Expert Blogs
If you're like me, you ordered the new iPad as soon as Apple's servers allowed, and you are waiting patiently (or perhaps impatiently) for it to arrive. Now is the time to think about protection. In fact, I sold my old iPad at SellYourMac.com and got full price because it was in such good shape. I keep my iPads and iPhones in cases pretty much full time and they look brand new.
Now keep in mind, the new iPad is slightly thicker and heavier than the iPad 2, and has a bigger opening for the camera, so there's a chance your old case might not work.
Today's big news was the new iPad, but Apple kicked things off with an upgrade to the Apple TV. It was a minor update, supporting 1080p, rather than the "cracking" that Steve Jobs alluded to in the book Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. If you're not concerned about the new higher resolution, the previous generation is available at a bargain basement $69 price if you don't mind a refurb and if you can get through to the Apple Store! I've bought refurbished Apple products (including an Apple TV) and aside from the packaging, you get a like new product at a great deal. In fact, while placing my order for a new iPad, I added a $99 refurbished iPad nano which will find a home on my wrist.
The new iPad offers 4G LTE, which offers great promise. But before you spend the extra $130 (plus monthly fees) for the LTE model, take a long look at the Verizon and AT&T coverage maps. When I did, it was clear to me that Verizon was the way to go, even though I have my family's cellphones on AT&T. AT&T simply doesn't have the 4G LTE coverage I need in my home and surrounding area. The benefit to having both providers is I should always be able to get online, either with my iPhone or new iPad! Here are the links to AT&T and Verizon. Make sure you are looking at 4G LTE.
I wrote earlier that high speed 4G LTE capability is finally a compelling reason, for me at least, to look past the WiFi-only model. In addition, the enhancements to the camera (5 megapixel iSight), iPhoto app, 1080p resolution for videos, Retina Display apps (which will consume more storage) it is becoming clear that the 16GB version may also be inadequate.
Now there is a compelling reason to step up from a WiFi-only iPad. With 4G LTE, your transfer speeds can reach as high as 73Mbps, far better than 3G. 3G will still work, even around the world. Finally your iPad can outpace your iPhone. This makes it more practical to get a 4G iPad than tether to a slower iPhone, and share that data plan. In fact, your iPad can now be a personal hotspot, to share its 4G LTE goodness with other devices, if your carrier supports that. Make sure your carrier has decent 4G LTE coverage in your area. I might use Verizon for my new iPad while I still use AT&T for my iPhone 4, to give me the broadest coverage.
"The new iPad" With those words, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, and Phil Schiller, VP, introduced the Retina Display version of our favorite tablet. Never has so much emphasis been placed on dots-per-inch, but it's worth it. With the new 2048x1536 display, you have 3.1 million pixels, at 264dpi, which is slightly less resolution than the iPhone 4 but close to print quality (typically 300dpi) and pixels disappear, text is printed quality, photos are beautiful and your desktop monitor is now obsolete, not to mention the older iPads. (Check out my article regarding SellYourMac.com to unload it!)
A few numbers of note from today's Apple event: 585,000 apps, 25 billion downloaded (as noted a few days ago.) 200,000 specifically formatted for iPad! 315 million iOS devices through 2011 62 million iOS devices in Q4 2011 15.4 million iPads in Q4 2011 (they claim HP sold 15.1 million PCs in that quarter!) 362 retail stores, 110 million visitors in Q4 2011 including the bustling Grand Central store (I was there, the day a petition was submitted to improve working conditions at Foxconn.) 100 million iCloud users - Once your data is in the iCloud, it's unlikely you'll want to leave the Apple ecosystem and have to deal with transferring your iLife! And that my friends, is why it's free!
For centuries, man has searched for a perpetual motion machine... Unlimited power that never runs out. Now a true perpetual motion machine doesn't exist but with the iBattz Mojo Battery Case, you can come close.
All signs point to a March release of the iPad 3, with an enhanced Retina display and potentially a faster processor and LTE/4G data speeds. Any one of those would probably be enough for me to upgrade from my iPad 2, so in preparation I looked into selling my old iPad. When I upgraded to the iPad 2, I handed down the iPad 1 to my kids. I plan to repeat that pattern, and that frees up the original iPad. Even though it will be several generations old, my 16GB WiFi iPad 1 was worth over $200 at SellYourMac.com. I've written about them in the past, so I thought I'd put my money where my mouth is.
Two distinct messenger style bags arrived this week, and they presented a nice contrast. The Trench Runner from M-Edge is a retro, army surplus-inspired satchel with several compartments for cables, chargers, and, of course, an iPad. The Narwhal from GreenSmart is an eco-friendly messenger bag (backpacks and duffels are available as well) with a strong emphasis on recycling.
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