iPad 3 Release Date

According to sources at Bloomberg, Apple’s next iPad is all set for a March release. As speculated widely, it will sport a high-definition screen, a faster quad-core processor chip and work with next-generation wireless networks. Apple’s Asian manufacturers are ramping up the production of iPad 3. There will be a break during Chinese Lunar New Year holidays before peaking up again in February.

Features like high-definition display and quad-core processors are already expected. The feature that evokes more interest is LTE (Long Term Evolution). Our previous post talked how there is a clash going on between iPad 3 and iPhone 5 regarding who will feature LTE first. Now it seems that LTE will debut first on iPad before iPhone. According to Bloomberg’s sources, the main reason for this is because iPad comes with a bigger battery and can better cater to the power requirements of LTE. 4G networks provide faster data, but they require a higher-power radio and thus drain battery faster.

Apple has a tendency to wait for mobile technologies to reach critical mass before featuring them on their devices. We noticed the same in case of 3G. The original iPhone came with the slower 2G EDGE technology even though 3G technology was available at that time. Recently iPhone 4S came without featuring 4G. It might be also possible that Apple does not want to endorse 4G carriers at the expense of 3G carriers. iPhone has become such an important part of many people’s lives and it seems Apple doesn’t want to test a power-hungry LTE on it. iPad is still a luxury additional device and not a lifeline like iPhone for many.

Interest around the much talked about iPhone 5 is building up. Results of an online survey conducted by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk reveal that iPhone 5 is UK’s most awaited tech toy of 2012. Survey involved a sample size of 1,916 British adults and they were asked to list the tech gadgets they were most looking forward to. Respondents can choose more than one item if they wish.

74% of the respondents are looking forward to iPhone 5 and iPad 3 comes close second with 71 percent. Wii U is the third most awaited gadget of 2012 with 68 percent. According to Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, it is not at all surprising to see two Apple products occupying the top slots.

The world of technology is ever-changing, so there is always something new that consumers are looking for.

Mark Pearson

Respondents were also asked to state the reason for excitement about the gadget they chose. The new features on offer seem to be the obvious reason. The top 10 list features another Apple product – Apple TV at fifth spot with 62%. The list also features a Google table at fourth with 65% and Amazon Kindle Fire at sixth with 59%. Tablets crowding this list indicate the huge market potential of this segment. Even though none of the features of iPhone 5 or iPad 3 are officially confirmed, it seems that consumers have full faith in Apple and its innovation.

Rumors are buzzing about Apple’s release of new 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) enabled devices next year in Japan. These will be released in partnership with Japan’s biggest carrier by number of subscribers, NTT DoCoMo. As per Nikkei Business report, iPad 3 and iPhone 5 are scheduled for next year release. iPad 3 will be the first to come out in summer and then followed by iPhone in the fall. Our previous post talked about the clash between these devices for a release date, but it seems the iPad may have won.

2012 fall release of iPhone 5 means about a year gap with the iPhone 4S release. This gap is in accordance with the time frame followed by Apple in its previous releases. DoCoMo is expected to roll out its LTE infrastructure across Japan in the coming months. Though DoCoMo is Japan’s biggest telco, they are unable to add iPhone to their network as they want to pre-install their own popular applications on the device. Also the carrier is concerned over Apple’s unit volume commitment demands. Softbank and KDDI operators have agreement with iPhone and it is proving to be a huge success.

NTT DoCoMo dominates the LTE market and they recently released LTE-enabled Samsung’s Galaxy S II. It is rumored that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook met the NTT DoCoMo’s team last month and they reached to some kind of an agreement. Apple cannot ignore DoCoMo, considering their staggering subscribers and the domination in LTE market.

Is a fight between iPhone 5 and iPad 3 on the cards in getting a first release date? Apple’s traditional release map had gone haywire this year as iPhone’s release date was pushed from summer to fall. And we can be pretty much sure that the two won’t be released back to back. But many decision-making factors like Apple’s 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) roadmap, quad-core A6 processor, Apple’s next gen iOS 6 and partnership between Apple and T-Mobile are common to both iPhone 5 and iPad 3.

Apple needs next generation antennas to release 4G LTE devices with decent size and a good battery life. Apple might be building these devices on its own. In that cases Apple can incorporate LTE in both the upcoming devices – iPhone 5 and iPad 3. iPad sales figures indicate that more and more iPad buyers are going with the 3G enabled model. These numbers affirm that mobile networking will be a significant factor in the iPad 3 also and not only just in iPhone 5. Both iPad 2 and iPhone 4S run on dual-core A5 processor. Its successor quad-core A6 will be ready by next year. This high-power processor can boost the performance of iPad 3 and iPhone 5 and their apps and experience.

Till now, iOS releases debuted along with a new iPhone. As of now we are not sure of either iPhone 5’s release date or the progress of iOS 6. iPhone 5 coming before iPad 3 might change the iOS pattern this time. In the meanwhile, the talk of an iPad 2S can change the equations all together. The technical and marketing teams of Apple will definitely work it out to make sure that there’s enough space between the launches of these widely-awaited products of 2012.

But could it mean a product gets pushed back even later into 2012?  We will have to wait and see

Steve Jobs died this week, but his influence on technology and society will help to shape the coming century. His visionary welding of technology and design revolutionised the way we view them. Not only was he one of the greatest thinkers of our times he was also possibly it’s most successful business man. At the time of his death Apple was the most valuable company in the world.

It is difficult to summarise just how Steve jobs changed the world because his impact has been felt in so many areas. The introduction of the iPod and iTunes revolutionised not only the way music is delivered, but the entire music industry itself. The iPod meant for the first time the owner could take their entire music library with them where ever they went. It was iTunes that helped to kill off the already dying music megastores and forever changed the way people gather and distribute music. The music industry was already in trouble before Steve Jobs influence was felt. Piracy seemed a scourge with no answer. However iTunes produced the first viable model to monetise digital downloads. It also gave Jobs a huge amount of influence over the industry.

This was just one area in which Steve Jobs genius impacted the world. Another example was the introduction of the iPhone. Again this had a huge impact completely changing the telecommunications landscape. And this was not all, with the creation of his movie company Pixar he had a massive impact on the way modern films are made. Three major industries film, telecommunications and the music industry would never be the same again after Steve Jobs entered them.

Steve Jobs impact though is probably most acutely observed in the melding of design and technology. Steve Jobs was the first person to realise that aesthetics of personal technology was just as important as its functionality. Prior to him engineers held sway who had little interest in creating technology that was actually nice to look at. Steve Jobs changed all that and the impact was massive. Because iPhones, iPads and iMac are highly desirable based on their aesthetics people couldn’t get enough of them. Steve Jobs made it cool to like technology. No longer was it the sole domain of nerds now technology was for everyone. This gave apple a huge advantage over its competitors. People buy Apple products simply because they are made by Apple. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say the buy Apple products because they are made by Steve Jobs. His influence on apples products can be seen in every element of the design.

Steve Jobs was also a great business man. With some business leaders it is easy to say “He was lucky.” Or “He was there at the right time” But with Steve Jobs these throw away statements are not simple to declare. He was thrown out of the company he founded only to return to the company in 1997. The stock price tells the entire story. When he returned to the company the stock price was about $5 by the time of his death it was $375, and Steve Jobs had created the most valuable company in the world.

Steve Jobs influence on the world will be felt for many more years to come. While he maybe gone, his presence fundamentally changed the world we know.

RIP

This is an unusual year for Apple, by that I mean that they have not yet released the iPhone 5. In previous years, Apple released their phones between June and July, but we’re getting closer to October, and they still have not released the new iPhone 5.

Here is the release date history of the iPhones:

iPhone – June 29th, 2007
iPhone 3G – July 11th, 2008
iPhone 3Gs – July 19th, 2009
iPhone 4 – June 24th, 2010

Apple has changed its strategy this year. Making people wait longer in order to build tension as more and more people patiently wait for the release of the iPhone 5. When they sell, they’re going to make an even bigger fortune compared to previous years. Apple stock holders are enjoying a nice rise on their holdings as the release date gets closer. In June their stock was at around $195 a share, but currently their stock is sitting at $400 a share. As it is not unusual the shares are suspected to drop back down after the release date.

The new iPhone 5 will feature an 8-megapixel camera, an upgraded 1GB of RAM, an A5 dual-core processor, mobile payment functions and it will also include the Qualcomm mobile phone clip. The iPhone 5 is rumored to be released Oct. 15th, 2011, but the truth is it could released anytime, early to mid-October. Another clue to Apple’s release date of the iPhone 5, is they are apparently telling their employees that they cannot go on vacation the second week of October.

If you’ve been waiting months for the iPhone 5 to come out in stores, you’ll probably not be waiting too much longer. Seeing as most of September is already over, and we’re going into the month that it is highly suspected Apple will be releasing the new iPhone 5.

While some rumors remain just that, the build situation regarding Apple’s iPad seem to inch closer to fact and reality. According to Peter Misek of Jefferies & Co., “we have confirmed the iPad 2 build plans have been scaled back.” From an estimated 13.6 million units, this has been reduced to just about 12 million units for the last quarter of the calendar year.

As for reasons, Misek claims a few, although with going too deeply into his sources. He claims that

1) iPad 2 HD was canceled (~1M units retooled); 2) Sooner-than- expected iPad 3 launch in late Jan; 3) Retail inventory caution due to potential demand slowdown; 4) Some production shift to Brazil. We see 29M iPads shipped in H2 vs. 14M in H1. We trim our 2011 global tablet forecast from 70M to 65M.

Peter Misek

He said that the lower iPad shipments may still compensated for by the sales of iPhones. His iPhone estimate is 28.7 million units, a figure that is higher by 3 million units for the fourth quarter. This number will improve gross margin. And so Misek raised his December-quarter EPS estimate from $8.85 to $9.17. Today, Apple shares are up $2.38 at $401.64.

Australia and South Korea now share the same fate of witnessing the legal battle between Samsung and Apple. The dispute with patents is now something that has caught the ire and attention of the world. With their smartphone sales suffering, Samsung is filing a countersuit against Apple in Australia.

Samsung claims that Apple has infringed seven Australian patents, alleging this in the suit file in the Federal Court of Australia in New South Wales. These patents are all related to wireless networking. This could really sting because Apple’s next generation iPhones and iPad 2 devices all work with wireless technology. This also coincided with the delay of the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia.

It should be noted that Apple has previously cried infringement with the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Last month, the two companies made a deal wherein Samsung would not only restrict sales of its latest smartphone, but also give some test units for Apple to scrutinize.

This latest move from Samsung will not only ignore its previous agreement with Apple, but will also affect the release of the iPhone 5 in South Korea. As if consumers weren’t already tormented enough, waiting for the iPhone to be released during the holidays, Samsung plans to file to ban the sales of the iPhone in South Korea.

The Korean Times reports that if the plan to ban pushes through, this would be a huge loss for Apple, considering that the country is majorly dependent on high technology and the Internet. The financial impact is too huge to be ignored. On the other side, Apple plans to sue Samsung in the country, claiming design copying and infringement.

Apple won in Germany, and was able to ban the Galaxy Tab 7.7 at Berlin’s IFA tech show. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 was also banned across Europe, but was later limited to just Germany. These things have a dangerous tendency of creating precedents wherein technology manufacturers would be more concern with legal dispute rather than producing efficient and useful devices for the consumers to enjoy. The future of patent law and technology can be easily affected by these things.

Sprint is now launching its own iPad 2. Apple’s new iPhone partner seems to share the frustration of many consumers patiently waiting for the anticipated release of iPad 3 with the iPhone 5. If the report from CNET were true, then the iPhone 5 would make its debut without the iPad 3. Apple traditionally lets a whole year pass before introducing new mobile tech, but there are some reasons why people believe it would just be seven months for the iPad2.

Verizon was selling in advance the non-3G iPad. This report claims that Sprint has been selling its own iPad 2 with built-in Sprint mobile networking. This is sure to disappoint many consumers because it’s still not an iPad 3. The iPad3 has been anticipated to be releases this year with the iPhone 5. Since the iPad 2 turned to be just a mere spec bump with some new features and a thinner casing, many people predicted that Apple is bound to release the real iPad 2. After all, Apple has surely been working on this since the first quarter of 2010.

The only way Apple could find some middle ground is by juicing up the iPad 2 into some sort of an “iPad 2S” model. Better specs should definitely include better battery life and more noise reduction. Apple could work something through while people are pre-occupied with iPhone 5 and the news of its release by the end of this year. This could somehow mitigate the tiring question of when people can see the iPad 3. This buzz among consumers is sure to escalate during the holiday season. For all we know, Sprint’s iPad 2 could in fact be a Sprint iPad 2S. Verizon and AT&T could also be getting their own models of this iPad 2S. What it would be ultimately called is not yet known; the term iPad 2S is just something wishful customers envisioned it would be named. Regarding the new iPhone 5 or iPad, Apple has again kept things to itself.

Everyone remembers the story from last year. An Apple employee who had hold of an iPhone 4 prior to its release was in a bar. After a few drinks the employee went home, leaving the device in the bar where it was discovered by some other customers. They then sold the device to Jason Chen of Gizmodo for a reported $5000. Apple then used the REACT task force to raid Chen’s home and recover the device, while Chen and the customers who originally found the phone were prosecuted.

While Chen has been acquitted of all charges against him the original finders of the iPhone 4 have not been so lucky. Considering the amount of effort that Apple went to in order to retrieve the phone and bring legal punishment on all parties involved in its sale to Gizmodo, it would make sense to assume that Apple would be a bit more careful with its future prototypes. This is apparently not the case, according to a story from CNET, as now another Apple employee has left the latest iPhone 5 in a tequila bar in San Francisco.

Apple has not confirmed these rumours and the device has not yet appeared on Gizmodo or any other online tech website, leading some to speculate on the rumours are untrue. Reportedly, Apple traced the device electronically to an address in Bernal Heights, San Francisco, where the FBI searched a property. Nothing was found and the occupant denied any knowledge of the phone’s whereabouts.

While the iPhone 4 was sold to Gizmodo for $5000, this current misplaced iPhone has supposedly been sold on Craigslist for just $200. Considering that the phone will probably retail for more than $600 without contract this seems a little bit odd. $200 may be an accurate valuation for the iPhone 5 on contract once it is released, but for an unlocked device, and particularly a pre-release model, the person who found the phone in the tequila bar would surely be seeking much greater financial benefits for its resale.

If this story does hold any truth to it, and the device has not been recovered by Apple, we could expect to see some more tantalising details about the phone in the coming days and weeks. There is still some speculation about the nature of the next iPhone and just exactly what it has in store. Of course, this story could just be a publicity stunt by Apple after they realised the benefits of last year’s fiasco. We will just have wait and see whether the device crops up any time soon.