generation

iPhone, iPad sales to surge over next two quarters, says analyst

The iPhone 5 and new iPads will trigger a surge in sales for Apple this quarter and next, says Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty.

In an investors note out today, Huberty pointed out that key suppliers for both devices say their own revenue will be higher than anticipated for the current quarter. They're also seeing above-average orders from Apple for next year's first quarter. And demand could rise even higher before the year is over.

The analyst believes the iPhone 5 will drive more customers to upgrade this quarter and on into next year. At the same time, … Read more

The 404 1,161: Where we don't eat the snow (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Square launches mobile payment service at 7,000 Starbucks stores.

- Razer Naga gaming mouse requires always-on Internet connection; license agreement says they can use this to spy on you.

- Mr. Fusion (sorta) cell phone charger.

- Four African teenagers invent a urine-powered generator.

- Follow Bridget Carey on Twitter and check out CNET Update every afternoon!

- Don't forget to enter our Halloween Samsung Galaxy S3 Giveaway contest, ending this Sunday!… Read more

iPad 4 now in stock at Apple Store

Consumers eyeing the fourth-generation iPad can now buy one through Apple's online store without any wait time.

The Apple Store shows all three flavors of the Wi-Fi-only edition now in stock. The 16GB version goes for $499, the 32GB version for $599, and the 64GB version for $699.

The new iPad's immediate availability is a change from the earlier shipping estimate of three to five business days. The status also is the same for Apple's online stores in the U.S. and abroad, a sign that the supply of the tablet seems to have caught up with … Read more

iPad Mini vs. iPad 4: A glance at raw benchmarks

So how much faster is the fourth-generation iPad than the iPad Mini? Raw benchmarks show a yawning gap between Apple's newest tablets.

Though benchmarks are typically more theoretical than real-world (that is, you won't necessarily feel a big speed boost using everyday apps), they're instructive because they show the potential of the underlying silicon.

And that potential can become very real when specific applications, such as games, are optimized to tap into the redesigned circuits of a new chip -- in this case, Apple's new A6X, a faster version of the A6 in the iPhone 5. … Read more

Is the iPad Mini worth it?

The iPad Mini is here! The 7-inch tablet market is going to be one of the hottest this holiday season, but did Apple do enough with the iPad Mini to justify its $329 starting price point?

iTunes 11 is pushed back to November, which is something to be thankful for after seeing what happens when Apple rushes out features like Siri and Maps.

The new fourth-generation iPad is also here, and it's a beast when it comes to performance. Plus, we'll break down Apple's big management shake-up and tell you how it might affect you. One thing'… Read more

Low Latency No. 42: Burned

Low Latency is a weekly comic on CNET's Crave blog written by CNET editor and podcast host Jeff Bakalar and illustrated by Blake Stevenson. Be sure to check Crave every Thursday at 8 a.m. PT for new panels! Want more? Here's every Low Latency comic so far.… Read more

Peeved about the fourth-gen iPad? Why? (poll)

The biggest surprise out of yesterday's Apple product event was news of the fourth-generation iPad. Not everyone considers it a pleasant surprise, though.

The device, which starts at $499, comes just seven months after the arrival of the third-generation iPad and brings with it a number of updates. It comes with an A6X processor that has twice the CPU and graphics power of the third-generation iPad, gets 10 hours of battery life, and has FaceTime HD and expanded LTE support.

But most important for the company, CNET executive editor Molly Wood maintains, it's got the Lightning connector, which … Read more

iPad Mini to grab sales from $199 tablets, says analyst

Starting at $329, the iPad Mini is pricier than other mini tablets, but the product will still capture sales from lower-priced rivals, says J.P. Morgan's Mark Moskowitz.

Though the price tag on Apple's new tablet was substantially higher than J.P. Morgan's estimate of $249, the features and specs were better than expected. The analyst had thought the base model would start at 8GB of storage, but Apple kicked it up to 16GB. The Mini lacks the Retina display of its bigger sibling, but Moskowitz was still impressed by the "look-and-feel" of the small … Read more

iPad Mini could get whacked by supply issues, says analyst

The iPad mini has arrived -- with supply problems in tow.

"We're now starting to see the issues that [Apple] is having with Samsung," Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, told CNET in an interview.

Specifically, Samsung, a traditional Apple display vendor, is not supplying displays for the iPad mini, according to Shim. That leaves two suppliers, LGD and AUO.

"The problem is that AUO is a new supplier, and they're not able to get to the volumes that Apple needs. So, essentially, there's just one supplier," Shim said, who covered the … Read more

That was fast: The iPad gets a new chip, the A6X

Apple was quick to obsolete the "new" chip in the third-generation Retina iPad -- not to mention the iPad itself. So the question is, why so fast?

But before we answer that question, let's look at some of the improvements. Apple says the A6X "delivers up to twice the CPU [central processing unit] and graphics performance of the A5X chip" -- the A5X being the processor Apple just announced back in March when it rolled out the first Retina iPad.

A lot of that improvement comes from the goodness of Apple's new A6 chip … Read more