iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 Now Available for Pre-Order

Apple has begun accepting online pre-orders for the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 in the United States and several other countries around the world. Rumors have suggested that initial supplies of the iPad Air 2 might be somewhat constrained, so prospective buyers should make their purchases as soon as possible. All models are currently showing shipping estimates of 2-4 business days in the U.S. store.



AT&T is also accepting pre-orders on cellular models of the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 with shipping estimates of 6-10 business days.



Announced on October 16, Apple’s second-generation iPad Air offers several significant improvements over the original iPad Air, including a thinner design, an A8X chip, Touch ID, 802.11ac, support for LTE Advanced, an improved 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture, and an anti-reflective screen coating that cuts down on glare.



The iPad mini 3 offers the same internals as the iPad mini 2 (aka the iPad mini with Retina display), but it does come with Touch ID and a new gold color option.





Available in white/silver, white/gold, and black/space gray, the iPad Air 2 is available in 16, 64, and 128GB configurations, with the Wi-Fi only models priced at $499, $599, and $699, respectively. Wi-Fi + Cellular models carry a $130 premium over Wi-Fi models and are priced at $629/$729/$829 for 16/64/128GB capacities.



The iPad mini 3 is also available in white/silver, white/gold, and black/space gray, and it also comes in 16, 64, and 128GB configurations. The corresponding Wi-Fi only models are priced at $399, $499, and $599, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular models are priced at $529, $629, and $729 for 16, 64, and 128GB configurations.



Both models can be pre-ordered immediately from Apple's online store. The company has not yet provided information on when the iPad mini 3 and the iPad Air 2 will be available in stores, giving an availability date of "later next week."

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 03:06PM, October 17

Apple's Ultra-Slim 12-Inch Notebook Rumored to Gain USB Type C and Fanless Internals

Following a previous report claiming Apple's much-rumored 12" ultra-slim notebook is planned to arrive in silver, gold, and space gray color options, Jack March has issued a follow-up report sharing additional details on the machine.



According to March's report, which MacRumors believes to be based on legitimate information, the new notebook has a much thinner design the appears to sacrifice many of the usual ports seen on Apple's current notebooks and may adopt the new reversible USB Type C connector that has seen its specifications recently finalized.

A source familiar with Apple’s plans describes the 12 inch Macbook Air as having a noticeably thinner design, the source wouldn’t give dimensions however noted that the thinner design may sacrifice the standard USB port and Apple will move to the reversible USB Type C with this product, It is assumed Apple will include an adapter in the box for backwards compatibility.

Interestingly, the report raises some questions about charging on the notebook, indicating that the usual MagSafe port has been removed in favor of a new, unspecified charging method.



In line with previous rumors, the machine is reportedly fanless, suggesting it will adopt an ultra low-power processor such as the Broadwell-Y Core M processors recently announced by Intel. The body of the new notebook is also said to be narrower than the current MacBook Air, with narrower display bezels and a keyboard stretching right to the edges of the machine. Finally, the speakers are said to be located above the keyboard with visible grilles, unlike the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro that have their speakers located underneath the keyboard.



Apple's 12-inch notebook has been rumored for some time, with the launch perhaps being pushed back due to multiple delays for Intel's Broadwell chips. March's previous report indicated Apple appears to be currently looking toward a mid-2015 launch.



(Image: Chassis of current MacBook Air)

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 03:06PM, September 22

L.A. Unified School District Suspends $1 Billion iPad Contract with Apple

Los Angeles school district superintendent John Deasy halted the district's iPad contract with Apple in mid-rollout, reports the LA Times . The $1-billion multi-year contract would supply LAUSD students with iPads that were pre-loaded with curriculum from Pearson.





The contract was administered in phases with an initial $30-million investment to equip a pilot group of students with iPads. Additional payments totaling almost $1 billion would expand the project to additional students and build out the wireless infrastructure to support tablet usage at the district's schools. Each phase was subject to approval with the option of canceling the project if it no longer met the district's needs.



Deasy's suspension follows criticism of the project rollout and its bidding process, which some claim was modified to favor Apple and Pearson. While issues with securing the iPads surfaced shortly after rollout, the contractual complaints were detailed in a district technology committee draft report that was obtained recently by the LA Times.

Among the findings was that the initial rules for winning the contract appeared to be tailored to the products of the eventual winners — Apple and Pearson — rather than to demonstrated district needs. The report found that key changes to the bidding rules were made after most of the competition had been eliminated under the original specifications.



In addition, the report said that past comments or associations with vendors, including Deasy, created an appearance of conflict even if no ethics rules were violated.

While Deasy responds to these criticisms, the technology program at LAUSD is moving forward with other devices and alternative curriculum being adopted by schools in the district. The district is expected to purchase up to 18,000 laptops with Apple and Pearson invited to bid on this new contract.

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 03:06PM, August 26

Here’s how you can install iOS 8 beta 3 without a developer account

Apple on Monday released iOS 8 beta 3, the third developer preview version of its upcoming iOS 8 software update due to be released to the public this fall alongside the launch of Apple's next-generation iPhone 6 handsets. While the software is intended only for use by developers as they update their apps and prepare new apps for iOS 8, many non-developers pay $99 to register developer accounts with Apple in order to gain early access. As has been the case with the past two beta versions of Apple's iOS 8 software, however, there is also a method that allows people without developer accounts to install the new beta.

Continue reading...

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 03:06PM, July 08

Verizon has done the seemingly impossible: It’s made Comcast look good

It takes a lot of work to make Comcast look good but Verizon seems to have pulled off the trick. Ars Technica's Jon Brodkin has done some nice work trying to figure out how Netflix's performance on Verizon's network has actually gotten worse even though the two companies reached a peering agreement earlier this year. It basically boils down to this: Comcast was completely prepared to upgrade its interconnectivity infrastructure after signing its deal with Netflix while Verizon was not.

Continue reading...

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 03:06PM, June 12

This great Netflix tool will show you how good (or awful) your ISP is

Netflix isn't done coming up with clever ways to name and shame ISPs that deliver slow streaming services. Wired has spotted a new tool on Netflix's website that will let you know exactly how fast your ISP delivers Netflix video streaming traffic so you can see whether you're actually getting the "high-speed" service you're paying for.

Continue reading...

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 03:06PM, June 11

Kindle for iOS Adds Ability to Listen to Audible Books [iOS Blog]

Amazon has updated its Kindle app for iOS to version 4.3, adding the ability to listen to the Audible version of Kindle books that you own. According to Amazon, there are over 45,000 Kindle/Audible titles eligible for this new in-app listening feature.





The new Audible feature ties into Amazon's Whispersync technology, which automatically syncs progress between the Kindle and Audible versions of a book. The feature allows Amazon customers to read a book at home and then listen from where they left off when they open the Audible version of the book. In order for his feature to work, customers must own both the Kindle and Audible version of the book title.



Other changes in Kindle 4.3 for iOS version include the ability to download a collection of books, the addition of a sleep timer and new narration speeds up to 2x. Amazon also improved its X-Ray search feature and improved overall performance and stability of the app.



Kindle for iOS is a free app that can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 03:06PM, June 10

Intel Unveils Fanless PC Reference Design Based on Upcoming Broadwell Chips

Intel today showed off a new reference PC design built around the company's upcoming Broadwell Core M processor. The Core M is based on a 14 nm process and will the first Broadwell chip to be made available to manufacturers, who are expected to debut the chip in retail products by the end of this year.



With Intel experiencing difficulties and delays with the development of Broadwell, the current Haswell generation has been stretched out somewhat with only modest "Haswell refresh" bumps taking place in recent months to tide users over until Broadwell. With improved performance and efficiency, Broadwell is seen as a significant opportunity for innovation in personal computers.




Intel's reference design for hybrid tablet-notebook running on Broadwell


At Computex, Intel president Renee James showcased the first Core M device -- a 12.5-inch tablet-notebook hybrid that is thinner than the iPad Air, has a fanless design, and provides energy-efficient performance for mobile users.

The innovative design is based on the first of Intel's next-generation 14nm Broadwell processors that are purpose-built for 2 in 1s and will be in market later this year. Called the Intel Core M processor, it will deliver the most energy-efficient Intel Core processor in the company's history. The majority of designs based on this new chip are expected to be fanless and deliver both a lightning-fast tablet and a razor-thin laptop.

Apple has been rumored to planning to release a fanless Retina MacBook Air later this year, but it is unclear exactly what technology Apple will use to achieve that design. The Core M processor being shown by Intel today is part of the Broadwell-Y series that runs at just a handful of watts, while the MacBook Air currently includes Haswell-U series chips running in the 15-watt range. Broadwell-U chips are expected, although perhaps not in significant quantities until early 2015.

Read More [...]

Posted in 2014 at 03:06PM, June 03