All of your Mac and iOS questions and rumors can be answered! How? Easy! Just ask a teenager! What's better? Ask an Apple Certified teenager! Ask me! Alex! Writing once every single day since 2012!
So. The iPad Mini with LTE is out. The last time an iPad was released at a different time because of cellular capabilities was when the original iPad came out. And I know that because I waited the extra two weeks and in the line. The line wasn't bad, it was just the two weeks bothered me. This cuts the line pretty close to Black Friday. Is cellular data right for you? If you are mobile and don't have a smartphone, including an iPhone, you probably want a cellular.
If you've ever owned a phone not made by Apple, this may be useful for you. Apple now sells an adapter for Micro-USB to Lightning. It's very small and had many uses. It just connects an iOS device with Lightning to any Micro-USB cable. It's main purpose is to charge or sync a device.
Yesterday, I went to the Apple Store to test out an iPad Mini. It's great! I just wish that there was a Retina Display. The feel is just right. The texture is very similar to the iPhone 5. The white is like gem! Not to mention, the Smart Cover is cute. It's so tiny. In addition, the figure of the iPad Mini makes it easier to press the volume up button to take a picture. The pictures are great for such a small thing! Everything else is pretty much the same as the regular iPad. However, I didn't get a chance to see how well it fits in a pocket. I presume it fits well. I give the iPad Mini four-and-a-half out of five geek glasses.
Lots of things came out to conclude the 2012 year yesterday, not just the iPad Mini. It started out with the 13" MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Which is pretty much self explanatory. No new features other than the display and the new USB 3.0.
For those who don't know, this is not a brand new product and has been around for years. Apple has somehow put a 1 TB drive in this tiny box. The Mac Mini is also made with the latest I/O, including Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, SD slot, and even HDMI.
Even the packaging is strange.
Also, the iMac was updated with an ultra slim display. Apple packed everything they could in that slim display. Not to mention, both of these desktops include Fusion Drive. The first combination of a 1 TB hard drive (Capacity) with flash storage (Performance). It moves files that you use more often to the flash so those files run faster. Smart.
In addition, iBooks Author comes with new ways for portrait views. Special math equation symbols work great and look beautiful. And you can now use custom fonts in your books.
iBooks 3.0 came with purchased books in your bookshelf. Now, there is a special scrolling view as an alternative for flipping pages. Foreign characters (like Japanese characters) are now supported in books. While reading a book, you can select certain text and share it via Twitter, Facebook, or Mail.
And of course, the iPad! The fourth generation iPad (full sized, not the mini) introduced the A6X chip. The new iPad also has the new Lightning cable. That's pretty much it.
The iPad Mini!
The iPad Mini brings a 7.9" screen. Cellular is a option. However, there is no Retina Display and it is stuck back at the A5 chip. That's all the way back to the iPad 2! Not the third generation iPad, but the iPad 2. In other features, there are new Smart Covers with two creases instead of three just for the iPad Mini. The video that depicts them focus on color even though there are less colors then the other Smart Cover. No leather Mini Smart Covers. The video is available at the bottom of this post.I personally think I like the full sized iPad, mainly because of performance and display. But, it all depends on who you are and what you do.
And that is the iPad Mini event in a nutshell. A very, very large nutshell. Let's end this blog post with a quote.
"Why is iPad so successful? Well, there's a simple explanation. People love their iPads. We are just getting started. We're not taking our foot off the gas."
Today is the big day. That means it's time to soak in all the information and rumors I could find. And if you read the iPhone 5: What I Could Dig Up article, then yes, this is turning into a series. Let's get started.
The four products expected to be announced at the event are of course, the iPad Mini, along with the iMac, Mac Mini, and 13" Retina Display MacBook Pro. And I wouldn't be surprised if that new iTunes would be released with it too. It is also rumored that iBooks will have an update to 3.0. iBooks 2.0 brought the textbooks to the iBookstore. I'm not sure what iBooks 3.0 brings, but it probably has to do with the iPad Mini because the iPad Mini may become competition for the Kindle. In addition, the iPad Mini has been going on and off about cellular data. Some rumors say that Apple may remove cellular data from the iPad Mini and vise versa. I personally always get cellular data with my iPads for decent syncing with iCloud, photo locations, and more. However, with many users now have with iPhones and they either use their iPhone (or smartphone) to tether the connection to their iPad or they simply use their iPhone (or smartphone) to browse the web or go on the Internet over their phone's cellular when they're on the go instead of buying cellular data for their iPad. Finally, some sources say that the third generation iPad may be updated with the Lightning connector along with the iPad Mini. And that's it for this What I Could Dig Up. Check back later for news about the event and a special edition of The Scoop for the iPad Mini. Until then, feel free to leave comments about your opinions, rumors, tips, or anything.
Here's my doodle of how the apples are
to my perspective.
Very recently, Apple sent out invitations to the iPad Mini announcement. First off, it probably won't be called the iPad Mini. The invite doesn't say. Second, the iPad Mini is said to focus about iBooks. I just had to get that out of the way. I hope to talk more about that later but first, let's talk about the invite. Notice the colors in the background. Do you see that they are all larger apples that grow smaller leading down to the white apple? This probably shows that there is a dramatic change in size of the iPad. Also, think of the word "little" as a key word. This probably means a little iPad. Like most Apple events, it will probably begin with minor Apple News. Meaning, they may address the Maps problems and the "Purple Halo" problems. We will just have to wait.
No, I didn't get an invite. Picture Source: All About Phones
UPDATE: The iPad Mini event will be held at the California Theatre in San Jose, California. Not your ordinary Apple Event.
Well, it's past October 10th and there's no iPad Mini. The iPad Mini announcement is expected to be released on October 23rd. We don't have an invitation yet, so we can't be sure. Check back for more iPad Mini news.
The iPhone 5 has many secrets. Some are obvious. Others aren't. Last year, the iPhone 4S brought amazing pictures and the voice assistant that can kick off WWDC 2012, Siri. But what's next? Here are some rumors.
My personal theory is the name might not be iPhone 5 at all. It may follow in iPad's footsteps and be called the new iPhone.
Also, the date September 12th may not be the date for the smartphone's unveiling. It could also be September 4th. This new date has been recently rumored. This event is also expected to showoff the iPad Mini as well. Mark your calendars!
If you take a look at the picture that's supposedly the iPhone 5 below, you will see a familiar shape. However, if you look at what's different, you will find several changes.
The front camera is above the receiver instead of next to it.
The body is taller.
The headphone jack is at the bottom instead of the top (just like the iPod Touch except on the left side instead of the right side).
There are different speakers (much more like the iPad).
There is a new dock connector.
What does this all mean? Apple could be trying this new docking system with all Apple products. However, they haven't changed the connector ever from what I know. In addition, the camera is above the receiver. This may help align your image with the camera feed. Also, the taller screen could mean a similar interface of an iPad running an iPhone app. Take a look at this video from Mac Rumors of how your apps could look on the iPhone 5.
Keep in mind that these are just rumors. Be sure to post your questions, tips, opinions, rumors, or whatever you want in the comments below!
Okay. I'll be perfectly honest with you. I think a 7" iPad is just wrong. No offense to the people who want one but I feel that that is so Droid of Apple. If you guys want a smaller iPad, just get an iPod Touch or iPhone. And my nerd/geek friends agree. And apparently Steve Jobs agreed too. However, he eventually gave in and was won over by the arguments. But this is really unnecessary for the iPad. Also, for the people who want a bigger iPhone/iPod Touch, just get an iPad. It's simple logic. For the people who want a bigger iPhone but still want it handheld, I think you can just use the accessibility features, zoom and large text. It's simple and it keeps your text as big you want. If you look at the XL series from Nintendo (DSi XL, 3DS XL), they can barely fit in your pocket and can be easily broken or injuries can occur. What do you guys think? +1 this post if you think there shouldn't be any large iPhone or small iPad. Also, try our new poll widget and vote what you think Apple should do.
Be sure to post your questions, tips, opinions, rumors, or whatever you want in the comments below!
