Good news today for all of you Tumblr users. The popular microblogging platform has finally updated its iOS app to work natively on the iPad. Previously, if you wanted to access your Tumblr blog, or view the work of others, from your tablet, you either had to use the website, a third-party application, or the official iOS app in 2X mode. But not anymore...
iPad
From the latest news to the most comprehensive tutorials, learn how to get the most out of your iPad with our step-by-step guides and expert tips.
Apple said to be moving up next-gen iPad mini production
Folks who skipped out on the first version of the iPad mini will be happy to hear that they may not have to wait a whole 12 months for the second generation of the tablet to appear. According to a new report today, component-makers for the next-gen mini are preparing for an earlier-than-expected launch...
You can now download App Store apps without leaving Facebook
Remember the App Center, a cross-platform application store Facebook launched ahead of its rebuilt iOS app? Hosted and curated by Facebook, the App Center is available as a link in the main menu of their iOS client, listing Facebook-enhanced apps and games that can be found on the App Store. Previously, tapping an entry yanked you out of the Facebook app and into the App Store.
That's no longer the case as it is now possible to install App Store software from a pop-up inside the Facebook app, which is an iOS 6 SDK feature available to all third-party developers who wish to implement it...
Microsoft’s post-PC trouble: capturing the profits of bygone days
Before PC demand dwindled, software giant Microsoft was happy with licensing its Windows software to computer makers. Now that we are taking the first steps into the post-PC era, the Redmond firm still wants its profit. But how do you charge a $50 per-tablet royalty fee when the device itself costs $199?
Enter the $499 Surface, says one independent analyst. While Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire both sell for $199, the Surface carries the much higher price tag because Microsoft stubbornly refuses to give up the 30 percent profit margin it's accustomed to receiving for Windows and Office software licenses...
Pegatron grabs the majority of iPad orders for the next three years
Always keen on never putting all its eggs in one basket, Apple has been trying to mitigate risk by sourcing components from multiple suppliers. The same goes for product assembly. Though the firm traditionally outsources manufacturing to Foxconn, the world's largest product assembler, Taipei, Taiwan-based Pegatron Technology has been rising increasingly as Apple's other manufacturing partner. According to a report from an Asian trade publication, Pegatron will now get to build the majority of iPad orders for the next three years...
Rovio launches Christmas song, adds 24 levels and new power-ups to Angry Birds Rio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwd99PfFwpw
Curl up with some hot cocoa and a holiday song from Finnish mobile games developer Rovio. The team has just updated Angry Birds Rio, its marketing tie-in with the 20th Century Fox animated film Rio. The fresh content pack brings 24 new levels and power ups, including a "special delivery" TNT Drop, Samba Burst, Sling Scope laser targeting and Super Seeds to supersize your birds.
There are twenty free power ups in total to boot from, with an additional power up added each day. Plus, you can collect stars to unlock eighteen special Star levels and earn feathers to unlock six Mighty Eagle levels. Rovio also created an Angry Birds-themed holiday song titled “Fly Me Home Tonight” in honor of the festive season...
8 out of 10 iPad owners plan to stick with Apple
In the latest round of 'is the iPad mini a cannibal?' we go to Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty, who told investors the concern is "overblown." Huberty says nearly half of the 7.9-inch tablets are bought by new customers. While the Morgan Stanley AlphaWise survey also found slightly fewer purchases of the iPad mini are by new tablet owners - suggesting the small tablet is taking a bite out of larger iPad sales - the risk is "manageable", the analyst said...
The Rokstand: a quality stand with attitude [giveaway and review]
iPhone stands are a dime a dozen. Like iPhone cases, there are millions of iPhone stands, small and large, powered and passive, plastic and metal, cheap and expensive. However, when pulling the Rokform Rokstand out of the package, I knew this stand was unlike any other stand I had ever seen or felt, for that matter. Quite simply, it is a machine, and a very elegant one at that. It owns your desktop. Just looking at it, I feel it glaring back at me. To get the full scoop, Rokform sent over a stand for review and offered to give one away to a reader in our contest below...
Rhapsody app finally lands on iPad
You have to hand it to Rhapsody. It hasn't been an easy 11 years for the music streaming service, what with the failed acquisitions, and the rise of strong competitors like Spotify and Rdio. But the company refuses to give up.
And today, it has some good news for its subscribers. After months of waiting, Rhapsody has finally released a full-blown iPad app. It's been built from the ground up with a gorgeous image-based UI, and has plenty of features...
Introducing Cubasis: when GarageBand is not enough
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-ek0PByfVg
Musicians need no introduction to Steinberg, a Hamburg, Germany-based maker of musical software and equipment. Their Cubase program and other software suites support pro music recording, arranging and editing and are widely used in digital audio workstations and VSTi software synthesizers around the world.
When a company this significant releases a multitouch sequencer for Apple's iPad that lets you record, edit and mix on the go, this becomes news in and of itself. "Cubasis places touch-intuitive production tools in your hands, opening up a new world of possibilities for your creativity", Steinberg writes...
2012: a year in App Store
With 750,000+ apps in the App Store and iTunes approaching half a billion accounts with credit cards enabled for one-click shopping, little wonder iOS, by and large, has remained the platform of choice for mobile developers, in spite of Android's lead in sales volume. While only a small number devs earn millions writing apps, the race to the bottom is taking its toll as most bedtime devs opt to keep their day jobs.
Appsfire, a website devoted to App Store discovery, has analyzed key app trends in 2012, creating an illustrative infographic that highlights today's App Store app ecosystem...
iOS 6.1 beta 4 released to developers for all iOS devices
Apple has released what is reportedly its final iOS 6.1 beta a few minutes ago, when it pushed out iOS 6.1 beta 4 for all iOS devices including the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV.
Existing beta users can access the latest update via the General > Software Update section of the Settings.app. This delta update rings in at a modest 56.5 MB, while the full fledged update comes in at 896 MB when downloaded directly from Apple's developer portal.