All the iPad users will be happy to know about the confirmation from Apple that it is going to issue a software fix for the iPad to resolve problems cropping up from Wi-Fi connectivity.
Scores of iPad users in the US reported problems arising due to weak Wi-Fi signals that even led them to drop connections. It has also been reported that the iPad at times declines automatic rejoining of authorized networks.
Although very few iPad users have faced these problems, Apple has assured to handle the problems by issuing a software patch for the iPad. The release date is yet to be finalized.
For the time being, Apple has come up with a support article thereby suggesting various options to deal with the Wi-Fi issues. It suggests that the iPad users facing Connectivity problems can go with switching to either WPA or WPA2 encryption, updating the router firmware, or IP address renewal.
In the meantime, Apple’s chief executive, Steve Jobs, who has come out of a life- saving liver transplantation after a year engaged him working at the same old position as before he fell sick.
After his recovery from the operation, the first public appearance of Jobs took place for unveiling the new set of iPods. The iPad being launched will be made available from May 28 onwards in the UK. Above million units of iPad have already been sold in the US.
For all those gadget-lovers who have been eagerly awaiting the much talked about tablet-PC, Apple iPad will leave a bigger hole in the pocket. The iPad will cost £100 more than what it cost Americans, as it is slated for sale starting next week in the UK.
The premium paid by customers in the UK over the American prices ranges from £90 – £130 depending on the cheapest or the costliest iPad you choose. Owing to high demand in the US, the launch of iPad has been delayed. It would be available for online pre-orders starting May 10 and in the stores from May 28.
It has been a common feature that Apple sold its products at a premium in the UK claiming the higher costs of business in the UK. The iPad has sold more than a million pieces so far after its launch a month ago in the US.
The iPad does not support Flash content and thus leaves a huge gap in the web browsing space where a variety of content/videos need Flash.
Analysts and Critics believe that it would be wise to wait for the next version of the iPad which surely is going to offer more at a cheaper price given the precedent set by the iPhone.
Nine countries would get to lay their hands on the iPad this month and another nine would get the privilege next month.
Apple, the bright coloured gadget manufacturer is planning to plug in an OLED display in its second generation iPad, if unconfirmed reports are to be believed. As per Digitimes’ interactions with the component manufacturers, the iPad would use the same design concept as the 4G iPhone. DigiTimes is a Taiwanese web site.
This sounds odd given the high cost involved in using OLED panels. However, Apple might expect the cost of the OLED panels to go down from their current prices, thanks to a healthy competition between OLED panel makers and the increasing capacity from the makers of OLED panels.
Samsung is the uncrowned leader for OLED panels and LG has just joined the band through its acquisition of Kodak’s OLED division, previous year. AU Optronics on the other hand is expected to restart the production of OLED panels in 2011. The Taiwanese website expects this additional capacity in OLED panel production to lead to lower cost of the panels.
But there are insiders in Digitimes who have doubts over the claim about the OLED panels’ prices going down. Just to get an idea about the pricing disparity, a 9.7-inch OLED panel costs around $500 where as the LCD counterpart costs just $60 to $70.
As the Apple iPad received a thundering welcome from gadget fans across the US, its launch in other countries has been delayed. All the three major operators, Vodafone,O2 and Orange have confirmed the sale of the tablet PC in the UK from May.
Apple confirmed the news that higher demand in the US hit the launch dates of the iPad in other countries. Apple is to open pre-orders and announce the prices on 10th May.
The iPad is available with just Wi-Fi connectivity or with WiFi connectivity and 3G. The iPad uses MicroSIMs, though. None of the three operators in the UK announced the mobile broadband charges for iPad.
T-Mobile have not yet made any announcements about the iPad being made available, though it has also been running from pillar to post to get into a deal with Apple along with the other major UK telecom players.
O2, Vodafone, and Orange are expected to offer pre-paid plans as well as contract based plans for the iPad. For US customers, Apple’s network partner, AT&T is offering 250 MB data for just $14.99 and unlimited data for $29.99 with no long-term contracts from the customers
HP Slate will mark the beginning of the tablet wars between the competitors which will only get fiercer if not murkier with time. The Apple iPad is the undisputed monopoly when it comes to tablet PCs today and HP Slate is all set to crash into to the party very soon.
The HP Slate comes with a front facing webcam and thus suits video-conferencing on the fly. The Slate runs on Windows 7 and it will be compatible with all the PC components that we use day in and day out.
The HP Slate comes with Flash support, a USB port and SD Card Reader. One needs to use iTunes or email to transfer pictures on the contrary which is tedious.
Gadget geeks are surely waiting with eagerness for HP Slate. So, when does this tablet get out on to the shelves? There are good number of pointers which indicate the Slate to get released this Fall and if it does, then it would be on many people’s Christmas lists.
The entry price of $549 stands well to counter the $499 price of the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad. All in all, the entry price for the tablets seems to hover around $500.
Though not official, market rumor mills are agog that Microsoft is coming up with Courier as an answer to Apple iPad.
The Microsoft Courier is believed to be like a notebook with the capability of folding the screen into half. Rumors also go on to say that it weighs to be a pound and has thickness of less than an inch. This may be powered by Windows Phone 7, latest mobile operating system series.
If reports are to be believed it is to be launched in America soon and then in UK a month later, as the tablet computer is believed to be one of the promising growth market for 2010. These Tablet PCs fit in between Smartphone and computers. It is powerful than Smartphone and less powerful than Laptop.
Despite many companies having their fingers crossed about the acceptance of these new devices, Asus is also planning to release their Tablet PC in Europe next month. Other players are waiting for the market’s reaction to these launches, before they can plan for their own releases.
Application developers are gearing up with their set of applications to make first mover benefit. In this league we see publishing industry, newspapers and magazines and gaming application developers, who are trying to milk this market, before others could join them.
The battle cries can be clearly heard now that Amazon announced the launch of its e-book reader application, Kindle for Apple iPad thus competing with Apple’s own iBooks store and Barnes & Noble’s reader iPad application.
A repository of more than 450,000 Kindle books will be opened up by Amazon for the iPad, when the iPad’s arrivals start on April3. Amazon’s Whispersync technology will be used by Kindle for automatic synchronization of the last read page, Notes, Highlights, and Bookmarks onto iPhone or other Kindle e-readers. This results in seamless usage of the reader application irrespective of whether you use a Blackberry, an iPhone or the Kindle e-reader when you start reading later.
Amazon says that the look and feel of Kindle and its size has been customized for the Tablet PC. Also the background colour, font size and the screen brightness can be customized from Kindle.
Just like the Apple’s iBook store and application, Kindle’s app provides an animation for page turning just like a normal book is read. People who purchase a book using Kindle will be able to read it on all other Kindle compatible devices.
Amazon Kindle will have to survive amidst stiff battle from Apple’s own iBooks store and Barnes & Noble’s eReader app. With news that there are similar tablets coming up like the HP Slate and the Dell’s Streak (Android-based), there is no clarity if Amazon would be providing similar dedicated applications for them.
As the doors have opened up for pre-ordering the Apple iPad in the US, the details about the connectivity contract are slowly pouring in. The 3G iPad will be offered at $15 per month for 250MB of data and $30 for unlimited usage without any contract whatsoever which makes the deal so groovy.
Vodafone charges similarly in the UK for a 3GB limit but 250 MB should not be any less as it can accommodate a lot of applications given the fact that the iPad is not intended for heavy data dependent usage.
The iPad will have a button to lock the automatic rotation of screen, and its battery will cost $100 on replacement. The iPad would be able to dish out bedtime stories too and would be pre-loaded with a monthly data usage contract.
And coming to recharge, as and when the data cap is nearing, an in-built iPad utility warns the user and provides options to cancel or upgrade the connection from within the iPad UI. The flip-flop for rotation will be a welcome for most of those users who got irritated with the auto-rotate functionality as in the iPhone.
The battery replacement service is very much required and Apple’s offer to replace the same for $99 is good though the users will have to back up the data on their own.
Even as CNN suggests 120,000 pre-orders for the iPad, we need to watch out for the iPad to actually ship out.
If you somehow believed that Apple is a monopoly when it comes to Tablet PC’s, it is high time you get updated that there is competition from a lot of players.
HP offers Flash which can be the killer app nicknamed as Slate. HP Slate is based on a Windows 7 variation with multi-touch functions making it more flexible compared to Apple’s rigid iPad OS. However, the specifications, availability, pricing, and the partners are not known.
The Adam’s specs on the other hand make it look like an anti-iPad. It has a 10-inch LCD PixelQi screen, which can switch over between colour and black and white modes. Equipped with a camera, the OS as well as the browsers depend on Flash. No information regarding the price, launch date and support is disclosed yet.
And then, we have CrunchPad, a simple web tablet weighing 2.5 pounds. The CrunchPad is equipped with 12-inch screen. A 3G SIM card slot for 3G is missing though. Named JooJoo, it has a price tag of $500 and will be offered from March 25.
Archos is yet another tablet PC offered at $179. Powered by a 600 MHz processor, it is driven by a full Android operating system. April is the timeframe for the device to show up in the market.
There seems to be no exclusivity offered by Apple to mobile service providers in UK for the release of its much talked about Tablet-PC, the iPad. And the biggest mobile service providers in the UK are leaving no stone unturned to get a pie of the upcoming business opportunity. All the three major networks in the UK, O2, Orange and Vodafone may offer Apple’s iPad.
Notably, Apple iPhone was launched exclusively by O2 when it was launched. And for the iPad, Apple have chosen AT&T as their launch partner for the US and has also clearly specified the price tags at which each variation is being offered. However, when it comes to UK, there is no clarity about the providers who will offer the iPad leave alone the pricing.
The who’s who from Apple is reportedly in the UK to discuss and finalize the release of the Tablet PC with each of the major mobile service providers.
If we can believe Unbeatable.co.uk, all the three big names might be allowed a level playing from day one instead of any exclusivity. When the sensational iPhone was released, it was exclusivity which hogged the limelight bringing O2 to the centre-stage.
With the Blue Van’s ‘There Goes My Love’ soundtrack in the background, the first advertisement of the much awaited Apple iPad takes the viewers on a breath-taking ride by providing a sneak peak of all the functions that the tablet PC is capable of.
After the news about the sale of iPad in the US starting April 3, the spot advertisement struck gadget fans as a pleasant surprise. Apple has already confirmed that people in UK would be able to lay hands on both the Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi and 3G versions only in late April.
People in US can meanwhile start placing pre-orders for the device online as well as in Apple stores from March 12. Apple Inc. chief executive, Steve Jobs was spotted on the red carpet at the start of the Oscars.
The stunning capabilities are very well demonstrated in the brief TV advert. With a 10in touch-screen, the iPad can be used for a host of day to day usages for which we use computers today. We can browse the web, listen to music, read e-books, watch movies, and download apps.
To put it in the Apple Chief Executive, Steve Jobs’ words “The iPad is something completely new. We’re excited for customers to get their hands on this magical and revolutionary product and connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”
While entry-level model will cost $499 in the United States, it is rumoured that the Wi-Fi only, 16GB iPad will cost £389 in the UK.
