Should You Upgrade or Not Upgrade to iPad 4 (Fourth Generation iPad)

Apple recently launched the new iPad Mini and as a surprise released the new fourth generation iPad (iPad 4) with an A6X processor and lightning connector even though the iPad 3 was launched in March itself. Rubbing a little salt in the wound is that the new iPad 4 is almost twice as fast as the third generation one which is bad news for a lot of people who have most recently got their iPads. However is it really bad news? In no way does it make your device obsolete. I guess most people feel slighted by Apple because this is the first time they have got to experience what an Android user experiences with newer devices coming out left and right. So should you upgrade? Read on below.

iPad 4 - Should you Upgrade ?

Buying your first tablet

If you've never bought a tablet and are looking for a good choice, there is no question. Apple's iPad is far more superior to any tablet in the market. The experience of an iPad is absolutely amazing with its retina screen and its amazing selection of Apps. Some might argue that all of those apps are on the Android ecosystem too but where Apple beats Google is the quality of those apps. Most of the Android tablet apps are just phone apps scaled to size thus not making use of the larger space area of the tablet. If an iPad 4 is too costly for you you can look into the iPad Mini which is significantly cheaper than the full sized iPad. If you like the open nature of Android, you shouldn't even be reading this post.

If you're already an iPad or an Android tablet user 

Reasons why you shouldn't upgrade to iPad 4

- The biggest reason not to upgrade to the new iPad 4 is that the iPad 3 is already so far ahead of the competition. None of the other tablets can match up to the processing power of the third generation of the iPad and buying the new iPad  just because it loads the apps marginally better is overkill. None of the applications, even the processing intensive games like Real Racing or Infinity Blade II stutter even the slightest on the iPad 3.

- Just because a new iPad was launched, it does not make your iPad obsolete, only slightly outdated. You count on the fact that Apple will not stop support for the iPad 3. Any major features introduced in the future will be supported by your iPad 3 also so you wont be missing out on anything.

Reasons why you should upgrade to iPad 4

- If you're a hardcore Apple fan and just have to have the latest device launched for the bragging rights you should upgrade.

- If you have an older iPad and have some spare cash, the new iPad is the best choice. Its amazingly fast, and has LTE support for most countries.

- If you're looking to hold on to your tablet for the long term, like say the next 3-4 years or so the iPad 4 is the perfect model to upgrade. The iPad 4 is at its almost perfect form now and in my opinion most of the changes from now will be internal. In terms of processing power the A6X is miles ahead of any other tablet out there and none, not even one application in the app store comes close to utilizing the full power capability of the new iPad, thus making it ideal for the long term purchase

What are your thoughts on the new fourth generation iPad? Do you think its worth the price? Let us know in the comments.

[Read more]

iPad Mini Event Announcements and Keynote Video

Apple's iPad Mini event today was incredible. There have been a lot of expectations from Apple ever since Steve jobs passed away and today Tim Cook and the gang just unleashed a wave of new Apple products on the world for the second straight month. Yes, the iPad Mini made an appearance, but there was so much more sweet stuff that it’s hard to keep up with all the details.

iPad Mini- 7 inch Tablet with iOS6

Rather than making a ton of posts that will be written about the Apple event today, we’ve broken down all the necessary info into bite-size information nuggets just for you, so you can know all the essentials.

Things started off rather quietly, with Apple CEO Tim Cook giving shareholders a little update on just how much his company has achieved since, well, last month. After the usual flurry and superlatives and self-gratification, the products began to emerge as both Cook and Phil Schiller took it in turns to officially reveal the fruits of the fruit company’s labor.

iBooks

The first announcement was a new version of iBooks. No significant changes, but now it features continuous scrolling in between pages for easier reading, better iCloud support and social sharing features. Not exactly the kind of major rework everyone had hoped for, but still, we got one.

•     New continuous reading option
•     More iCloud integration saves the spot you were reading
•     Sharing features available for Facebook and Twitter
•     40 new languages supported
•     Available today

13-Inch Retina MacBook Pro

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display was exactly what everyone in the blogosphere had hoped for, and offers those looking for a thinner, lighter (yet still high-end) notebook the chance to purchase one at a smaller size. The screen may be a bit smaller, but it’s no less impressive, and with a $1699 price tag, it’s a cool $500 cheaper than the entry-level 15-inch edition.

•     20% thinner than previous model at 0.75 inches thick
•     3.5lbs. Lightest MacBook Pro ever
•     No optical drive, 2 Thunderbolt ports, MagSafe 2, SD Card slot, HDMI out and 2 USBs
•     Retina display is 13.3 inch on the diagonal and a 2560 x 1600 resolution
•     Up to 768GB of flash storage, 8GB of RAM, Intel HD 4000 graphics, and Bluetooth 4.0
•     7 Hour battery life
•     Starting price is $1699
•     Ships today

 

Mac Mini

The Mac mini presented us with a refresh in line with what had been rumored for the weeks prior to this morning – featuring Intel’s newest Ivy Bridge processor along with four USB 3.0 ports, and with a server edition offering up to 2TB of HDD space, it does now look to be the real deal.

•     New base of 2.5 GHz quad-core i7 processor
•     4GB of RAM
•     Dual 1TB HDDs
•     Starts at $599
•     Available today

The new iMac2012

The iMac was given a beautiful redesign, which is now just 5mm thick at its thinnest points around the edges. The optical drive is gone, but taking into consideration the beauty of Apple’s favorite desktop computer, I doubt anyone will feel the loss.

•     5mm thin at the edge
•     45% thinner display is laminated to the glass with 75% less reflection
•     27-inch and 21.5 inch models available
•     FaceTime HD camera, Dual microphones, and stereo speakers
•     Up to 768GB flash storage, 32GB of RAM, Core i5 or i7 processor and NVIDIA graphics
•     Four USB 3.0, three Thunderbolt ports
•     Fusion Drive combines 128GB Flash storage and either 1 or 3TB HDD
•     21.5-inch iMac starts at $1299, 27-inch iMac $1799
•     21.5-inch available in November, 27-inch iMac available in December

The Mac alterations were very pleasing, but that wasn’t what took prime stage in the event. This was the iPad mini event, and when Schiller finally unveiled it to the world, all doubts about the device were put to rest.

The iPad Mini

It packs in the A5 processor, 720p 7.9-inch display, and with a bezel reflecting that of the iPod touch, it fits nicely into the hand. Although the idea of 12 different models turned out to be a little off, there’s still plenty of variety for everybody, and since $329 buys you 16GB of iPad mini I doubt there would be much demand for it.

•     7.9-inch screen with 1024-by-768 resolution
•     New aluminum glass enclosure
•     23% thinner than 4th gen iPad at 7.2mm thin
•     0.68 lbs (half the weight of the 4th gen iPad)
•     Dual-core A5 chip
•     FaceTime HD camera
•     5MP iSight camera on the back
•     LTE wireless with 802.11a/b/g/n dual-band WiFi
•     Lightning connector
•     10-hour battery life
•     Comes in black and white models
•     16GB Wifi starts at $329
•     Pre-orders start October 26th
•     Wifi models available in stores Nov. 2nd. Wifi+4G available mid-November 

The fourth generation iPad

Last but by no means least, Apple took the controversial decision to give the 3rd-gen iPad quite a few more changes than we’d bargained for. In fact, the new, "twice as fast" Apple A6X processor is quite a bump, and with better Wi-Fi support, improved 4G LTE in European / Asian nations, and the new Lightning connector, the major talking point seems to be how Apple has ripped off its customers. The people who bought their third generations recently must feel a twinge of disappointment that they finally know what every Android owner feels like.

•     A6X processor doubles CPU and graphics performance
•     10 hours of battery life
•     FaceTime camera is 720p
•     Retina display
•     Lightning connector supported, and 802.11a/b/g/n dual-band WiFi and LTE
•     Black and white models available
•     16GB Wifi starts at $499
•     Preorders start October 26th

You can check out today’s entire keynote video by heading over to this link. We’re certain that the event will be available to watch via YouTube as well soon, and when that happens; we’ll update this post and embed the video below this paragraph for your viewing pleasure.

[Read more]

Microsoft Surface vs Apple iPad vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Microsoft Surface v/s Apple iPad v/s Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Microsoft has finally revealed pricing and specification for its upcoming Surface tablet. Now that there's another big player in the Tablet market, it again begs the comparison to which tablet is the best. No doubt the iPad has ruled the market for a long time now and has blown away every competition so far, does the new Surface tablet have what it takes to dethrone the king? We'll get to know more when we can get our hands on one but for now we can at least compare the hardware specifications of the Surface Tablet with the other two big names in the Tablet market.

 Comparison Table of Surface v/s iPad v/s Galaxy Note 10.1

MicroSoft Surface RT Tablet

Here's the complete break down of specification of microsoft Surface, Apple iPad 3 & Samsuing Galaxy Tab 10.1.

	Microsoft Surface	Apple iPad	Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Pricing	$499 for 32GB w/o Touch Cover; $599 for 32GB w/ Touch Cover; $699 for 64GB w/ Touch Cover	$499 for 16GB; $599 for 32GB; $699 for 64GB	$499.99 for 16GB; $549.99 for 32GB
Operating system	Windows 8 RT	Apple iOS 6	Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Size	10.81" high by 6.77" wide by 0.37" thick; 1.5 lbs	9.5" high by 7.31" wide by 0.37" thick; 1.44 lbs	10.3" high by 7.1" wide by 0.35" thick; 1.31 lbs
Display	10.6-inch, 1,366 x 760 pixel multi-touch	9.7-inch, 2,048 x 1,536 pixel multi-touch	10.1-inch, 1,280 x 800 pixel multi-touch
Camera	720p HD rear- and front-facing cameras	5-MP rear camera, VGA front-facing camera	5-MP rear camera, 1.3-MP front-facing camera
Processor	NVIDIA T30 processor	Dual-core Apple A5X processor	1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor
Memory slot	Yes	No	Yes
Sensors	Accelerometer, digital compass, ambient light sensor, gyroscope	Accelerometer, digital compass, ambient light sensor, gyroscope	Accelerometer, digital compass, ambient light sensor, gyroscope
Ports	USB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, HD video out, cover port	30-pin connector, 3.5mm headphone jack	USB 2.0, proprietary power connector, 3.5mm headphone jack, infrared port
Connectivity	Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0	Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0	Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0
Notable features	Features a “VaporMG” magnesium casing, ships with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013	Siri personal assistant app, retina display with IPS technology for wider viewing angles	Ships with S Pen, a pressure-sensitive stylus that can be used to take handwritten notes
Colors	Carbon Black	Black, white	Gray, white

[Read more]

iPad Mini Launch Date and Pricing Leaked

The iPad Mini is Apple's first entry into the mid level price range tablet market. After creating the tablet market with the original iPad in 2007 and owning the lions share of it for over two years Apple now wants to kick out its competition by making a lower priced tablet with the iPad Mini. One thing the fans can count on is that Apple doesn't go for cheap marketing tricks and release a sub-standard product like some of its competitors. With Apple, even the cost-conscious crowd can count on a product worth its price.

iPad Mini Launch Date

The new and long awaited iPad Mini is rumored to be launched on the 23rd of October which is  a Tuesday. This fact is interesting because Apple is breaking its usual trend of launching major products on a Wednesday like the iPad Retina and the iPhone. This date has been confirmed by various sources who have internal ties within Apple which makes it more than just a random rumor.

Update: Apple has sent out invites for a special even being held on the 23rd Oct with the tagline 'We've got a little more to show you.'

It will be the first time Apple has chosen to launch a product that will cannibalize the sales of another product i.e. the iPod Touch. But I guess with the popularity of the 7" tablets increasing day by day, its better to lose your sales to your own product than to a competitor.

iPad Mini Pricing

The newest device in the rumor-market, iPad Mini models and prices have been revealed by someone with access to the internal system of one of Europe’s largest electronics retailer.

According to the leaked screenshot there will be 16 options for the Apple fans to choose from, 8 WiFi only and 8 Cellular + WiFi and offers memory variations starting from a measly 8GB to 64GB.

The prices are an interesting comparison to an iPod Touch, which starts at $299 for 32GB, an iPad2, which starts at $399 for 16GB, and the newest retina iPad, which begins at $49 which will make the user think a little about what exactly he wants before going out to buy any of these.

However, as Apple is the pricing tends to be a little on the higher side thought not too high. Apple aren't really challenging the 200$ tablet market which is what Google and Amazon have done with the Nexus 7 and Kindle respectively which can afford to sell at low prices as they have different revenue models than Apple. Regardless, Im pretty sure Apple will manage to sell a lot of these, maybe even more than the 10" iPad seeing that the price is a lot lower than the original one... which allows it entry into the mid price range tablet market, a market which is sure to have a ton of Apple fans.

Different iPad Mini configurations that will be available:

• 8GB WiFi Black/White $250
• 8GB Cellular + WiFi Black/White $350
• 16GB WiFi Black/White $350
• 16GB Cellular + WiFi Black/White $450
• 32GB WiFi Black/White $450
• 32GB Cellular + WiFi Black/White$550
• 64GB WiFi Black/White $550
• 64GB Cellular + WiFi Black/White $650

[Read more]