Review: Better cameras, less glare in iPad Air 2

CUPERTINO, California–If I’ve seen you taking photos with a tablet computer, I’ve probably made fun of you (though maybe not to your face, depending on how big you are). I’m old school: I much prefer looking through the viewfinder of my full-bodied, single-lens reflex camera, even though it has a large LCD screen.

But as I tested out Apple’s new iPad Air 2, I see why people like to shoot pictures with a tablet. Images look great on the large screen, and there’s less guesswork about whether or not small details, such as lettering on a sign, will be in focus.

And what you see — and get — with the iPad Air 2 is a better camera. The rear one now matches the iPhone’s 8 megapixels, up from 5 megapixels, and incorporates features such as slow-motion video. Packed with a faster processor, the 9.7-inch tablet is also 18 percent thinner and 7 percent lighter than the previous model, at about a quarter of an inch and just under a pound.

Apple is also updating its 7.9-inch iPad Mini, though the cameras, processor and dimensions haven’t changed.

The tablets go on sale this week, starting at $499 for the iPad Air 2 and $399 for the iPad Mini 3. Both now have fingerprint ID technology to expedite online purchases through Apple Pay. Gold joins silver and grey as color choices, and pricier models have twice as much storage as before.

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IMPROVED CAMERA

The iPad Air 2 takes sharper images. I can tell even before snapping the shot because I see all that detail on the screen. I’m able to read the small name tag on a baby bottle. Lettering on a van across the street looks clearer.

Last month’s iOS 8 software update brought panorama and time-lapse features to the iPad. With the iPad Air 2, you can snap 10 shots per second in a burst mode — great for restless kids, as you can choose the best shots later. You also get slow-motion video, though only at 120 frames per second. The new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus offer 240 frames per second as well, so motion looks even slower.

The new Air’s front camera gets a burst mode, too, and the front sensor is better than before at capturing light for indoor and night selfies.

Unfortunately, the iPad still doesn’t have a flash. Although I prefer taking shots with natural light anyway, a lot of people like the flash. My advice is to light subjects with the iPhone’s flashlight.

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BETTER VIEWING AND SOUND

An anti-reflective coating reduces glare on the iPad Air 2. It’s a first for Apple and possibly a first for any consumer mobile device. I was dubious until I watched video with light shining in through my window. The coating didn’t eliminate glare completely, but made video viewable. The glare was too distracting on last year’s Air.

The coating also promises to improve contrast. However, I had to look hard to notice differences in some dull-color scenes in Showtime’s “Homeland.” In many cases, the quality of the video stream makes a bigger difference.

To me, the iPad Air 2 also has better speakers. With the volume cranked all the way up, sound is louder on the new model. Apple says there shouldn’t be a difference, though I’m not complaining. (My neighbors might, though.)

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OTHER CHANGES

I’m glad to see the fingerprint ID sensor for unlocking both new tablets. Passcodes seem so last century, not to mention inconvenient.

That fingerprint can now be used to authorize Apple Pay purchases in apps. Unlike the new iPhones, the iPad doesn’t have a wireless chip needed for in-store transactions. Then again, I’d probably mock anyone who tried to wave a giant device over a cashier’s payment terminal. But I can see myself choosing a tablet over a phone for online shopping, and the fingerprint with Apple Pay will work nicely for that.

For the iPad Air 2 only, there’s a faster Wi-Fi technology called 802.11ac, though you need new home-networking equipment to take advantage of it. The Air also gets a barometer sensor to track elevation in fitness apps.

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THE BARGAIN

Last year’s iPad Air was a huge improvement over the 2012 iPad, so this year’s update seems small by comparison. The improvements might not be enough for existing iPad Air owners to upgrade, but there’s enough there for those who have older models or are getting their first tablets.

The update in the iPad Mini is less pronounced. That makes it less tempting to save $100 by going for the Mini. For the same price as an iPad Mini 3, you can get last year’s full-size iPad with similar technical specifications. Bargain hunters should consider previous versions of the Mini, including the original model for $249, the cheapest iPad yet.

If you can afford it, though, spend more for added storage. For $599, you get an iPad Air 2 with 64 gigabytes, compared with 16 GB in the $499 base model. For $699, you get 128 GB. You’ll be surprised how quickly your iPad fills up with photos and video — especially now that I won’t mock you.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Slight headwinds as iPad Air takes off

TOKYO–For one Japanese man, being at the front of a Tokyo queue as the new iPad debuted around the world Friday was his way of saying “thank you” to Apple after a year that turned his life around.

Takaaki Sasaki was one of hundreds who poured into Apple’s flagship store in the glitzy Ginza district as the doors opened on the latest tablet offering from the sector’s agenda-setter.

The launch had little of the razzmatazz of previous iPads or iPhones, with potential customers perhaps swayed by a critical reception that was largely positive but dominated by the theme that the iPad Air was no game-changer.

The worldwide rollout kicked off Down Under, with Apple in Australia saying there were queues outside its stores when the doors opened, with several hundred people reportedly lining up outside its flagship Sydney outlet.

At the sprawling, three-storey Apple shop in downtown Beijing — the largest Apple store in Asia — each customer was greeted with cheers and applause from around 25 employees in bright blue shirts, with another dozen workers standing ready to give a second round of applause at the cash registers downstairs.

In Singapore, Edmond Ong, a spokesman for retailer Epicenter, said sales were muted compared with last year’s iPad launch.

“We are not too worried as we still see a steady stream of customers coming in to get the iPad this morning,” he said.

The new iPad Air is thinner than the version it replaces, weighs around 450 grams (one pound), and is “screaming fast,” Apple vice president Phil Schiller said at the unveiling in San Francisco on October 23.

Apple also unveiled an upgraded iPad Mini, which has a vividly rich retina display along with faster computing power and graphics.

Both new iPads feature the Apple-designed A7 chip with 64-bit “desktop-class architecture”, the company said. The Mini will go on sale later in the month.

Reviewers have generally been positive about the upgrades, with website TechCrunch labelling them “a huge improvement”, while Time said the Air was “so much svelter”.

Damon Darlin in the New York Times summed up the feelings of many with a review that lauded the Air’s lower weight, thinner profile and souped up operating system.

But, he said: “I can’t really tell you to replace your old iPad; the improvements on the new one are incremental, not revolutionary.”

However, in Japan, home to perhaps some of Apple’s most enthusiastic fans, the launch had its usual fanfare and tales of people queueing for days.

Kodai Taguchi, a 20-year-old university student, said he has more than a dozen Apple products after “queuing every time a new version is released”.

“As soon as I held the box, I could already tell how light it is,” he said. “I think I like this the most among all my Apples.”

For queue leader Sasaki, the open-air vigil had all been worth it.

“So many miracles have happened to me this year thanks to my Apple products,” he said.

Tears filled his eyes as he held his iPad Air, surrounded by a clutch of Japanese journalists.

Unemployed Sasaki, who travelled from northern Iwate, said after years of drifting Apple had brought him a run of luck, when he wrote a hit app.

The app — a searchable version of Japan’s constitution — was voted as the best in App Store’s business category and its sudden rise to prominence became fodder for a book he authored in August.

“I wanted to show my gratitude to Apple by being first in line,” he said.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Apple unveils revamped iPads to beat back rivals

SAN FRANCISCO—Apple revved up its iPad line on Tuesday as it moved to fend off rivals which have eroded its dominance in the sizzling tablet market.

A slimmer version of its top-selling full-size tablet computer, dubbed the “iPad Air,” was announced along with a revamped iPad Mini with an improved high-definition display.

Apple shares fell as investors reacted to a lack of fresh products, but some analysts remained upbeat after the US tech giant unveiled upgrades to its tablets, notebooks and desktop computers along with free software to sweeten the deal.

“I think it is going to be a really strong holiday for Apple,” Gartner analyst Van Baker said after spending some hands-on time with the California company’s newest devices.

“The highlight of the day is the breadth of Apple’s announcement; this is apps, tablets, MacBooks, Mac Pro, software… It is very wide-ranging.”

The new iPad Air is 43 percent thinner than the version it replaces, weighs just one pound (450 grams), and is “screaming fast,” Apple vice president Phil Schiller said at the unveiling in San Francisco.

The upgraded iPad Mini has a high-definition “retina” display along with faster computing power and graphics.

Both new iPads feature the Apple-designed A7 chip with 64-bit “desktop-class architecture,” Apple said.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook said he was not troubled by competition in the tablet space.

“Everybody seems to be making a tablet,” he told the audience. “Even some of the doubters are making them.”

But he said that notwithstanding sales figures, “iPad is used more than any of the rest, and not just a little more, a lot more.”

The iPad “is used over four times more than all of those other tablets put together, and this is what is important to us. People use it, and what is even more important to us, is people love it,” he said.

The two new iPads will be sold alongside the existing versions, starting Nov. 1 in more than 40 markets around the world.

The iPad Air will start at $499 and the new Mini version at $399 for US customers. Apple will cut the prices of the older iPad versions.

Apple announced upgrades for its MacBook line of notebooks and Mac Pro desktop computer, and announced its new operating system called Mavericks would be available as a free upgrade for those with existing Apple computers.

Strategic shift

In a strategic shift, Apple announced that iWork and iLife software suites for tasks from video editing to mixing music and making business presentations would be free for its mobile devices.

Baker said this is a smart move that can drive sales of hardware.

Like Google does with its online array of Docs applications, Apple will be making available for free productivity software that Microsoft sells to users of Windows-powered computers.

The new iPads come on the same day Microsoft began selling an upgraded version of its Surface tablet, and as Nokia unveiled its own tablet computer.

Industry tracker Gartner on Monday forecast that global tablet shipments will reach 184 million units this year—a 53.4 percent rise from last year.

The iPad remains the largest-selling tablet, according to surveys, but its market share is being eroded by rivals using the Google Android operating system.

Apple is also under pressure to adapt to the popularity of premium tablets with high-quality screens in the seven- to eight-inch (18- to 20-centimeter) range where the Mini competes.

Jan Dawson, analyst at the research firm Ovum, said Apple’s latest “represents a good enough boost to the previous version to trigger good upgrade sales and get iPad shipments growing again, which was a key objective for this launch.”

But Dawson said Apple is raising the price for the new Mini, unlike competitors: “It seems as though Apple is trying to push average selling prices for iPads back up again after they’ve dropped steadily over the past year… This is the clearest statement Apple could have made that it is only interested in competing in the premium tablet space.”

This means Apple’s share in tablets will continue to fall as Android’s share rises over the coming years, Dawson said.

Apple shares fell 1.5 percent to end at $519.87.

Thomas Husson at Forrester Research Apple offered no new breakthroughs but that this should not be expected.

“Yes, at some point, the company will need to disrupt a new market once again, but today’s announcement is really about making sure it maintains the premium brand experience for the holiday season when competition is heating up—not just for tablets but also for the amazing new line of Mac products,” Husson said.—Glenn Chapman

source: technology.inquirer.net

Apple expected to rev up iPad line as tablet market heats

SAN FRANCISCO – Apple is expected to rev up its iPad line Tuesday as the tablet market heats up with competition from devices powered by software from Google and Microsoft.

Analysts agree that iPads will star at an invitation-only event being held in San Francisco on the cusp of the prime year-end holiday shopping season.

“Job One for Apple is to get something out there on the large-size iPad that gets people excited, then obviously from a specification focus, the Mini needs to catch up with what everybody else has done,” NPD analyst Stephen Baker told AFP.

“There are a lot of other things happening in that large-size tablet space and there is a huge amount of choices in smaller devices.”

Tablets face mounting competition from touch-screen notebook computers powered by Microsoft Windows software and priced between $350 and $500, according to the analyst.

“Apple will… be number one in large-size tablets probably for a long time, but the definition of competition will change,” Baker said.

Apple is also under pressure to adapt to the popularity of premium tablets with high-quality screens in the seven- to eight-inch (18- to 20-centimeter) range where the Mini competes.

Online retail titan Amazon.com on Friday began shipping new seven-inch Kindle Fire HDX tablets with boosted display quality and computing power at the starting price of $229.

“We can’t wait to get this tablet into our customers’ hands,” said Amazon Kindle vice president Peter Larsen.

Google’s latest Nexus 7 tablet powered by its Android software has been a hot seller at a similarly tempting price.

Emailed invitations to the Apple event revealed little other than the time and place, and bore the message: “We still have a lot to cover.”

A graphic in the shape of an iPad showed Apple’s iconic logo under a shower of colorful leaves.

Unconfirmed reports are that Apple will show off a new version of its full-size iPad that will be thinner than its predecessor and boast improved camera capabilities.

Scrutiny of Apple’s supply chain has industry trackers thinking the new iPad will get “narrower, thinner, and lighter” and possibly be built with processors at least as powerful as those used in the freshly-launched iPhone 5S, according to Gartner analyst Van Baker.

An upgraded version of the iPad mini with an improved screen is also expected.

Gartner’s Baker will be watching whether new iPad models have 64-bit processors as engines in a significant boost that would enable tablets to handle more heavy weight programs and games.

“It has the potential to make tablets much more compelling devices in terms of content creation; making devices more sophisticated with more horsepower-hungry applications,” the analyst said.

“It will increase the likelihood that tablets will displace PCs (personal computers).”

Analysts agreed that top-end, full-size iPads may get a fingerprint recognition security feature that has been a hit in the iPhone 5S.

Such upgrades would promise to entice buyers to pay a bit more for full-size tablets from Apple instead of choosing lower-priced Mini models, boding well for the company’s bottom line.

The iPad remains the largest-selling tablet, according to surveys, but its market share is being eroded by rivals using the Google Android operating system.

“Mobile connectivity continues to grow and its impact is much broader than business stories about which computer makers are selling the most units,” said Kristen Purcell, associate director for research at the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

“We see mobile connectivity affecting everything from the way people get news and learn to the way they take care of their health and the way they share their lives through social media.”

Apple was also expected to discuss its computer operating system and its MacBook laptop line at the event.

The company is coming off a wildly successful launch of two new iPhone models last month. It estimates selling a record nine million iPhones in the three days after launching two new versions of the smartphone.

source: technology.inquirer.net

iPad mini might get rear-facing camera and aluminum back

Apple Inc.'s upcoming iPad mini tablet may have a rear-facing camera and an aluminum back, if new photos of the device's housing leaked online are any indication.

Enthusiast site AppleInsider said the new photos show a "machined" aluminum back casing for the rumored 7.85-inch iPad hit the web Wednesday.

But AppleInsider also noted that a close look at the photos shows "slight discrepancies" about the rumored tablet's design.

"Perhaps most obvious is the placement of the headphone jack, which was thought to be located at the bottom of the device alongside the device's dock connector and repositioned speakers. Pictures of a large flex cable allegedly meant for the smaller iPad surfaced last month, clearly showing the 3.5mm jack situated adjacent to the new 9-pin connector," it said.

It also said the photos showed an opening for a rear-facing camera. But it also found a "mysterious small hole, the use of which is not yet known."

AppleInsider likewise noted cut-outs for the tablet's volume and power button, a rear-facing camera, speaker assembly and a smaller dock connector.

The rumored iPad mini is expected to be launched in October. It is expected to be as thin as the iPod touch, AppleInsider said. — TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Apple offers to refund Australian iPad customers

SYDNEY — U.S. tech giant Apple on Wednesday offered to refund Australian customers who felt misled by advertising about the 4G capabilities on its new iPad, reports said.

Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission has taken Apple to the Federal Court for false advertising over its “iPad with WiFi + 4G” promotion because the popular tablet device does not work on the local 4G frequency.

Apple’s lawyers said the tech firm was prepared to publish a clarification about the iPad’s Australian capabilities and refund any customers who felt they had been misled by the 4G reference, Dow Jones Newswires reported.

Paul Anastassiou, counsel for Apple, said in court that the company was confident very few people would apply for a refund.

Anastassiou added that Apple was not prepared to put corrective stickers on iPad boxes, as sought by the ACCC, but would email customers to clarify that the device was not compatible with local carrier Telstra’s 4G network.

However, Anastassiou said that when the matter came to full trial Apple would contest the ACCC’s claims that it had misled consumers because the latest-generation iPad did work on other Telstra frequencies.

“It will be contested by Apple there are in Australia networks that, according to international definitions, are 4G,” he told the court according to The Age newspaper.

“What Apple says is that other networks operated by Telstra are in fact properly described by international standards as 4G, even though Telstra itself does not so describe them.”

Anastassiou added that Apple had, “at no point in any promotional material… said at any time” that the new iPad was compatible with Telstra’s 4G network.

“No such representation, in our submission, is conveyed by the use of the acronym 4G in the name of the device,” he said according to The Australian newspaper.

source: japantoday.com

Apple announces dividend as iPad sales rocket

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple announced Monday it will spend part of its massive cash hoard to pay its first dividend since 1995, and trumpeted that it had sold three million new iPads on the opening weekend.

Apple also revealed plans to buy back $10 billion in shares while still adding to the billions it has in its coffers.

“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold—the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Philip Schiller.

“We can’t wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday,” he continued, noting the new-generation of Apple’s coveted tablet computer will be released in two dozen more countries on March 23.

Apple stressed that its dividend and stock buy-back plan, which will tap into cash reserves of $98 billion, will not restrict its ability to invest in research, develop new products, or pursue valuable acquisitions.

“Innovation is the most important objective at Apple and we will not lose sight of that,” chief executive Tim Cook told analysts in a conference call. “These decisions will not close any doors for us.”

Apple said it would pay a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share from its cash balance generated from sales of its hugely successful gadgets like the iPad and iPhone.

The dividend payment would start with the quarter which begins in July.

Apple said it expected the repurchase program to be carried out over three years beginning October in an effort to neutralize the impact of dilution from future employee equity grants and employee stock purchase programs.

Chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer described the company as generating enough cash to easily accommodate the dividend—amounting to $10 billion a year—and the stock buyback without deeply impacting Apple’s resources.

In the company’s 2011 fiscal year, Apple generated $31 billion in surplus cash. In the first quarter of 2012, it added another $24 billion.

“That’s plenty of cash to run the business,” said Oppenheimer.

“We want to maintain the flexibility to take advantage of investment opportunities that present themselves.”

In total, including its employee stock options, Apple will spend $45 billion over the next three years on these programs, Oppenheimer said.

Apple shares climbed with the news, hitting $603.37 in trading that followed the close of the market.

Cook painted a strong picture for the company, especially in sales of its iPhone smart phones and iPads.

Analysts were pleased that Apple finally decided to loosen its purse strings and pay dividends but were unimpressed with the amount, which was described as below average for successful technology companies.

Apple is hauling in cash at such a breathtaking pace that its coffers are expected to continue swelling despite paying dividends and buying back stock.

Looking past the mountain of cash, some in Silicon Valley saw the dividend as the first major move distinguishing Cook’s style from that of his predecessor, legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who died of cancer last year.

Jobs, who rescued Apple from the brink of bankruptcy, was tight-fisted when it came to Apple holding onto money.

In the company’s first quarter of this fiscal year—ended Dec 31—they sold 37 million iPhones, less that 9 percent of all handsets sold during the quarter.

The handset market will continue to grow, to about two billion units in 2015, and increasingly will favor smartphones, Cook said.

“It’s our belief that eventually nearly all handsets will be smartphones. So the potential for iPhones is enormous.”

Meanwhile, he predicted tablet computers will soon overtake personal computers, and said the iPad is well-positioned in that market.

The iPad has had “an amazing start,” selling 55 million since it was launched in early 2010.

“We had a record weekend and we’re thrilled with it,” he said of the new iPad launch.

source: japantoday.com

Apple fans snap up new iPad

TOKYO — Gadget lovers in Australia and Japan became the first people to snap up the new iPad on Friday, with Apple looking to tighten its grip on the tablet market with its third generation launch.

Just before the worldwide rollout began, New York-traded shares in the company shot above $600 for the first time, as investors looked to cash in on the anticipated success of the latest “must-have” device.

Following Sydney’s lead, more than 450 people queued outside the Apple flagship store in Tokyo’s glitzy Ginza district to be among the first to get their hands on the new iPad.

The latest version boosts a more powerful processor, increasing pressure on competitors including Google to make devices more enticing.

A key upgrade is its eye-grabbing screen resolution, or Retina display, which Apple says is the sharpest ever on a mobile device.

Ryo Takahashi, 25, who arrived at the Tokyo store wearing a head band saying “I am an iPad samurai!” said the new Retina display was a good enough reason to queue up.

“Once you start using the Retina display, you just cannot go back to the old one.”

Dozens of those waiting said they had begun their vigil last night, with some, including 19-year-old university student Ryo Watanabe having started even earlier.

“I am so excited. I finally got it. I waited for this for 36 hours,” he said as he emerged from the store with the brand new package in his hands.

“I have an iPad2 and use it all the time at school. I am looking forward to the clear display,” he said.

The new tablet is being released in Australia, the United States, France, Canada, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Britain and Hong Kong on Friday.

Anticipation ahead of the launch saw Apple shares briefly top $600 for the first time on Wall Street on Thursday before closing at $585.56. The stock has gained more than 50% in the past three months alone.

Australia was the first place to get the new device—for which Apple has abandoned its numbering system, opting to call it simply the “new iPad” instead of the expected iPad3.
Several hundred people were gathered outside the company’s Sydney store when it opened at 8 a.m.

But the first of the new iPads were not collected from Apple, instead from shops owned by Australian telecom giant Telstra in Sydney and Melbourne, which threw their doors open just after midnight.

However, the hype for Friday’s launch was not on the scale seen for the launch of iPad2, when people began camping out up to four days before.

Only one person had staked his claim outside by mid-afternoon Thursday and he was being paid to do so.

Former truck driver Steve Parkes began his vigil on Monday after being offered A$950 by a jobs site to line up wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the employment company’s logo.

The free publicity garnered by an Apple launch seems to have caught on, with others donning promotional shirts in front of the barrage of television cameras.

The new iPad also boasts an improved camera, more powerful processor and the ability to connect to the latest 4G LTE telecom networks in North America. However, in many markets it will still be stuck on the slower 3G networks.

The new tablet has generated good reviews worldwide but Rob Livingstone, an IT expert at Sydney’s University of Technology, said its success could be short-lived.

“It’s like any other technology, there’s always better, faster, sharper, newer five minutes after you’ve purchased the product you’ve just purchased, and the iPad’s no different,” he told AFP.

While the almost cult-like status of Apple shows no signs of waning among consumers, he suggested that with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs now dead the momentum could start to taper off.

“It makes me wonder, now that Steve Jobs has passed on, how long that momentum will last because it’s a competitive world,” he said.

“You look at (Samsung’s) Galaxy and a whole range of competitors are coming on with some very compelling offers, and I think time will tell whether Apple will lose some of its gloss.”

Jobs, the mind behind the wildly popular iPod, iPad and iPhone devices, died in October after battling pancreatic cancer.

source: japantoday.com

Apple delays delivery of new iPad by 2-3 weeks

NEW YORK — Apple said Monday that shipments of its new iPad to customers who order it online may take two to three weeks but that the tablet would still be available in stores on Friday.

Apple, which has set March 16 as the launch date for all sales of the third-generation iPad, said online pre-orders of the device had been going on since March 7.

However, a notice on the Apple website for the new iPad said: “Ships: 2-3 weeks.”

Apple last Wednesday unveiled the third-generation iPad, enhanced with features aimed at keeping it on top of the booming tablet computer market.

The new iPad boasts a more powerful processor, eye-grabbing resolution on par with that of an iPhone 4S, and the ability to connect to the latest 4G LTE telecom networks that move data faster than their predecessors.

It is due to be released simultaneously in 10 countries and territories: the United States, France, Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

An iPad with 16 gigabytes of memory and with both WiFi and 4G connectivity will cost $629 in the United States while a 32GB Wi-Fi/4G model will cost $729 and a 64GB version with WiFi and 4G will cost $829.

In a bid to cater to budget-minded shoppers, Apple will sell a 16GB version of the iPad 2 at a trimmed price of $399.

The new iPad screen was billed as the best display ever on a mobile device. The tablet also features a five-megapixel camera and high-definition video recording.

source: japantoday.com