Way to make all us iPad owners look bad, Spike.
I’m @slim and this is where I Tumblr. I work for comiXology and like to take pictures. I take part in several podcasts as well.
“Recently I wrote an article “RIM needs to shut up and ship” because I thought your biggest problem was the fact that you are unable to get any products out the door. However, after looking at what you are saying in the press, I think you just need to shut up.”Jim Dalrymple - Dear RIM.
It’s very hard to test speed of a device like this, especially in a controlled environment like a demo room. The iPad 2 certainly felt fast—really fast. GarageBand and iMovie, both apps that presumably tax hardware to its limits, moved smoothly. While we don’t know for sure how much memory the iPad 2 contains, 512MB—the same as the iPhone 4—seems like a reasonable guess.
What I Expect In An iPad 2 & Your Face.
Come April, I’d love to see a Retina Display upgrade, a healthy amount of RAM, and an ever so glorious SD slot. I’m willing to sacrifice a few hours to battery to make that happen. Wouldn’t you?
That was me in January. Looks like I’ll have to wait until September for something like that.
At this point, I think we’re all expecting an update much like the 3GS was to the 3G, most likely to the groans of Apple dissenters everywhere. I also would expect a Gizmodo article on “Why You Shouldn’t Buy The Newest iPad”. That seems to be their required monthly article these days. I’m hoping for a lengthy look into iOS 5. It may seem like business as usual, but for someone that has been yearning for more RAM in their current iPad, this event will be music to my ears.
March iPad Event:
*Thinner, faster, FaceTime-capable iPad,
*Universal ATT/Verizon 3G Model,
*iOS 5 preview with revamped notification system.
If they show off iOS 5 and the notification system is exactly the same, I’m throwing my iPhone out of the nearest window.
Notably, that SD card slot and higher resolution display won’t make it into the new model (the latter we’d been hearing rumblings about for a little while). What’s the cause of the switch? Well our sources weren’t crystal clear on the exact reasons, but the gist of what was explained to us centered around vague “engineering issues” which may have forced some changes at the eleventh hour.
It’s almost been a foregone conclusion at this point with reports from the WSJ and others that there would be no Retina Display on the March iPad.
My thinking is that the version Engadget first reported on could still be the rumored September iPad. If Gruber is right about this addition to the iPad line, features like a Retina Display and a possible SD slot would seem very “Pro”. I still don’t think Apple will be able to sell a Retina iPad for under $499, which lends credence to the fact that this model would be an enhancement to the line.
Let’s say the March iPad comes in at $499, or even $399. Same great battery life, thinner and now with FaceTime. September rolls around and Apple announces an iPad Pro with Retina and also an SD slot. Perhaps even Thunderbolt. Would that iPad be able to boast a 12 hour battery life? I doubt it. But who cares at that point? a Retina iPad with just a 7 hour battery life? For shame, Apple! I would think that model would need to be priced around $599 or higher to start, too.
I don’t think Engadget’s source was wrong. I just think those specs are still possible for the September iPad.
So, let’s see…
*FaceTime,
*Upgraded RAM,
*iOS 5 sneak peak,
*Thinner,
*Fitter, happier, more productive?
Sounds about right.
The Next iPads & Your Face.
I suggest reading The Gruber’s piece that started this whole “iPad 3 in September” mess.
The long and short of it sounds like Apple is willing to release a higher-end, 3rd generation iPad during their usual music event in September. What else are they going to announce - more storage for iPod touches? Who cares?
My question is: would they even have an event to release April’s iPad? By all accounts, this model will be just like what the 3GS was to the 3G. Faster, lighter, and with some new feature. The problem I see is that when the 3GS was announced, they also unveiled unibody MacBook’s, Snow Leopard shipping for $29, and a new version of Safari.
The Gruber mentioned about an “announcement” for the next iPad. I think having an actual event to talk about the iPad 2 would perhaps do more harm than good, especially if there will be another model coming 6 months later. What else would they talk about during the event - FaceTime?
If these rumors of a Retina Display super-iPad in September are true, I think they would just do a quick announcement on their website, much like the laptop speed-bumps of old. Anything else would probably confuse or upset people come September..
Finally, an iPad Twitter app I can use without cursing the UI. If it detects a reply, it will show the conversation from the individuals included (screenshot). If it detects a URL, it displays the web page (screenshot).
Twitter for iPad is by far the most expertly designed iPad Twitter client. Still, I love the simplicity of Twitterrific. In terms of Twitter for iPhone, my main gripe was that it would only load the last 20 tweets when I’d wake up in the morning and check the app. Twitterrific would load just about everyone that I’d missed. It’s also a little less hectic.
Also a minor gripe is that Twitter for iPad makes me touch one more time to get into my lists. It looks fabulous while making my fingers less sausag-y, though.
UPDATE: After a day, I’m sticking with Twitterrific. Too much going on with Twitter for iPad. I love the subdued, hidden features of Twitterrific.
“As for the iPad, no, I don’t think 4.1 is going to be released for it. iOS 4.2, coming late in the calendar year, is a more likely unification release for all iOS devices. Think about it — how can Apple release iOS 4.1 for the iPad next week if they haven’t released a single beta for developers?”I hate it when John Gruber makes sense.
“So why did I succumb to the charms of the iPad? Quite simply, I have not been able to find a PC that offered what an iPad does. Windows laptops are powerful, versatile and relatively inexpensive compared to Apple’s counter-offerings. You can get portable netbooks (with so-so performance), great big-screen gaming rigs and thin-and-light models (like the Asus UL30A that is my current workhorse). But none of these has the amazing battery life, fast on/off, ultra-handy form factor, a made-for-touch interface (rather than touch bolted on to a keyboard/mouse-centric interface) or a built-in app store.”
Mary Jo Foley, ZDnet Windows Blogger, purchased an iPad.
Unsurprisingly, she is really enjoying it. Though, she oddly wants to see Internet Explorer over Safari, which may negate any other previous claims she made in the article.
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