Apple introduced two new tablets this morning at a media event in San Francisco: the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display. Both tablets got performance boosts thanks to the A7 64-bit processor, among other changes.
After the event, attending journalists were given the chance to go hands-on with the new devices. And for those of you who still don't know what to make of the two new iPads, we've collected some of their initial impressions of them...
Apple yesterday phased out the fourth-gen iPod touch in favor of a new entry-level $229 16GB model. Basically the fifth-generation, it includes EarPods and has the same four-inch Retina screen, Lightning I/O and the A5 chip as other models - sans the iSight camera and the lanyard hook.
However, there's one more major difference between this iPod touch and the more capacious models. Ben Pasternak of Sydney, Australia was one of the first buyers and posted a quick hands-on video...
Although the iPad mini won't start hitting shelves and doorsteps until this Friday, it appears the Cupertino company has decided to go ahead and start shipping the tablet's accessories. Earlier this afternoon, my local FedEx driver dropped off this little guy: a Dark Grey polyurethane iPad mini Smart Cover.
At first glance, the smaller Cover may seem like an exact replica of its larger sibling. But there's one significant difference between the two, and that's the hinges. Instead of using a bare metal hinge, like it does in the full-sized Smart Cover, Apple used a covered hinge in the mini version. So there's no metal on metal...
A few minutes ago, Google released their official Google Drive app on the App Store. We've since then downloaded the app and have put it through its initial paces.
What we found was a first offering that's lacking a whole lot of what makes other apps like DropBox great. You can easily view your files, but that's where most of the fun ends.
Sadly, you can't create new documents, or even upload photos via this initial version of Google Drive. The interface is decent, and the app seems solid from a stability perspective, but there really isn't a compelling reason to choose it over something like DropBox thus far...
Those of you that are really into Emoji will be happy to learn that iOS 6 is bringing a multitude of new icons to the mix.
The ones displayed in the image above are just a few examples of what's to come in Apple's latest mobile operating system, which is still in beta, and should be released to the public in the Fall...
In case you weren't sure what apps have been newly downloaded on your iDevice, iOS 6 is making this clearer than ever as it now displays a little blue "New" label in the corner of the app icon.
I'm not sure it's going to be one of those life changing new features but I like how it makes it clear that you have downloaded an app and haven't launched it yet...
Something that has always amazed me about Apple – even long before I actually converted to the cult – is that the company pays an incredible amount of attention to details. It seems that everything has to be meaningful and thought all the way through.
The latest extreme attention to detail we came across was sent to us by iDB reader Aaron, and refers to the volume knob of the Music app in iOS 6...
One major annoyance I had with iOS so far is that anytime you download an application from the App Store, the app would close and take you back to the Home screen. If you want to download a new app, you have to launch the App Store app again, and repeat the process.
iOS 6 puts an end to this small nonsense and now lets you download as many apps as you want without closing...
While we already know a ton about the major new features in iOS 6, Â we are still learning about the update's lesser-known enhancements. Things that didn't make it into Apple's keynote yesterday.
The latest one we've come across, as pointed out by Gizmodo, is that your customized (personalized, whatever) dictionary gets the iCloud treatment in iOS 6, syncing it across all devices...
We touched on this feature a bit earlier, and now we're getting the chance to check it out for ourselves. Here it is, the new Do Not Disturb option in iOS 6.
As the name implies, the Do Not Disturb feature will silence all incoming phone calls and other alerts from pretty much anyone, or app, you tell it to...
One of the more notable changes we've come across in iOS 6 is a new sharing menu screen offered up in the Photos app.
Not only has Apple switched from text to icons here, but there are a few new choices to pick from as well...
As we reported earlier today, the iTunes and App Store apps now sport a much needed redesign. While it's by no means groundbreaking or revolutionary, it does add some slickness to the whole experience.
We have a bunch of screenshot below for your eyes' pleasure...