An Impossible Cheap 7" iPad For $200 in October: Nah

Source:  iMore.

Sometimes, you can end up talking a bit too much about Apple and iPads or iPhones in one day.  Unfortunately, looks like we’re not done.  Oh, and other, I don’t like to write about rumors or report on them but this one is worth commenting on with just a tad of analysis.

iMore reporting Apple will release a 7” iPad this October, probably along side the new iPhones and iPods, for, get this, $200-$250.  As a mobile fan, I’m saying “BRING IT!”.  We think there is definitely a great chance that we'll see a sub-9.7" iPad in Apple's future.  Mostly, because kids have small hands, hence, tiny fingers, that can navigate smaller displays easier.

There a couple of things worth noting about the iMore report.  First, they punctuated by the source of this information has been very good.  Good but certainly not infallible.  Second, they report that the display will have the same resolution as the new iPad.

Had they ended the report without the 7” iPad having the same resolution has the 9.7” iPad, which essentially makes the 7” iPad DPI the same iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and the iPod touch, the report would be more believable.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I want this to be accurate and I want a 7” Retina Display iPad.  Still, let’s take a look at this and assume that’s right.

It means if it costs $200, it’ll be cheaper than the cheapest iPod touch.  So, I reckon the iPod touch could get a slight shave and drop below $200 and maybe come in around $150.  Makes zero sense to have a 3.5” tablet cost the same as a 7” tablet, right?

Also, I don’t have a good feeling about a Retina Display iPad costing only $200.  Apple could make the $200 model with diminutive storage (8-16GB) with a standard 1024x768 display, same as the iPad 2, and $300 model coming at $300 with Retina Display.

Anyway, we’ll see if iMore is as confident about this report as we hope they are.  Come October, me am getting a new 7” iPad.  And if they’re wrong, “iMore!!! (shaking my fists – all four of them!).

Leave The Man's Hoodie Alone!

Source:  MSNBC.

I don't care for Mark Z of Facebook.  I think Facebook's privacy policy as this.  It doesn't have one.  However, between the Zucker and Wall Street analysts, I'm gonna stand with the Hoodie Man.

So, Wall Street dudes who think him wearing a hoodie to investor meetings, you can go do you-know-what with yourselves.  He's gonna make you guys richer by virtue of violating people's privacies but he's gonna need to be himself to continue to do that.

So, if you think he's disrespecting ya'll...well, then, don't invest with him.  Oh, wait.  You can't help yourself because you're all about making money.  So, take his disrespect and shove it up where it don't shine and sit down.

On MSNBC's informal poll, 3 of 4 of us don't think he should capitulate to Wall Street attire.  Maybe it's you investors who should show respect and show up in hoodies.

BTW, Facebook ain't worth $100 billion, you Wall Street idiots.

Apple TV Will Be Dead, But Long Live Apple TV On your iOS Devices

I'm gonna call it now.  Apple TV will be dead or practically irrelevant for those of us who have an iOS device or two.  And once it does, there will be an app on your iPhone or iPad called Apple TV.  It'll likely just be called "TV" for simplicity's sake.  And via Airplay, you'll be able to drive content to future Apple high resolution displays.

If you think about it now, the Apple TV really is a hobby.  It's there because Apple needs us as beta testers to see how we use television of tomorrow and how we interact with content via our phones and tablets.  It's really all that is about at this time.

Once Apple has figured out how to go forward, and according to Steve Jobs, they have, I'm pretty sure it doesn't involve the Apple TV hardware as we know it.  And that is precisely why the Apple TV will go away.

In the near future, Apple displays will not only support Retina Display or higher resolution than today's HDTV but it'll support Airplay can connect directly to iOS devices and Macs without going through the routers.  Essentially, isn't that all we really need the Apple TV for today?  It's Airplay function?

For non-Apple displays, Apple will probably release an Airplay hardware with HDMI connector and nothing more.  In fact, Apple may license Airplay to other display and HDTV makers so that they can work with Apple's iOS devices.

And to drive media and games to your big Apple, your iOS devices are all that you need.

Stop Nonsense about Apple HDTV, It's All About Retina Displays

Maybe there isn’t going to be any Apple HDTV at all.  Maybe Steve Jobs said one thing about cracking television just as Siri came out and people put two and two together and came up with crap rumors.  Maybe all along, these talk about and HDTV in Jony Ive’s labs are just Retina Displays with built in iOS functions that will be running off Macs and iOS devices.

I got thinking about this because of more and more reports about HiDPI icons hidden within OS X.  The thing about this is that my theory would go against anything that is out there about HDTV which maxes out at 1080p.  Obviously, Apple displays and even the new iPad Retina display is much much higher.

You know that and I know that but Apple probably doesn’t care.  They’re looking to the future and they’re getting working on scaling displays so that as we move beyond 1080p, Apple could well be in an excellent position to provide the displays and, yes, eventually their own TV sets to drive contents beyond 1080p at an affordable price.

Right now, I see no reason for Apple to release their own HDTV that is saturated and likely a low margin market.  But I do see a good reason to release a variety of Apple displays with different screen sizes that can drive Macs and iOS.  Apple’s displays currently max out at

The march will be to 4K displays and if Apple can start now and slowly scale and drive the market in that direction now, Apple can get there in the manner they did with the iPod, iPhone, and, now, the iPad.  The first iPod cost $500 and now, you can you one for less than half that.  And let’s look at the Macbook Air.  $1800 when it first came out but you can buy one for $1000 today.

This is going to be the same with Apple’s Retina Displays that could be headed to 4K displays.  The Apple Display with Thunderbolt now is at 2560x1440 coming in at 27”.  And this definitely is nowhere near Retina Display of the iPhone 4 or the new iPad screen.

Once Apple is able to achieve resolution parity between its future displays and Macs, iOS devices, and Apple TV can drive those, that’s when we’ll get our Apple HDTV, iTV, iPanel, or whatever you want to call it.

CNet Analysis: iPad 3 Was Plan B

Source:  CNET.

The gist of this CNET is that Apple's new iPad wasn't what they originally planned.  Let's look at the current iPad and see how it has gone contrary to what Apple has been releasing for the last decade.

First, the 2012 iPad is heavier.  Also, it's thicker.  Since the original iPod in 2001, each subsequent release has been smaller.  And at times, lighter.  We had the original iPod that was then released with the iPod mini 2004.  Smaller.  Then again, Apple "mini-mized" the mini with the iPod nano in 2004.  And now, the nano is even smaller.  And don't forget the the Shuffle which is, likely, really really small.

And the Macbooks?  We've got from backbreakers to 2 pound Macbook Airs.  And there's talk in those Internet pipes that Apple could go further and make the regular Macbook Pro lines even lighter as well.

Also, take the Apple TV.  Boy, that thing is much thinner and ligher than the original Apple TV.

So, we have a pattern of Apple making things lighter and thinner.  The new iPad definitely does not fall into this pattern.  Compared to the iPad 2, it's a tad thicker and 0.1 lb heavier.  And believe me, I can feel it.  Okay, it's probably all in my head but we know it is heavier and thicker.

Now, battery life.  You'd think Apple would be in the habit of making battery life longer or stay the same with each new hardware revision.  The new iPad isn't able to keep up with the iPad 2.  In fact, the "new" 2012 iPad 2 has a longer battery life than the 2011 iPad.  According to Anandtech, Apple started using a newer A5 chip built on a 32nm chip manufacturing process versus the older 45nm process.  However, the new A5X chip continues to be manufactured using the 45nm process.

The CNET article pressed that Apple was supposed to use newer IGZO screen from Sharp instead of Samsung's screens.  However, Sharp was unable to meet Apple's needs in time with the quantity that Apple requires.

The IGZO screen would have allowed Apple to continue to keep the new iPad as thin and light as the iPad.  Apple could have possible made the new iPad thinner and lighter.

I don't know if this is true.  What the writer failed to address is the much bigger battery in the new iPad versus the iPad 2.  That battery was needed to power the Retina Display, regardless of if the the screen is amorphous silicon screen from Samsung or the IGZO screen from Sharp.

At the end of the day, we have what we have.  The new iPad, whether was plan B or C, or even D, it's an awesome tablet.  And if the new iPad failed to live up to Apple's normal standards, it continues to put distance between itself and the rest of the tablet market.

iOS 6 Suggestion: Top One Is To Offer More Widget Options

We are a little more than one month away from Apple's World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco.  We'll likely see Apple unveil it's next iOS update, iOS 6.  And there is no shortage of suggestions.  I think I'll start collecting posts that offer Apple unsolicited advices.

Here is one from TUAW.  They've got a list of fifteen and I'll point you to them for you read the full list.  On Apple sort of started on it in our post about how Apple can put some distance between itself and Samsung after its latest Galaxy S III failed to excite Android fans.  We also discussed in our previous that Apple can kill off Windows 8 by allow apps with Metro like UI to start popping up in the App Store.

Now, I would like to take one of TUAW's suggestions and discuss it some more.  The Notification Center.  They went into details about what they like to see in Siri but I also think the Nofication Center features have been grossly under emphasized.  I would like to see more "widgets" from apps that really could help users sort through them quickly.

We, mobile warriors, are obviously very busy and the quicker we can glance at our notices the quickly we can move on to something else or deal with them.  For instance, I like Twitter or Facebook integration in NC.  Say I get a direct tweet that I want to address. Right now, I would have to click on the notification, wait for the app to open, navigate through the app, and answer it.  Instead of going through all that, wouldn't it be nice if I can tap on the notification, an prompt will come up, retweet, answer, or go to app.  I can hit answer and off I go.  It can also apply to texts and emails.

An interesting integration would be to bring Siri into this.  If implemented correctly, we might be able to see Siri brought into helping us navigate notifications.  We can ask Siri for notifications, and through learning our habits, Siri knows which notifications it should give priority to.

It whole idea of notification is to allow us to quickly access information.  Whether it's something that we only want a glancing view of, like stocks, scores, or weather updates, or something we can quickly act on, like answering texts or tweets, Apple can and should make this work in the way that is uniquely Apple.

Any other suggestions?

MSNBC: Cyberattack On Pipeline In the US

According to MSNBC via Christian Science Monitor (no other major online sources picked this up, BTW), there was a major cyberattack on US natural gas companies, focusing on the pipelines.  The alert was issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  What's interesting of note is that it started more than a month ago and even Canadian companies may also have been hit as well.

Suspects, anyone?  China?  If this took place before the blind Chinese activist episode, then I'm likely to rule them out as suspect number one.  Could be green dudes with big mojos to take on the US government or the gas companies.

More at Clouding Around.