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Posts tagged with "apple"

Apple’s Role in Japan during the Tohoku Earthquake→

Apple’s Role in Japan during the Tohoku Earthquake

You know how in disaster movies, people on the street gather around electronic shops that have TVs in the display windows so they can stay informed with what is going on?  In this digital age, that’s what the Tokyo Apple stores became.  Staff brought out surge protectors and extension cords with 10s of iOS device adapters so people could charge their phones & pads and contact their loved ones.  Even after we finally had to close 10pm, crowds of people huddled in front of our stores to use the wifi into the night, as it was still the only way to get access to the outside world.

The Apple staff have done a terrific job in aiding the people of Japan in connecting with friends and relatives by utilizing the power of kindness and modern technology. FaceTime, iPhones, and WiFi available at the retail stores brought relief and comfort to families as the impact and aftermath of the earthquake was felt throughout Tokyo.

I’d also like to remind readers that you can contribute to earthquake and tsunami relief through the iTunes Store. Even a small amount like $5 goes a long way.

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Apple: Demand for iPad 2 Is “Amazing”→

Apple: Demand for iPad 2 Is “Amazing”

Speaking to The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple, Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller said the consumers’ demand for the iPad is “amazing”.

Demand for the next generation iPad 2 has been amazing,” Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller, told The Loop. “We are working hard to get iPad 2 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible.”

Apple would not say exactly how many iPad 2s were sold over the weekend.

The launch of the iPad 2 saw long lines at Apple Stores across the US, delayed shipping times on Apple’s website and several retail stores sold out of units. A survey revealed 70% of iPad 2s are being sold to new customers, and an analyst predicted Apple would sell 600,000 copies over the launch weekend alone.

At this point, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see an Apple press release announcing 1 million iPads sold later this week.

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Survey: iPad 2 Selling Mostly To New Customers

Market analyst Gene Munster surveyed just under 250 line-waiters at the iPad 2 launch last Friday and one of the most interesting findings was that 70% of the iPads being sold were to consumers who did not own the original iPad. Furthermore Munster estimated that Apple would have sold around 400,000 to 500,000 iPad 2’s, close to what analysts were predicting prior to the launch and well above the original’s 300,000-unit figure.

Munster said of the results “We believe this shows Apple is expanding its base of iPad users, which is critical to maintaining its early lead in the growing tablet market,” and this was backed up with statistics that whilst the original iPad had a predominantly Mac audience, iPad 2 owners were split 49% to PC and 51% Mac users. In addition Kindle users opting for an iPad 2 were at 24% compared to 13% for the original.

Munster also got some statistics on the break up of which model people were purchasing with more WiFi + 3G models chosen and the 32GB variant the most popular size chosen at 41% (up from 32%), although Munster notes that this increase could be in part due to the 16GB variety selling out faster. Finally another analyst, Chris Whitmore from Deutsche Bank, decided to call up around 100 stores (50 Apple Retail, 20 Best Buy and Walmart plus Verizon and AT&T stores) and found zero stock in all the stores which he called “shocking”.

[Via Cult of Mac]

iFixit Tears Open The Smart Cover To See How It Works

In what is quite a first, iFixit has done a tear-down on Apple’s new Smart Covers and found that Apple has used a whopping 31 magnets to make the Smart Cover system work with 10 in the iPad and 21 in the cover. To the disappointment of the iFixit team, the magnets were the plain old two-pole kind, not the more intriguing correlated magnets, however the way in which the magnets were placed is what allows the Smart Cover to effectively clip on with relative ease and accuracy.

One of the magnets in the Smart Cover is used by the iPad to work out when the iPad should be locked and unlocked whilst the rest are used to “either clamp to the iPad on the right side (the far-right column of magnets), or to form the triangular shape used to create a stand for the iPad 2.” Finally the magnets inside the iPad 2 were polarised + - + - whilst the Smart Cover complemented this and had the opposite being - + - + (obviously to snap to together the magnets in either part must be opposite to attract each other).  Jump the break for some more break down images by iFixit!

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Reports Suggest Apple Won’t Include NFC Technology In The iPhone 5

An article today by The Independent (a UK publication) has suggested that the previously rumored inclusion of Near Field Communication technology in the iPhone and iPad will not be coming this year. The technology is perceived to become a new way for consumers to pay for goods and services and it was hoped by many in the retail industry that Apple could set the standard by adding the technology to the iPhone.

It appears however, according to several sources in UK mobile operators, that Apple had decided against the inclusion of NFC technology in the next version of the iPhone. One source told The Independent “The new iPhone will not have NFC, Apple told the operators it was concerned by the lack of a clear standard across the industry.”

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Donate To Red Cross for Japan Through iTunes

As noted by 9to5mac, Apple has enabled an option in the iTunes Store to donate to the American Red Cross for the Japan relief fund. If you want to make your donation to the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan, you can by visiting this page and choosing to donate $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 or $200. Everything happens through the iTunes account you already have – a clever move to make donations easy and just a click away for iTunes users.

100% of your donation will go to the American Red Cross, which is set to provide food, shelter and assistance to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami.

Apple Could Sell 600,000 iPad 2’s This Weekend, Double The Original’s Launch Sales

Speaking with several industry analysts, Bloomberg has reported that Apple could sell 600,000 units as it debuts this weekend. One such analyst, Brian Marshall from Gleacher & Co predicts more than 500,000 sales which would be close to double the original iPad’s 300,000 sales in 24 hours. Apple released its iPad 2 for purchase on its online store in the early hours of today and already orders are backlogged for 2-3 weeks, whilst Apple’s 236 US retail stores and select others will also offer the iPad 2 from 5PM today. Meanwhile many other countries will get the iPad 2 later this month on March 25th.

The original iPad had massive success in sales, becoming the fastest selling product by revenue, reaping in $2 billion within three months, a feat that took the iPhone more than a year to achieve. Tim Bajarin said that “Apple has such a huge lead, competitors are going to be chasing Apple for many years” referring also to the fact that Apple’s competitors are only now releasing their first generation tablets in the coming months.

[Via Bloomberg]

Alleged iPhone 5 Design Documents Show Bigger Screen

Update 2: To keep the display of the iPhone one that qualifies as a “Retina Display” whilst increasing the physical size and not the number of pixels, Apple could increase the display up to a size of 3.845-inches (diagonal) before it drops below 300 pixels per inch which as Steve Jobs explained in the iPhone 4 keynote, was the required PPI specification so that the human eye cannot differentiate between individual pixels when looking at a display around 10 or 12 inches away. (Thanks @ianharrier)

Update: MacRumors forum member, ‘Bartboy919’ did some clever comparison on those images to the current iPhone 4 and it seems as though the form factor is exactly the same which would suggest something around a 3.7-inch display rather than the current 3.5-inch display.

In a new purported leak of the iPhone 5’s design, iDealsChina claims to have gotten a hold of engineering diagrams of the iPhone 5, which show a nearly identical design to the iPhone 4 with the exception of a larger screen, potentially one that is 4 inches. The screen seems to take up a larger portion of the front face of the phone and the bezel on the sides of the display is much thinner.

Whilst there are a number of purported leaks of design documents for upcoming Apple device releases, iDealsChina has previously leaked accurate design renderings of the fourth generation iPod Nano and they have also previously claimed to have posted a photo of the iPhone 5’s bezel which correspond with these drawings. Whilst this doesn’t confirm these designs are accurate it does decrease the likelihood that these are fake. Jump the break for another picture of the drawings.

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Apple Sets Up Temporary Store in Austin for SXSW

The SXSW 2011 conference kicks off in Austin tomorrow, and the iPad 2 debuts in Apple Stores and authorized retails chains tomorrow at 5PM. Over the past weeks, I’ve read several blog posts and tweets from people attending SXSW this year unsure whether or not they should pull off the conference to stay home and buy an iPad 2, go to Austin and spend hours in line at the nearest Apple Store (thus missing SXSW events) or just go to Austin without getting an iPad 2. See, SXSW is a rather huge event where startups launch and geeks from all over the U.S. meet and the launch of the iPad 2 right in the middle of it could be a deal-breaker for many. Most of all because once you see some people at the conference with an iPad 2, if you’re an Apple geek you’re going to want one.

Apple thought about these issues as well, and in order to sell a truckloads of iPads to SXSW attendees they decided to set up a temporary store in downtown Austin. The plan came together quickly last Monday, when an Apple executive confirmed they wanted to set up a pop-up store for two weeks in the Scarbrough Building on Congress Avenue.

On Wednesday, construction workers were busy retrofitting the 5,000-square-foot space in the building, at Congress and West Sixth Street, that Apple will lease for two weeks. Black vinyl sheeting covered the windows fronting Congress.

The store will be ready tomorrow and we guess they’ll be selling a lot of iPads to people attending SXSW. That’s just a clever more and, although it won’t stay there for long, we’re sure the store in Austin will be a great experience for all those at SXSW willing to get their hands on the latest gadget from Cupertino. If you have photos of the new store, the Tips box in the sidebar is just a click away. [via Statesman]