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Apple dissing Siri on iPad is a big mistake

Considering that Apple CEO Tim Cook began the new iPad launch event with statistics including how Siri is everybody's best friend, it's genuinely surprising that Cook didn't reveal Siri for the iPad.

There's still Apple's "voice dictation" software on the iPad, a feature that's tied to the keyboard and simply converts your spoken voice to written text. However, you won't be able to set reminders, search for the weather by asking if you need sunscreen, and there's no sassy, personality-driven bit of artificial intelligence responding back to you.

So why, then, after proclaiming Siri's wonders and exporting "her" to Japan, why after giving her French language skills and an Australian accent, would Apple get cold feet about wedding its anthropomorphic assistant to the iPad? … Read more

Will you buy the new iPad? (poll)

Finally, the rumor mill (and our heads) can stop spinning for a little while, as Apple officially introduced the new iPad in San Francisco today.

Due out on March 16 with preorders starting today, the iPad HD ushers in a handful of improvements. As many expected, the iPad 2's successor now features a 9.7-inch Retina Display with a 2,048x1,536-pixel resolution. With four times the pixels on the tablet's display, you need more power, and Apple gave us just that, as its new A5X chip promises to deliver four times the graphics performance. … Read more

iPad 3: What we didn't get

The dust has finally settled, the rumors have been replaced by facts, and now we know what the new iPad is all about. So what's missing? Or what fell a little short of expectations?

Here's the quick rundown. Feel free to add to the mix with your own take in the comments section.

New design: When the iPhone 4S came out, a lot of folks were disappointed Apple didn't deliver the iPhone 5. Instead, we got a souped up version of the iPhone 4 with a better camera and no real design changes (Apple did move the … Read more

Apple iOS 5.1: First Take

Just before it unveiled the new iPad at a media event in San Francisco today, Apple announced that iOS 5.1, the next update to the company's mobile operating system, is now available.

The list of new features isn't extensive and largely consists of bug fixes and interface tweaks. That said, there are a couple of useful additions. Here are the highlights that Apple has listed in iOS 5.1's documentation.

A Japanese Siri This was the only feature of iOS 5.1 that Apple CEO Tim Cook specifically mentioned during his time onstage. Siri, the voice … Read more

Apple online store taken down as iPad announcement looms

Apple's online store is down, which can only mean one thing: new products are launching soon.

In just a couple of short hours, Apple will be holding its iPad event in San Francisco. As it has in the past with other product launches, the company has taken its online store down to update it with the goodies it plans to unveil today.

And what might those goodies be? Apple has already made it clear it'll be showing off a new iPad, though there is some question whether it will be called the "iPad 3" or the &… Read more

New iPads, Apple TV boxes to share 'A5X' chip (report)

Adding to previous chatter, a new report says Apple will unveil a new Apple TV set-top box alongside its next iPad.

In a report this afternoon, The Verge says both devices will get their debut at tomorrow morning's special event and that there's a reason for that: they both use the same chip.

Citing anonymous sources, The Verge says the chip will be the previously rumored (and photographed) "A5X," versus the A6--the latter being the expected quad-core chip and successor to the dual-core A5, currently used in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.

Separately, a source … Read more

Accessory makers planning for similarly sized iPad 3

In preparation for Wednesday's launch of Apple's next-generation iPad, CNET's been contacted by a few accessory manufacturers gearing up to release "new" products that will work with the iPad 3--or whatever it's called.

Those quotation marks around "new" are there because it appears that while all the new accessories announced out of the gate will be billed as iPad 3 accessories, they'll also work just fine with the iPad 2.

Three different company reps said they expected the next iPad to be similarly sized and that there would be only minor changes to the thickness of the device. While no one was 100 percent certain of that (one rep said, "We've been told there will be some minor changes in the thickness, but we don't have any specifics.") these companies have enough confidence in their belief--and perhaps their sources--to stick with the iPad 2 as a stand-in for the next iPad. … Read more

iPad 3 rumor roundup

Update: Apple's third-generation iPad is now available. Read CNET's full review for more details.

With the success Apple is enjoying with the iPad 2, we're not sure it even needs to make an iPad 3.

It will, of course--even if it doesn't use that name. We now know that Apple is unveiling its next iPad in San Francisco on Wednesday, March 7. But until then, it's open season on iPad 3 rumors.

In this ongoing blog post, we'll be collecting the best, most interesting rumors and predictions for the next Apple tablet. Which of … Read more

New claim says iPad HD will have 4G LTE

It's looking more and more likely that Apple's next iPad will be able to connect to next-generation cellular networks, according to a new report.

Citing a source familiar with the upcoming tablet, Reuters today reported that the next iPad will support 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networking, a technology that is faster than 3G, and that has become prevalent inside smartphones and tablets made by Apple's competitors.

This is the latest in a series of claims saying Apple's next iPad--which a reliable source yesterday told CNET (and separately VentureBeat) is called the "iPad HD"--will … Read more

No, THIS is the way iPad 3 kills the PC

I've got a really big secret here about the iPad 3. How do I know it's a secret? Because only 28 people have so far viewed it on YouTube.

By now, you will have probably chosen which of the 1,712 rumors about Apple's new iPad you will believe.

Until tomorrow, that is.

But, wait. Please take a look at this, because it claims to be channeling the spirit of Steve Jobs.

This video fell into my in-box, as if from the skies. It purports to show the iPad 3 with an indispensable component--a standalone keyboard that … Read more