iPad Air

T-Mobile moved more tablets on iPad Air launch day than entire last quarter

Earlier this morning, T-Mobile filed its September quarter earnings and announced selling 540,000 iPhones amid iPhone 5s shortages, representing fifteen percent of T-Mobile’s prepaid and MetroPCS-branded devices sold. During an earnings call with Wall Street investors, company executives dropped another interesting factoid: just on the iPad Air launch day this past Friday, the Deutsche Telekom-owned carrier has managed to move more tablets than it'd done throughout the entirety of the prior quarter.

It's an ambiguous data point which doesn't reveal much in terms of numbers, nor does it tell us which specific tablet brands moved the needle on the iPad Air launch day. However, it jibes with claims made by other carriers such as AT&T, which yesterday said its Apple tablet activations over the iPad Air launch weekend tripled compared to last Fall’s launch...

iPad Air costs $274 to build, $42 less than iPad 3

Thanks to Apple's economies of scale, advanced manufacturing, smart engineering and the latest technological solutions, Apple's fifth-generation full-size iPad, the iPad Air, is actually cheaper to produce than the third-generation model - despite packing in the latest technology, research firm IHS Suppli has discovered in a new teardown analysis.

Total cost of components that go into the latest iPad is between $274 and $361, depending on the model, which is still $42 cheaper than the entry-level iPad with Retina display. The priciest iPad Air component by and large is its Retina display and the touchscreen assembly.

Both components incorporate a number of improvements such as fewer, more advanced LED lights providing the backlighting to the display and a new type of sensor known as a cycle-olefin polymer (COP) sensor located right underneath the outer layer of Gorilla Glass. More tidbits right bellow...

Amazon’s Kindle Fire HDX tops iPad Air in display shootout

With the recent releases of both the iPad Air and Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX, the folks over at DisplayMate thought it was time to pit the two new tablets against each other (and against Google's Nexus 10 tablet) in one of its signature display shootouts.

DisplayMate, a highly-regarded authority on display technology, likes to measure various aspects of device displays such as screen reflectance and absolute color accuracy, to see who is using the best panels. And according to its latest test, Amazon is...

Apple updates AirPort Utility app with 64-bit support

In addition to Remote, Apple has posted an update for its AirPort Utility app this afternoon. The app is used to help users manage their Wi-Fi network and AirPort base stations, including Express, Extreme and Time Capsule.

For those unfamiliar with AirPort Utility, it offers a number of administration features like the ability to change network settings and security modes. The update isn't a big one, but it's worth note for people who use the app...

AT&T says iPad Air activations up 200% over last year’s launch

While Apple hasn't announced specific figures for the iPad Air's launch weekend yet, most indications are that the tablet is performing well. Supplies began weakening over the weekend, and carriers are seeing healthy sales.

In fact, AT&T just issued a press release this afternoon saying its iPad activations increased more than 200% over the past three days compared to last year’s launch weekend. The reason? Customers are excited for the new Air...

T-Mobile clears up the confusion around no-interest iPad financing and free 200MB data

T-Mobile has caused quite a stir announcing carrying the new iPads with no downpayment, especially the promise of 200MB of free LTE data for life for those who opt for cellular models, as long as they remain customers.

Our own Jeff Benjamin praised T-Mobile's un-carrier move, noting no other U.S. wireless company has offered free data to iPad users.

The controversy was born after some customers complained that T-Mobile reps told them they couldn't claim 200MB worth of free monthly data unless they were paying phone customers. Otherwise, it's a $10 a month On Demand plan charge and T-Mobile CEO John Legere calling it an “executional mistake” didn't help.

So, what exactly is going on here? Is the 200MB free tier a bait and switch or a legitimate offer, with some strings attached? We lay it all out for you right after the break...

Some thoughts on iPad Air

The iPad Air is without a doubt one of Apple's most marvelous engineering feats to date. It features a huge screen with a slimmer bezel than previous full sized iPads. It provides an immersive experience that just can't be achieved on the minuscule iPad mini.

It's also much lighter than its predecessors, which is obviously something desirable to anyone who's held a full sized iPad in their hands for any nominal length of time. It's not just lighter and slimmer and thinner — it feels like a completely different product.

But before I take it too far, let me just say outright that regular iPad mini users won't be as impressed by the weight loss. It's still significantly larger, heavier, and harder to handle than the iPad mini, which may lead to disappointment for the looking into getting back into full sized iPads.

I too, suffered from such disappointment, but it was short lived after I took the time to appreciate that the iPad Air isn't the mini, and never pretended it was. It's a full sized tablet in a marvelously well put together package, and it's definitely something you should consider picking up if you want the "true" iPad experience.

As primal as it may seem, there's just something to be said about using a device whose screen is large and in charge. The iPad Air is sort of like holding a television in your hands, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, given its slimness and light weight.

If you've yet to take the plunge, then what should you do? Should you go into the Apple Store and compare both side by side? Should you give Apple's 14 day return policy a go, and spend some quality time with the Air? Check inside for my opinions on the matter.

iPad Air adoption dwarfs previous iPads

This past Friday, Apple's new iPad Air went on sale in 40+ countries at 8am local time. Third-party data suggests that early adopters are in fact liking the thinner, lighter and faster full-size iPad a lot, as corroborated by early reviews. If you compare usage data across its first three days of availability, the iPad Air usage is around five times that of its predecessor, the iPad 4. And compared to the popular iPad mini, the new iPad Air is four times more used during its first few days of availability than the first-generation iPad mini was...

Despite smaller battery, iPad Air still lasts 24-hours as LTE hotspot

As noted by iFixit in its recent teardown, the iPad Air's battery is noticeably smaller than its predecessor (32.9 Whr vs. 43 Whr). But thanks to the efficiency of the A7 chip and other internal mods, it still gets great battery life.

In addition to Apple's usual claim of 10-hours of web-browsing, moving-watching, etc, a weekend test by the folks over at AnandTech shows that the newly-released tablet can still last for more than 24 hours as an LTE hotspot...

After fixing its mistake, T-Mobile’s free tablet data is a great deal

Yesterday I wrote a post going at T-Mobile pretty hard after it appeared to do the 'ol bait and switch on its free 200MB/month data claims. I wasn't alone. Numerous customers complained that T-Mobile reps were insisting that they sign up for a monthly plan in order to take advantage of the free data offer.

As it turns out, that was a mistake; a costly one as far as overall perception goes, but nonetheless a mistake. T-Mobile's CEO clarified things yesterday via Twitter, and the company appeared to iron out any miscommunication between corporate and those on the front lines.

I'm very happy about this. Not so much due to the free data — everyone knows that 200MB on an LTE network is the equivalent to raving about skiing down a 10 foot slope — yes you went down fast, but it didn't last very long. I'm happy because T-Mobile owned up to its mistake, and did what it said it'd do.

iPad Air shipping times begin to slip

It's been just 24 hours since the iPad Air launched, and already supplies are starting to weaken. Space gray seems to be the most popular color, as shipping estimates for 16GB and 128GB models have slipped to 5-10 days in several countries.

Even here in the US, shipping times have begun to slip. The T-Mobile variant of the space gray 128GB Air is showing that it ships in 5-10 days, and ship dates for nearly all other models of the tablet have gone from November 4 to November 6...

Let’s Talk Jailbreak 35: iPad Air special

It's iPad Air launch day, and each member of the iDB crew just scored some new hardware from the Apple Store. What was the launch day experience like? What about first impressions? Join us for a special episode of Let's Talk Jailbreak, as the trio of Cody, Sebastien, and Jeff discuss the iPad Air in-depth. Should you get it? Is it better than its predecessor? How does it stack up to the iPad mini? Listen in for the full lowdown.