iPad

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Apple awarded significant iPad design patent

Yesterday afternoon, the United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded Apple 29 new patents. Two of them are design-related — one covers retail packaging, and the other covers the iPad's exterior design.

The latter patent is fairly significant, in that it covers the look of Apple's popular tablet. You know how a lot of people said that Apple shouldn't be allowed to patent a rectangle with rounded edges? Well it just did...

New jailbreak tweak supplants Siri with Google Search

Well that didn't take long. Just a week after Google's revamped Search app with new voice technology made it into the App Store, a jailbreak tweak has been released that will allow users to supplant it for Siri in iOS.

The voice recognition tech in the new Google Search app has received a lot of praise for its speedy response times and accurate results. And now, thanks to the new tweak NowNow, you can access it from anywhere...

My iPad mini review

I remember the first time I picked up my iPad 3. I was surprised how much thicker and heavier it was compared to the iPad 2. In my iPad 3 review, I wrote that even though the increased thickness and weight of the device are noticeable, I'd probably get over it in a matter of weeks. Several months later, I'm still not used to it, and to be honest, I'm completely turned off by my iPad 3.

The nail in the coffin came when I received a Nexus 7. This device was everything I needed to read, email, and tweet, which is pretty much all I'm doing on a tablet. In the end, the Nexus 7 didn't do it for me and I returned it, but it clearly showed that there was a device missing in my life. A device that is small, thin, and light. A device that would be just like an iPad, but smaller. Enters the iPad mini...

Microsoft Office hitting iOS in early-2013 with limited editing functionality

The Verge in an exclusive report this morning offers a detailed look into Office Mobile, a long-rumored version of Microsoft's productivity suite, said to hit iOS and Android devices in early 2013, with the iPhone and iPad version hitting the App Store first. The suite, the publication has it, will apparently include free viewer apps that will require a Microsoft account. Limited editing functionality will reportedly be available with an Office 365 subscription. More tidbits right after the break...

Apple customer loyalty rate falls for first time, but why?

A report by Strategy Analytics yesterday claims that Apple's customer loyalty fell for the first time since records began, which may come as a surprise with huge lines and waiting lists abound for the latest releases of the iPhone and iPad.

The report tells that when asked, 88% of US customers said that they were likely to buy another iPhone at upgrade time, which is down from the 93% that claimed the same thing last time around. It's a similar story in Europe, with a result of 75% being well down from the previous year's 88%.

While any company should be happy with a loyalty rate of 88%, why is Apple seeing a reduction in customer loyalty? That's the real question I think we should be asking...

Urbanears bring the party straight to your ears [review and giveaway]

Having admired Urbanears from afar, on the shelves of local retailers, I was blown away when I finally got my hands on a pair of the new Zinken over-the-ear headphones. Urbanears is clearly a company priding itself by paying attention to the little things and even places a 63 page booklet in their headphones' box to prove it.

As a reviewer, I come across a lot of products for iOS devices on a regular basis and I can count, on one hand, how many times I have been impressed with product packaging (excluding actual Apple products). I must say, when it comes to accessories, often, a book should be judged by its cover and Urbanears spares no expense. Let's open the box on this pair of Zinkens my friends at Urbanears sent over and you too have a chance to grab a pair of your own...

Apple has caught up with fourth-gen iPad demand

It appears Apple's supply of fourth-generation iPads has caught up with demand. After listing the new full-size tablet with a one-week waiting period, then 3-5 days, the iPad now is listed "in stock" at Apple's online stores. Perhaps this is because 90 percent of the iPads the Cupertino, California company sold over the past weekend were iPad mini units. Monday, analysts released reports on initial sales of the smaller iPad. A common thread: worries that Apple cannot meet consumer demand, a particularly unwanted situation given the fast-approaching all-important holiday buying period...

Display shootout pits iPad mini vs the Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7

Despite the success Apple is seeing with its iPad mini, the company has received a lot of criticism over the new tablet. Folks are particularly unhappy with its $329 price tag, which is at least $100 more than the competition, and its lack of a Retina display.

The mini's 1024 x 768 is also worse than its competitors, and has been the number one complaint in early reviews. But is it really that much worse than those found on the Kindle Fire HD and the Nexus 7? DisplayMate thinks it has the answer...

Sony launches free e-book app to contend with iBooks

The e-book market on iOS is pretty crowded. There's Apple's iBooks, of course, and then there's Amazon's Kindle app and Nook by Barnes and Noble. And all of these services have extremely large e-book offerings and millions of users.

But apparently that isn't enough to stop Sony from throwing its hat into the ring. The electronics giant released its own free e-book app in the App Store today, entitled Reader — eBooks from Sony, for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch...

The iPad mini could comprise half of all iPads sold in December

Apple will sell 20.2 million iPads during the December financial quarter - half of them iPad minis, one Wall Street analyst predicts. The forecast comes as experts attempt to divine the meaning of Apple's record three million tablets sold over the past weekend.

Despite a Northeast US battered and bruised by Hurricane Sandy, Apple announced it sold three million new iPads this weekend, breaking a record of 1.5 million Wi-Fi-only units moved during the iPad 3 opening weekend in March. Analysts believe a large portion of new iPads sold this weekend were various iPad mini models...

Tablets now comprise 1 out of every 4 PCs sold

Should tablets be considered computers? While experts debate the tech equivalent of how many angels dance on the head of a pin, consumers are voting with their wallets. Tablets sales increased nearly 50 percent during the third quarter while computer purchases are on life support.

Today's numbers from IDC reflect a continuing trend away from PCs and toward mobile devices. Globally, 27.7 million tablets were sold during the third-quarter. This follows last month's numbers which showed PC sales declined 8.6 percent to 87.7 million during the same period...

IDC: Android gained tablet market share in Q3, while Apple slowed

In the race to win the tablet market, all it takes to gain an edge is for the leader to take its foot off the accelerator. Enough potential iPad buyers "sat out" the third-quarter waiting to learn more about the iPad mini, that the brief pause cut into Apple's lead, allowing Android tablet companies to gain share.

According to data by market research firm IDC, Apple's leadership in the third quarter - ahead of the iPad mini's release - shrank to 50.4 percent, down from 59.7 percent a year ago. By contrast, Samsung lead a pack of Android rivals with a triple-digit growth...