Jordan Kahn

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DJxZ0HVQXo8#!]

Apple posted the first TV spot for the all new iPad unveiled earlier today and it —not surprisingly—focuses on the device’s Retina display. The ad’s tagline: “When a screen becomes this good, it’s simply you and the things you care about.” Check below for our full coverage of today’s announcements:

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Apple demoed quite an impressive iPhoto app today during the new iPad unveiling, and the app is now officially live on the App Store for $4.99 [iTunes]. In case you did not know, the app is a universal download for both iPhone and iPad. You can grab iPhoto for iOS now (iTunes link). Apple also boasted updated versions of iMovie and GarageBand today that you can already get on the App Store here and here for $4.99 each (free update for current owners). The updated GarageBand app features a Note Editor, Smart Strings orchestra feature, and Jam Sessions for realtime playing and recording with up to three other iOS devices.  You can read our full break down of the new iPhoto app here.

In addition Apple updated iBooks Author today to “take advantage of the Retina display on the new iPad” and did the same for the iTunes U app. The updates also include the usual stability and performance improvements.

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As we predicted, Apple quickly unveiled a refreshed Apple TV today at its media event in San Francisco before moving onto the new iPad. On top of 1080p video streaming, perhaps one of the biggest features of the device’s upgraded UI is the ability to access purchased movies stored in iCloud— just like with music and TV shows. Unfortunately, according to a report from AllThingsD, it looks like not all content will be accessible. Content from Comcast’s Universal and News Corp.’s Fox will not be available due to deals currently in place with HBO:

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While there was no mention of AppleCare+ extended warranties at today’s unveiling, Apple’s preorder page for the new iPad does list the extended warranty as an option during the checkout process. The AppleCare+ for iPad extended protection plan provides coverage for accidental damage with each incident subject to a $49 fee. Apple initially began offering a $99 AppleCare+ protection plan for the iPhone 4S. According to Apple, the new iPad plan covers your iPad, your battery, any Time Capsule or AirPort device purchased two years before or during your plan, as well as the iPad’s power adapter and USB cable. You will have to grab AppleCare+ for the new iPad within 30 days of your purchase, so it will likely become available in time for the new iPad’s March 16 launch.
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After unveiling  the new iPad at today’s event, Apple officially confirmed it would continue selling the iPad 2. The entry-level 16GB Wi-Fi-only iPad 2 will get a price drop to $399. The Wi-Fi+3G model will sell for $529. The price drops will presumably take effect immediately, because  preorders for the new iPad begin today.

Get all the details on the new iPad’s Retina display, LTE-capabilities, new camera system, and A5X quad-core graphics processor at 9to5Mac.

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GarageBand for iPad was given a significant update today at Apple’s new iPad unveiling. Some of the new features include Smart Strings, Note Editor, and new iCloud and sharing features. We will update this post with more information when we get our hands on the new GarageBand, which is available today. Apple did boast one cool feature, however, known as “Jam Session.” The feature allows you to jam with up to three other iPad users in real-time. Stay tuned for more.

Get all the details on the new iPad’s Retina display, LTE-capabilities, new camera system, and A5X quad-core graphics processor at 9to5Mac.

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Apple just announced preorders for the new iPad would begin today with the device becoming available March 16. As for pricing, as expected, Apple will keep the entry-level Wi-Fi only model at $499. Prices for the LTE models are the same as the previous iPad 2’s Wi-Fi+3G model and start at $629. A huge international rollout will take place on March 23. Check the slide below for the full list.

Get all the details on the new iPad’s Retina display, LTE-capabilities, new camera system, and A5X quad-core graphics processor at 9to5Mac.

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As rumored before today’s event, Apple just confirmed live in San Francisco that the new iPad will support 21Mbps HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA at 42Mbps, as well as LTE at 73Mbps. Apple execs gave demos of the device running on both AT&T and Verizon LTE networks and confirmed support for both carriers. Apple also announced international LTE partners, including Canadian carriers Bell, Rogers, and TELUS. There will also be personal hotspot available on support carriers.

“Performance is amazing and you’re going to love using it on these new high-speed networks.”

Get all the details on the new iPad’s Retina display, voice dictation, new camera system, and A5X quad-core graphics processor at 9to5Mac.

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After unveiling the new iPad’s Retina Display, Apple execs are onstage right now confirming the new iPad will run a new dual-core A5X processor with quad-core graphics. Apple said the A5 chip is “twice as fast” as Tegra 3 and the new A5X provides “four times the performance.” We will update this post when we learn more on the specifics.

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Tim Cook is onstage in San Francisco as we liveblog, and after the announcement of iOS 5.1 with Japanese Siri support and a refreshed Apple TV (that we told you was coming), the Apple CEO took some time to compare iPad sales to the PC industry. While calling the iPad “the poster child of the post PC world,” Cook showed a slide of the iPad selling 15.4 million units in the last quarter versus personal computers shipped by companies like HP, Dell, and Lenovo. The slide above speaks for itself.

“We sold more iPads in the last quarter of last year, than any PC maker sold of their PCs.”

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Apple is unveiling the next iPad at a press event at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. Apple execs just hit the stage to announce —after their usual brief introduction of company statistics—Siri will officially come to Japan in iOS 5.1, which is available starting today. However, Japanese users will get their hands on iOS 5.1 as it rolls out over the coming weeks.

Developing… 

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Following a report from Bloomberg in December featuring advice from analysts, we asked you if Apple should settle for up to a $10 royalty per Android device and not keep paying its lawyers to fight patent disputes. Today, Dow Jones Newswiresreports that Apple is interested in seeking settlements. According to the report, Apple “indicated a willingness to cut deals with competitors,” including Motorola and Samsung:
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Backing up rumors that Apple’s next-generation iPad—set to be unveiled tomorrow, March 7—would be LTE-capable, Reuters reports “a source familiar with the product” confirmed it “will be capable of operating on a high-speed 4G LTE” network:

The newest iPad will be capable of operating on a high-speed 4G “LTE,” or Long-Term Evolution network, according to a source familiar with the product. At speeds roughly 10 times faster than current 3G technology, that may go a long way toward banishing the sometimes shaky video quality of older devices.

Reuters said Apple hopes customers will be more inclined to “pay extra” for a LTE iPad due to high-quality video. Adding to the reports, iMore claims the same source that called the March 7 unveiling date also informed them the “iPad 3” will include “4G LTE networking.” Both reports support The Wall Street Journal’s sources who said in February that an LTE-equipped next-generation iPad would land on Verizon and AT&T.
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While you might be familiar with iFixit from its in-depth teardown guides meant to provide the ultimate resource for DIYers, it also offers the necessary tools to get the job done. We told you a while back about its “iPhone oppression kit” allowing you to swap out Apple’s pentalobular screws with standard Phillips screws. Stemming from a discovery of two unused mounting points in its recent 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac teardowns, iFixit is now providing a kit that provides all the tools necessary to install a second hard drive in your mid 2011 iMac.

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iLounge editor Jeremy Horwitz, who has proved to be reliable in Apple related leaks in the past, published a report today claiming “a reliable source” provided details on two products the company currently has in development. According to Horwitz, Apple is working on a new iPad “Smart Case” and “another glass iPhone.”

As for the “smart case,” the report described the new case as inspired by the existing smart covers but more like Incase’s Magazine Jacket (pictured above), because they will also have a back cover. Our inventory checks show no shortage of the current iPad smart covers ahead of the iPad 3 launch:

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Mockup by CiccareseDesingn

In recent months, the increasingly unreliable Digitimes seems quite confident that “Apple is likely to launch a 7.85-inch iPad.” A recent report from the publication in December claimed a 7.85-inch iPad would begin production in Q2 2012 with a launch for the fourth quarter following a “new iPad” (presumably iPad 3) in Q1. The reports keep surfacing today with Digitimes pointing to a report from United Evening News and Oled-Display referring to a “Samsung Securities” document from December that mentions a 7-inch iPad.

Starting with the Samsung document, the company claimed Apple is planning to launch a new 7-inch “iPad mini” in Q3 after the release of iPad 3 in Q1:

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On Friday, Apple officially announced the App Store hit 25 billion downloads. We knew the person to download the 25 billionth app would receive a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card, and today Apple announced Chunli Fu of Qingdao, China was the winner. To take home the prize, Fu downloaded Disney’s water-based physics-puzzler “Where’s My Water? Free.” Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddie Cue said the following:

We’d like to thank our customers and developers for helping us achieve this historic milestone of 25 billion apps downloaded. When we launched the App Store less than four years ago, we never imagined that mobile apps would become the phenomenon they have, or that developers would create such an incredible selection of apps for iOS users.”

The full press release from Apple is after the break…

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[slideshow]

Update: More images from MacRumors forums.

First posted by MacStories, we now have some images of Apple’s preparations at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco where the company will hold its next-generation iPad event and possibly the introduction of a refreshed Apple TV. You can see Apple has started hanging its large banners that will more than likely display images of whatever is announced. The event is slated to kick off on March 7 at 10 a.m. PDT. We will bring you live updates as they happen, including an updated post with more shots of Yerba Buena. 
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Apple posted a new page today on its website outlining how the company is “creating jobs through innovation.” To be exact, Apple said it “created or supported” approximately 514,000 U.S. jobs. About 304,000 (47,000 at Apple) are in fields such as engineering, manufacturing, and transportation, and 210,000 are attributed to the iOS app economy. The numbers mirror our recent report discussing how jobs created by the iOS app economy are often overlooked during discussions about low-wage jobs in China. The company clearly wants to highlight its contributions to jobs created stateside. Apple explained:
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According to a report from the New York Post, Apple is planning to launch a new television streaming service by Christmas despite roadblocks with potential content partners. The report cited sources “familiar with the talks” between Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddie Cue and content providers that have “largely balked” at Apple’s attempt to “exert control over all aspects” of negotiations:

“Apple’s negotiating stance can be summed up as “we decide the price, we decide what content,” according to one source familiar with the talks…They want everything for nothing,” said another media executive, echoing similar tense negotiations Apple has had in the past with magazine publishers and music companies.” 

The report said Apple wants content providers to offer their channels through apps accessible on Apple TV as well as other Apple devices. The report’s sources were unsure whether Apple planned to offer several of these apps in cable TV-style packages or as individual apps. Apple also apparently—although unsuccessfully— tried to convince cable companies to ditch their cable boxes for Apple devices in an attempt to “create the interface” and have the cable companies “manage bandwidth across the TV and broadband pipeline.” The New York Post explained:

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZcV0c_7pmE&feature=youtu.be]

Right before Apple made AirPlay mirroring for Macs official with the Mountain Lion developer preview, we told you about AirParrot, a third-party app that brings the same functionality to Snow Leopard. The same developers just announced the first solid release of another AirPlay app, but this time it is for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S mirroring to your Mac. “Reflection” ($14.99 single license) allows users to easily view their iPhone or iPad’s screen (and audio) on a Mac’s display over AirPlay. We went hands on…

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