Category Archives: iOS

iPad 2 With iOS 5 Versus Windows 8 Tablet (Video)

Posted by on September 16, 2011 1 comment

Since BUILD 2011 came and went, with it also coming the Windows 8 Samsung tablet presentation, it’s now for a long awaited duel: iOS 5 vs Win 8. The battle takes place by confronting an iPad 2 with the newest Apple OS with the tablets available for testing at BUILD 2011. I’m guessing that this is the Samsung tablet they’ve used for demos, but if I’m wrong, feel free to correct me.

The author of the comparison video is winrumors, that takes us through a 11 minute tour of the iPad 2 iOS 5 duel with the new Windows tablet. If you’re familiar with the Metro UI from WP7, you’ll feel right at home in Windows 8, but you can always opt for the classic Win 7 desktop view if you want. I’m guessing you won’t, since it’s more intuitive to use tiles, gestures and the cool multitasking system available.

What these platforms have in common is a list of available apps and as far as virtual keyboard goes, I have to admit that the one on the iPad 2 looks more comfortable. I’d have to test the keyboard on the Windows 8 slate to judge for myself… If you feel that there’s any bug, lag or glitch in Win 8, worry not, as we’ll have to wait a couple more months till it comes and everything will be fixed.


iPad 2 Dominates GPUs in Benchmark Tests, Galaxy S II Left In the Dust

Posted by on September 12, 2011 1 comment

The folks of anandtech recently decided to take the Samsung Galaxy S II for a spin and did an extensive review of the device, including tons of benchmarks. These showed, among others that the handset comes with a very powerful GPU. Also, it showed that the iPad 2 is two times more powerful than the Galaxy S II, as far as graphics performance is concerned.

The iPad 2 uses a PowerVR SGX 543MP2 GPU that we’ll most likely find on the iPhone 5 as well, so in upcoming benchmarks expect the Galaxy S II supremacy to be removed. The only aspect where the Galaxy S II fails it he triangle throughput, where the iPad 2 once again rules, getting 64.9 millions of triangles per second.

One might notice that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is also on the list and it’s not doing that well, especially in comparison with the iPad 2, that’s got a beef with the Samsung product, that’s considered its clone. Imagine an Apple A6 CPU and what it would do to the other tablets… Intel, Qualcomm or Nvidia must come out with something really great to kick Apple’s behind…


iPad 3 Will be Even Thinner and Lighter, Judging by the Next Gen Battery It Holds

Posted by on September 8, 2011 No comments

Apple has already started working on the iPad 3 and securing deals with Simplo Technology Co. and Dynapack International Technology Corp. These will supply battery packs for the upcoming iPad, according to Taiwan Economic News.

The new power source will be thinner and lighter than the batteries that Apple used previously in iPad 2 models. The result will be an increased cost in the power packs used by the Cupertino company, of 20% to 30%. According to the same report, the new iPad 3 batteries will provide an even longer life than the 10 hours we got from the iPad 2, which is a brilliant feat.

With a thinner and lighter battery there’s the opportunity to stuff inside the next iPad that thicker Retina Display we’ve been waiting for a while now. However, Apple could only be happy with making the device slimmer and keep the same screen…


3G iPad 2 Soon Available in China, Retail Stores Coming to Hong Kong

Posted by on September 8, 2011 No comments

Apple has finally been given the certification to sell the 3G iPad 2 in mainland China, after a period of only being able to sell the WiFi units, Wall Street Journal informs us. All that the Cupertino giant needed was a network access license from the Tellecommunication Equipment Certification Center in China.

The device is now listed as model number A1396, compatible with the 3G WCDMA standard and working on local carrier China Unicom. Yesterday, there were already iPad 2 3G units listed for sale on the Apple Chinese website, but they were removed since then. Shipping mentioned 2 to 3 weeks of waiting time. Among Apple’s plans for that region we also find a new Hong Kong retail store, that will open this quarter in the International Finance Center’s IFC mall.

September 24th is the opening date and with Tim Cook seeing Greater China as an opportunity expect the local Asian market to evolve a lot in the following years.


Linux Running on iPad Would Make Steve Jobs Quit Again

Posted by on August 30, 2011 No comments

This is a much a sacrilege as it gets and only running Flash on the iPad would spoil the Apple picture more. I’m talking here about the iPad Linux port pictured below… We’re already used to such ports, since the PlayBooks’s pretty much Android compatible and the same Google OS has been seen on the HP TouchPad lately. And now… Linux on the iPad.

It appears that Linux was also able to run on the iPhone 4 and on the 4th gen iPod touch, but sadly we have no explanation on how the port is done. Of course, it might involve more than your average jailbreak and hacking, so one should keep away, unless he’s skilled enough. Seeing the good old penguin on Apple’s tablet only shows the possibility that these devices offer. In the end, the iPad and its rivals are mere tablet PCs with dual core CPUs and different shells.

You may remember the story that said the iPad was more suited at running webOS, since it worked better on Apple’s gear than on the TouchPad. Right now, the format is not important, since people seem to prefer either 7 inch and 9.7 inch devices, but the software is the deal maker and breaker. Win 8 might get a piece of the action here…


Are They For Real? iPad-Like Device Spotted in 1969 Movie, Used in Samsung-Apple Patent Suit (Video)

Posted by on August 24, 2011 No comments


Since Apple is using doctored evidence in the lawsuit against Samsung, why wouldn’t the Asian company rely on some strange evidence of its own? I’m talking about a sequence from the 1969 movie 2001 A Space Odyssey, a one minute clip that shows some rectangular portable devices, looking very much like tablets. Guess what? Samsung used them in the Apple vs Samsung legal case.

They rely on the fact that these devices are pretty generic tablets, so Apple by no means invented the classic tablet format that was used by Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and tons of other tablets. If you check the patent wars, you’ll discover that the Cupertino giant claims to be creator of flat, rectangular portable computers we know as tablets. Well, they didn’t… but there’s no need for a sci-fi movie to learn that.

It’s all got to do with common sense and right now we have two sides: the folks who side with Apple and are filled with paranoia and the belief that someone wronged them and copied their products and the anti-Apple gang, that feels a conspiracy coming from Cupertino and the authorities that want to strike the Android slates.

So, what’s you take on this fight?


iPad 3 to Feature Retina Display, coming in Early 2012?

Posted by on August 22, 2011 1 comment


Many of the rumors concerning the launch of the iPad 3 saw it as a late 2011 launch, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore, since Apple is rumored to delay this device till early 2012. It appears that the component production is to blame and the good news here is that we’ll be seeing a Retina Display on the latest iPad.

This screen will supposedly sport a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution, on a 9.7 inch diagonal. One of the suppliers working with Apple mentioning that they’ll be offering enough parts for 1.5 million units to be produced in Q4 alone. With iPhone 5 coming this fall, the component makers will have a pretty busy Q4, trying to keep up with demand and ramping up production for the launch of the new iPad.

Aside from the Retina Display, iOS 5 upgrade and maybe an improved back camera, we have no idea what specs the new tablet will feature. I’m not sure it’s time for a new CPU, since the iPad 2 was pretty snappy and a quad core solution would only eat battery life here and the Retina Display is already doing that. What do you think we’ll see on the iPad 3?

Related posts:

  1. iPad 3 Confirmed to Feature Retina Display, According to LG Display CEO
  2. iPad 3 Blue Concept Supposedly Features 3D Display, Quad Core CPU
  3. iPad 3 to Adopt iPad 2′s Pricing, as the Older Tablet Gets Discontinued


iPad 3 Not Coming This Year… Supplies Canceled for Second Half of 2011

Posted by on August 16, 2011 No comments


Apple seems to be having some problems with its planning of the next generation of iPad and iPhone… It turns out that the iPad 3 supply scheduled has been canceled for the second half of 2011, which in a hilarious way affects other tablet PC makers to delay their launches as well.

Meanwhile, the iPad 2 supply for H2 2011 is still kept in reasonable limits, at 28-30 million units, according to inside sources. Apple was originally supposed to debut the new iPad in the following months, with 1-5 – 2 million units being available in Q3 and 5-6 million in the last quarter, but the supply partners can’t seem to take the heat.

The yield rate of the 9.7 inch panel with 2.048 x 1.536 pixel resolution is the primary source of concern here, since it’s supplied by Japanese company Sharp with a high price. Meanwhile, other Apple partners such as Samsung and LG Display can’t reach that good of a yield and the Cupertino giant can’t really handle a unsatisfactory yield…

There’s also a requirement for a larger backlight source needed for the new generation of display and also some technology improvements for the iPad 3, required by its thinness. When will the iPad 3 come under such production stress?

Related posts:

  1. Samsung Supplies Apple With iPad Displays; Maybe iPhone 4G Screens, Too?
  2. iPad 2 Shipments to Reach 10 to 12 Million Units in Q2 2011?
  3. Android Tablet Sales to Equal the iPad’s Figures in Second Half of 2011


iPad 3 to Adopt iPad 2?s Pricing, as the Older Tablet Gets Discontinued

Posted by on August 3, 2011 No comments


With everyone talking about the iPhone 5, that’s coming this Fall, some have forgotten that we might see a new iPad being launched this holiday season. We’ve been hearing rumors about a launch of this kind for a while now and this time we also get a pricing pattern.

The new iPad, that’s supposedly packing a Retina Display will get the current price point of the iPad 2, as the latter is discontinued. The info comes from Taiwan Economic News, reporting that the third gen iPad will take over the iPad 2 price points. This move is similar to the one applied to the first iPad, that was discounted by $100 when the iPad 2 launched.

This is a logical move, as it cleans up the inventory and makes room for the new product. The report coming form Asia also mentions that the iPad 3 will come by Thanksgiving and we’re expecting more of an upgrade to the second iPad than a totally new product.

Related posts:

  1. Third Gen Apple Tablet Called the iPad HD?
  2. Apple iPad 3 Coming in Q4? Impressive Resolution Rumored
  3. Survey Shows iPad Dominates the Tablet Market, but It May Fall


iPad Head Girl Promotes the Apple Tablet (Video)

Posted by on August 2, 2011 No comments


Now that’s a creepy way to promote a tablet: sending a girl out in New York City with a cube of screens on her head. The cube includes at least one iPad and I’m guessing that it’s the iPad 2 being promoted here, in a very eerie way.

People take pictures, laugh at the bizarre lady with an iPad head, but there’s only one guy with enough guts to play with the device. I guess that Apple must have run out of ideas, since they’re using THIS as promotion method for one of their hottest selling products. Also, it’s pretty weird that the guy swiping the screen only checks out articles about sex and love and how to conquer chicks.

Between the Toshiba, LG and other companies’ ads mocking the lacking Flash on the iPad and such a strange promotion, I’d take the mockery any day, so sorry Apple… Maybe next time you’ll attach an iPhone 5 to the hand of a person and try to make it equally creepy in the process.

Related posts:

  1. Apple iPad Goes Head to Head With Windows 7 Slate (Video)
  2. Acer Iconia Tab A500 Gets Interesting Video, No Apple Mockery Here (Video)
  3. 3D iPad Is In Fact an iPad 2 With Glass-Free 3D Effects (Video)