’s a potential fount of all knowledge with it’s internet connection, and a creation tool for writing and editing media. It’s something that I can sprawl on a sofa holding and create with. Or take to bed for jotting down flashes of inspiration. And if I am not inspired I can read, play music, surf the web or any number of things we’re all looking forward to doing on it while we wait for inspiration to strike!

One of the first things I want to do with it is have an app that simply says “Don’t Panic!” in big letters across the full screen. As I am sure a million other geeks out there will also put together either in code, or in a Pages Document the first day they have it too. I may even wrap a towel around my head!

Good times! What do you plan to do with your iPad on the first day you have it? And have you got any first day stories to share with us either about the iPad, or some other product from Apple?

This news is likely to kick off a frenzied week of lead up to the first public usage of the iPad. I’m sure it’s no coincidence the first units shipped today; the beginning of a build up orchestrated by Apple. Already we’ve seen more and more previews of iPad-specific Apps come out through official and unofficial channels. That trend will likely continue the rest of the week as an almost carnival atmosphere builds around the launch. It will be interesting to see how much Apple does to encourage or discourage lines and fanboys camping outside of stores before the launch. I’m sure many Apple Stores will open at midnight on the 3rd to build on the fanfare around the device. You have to appreciate the masterful way Apple is subtlety directing the energy.

All of this shouldn’t really be a surprise. Anyone who has followed Apple knows one of their main competencies is marketing. They were using viral and guerilla marketing to great effect long before it became common practice among big companies. It’s their great brilliance in marketing that has generated the demand and interest in the iPad. While I’m sure the device itself is technically excellent, I hope it can live up to all of the anticipation used to sell it.

And to those of you hoping your FedEx guy might show up a little early with a white box with your name on it, I have bad news. Apple has given very explicit instructions that the iPad not be delivered before April 3rd, regardless of availability. I’m sure one or two may slip through the cracks but this is too big an item for any kind of mass mistake. So sit back and decide what you want to do on Saturday while you wait for the courier to show up.

What do you think of the frenzy and anticipation Apple has built around the iPad launch? Is Apple’s Ninja-like marketing skills really just selling a great product or selling you on a great product. Are you waiting with anticipation for an iPad to show up on Saturday? Let us know in the comments section.

[9to5Mac] [Macrumors] ]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-ipad-shipping/feed/ 2 https://touchreviews.net/weekly-news-roundup-on-all-things-touch-3-march-10/ https://touchreviews.net/weekly-news-roundup-on-all-things-touch-3-march-10/#comments Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:09:11 +0000 https://touchreviews.net/?p=5599 Read More]]> iPad Developers have one week to get their app into Apple for a chance at making the iPad App Store Grand Opening. Apple plans to sell around 13 million iPads in the next few years. “Elite” iPad Devs get iPads to test on. HTC hits back at Apple’s lawsuit against them, while more lines are drawn in the virtual sand in the growing Google v Apple mobile cyberwar! Apple decides it doesn’t like screen protectors anymore, apparently. And some random iPad Developer bits and pieces..

Developers Developers Developers! iPad Developers that is…

Apple sent out a rousing call to all it’s iPhone, iPod and iPad Developers as the week closed, informing them that they have until the 27th of March to get their iPad apps in for review, or risk missing the iPad App Store Grand Opening. Apps submitted in time are not guaranteed a place in launch offerings, but Apple promise to get back to devs who have submitted stuff with more info after the 27th.

What is very interesting is that the vast majority of developers have not even seen an iPad in the flesh, let alone had one to test their software on. So a lot of these apps will have only been tested using a pre-release SDK and a Simulator. Some developers who have asked, and been turned down, for iPad test units have taken some innovative steps to test their app strategies, including making life-size cardboard cutouts of the devices to get an idea of how touches and swipes will work when actually holding a device! Sounds like fun indeed!

Anyone up for a 6 day iPad programming challenge? I am thinking of seeing what I can get together for submission right on the deadline.. Perhaps an iPad sized Zombie Game?

With regards to how well the iPad is selling. Something I’ve not touched on specifically in this roundup. Erin wrote an interesting article on how persuasive Steve Jobs is as a salesman, and how that has driven iPad sales, here : [TouchReviews.net]

“Elite” iPad devs get their toys early

As we reported earlier in the week, certain iPad developers that Apple considers a good bet for app awesomeness have been tied to restrictive “Mission Impossible” style conditions, with multi-page legally binding contracts in order to be allowed access to pre-release iPads this week.

“Would-be testers of the tablet-style computer, due to be released Apr. 3, must promise to keep it isolated in a room with blacked-out windows, according to four people familiar with the more than 10-page pact that bars partners from disclosing information about the iPad. To ensure that it can’t be removed, the iPad must also remain tethered to a fixed object, said the people, who asked not to be named because their plans for the iPad have not been made public. Apple won’t send out an iPad until potential partners send photographic evidence that they’ve complied.”

Meanwhile rumours are spreading today that some of those “elite” devs have already broken their agreements. If anything awesome is leaked, that you need to know about, I am sure it will come to a web site near you very soon. My guess is still that for Apple to even consider letting devices out to non-Apple staff prior to launch, it’s because there is no super secret stuff in those “pre-release” units. Most likely this is geared towards helping certain high profile reviewers and devs spread the word with articles on the iPad on launch day.

Apple plans to sell 13 million iPads

Details of LCD screen manufacture deals for iPads have been leaked. Doing the math based on contracts Apple purportedly has with Samsung and LG this gives us an idea that Apple plan on producing a total of 13 million iPads over the next few years. One hopes that the two manufacturers produce screens of the same quality. Or we may end up with A and B grade iPads, like we had A and B quality 13″ Unibody MacBooks last year.

But in any case that’s a lot of iPads Apple are planning to sell!

HTC hits back at Apple Lawsuit. More lines are drawn in the virtual sand in the coming Google v Apple cyberwar!

HTC released a press release this week with a statement on their feelings about the Apple lawsuit against them. A lawsuit which is related to multi-touch and other smart phone patents. Although, when you read the press release it’s more of list of what they perceive as their accomplishments, and does little to address Apple’s case points.

Here’s a link to the Press Release for those interested : [prnewswire.com]

Perhaps they are still waiting for instructions from Google on how best to proceed?

In the meantime Rupert Murdoch, predictably (he has a pre-release iPad by his own admission) praises the iPad and criticises Google. Some of you may know that Murdoch and his corporation NewsCorp are very likely to find themselves somewhere on the same side as the Apple camp as future conflict lines are drawn in the search and mobile communications industry.

If I was forced to pick a side I’d be nervous of having Murdoch in my camp. But that’s just me.

In Android related news the Nexus One will be available on all four of the big US networks. This is to compensate for a somewhat lacklustre start for the device on TMobile.
For those of you that have not read it already, you can read my take on part of the brewing Apple v Google war here: [TouchReviews.net] , and a slightly longer piece from the New York Times here : [nytimes.com]

Apple stops selling screen protectors in it’s stores

I personally have a screen protector on every mobile device I own. Most often I buy the type that can be taken on and off multiple times, rather than the type that physically sticks to your screen. I also get one of the nice girls at our local stores here in Bangkok to put them on for me. When they do it, using some kind of Asian Girl magic, they never get dust or hairs stuck under the protector.

Apple see this dirt and dust as an issue with screen protectors, and also are busy pimping their “Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating” screen technology for the iPhone 3GS and iPad, which repels fingerprints and oil stains. Personally I’ve not found that coating to be all it’s cracked up to be. Perhaps I am just super greasy! (No comments required on that – thanks!)

In any case, vendors that Apple is dropping from it’s stores insist they’ll keep selling their screen protectors as they, like me, see the need for them. Perhaps Apple need to get some Thai Girls to work in their Genius bars. I am sure they’d love a chance to work in the US and elsewhere.

iPad Developer bits and pieces

Some little titbits of info here for devs:

There is a new version of the iPhone Developer Application Loader available from Apple now, which presumably has been updated for iPad Apps. May make getting your new masterpiece to Apple a little easier. [Download File]

Apple has given developers more control over the way that their App prices change. What developers used to have to do was change the price of their app live and wait for it to propagate through the global iTunes system. This made it a little bit of a hit and miss affair across regions for sales and free promotional periods. Now Apple has actually added some scheduling control to the application management area in iTunes, to make this all a bit more predictable. Nice touch Apple.

Yet another exciting week in “Touch” land… Two weeks to go until the world explodes and the Jesus Tablet finally arrives!

Let us know your thoughts below. Did we miss anything?

Apple maintained at the time that individual apps give users the option to lock the screen orientation into landscape or portrait mode. But the fact remained that the iPad itself had no universal lock, a feature that the Kindle and Nook boasted.

9to5Mac pointed out this morning that the specs on Apple’s site had changed to reflect this issue.

The iPad can also play Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

And just in case you had forgotten, or the web had not already bombarded you with the news, or you didn’t get your email from Apple Today is pre-order day for the iPad. So if you are in the US you can pre-order online for delivery or in-store pickup on the 3rd of April.

Have you ordered your iPad yet?

Apple shares hit another high today at the end of a week where the computer company (which is now predominantly by it’s own COO’s admission a mobile device company) launched it’s first thinly veiled attack on it’s old bedfellow Google, dropped the entry price for developers to it’s desktop developer license, officially announced release dates for it’s highly anticipated entry into the Tablet computer market and was lauded as the “World’s Most Admired Company” by Fortune.

Apple v HTC.

The Apple v HTC lawsuit has divided many industry pundits on what it’s implications are. HTC is the mobile phone manufacturer who makes handsets which run both Microsoft’s and more pertinently Google’s mobile operating systems. In some camps the belief is simply that the US Patent System is to blame and Apple must protect it’s patents like any other company, or lose the right to defend them. In the middle ground some people see it as a growing divide, and the beginning of a proxy war between previously friendly tech companies who now have too many overlapping interests. In the slightly more crazy camp certain bloggers see it as a bitter Steve jobs not wishing to see Apple’s designs absorbed by other ‘Borg’ like entities and Apple subsequently suffering a similar fate it did at the hands of Microsoft back in the early days of the first GUI operating system designs.

Whichever way you look at it the entire case, or cases, will either last years or be settled privately at some point in the future, when all involved feel that enough blood letting has been done. It should also be noted that Apple is itself a respondent in a similar lawsuit where Nokia alleges that it stole their designs. Apple has countersued in that case and there is some merit to the supposition that Apple, following advice from it’s legal department, is attempting to strengthen it’s position in that lawsuit with Nokia by enforcing it’s patents against another rival. Enter HTC.

Ideas have certainly been aped by each manufacturer to varying degrees. And Apple’s innovations are being copied. What Apple needs to decide is whether irritating, and potentially alienating Google, by bullying HTC with measures like trying to block imports of their handsets to the US, is really worth the end result it will yield. Having made this move it seems likely that this is only an opening salvo from Apple, with more lawsuits to follow in coming weeks against other Android manufacturers.

The bottom line is lawsuits like this are not healthy for the companies involved, and don’t really benefit the end consumer. In terms of tangible effects it will have for us as end users the most worrying aspect is that if Google and Apple fall out sufficiently iPhone and Mac users might actually get stuck with Bing as their default search engine in Safari. Not something I relish personally, and something potentially harmful to Apple in terms of it’s own image. But hopefully it won’t come to that.

US$99 Macintosh Developer Licenses.

On a more positive note, after a lengthy downtime for the Developer section of Apple’s website yesterday, the system came back online with a new low price of $99 US for their Macintosh Developer License. This brings it into line with the price of the iPhone Developer License, and raises the possibility that Apple may be prepping for a Mac App Store. Every shiny lining has a dark cloud wrapped around it, and that comes in the form of no more hardware discounts for developers. Boo!

WiFi iPad shipping on the 3rd April.

As we have already reported the iPad will hit the streets on the 3rd of April in the US. A Saturday. So keen early adopters don’t have to make imaginative excuses and skip work to be able to pick up their new toy at an Apple store on the first day of availability. If trekking to an Apple Store is too much like hard work on a Saturday morning (with or without a hangover) then you can order your WiFi iPad online from the 12th of March and have it delivered to your door on the 3rd. Those who live outside the US, or want 3G models will have to wait until later in April. Countries outside the US officially getting the iPad in late April are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Other countries and their official release dates are to follow. Some of us in more far flung places may have to take a trip to the US or pop to places like MBK in Bangkok and take our chances with the price there. It’s a little disappointing that there is still no news on developers being able to snag a unit outside the US at the same time as their US peers.

Apple tops Fortune’s list of “Most Admired Companies”.

Apple has achieved the Number 1 spot on Fortune’s list of most admired companies. Previously it was number 2!

“With 250 million iPods, 43 million iPhones, and 32 million iPod touches sold to date, plus the promise of a game-changing iPad, Apple won this year’s vote by the highest margin ever for a No. 1. Two more years as champ and Apple will match GE for most appearances in the top spot.”

As BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer puts it, “The whole world held its breath before the iPad was announced. That’s brand management at its very best.” — Christopher Tkaczyk

Apple removes “titillating” Apps from iTunes.

Last week AAPL shares took a little hit around the day that Apple decided to drop some of the more racy iPhone apps from it’s iTunes Store to much consternation from the developers who had been profiting from such “titillating” programs! Their main complaints were reasonable. They were that the ban hammer fell without any notice and that certain large publishers of similar programs remained in place. Opinions are strongly divided in the developer community about whether the App Store is a better place with or without these Apps. But the world does indeed seem to still be turning…

AAPL hits $218+ and still counting…

In the last few weeks Apple’s share price had been vacillating between the mid $190 mark, and popping it’s head occasionally just over $200 per share before receding again. Around the initial announcement of the iPad shares had briefly risen above $200 before falling back again.

On the back of the announcement of the iPad launch today Apple’s shares have solidly broken through the $200 barrier and as of this writing are still rising, passing $218 per share.

All in all an exciting and action packed week for Apple watchers, consumers and developers. Can’t wait for next week!

Let us know your thoughts below. Did we miss anything?

By: Stephen Northcott

Apple WiFi iPad available for pre-order on March 12th. In store pickup on April 3rd. US Only initially.

Since the day Steve Jobs appeared on stage for the Apple Special Event 2010 to announce the iPad there has been a lot of buzz about it’s availability. Many rumor blogs suggested that there might be minor delays in production and that could possibly lead to shortage in the number of devices available at launch.

Today Apple has officially announced the pre-order, ship and Apple Store availability date, of the first iPad model to be released. This is the WiFi only version, and is initially only for the US market. The pre-order date is roughly two days after we reported that Apple Store staff are rumoured to be getting their hands on the devices for training. So that makes sense. The date you can pick up your ‘Jesus’ tablet in store, or have it delivered to your door has slipped slightly to the 3rd of April.

3G versions are supposed to be available in late April.

Apple originally stated that WiFi iPads would be available at the end of March, so they are not too far off their original ship date.

These dates are US only dates at the moment. So it should be noted that if you are outside the US the WiFi model will not be available to you until late April. But both WiFi and 3G versions should be available at the same time elsewhere though.

So which one are you getting? Anyone planning a pilgrimage to the US to get a ‘Jesus’ Tablet early? I did for a Newton, back in the day. So don’t be shy, let us know in the comments.

By: Stephen Northcott

Effortless Ubiquity

Taylor Swift may have won the Grammy for Album of the Year Sunday night but the real winner at this year’s Grammy Awards was clearly Apple. In one of the ultimate product placement stunts of all time, Stephen Colbert used an iPad as a prop during his presentation. And although it seemed like a little bit of comedic relief mixed with tech buzz, it also demonstrates one of the central points about the iPad everyone seems to have missed; that the iPad is about finally integrating tech into our lives. That the iPad is ultimately about effortless ubiquity.

Technology has been an everyday part of our lives since the mid 1980s and constant connectivity since the mid 1990s but technology has never been everywhere in an effortless manner. The PCs and Macs of the 1980s represented a massive evolution in personal computing but access to the nascent Internet was expensive, unreliable, and slow.

The Internet revolution of the mid 1990s gave us stable access with decent speeds but the hardware lacked portability. During the 20 year evolution in tech in our everyday lives, either the device or network access has lacked that element to make it a ubiquitous part of our everyday life. Even the smartphone evolution of this previous decade had its shortcomings; expensive network access coupled with devices that were still hard to use. It’s hard to experience the Internet on a 3.5″ screen.

What the iPad represents is the first device to marry useful hardware (both in screen size and processing power), with a familiar user experience, and constant network access. Some may point to Microsoft’s Tablet PC adventures in the 2000s and say that was it but anyone that’s had to lug around one of those earlier devices knows the iPad is a light speed jump forward. And while it may have seemed a bit hokey and arrogant for Steve Jobs to pronounce the iPad as a new class of device, he was actually being truthful. The iPad is the first device in the computing revolution to finally be able to come close to the promise of the always-on Internet; effortless ubiquity.

So while Stephen Colbert got some cheap laughs teasing Jay-Z about not getting one in his gift bag, he also demonstrated how the iPad will come in time to fit into our life with little or no notice. Just like the PC sneaked into our lives in the 80s, the iPad will suddenly appear everywhere this decade.

What do you think? Is the iPad the first stop on the road to effortless ubiquity? Will it so totally integrate into our lives that we won’t even know its there? Leave us a comment and tell us what you think.

By: Erin Peterson

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