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iPad 3 to be called iPad 2 Plus, available this year?

macfunia — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:37:45 +0000

2011 looks like the year of the “plus”. While Google has the recently launched Google+ social network, rumors show that Samsung is about to release its Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus. Now an report comes from FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger suggestions that Apple intends to release an “iPad 2 Plus,” essentially a slightly upgraded iPad 2 which is said to have a higher resolution display (250-300 ppi), an improvement over the iPad 2′s 132-ppi resolution.

This rumor started with a note FBR Capital analyst Craig Berger wrote to Forbes’ writer Eric Savitz. In this note Berger explains that such a move would fit in with production goals and part availabilities:
“We hear Apple could migrate the iPad’s display resolution from a current pixel density of 132 ppi to 250-300 ppi for the ‘iPad 2 Plus’ (note that the iPhone 4′s screen is 326 ppi),” he writes. “If this device does come out as a high-end iPad for the holidays, then Q4 production volumes could diminish somewhat as screen constraints again arise as LG and/or Samsung would likely have difficulties ramping screen yield rates for these high resolution displays right out of the gate. While we find this new commentary interesting, we await more confirming data points from other supply chain contacts before fully believing a new iPad device is coming in 2011.”

Berger’s view of the next-generation iPad as a tweaked iPad 2 is essentially the reverse of theories that initially appeared earlier this year in the lead-up to the iPad 2 launch. At that time, some observers had considered what would become the iPad 2 to be an interim release to carry Apple through until it could release a more significant update later in the year.

But with Apple actually having made fairly substantial improvements in the iPad 2 with the addition of dual cameras, a 33% thinner enclosure, and processor and graphics enhancements, Berger’s report takes the view of the next-generation iPad being an enhanced iPad 2 rather than a full iPad 3 update.

Regardless of the name attached to the rumored next-generation device, a shift to a higher-resolution display approaching “Retina” resolutions in the range of 250-300 ppi would of course be a substantial improvement even on its own, and with Apple reported to have ordered 5 million iPad 2 touch sensors this month, there’s a possibility of the sensors being used for this iPad 2 plus. Well, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Stay tuned.

Report: iPhone 5 and iPad 3 Scheduled for October Release

macfunia — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 09:19:32 +0000

DigiTimes – The Taiwan-based blog, a frequent purveyor of Apple rumors, has now reports that Apple’s supply chain is now preparing materials for the production of the iPad 3 and iPhone 5. According to the site’s “industry sources,” both products will be unveiled in September and arriving on the market in October.

DigiTimes didn’t give any details as to what could be included in the iPhone 5, but it said the iPad 3 will be even lighter and thinner than the current iPad 2 model, and may include a 250dpi display — better than this iteration’s 132dpi screen, but still a bit under the iPhone 4′s ultra-dense retina display, which sits pretty with a dpi of 326.

The same sources say that the iPhone 5′s supply volume should be around 6-7 million units in Q3 2011, so expect the usual “hard to get” scenario if Apple chooses to launch it on a global scale in October. There’s always the chance of it being released in the U.S. first though, given the fact that there’ll be at least two carriers offering it from day one.

DigiTimes reports:
Upstream component makers including Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry), which is in charge of assembling the devices; Simplo Technologies and Dynapack International Technology, in charge of manufacturing batteries; TPK Holding and Wintek, in charge of touch panel modules; Catcher, in charge of chassis; and Largan Precision, in charge of webcams, are all expected to benefit from the orders.

Now, I know these types of rumors swirl around the blogosphere all the time, but it’s probably safe to say that the market can expect a new iPhone device by year’s end. On the other hand, another iPad doesn’t sound realistic since Apple just released the iPad 2 about eight months ago. It might be a bit too soon for that launch but still would be cool.

RUMOR: Apple iPad 3 may come with High Resolution Display?

macfunia — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:12:08 +0000

Apple has not announced the official features or release date of Apple iPad 3 but rumors of a high-resolution Retina Display for iPad 3 has never far from the surface, came roaring back after the blog TechUnwrapped posted screenshots of some extra-large images in iOS 5, the upcoming mobile operating system for Apple mobile devices.

The twitter.framwork in iOS 5 SKD reveals a resolution of 2048 x 1536, which is much higher than the current 1024 x 768. This would quadruple the pixels giving it a 264ppi while the current one supports 132ppi. If this does come true it will still be short of 300ppi, which is the required pixels per inch to be called retina. Although it will definitely hugely improve the display.
In addition to the new Twitter.framework, Apple’s upcoming Newsstand application – with consolidates iOS users’ subscriptions in one place, and downloads new periodical issues in the device’s background – apparently also features images with twice-as-large resolutions.

Many users wanted an iPad 2 to have the retina display but Apple could not implement it due to “engineering issues”. Which by now should be fixed. So are we going to see an iPad 3 with retina display? Let us know in the comments below.

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Top 5 iPad magazines

macfunia — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 09:23:44 +0000

On the market for less than a year, the iPad has forever changed magazines with the biggest names in publishing diving in head first — People, Popular Science, Wired and more. However, just because a publication has gone digital doesn’t mean it’s good. Here’s a quick hot or not look at the magazines available on the Apple tablet.

• Project ($0.99) — When I reviewed Richard Branson’s svelt, über cool digital magazine, I said it was worth paying for at least once. Since then, they’ve improved the app and slashed the price from $2.99 to $0.99 per issue. That said, I just bought an issue and suggest you give Project a read.

• Nylon ($2.99) — This women’s fashion and living mag for the iPad is another that’s being remade and remaking the future, a work in progress that’s already pretty darned good.

• ESPN ($9.99) — This mag is innovative and packed with features, the little things — pop ups, videos, infographics, AirPlay compatibility — that make this new digital medium engaging. The per issue price, however, is enough keep some people away.

• People (free w/ paper sub, $3.99) — If you already subscribe to the print edition, the iPad version is free, which is a nice value add. From a technical perspective, this isn’t the most advanced or engaging digital magazine, though perhaps that isn’t the most important thing when you need to feed a nagging Bradgelina addiction.

• Economist ($5.99) — The international gold standard for in-depth reporting and analysis framed by a political outlook that’s pro-business yet hasn’t lost its humanity.

These are just some samples of iPad magazines that you can have a try with. The best way to know which ones you like the most is to try them all out. If you want to rip DVD or convert video to your iPad, you may download free trial version of iPad Video Converter for Mac or DVD to iPad Converter for Mac.

Free and Legal Places to Get iPad 2 Movies

macfunia — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:37:24 +0000

The iPad’s big screen and long battery life make it the perfect gadget for watching videos and movies. For movie lovers there are a lot of completely free, legal movies out there that just awaits to be taken. Today we bring you some top destinations for free and legal movies on iPad/iPad 2. Some, like Netflix and Hulu, are apps that you download, while others are iPad-optimized sites that help you find and watch the best TV and movies the Web has to offer. If you want to watch TV and movies from your own collection, you can use Mac DVD to iPad Converter to Convert all the DVD movies and videos to iPad compatible video format. Read the full article here.

5 Essential Tips for GarageBand for iPad

macfunia — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:29:36 +0000

It’s no secret that GarageBand is entry-level music editing software. For the non-musician getting started, a peek at the controls and settings in Pro Tools or Logic Pro can fry synapses faster than a late 1960s road trip on the Rolling Stones’ tour bus. Whether you’re Mozart incarnate or musically impaired, our expert advice will help you make GarageBand for iPad your favorite instrument.

Tip 1: A Greater Arpeggiator
If you don’t know an arpeggiator from a didgeridoo, the good news is you don’t have to. GarageBand allows for a simple way to play notes in your scale. In Keyboard mode, select the Scale button on the right. Choose a scale (if you don’t know anything about music, choose Major for a happy sound and Minor for a sad sound. Then choose the Arpeggiator button on its right. Slide the Run button to On and adjust the Note Order, Note Rate and Octave Range. With the scale selected, the Arpeggiator will still only play chords in your scale, making the entire process easier!

Choosing the right scale won’t make it impossible to hit a wrong note, but it will make it more likely you hit the right ones.

Tip 2: Are Four Strings Better Than None?
We love the smart instruments in GarageBand, with one exception—Smart Bass. Its groovy riffs might be good for some music, but they tend to muck up others. If you aren’t having any luck with GarageBand’s Smart Bass, try using a synth instead. With its heap of potential bass sounds (and the ability to lower the octave), you can ditch the four-string altogether. Just go to Instruments > Keyboards > Synth Bass and set the octave (on the far left) to somewhere around -2. We especially liked the sound of the Hip Hop Sub Bass synth.

If you need a wide range of notes, you can stack your keyboards by tapping the keyboard icon on the far right and selecting the icon with two keyboards.

Tip 3: Get Smart Drums All Squared Away
Though it might seem like a no-brainer, it’s easy to overlook the fact that you can stack each rhythm element on the same square in Smart Drums. If you’re trying to create the perfect beat, you’ll inevitably need a few things to be the same volume (X axis) and complexity (Y axis). But be careful—stacking too many elements at the same volume will lead to a muddy, indistinguishable percussion.

Of all the Smart Drums, the House Drum Machine has the most rhythm elements. And yep—you can stack all ten in the same square.

Tip 4: Palm-Mute Your Power Chords
In Smart Guitar, you can palm-mute by holding down any part of the neck on the far left or far right, outside of the note panels. This only works when the Chords switch is flipped, but you can still hit individual notes by tapping the strings within each chord.

Electric guitars won’t sustain their notes as long when palm-muted.

Tip 5: Export to .band
Once you’ve created your masterpiece, you can export to GarageBand for Mac for some fine-tuning. Tap My Songs and click the export button on the bottom right of the project you’re exporting. Tap “Send to iTunes,” and you’ll be presented with two export options—an AAC copy and a GarageBand copy. Choose GarageBand, and next time you plug in your iPad into your Mac, your .band file will be waiting for you in File Sharing inside iTunes.

Exporting couldn’t be easier…thanks, GarageBand!

Gallery: iPad vs iPad 2 — The Close Up Pictures

macfunia — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:36:51 +0000

Not only does the brand new Apple iPad 2 promises to change thefuture of technology, but it also comes loaded with some of the best iPad apps, and is very easy to use.If you are looking for a quick rundown on what’s changed and what’s not, you can have a quick look at the photos we listed below, because you can never get enough of Apple product photos, we took photos of the two iPads. The ports, the buttons, the height, we compare the two iPads for your viewing pleasure.

Some iPads are bigger than others. The thickness difference is the first thing you notice.

The volume and mute/orientation lock buttons. The lock button is easier to use on the first generation iPad.

The lock button. Like the latest iPod touches, it's on a slope on the iPad 2.

Headphone jack. Also on a slope like the iPod touch.

The speakers. I actually prefer the original iPad speakers in preliminary testing. This could change once I get a chance to thoroughly test them both.

The camera. Yeah, not much to say here. One has a camera, one does not.

Report: iPad 2 Display Almost Identical In Perfomance To iPhone 4

macfunia — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 11:27:37 +0000

Whilst many have complained of the lack of resolution increase from the original iPad to the iPad 2, a report by Dr. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies claims that in quite an in-depth and thorough examination of the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPad 2 displays, it was revealed that for most specifications from hardware color depth to black levels to contrast ratio, the iPad 2’s display matched or was close to the iPhone 4’s specifications and both were classified as “Excellent” by the report.

“I was surprised and shocked that the iPad 2 tested identical to the iPhone 4,” Dr. Soneira says of his latest study, where he pitted three iOS devices — the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2 — against each other to compare their displays. “Apple put in a very high quality IPS LCD into that iPad — it’s an outstanding display.” A detailed comparison table on Dr. Soneira’s study (seen below) shows that the iPad 2 has almost identical performance to the iPhone 4′s Retina Display. But where the difference is noticeable is in the iPad 2′s larger display, which makes the lower Pixels Per Inch (PPI) more apparent. “It would be really nice to get that PPI higher,” says Dr. Soneira, but adds that Apple will inevitably do something about that in a future iteration of the tablet device.

The first was that the anti-aliasing was “far from state-of-the-art” in that the text and graphics displayed were degraded by the lack of perceived sharpness. Dr. Soneira said in the report Apple could remedy this by adding ‘sub-pixel anti-aliasing’, particularly given the speed enhancements of the iPad 2 which would easily handle this technology. He notes, “It will make a big visual improvement and take some of the unwarranted pressure off the iPad’s current PPI.”

Secondly is the issue of the display’s auto-brightness controls which Dr. Soneira believes is poorly implemented on “all mobile devices including the iPhone 4 and iPad 2.” He highlights the issue that the auto-brightness controls have a bug on all iOS devices in which they lock onto the brightest level detected once the device is awoken and “hold that peak value even after the ambient light decreases substantially afterwards.” This leads to the obvious issues of eye comfort and fatigue in addition to also depleting battery power at a faster rate.

Best iPad 2 Apps: 5 Apps to show off your new iPad 2

macfunia — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:15:36 +0000

Perhaps you just got your iPad 2 and you want to know what must have apps to get that are the best, most popular or the ones that are the best to start off with. Want to really show off those new cameras or put that new super fast Apple A5 processor to the test? Here are 5 best iPad 2 apps that will get you started. If you’re brand new to iPad, be sure to check out our Top 10 iPad Apps to get you started with all the basics, from social to casual to creative. If you really want to stun your friends and family, however — if you want to blow them away with your new iPad 2, then grab/update these next!

Best iPad 2 Apps 1 – Flipboard

This is a must have iPad 2 app because it’s one of the best ways to display all your social networking such as Twitter, Facebook, and now Instagram in a magazine-style view that is absolutely incredible. Flipboard is free.

Best iPad 2 Apps 2 – Dropbox
Dropbox is a must have iPad 2 app as it is one of the best ways to store all your documents, files, music, and videos. There are over 50 apps that work with dropbox and they give you 2GB free storage so it’s the perfect way to get started with cloud storage. Dropbox is free.

Best iPad 2 Apps 3 – Penultimate
Penultimate is one of the best must have iPad 2 apps for news users and it’s an essential app if you like taking notes or sketching down ideas. You can sketch out just about any idea, draw diagrams, web pages, flow charts or just brainstorm. I use it daily. Penultimate is $1.99.

Best iPad 2 Apps 4 – Brushes
Want to experiment with painting on your iPad? This is hands down one of the must have iPad 2 apps if you want to experience doing any kind of art or just seeing the capabilities of the new graphics. If you get serious about painting then you might also want to check out this special iPad stylus brush you can now get. Brushes is $7.99 but well worth it.

Best iPad 2 Apps 5 – DVD to iPad 2 converter
Getting DVD movies to iPad 2 is easy. With iFunia DVD to iPad Converter for Mac, you can follow three steps to rip and convert your loved Hollywood DVD movies to iPad 2-ready MP4, M4V and MOV video formats and M4A, MP3, AIFF, WAV audio formats. iFunia DVD to iPad Converter Mac also allows you to trim DVD movie, crop DVD and select DVD subtitle and audio track to convert your movie with any available languages.

Survey shows 82% Of Tablet Buyers Want The iPad

macfunia — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 10:45:56 +0000

Apple iPad 2 is now available and according to a new survey, the majority of those that want a tablet want an iPad. Say what you will about other tablets beating the iPad at the specs game, I think this chart speaks volume for which one people actually want. This is based on a survey of more than 3,000 people, and more than 80% of those planning to get a tablet want the iPad. I think really effectively shows that it’s not all about a pissing competition for processors and memory, it’s about user experience.

Say what you will about other tablets beating the iPad at the specs game, I think this chart speaks volume for which one people actually want. This is based on a survey of more than 3,000 people, and more than 80% of those planning to get a tablet want the iPad. I think really effectively shows that it’s not all about a pissing competition for processors and memory, it’s about user experience.

The second chart demonstrates how satisfied iPad owners are with their device. 70 percent are very satisfied, 25 percent are somewhat satisfied, with those that are not satisfied making up a tremendously small amount.

Finally, those considering purchasing the iPad were asked what, if any, wireless service provider they would use for their 3G iPad and where they would purchase an iPad. Those providing answers indicated they would purchase the WiFi version of the iPad and would do so from Best Buy, Wal-Mart or Target.