The main focus of the event was the “new iPad” which is the official name as we were all wrong, it’s not the “iPad 3″ nor the “iPad HD” it’s just plain “new iPad.” This beast brings plenty of new features to the table while maintaining the beautiful existing design! You know the saying “If it ain’t broke, no need to fix it!” And seriously with the redesign of the “iPad 2″ last year there was no need to drastically change the design of the new one, the only difference you will see is a slightly heavier frame by a mere few grams. The new dimentions are 9.4 mm thin and 1.4 lbs heavy.
So what was new in the announcement? Here is a short check list of all the features and as you all know I will be definitely WANTING me a sexy new beast! Somewhere in China a little kid is building my future child, and that child will be adopted into my existing cult of sexy Apple beasts!
- Retina Display: The iPad has an amazing display which makes everything look crisper and more lifelike, text is now razor sharp and colors are more vibrant. This baby now has 3.1 million pixels which is more than what your HDTV would have and the screen resolution is at 2048 x 1536. Just pure delicious!
- A5X Processor: To support that amazing display one has to have a powerful machine and therefore the processor performs 4 times faster than the existing iPad 2 processor and can even be more insane than NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor.
- iSight Camera: The camera has been upgraded to feature a 5-megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics, a backside illumination sensor, auto white balance, and face detection for awesome images. Think having your iPhone 4 with the camera capabilities of the iPhone 4S ! Auto-focus is also included to produce those amazing photos. For all of you who use your iPad 2 as a camera now you can truly call it a camera!
- 1080P Video Recording: You can now have amazing high definition video that is stabilized, has temporal noise reduction and just compliments the retina display of this sexy beast. Video recording will just be awesome!
- Voice Dictation: One of the best features of Siri is the fact that you can dictate what you want to her and she would type it up for you. Well the new “iPad” will have that in which it will be your virtual secretary. Voice dictation is available in US English, British, Australian, French, German, and Japanese.
- 4G LTE: You are now unleashed to enjoy the ultra fast 4G networks (although they are not fully avaiable in Kuwait) you can now experience the high speed internet as it has 21 Mbps HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA at 42Mbps, with LTE taking the cake at 73Mbps. In simple terms, this baby is uber fast!
- Personal Hotspot: That’s not all, now you can hot-spot your new iPad and share your internet with your nearby devices!
This “new iPad” will be available for pre-order starting today and will ship and be available in stores on March 16th (just as I predicted earlier today after reading some news). The prices remain the same however the “iPad 2″ will still be available in a 16GB model with a 100$ decrease. The new pricing table will be as follows:
iPad 2: 16GB (Wifi) $399, 16GB (3G) $529
New iPad (Wifi Only): 16GB $499, 32GB $599, and 64GB $699
New iPad (4G LTE): 16GB $629, 32GB $729, and 64GB $829
Pre-order yours today []
Also, introduced was iPhoto for iPad and an update for Garage band, iMovie and iWork. iPhoto for iPad offers you a bunch of photo editing and comparison features, including auto-enhancements such as straightening photos and fixing contrast. Brush palettes offer a number of editing tools such as red-eye removal, lighten, sharpen, soften and darken. iPhoto for iPad can handle images up to 19 megapixels. It’s available today and priced at $4.99.
In short, that was mostly everything that Apple announced today among other games that will be available soon, of which I’m looking forward to “Infinity Blade: Dungeons“.
has just announced the launch of their brand new which now supports 1080p and has a redesigned UI (User Interface) to show just that.
Among the new features in this tiny beast is that:
- 1080P Video
- New UI that brings you closer to iOS but still no iOS also 1080P
- New third party apps that includes: Photo Stream, Netflix, Flickr, and YouTube
- Improved connectivity to iCloud (including your Movie Content)
- Genius is now for your Movies as well
It’s available on March 16th (you can one today) for the price of $99.
What’s different in Apple TV 2012 than Apple TV 2010?
Thanks to this table clearly illustrates what is different and what’s new.
So 4 hours are between us and the announcement of the next generation iPad. Some might call it “iPad 3” but so far all signs point to it being called “iPad HD” and honestly they have the same ring to it ;D I personally can’t wait!
I have told myself over and over again that I don’t NEED to get the new iPad HD but personally I WANT IT! Yes I do! Just looking at the Invite to the event has made me want it even more! Yes I want me a White 64GB 3G model one!
Check back tonight after 9PM to get the latest scoop on what has announced. Also I have a feeling that iOS 5.1 will be unveiled today with availability starting moments later! Not only that but it will make Siri even more Siri-ously awesome!
P.S. If all the signs are correct we can expect a March 16th shipping date and availability of the beast since that is exactly what happened last year with the “iPad 2” and Dear Sister #3 (Dudu) I love you! :P Hint Hint!
As March 7th is getting closer and closer more rumors are rising as to what the next design of the iPad 3 will be and whether there will be an or not, and here at Couch Avenue, I got exclusive pictures of the next iPad 3 design!
Wanna see what the next iPad 3 will look like? Well click on the “Read More” link and check it out in all its glory!
A few moments ago just unveiled the developer preview version of its latest OSX operating system which will be named “.” The developer preview went live at 8:30 a.m. EST today and is available to Apple’s legions of app makers.
What does “” bring to you as a user?
On October 7th I woke up really early even though I had only 2-4 hours of sleep I made sure to wake up to pre-order my iPhone 4S and make sure I was one of the first few to get it on launch day! Unfortunately the US Apple Store did not have the unlocked version available for sale until November so I headed over to the UK Apple Store and was able to place an order at around 10AM it was crazy didn’t get my confirmation letter until late that evening but well worth the wait.
Last Friday October 14th it was delivered to my Aramex UK mailbox and I anxiously waited for it to arrive to Kuwait, but unfortunately due to some trouble with people who didn’t log in the shipment my baby was not shipped until Monday (thanks to the Shop and Ship team on twitter @Shopandship) it was rushed over here and I got it today! WEDNESDAY that was the fastest shipment ever!
I am so happy and enjoying the unboxing experience as well as Siri, will review it shortly just thought I would make you all iJealous as I was these past few days.
I got the 64GB White model whereas father ordered the 32GB White model as well. Oh yeah and Thanks Daddy! This was my early birthday gift! [He's still going to the US on my birthday will have him bring me something else from there, after all I am daddy's little girl :P]
So yeah there you have it! I got it for 305KD from the UK Apple Store + 7.800KD Shipping for both iPhones which still makes it cheaper than those thieves at XCite Electronics!
P.S. I am still getting the iPhone 5 next year or probably it will be called iPhone 6 because it is the 6th generation! It was the last project Papa Steve Jobs was working on closely before he passed away :(
The main focus of the event was the , judging by the name of it “Let’s talk iPhone” however most of you out there will feel that this update lacked the hype that we were seeing the past few weeks in which everyone expected it to be the launch of the “iPhone 5” a redesigned iPhone. Let’s face it I thought the same as well but judging by the updates we’ve seen today it is still something good and not to be shunned away. I personally will be purchasing a brand new iPhone since I’ve been wanting a White one and the selling feature for me was the increased capacity (yes I eat capacity from my iPhone!)
Judging by the looks of it, the has the same outside design as the current iPhone 4 but it’s the inside that has change, after all beauty is within a person (or in this case device). It has the same retina display available in today’s device and the same glass on the back but let’s try to see what’s new.
So what’s new with the ?
- It has an A5 Chip which is up to 2 times faster than before, with dual-core graphics which are said to be 7 times faster than previous iPhone (Yay SPEED!)
- Battery life has improved to 8 hrs for 3G Talk time, 14 hrs for 2G Talk time, 6 hrs for 3G browsing, 9 hrs for Wi-Fi browsing, 10 hrs for Video, and 40 hrs for music. “Fantastic battery life.” (Let’s hope it actually performs that way!)
- It has a completely redesigned antenna system for the iPhone 4S making the device the first phone to intelligently switch between antennas for sending and receiving. It also supports both GSM & CDMA technology, and supports HSDPA download speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps, twice that of the iPhone 4. (Wooohooo Faster downloads!)
- It includes an all new camera with the most advanced optics of any phone. The 8 megapixel sensor has 60% more pixels so you can take amazing high quality photos with more detail than ever. It includes a new custom lens, a larger f/2.4 aperture and an advanced hybrid IR filter that produces sharper, brighter and more accurate images. It has backside illumination that gives you 73% more light. It’s faster too – one third quicker! There is a new image signal processor that Apple designed, enabling face detection and 26 % better balance.
- The camera is now fully capable of recording 1080p HD resolution videos with video image stabilization and temporal noise reduction.
- Airplay Mirroring is now available on the iPhone 4S and so amazing to watch yourself playing the game on a big screen TV wirelessly!
- Comes with iOS5 built-in.
- It comes with Siri, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking it nicely. It is launching as a beta with support for English, French, and German, additional languages will be added later. Siri basically lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more. Ask Siri to do things just by talking the way you talk. Siri understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. Siri is so easy to use and does so much, you’ll keep finding more and more ways to use it.
And that is basically most of the new features of the brand new . You want to know how much it costs? Well the 16GB model is selling for $199, 32GB model is selling for $299, and the brand new [yes you heard it right] 64GB model is selilng for $399 (with a 2 year contract). The unlocked version prices should be available soon. It will be available for pre-order on October 7th with availability in retail stores and shipping date of October 14th in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.
The iPhone 4S will debut in an additional 22 countries by the end of October (October 28th). Those countries include: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. []
And with that my friends I give you the “most amazing iPhone ever,” as stated by our new dear friend Tim Cook.
I was somewhat disappointed with the event with the lack of an updated redesigned iPhone 5 but at the same time I expected the iPhone 4S since Apple recently redesigned it so it was just too soon. So I will be getting a brand new one, a white 64GB model to add to my collection courtesy of an early birthday present from father dearest!
P.S. The iPhone 4 is now available in 8GB model for 99$ and the iPhone 3GS 8GB model for Free.
At the event we were introduced to the brand new which does not feature an updated form factor but instead it has interface changes to imrpove the navigation and they gave us 16 new clock faces to facilitate its use as a watch. Its fitness features have also improved with Nike+ compatibility out of the box with no requirement for additional accessories to track walks and runs. Let’s give it to you in bullet points shall we?
What’s new with the ?
- Larger icons for easier navigation
- 16 new clock faces including a range of designs from a Mickey Mouse watch to a classic digital and Roman numeral design
- Nike+ compatibility out of the box (no need for extra setup), capable of tracking distance traveled, pace, time and more out of the box
- Instead of a grid menu it is now a horizontal and you can swip to get through them.
The best thing about the ? It’s price is now reduced! The 8GB is available for $129 and the 16GB is available for $149. They are available from today in 7 colors for both capacities: silver, graphite, blue, green, orange, pink, and red. []
The next introduction was for the iPod touch one of the major updates was with the price reduction as well as the availability of the white model.
What’s new with the ?
- Ultra thin design
- Retina display
- FaceTime
- HD video recording
- Gyro
- iOS 5 and iCloud
Similar to the iPod nano, the price reduction makes this an awesome deal with the prices of $199 for 8GB model, $299 for 32GB model, and $399 for 64GB model. All sizes come in both black & white and they will be available for order on October 12th same date as the release of the iOS5. []
[Apple] Let’s Talk iPhone Event
On this day we witnessed the updates that Apple has deigned to grace us with. The event marked the first event in which Tim Cook introduces new products and is the first event in which we did not see our beloved Steve Jobs. For this event I will be posting each update separately in different posts so as to not over crowd your eyes with talk here and there. So let’s give you a summary:
- Tim Cook took the stage and gave us the updates in regards to the retail store launch, there are now 357 total stores in 11 countries. He gave a walk through each of Apple’s four product areas: The Mac and Lion: 6 million copies of Lion sold so far up 80% of Snow Leopard and 23% year-over-year growth for Mac, 58 million users; Music: market share has been above 70% for a very long time and the iPod has 78% share right now with over 300 million iPods sold, and the iTunes Store has 20 million tracks with over 16 billion downloads; iPhone: 125% year-over-year growth, the iPhone 4 is responsible for over half of their total iPhone Sales ever #1 smartphone in the world; and finally iPad: has 75% market share in the US with high customer satisfaction rating and iPads showing up everywhere it is the #1 tablet in the world.
- Scott Forstall came on stage to talk about iOS5 highlighting the top ten features which were mentioned earlier this year. Before that we were given an overview of iOS being the #1 mobile operating system with 43% market share, Apple has paid out $3 billion to developers and sold 18 billion App Store downloads. Top ten features: Notification Center, iMessage, Reminders app, Twitter Integration, Newstand, Camera app, Game Center, Safari, Mail, PC-Free Setup. iOS5 will be available as a free download on October 12th.
- Cards, a new app released by apple that allows you to create your own greeting card on your phone and Apple will print your photo/design and mail it to them for 2.99$ mailed within the US and 4.99$ worldwide. The app is a free download available on October 12th.
- Eddy Cue came on stage to discuss iCloud highlighting its features: it is integrated right into apps, everything happens automatically, photo stream documents in the cloud, and the coolest thing is that daily backups of contacts and calendars across your devices are up in the cloud. Find my Friends is a new app in which you can share your location with a bunch of friends and stalk them. iTunes Match is the ability to scan and match your entire library to the iTunes Catalog, create and edit playlists, updated across devices for only 24.99$ per year. iCloud launches October 12th, iTunes Match at end of October in the US.
- Phil Schiller came on stage to talk about the iPods and introduces the new iPod Nano and iPod Touch. (Goodbye iPod Classic, you are as good as dead) [Link]
- iPhone 4S is introduced [Link]
- Scott Forstall on stage for a Siri demo.
- Phil Schiller back on stage to continue with the Siri demo.
- Tim Cook back on stage to wrap up.
And with that marks the end of the event.
[]
Today was the day Amazon held their conference in which they announced their enhanced Kindle family. They did not remove their previous Kindles (otherwise known as the Kindle 3rd Generation) but instead changed their name to “Kindle Keyboard”. But that wasn’t all that happened at the conference. You see the e-book reader market is growing with competitors such as Barnes & Nobles Nook and Sony’s e-Reader that Amazon thought to step up their Kindle and make it even more awesome.
At the conference, they announced the new Kindle (for lack of a better word the one without the keyboard). The most awesome thing was that it’s their cheapest Kindle being priced at $79 a price that beats all the lower priced e-Book readers out there. The key features of this baby is that it is 30% lighter (at less than 6 ounces), has an 18% smaller body while maintaining the 6″ screen size, has the most advanced e-Ink display, built-in wifi (can get books in 60 seconds), and for a model without any special offers or ads all you have to sell out is $109. It has buttons on it but no keyboard which will make it a bit difficult to type on but as a reader it’s awesome. [I has jealousy and feels like I want this one to add to my collection]. The best thing here is that this model is ready for you to order and have it shipped out today. []
The next baby that was announced was the Kindle Touch which comes in a 3G model and a Wi-Fi version priced at $149 and $99 for each. The $99 version comes with ads and to get it without ads you’d have to pay $139 which is still a great price. The touch screen on this baby uses an infrared touch system which is similar to the latest Nook & Kobo and also has no physical keyboard. It’s slimmer, 11% smaller and 8% lighter than the existing 3rd generation Kindle with a muted silver chasis that looks nothing like today’s Kindles. It has the most advanced e-Ink display with multi-touch (better than the model above), and can hold up to 3,000 books. It has text-to-speech, plus audio books and mp3s; both models have built-in Wifi to get your books quickly. Unfortunately this model is available for US only and will be released on November 21st 2011, but if you’d like you can pre order it today. []
Battery life for both models mentioned above can go up to 2 months and I know it can go longer because I remember I purchased my 3rd generation Kindle last December and charged it once and it lasted for 2 months without draining much.
Finally, the piece de resistance (as they say in France) was the announcement of the uber sexy Kindle Fire (burn baby burn!) [Seriously I'm on fire for this thing I wants it!] This is a 7-inch device running an iPS panel with Gorilla Glass coating, has a 1GHz TI OMAP dual-core CPU, 512 MB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and a chasis that weighs 14.6 ounces. The real awesome thing is that the Kindle Fire is going for the price of $199 which is insanely awesome. With this device you can get access to up to 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books. You also get the Amazon Appstore with thousands of popular apps and games. You get ultra-fast web browsing using the new “Amazon Silk”. All your data can be stored internally or via your free cloud storage with all your Amazon content. And if you’re an Amazon Prime member you can enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV Shows. This baby is a powerhorse I wouldn’t mind riding but as with the Kindle Touch this device will be available for the US only and will be released on November 15th 2011, but you can also pre-order it today. []
Now that all the geeky stuff is out of the way, the inner insane geek-aholic in me wants to grab all 3 devices whereas the broke me wants to just grab the Kindle Fire. Even if I do not use it faithfully (I know I am neglecting my Kindle baby) I still wants it! I guess this goes on my Birthday Wish List this year! YAY!
Next week, the iPhone extravaganza!
a 28 year old Kuwaiti Gadget Freak who is obsessively in love with Apple Products so much that she probably has everything made by Apple. Currently she's being a lazy bum and putting off writing and everything else but when she does this is her space where she likes to vent and release everything, so welcome to it.
A blogger for the past 8 years and still loving it.
