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iPad mini with Retina display now available for purchase
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds,
If you've been waiting for the new iPad mini with Retina display to go on sale, it's time for you to head over to the Apple Store online. Apple announced the iPad mini with Retina display alongside the iPad Air three weeks ago, but the mini didn't see as immediate a release at the Air did due to supply constraints on the Retina panels. It's an odd move for Apple to launch as major a product as a new iOS device by simply releasing it on sale on its online store without it also being available in its physical retail locations, but that's exactly what's happened. You can order your iPad mini with Retina display now, and it'll currently ship in 1-3 business days if you want a 16GB or 32GB model. If you prefer 64GB or 128GB, those will ship in 5-10 business days. You may be able to do in-store pickup, but from what we are seeing, those are very, very few and far between.
The iPad mini with Retina display sports a 2048 x 1536 display, new Apple A7 processor, and MIMO Wi-Fi connectivity. Pricing starts at $399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, while the top-of-the-line version has 128GB storage and LTE connectivity for $829.
You can order your iPad mini with Retina display now.
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iPad Air review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Handhelds, Product Reviews,
Thinner. Lighter. Anyone familiar with Apple keynote events knows that these two words mean a lot to the company. In essence, Apple aims to reduce the bulks of its products, stripping away any unnecessary heft while simultaneously packing in as much power as possible. It's quite a task, really. The company has backed itself into a corner where it's now expected that anything that's a newer version of a previous thing will be smaller, thinner, and lighter.
Back in 2008, Apple did this with the jaw-dropping MacBook Air. Fully a Mac, but so thin you could slid it into a manila envelope. It was hard to believe that a Mac that thin, with a full-sized keyboard and display, was possible when PC makers were all focusing on grossly underpowered netbooks with cramped keyboards.
Now, Apple has done the same with its tablet lineup. Three-and-a-half years after releasing the original and iconic iPad, Apple has now made it almost impossibly thinner and lighter with the iPad Air. Sporting a new, slim design that borrows heavily from that of the iPad mini, the iPad Air bezel has been reduced by over 40%. Thickness has been reduced as well--20% thinner than the iPad 4 at 7.5mm. Perhaps most importantly, the iPad Air sheds almost half a pound of weight when compared against the two iPads that preceded it, all while maintaining the same impressive 9.7-inch Retina display.
So, the question now is, is the new iPad Air worth your time, attention, and hard-earned cash? Read on for our full iPad Air review as we explore Apple's latest flagship tablet.
Click to continue reading iPad Air review
Apple updates AirPort Utility for iOS, making it 64-bit
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Utilities, App Updates, Apple, Free Apps,
Alongside the Apple TV Remote app update, Apple has also released AirPort Utility 1.3.3, bringing 64-bit support to the app when using it on an iPhone 5S, iPad Air, or iPad Mini 2. While the prior update gave it a redesign, this update brings AirPort Utility up to par with other Apple iOS stock apps that have transitioned to the higher bitness. Clearly, Apple is on the move and is transitioning all of its first-party app over to 64-bit. Get a look at all the features after the jump.
Features
- See a graphical overview of your Wi-Fi network
- Get information about your connected Wi-Fi devices
- View and change network and Wi-Fi settings
- Restart or restore a base station, or update the firmware on a base station when available
- View or update passwords for your network, base stations, or disks
- Easily access network information such as IP address, DNS servers, and router address
- Manage DHCP reservations and port mappings
- Configure base stations for IPv6
- View status or error messages
- Archive Time Machine backups
New In Update 1.3.3
- Adds 64-bit support
Read More | App Store
Apple announces new iPad Air
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds,
Apple has announced the new iPad Air, the 5th generation and the next evolution for its 9.7-inch tablet, and it has taken on a whole new design. If you've seen the iPad mini, then you have an idea of what the new full-sized model looks like. It's rear shell is the same shape that the iPad mini has been using since its launch. The smaller bezel results in a much smaller footprint, making it 20% thinner at 7.5mm thin, and weighs just 1 pound (down from the 1.4 pounds of the iPad 4.) On the inside, you get a 64-bit A7 processor, along with the M7 coprocessor found in the iPhone 5s. No major camera upgrade, as the shooter remains at 5-megapixel, although the FaceTime front camera does see a modest update. MIMO 802.11n Wi-Fi support rounds things out.
You can pick up the new iPad Air at the Apple Store on November 1, starting at $499. LTE models are available as well for AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and for the first time, T-Mobile.
Check out the rest of the news from today's Apple iPad event!
What can we expect from Apple’s iPhone 5S A7 processor?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Rumors,
The iPhone 5S is set to be revealed in two weeks, and being an S-type update, this typically means that Apple has spent time optimizing and maximizing under-the-hood performance of the iPhone that preceded it, in this case, the iPhone 5. The rumor mill says that the next iPhone will sport an A7 processor that is 64-bit and 31% faster than the A6 found in the iPhone 5. What would 64-bit processing do for the iPhone? Well, iOS 7 is intense on things like transparency and other graphical elements, and an optimized 64-bit processor could make those as smooth as butter. That's the benefit of Apple making its own mobile processors:
One of the biggest—if not the biggest—advantages Apple has in not being reliant on merchant silicon (they don’t buy standard application processors designed by others) is that they can customize the A7/A8 etc to exactly fit their own apps / services frameworks, without making generic design compromises.
To see this best, contrast Qualcomm, whose processors will fit in hundreds or thousands of different Android models to Apple, whose A7 will go in to the iPhone, iPad and possibly the iPod and iTV. Because Qualcomm must support so many potential vendor configurations, they are forced to design by the 80/20 rule. Meanwhile, Apple can strip out absolutely everything it doesn’t want on-chip, and add specific things it does, such as DSP or graphics capabilities which iOS is designed to use.
Of course, just because Apple is testing these processors, that doesn't mean that they'll see the light of day in the iPhone 5S. Other rumblings say that the next iPhone will also contain a fingerprint sensor, motion tracking sensor, a camera that supports a 120 FPS slow-motion mode, a gold color option, and possible even a 128GB option as well.
Report says iPhone 5S coming in August, new iPad & iPad mini in April
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,
The big rumor today is that Apple is set to launch the iPhone 5S in August, with a new 5th generation iPad and 2nd generation iPad mini appearing in April. Rene Ritchie at iMore has received reports that Apple is seriously considering the launch of the next iPads next month, including a redesigned iPad, and an iPad mini that may possibly see a Retina display. Meanwhile, the iPhone 5S will carry the same outer design that the iPhone 5 sports, but with a faster A7 processor, and improved camera (we're hearing 13 megapixels.) One rumor also says that the iPhone 5S may also coming in multiple colors, similar to the iPod touch. For now, iPhone 5 users need to rely on services like AnoStyle to get custom colors on their smartphones.
Read More | iMore
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