Octopus Overlords

by **stessier** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:45 pm

Steve Jobs just took a leave for health reasons. Sell all your stock and run for the hills - Apple is going down the tubes!

Spoiler:

by **YellowKing** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:21 pm

I didn't realize he has had pancreatic cancer and a liver transplant in the past couple of years. Thought it was all speculation. Yikes!

It Gets Better · by **Fireball1244** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:57 pm

ChaoZ wrote:
Exodor wrote:iPadx2 to feature double the resolution?

That may be enough to convince me to upgrade.

The next update of iOS will change the slider switch to a "user selectable toggle". If that's Apple-speak for "you can use it to lock the screen again" then I may update. Of course it will also change the home button to have other functionality so maybe I'll just stay on 3.x.

That screen would cost a fortune. There's also no content to be had at 2048x1536: that's higher than 1080p!

My bet would probably be a more modest bump, or even a different panel technology.

If Apple bumps the resolution, it'll be a straight quadrupling of the number of pixels, for reasons of scaling. Current software would just use four pixels where today it uses one, and look exactly the same, while updated software would make double-resolution, twice-as-large elements that would look glorious. This has worked perfectly on the iPhone 4. Whether such a screen is feasible for the 2011 iPad, or if it has to wait until 2012, remains to be seen.

The other electronics in the iPad are going to keep pace and be ready for a quadrupled-resolution screen. The A5 processor will reportedly have two cores, each of which is about twice as fast as the current A4 core. The memory is expected to jump from 256 MB to 1 GB, and the GPU is being described as "four times" more powerful, all of which would make a quadruple-resolution iPad functional, if the screen is affordable.

The reason to quadruple the resolution isn't for video purposes -- as has been pointed out, there's no content to take advantage of it. But photographic content, and text content (iBooks, Kindle, etc) would benefit greatly. The quality of text would approach that of a printed page with a quadruple-resolution iPad.

Apple will either quadruple the resolution or leave it the same. Anything between creates a major scaling problem for the bitmapped components of existing applications.

It Gets Better · by **Fireball1244** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:25 am

John Gruber, who's inside contacts at Apple are as good as they get, is saying that the pixel-quadrupled image elements are future proofing by Apple, and that iPad 2 will have upgraded hardware in terms of processor, memory and storage, along with the addition of the cameras, but that the screen will remain the same resolution for this release. The 2048x1536 screen is much more likely for iPad 3.

by **Exodor** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 2:07 pm

Fireball1244 wrote:John Gruber, who's inside contacts at Apple are as good as they get, is saying that the pixel-quadrupled image elements are future proofing by Apple, and that iPad 2 will have upgraded hardware in terms of processor, memory and storage, along with the addition of the cameras, but that the screen will remain the same resolution for this release. The 2048x1536 screen is much more likely for iPad 3.

Bah. If so I guess I'll stick with my iPad and keep a close eye on the Android tablets.

by **stessier** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 1:40 pm

I'm not entirely sure I understand this whole thing, but I think people might find it interesting.

CNBC

Apple is launching a long-awaited subscription service for magazines, newspapers, videos and music bought through its iTunes App Store.

Apple's plan calls for publishers to set the price and length of subscription, marking a break from the previous practice of "newsstand sales" under which each issue of a magazine, for instance, would be bought separately.

by **hepcat** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:36 pm

Sounds a little like the Zune pass but extended to news feeds, etc.. I pay about 15 bucks a month and am able to download to my zune/computer all the music they have in their marketplace. If I cancel the service, the rights to play that stuff ceases after a few days.

by **malichai11** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:58 pm

Exodor wrote:
Fireball1244 wrote:John Gruber, who's inside contacts at Apple are as good as they get, is saying that the pixel-quadrupled image elements are future proofing by Apple, and that iPad 2 will have upgraded hardware in terms of processor, memory and storage, along with the addition of the cameras, but that the screen will remain the same resolution for this release. The 2048x1536 screen is much more likely for iPad 3.

Bah. If so I guess I'll stick with my iPad and keep a close eye on the Android tablets.

Ditto. I'm not replacing my original iPad until they increase their resolution. I'm keeping my eye out for a Sandy Bridge CULV slate.

by **Exodor** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:51 pm

Anandtech reviews the Xoom

My takeaway:
[*]Higher Resolution
[*]Comparable battery life
[*]Buggy and crashy
[*]5MP rear facing camera and 2 MP front facing camera
[*]MicroSD slot (currently non-functional)
[*]standard mini-USB port for syncing

It's pretty close to what I'm looking for although they haven't released a WiFI only version yet. Pricing on that version will be key for me - as will the specs of the iPad2.

EDIT - here's a nice review roundup on Daily Tech.

by **tru1cy** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 2:33 pm

iPad 2 release on March 11th same price as first gen ipad.

Spec:

Dual Core
Two Camera
HDMI Out

Conference still on-going

by **The Meal** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 2:41 pm

tru1cy wrote:HDMI Out

Mirrored HDMI out would be the big'un for me. I've never wanted a camera (let alone two) and haven't much cared about processing power, but being able to mirror the output (Game Center Live) to my TV would be killer. Or would have been, prior to my 60' video/audio cable running from my PC through a converter, and into the TV's HDMI port.

[edit:]The rumored "retina" display for the iPad3 would make that one the next that'd I'd give serious consideration to. But folks new to the world of Apple Tablets, the new iPad would be a good jumping-in place.

by **tru1cy** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 2:47 pm

by **Freezer-TPF-** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 3:33 pm

For iPad owners: if you're not going to be stacking the thing with movies and your music collection, is 16GB enough space? I would think that apps and books and stuff do not take up much room.

by **The Meal** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 3:40 pm

If you're not dumping "media" onto it (movies, music) then that's a great number. Books are tiny. Pictures are tiny.

by **Mookee** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 3:43 pm

Freezer-TPF- wrote:For iPad owners: if you're not going to be stacking the thing with movies and your music collection, is 16GB enough space? I would think that apps and books and stuff do not take up much room.

Yes. I kind of regret getting the 64gb as I don't even come close to using it.

by **Hamlet3145** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:02 pm

I have the 16 gig and it's fine. If I want to watch a movie I stream it from my PC using Air Video. If I'm going to go on a plane ride I just copy a couple over. Most non-game apps are very small in size. And even the games aren't that big--several hundred megs at most. I don't have any music on it at all; I figure that's what my iPod is for. I'll probably go up to 32 gig for my next iPad though. Hopefully, that will be the base model by the time version 3 comes around. iPad 2 is a nice refresh, but it's not enough for me to ditch my current one.

by **wonderpug** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:51 pm

The current iPad can't charge while in use?

by **ChaoZ** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:57 pm

I'm probably going for the 32GB Wifi model as well. I have 3G on my phone I can use as a wireless access point.

I really hope they don't release another model in September, as some rumours suggest.

by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:57 pm

I will buy an iPad when they include some kind of flash memory slot for pictures. I just couldn't imagine having something like that, so perfect as a photo viewer, and no easy way to transfer pics from your camera to the thing. Boggles the mind.

by **Biyobi** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:07 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote:I will buy an iPad when they include some kind of flash memory slot for pictures. I just couldn't imagine having something like that, so perfect as a photo viewer, and no easy way to transfer pics from your camera to the thing. Boggles the mind.

While there's no direct way to do it, transferring your pics to your PC and then synching the iPad with iTunes is far from not being easy.

by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:24 pm

Biyobi wrote:
Carpet_pissr wrote:I will buy an iPad when they include some kind of flash memory slot for pictures. I just couldn't imagine having something like that, so perfect as a photo viewer, and no easy way to transfer pics from your camera to the thing. Boggles the mind.

While there's no direct way to do it, transferring your pics to your PC and then synching the iPad with iTunes is far from not being easy.

I will rephrase. I think it's ridiculous to have to jump through those hoops (fully aware of the process as I have an iPhone) to be able to do something as simple as viewing the pics you just took, when a simple card slot or hell, even a USB port, that even the lowliest laptop has had for years, makes the process so easy.

Before I get labeled an Apple hater, I absolutely LOVE my iPhone...so this is not some nerd hate against Apple for being popular, but that is just SUCH a basic (and useful) function these days in electronics, that the absence on the iPad unfortunately kills any prospect of me buying it. :cry:

by **EvilHomer3k** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:54 pm

I believe there is a usb connector that allows you to connect a camera.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC531ZM/A

I am pretty tempted despite the lack of an SD slot and the fact that they didn't increase the low end storage. Had that been upped to 32 I don't think I'd be able to resist. I have my iphone full with just apps. I've deleted all the movies and most of the music off of it and my phone won't even run the new apps around. I could see being able to live with 16gb but I know I'd be swapping stuff off an onto it constantly (movies) as this would replace my current netbook which has a 120gb hard drive. 32gb would be much more livable but $100 for $20 worth of storage is a tough sell.

by **EvilHomer3k** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:59 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote:
Biyobi wrote:
Carpet_pissr wrote:I will buy an iPad when they include some kind of flash memory slot for pictures. I just couldn't imagine having something like that, so perfect as a photo viewer, and no easy way to transfer pics from your camera to the thing. Boggles the mind.

While there's no direct way to do it, transferring your pics to your PC and then synching the iPad with iTunes is far from not being easy.

I will rephrase. I think it's ridiculous to have to jump through those hoops (fully aware of the process as I have an iPhone) to be able to do something as simple as viewing the pics you just took, when a simple card slot or hell, even a USB port, that even the lowliest laptop has had for years, makes the process so easy.

Before I get labeled an Apple hater, I absolutely LOVE my iPhone...so this is not some nerd hate against Apple for being popular, but that is just SUCH a basic (and useful) function these days in electronics, that the absence on the iPad unfortunately kills any prospect of me buying it.

Agreed. The hoops you have to jump through are a bit ridiculous and really pound home that the device was not set up as a computer replacement.

by **jimbo** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 6:07 pm

wonderpug wrote:The current iPad can't charge while in use?

It can. I think that thee mean that the HDMI out cable makes it so you can charge it while using the cable to output video. See how they have it hooked up here:

by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 6:32 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote:I will rephrase. I think it's ridiculous to have to jump through those hoops (fully aware of the process as I have an iPhone) to be able to do something as simple as viewing the pics you just took, when a simple card slot or hell, even a USB port, that even the lowliest laptop has had for years, makes the process so easy.

Before I get labeled an Apple hater, I absolutely LOVE my iPhone...so this is not some nerd hate against Apple for being popular, but that is just SUCH a basic (and useful) function these days in electronics, that the absence on the iPad unfortunately kills any prospect of me buying it.

When I connect my iPhone to my work computer (no iTunes), I can access my pictures. I believe my Vista machine at home recognizes it as an iPhone, but still gives me the "new Device connected" and would allow me access as well.

I'd love to be able to do the same with my music, but I use iTunes for desktop management anyway.

by **The Meal** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 6:34 pm

Yeah, photo transport is drag-and-drop from my PC.

by **Exodor** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 7:06 pm

I'm unimpressed with the features announced for the iPad 2.

For now I'll keep using my iPad and keep a watchful eye on the Android offerings.

by **wonderpug** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 9:23 pm

Can you use Dropbox to get camera photos onto the iPad? Transfer them to your primary computer as usual and have them auto-synch to the iPad?

NaNoWriMo · by **ohbalto** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 9:29 pm

wonderpug wrote:Can you use Dropbox to get camera photos onto the iPad? Transfer them to your primary computer as usual and have them auto-synch to the iPad?

Yes, this will work just fine.

You could also email them.

Also, there's a Camera Connection Kit which is still available which allows one to either hook the camera up directly to the iPad via USB, or plug the SD card in and upload pictures directly to the Photo app.

by **RunningMn9** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 9:47 pm

Freezer-TPF- wrote:For iPad owners: if you're not going to be stacking the thing with movies and your music collection, is 16GB enough space? I would think that apps and books and stuff do not take up much room.

Yes, although it might depend. I have 32 GB, and I've found that it's easier to just stream what I want to it via pandora or Netflix/xfinity.

I don't store any media on it.

by **Victoria Raverna** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 10:16 pm

My 16 GB ipad has over 8 GB free space left. Almost no media on it, but games are getting bigger so maybe sooner or later 16 GB is not going to be enough to keep all purchased games, but we can always rotate them.

by **Freezer-TPF-** » Wed Mar 02, 2011 11:01 pm

Thanks. I'm in the mood for a new gadget in the next few months and am sort of torn between a Kindle, an iPod Touch, and the iPad 2.

by **Hamlet3145** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 3:18 am

1st gen iPad just dropped to $399 for the base model: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/s ... jEzNTIzNjg

Refurb is $349: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/s ... jEzNTI0MDA

by **YellowKing** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:11 am

My company is considering taking away our iPads due to budget cuts, so if they do that I'll buy an iPad 2 ASAP. If they end up letting us keep them, I'll probably buy my wife one for Christmas.

My biggest problem with competing tablets is that they can't touch the App Store. For me, it's all about the software.

by **Carpet_pissr** » Thu Mar 03, 2011 11:17 am

The Meal wrote:Yeah, photo transport is drag-and-drop from my PC.

Does that work for the iPad as well? If so, problem solved!

by **stessier** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:01 am

Sounds like the camera is not exactly something to write home about. 0.92 megapixels?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gad ... tml?hpt=C2

by **YellowKing** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 5:25 pm

Anybody who wants to use an iPad to clumsily take still shots only deserves 0.92 megapixels.

by **stessier** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 5:46 pm

YellowKing wrote:Anybody who wants to use an iPad to clumsily take still shots only deserves 0.92 megapixels.

You should work for Apple.

by **msduncan** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:08 pm

I thought the front facing camera was the low rez one...and the rear facing one takes HD video?

Nobody wants to see faces in HD over videoconferencing. Seriously

Edit: Ah... I see it means both of them. Well YK is right though -- are you really going to hold this thing up as a camera?? I always questioned the need for a rear facing camera in the first place for this device. Why not just go with forward facing for videoconferencing only?

by **Quaro** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:45 pm

Camera has other uses in applications. Any app where you look 'through' the iPad needs a back facing camera. Word Lens for example: http://questvisual.com/ -- and that works better on iPhones than iPods because of the better camera.

Also having just a front facing camera would needlessly fragment the app market, making the Ipad lack a feature the iPod has.

HD video conferencing is actually amazing. Have you ever had a physical meeting where one or two people are using video conferencing? It's like they don't exist. Now give them each a 42 inch TV, turned vertically, and they are life size, and in HD. Everyone reacts TOTALLY differently.

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