Even though a single iPad hasn’t actually been shipped, that won’t stop the questions over the success of initial orders from being asked. Considering how Apple has positioned the iPad in the product lineup, on par with the Mac, iPod, and iPhone, Steve Jobs better have a press-release answer ready. On Friday, Philip Elmer-DeWitt at Apple 2.0 started following people following the numbers, though whether those numbers are real or imaginary is yet to be determined. The data thus far derived has come from InvestorVillage , an Internet forum for “self-directed investors.” By using orders numbers from an admittedly small number of purchasers, and accounting for purchases of other products at the Apple Store, the initial estimate was 51,000 in the first two hours, 74,000 after four and a half hours, and 91,000 in six hours. According to Apple 2.0 , by the end of Friday the estimated number of iPad pre-orders was approximately 120,000. That’s the good news, assuming it’s true. Apple 2.0 also passed along metrics for 110 iPads that are what you’d expect, Wi-Fi over 3G by two to one, the cheapest iPad at $499 being very popular. Somewhat surprisingly, the most expensive model, 64GB/3G at $829, was also popular but, hey, these are self-directed investors spending their hard-earned dividends that we’re talking about.

Continue reading...

Section: Apple News , Apple Online and Retail Store , iPhone / iPod touch / iPad , iPad The early worm gets the Apple, so you’d better set your alarm just a little earlier tonight to make sure you get first dibs on that iPad you’ve had your eye on. Remember, WiFi only models will be available on April 3rd, and the 3G models will make their debut later in April. Here’s the exact quote from an Apple rep sent to TUAW : “Customers can pre-order online at apple.com at 5:30am Pacific time on Friday, March 12.” So, are you going to preorder an iPad? If so, which one ? If you’re anything like me, then you’re probably having a hard time choosing between the six models you have to pick from. Let me break it down for you. The WiFi only model, while functioning nearly identically to the 3G version, will only access the internet using WiFi. And with how easy it is to find a WiFi hotspot these days, that’s not really that big of an issue if you aren’t hopelessly addicted to the net. Not only will this save you $130 upfront, you won’t have to wait the extra few weeks for the 3G version, and you won’t have to worry about paying AT&T $30 a month at any point in the future for iPad 3G Internet access. Sounds like a win-win win situation right

Continue reading...

Section: Apple News , Apple Online and Retail Store , iPhone / iPod touch / iPad , iPad According to a press release recently published by Apple, their new iPad device—both Wifi and 3G models—will be available for pre-order on March 12th. The WiFi models will be able to be picked up or reserved in the Apple Store for April 3rd, while buyers who want the WiFi/3G model will have to wait until late April to get their hands on the product. As far as pricing goes, you can expect the following for WiFi models: $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB. If you’re interested in 3G models along with WiFi, the prices are$629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB. The decision between the WiFi vs. 3G iPad will be a tough one. While the above dates and prices are for the United States, the press release also states, “iPad will be available in both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models in late April in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. International pricing will be announced in April.

Continue reading...

Filed under: Apple , iPad Dear Aunt TUAW, I am planning on getting an iPad WiFi+3G when they become available, but I am still undecided on which (storage) size I should get. I currently have a 16GB iPhone 3GS which comfortably, for now, holds all my media needs. While I have a lot of music and photos and some video I don’t feel the need to have it all on my phone at one time. Looking at what I store on my iPhone I think an iPad 32GB would more than fit my needs — but will my media files be larger on the iPad with the larger format of the device? I don’t expect that my iTunes songs will take up anymore than they do on the iPhone, but will the format of pictures and video take up more storage space? With AT&T increasing the download size limit over 3G it got me wondering if 32GB on the iPad will be more like a 16GB iPhone. At this point I would be deciding between the 32GB and 64GB. Just wondering if the $100 price difference would be better spent buying the 32GB and putting the $100 toward a year’s worth of 3G connectivity? Love, kissies & hugs, Your nephew, RJ Continue reading Dear Aunt TUAW: Does size matter (when it comes to iPads)?

Continue reading...

While some opinions about the actual product have been mixed, one thing is for sure.  The hype for the iPad still remains strong.  So much so, the hype surrounding it’s pre-launch has actually been revealed to be stronger than pre-iPhone says a new survey according to The National Post . A RBC/ChangeWave survey that gathered data from 3,200 people from February 1st-10th showed that 13% of respondents showed interest in scooping up an iPad.  This varies in contrast to the 9% that indicated they might buy an iPhone in an April 2007 pre-launch survey.  RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky thinks this data will mean initial iPad uptake will be healthy he said in a research note. Only about 8% seemed unwilling to pay Apple’s indicated iPad prices, which is well below the 28% who didn’t seem fond of the initial iPhone pricing.   Abramsky continued saying that interest seems strongest for both the entry-level and tech-savvy iPad buyers, with results of 19% stating themselves as buyers planning to grab the $499 16GB WiFi only version and 19% saying they will scoop up the $829 64GB 3G edition. "Preliminary, it appears that the iPad’s lack of Flash support, camera, multi-tasking does not appear to deter initial buyer interest," Abramsky said.  "This data…suggests iPad may have greater potential than expected, to expand Apple’s addressable PC, iPod markets and to capture a segment of the home PC market." So for our MaclLifers out there, are you more stoked about the iPad than you were before the iPhone came out?  Feel free to leave comments below! Image courtesy of Endgadget.com  

Continue reading...

It may be called “iPhone OS,” but that doesn’t mean that Apple plans to stop with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad — a new report suggests more devices with the questionably named operating system may be yet to come. Computerworld is reporting on a new Apple job posting last week for an “Engineering Manager (Platform Bring-Up),” which appears to be aimed at reworking the iPhone OS and putting it on new platforms yet to come. “The Core Platform team within Apple’s Core OS organization is looking for a talented and inspired manager to lead a team focused on bring-up of iPhone OS on new platforms,” the job posting reads. “The team is responsible for low level platform architecture, firmware, core drivers and bring-up of new hardware platforms. The team consists of talented engineers with experience in hardware, firmware, IOKit drivers, security and platform architecture.” So what might we expect from such a move? TiPb.com suggests that the Apple TV is a likely candidate for iPhone OS, particularly if the hardware has a complete overhaul using Apple’s own processors. It’s common knowledge that the device, which even Apple CEO Steve Jobs has acknowledged is a “hobby,” has yet to gain much traction in the living room. Computerworld also theorizes that the MacBook Air is another candidate for conversion to iPhone OS. Since its main use is for light word processing or spreadsheet number-crunching, e-mail and web browsing, the MacBook Air might be a perfect companion for iPhone OS for people who want an iPad but still enjoy the traditional laptop-with-keyboard frame. And in just a few short years, you might just find iPhone OS extended to other low-hanging fruit in the Apple canon, such as the Mac mini or even the MacBook. Our vote for iPhone OS is to extend the software onto televisions themselves

Continue reading...

We close the week featuring two hardware and one software deal. Several MacBooks are being offered, starting at $749 for a 2.13GHz white model. Also, a Mac mini (2.53GHz Core 2) with 4GB of RAM and two 500GB drives for $985. The App Store has a new batch of freebies, including “Paradise Monkeys,” a version

Continue reading...

Section: Software + Apps , Design , Mac + Computers , Software , Reviews Format: Download Developer: Pixelmator System Requirements: Intel or PowerPC, Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later, Core Image supported graphics card Review Computer: 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo MacBook, 4GB DDR2 RAM Processor Compatibility: Intel or Power PC Price: $59.00 single user Availability: Out now Demo: Download Despite the vast array of cloud-based apps and free software, many users still have a cadre of tried-and-true desktop programs they consider a must.  It is rare for these users to experience a Eureka! moment and want to convert to a competing app.  Pixelmator, billed as the the world’s only GPU-powered, Mac OS X-only image editor, is one of those programs.  Other reviewers have thrown out the idea that Pixelmator can go head-to-head with Photoshop…I would go so far as to say you could have a toss up between Photoshop Elements/Lightroom and Pixelmator, but I doubt most users of the full Creative Suite version would feel satisfied with Pixelmator’s feature set.  If Adobe’s products keep adding features you never use, however, Pixelmator may just be a (much cheaper) alternative.  Serious Photoshop users take note; if you are doing extensive photo retouching or basic layer-based image composition, Pixelmator blazes by Adobe’s products.  In the time it takes Photoshop to start up, Pixelmator can veni, vidi, vici before the PS splash screen is gone. The Good Pixelmator is FAST .  In testing on both a late 2006 MacBook and a summer 2009 MacBook Pro, the program was fast to start, quick to respond, and snappy in applying filters.  Pixelmator leverages Apple’s Core Image framework, which offloads graphical tasks to your Mac’s graphics card.  This means the speed of the program is based on your GPU and graphics memory.  The late 2006 MacBook did perform rather sluggishly, especially when applying filters to an entire image (back in the day when the PowerPC chip was first introduced, designers used to benchmark systems based on the speed of a Gaussian blur filter).  This result is hardly surprising given the MacBook’s Intel GMA 950 graphics chip.  On the ‘09 MacBook Pro, many of the filters felt real time, especially the Quartz Composer filters (many of them are applied real time to iChat/Photo Booth images as effects).  Filters in Pixelmator render in real-time much like Apple’s Instant Alpha feature in iWork. This familiar feeling is one of Pixelmator’s many standout features. Overall, the program just feels a Mac application (Apple should take note and start making some UI updates to Aperture). All windows use the HUD interface theme, and thoughtful touches throughout—like the fact that the currently selected tool pops from the menu bar—make the program much more visually appealing than its Adobe competitors.  There are even some nifty custom UI elements, such as filter windows that are literally attached to the image being edited, or how the Brush engine, which is one of the shining stars in the program, uses an image well much like OS X to allow drag-and-drop creation of new brushes.  You can even use the crayon box color picker if you want (I know serious artists scoff, but it is a user friendly way to present color choices—better than Microsoft’s little honeycomb color chooser). I used the brush engine to create a new snowflake brush using a snowflake clip art and then made my holiday card for next year. Hey, it is never too early to start! The Great As if speed were not enough, Pixelmator really is an incredibly powerful image editor. The speed can be attributed to the program’s use of Apple’s pre-built image capabilities, but the program’s power and elegance lend it a feeling of composure that make working on an image feel less like work and more like creation.  The interface literally gets out of the way when needed (via the “Hide unnecessary palettes” preference option).  Invoking the Curves adjustment pane causes the other palettes to fade so you can see the changes being made applied to the whole image: Overall, this feels much better than Adobe’s 2 step process of invoking an adjustment pane, making changes and seeing a preview of them (which is ridiculously small), then waiting for your changes to render on the whole image.  Pixelmator shines in both basic image editing and layer-based image composition.  Using the Appletell logo from the top of the site, I was able to compose a new image on 10 layers, adding a sunburst and diamond checkerboard pattern, blending these using full layer blending tools and opacity, then adding several layers of filters/effects.  Most of the abilities are nothing new or revolutionary, but the program’s speed and ease of use made the process feel less cumbersome.  For such a low price point, the program is exceptionally well designed, includes support for my Wacom tablet, and offers a full set of keyboard shortcuts that made sense to both a longtime Photoshop and Mac user

Continue reading...

Section: Software + Apps , Third-Party , Web Applications , Originals If you’ve had your eye on one of Eye-Fi’s awesome WiFi enabled SDHC memory cards, now is the time to get one along with some online storage from Google. Google and Eye-Fi have teamed up to announce one heck of a deal. If you buy 200GB of online storage from Google, Eye-Fi will throw in one of their 4GB SDHC Eye-Fi Home video cards for free along with a year of Web Share and Geotagging. FYI, it only costs $50 for one year’s worth of 200GB of online storage from Google. The memory card by itself is $69.99, and the one year of Web Share and Geotagging is another $24.98. That’s almost $150 worth of stuff for $50!  And if you call now…. Just kidding.  But seriously, you’d better act quickly; supplies are limited, and I can’t imagine they have thousands of these cards just waiting to basically be stolen from them. Read [ Google Eye-Fi Deal ] Full Story » | Written by Jake Gaecke for Appletell . | Comment on this Article »

Continue reading...

The dawn of a new year never fails to make me excited about all the potential for new devices we’ll inevitably see released. This year is no different, and for Apple’s iPod and iPhone, there are some storms that have been brewing for quite a while that should break in 2010. Hope you packed a raincoat. I recently came across my still functional (including decent battery life) 30GB iPod Video while rooting through my drawers looking for a proprietary USB cable. After I charged it and booted it up, the palpable feeling of the HDD platter spinning up, and the faint sound that accompanies said action reminded me of just how far we’ve come, and of how far we’ve yet to go with Apple’s portable devices. Here’s where I think we’re headed next. The iPod It’s long been the linchpin in Apple’s lineup of product offerings, and it deserves eternal respect for the role it had in reversing the company’s fortunes, but the iPod no longer enjoys the place of highest favor among Apple products, mobile or otherwise. I predict, as a general trend, a continued downplaying of the iPod’s role at Apple, and significant changes to the products on offer as a result of that trend. Video Comes to the Touch Probability: Guaranteed The evidence all but guarantees that video is meant to come to the iPod touch sooner or later, and I predict it will be sooner, rather than later. Tear-downs of the most recently released iteration of the touch revealed a space perfectly designed for the same camera guts found in the new iPod nano, so unless Apple is just very interested in toying maliciously with Apple rumor hounds, this one is basically in the bag. It doesn’t hurt that it’s the next logical step for the rising star of Apple’s iPod lineup. iPod Classic Gets Retired Probability :  Possible It’s served long, and it’s served well, but the HD-based iPod Classic is not long for this world, in my opinion. Apple’s already streamlined the Classic to a single available model, and as the price of flash memory begins to trend downwards again in 2010 , I think they’ll do away with the beast altogether and focus on turning Classic customers into iPod touch devotees

Continue reading...