Skip to main content

third-gen

See All Stories

2013 Apple TV revision gets its first exclusive feature: iOS 8’s Peer-to-Peer AirPlay

Site default logo image

Peer-to-peer-airplay-ioS-8-012

When Apple released Apple TV software update 7.0 earlier this month, it came with support for new iOS 8 features including the new Peer-to-Peer AirPlay feature. First announced when Apple unveiled iOS 8 earlier this year, Peer-to-Peer AirPlay allows users on iOS 8 and the upcoming OS X Yosemite release to stream content to an Apple TV without having to connect to the same wireless network. What we didn’t know at the time, however, is that the feature is limited to only the latest Apple TV hardware:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple LTE chip supplier Qualcomm unable to meet demand, could push back next iPhone launch

Site default logo image

According to a report from Reuters, Apple’s LTE chip supplier Qualcomm is having “trouble meeting demand” for smartphone chips and will continue experiencing manufacturing constraints throughout the rest of the year. Qualcomm Chief Executive Paul Jacobs told analysts on a conference call yesterday, “At this stage we cannot secure enough supply to meet the increasing demand we are experiencing.”

With Apple’s next-generation iPhone expected to include LTE capabilities like the recently launched third-gen iPad, many are speculating Qualcomm’s supply issues could lead to delays. It would also make the rumored September or October unveiling and holiday launch all the more likely opposed to June. Is it possible Qualcomm’s supply constraints have anything to do with Apple buying up its capacity?

Apple recently began internally seeding prototype N96— a faster iPhone with 1GB of RAM and an A5X variant to test the performance of the new chip on iPhones.

Qualcomm’s Chief Financial Officer Bill Keitel told Reuters the constraints have lead to increased operating expenses:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

Apple defends iPad ‘4G’ name in Australian federal court

The last we heard in the case of Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission taking Apple to court over the “4G” branding of the new iPad was a meeting earlier this week that ended without resolution. Apple offered users a refund for the third-gen 4G iPad and changed some of its “4G LTE” advertising on its Australian website following complaints the device did not operate on frequencies used by 4G networks in the country. However, the ACCC wanted Apple to change the Wi-Fi + 4G branding of the actual device.

Today, a report from The Australian claimed Apple is defending the name by claiming, despite operating only on 3G networks, the new iPads on Telstra, Optus and Vodafone deliver speeds “in accordance with accepted industry and regulatory use of the descriptor ‘4G’.” In other words, Apple thinks the carrier’s 3G networks should be referred to as 4G networks. This is what Apple told an Australian federal court this week:

Apple says the iPad is compatible with data networks run by Telstra, Optus and Vodafone “which are 4G networks in accordance with accepted industry and regulatory use of the descriptor ‘4G’ “…. The iPad with WiFi + 4G is a device which performs in accordance with the descriptor ‘4G’ in terms of data transfer speed… The descriptor ‘4G’ … conveys to consumers in Australia that the iPad with WiFi + 4G will deliver a superior level of service in terms of data transfer speed (consistent with accepted industry and regulatory use of that term), and not that the iPad with WiFi + 4G is compatible with any particular network technology promoted by a particular mobile service provider in Australia.”

Apple also claimed:

“There was at all material times information widely published in Australia which informed consumers that the iPad with WiFi + 4G was not compatible with Telstra’s 4G LTE network”

Related articles

New iPad launches in 12 more countries this Friday, 9 more on April 27

Site default logo image

 

 

 

 

Apple just published a press release that confirms the new iPad will launch in 12 additional countries Friday, April 20. Along with the 12 countries listed below, Apple confirmed an April 27 international launch date for nine more countries:

In addition to South Korea, the new iPad also will be available beginning on Friday, April 20 in Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela. Beginning on Friday, April 27, the new iPad will be available in Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand.

Go past the break for the full press release.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Benchmarked: New iPad’s A5X vs iPad 2’s A5 vs Tegra 3

Site default logo image

At the launch of Apple’s third-gen iPad, the company’s Marketing Chief Phil Schiller claimed the device’s new A5X processor with quad-core graphics provided up to 4x the graphics performance of NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 chip. Schiller also claimed the new chip provided 2x the graphics performance of the iPad 2’s A5 chip. NVIDIA was skeptical of the benchmark data behind the claims, but early benchmarks seemed to show A5X outperforming a Transformer Prime running Tegra 3 in the majority of tests.

New benchmark data provided by IGNshows the iPad 2’s A5 chip outperforming both the A5X and Tegra 3 with the A5X’s improved graphics going largely toward powering the new iPad’s high-resolution Retina display of 3.1 million pixels. The A5X shows a significant increase in performance over iPad 2 and Tegra 3 devices only when the chip is not forced to power the Retina display in “off-screen” benchmarks.


Expand
Expanding
Close

As supply meets demand, iPad Line workers get more days off, but are they happy?

Site default logo image

With all the controversy surrounding Apple’s supply chains abroad, Foxconn, one of Apple’s biggest partners responsible for assembling the majority of its products, has received the brunt of criticisms. We already know what the Taipei-based assembler thought about Mike Daisey’s fabrications of working conditions at Foxconn plants, but today we get another first hand account from an actual Foxconn employee.

A report from China Business News (via MIC Gadget) profiled Foxconn worker and iPad assembler Wang Xiaoqiao (who opted to hide his real name). According to Wang, iPad line workers are beginning to work fewer hours and get more days off as supply meets demand. Wang said iPad production was ramped up in March, bringing assembly time from 10 hours a day down to 8 hours. However, he is not happy about working less. Wang explained:


Expand
Expanding
Close

Why does the new iPad continue charging after it hits 100 percent?

Site default logo image

Since the launch of the third-generation iPad, Dr. Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation, has put the device through its paces testing just about every aspect of its “resolutionary” new Retina display. The lengthy report provided a detailed comparison of the new iPad’s display versus the iPad 2 and iPhone 4.

In a running time time of the new iPad’s battery, Dr. Soneira found its “batteries do not actually reach full charge when 100% is shown,” and noted up to an extra hour of charging is required before reaching full capacity. We already discovered that the third-generation iPad’s new 42.5-watt-hour battery takes considerably longer to charge than the iPad 2—up to several hours. One explanation suggested is that Apple is trying to shorten the amount of time people think it takes to charge to line up with iPad 2 expectations. Soneira found the new iPad running no applications at maximum brightness lasted for 5.8 hours in comparison to the iPad 2 at 7.2 hours.

He did not go into detail about his findings in the report, but Soneira provided an explanation of the charging issue below:


Expand
Expanding
Close

New iPad Wi-Fi issues seem to be software related, should be easy to patch

Site default logo image

We mentioned earlier that some new iPad owners were reporting issues with Wi-Fi. The problem seems to affect all models of the new device with both users of the 4G LTE model and the Wi-Fi-only model experiencing poor Wi-Fi reception. Many forum posters compared Wi-Fi reception with their other iOS devices and MacBooks on the same network:

“My iPad 3rd generation has much worse range than my iPad 1. Two places I use it most My Driveway, and “down the hall at work” iPad 1 (iPhone 4s, and Macbook) all have solid connections. New iPad nothing. not a thing.”

One user reports only receiving good reception within six feet of a router while another claims to have had issues with four different third-generation iPads. The good news is that the fix is likely software related, as many in the forums pointed to temporary fixes like rebooting the device or toggling Wi-Fi on and off. OS X Daily confirmed resetting Wi-Fi and network settings seems to fix the issue for some and provided instructions. In 2010, the first generation iPad had Wi-Fi connectivity issues for some users and Apple eventually issued a software update to fix the problem, which is detailed in this support document. According to Apple, only “a very small number of iPad users” experienced the issue and that seems to be the case with the new iPad as well.


Expand
Expanding
Close

New iPad jailbroken within hours

Site default logo image

That did not take long. Just hours after today’s launch of the new iPad, jailbreaker MuscleNerd posted (via iFans) screenshots of what he claimed is a jailbroken third-generation iPad. Do not get too excited, because MuscleNerd warned there is “still lots of work to do.” Therefore, the jailbreak is far from prime time. There is “No ETA,” but he provided screenshots of Cydia running for further proof that it is on the way. We will keep you updated as progress is made.

Over on the Dev-Team Blog, a new post noted: “It’s impossible to predict how or when these things turn out,” but the team also highlighted the progress made so far with iOS 5.1, as well as the possibility of jailbreaking the new iPad.

Go past the break for the full breakdown.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple highlights Retina-ready apps for new iPad

Site default logo image

With the launch of the new iPad just hours away, there will be a flood of new iPad owners looking for apps that boast the device’s 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution Retina display. To make it easier, Apple posted a new section on iTunes that lists Retina-ready apps recently updated to take advantage of the new display. The section currently consists of about 24 apps, some of which include “Tweetbot,” “Skitch,” “Infinity Blade II,” and “Sky Gamblers.” However, there are surely countless devs submitting updates to their apps right now. Go past the break for the full list of apps.

The Twitter iOS app was just updated to version 4.1.2 with the only new feature being high-resolution graphics for the new iPad’s Retina display. The update is available in the App Store now (iTunes link).


Expand
Expanding
Close