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Digitimes forecast says iPad sales could fall to a record low this quarter, dropping 20% year-on-year

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Digitimes Research has predicted that iPad sales could fall this quarter to their lowest level since 2011.

Apple is expected to ship 9.8 million iPads in the first quarter of 2016, historically its lowest quarterly level, with decreases of 39.1% on quarter and nearly 20% on year.

There are a couple of issues with the forecast – the first being the patchy track-record of the source, and the second being that the ‘historic low’ claim isn’t quite accurate if you include the first year or so, as the above graph from Statista shows.

But the graph does show something else …


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Purported iPad Air 3 blueprint adds barely thicker design to flash & Smart Connector rumors

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iPad Pro speaker system

With Apple expected to hold an event next month, iPad Air 3 rumors are continuing to trickle out with various degrees of reliability. The latest is yet another schematic claiming to show the upcoming iPad Air refresh courtesy of Engadget, which cites a “reliable source”. While the blueprint appears to build on existing rumors like the presence of a camera flash, Apple’s new Smart Connector, and a quad-speaker design, the illustration claims to show that the iPad Air 3 will have just barely thicker dimensions than the current 9.7-inch iPad that it replaces.


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Sketchy iPad Air 3 drawing shows 4 speakers, camera flash in new design

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iPad Pro speaker system

Even the source Nowhereelse is unsure about this one, but it’s certainly interesting to imagine. A purported blueprint illustration of the upcoming iPad Air 3 tablet claims to show four speakers, not two, planned for the updated 9.7-inch tablet, as well as a possible camera flash for the first time. Apple focused on the larger iPad Pro and upgraded iPad mini 4 last year, and an upgraded iPad Air 3 is expected sometime this year.


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Here’s how Apple Pencil beats other iPad styluses, and your best alternate picks

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As mentioned on an earlier Happy Hour podcast, I have a giant collection of iPad styluses, having tested dozens of them since the first iPad debuted in 2010. Earlier this week, my colleague Zac Hall reviewed the best (and most expensive) iPad stylus, Apple’s brand-new $99 Apple Pencil, which is hard to find in stores, and only works with the 12.9″ iPad Pro.

Since the Apple Pencil is two to six times as expensive as some other options, I wanted to spotlight its key strengths and weaknesses relative to rivals, all of which are more broadly compatible and readily available to purchase. During testing, I discovered that the Apple Pencil actually benefits from a surprising little Apple software cheat to make an ultra-fine first impression…


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iPad Pro receives FCC clearance as release date nears

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Last month, Apple finally unveiled the long-rumored iPad Pro, which sports a large 12.9-inch display and 64-bit A9X processor — the closest thing to a tablet/laptop crossover the company has announced so far. In an FCC filing that just went public, the iPad Pro has officially been cleared for sale and use in the United States.

The report (originally spotted by GforGames) states that the iPad Pro has been registered with model number A1652, with both Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi+LTE models approved. Apple’s Pro tablet will support 802.11 Wi-Fi standards a/b/g/n/ac in 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, and optionally LTE Cat. 4, with maximum download speeds of 150Mbps. These listed specs match those shown on the iPad Pro specs page on Apple’s site. It’s also worth noting that the iPad Pro’s Apple Pencil has also passed through the FCC.

Other specifications include built-in stereo speakers on both ends of the device, for a total of four speakers, and a Touch ID sensor for unlocking and making purchases on iTunes and with Apple Pay. There’s an 8MP iSight camera with f/2.4 aperture on the back with 1080p video and slo-mo, and a 1.2MP FaceTime HD camera on the front.

When it was announced, Apple stated that the iPad Pro will be available to buy in November, but preorders could begin later this month. According to our sources, Apple will make the iPad Pro available to order online within the next two weeks, with devices arriving at retail stores in early November. It’ll cost $799 for the 32GB Wi-Fi only model and $949 for the 128GB version, while the 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version will ship with an Apple SIM and cost $1079.

IDC: iPad lead continues to decline while overall tablet market shrinks

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Apple’s iPad continues to lead the tablet market, according to new data from IDC, but its marketshare has dropped a few points year-over-year, and the overall market for tablets saw negative growth, based on units shipped globally. That’s according to second quarter 2015 unit shipments and marketshare over the same quarter a year ago, as Apple shipped 10.9 million units versus 13.3 million units during the second quarter of 2014. While the iPad continues to lead in the tablet space, IDC’s data shows Apple’s market share dropping nearly 3 points from 27.7% to 24.5% …
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Opinion: How soon is too soon for an Apple Watch 2?

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Apple’s<a href="http://9to5mac.com/2015/03/29/apple-store-revamp-for-apple-watch-revealed-magical-tables-demo-loops-sales-process/" target="_blank"> upcoming retail overhaul</a> for displaying the Watch

A lot of my techie friends are saying that the entry priced-Apple Watch Sport will be their pick next month, and not because of the exterior look. The theory is that Sport is the cheapest way to experience Apple’s new product category in 2015, and since the second-gen Apple Watch will inevitably be upgraded, why pay a premium this year for nicer materials such as stainless steel and sapphire glass?

Despite the Apple Watch’s desire to marry jewelry with technology, it hasn’t lost the baggage gadgets carry, namely the reality that they’ll be outdated and replaced in a relatively short period of time. If the Apple Watch evolves anything like the original iPad did when it became the iPad 2, the differences could be dramatic.

Personally, when I think about getting more perceived value out of a higher-priced stainless steel Apple Watch rather than testing the waters with the cheaper aluminum model, I’m more concerned with how soon the Apple Watch 2 will be announced rather than how much more functional the newer device could be. No matter what happens with the first-generation model, an Apple Watch 2 will come to market. How will Apple balance keeping the Apple Watch evolutionary momentum going with keeping the first-generation model “modern” for enough time to satisfy early adopters?


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Microsoft unveils iPad-priced $499 Surface 3 as Google shows sub $100 Chromebit HDMI stick, $149 Chromebooks

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Microsoft shifted its focus when it introduced the Surface Pro 3 last year to target both the iPad and the MacBook, but today the company announced a more consumer level iPad-like version of its tablet simply called the Surface 3 with the same $499 starting price as the iPad Air 2.

Google also unveiled a collection of new competitively priced hardware including new Chromebooks and a Chromebit HDMI running Chrome OS for under $100 …
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IDC: Apple stays atop worldwide tablet sales as leaders lose share to “other” brands

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IDC is out today with its numbers on tablet shipments for Q4 2014 showing Apple remained on top of the market both last quarter and throughout 2014 despite a slight drop in overall market share.

Apple sold 21.4 million iPads during the holiday quarter last year, which gave the company around 28% market share compared to 33% with 26 million units sold during the same quarter last year. Apple beats out number two Samsung, according to IDC, which grabbed 14.5% of the market in Q4 with 11 million units shipped. Samsung also dipped in overall market share from 17.2% with 13.5 million units shipped in the year ago quarter.
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Watch Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Oprah Moment’, gifting The Tonight Show audience iPad Air 2’s

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Alongside Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon has become the voice of the iPhone 6 with Apple releasing a continuous series of ads featuring both entertainers. Fallon also sits behind a MacBook on the set of The Tonight Show on NBC, something that he brought over from his time hosting Late Night on NBC.

Now Fallon’s Tonight Show is giving the gift of Apple, specifically to the studio audience from last night’s taping as each attendee was gifted with a brand new iPad Air 2 as part of this week’s holiday gift giveaway segment. See the clip above (and wish you were there!) …

(We know Hulu works in a very limited number of countries and will post the YouTube clip when available.)

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Microsoft continues MacBook bashing in latest Surface Pro 3 ad for the holidays

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Same old story, but with a Christmas theme this time around in the latest Apple-bashing Surface ad from Microsoft. Touchscreen, kickstand, USB, etc, Microsoft has given up on comparing its tablets with the iPad and instead wants you to believe Surface Pro 3 is an acceptable substitute for a MacBook Air.

It certainly isn’t the first time Microsoft has put the Surface Pro 3 head to head with MacBooks in its advertisements. The company has been aggressively running the comparison ads poking fun at the MacBook’s lack of tablet-like features since it first compared the devices side-by-side live on stage at the introduction of its 12-inch Surface Pro 3 back in May.

Perhaps Microsoft will get back to comparing apples to apples when we get a 12-inch iPad Pro next year?
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iPad usage in North America rises slightly in September over third quarter

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North American Tablet Usage Sep 2014 Chitika

The latest numbers from advertising company Chitika Insights show that iPad web usage in North America rose nearly 2% in September, marking a slight increase over the third quarter. Chitika found the iPad to have a 79.9% share of tablet web traffic in the United States and Canada during the month, compared to a 78.0% share reported in July.
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Apple’s market-leading tablet share falls to 22% against growing cheap media consumption options

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<em>Worldwide unit shipments for the top 5 tablet plus 2-in-1 device vendors over last five quarters</em>

New data from IDC tracking worldwide tablet shipments shows that Apple has maintained its lead during the third quarter despite “a decline in overall iPad shipment volume in 3Q14.” Specifically, Apple grabbed 22.8% of the market with 12.3 million shipments during the quarter compared to 14.1 million units and 29.2% share in the year ago quarter. That compares to Samsung at 18.3% of the market and 9.9 million units shipped up from 19.3% and 9.3 million units shipped in the third quarter last year:
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AMC debuts trailer for ‘The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land’ mobile game arriving w/ season 5

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AMC announced today that it will release a new mobile game for The Walking Dead early next year alongside season 5 of the hit TV show. The TV network is teaming up with Next Games to develop the title and today shared the first trailer for the game that it plans to show off at Comic Con International later this month.

The game, titled The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land, will allow players to experience the world of the iconic show through gameplay exclusively developed for smartphones and tablet devices. Developed by Next Games in close collaboration with AMC, the game will feature themes familiar to the TV series, where characters fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic, walker-infested world. A recurring theme of choosing the right survival strategy and making the most human choices possible is at the heart of the first-of-its-kind game.

Telltale games already publishes a game based on universe of The Walking Dead comic book series, but this is AMC’s first official game based on its TV show version of the franchise. It isn’t, however, sharing many details on what we can expect from gameplay other than the description above or specifics on platforms.

The Walking Dead Season 5 is coming this October and the game, The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land, will hit smartphones and tablets early next year when the mid-season premiere of Season 5 airs.

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Lenovo says it can’t make a profit on Windows tablets under 10-inches

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Lenovo’s $2.91 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility from Google is still pending regulatory approval, however it looks like the company is already mapping out a new strategy. Despite being one of the world’s largest PC makers, Lenovo is halting the development of Windows tablets under 10 inches in size and migrating its remaining inventory to markets like Brazil, China and Japan where there’s more of a need for low-cost slates.

Apple, in turn, has had a huge success with the 7.9-inch iPad Mini which quickly became one of its best sellers after its introduction almost 2 years ago.


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Flat iPad sales are here to stay, suggests Morgan Stanley

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Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty suggests that weak iPad sales may be here to stay, reports Business Insider.

We lower our 2014 tablet growth forecast to 12% from 26% on the back of increasing penetration rates and the lack of new, differentiated products […]

Few suppliers were able to communicate a credible argument for a growth re-acceleration this year, however Android appears to be faring better than iOS tablets on the back of lower price points and broader product portfolios.

Huberty says that slow growth is expected despite the fact that tablets are expected to continue to cannibalise the PC market, as more consumers replace PCs with tablets.

Tim Cook would probably disagree. Commenting on the sales slowdown, Cook observed that the iPad was the fastest-growing product in Apple’s history, selling twice as many units as the iPhone and seven times as many as the iPod in the same time periods.

Despite an overall trend for flat iPad sales, Canalys recently reported that Apple remains the world leader in combined PC and tablet sales.

iPad stays on top in JD Power’s latest survey thanks to cheap Android tablets

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Following its report last month on smartphone customer satisfaction in which Apple ranked first, J.D. Power is out today with its study on tablet satisfaction and is once again ranking Apple highest overall. Apple comes in first followed by Samsung, while Asus, Amazon, and Acer fall in line below the study’s average:

Apple ranks highest in overall satisfaction with a score of 830 and performs highest in all study factors except cost. Samsung ranks second with a score of 822 and achieves above-average scores in the features, styling and design, and cost factors.

J.D. Power notes that a decline in the overall price of tablets has resulted in a decline in overall satisfaction. Apple, however, avoids that by ranking highest in every category except price. The report also provided some other findings on tablet sales, purchasing habits, and brand loyalty for September 2013 to February 2014 when the study took place. 
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Apple’s iPad maintains a narrowing lead, still almost a third of all tablets sold

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IDC May 1

Research firm IDC is out today with new data on the state of the tablet and 2-in-1 market in the first quarter of 2014. As you might expect after Apple’s most recent earnings report, Q1 unit shipments of iPad were down by 3 million from 19.5 million to 16.4 million between 2013 and 2014. For its part, Apple attributes its Q1 2013 iPad sales as inflated due to demand for iPad mini in Q4 2012 being fulfilled in the following quarter when supply was less constrained.

That may be, but the iPad also saw a drop in tablet market share between the first quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of 2014. According to IDC’s data, Apple dropped from 40.2% market share in Q1 2013 to 32.5% market share in Q1 2014 while Samsung saw unit shipments increase as well as marketshare. Despite Samsung’s gains, though, Apple still dominates the tablet market more than any other one company leading Samsung by 10 percentage points in market share.
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Did JD Power botch its tablet rankings, giving Apple’s crown to a lower scoring Samsung? (See update)

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Update: See bottom of the piece for JD Power’s partial explanation

“Samsung Ranks Highest in Owner Satisfaction with Tablet Devices” was the headline on JD Power’s latest U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Survey, with the above table showing that Samsung taking the lead from Apple by two points.

Yet when you look at the ratings that make up the individual scores, as Fortune did, that isn’t what they show at all. The six scoring categories are Overall Satisfaction, Performance, Ease of Use, Physical Design, Tablet Features and Cost. Samsung beats Apple in exactly one of those categories: cost … 
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Microsoft hits iPad again, this time about hardware specs, multitasking, printing

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Following up on its ad from yesterday claiming that the iPad is not a productivity device, Microsoft has posted a new ad pitting Windows 8 tablets against the iPad. Today’s ad focuses on expressing that Windows 8 tablets are better productivity devices with the full Microsoft Office suite rather than just OneNote and multitasking capibilities. Additionally, the Redmond-based company pits a single ASUS tablet’s weight and thinness against the iPad. Additionally, Microsoft shows how that single ASUS tablet includes an SD card reader, and the company claims that Windows 8 printing is more versatile than Apple’s AirPrint. Thanks, Matthew!


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Turkish PM visits Apple, Google & Microsoft ahead of tender for 10.6m tablets for schools

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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan has visited Apple, Google and Microsoft in the run-up to a tender for 10.6 million tablets for use in Turkish schools as part of a major modernization program in which textbooks will be replaced by tablets and chalkboards by electronic whiteboards …
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U.S. Air Force plans to save $50M over 10 years by deploying iPads

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Just as the Defense Department granted iOS devices approval for use on military networks, TheStreet reports that the U.S. Air Force plans on saving around $50 million through its purchase of iPads. The savings will mainly be due to the ability to cut weight on flights by replacing traditional flight bags and come over a ten year period:

“We’re saving about 90 pounds of paper per aircraft and limiting the need for each crew member to carry a 30 to 40 pound paper pile [of flight manuals],” said Major Brian Moritz, EFB program manager, in a phone interview. “It adds up to quite a lot of weight in paper.”

Removing the need to print and distribute thousands of flight manuals, however, equates to an even greater cost saving. “It comes out to just over $5 million a year,” noted Moritz. “With fuel savings, it comes out to $5.7 million annually in pure cost. When you look at $5.7 million a year, over 10 years, that’s well over $50 million.”

In February of last year the Air Force revealed plans to purchase up to 18,000 iPads as a replacement to traditional flight bags, although at the time it was considering other tablets and looking for the lowest cost of entry possible.

According to the report, the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command now currently has around 16,000 iPads in use with another 2,000 spread across other Air Force members. 
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Bill Gates talks emotionally about his last visit with Steve Jobs [Video]

We’ve heard Bill Gates talk about his last, emotional meeting with Steve Jobs before. First in the Walter Isaacson Steve Jobs bio and then again in a video interview with ABC, but last night Gates once again discussed the final meeting in an interview with 60 Minutes (above). Gates talks about Steve’s sense of design despite very limited engineering background, his “intuitive sense for marketing that was amazing,” and his emotional last meeting where the two discussed a number of topics including products, family, and the yacht Steve was having a built at the time.

“He showed me the boat he was working on and talked about how he’s looking forward to being on it,” Gates told 60 Minutes, “even though we both knew there was a good chance that wouldn’t happen.”

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Google Fiber TV remote app for iPad released

iPad Fiber TV App

Google launched its Google Fiber TV for iPad app today allowing Google Fiber customers to transform their iPads into QWERTY keyboard, TV guide yielding TV remotes.

For the past month, our Fiber TV customers have been able to control their TVs with any recent Android device. Using the Fiber TV app from the Google Play Store, they can search for programming, browse listings, and select shows or recordings with just the touch or swipe of a finger. Now, iPad users can enjoy this simple, intuitive experience, too.

This should come as great news to tablet owners in Kansas City, Austin, and Provo.

Google Fiber TV for iPad is available for free in the App Store.

(Source: Google)