Apple Announces New iPad Mini and 10.5" iPad Air

Apple has updated two iPad models today: the iPad mini and the iPad Air. The new iPad mini is the fifth iteration of the small tablet with Apple Pencil support and the A12 chip. The new iPad Air replaces the 10.5" iPad Pro, simultaneously simplifying and confusing the iPad lineup. It made sense to get rid of the 10.5" iPad Pro, as it conflicted with the new iPad Pros. But it is confusing because the iPad Air brand has been absent for several years, and the regular iPad branding is still on the 9.7-inch iPad. The iPad and iPad Air have no major weight differences, so it's unclear why they've created inconsistent branding. Regardless, the new iPad Air gives up ProMotion and quad-speakers for a cheaper price point. It still has Apple Pencil support. Aside from the branding, this was a good choice by Apple. The main gripe from consumers is that the prices could've been a bit lower, but that's not to say they're super overpriced. The iPad Air and iPad mini start at $499 and $399 respectively.

iPad Mini 5 Case Leak

The iPad Mini hasn't been updated for sometime, and with significant improvements in the iPad line since that update, we wonder what could make it down to the smaller tablet. Thanks to Slashleaks, we may have a direction to go in. The alleged iPad Mini 5 case leak shown below, suggest that flash will finally be added, due to the larger camera cutout. There are also speaker cutouts for four speakers, suggesting surround sound speakers, similar to the iPad Pro. While we have to take this with a grain of salt, it would be nice to see the iPad Mini 5 live up closer to an iPad Pro. Maybe we'll even get USB-C?

Apple to Discontinue iPad Mini

According to BGR, Apple is planning to discontinue the iPad Mini. This isn't very surprising at this point, as the iPad Mini has been lagging behind the iPad Air and iPad Pro for the past few years. With only a smaller size to offer, the regular iPad has become a better bargain for the most part. It will likely confuse some too, as there is only a $30 price difference between the 128 GB iPad Mini and regular iPad. With a new sized iPad Pro in the rumors, this is all the more reason to discontinue the iPad Mini. We may know for sure in June with WWDC coming up.

iPad Rumors 2015

Here's a quick roundup of the rumors that have been accumulating about the next iPad. There may not be an iPad Air 3. This would be replaced by an iPad Pro, iPad Maxi, or iPad Air Plus, whatever you want to call it. It would run iOS, not OS X, however it may have built-in USB 3.0 ports. Despite no iPad Air 3 expected this year, an iPad Mini 4 is expected. It would have minor upgrades, such as a better camera and split screen multitasking support. These iPads are expected to be announced this October.

Apple Constraining Certain Products To Third-Party Retailers

An inventory analysis from Target shows that Apple will be constraining some products. Products affected include the entire iPod lineup, iPad mini, iPad mini 2, iPad Air, and iPad Air 2. This points to a color refresh in the iPod lineup, leaked in an iTunes update. The iPads are most likely be removed in favor of the latest iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. This seems to confirm a lot of recent rumors.

Image Credit: Target Employee

Original iPad mini No Longer Sold By Apple

Apple has removed the listing for the original iPad mini. This means several changes to the iPad lineup. Now, the cheapest iPad is the iPad mini 2, starting at $299. The original iPad mini was $250. This also means that all iPads, mini and regular sized, have a Retina Display. The original iPad mini didn't have one. The next-generation iPads, and possibly a large iPad, will debut later this year, around October.

Phorm Brings A Physical Keyboard to iPad, Without The Bulk of a Keyboard

Tacitus Technology has unveiled Phorm, a case that has a screen protector that can add texture to the screen like the texture of a physical keyboard. It's pretty hard to explain, so you should check out the video below. It's only available for iPad mini. You can pre-order it here.

Apple Posts The Story Behind Holiday Ad 'The Song'

Today, Apple posted a behind the scenes look of this year's holiday ad, 'The Song'. It talks about he voice-o-graph and how Dana Williams, the granddaughter in the film, used musical talent and GarageBand to create her song. Check out the embeds below.

Apple Releases New 'The Song' Ad For The Holidays

As is tradition for them, Apple has released a heartwarming holiday advertisement. This year, it's called "The Song". It depicts a girl finding a present her grandmother sent to what seems to be her grandfather. The present included a note to the grandfather noting how they couldn't be together for the holidays and a record with the grandmother singing "Love Is Here To Stay". The girl secretly learns the song on multiple instruments and learns the lyrics. She then combines her song with that of her grandmother's. She leaves the audio file on an iPad mini with a note that says, "A Duet, Press Play". The grandmother listens to the song and looks at the pictures that were left with the iPad mini and the note. The memories bring the grandmother to tears of joy as the granddaughter watches from above.

Although last year's holiday advertisement, called "Misunderstood", has been taken down by Apple, you can watch a re-uploaded version in the embed below. Credit to Matthew Miller.

Apple Store Gift Cards Based on iPhone Colors

I know this is pretty insignificant, but I find this kind of cool. In addition to Apple having a completely independent gift card display at my local grocery store, the Apple Store gift cards are based on the colors of the iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and the iPads. The custom priced gift card is based on the iPhone 5c's white color. The $25 gift card is based on the iPhone's silver color. The $50 gift card is based on the iPhone's space gray color. The $100 gift card is based on the iPhone's gold color. It's an interesting Easter Egg. Check out the pictures below.

The Silver, Space Gray, and Gold iPhones Respectively

The Display for the Gift Cards

iPhone 5s/6 Gold Gift Card

iPhone 5c White Gift Card

iPhone 5s/6 Silver Gift Card

iPhone 5s/6 Space Gray Gift Card

Pre-Order Your iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 Today!

Today, the new iPads are available. Be sure to pick up yours as soon as possible if you want one. Also, there are new prices for these iPads. You can pickup a shiny, new iPad for the low, low price of $249 (for a 16 GB iPad mini). Take it a step up for an additional $50 for an iPad mini 2 (16 GB). Another $100 ($399) will get you an iPad mini 3 (16 GB) or an iPad Air (16 GB). Finally, another $100 will get you a 16 GB iPad Air 2. Head on over to the Apple Online Store to get your iPad by the end of next week.

iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, Apple Pay, and New Macs: The Scoop

Today, Apple announced a bunch of new stuff. Let's do a quick review, shall we?

iPad Air 2

iPad Air 2

The new iPad Air 2 is 18% thinner and features Touch ID. The display has the least reflective display of any tablet in the world and has a resolution of 2048 by 1536. This iPad also has a 64-bit architecture and an A8X chip. The camera also has a long overdue update with an 8 megapixel camera and burst mode.

iPad mini 3

The iPad mini 3's spotlight is on Touch ID. While it has a 64-bit architecture, it only features an A7 chip. In addition, it still has a 5 megapixel camera. A small update for the iPad mini 3, but it's not like the camera is an essential feature on the iPad anyways. Try it if you just want to browse and shop on the web.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay will come out on Monday (along with iOS 8.1). More vendors have been added along with more banks and compatible apps.

iMac with Retina 5K Display

iMac with Retina 5K Display

Wow. Where to begin? This makes the Mac Pro look "so five minutes ago." 5K! That's a lot of pixels. About 14 million pixels. But this Mac isn't just focused on looks. It can have up to 4 gigahertz with your i7 processor, 3.5 teraflops of computing power, and 20 gigabits of speed with Thunderbolt 2.

Mac mini

This Mac mini costs $100 less than its predecessor. It's now $499. It has some minor tweaks including new Intel Core processors, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt 2 ports, and all that good stuff.

What I Could Dig Up: iPad, Apple Pay, and New Macs

Tomorrow, Apple will announce some iPads, the release date for Apple Pay, and some updated Macs. Here's a quick roundup of what we should expect to see tomorrow.

iPad

• Touch ID
• Apple Pay for apps
• Not available in stores
• A8X Processor
• 2 GB RAM
• New Gold Color

Apple Pay

• Some form of release date
• Release will be very close to event date

Macs

• 27" iMac expected to come with Retina Display
• OS X Yosemite expected to be released soon
• Price: Free
• Available on Mac App Store
• iOS 7 for the Mac (Yay?)

The event starts tomorrow morning at 10 AM (PDT) and is available for streaming on Apple's website.

Newer iOS Devices To Have Lightning Connector With Reversible Connector

According to these pictures (Credit to Dianxinshouji.com), Apple may shipping a new Lightning cable with a reversible side for the USB connector. It's known as USB 3.1 Type-C, which are faster and reversible compared to your standard USB 2.0 Type-A cable. This means you'll have to buy a brand new compu-- just kidding. The great part about these cables is that they still work with standard USB ports in your computer. These could potentially be packaged with the iPhone 6, next iPad mini, and iPad Air 2 this year.

Holiday Apple Online Store and iPad Mini Available

Today, the iPad mini was released. Apple was very quiet about this. Why? Because the supplies were very short and there was a manufacturing problem. However, you can now buy your iPad mini with a Retina Display for $399. In addition, the Apple Online Store was also updated with some holiday cheer! The gift guide is up! However, be sure to check out Tech Talk 4 Geeks' holiday gift guide!

Apple iPad Event 2013 - Part 1

Yesterday, Apple announced a few new products. Today, I'm going to do a quick recap of the iPads announced.

iPad Air:

The iPad Air is the iPad 5 that I've been talking about. It's as I've predicted, it would have thinner side bezels, but no one expected that name! "iPad Air. iPad Air? Am I saying that right?" If that sounds weird at all, that's because it's based off of one of Apple's laptops, the MacBook Air. In addition to the new look, it is thinner and has a new Smart Cover and Smart Case (with only three creases instead of four)!

iPad Mini:

As expected, the iPad Mini now has a Retina Display. A display with such a high resolution, pixels cannot be distinguished by the eye. In addition, this iPad Mini now has an A7 chip. This is a MASSIVE improvement over the first-generation's A5 chip. 

A Brief Wrap-up

Today, Apple announced quite a few things. 

First off, they announced the iPad Air (iPad 5) along with the iPad Mini 2. 

Also, the Mac Pro and MacBook Pro with Retina Display were updated. 

Finally, Mac OS X Mavericks was released for free on the Mac App Store. Be sure to get a copy. 

Be sure to check back around tomorrow for a much better and descriptive summary of today's events. Thanks! 

The iPad Air

It's Coming...

Tomorrow, the iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 come out. Look forward to a recap by Wednesday night. Here is what is expected tomorrow. Keep in mind that these a pure rumors and may not come out. However, these rumors are pretty rock solid and should be anticipated.

iPad 5:

The iPad 5 is going to have thinner sides and a faster processor (A7X chip). The thinner sides make the iPad look like the iPad Mini a bit more.

Source: Gizmag.com

iPad Mini 2:

The iPad Mini 2 is expected to have the Retina Display and an A7 chip to get faster overall performance. 

OS X Mavericks:

There isn't much to talk about when it comes to Mavericks. However, you can look at the features on Apple's website by clicking here.

Mac Pro:

Again, there isn't much to talk about but, you can view the features of the Mac Pro by clicking here.

One More Thing...

Apple tends to carry on Steve Job's famous "one more thing." Pretty much, at the end of a presentation, Steve Jobs would add little something, a feature, or maybe a hardware specialty. This year, it might be a keyboard cover for iPad or a new version of iTunes (this is totally my opinion and probably shouldn't be anticipated, especially after the release of iTunes Radio). Be sure to check Apple's website at about 11 AM PDT to learn about their new products. 

October iPad Event Set For October 22nd: Invite Analysis

Apple has sent out their new invitations for the iPad event on October 22nd! It's time for a little analysis. Right away this invite holds a lot of resemblance to last year's invite (on the left). Even the text is similar. Both sentences refer to showing another "thing." That "thing" being a new generation of iPads. Both apples are in the foreground surrounded by colors. If you remember from last year's analysis, there are hidden apples in the background making the white apple look like it's shrinking (iPad Mini reference/hint). This year, the leaves of the apple are falling off in different colors. This could possibly hint at new colors, but it's not likely. The leaves seem to be shedding. The fact that they're falling off hint at the fact that the iPad 5 is expected to have thinner sides, thus shedding its old unibody. I have one more theory, but it's a long shot. The color and transparency of the leaves look like the new "Photos" app icon in iOS 7 (shown below). Does this hint at a better camera or camera app? That's all I've got. If you have any ideas, feel free to share them in the comment section below!

Last Year's Invite

This Year's Invite

Photos App

iPad Mini 2: Retina Display

The iPad Mini 2, which will be announced in October or November, is now very likely to have a Retina Display. When the iPad Mini was released last year, the biggest complaint was the lack of a Retina Display. It was the only thing holding me back. Okay, maybe not the only thing (Obsolete A5 Chip, $329 price tag, etc.). Thank goodness for the new development. Also, it's also expected to have an A7X chip (maybe even a new A8 chip that we don't know about yet) for extra processing power and support of a Retina Display. There are very high hopes for this unannounced event. Prepare to line up in front of an Apple Store for weeks for a product that's not even announced yet, again!