iPad 2 dummy spotted at CES thanks to another gun-jumping case manufacturer
Case manufacturers are now officially the weakest link in Apple’s security chain. Today during pre-CES activities, Engadget spotted the case pictured above from Dexim. According to Dexim, the case is designed for the next generation iPad, and a dummy version of the iPad 2, complete with front and rear facing camera holes, was mounted in the case.
As you can see below, the iPad 2 dummy is a bit slimmer than the current iPad. The bezel surrounding the iPad 2’s screen is particularly narrow, when placed next to the current iPad.
This is the second time in the past week that a case manufacturer appears to have outted a yet-to-be-announced Apple device – over the weekend, Case-Mate made several references to a Verizon iPhone 4 on their website.
Of course, we all knew a new iPad was coming, but it’s good to get some idea of what the device will look like.
Apple iPad sales eclipse 3 million units, sells average of 48k iPads per day since May 31st.
Apple issued a press release today that disclosed more glowing iPad sales figures. The company sold its 3 millionth iPad on June 21st, 2010, only 80 days after the device was released.
iPad sales have also picked up significantly since the device was released Internationally. Since May 31st, the company has sold an average of 48,000 iPads per day (the iPad was released Internationally on May 28, and Apple announced that the device passed the 2 million mark on May 31st). In comparison, Apple sold an average of 34,000 iPads per day in the first 59 days after the device was released.
Apple has not disclosed the distribution of iPad sales among different sizes and WiFi/3G models, but using a conservative $500 price per iPad, Apple has generated $1.5 billion in revenue from the device in just 80 days. Not bad at all.
Scosche introduces iPad auto kit called the iKit. We want one.
We’ve seen a ton of DIY iPad auto kits out there, and some actually look pretty good. But for those of you that don’t want to get down and dirty, Scosche Industries is developing an iPad car kit called the iKit, that will replace your car’s audio system with, you guessed it, an iPad.
The image above shows a prototype unit in a Subary WRX STI. Scosche removed the stock double-din unit and replaced it with a double-din iPad chassis that secures the iPad with a ball-joint connector. The iPad can be tilted front/back/left/right, and placed in landscape or portrait positions.
At this point, it’s unclear how tightly the iKit integrates the iPad with your car. We’d love to see an iKit app that displays ECU data, like the Rev app for the iPhone.
Additionally, the iKit does run into space constraints. As you can see in the video below, the iKit blocks the top of the STI’s AC ducts, although this will vary from vehicle to vehicle.
Still, we can’t wait to get our hands on one. The iPad’s luscious 10 inch screen is a natural fit for an auto environment, and a big upgrade over stock nav systems that always seem to be stuck five years in the past.
Scosche hasn’t announced any pricing or availability info for the iKit, but we’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
Source: Motor Trend
Apple iPad 3G coming on April 30th
On Monday Apple updated their iPad 3G store to show May 7 ship dates for the tablet. This was a cause for concern among those that preordered the device and were expecting a ship date in ‘late April’.
However, Apple today confirmed that iPad 3G preorders will indeed be delivered to US customers on April 30th, while the device will be available in Apple retail stores at 5pm that day. Apple is really pushing the late April timeframe to the limit with an April 30 launch, but with over 500,000 iPad WiFi units already sold who can blame them?
Apple can’t meet demand for the iPad, pushes International launch to end of May
Apple announced today that it will be delaying the International launch of the iPad until late May. Initially, the company planned to release the iPad Internationally in late April. However, according to Apple, demand for the device has been ‘far higher’ than expected, with sales in the first week eclipsing 500,000 units. This demand, along with the upcoming release of the 3G version of the iPad, forced Apple to push back the International launch of the device.
Although we’re impressed that half a million iPads have been sold to date, it’s surprising that Apple is not able to meet demand for the device. The company must have gotten a pretty good indication of demand when iPad preorders started rolling in, and should have been able to adjust production accordingly. iPads were out of stock in many of the Apple stores we contacted today, although all stores reported that new shipments are coming in daily.
We’re also waiting for Apple to announce a ship date for the 3G iPad in the United States. The company has stated that it will ship the device in late April, but we’re eager to get a firm release date.
In the meantime, iPads are selling on eBay’s UK site for a pretty nice premium (above). Although Apple’s terms of sale prohibit users from reselling the device, there are several hundred iPads available for sale on the site currently.
This is where the iPad wins
One of the biggest challenges for the iPad is finding a unique and valuable purpose for the device. Sure, apps and web browsing on the iPad is great, but I also have apps and a browser on my notebook. Videos and music on the iPad are quick to access, and they play flawlessly…just like they do on my iPhone.
So where does the iPad win? eBooks. And not just any eBook – interactive eBooks.
The video above shows what we believe will become a key differentiator for the iPad. This amazing app, called Alice for iPad, transforms what would otherwise be a pretty mundane reading experience into something interactive, compelling and interesting.
This is where the iPad separates itself from the Kindle and other eInk eBook readers. Not only are current eInk eBook readers unable to display color, the time it takes for eInk pages to turn and refresh makes any sort of meaningful interactivity impossible.
Sure, eInk eBook readers reproduce print books very well – eInk text is clear and easy to read. But eBook readers shouldn’t focus on reproducing technology that has been available for ages – it should focus on improving that technology.
The iPad’s rich color screen and 1 GHz processor opens the door for a wide range of highly interactive titles. Imagine how much more informative the ‘…for Dummies’ series of books would be with embedded instructional video. And what if school textbooks had interactive equations that show students how to ‘carry the 1,’ instead of just describing the process in text.
The main challenge here is developing compelling content for the iPad. Interactive eBooks sound cool, but developing this content is likely to be an expensive new experience, particularly for book publishers accustomed to churning out print materials. Even the Alice App isn’t actually an eBook – it’s a $9 app for the iPad.
Still, the value of the iPad will increase dramatically if the device is able to differentiate itself as a uniquely effective learning tool. Once content is developed for the iPad, its possible that the device could replace traditional books in a variety of environments, such as schools, repair shops, law firms – anyplace where large volumes of text are consumed.
And although the $500 16 GB iPad is quite pricey, this is about half as much as I paid for one quarter’s worth of books in college. All things considered, the $500 price of an iPad seems low, especially if the books in Apple’s iBook store offer improve the learning experience over traditional books.
