The Apple iPad Thread

[Tezcatlipoca]

iPad 2 is expected to be announced soon, & available within a few months (going by Apple's track record & its love of annual product cycles).


Quick re-cap of some of the competition's specs in 2011:

[Released Sep. 2010] Samsung Galaxy Tab - Android 2.2 (Froyo), 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 CPU, PowerVR SGX 540 GPU*, 512MB RAM, front & rear cameras, 7" screen.

[Upcoming] BlackBerry PlayBook - BlackBerry Tablet OS, 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM, front & rear cameras, 7" screen.

[Upcoming] Motorolla Xoom - Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 [ARM Cortex-A9 dual-core CPU plus GeForce ULP GPU*], 1GB RAM, front & rear cameras, 10.1" screen.

While the current iPad has: 1GHz Apple A4 [ARM Cortex-A8 CPU plus PowerVR SGX 535 GPU*], 256MB RAM, 9.7" screen

*[GeForce ULP used in the Xoom > SGX540 used in the Galaxy Tab > SGX535 used in the iPad & iPhone 4]


Most rumours agree on a slimmer design for the iPad 2, along with front & rear cameras.

More RAM for the iPad 2 is surely a given. 256MB RAM really is quite low now, against last year's Galaxy Tab (512MB) & definitely against this year's newcomers (e.g. 1GB in the PlayBook & the Xoom).

Also, when you look at the competition, it would make sense for the iPad 2 to also have a better CPU & maybe also GPU. The current 1GHz Cortex-A8 plus an SGX535 is already a slightly lower spec. than the Galaxy Tab has (1GHz Cortex-A8 plus an SGX540), & definitely lower than the PlayBook (1GHz dual-core Cortex-A9) and Xoom (1GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 plus a GeForce ULP).


Some iPad 2 rumours so far...

Digg's Kevin Rose - iPad 2 to be announced by early Feb, higher resolution, front & rear cameras

Reuters - higher resolution, front & rear cameras, slimmer & lighter

iOnApple - smaller bezel, wide range speaker, flat back

Analyst Ashok Kumar via CNET - 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 dual-core CPU for the iPad2

[philwhite100]

I can't wait for the new version to be released then the older models will probably be a bit cheaper and i will get one. I always stay one or two steps behind the latest spec as it is more affordable and still good enough.

[vanman]

VLC media player app pulled from Apple App Store

http://www.t3.com/news/vlc-media-pla...p-store?=52283

[Horace]

Originally Posted by dilligaf1701

Are there any reccomendations for some good (free - or cheap) iPad software / games?

Splashtop and Air Video are probably my two most used non-native apps on the iPad. Splashtop is simlar to VNC only it's very fast and also streams audio allowing you to watch and play flash games and video as well as any other PC applications on a networked PC almost seamlessly. My two favorite games other than AB are Risk and Reckless Racing.

[Tezcatlipoca]

Stuart has already mentioned this in the iPhone thread, but it's also of relevance here.

Apple has released an iOS4.3 beta to developers, which adds some nice new features, and also contains references within it to what can only be new iPads & iPhones.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/12/i...medium=twitter

http://www.reghardware.com/2011/01/13/apple_ios_4_3/

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/12/i...-support-to-a/

http://gizmodo.com/5732058/apple-fin...de-switch-does

http://gizmodo.com/5732010

The switch previously used for orientation lock, which Apple then changed to be a mute switch (much to many people's dismay) can now be used as either: The settings in iOS4.3 contain an option to select whether the switch locks the orientation or mutes.

iOS4.3 also adds "Multitasking Gestures" to the iPad. These let you use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen, swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar, and swipe left or right between apps.

[Tezcatlipoca]

More rumours on the iPad 2 (& also iPhone 5):

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/14/e...-apple-tv-and/

Originally Posted by Engadget

Just before the Verizon iPhone 4 launch, we'd heard from multiple sources -- sources like the ones which gave us all that extremely accurate Apple TV info last time around -- that the iPad 2 isn't nearly as close to launch as some have speculated. Apparently, those case and hardware mockups we've seen are rather early versions, which means we're still months out from a proper introduction. It seems likely that the device will land around April (perfectly timed with the 12-month product cycle Apple enjoys). And what about that device? From what we've been told, the thinner, sleeker tablet will sport a new screen technology that is akin to (though not the same as) the iPhone 4's Retina Display and will be "super high resolution" (unlike reports to the contrary). The device will remain at 10 inches but will now feature both front and rear cameras (not a huge surprise), and... there's an SD slot. That's right -- our sources say with near certainty that the device will have a dedicated SD slot built in (with no traditional USB slot). In fact, see that weird notch in the photo below? That's where the SD part will be located. What's most interesting, however, is what's happening under the hood.

The new iPad will feature a dual GSM / CDMA chipset produced by Qualcomm and will mark Apple's shift away from Infineon as its chipset maker to Qualcomm for all of its mobile devices. It's not clear if the chipset being used will be based on the company's EV-DO / HSPA Gobi variety or an entirely new design. Presumably, the strength of the new dual-mode chipset is that it will allow both Verizon and AT&T to offer the iPad simultaneously.

But all of these moves are leading up to the iPhone 5 -- a completely redesigned handset -- which our sources say is on track for a summer launch. Right now, the device is being tested discreetly by senior staff at Apple (strictly on campus only). We don't have much info on the phone at this point, but our understanding is that the new device will be a total rethink from a design standpoint and will be running atop Apple's new A5 CPU (a Cortex A9-based, multi-core chip). This device, like the iPad 2, will feature a Qualcomm chipset that does triple duty as the CDMA / GSM / UMTS baseband processor -- from what we hear there's no LTE in the mix at this point.

One other interesting tidbit: Apple is at work on the second generation of its redesigned Apple TV, which will include that new A5 processor. The CPU is said to be blazingly fast, cranking out 1080p video "like running water." It's likely that the A5 will make it into the iPad 2 as well, but we have yet to confirm that.

[Tezcatlipoca]

CrunchGear - iPad 2 Rumor Roundup

[dilli-theclaw]

I have just played the same video repetedly to test the battery (the stone tape) and it played for 16 hours before it finally died. Not bad at all.

[dilli-theclaw]

MMMmmm a proper iplayer app for the iPad.

http://www.techwatch.co.uk/2011/02/0...out-this-week/

I was hoping I could use my 3g connection while I was out and about to play stuff from it, eems not

[Tezcatlipoca]

Jailbreak it then!

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by Matt D

Jailbreak it then!

It looks a bit complicated if the iPad is on 4.2. I do miss sbsettings though.

I'm not sure if jailbreaking will let me use the iplayer app on 3G.

Still I may try it if I get too bored

I wonder what the rationale is behind disallowing downloads/streams over 3G. Lack of bandwidth perhaps? Do the Beeb think they'll get complaints even though that's out of their control?

I do like the idea of a subscription model for iPlayer in overseas territories though. The more content BBC Worldwide can sell, the more money comes back into the UK for programme making.

[dilli-theclaw]

Bandwidth has been mentioned, they say you won't be able to stream fast enough to watch using 3G. Which is crap as half the time the Internet is better on my iPad than my home connection and I can do iplayer hd on that fine.

I guess I'm irritated ad surely it's my 3G bill to waste so if I want to eat it up watching a program then why not.

[Stuart]

I don't think it's the consumer they are thinking of, more that the networks will block mobile access to the BBC if they think their customers are using too much bandwidth to connect to the BBC.

Of course, that is speculation on my part.

[Horace]

Originally Posted by dilligaf1701

MMMmmm a proper iplayer app for the iPad.

http://www.techwatch.co.uk/2011/02/0...out-this-week/

I was hoping I could use my 3g connection while I was out and about to play stuff from it, eems not

Jailbreakng 4.2 untethered is very straightforward now : http://www.geohot.us/2011/02/greenpo...wnload-to.html

Once jailbroken, search for 3G unrestrictor in Cydia, it's not free .