iPad

Apple's iPad Mini 'in stock' in several countries' online stores

Supply has finally caught up with demand for Apple's iPad Mini.

Rather than days long lag time for the device, the company's online stores in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and other countries are now showing that all models of the iPad Mini are "in stock" and ready to ship.

Apple's 7-inch tablet went on sale last fall. Its thin and light design is more book-like than the larger iPad, while its cameras, storage capacities, optional LTE antenna, and general functionality are said to offer a full iPad experience.

Since the tablet's launch, the … Read more

Find cool Kickstarter stuff for your iDevice

Kickstarter has birthed some pretty cool accessories for iPhones, iPods, and iPads. The ChargeCard, for example, which I recently saw and loved at CES. And the Woxom SlingShot video stabilizer/tripod.

If you sometimes feel like you might be missing out on the good stuff, or perhaps you just don't have time to troll Kickstarters listings in search of iDevice-related items, there's a site you may want to visit: BiteMyApple.co.

BiteMyApple offers a simple, stylish catalog where you can browse and, if you wish, buy various "Kickstarter success stories." You'll find items like the … Read more

Apple granted 36 patents, including for proximity detection

Apple was granted 36 patents today, including one for a proximity sensor for the iPhone and iPad and another for haptic feedback to create a sort of virtual keyboard.

The patents, approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, cover a wide range of technologies, as earlier reported by Patently Apple. The proximity sensor patent, first filed in 2005, covers technology related to detecting one or more touches and differentiating whether the touches are light or hard, among other capabilities.

Another patent relates to electronic media devices and future active packaging that allows power and data to be supplied … Read more

Apple grabs huge slice of 2012 consumer technology sales

Apple enjoyed a healthy gain in consumer technology sales last year amid a down market.

The iPhone maker took home 19.9 percent of all consumer technology sales in the U.S., up from 17.3 percent in 2011, according to stats released today by NPD Group.

Based on sales, Apple proved to be the top consumer brand for the year, outshining Samsung, HP, Sony, and Dell. Beyond Apple, only Samsung's cut of revenues rose among the five, reaching 9.3 percent from 7 percent the prior year.

Together, Apple and Samsung scooped up $6.5 billion in higher … Read more

Asia chatter predicts increase in cost of Retina iPad Mini

Chatter in Asia has it that the total cost of the iPad Mini could increase by almost a third -- though no word on whether that would impact price.

Commentary in Digitimes, which is close to the chain of component suppliers in Asia, said the jump to a Retina screen means adding costly display components.

If iPad mini adopts the Retina display, the dots per inch (DPI) will be higher and the brightness of the backlight modules will have to improve. This also means the number of LEDs used will...[increase the total cost] by more than 30% if it … Read more

Apple's new iPad ads: No Samsung jokes (well, maybe one)

If you're sitting at Apple HQ, you must be very aware of Samsung.

There must be such a temptation to offer a public swat or two at the fly that has cleverly positioned itself as the challenger to your own emotional supremacy.

Yet, with two new iPad ads that Apple has just released, Cupertino is stoically continuing to pretend that its tablet exists in a world all of its own.

Here, to vaguely jazzy music, we see words flash across the screen at lightning speeds. Not one of these words is "patent," "lawsuit" or "… Read more

Future PCs threat to Apple? Yes, says Citibank analyst

Apple's "limited innovation" in tablets this year will make it vulnerable to newfangled PCs -- so says a Citibank analyst.

Yes, you heard that right, PCs. While financial analysts write lots of research notes about Apple every week, this one from Citibank analyst Glen Yeung -- sent out early in the week -- got my attention.

We believe Apple will launch an iPad Mini Retina and a thinner/lighter iPad5 (both likely sporting newer processors) in 3Q13...iPad innovation of this nature is insufficient to reverse share loss.

Whereas we see limited innovation in tablets in 2H13, … Read more

Free iPad apps (February 2013)

There are a ton of great iPad apps out there, priced 99 cents and up, that are worth every penny.

But you know how it is. Sometime you catch yourself browsing the App Store for some free app that can offer some momentary entertainment.

Apple keeps a running tally of its most popular free iPad apps over on iTunes, which is updated constantly to reflect current trends. At our request, we asked Apple to provide us with a list of the Top 5 most popular apps based on their most recent weekly totals.

The following CNET Top 5 video recounts … Read more

Apple may update iPad design this spring, analyst says

If history is any guide, the iPad may be due for an update in March or April, Piper Jaffray says.

Gene Munster, an analyst at the firm, today noted that Apple has averaged four months between events since 2009, and it has tended to update its tablet in the spring. While Apple just updated the iPad in October when it introduced the iPad Mini, it may unveil new iPad body styles similar to the smaller tablet, Munster said.

He added that it's unlikely Apple will introduce an iPad Mini with Retina display given current iPad Mini supply constraints.

Another … Read more