Apple Unveils Thinner, Faster, Camera-packing iPad 2

A year after revitalizing the once-sleepy, now red-hot tablet market with the original iPad, Apple surprised absolutely no one Wednesday by taking the wrapper off a slimmer, trimmer version of the wildly popular slate, complete with a front-facing camera for video chat (finally!) and a souped-up processor.

The new iPad 2 took the spotlight during a press event at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, with none other than Apple CEO Steve Jobs—who is still on medical leave, mind you ("he looks good," Engadget noted on its live blog)—taking the stage to unveil the much-anticipated follow-up to the best-selling original.

The "dramatically faster" iPad 2 boasts a dual-core A5 "system on a chip" processor under the hood, said Jobs, good for twice the CPU power and nine times the graphics performance of the original while maintaining the same 10-hour battery life.

Also new: dual cameras (at last), including a front-facing camera for VGA-quality video chat, while the rear camera will be good for 720p video capture. (Apple hasn't listed specific megapixel counts for the iPad 2's cameras yet.)

As predicted, the 9.7-inch display on the iPad 2 has the same resolution as that on the original: 1,024 by 768, to be exact, disappointing news for anyone hoping that the new iPad would boast an improved "retina"-style display.

Measuring 9.5 by 7.3 by 0.34 inches, the iPad 2 is slightly shorter and narrower than the original, with the listed weight of 1.33 pounds (or 1.35 for the 3G-enabled iPad 2) a bit lighter than the iPad 1.

As with the first iPad, the iPad 2 comes with Apple's proprietary 30-pin dock connector for syncing and charging, along with a 3.5mm headset jack. Missing in action, however, is a slot for SD (or microSD) memory cards.

A white version of the iPad will be available on "Day One," promised Jobs, with Apple probably hoping to avoid last year's debacle of the white iPhone that never quite arrived.

The iPad 2 retains the same price points as the original: $499 for the 16GB version, $599 for the 32GB model, and $699 for the 64GB model. The 3G-enabled versions will also come with the same $130 premium over the Wi-Fi-only models (think $629 for the 3G-ready 16GB iPad 2, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for the 64GB version), and they'll be available for both AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

The ship date? March 11 in the U.S., and March 25 in 26 additional countries.

The first iPad, originally unveiled last January before landing in stores the following April, was initially greeted with skepticism.

So, what do you think—is the iPad 2 a worthy successor to the iPad? Planning to get one on March 11, or will you instead go for one of the iPad's increasingly powerful, feature-packed competitors?

Resource: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110302/tc_yblog_technews/apple-unveils-thinner-lighter-more-powerful-ipad-2 Wroten by Ben Patterson

What Do We Expect in iPad 2?

There are a lot of expectations for iPad 2 hardware out there but ours largely falls in line with AllThingsD:

"Aesthetically, the iPad 2 is expected to be slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, with a larger speaker and an improved display designed to deliver a better experience in bright sunlight. It will likely run on a 1.2GHz, dual-core, ARM Cortex-A9 chip and Imagination’s SGX543 GPU architecture–a big improvement over the SGX535 Apple uses today. A Qualcomm multimode chip will allow it to run on both GSM- and CDMA-based networks around the world. And it will have double the RAM–512MB, same as the iPhone 4. Finally, it will feature those front- and back-facing cameras we’ve been hearing about for some time now–one for FaceTime and Photo Booth, the other for POV FaceTime and shooting photos and video."

The star of the show might be iOS 5 preview which will likely showcase new voice navigation features with Siri’s AI, perhaps a new maps application and certainly Cloud/MobileMe/iWork/iLife integration. And notifications have to be getting updated.

We’re getting pumped. Today is March 1, Several hours to go.

Resource: http://www.9to5mac.com/54279/what-do-we-expect-in-ipad-2

Mac OS X Lion: Drops PowerPC Emulation, Adds QuickTime Pro Features, etc

As developers delve into the early build of Mac OS X Lion 10.7, a large number of smaller features are being revealed. One discussion thread seems to be compiling these findings. There seems to be a lot of nice new features being described. A couple of particular interest include:



- PowerPC (Rosetta) emulation is no longer offered. That means if you have any PowerPC applications they won't be able to run in Mac OS X Lion. You can determine if you are still running PowerPC applications by going into Applications -> Utilities -> System Profiler -> Applications and viewing "By Kind". This will show you which applications you have that are running under PowerPC. Rosetta had already become an optional install in Snow Leopard, and it appears Apple will be removing support for it entirely in Lion.

- QuickTime Player finally re-incorporates some features from QuickTime Pro. New features cited include Copy/Paste, Insert Clip, Crop Video, Rotate Video, Resize, Trim, More Export options.

- TUAW points to a video walk through of Lion from Ian Bauters that gives an overview:
Note: Unfortunately, Apple has been pretty keen on going after these sort of things, so the video has been taken down from YouTube.

Other highlights from the growing discussion thread details many smaller updates and features that users have found in Mac OS X Lion. An abbreviated list includes:
- Preview is a powerhouse app, you can even sign your document just by holding a piece of paper up to the camera with your signature (it saves it for you!) (screenshot)
- There's animations for everything, slick simple transitions that remind you of the polish of the iphone. Stuff that makes it easier to understand what your OS is doing with visuals
- You can turn the lights back (open application indicator) on in the dock (screenshot)
- iChat supports Yahoo Messenger Video and Voice chat
- Address Book also with "classic" view
- Much More

Resource: http://www.macrumors.com/2011/02/27/mac-os-x-lion-drops-powerpc-emulation-adds-quicktime-pro-features-much-more/

Apple expected to announce new iPad on March 2

In less than a year, Apple's iPad has gone from a new gadget with uncertain prospects to become a revolutionary product that has upended the consumer electronics market.

"It has changed the world in 10 months," said Richard Doherty, an analyst with Envisioneering Group. He cannot think of another product since Apple introduced its Macintosh computers during the mid-80s that has caused such ripples in the tech industry.

Even as rivals like Hewlett-Packard and Samsung race to sell me-too tablets powered by Google's Android, Apple appears poised to announce its next version. It sent out announcements Wednesday for an event next week in San Francisco, doing little to hide the focus of the announcement. The electronic invitation shows the image of an app-like calendar date being pealed away, revealing an iPad behind it. "Come see what 2011 will be the year of," it reads.

Analysts speculate that the latest iPad will include a camera that allows use of Apple's FaceTime video conferencing feature. It also is expected to have a faster processor.

With its slender body, light weight and ease of use, the original iPad did what no previous tablet had done -- become a hot-seller.

In just three quarters, beginning last April, the Cupertino company sold nearly 15 million iPads. That accounted for 35 percent of the company's growth in sales for that period, observed Needham analyst Charles Wolf.

"Here is a product that didn't exist a year ago and it already represented 17 percent of Apple's revenues," he said.

Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, estimates Apple will sell another 36 million iPads this calendar year while competitors using Google's Android software will sell about 12 million.

But he expects the new iPad version to be a tough act to follow.

"They give the consumer so much more bang for the buck," he said.

That's because the iPad, as well as the iPhone, have become content platforms that expand their importance far beyond being simple computing devices. It is designed for book-reading, playing games and scanning magazines and newspapers as well as watching video. iPad users can choose from about 60,000 applications customized for the tablet, among some 350,000 total applications in Apple's app store.

The iPad and its apps are also giving Apple greater sway and influence in a wide range of industries, from videogames to publishing, as more producers of digital content see much of their future growth coming from sales and subscriptions sold through the Cupertino-based company.

Apple's advantages in the emerging tablet market goes beyond its innovative designs and its software. The company is also using its financial might to buy up many of the components needed for the iPad at high volumes, which means lower costs than many of its competitors can get. That makes it easier for Apple to price its products lower while still enjoying healthy profit margins.

"They've tied up about 60 percent of the supply of display screens and other components that go into the iPad," Wolf said. "So only the name brands will have the resources to go out and buy these components. The second-tier tablet-makers will be shoved out of the market. Apple is playing a great gotcha game."

Before Apple launched the iPad, its executives repeatedly rebuffed analysts who asked why it was not entering the netbook market. Instead, the company rolled the dice to create a new tablet line.

"It is consistent with Apple's business model -- high risk, high rewards," said Gartner Research analyst Van Baker. "It is a pretty fundamental change in the way people perceived mobile devices."

It already is changing the netbook market.

Last year, some 32 million netbooks were sold; this year, that sector will be lucky to see 20 million in sales, Bajarin said. He ties to the drop to the iPad, as well as falling prices of traditional laptops, making netbooks less of a bargain.

The new iPad could help answer the question of whether the tablet is more of a laptop placement or a new gadget consumers add to their current collection.

"If it is truly a transforming product, the way the smartphone or the iPhone was, then consumers will allocate additional spending to it, without cutting spending in other places," said Stephen Baker, an analyst at the NPD Group.

But Wolf believes the iPad has already revealed itself as a completely new computing device. Hotel clerks are using them to check in guests, business travelers are bringing them along on work trips, teens view them as multimedia players.

"An iPad becomes anything the customer wants it to be," he said.

Resource: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_17461691?source=most_viewed&nclick_check=1

A Look Back At Steven Job's First 100 Days

Resource: http://blog.smalldog.com/article/a-look-back-at-steve-jobs-first-100-days/
Writen by : Kali Hilke

President Obama just marked his 100th day in office, so I thought we’d take a look back to when Apple’s own Steve Jobs returned to Apple to run the show. Like Obama, Jobs had a huge task at hand—Apple was struggling in 1997, and Jobs was rehired to take Apple into anew creative direction (and away from financial ruin). The parallels between the two men and the situations are striking, but I’ll spare you those comparisons for another time!

It’s natural for people to want to assess progress within a certain time period and use that to determine success, and the retern of Steve was no different! He was rehired back at Apple on February 7, 1997 when Apple purchased Jobs’ company, NeXT. Apple’s stock was low (a sharp contrast to their most recent numbers), and the company needed an overhaul.

Daniel Kunstler, an analyst with J.P. Morgan Securities, noted in the article that a couple of things happened within those first 100 days: Jobs shifted Apple’s project and product focus and placed an emphasis on profitability rather than growing revenues.

Apple needed innovation and vision, and Steve Jobs had it. Simply put, Jobs shook things up. Among the highlights of his first 100 days, Jobs:

• Discontinued the Newton
• Eliminated the Apple clone project
• Announced that Apple would begin selling computers directly from their website
• Introduced a partnership with Microsoft that included their $150 million investment in Apple

It’s worth a mention that Jobs’ first keynote upon his return was not met with overwhelming acceptance. He was even booed several times during his presentation. Things looked bleak, but as my husband likes to say, “change is inherently very uncomfortable” and we all know what’s happened since then…

To wit:

• The iMac, the all-in-one Mac that changed everything (“She comes in colors…”)
• Apple retail stores
• OS X and iLife
• MacBooks and MacBook Pros
• iPhone

Congratulations to Obama on his first 100 days and to Apple’s continued success. Most of all, here’s to CHANGE!

Other fun reads:

• Apple’s list of discontinued products
• Wikipedia’s history of Apple
• Watch Steve Jobs’ keynote from Macword 1997

Apple to drop new Snow Leopard beta on developers

Apple sometime this week is expected to tap its developers to begin testing a new pre-release copy of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, signaling a clear acceleration of the beta test process.
The Cupertino-based company issued the first external build of next-gen operating system back in June of last year but did not follow up a new distribution for more than four months. Since then, new builds have arrived every four to six weeks, on average.

Now, people familiar with the matter say Apple is gearing up to provide developers with a second build of Snow Leopard during the month of April, three weeks or so after offering up build 10A314 near the top of the month.

The target build for this week's release is said to be Mac OS X 10.6 build 10A335, which of course is always subject to change. Again, there are rumors that this new build may include some much anticipated visual tweaks to the Mac OS X interface but given that those rumors did not materialize last time, it may be safe to assume that June's Worldwide Developers Conference may be the more likely forum for these disclosures.

It's also rumored that the new Snow Leopard will incorporate a pre-release build of Apple Remote Desktop 3.3. This maintenance release to the remote administration software reportedly goes by the code-name "Hook" and was commissioned with the primary purpose of delivering compatibility with Snow Leopard, though it will also include a number of bug fixes.

Apple last provided its third-party developers with a new build of Snow Leopard on April 1st, encouraging them to focus their attention on delivering 64-bit compatibility in their third party kernel extensions.

While previewing Snow Leopard last June for the first time, the Mac maker stated that it hoped to release the software approximately one year later. However, the most recent estimates from those familiar with beta tests have suggested an August date may be more likely.

A Quantum Leap of Mac--Mac OS X 10.6 code named Snow Leopard

Release Date: 15, Jan, 2009 keywords: Apple, Mac OS X, Leopard (from apple.com)

Since 2001, Mac OS X has delivered more than a thousand innovative new features. With Snow Leopard, the next major version of the world’s most advanced operating system, Mac OS X changes more than its spots, it changes focus. Taking a break from adding new features, Snow Leopard — scheduled to ship in about a year — builds on Leopard’s enormous innovations by delivering a new generation of core software technologies that will streamline Mac OS X, enhance its performance, and set new standards for quality. Snow Leopard dramatically reduces the footprint of Mac OS X, making it even more efficient for users, and giving them back valuable hard drive space for their music and photos.

Microsoft Exchange Support Snow Leopard includes out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 built into Mail, Address Book, and iCal. Mac OS X uses the Exchange Web Services protocol to provide access to Exchange Server 2007. Because Exchange is supported on your Mac and iPhone, you'll be able to use them anywhere with full access to your email,contacts, and calendar. Multicore "Grand Central,"a new set of technologies built into Snow Leopard, brings unrivaled support for multicore systems to Mac OS X. More cores, not faster clock speeds, drive performance increases in today's processors. Grand Central takes full advantage by making all of Mac OS X multicore aware and optimizing it for allocating tasks across multiple cores and processors. Grand Central also makes it much easier for developers to create programs that squeeze every last drop of power from multicore systems.

64-bit To accommodate the enormous amounts of memory being added to advanced hardware,Snow Leopard extends the 64-bit technology in Mac OS X to support breakthrough amounts of RAM — up to a theoretical 16TB, or 500 times more than what is possible today. More RAM makes applications run faster,because more of their data can be kept in the very fast physical RAM instead of on the much slower hard disk. Media and Internet Using media technology pioneered in OS X iPhone,Snow Leopard introduces QuickTime X, a streamlined, next- generation platform that advances modern media and Internet standards. QuickTime X features optimized support for modern codecs and more efficient media playback, making it ideal for any application that needs to play media content. Because Snow Leopard delivers the fastest implementation of JavaScript to date,web applications are more responsive. Safari runs JavaScript up to 53percent faster with Snow Leopard.

OpenCL

Another powerful Snow Leopard technology, OpenCL (Open Computing Language),makes it possible for developers to efficiently tap the vast gigaflops of computing power currently locked up in the graphics processing unit (GPU). With GPUs approaching processing speeds of a trillion operations per second, they're capable of considerably more than just drawing pictures. OpenCL takes that power and redirects it for general-purpose computing.

*Performance will vary based on system configuration, network connection, and other factors. Benchmark based on the SunSpider JavaScript Performance test on a 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo-based iMac with Mac OS X Snow Leopard and 2GB of RAM.
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