New iPad Hits 3 Million Sales

When Apple first started making iDevices, some thought it was a phase that would soon grow old. Yet, as Gizmodo's Jesus Diaz puts it, "they're unstoppable now." And unstoppable is the right word; for Apple just hit 3 million sales of the new iPad. Already.

Phil Schiller, Apple's SVP, says this is the "strongest iPad launch yet." Apple wouldn't release intitial sales numbers for the iPad 2 because they had quite a low supply, but it took 28 days for the iPad 2 to reach one million. The first iPad took 80 days to reach 3 million sales, an accomplishment the new iPad completed in 4 days. It still couldn't beat the iPhone 4S sales, however, as those topped 4 milllion in its first weekend.

The new iPad is currently available in only 10 countries, which makes this number even more impressive, but Apple plans to release the new iPad in 24 more countries on March 24th.

New iPad Costs 63% of Retail Price to Manufacture

Last Thursday, pictures of an iPad teardown from iFixit went up, and they certainly did help us see what Apple put inside their new iPad. Now, an iSuppli teardown just took place, but with a completely different goal; to see how much money it took to build the iPad.

A similar iPad 2 teardown last year showed that it cost Apple about $200 to make one iPad 2, meaning 60% of its price was profit. Because the new iPad retails for the exact same price, iSuppli expected to find about the same profit margin, but the results were quite surprising. The base model costs $316 to manufacture, resulting in a profit margin of just 37%, while the hi-end model, the 64GB model with 4G, costs $409 to manufacture, a 51% profit margin. What caused this huge increase in manufacturing price?

Many factors led to this increase, but the pie chart to the left illustrates the largest contributors. As you can see, the retina display was the biggest factor. Apple chose to multiply the pixelation by 4, and this made the price of the display jump from $57 in the iPad 2 to $87 in the new iPad. This $30 price jump doesn't even tell the whole tale, because a bigger battery and faster processor had to accompany the retina, otherwise the iPad's specs would take quite a hit. The A5X cost Apple $23, as opposed to the $14 A5 chip in the iPad 2. And the 70% bigger battery, which was needed to keep a 10 hour battery life despite the retina display, cost $32, up from the iPad 2's $25 battery. Finally, the 5MP rear camera on the new iPad costs $12.35, compared to just $4 for the iPad 2's 0.7 MP camera.

Considering that the iPad's manufacturing cost is significantly higher than that of the iPad 2, it surprises me that Apple didn't choose to raise the price to $550 or $600, especially when their profit margin is on the computers they sell is quite large. Yet, at the same time, it makes sense; the main reason why the iPad is by far the best tablet in its class is its price. And, for now, it still has that advantage.

New iPad Jailbroken on Launch Day

On Friday, iOS jailbreak specialist MuscleNerd found a way to jailbreak the new iPad. The above pictures are screenshots of the new iPad running Cydia that he tweeted. He noted that this is just the first step in a process of making a public jailbreak tool, but when he's already figured it out the day the iPad launched, that day certainly can't be too far.

Graph Shows Tweets Containing the Word "iPad" During iPad Event

When a new, hot product comes out, we usually hear a lot of talk about it. And the amount of this talk can typically measure how popular a product is. Well, what if you could measure how much people were tweeting about a new product? You would get more data, and more accurate numbers to represent how popular the product is. Well, that's exactly what Twitter did; with the iPad 3.

Twitter released this chart today, showing how many tweets with the word "iPad" in them were posted on the day of the iPad event. The results are amazing. Before the event, a moderate number of iPad-related tweets, 1,000 per minute, were being posted. When the event opened, the number rose to 2,500. But during the event, the numbers were huge. The highest spikes, (over 10,000 tweets per minute) were when Tim Cook said "Next-Gen Wireless," and 9 minutes later when he said "Priced at just $499".

iPad 3 Revealed; Retina, 5MP Camera, 4G LTE

"Resolutionary". "Stunning". "Gorgeous". Whatever Apple may call their new iPad 3, it's here. Finally. And along with it; great new features.

Retina Display

As a microscopic examination proved in mid-February,  the iPad 3 has a 2048x1536 retina display with exactly four times the quality of the iPad 2's display. Checking out a cool graphic on Apple's features website shows you that you actually can tell the difference. The retina display really should change the iPad experience.

5MP iSight Camera

Rumors from NextMedia claimed that the iPad 3 would have an 8MP camera. Though the increase wasn't as dramatic, the video quality is now full HD (1080p, slightly higher quality that the iPad 3's display). And besides, the iPad 2 really needed a camera upgrade, so any upgrade at all is fine.

4G LTE

Here's some great news for frequent travelers; your internet on-the-go has received a substantial boost, as the iPad 3 now supports 4G LTE from AT&T and Verizon. It also supports high-end 3G technologies for the times when 4G isn't available, or you can use the new SIM card slot if neither are available. In addition, the device supports tethering.
 

Picture of iPad 3 Part With "A5X" Processor Shows Itself

Lately, there have been a lot of photoshopped pictures of iPad 3 parts circulating around the web. So when we hear about a picture of an iPad 3 with an "A5X" processor, "Photoshop" is pretty much the first word that pops into our minds. Yet, look at the picture. It's so clear, and the reflection of the light on the bubble wrap looks perfect. The date code's number, 1146, means it was produced in the 46th week of 2011, corresponding to November 16-20. This is approximately when construction on the iPad 3 began. And yes, the processor's name is A5X.

This picture showed up yesterday on the Chinese site Weiphone. It appears to be the processor and part of the memory unit of the upcoming iPad 3. Currently, the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and 5th generation iPod Touch all sport A5 processors. So, it was expected that the iPad 3 would see an A6 processor. But this picture suggests that the change in processor speed would be more minor, just as an iPhone 4S would be a more minor change than an iPhone 5.

But what could this tell us about the iPad 3? Well, if the changes in the processor are minor, it could be that it becomes quad-core, but the GHz stay the same. Or maybe the GHz goes up from 1 to 1.5, but it stays dual-core. Either way, if this picture is in fact correct, this certainly changes our predictions about the iPad 3. Sure, you could just wait 16 days for the media event, but waiting is hard when it's for something like an iPad...

iPad 3 Event On March 7; Quad-Core, LTE, Retina

iMore reported that the iPad 3 will be announced on March 7, and Jim Dalrymple, one of the most reliable sources about Apple Rumors, has confirmed the date. It also claims that the three most important new features of the iPad 3 will be a Quad-Core A6, 4G LTE from AT&T and Verizon, and a Retina Display. Tech n' Cars goes into detail on each one:

Quad-Core A5X: Of the three rumors listed by iMore, this one is the only one we aren't quite sure of. When the report came out, it called the iPad's new processor an A5X, but an image circulating around the web (to the right) shows an "A5X" processor inside the iPad, with a date code "1146", meaning it was produced in the 46th week of 2011, which corresponds, to November 14-20. This is about when production on the iPad 3 began. The picture made us at least 80% sure of this feature. Remember when everyone was going crazy about the iPad 2's new ultra-fast dual core processor? Well, I have no idea what people will be thinking when four cores go in the processor of this thing...

4G LTE: LTE, which stands for Long Term Evolution, is a new type of network that is significantly faster than 3G. This has been rumored for a long time, and Wall Street Journal recently confirmed the rumors. The iPad 3 will also be equipped with 3G or Edge so that when 4G isn't available, you can still "fallback to a slower network technology." We don't know if you'll be able to get one iPad that can run on either AT&T's network or Verizon's network or if you'll only be able to access one on an iPad.

Retina Display: Many people were disappointed when we were so sure that the iPad 2 would have a retina display last year, yet it didn't. We were so sure because even Apple was planning for a retina display, but they didn't have enough equipment. Well, Apple won't fail you again, because this time we're certain about a 2048x1536 retina display, because MacRumors confirmed the rumor by examining an iPad 3 display under a microscope.

iPad 3 Will Have a Retina Display: Confirmed!

With the March 7 release of the iPad 3 approaching rapidly, many pictures of the iPad 3's display have showed up on the web. They were claimed to be a 2048x1536 retina display, but none of the pictures could confirm their resolution, until now.

MacRumors recently examined an iPad 3 display under a microscope and compared it to an iPad 2. The displays looked the same to the naked eye, but the results they got confirmed that the iPad 3 will have a retina display.

Since we only had a raw iPad 3 display with no method to power it, taking high quality photos of the pixels was difficult. Still, even with the relatively poor lighting, you can easily make out the pixels on each display (made up of red, green and blue elements). We highlighted a cluster of 4 pixels (2x2) from the iPad 2 to compare it to the same area on the iPad 3. On the iPad 3, the same cluster was occupied by 16 pixels (4x4) -- exactly twice the resolution in each direction. 

Could the iPad 3 Sport an 8 MP Camera?

NextMedia recently received a photo from "channeled sources" of the iPad 3's back shell. Taking a close look at the picture can help reveal what might be included in the next iPad 3.

The first thing most people notice is that the iPad's shell is tapered much more gradually, which likely will result in a more smooth and sleek feel. Interestingly, Apple made the exact opposite change a few years back when they changed the iPhone 4's body to look more boxy, as opposed to the curve on the edges of the iPhone 3GS.

But, the more exciting aspect of the picture is about the camera. The position of the camera has only shifted a tiny bit to the right, but look at its size difference as compared to the iPad 2. It's significantly larger. This goes along with a rumor that the iPad 3 might sport a 8 MP camera.

The story of the iPad's camera goes back a long way. After the hype of the first iPad's release two years back, many people were disappointed not to see a camera in the front or the back. The iPad 2 came out a year later with a camera, but the resolution was so awful Apple wouldn't disclose it's exact quality. The back camera turned out to have only 1 MP quality, and the front camera 0.3 MP. Some people wanted better quality, but others were satisfied because tablets aren't usually the primary device used to take pictures and videos. But, Apple has been adamantly increasing quality on the iPhone camera despite similar ideas. The iPhone 3GS saw an increase to 3 MP, the iPhone 4 up to 5 MP, and finally up to 8 MP with the 4S.

Yet, camera technology is increasing, and my feelings are that because it is now possible to pack very high-quality cameras into very tight spaces, Apple should feel free to increase the quality of the iPad's camera.

iPad 3 to Arrive In March with LTE, Quad-Core Processor, and Retina Display?

A series of reports from rather reliable sources such as Bloomberg and Macotakara claims Apple's manufacturing partners are working 24 hours a day so that Apple will be able to launch the iPad 3 in March. Not only do the reports claim that the device will sport a retina display that will make some graphics look as clear as printed copies (we're almost sure of this because of how many reports it's been in), they claim that a quad-core processor will be used to speed up the iPad 3 dramatically. Also, a new graphics processor will be so quick that videos will begin to play almost instantly.

The only thing the reports can't seem to agree on is the form factor. Some say that Apple is adopting Sharp's IGZO technology to allow for a thinner iPad, while others say Apple has turned down Sharp's offer, and will be sacrificing a little thickness in order to use high resolution IPS displays from Samsung and LG.

Arguably the most exciting piece of information is that Apple will be bringing LTE to the iPad 3. Apple will bring this technology to the iPad before the iPhone because the iPad has a bigger battery, so it can maintain a longer battery life while LTE is in use.

iPad 3 Could be Launched by Steve Jobs's Birthday, February 24.

New reports claim that Apple is trying to push manufacturing partners to get on track to launch the iPad 3 on Steve Jobs's birthday, February 24. This is especially likely considering that last year, the MacBook Pros were launched on Steve Jobs's birthday, though some speculate that the date was picked because it was right before the Presidents Day weekend. Here is a quote from FocusTaiwan's report:

A local Chinese-language newspaper reported Friday that iPad 3 might be launched on Feb. 24 to mark the anniversary of the birth of Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs.

Citing sources close to Taiwanese makers in the iPad 3 supply chain, the Economic Daily News said the gadget could be launched in mid-first quarter of next year or by the end of next March.

Even if the iPad 3 isn't launched by Steve Jobs's birthday, it will probably be released in March or early-April. Rumors are not agreed on the release date of the iPad 3; some say late February, others mid-March, and a few early-April. However, if we have to wait longer than February, the wait should be worth it. The iPad 3 will be equipped with a retina display and Siri.

iPhone 5, iPad 3 Release Dates and Rumors!

Yes, the iPhone 4S just came out and the iPad 2's sales aren't declining any time soon, but we're already talking next generation here at Tech n' Cars. That's because iLounge says its "most reliable source" has given the website some very interesting facts about the next generation iDevices.

iPhone 5: Some say the iPhone 4S was a disappointment because it didn't include many of the features it was rumored to have. Well, don't worry folks; you'll see most of these features in the iPhone 5. One feature that we're pretty sure the iPhone 5 will have is the 4" screen and thinner bezel that the iPhone 4S was supposed to have. While supporting the larger screen, the iPhone's length will only increase by 8mm. And don't worry; this iPhone's coming quick; (no, not another 1 year 4 month delay that we saw with the iPhone 4S update) Apple is rumored to be launching the iPhone 5 in June or July 2012, which would be only 8 or 9 months after the iPhone 4S.

iPad 3: It doesn't look like we'll be getting that "iPad 2 Plus" by the end of the year that some earlier rumors spoke of, but we should be getting a full-blown iPad 3 in March 2012, featuring a retina display. Apple will use a dual light bar system for the higher quality display, and this will make the new iPad 8% thicker than the iPad 2.

iPad 3 and iPhone 4S to be introduced in early September, available by late October?

Macotakara reports that the iPad 3 and the iPhone 4S will be introduced in early September (perhaps with the new iPods), and will be available by late October.

Macotakara is using the term "iPhone 4S" instead of "iPhone 5". It has been a long debate about the name of the next iPhone. An iPhone 4S would mean that the next iPhone would receive a rather minor change (think iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS), while an iPhone 5 would mean a more major redesign with a lot of new features (think iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4). They also use "iPad 3" instead of "iPad 2 Plus" or "iPad 2 HD". Well, whatever the name of the next iPhone and iPad may be, there will be a real big day in early September; new iPods, and the next iPhone and iPad introduced!

A recent report from Taiwan Economic News claims that TSMC has began production of Apple's next generation processor, the A6. This processor is rumored to include some of TSMC's latest processor technology like 28-nanometer process and 3D stacking tech... sounds fancy! This processor might be found in the next iPad, but because we've heard production of the next iPad has already started, it will probably appear in the 4th iPad.

In the previous two years, it was Samsung who manufactured the A4 and A5. However, Apple has decided to change to TSMC, maybe because Samsung "copied their products", as Apple claims in their lawsuits against Samsung.

The next iPad

In October, the next iPad will come out. Manufacturers are starting production. We do not know what the name of this iPad will be, but here are the three options:

iPad 3: This iPad could be the iPad 3, a completely new iPad with a retina display and other features we have yet to hear about. But, the only thing wrong with this theory is this picture:


iPad 2 Plus: So that picture suggests that it won't be an iPad 3. Well, what if it's a slightly upgraded version of the iPad 2, just a little thinner, a little lighter and with a retina display, named an "iPad 2 Plus?", similar to the case of the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS? Many analysts are suggesting this theory.

iPad HD: The third theory is that Apple will make a slightly more expensive "iPad HD", an iPad 2 with a retina display and apps such as Final Cut Pro and Aperture, and sell it alongside the iPad 2. This case is more similar to the MacBook and MacBook Pro.

Whatever the name may be, I expect (and hope) that the next iPad will be worth buying, and I certainly will buy it if it is!

The iPad 2 doesn't have a retina display, but the iPad 3 will!

A lot of people have been asking me either "Does the iPad 2 have a retina after all?", "Why doesn't the iPad 2 have a retina display?" or, "So will the iPad 3 have a retina display?". The answer is that though the iPad 2 maintained the iPad 1's 160 ppi display, the iPad 3 will have a retina display. Apple wanted to give the iPad 2 a retina display, as you can see from the picture above of their plans to give the iPad 2 4x the resoloution (a retina display). However, they were low on supplies for this.

iOS 5 to release in September alongside iPad 3?

I know, the first source told me that iOS 5 was being released in early April. That, according to two other reliable sources, is very unlikely to happen. Instead, iOS 5 will be released in September. iOS 5 will bring cloud based movies, photos, and music. We hear it will be a "big revamp." There's a reason why Apple didn't talk at all about iOS 5 on March 2nd when they released the iPad 2... because it isn't coming out any time soon! Apparently, the iPad 3 (I know, the iPad 2 was released but 16 days ago, and we're already talking iPad 3!) will be released alongside iOS 5. We don't know much about the iPad 3 yet except that it will have a retina display.