iPad mini

Keep your Lightning cable handy with Nomad [review and giveaway]

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Running out of the house with an empty iPhone battery can be catastrophic. We have all been there, stuck in the office, out of town, on a long car ride, when the low battery indicator pops up begging for more juice. Despite many 21st century successes, smartphone batteries still weigh us down. Unfortunately, this causes me to keep a Lightning cable near my nightstand, at the iMac, around the office, and in my car.

To prevent such problems, Kero developed the Nomad cable. Cleverly designed as a keychain, Nomad is a 3", fully Apple certified lifesaver. The seemingly simplistic resolution to an everyday problem prevents charging headaches...

Alleged iPad 5 schematics picture iPad mini-like design

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 1, 2013

A French blog which earned a reputation of posting images of geniunie-looking Apple product parts is back at it again, posting this morning a set of purported design schematics claimed to be for Apple's fifth-generation iPad.

Matching up a number of past reports, these alleged photographs suggest the iPad 5 indeed has adopted a form factor very similar to the current iPad mini model...

AT&T rolls out and expands LTE in several markets

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 12, 2018

In a recent study by PC Mag, AT&T's LTE network was found to be the fastest among the top 4 carriers. But Verizon was found to be the most reliable. That's because Big Red has 4G coverage in nearly 200 more markets than AT&T does.

But it's working hard to change that. This morning, the nation's second largest wireless provider posted a number of press releases announcing that it has rolled out LTE to new markets, and expanded coverage in several existing markets...

Is the party over for high-end smartphones?

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 28, 2017

Every company loves maximum profits. For years, Apple and Samsung have sold high-priced smartphones loaded with features that were eagerly snapped up by consumers in mature economies in North America and Europe. Now the two largest smartphone makers face a changing consumer profile where basic is best and inexpensive is in vogue.

Just days ago, research giant Gartner noted low-cost devices comprise the bulk of both firm's device sales, making questions of whether to sell 'cheap' handsets only a distant - and irrelevant - memory. Now comes fear from Wall Street that the salad days of smartphones are over for Apple and Samsung...

A hands-on look at iOS 7 on the iPad

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

iOS 7 beta 2 is the first iOS 7 to feature support for Apple's iconic tablet, and we've got a hands-on demonstration of how it looks and feels. The first word that came to my mind when I initially fired up iOS 7 on the iPad was “modern.” The iPad feels more spacious, and lightweight with iOS 7 installed. Whereas iOS 6 felt heavy and weighed down by skeuomorphism, iOS 7 feels light free.

I think you're going to like the way that iOS 7 looks and performs on the iPad. Check out our full video demonstration inside...

Gartner: tablet shipments to jump 68% in 2013 amid PC slump

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 24, 2013

Research giant Gartner Monday released new figures confirming the growth of tablets and the decline of PCs are set to continue through 2013 and into 2014. However, the numbers point to a changing market for tablets and a potential rescue for ailing PC and laptop demand.

While the overall shipment of PCs, mobile phones and tablets is expected to rise by just 5.9 percent this year, PC shipments of both desktops and notebooks will slide lower by more than ten percent. Worldwide mobile phone shipments should increase a modest 4.3 percent while tablets lead consumer demand for mobility, shipments jumping by 67.9 percent this year, according to the research firm...

iPad mini to finally hit Brazil next Tuesday following eight-month wait

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

It's widely believed an unknown portion of iPad mini production is being handled by Foxconn’s recently built manufacturing facilities in Brazil. It's remarkable then that the iPad mini is still unavailable in the country. The situation is finally set to take a turn for the better as the iPad mini is slated to arrive in Brazil next Tuesday, June 25. As you know, Apple launched the iPad mini in the United States and several other key markets eight months ago, in October 2012...

AT&T lights up LTE in new Texas, Alabama markets and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Folks with an iPhone 5, iPad mini or any other LTE-enabled device with AT&T will be happy to hear that the carrier has activated the popular 4G service in several new markets across the United States today.

If you have an AT&T-flavored LTE device, and live in one of the following areas, you'll definitely want to check to see if you're now aboard what PC Mag calls the fastest Long Term Evolution network in the US...

Apple website graphics shows iOS 7 on iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 20, 2013

Despite CEO Tim Cook's management shakeup last year, Apple's marketing and website departments don't seem to collaborate closely enough. In what could only be attributed to a human error, image files discovered on Apple's website earlier today offered a glimpse into iOS 7 icons different from the current iOS 7 Beta 1.

Another find involves graphics outlining device compatibility, with an image depicting iOS 7 running on the iPad and iPad mini...

New report claims redesigned iPad coming in Q3, new iPad mini in Q4

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

This year has been kind of a weird one for Apple in terms of product releases. It's June now, and we have yet to see a new iPad this year (no, I'm not counting the 128GB model). That hasn't happened since the tablet's inception back in 2010.

But it's coming. Or should I say they're coming. Apple is expected to release both a new iPad and iPad mini this year. And according to a new report out of China, the former is coming in Q3, and the latter will arrive just before the holidays...

IDC: tablets to overtake laptops this year, all PCs in 2015

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 28, 2017

It was not long ago that people dreamed of providing a PC for every child on the planet. Well, the vision needs to be updated. Tablets - particularly those in the iPad mini size range - are outselling laptops now and soon will overtake all PCs, research firm IDC reported Tuesday.

Some 229.3 million tablets are expected to ship this year for a 58.7 percent growth rate, compared to 2012. By contrast, PC shipments are down for the second year in a row, dropping 7.8 percent in 2013, the company announced.

The key takeaways: tablets are becoming smaller and cheaper, while at the same time being increasingly able to accomplish tasks once done by PCs...

Pics show iPad mini prototype with 2 microphones

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Last fall, the rumors leading up to the iPad mini event suggested that the 8-inch tablet would have a microphone located in the top-middle of its rear shell. Just like on the iPhone 5, it was to be used for noise-canceling and to improve audio pickup.

Obviously, the rumors never materialized, as the production version of the first-gen mini does not have a hole in the top of its rear casing. But looking at some new pictures of a purported prototype for the slate, that may not have been Apple's plan...