Items tagged with iPad Air
Spring is in the air, which means that we’re starting to hear more about the next version of iOS that powers iPhones and iPads. Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is scheduled to kick off on June 3rd, but a new report is already shedding some light on what we can except in iOS 13. The first addition is something that has been requested from Apple fans for a long time: a true systemwide dark mode. Apple has already introduced dark mode with macOS, so it’s only natural that the company would want to extend this feature to iOS. According to 9to5Mac, the feature won’t be enabled by default, and will instead be accessible via the Settings menu. A...
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We’ve been hearing rumors of new iPad models incoming from Apple, and today with little fanfare the company has unveiled two new product updates. The first is a [internal] hardware refresh of the long-in-the-tooth iPad mini, while the second is an all-new 10.5-inch iPad Air. The iPad mini is getting a significant processor upgrade, going from the A8 in the previous-generation model to the latest A12 Bionic (used in the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR). Standard storage comes in at 64GB, and the out-the-door price for a base system is $399. If you want to double your storage to 128GB, you’ll have to fork over an additional $150. As before, you have the option to add 4G LTE cellular...
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When it comes to matters of product design in the consumer electronics space, Apple’s Jony Ive likes to think that his company is the purveyor of all that is good and righteous in the realm of design taste. Last month, Ive thumbed his nose at Motorola’s Moto Maker tool that puts customers in the driver’s seat when it comes to choosing how their smartphone looks. Ive castigated Motorola, stating, “I believe that’s abdicating your responsibility as a designer.” Ive’s know-it-all stance on product design was on full display in a recent interview with the Financial Times. When describing the development process of the Apple Watch, Ive explained, “Even now, when the design of the Apple Watch is incredibly...
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How unflattering. Apple appears to be preparing, at least according to rumors, a 2-in-1 hybrid tablet convertible that's very much competitive to what Microsoft's Surface Pro line offers, along with countless hybrid tablet-notebook convertibles that have custom-built detachable keyboards. Though Jony Ive gets a little feisty about copy-cat devices as not just flattery but more specifically "theft," it does seem ironic that Apple appears to be lining up to potentially follow the trend once again, rather than lead. The original iPad may have set the tablet revolution in motion but then eventually came the iPad Mini, as Apple caved to the market share success of smaller 7 to 8-inch devices. ...
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When Apple debuted its A8 SoC, it proved to be a modest tweak of the original A7. Despite packing double the transistors and an improved GPU, the heart of the A8 SoC is the same dual-core Apple "Cyclone" processor tweaked to run at higher clock speeds and with stronger total GPU performance. Given this, many expected that the Apple A8X would be cut from similar cloth -- a higher clock speed, perhaps, and a larger GPU, but not much more than that. It appears those projections were wrong. The new A8X chip inside Apple's new iPad Air 2, is a triple-core variant of the A8, with a higher clock speed (1.5GHz vs. 1.4GHz), a larger L2 cache (2MB, up from 1MB) and 2GB of external DDR3. It also uses an...
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Apple has been inviting members of the media to a press event scheduled for Thursday, October 16, and it's widely believed we'll see the unveiling of a new iPad Air model, among other items. With just days to go before the event, photos of leaked second generation iPad Air (or iPad mini) parts are making the rounds on the web, potentially giving us an early look at what Apple has in store. The photos come from Taiwanese website Apple.club.tw. Different components are shown, including the front panel, which sports a Touch ID fingerprint reader with a gold capacitive ring around it. Not only does this suggest that a Touch ID upgrade is imminent, it also hints at there being a gold colored iPad...
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One of the telltale signs that Apple is getting ready to release new products is when retailers start marking down prices for current generation items, especially when they're representative of deep discounts. We're starting to see that happen on some items -- more specifically, both Target and Staples are now offering discounted iPad mini and iPad Air tablets. If you head over to Target, you'll find iPad Air models selling for $50 off the normal price, and a generous $100 discount on iPad mini tablets -- that beats Apple's refurbished price by $20! According to the website listing, the sale is valid for this week only. In addition, 9to5Mac says it heard from Target that supplies are limited,...
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August may seem like the wrong time to be talking about a Christmas holiday-themed commercial, but the Television Academy doesn’t think so. The Academy announced the winners of the 2014 Creative Arts Emmys, which recognizes the efforts of the people who work behind the scenes to make your favorite TV shows and commercials come to life. That’s where Apple comes in, taking the Outstanding Commercial award for its “Misunderstood” ad, which aired during the holidays last year. Apple TV and AirPlay let you put the video that's playing on your iOS device onto your TV. The commercial kicks off with family members arriving for a family get-together that seems fun for everyone...
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Apple typically lets a year lapse in between iPad releases, the one exception being the iPad 4, which came out eight months after the iPad 3 and shifted the release schedule to the holiday shopping season. If Apple sticks to this schedule, we can expect an iPad Air 2 launch this November. The question is, what feature upgrades can we expect? Well, the rumors are starting to trickle in, and one of them suggests a subtle but significant change to the display. It's said that Apple might bond the LCD and cover glass together, which is something it's been doing with the iPhone line since the introduction of the iPhone 4. This might not sound like a big deal, but this small change makes a noticeable...
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Now that the hustle and bustle of CES is over with, it's time to get back to our normal routines. If, like us, you find that you're need of a little inspiration to begin your work week, have a look at Apple's latest iPad Air commercial. Yes, for the first (and probably last) time, we're prescribing an Apple ad to shake off a case of the Mondays. None other than Robin Williams narrates Apple's newest pitch intended to get you excited about the company's flagship tablet, only it's not racing along at 100 miles per hour with funny voices and quips that the comedian is known for delivering. Heck, the ad doesn't necessarily inspire a person to rush out and buy an iPad Air, but Williams definitely...
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When Apple introduced the iPad Air, the company made a big deal about the tablet having a custom 64-bit System-on-Chip (SoC) inside. It's the same 64-bit part found in the iPhone 5 and the latest iPad mini. If you own any of those devices and are into benchmarking, you'll be happy to know that Futuremark's 3DMark benchmark has just been updated to include a 64-bit version for those devices. Futuremark says the iPad Air, iPhone 5S, and second generation iPad mini will all see "slightly" improved scores with the newest 3DMark (version 1.2.0). 3DMark is a popular benchmark and one that we frequently use when evaluating a range of hardware, from graphics cards to laptops and desktops. With the latest...
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So much has changed in the tablet market since Apple starting shipping its first iPad around three and a half years ago. Prior to the original iPad, the tablet category didn't really exist, not like it does today. Apple wasn't the first to market with a tablet -- not by a long shot -- but Steve Jobs and the gang were the first to release a tablet that people actually wanted, and bought. And bought, and bought, and bought. There was no competing with the iPad in the early days, not when Google's hardware partners insisted on charging the same premium for Android tablets as Apple was for its iPad. It took some time, but Android tablet makers eventually figured out that in order to compete...
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The iPad Air is Apple's fifth generation iPad and the true successor to the iPad 3, whereas the iPad 4 was mostly a speed bump and lacked the fanfare associated with most of Apple's product launches. It also marks the first real redesign of the tablet's form factor to some extent. The iPad Air is significantly thinner than the previous iPad, noticeably lighter, and it sports a reduced bezel that more closely resembles that of the iPad mini. It's such a drastic change in feel that Apple chose to add the “Air” moniker to this iPad. It seems Apple always chooses a standout feature to rally behind -- upgraded cameras, high-resolution (Retina) display, Siri -- and this time around it's...
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Initial reports suggest a brand new iPad Air suddenly caught fire in an Australian mobile phone store, prompting the brick-and-mortar establishment to summon the fire brigade. The new iPad Air was being used as a demo model when it started sparking and ultimately burst into flames, filling the store with smoke and forcing an evacuation. So goes the story as reported by the U.K. Daily Mail, however the folks at Forbes say sources in Australia are now unclear on which specific model of iPad did its best Nicholas Cage impression from the movie Ghost Rider. It's said that sparks flew out from the charging port. A similar incident involving an iPhone 5 led to the death of a 23-year-old woman from...
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