Farewell iPhone 6 Plus, we hardly knew thee. Only seven years after Apple released that iteration of its smartphone, the tech has been sufficiently dated by successors – and time – for the iPhone 6 Plus to be rendered to the company’s list of vintage products this week.
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Earlier today, we predicted that Apple had plans to bring the previously-released fourth-generation iPad back into production to replace the aging iPad 2. As expected, the fourth-gen iPad is now available once again on Apple’s website, this time with only a 16 GB capacity.
Aside from offering the single capacity choice, there aren’t any changes to the device. This model replaces the iPad 2, which has been around since the days of the 30-pin connector. The newer version includes Apple’s custom dual-core A6X processor, a 5 MP iSight camera, and 1.2 MP FaceTime camera. (Press release below:)
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Today’s can’t miss deals:
Other great deals from today:
The best deals that are still alive:
Mac software bundles:
New product announcements & reviews:
From 9to5Toys.com:
Update: Refurbished iPods are getting some price drop loving as well! Apple has knocked $30 of the price of iPod Touch 32Gb 5th generation models. They are now available for $219 with free shipping or in-store pickup. That’s $10 less than a new 16GB iPod Touch, which doesn’t even have a rear camera.
In light of today’s product announcements, Apple has slashed the prices of iPads in its refurbished online store. The first-generation iPad mini now starts at just $249, a drop of $30 from the previous refurbished price, and $50 below the new retail price. All other configurations received either the same $30 price drop or a $20 dip. If I were in the market for an iPad mini today and wasn’t willing to pay the Retina premium, I would most certainly opt for the Apple refurbished mini and save $50.
Also, the refurbished full-size iPad 4th-generation with Retina Display is now priced at $379. That’s $20 below the current retail price for an iPad 2 and includes a Retina Display, Lightning connector, and souped-up specs. It is without a doubt a better purchase than the nearly three year old iPad 2. Models with WiFi + 4G connectivity received at least a $40 price drop as well.
Apple refurbished devices are generally regarded as “good-as-new” by past purchasers and come with the same 1-year warranty as their new counterparts.
Only a few weeks after comparing iPhone 5s components to the iPhone 5, TLDToday is back at it again, tearing down an iPad 4 to compare its components to that of the upcoming iPad 5. The results are rather interesting, and show just how dramatic of a redesign the iPad 5 will be.
From 9to5Toys.com:
A large majority of the deals we cover each day come from a variety of ‘Daily Deal’ websites or are so popular that they don’t even last 24 hours. We know you can’t be at your computer every second, so we’re going to round up the best deals each day to make sure you have a fair shot at the deals you want. Be sure to follow 9to5Toys.com so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+.
Other great deals we love:
Adobe Lightroom 5 boxed copy $99. at B&H http://t.co/6HgNqegABe
— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) August 29, 2013
Freebies:
Update: The iPhone version of Skype just received the same update with HD video calling support on iPhone 5.
Today Skype updated its iPad app with the ability to make HD quality video calls in addition to several other performance improvements. It’s a feature that’s been available on other platforms for quite sometime, including the Mac client, but today the higher quality video calls finally make their way to the latest iPad. Earlier this year Skype rolled out HD video calling to Windows Phone device’s and noted it would include “720P HD on higher-end devices.” We’d imagine that’s also the case with today’s iPad update but, as always, the quality of video will also depend on the quality and bandwidth of your internet connection.
The HD video calling feature is only available on iPad 4, and version 4.10 also brings enhancements to call quality and stability. It also includes “a redesigned country code picker on the dial pad.”
Call quality improvements
– Make HD quality video calls from your iPad 4.
– General improvements to call quality and stability.
General fixes and improvements
– A redesigned country code picker on the dial pad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XtJBQHLdcM4
Amazon has not been shy about comparing its Kindle Fire devices to iPads. When it released its earnings report in October, Amazon compared the two devices spec by spec and noted the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD has 193 percent more pixels than the iPad mini. Amazon’s latest advertisement for its Kindle Fire boldly put the 8.9-inch HD model up against a full-sized Retina iPad. While noting both offer “stunning HD” and “you may not be able to tell the difference,” Amazon ended the ad by highlighting the $299 price point of the Kindle Fire as being significantly under the latest $499 iPad with Retina display. With Amazon knocking an additional $30 to $50 off the Kindle Fire HD this week, you can grab one for $250 less than an iPad 4.
While the price might be compelling, most reviews (including our own) agreed the Kindle Fire’s software is keeping it from being a true competitor to the iPad and pure Android tablets.
Our newest commercial shows iPad with Retina Display and Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ side-by-side. Both have large, stunning HD screens. In fact, you may not be able to tell the difference… but your wallet definitely can. Meet the new, larger Kindle Fire.
Update: It appears that the developers are planning a Monday release because testing took a little longer than previously thought.
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With each new release of an iPhone, jailbreaking becomes just one step more difficult. Throw in constant OS updates, and it’s amazing the hacker community is able to jailbreak it at all. So, it’s no surprise it has taken more than four months for an official jailbreak to be released for the iPhone 5.
On Sunday, that may change. A group of jailbreakers, known as the Evad3rs, plan to release its jailbreak tool: Evasi0n. The website, which claimed the team is “Processing the GUI”, has a very clean and simple layout. If all goes as planned and Evasi0n is released on Sunday, it very well may be the easiest jailbreak tool since JailBreakMe.
Evasi0n is an iOS 6.1 jailbreak said to support the iPhone 5, 4S, 4, 3GS, fourth- and fifth-generation iPod Touch, as well as the iPad mini and third- and fourth-generation iPad. Oh, and it is legal after all.
Imagine if the 32GB iPad only had that much free space?
When we posted a comparison of the iPad 4 and Microsoft’s new $999 128GB Surface Pro, Apple was yet to introduce its new 128GB iPad with Retina display. Apple announced this morning that the new iPad model would début Feb. 5 starting at $799, and that’s an attractive offer for those considering a Surface Pro when it goes on sale Feb. 9. Making the new 128GB iPad an even more attractive option for pros looking at more storage, Microsoft confirmed today that 45GB of space would be dedicated to Windows 8 and preloaded apps. This leaves customers of the 128GB Surface Pro with 83GB of free storage (via Engadget):
“The 128 GB version of Surface Pro has 83 GB of free storage out of the box. The 64GB version of Surface Pro has 23GB of free storage out of the box. Of course, Surface Pro has a USB 3.0 port for connectivity with almost limitless storage options, including external hard drives and USB flash drives. Surface also comes pre-loaded with SkyDrive, allowing you to store up to 7GB of content in the cloud for free. The device also includes a microSDXC card slot that lets you store up to 64GB of additional content to your device. Customers can also free up additional storage space by creating a backup bootable USB and deleting the recovery partition.”
Walmart is continuing to slash price tags on Apple products this holiday season, as the global retailer just announced it is now offering the 16GB iPhone 5 for $127.
Walmart also cut the iPhone 4S from $89.97 to $47 starting today, with both smartphones sales subject to the usual two-year contract, and it further lowered the (update below) 16 GB third-generation iPad with Wi-Fi to $399. Walmart said its iPad deal would feature a bonus $30 iTunes card beginning Dec. 17, but all special rollback prices are in-store only.
Target plans to offer an Apple product sale, as well. It will discount Virgin Mobile’s Prepaid 16GB iPhone 4S from $449.99 to $399.99 starting Dec. 16, but the deal is only available at Target Mobile locations.
Update 1: Walmart’s story continues to evolve. We’ll continue to update.
Update 2: Walmart’s PR agency made multiple corrections to its original announcement today. While the first press release said the third-generation iPad would go on sale for $399 on Dec. 17, a later correction indicated the deal actually started today for the fourth-generation iPad. Now, this evening, Walmart’s PR agency has made another correction: today’s $399 sale is for the third-generation iPad. The rollback prices for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S remain correct.
9to5Mac contacted Walmart directly today on multiple occasions to verify the sale prices advertised in the press release, but only its PR agency would comment on specifics and make subsequent corrections.
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Late last week, Apple started notifying customers that orders of LTE iPad minis would begin shipping within 5 business days. Those same customers were also reporting updated shipping times ranging from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23. As for the new iPad 4 with Retina display, Apple recently updated its website with an estimated shipping time of “7 business days,” but today we get word from several readers that existing orders of the device are set to arrive as early as Nov. 16.
The actual arrival time of the iPad 4 with LTE is a moving target, with earlier reports pointing to next week. However, with the release of the LTE iPad firmware on Apple’s servers on Nov. 8, it is likely that the review units are already in reviewers’ hands. So, a release this week isn’t out of the question.
The Nov. 16 date would line up nicely with Apple’s original promise to ship the LTE models of its new iPads within roughly 2 weeks of the Nov. 2 Wi-Fi-only launches. It looks like Apple might not be able to get out new orders of LTE iPad minis as quickly as the iPad 4, however, as its website currently lists the LTE capable minis as shipping in “2 weeks”.
Other rumors have also pointed to a Nov. 16 launch of in-store sales of the new LTE iPads at AT&T.
We’re sure to hear more. Another image below:
Last time we checked in, the new fourth-generation iPad with Retina display was listed as shipping in “3-5 business days” from Apple’s U.S. website. That was down from the estimated one-week shipping time Apple had listed for the device in the weeks leading up to the device’ official Nov. 2 launch alongside the iPad mini. Since then, Apple announced it sold 3 million new iPads (iPad 4 and iPad mini) over the first three days that the devices were on sale. While CEO Tim Cook confirmed Apple is “practically sold out of iPad minis,” it appears it has now caught up with supply/demand for the iPad 4. At least Apple’ s U.S. and Canadian online stores now list all Wi-Fi models of the iPad 4 as “in stock”, meaning Apple has supply ready to ship immediately. LTE models are still expected to roll out over the next couple weeks.
This comes a week after Apple sold out of initial iPad 4 supplies on its website. Apple did, however, begin allowing personal in-store pick-ups for new iPads ordered after 10 p.m.
It’s unclear what percentage of the 3 million iPads Apple sold were made up of iPad mini and iPad 4 models, but it looks like Apple is having a much easier time with supplies of iPad 4. It remains to be seen whether Apple can catch up with iPad mini demand leading into the holidays. Apple’s website still currently lists the device as available in “2 weeks”, with online stores in different countries listing the LTE models as available in mid- to late November. There is no word when Apple Stores will get additional supplies, but many we checked with have remained sold out since launch day.
iPad mini window display from NorthStar Mall, San Antonio (via @alanweinkrantz)
Apple just announced 3 million new iPads sold in just three days, doubling its previous first weekend record of 1.5 million Wi-Fi-only units sold for the iPad 3 launch. Apple is of course not including cellular iPad models in its numbers, but it confirmed those models “will ship in a few weeks in the US and in many more countries later this year.” CEO Tim Cook confirmed the company is “practically sold out of iPad minis,” and he noted it is “working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.”
“Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis. We’re working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.”
However, Apple did not specify how many of the 3 million iPads sold were made up of iPad 4 and iPad mini units. Apple also said in the press release that many pre-orders for new iPads have already shipped, but some are “scheduled to be shipped later this month.”
Apple’s full press release is below:
Lines are a little bit shorter than most expect from an Apple product launch, but today Apple’s new iPad lineup, the mini and fourth-generation with Retina, officially go on sale. While the new fourth-generation Retina iPad is not a whole lot different from the iPad 3 it replaced, iFixit has took apart the new iPad to find out the exact changes made on the inside.
A few things of note: iFixit found the LCD is manufactured by LG, as opposed to the likely Samsung-manufactured display found on the iPad mini. We also get a peek at the new A6X and the new Lightning connector. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t appear to have taken advantage of the potential to save space with the new connector:
Apple didn’t save any space by switching to the smaller Lightning connector (lower); rather they let the Lightning cable sit in a frame the same size as the 30-pin dock connector (upper)… We were hoping that space savings would yield bigger, better speakers. Very disappointing, indeed.
Apart from the slightly upgraded front-facing camera, most other components, such as RAM and the battery, appear to be the same as iPad 3:
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC4gPxc89Wg]
Apple has a new 12W charger shipping with the iPad 4, and it is available online and compatible with a number of other iOS devices. Apple already told us the 12W adapter would indeed charge your iPad faster than the old 10W adapters, but it couldn’t give us an estimate on how much faster. Insanely Great Mac posted the video above today that shows the iPad drawing more power from the new adapter and claimed it was able to shave about 30 minutes to 45 minutes off the charge time. While this charger will work with your iPhones and iPods, we see those devices will only continue to draw 5 watts.
The morning of Apple’s iPad mini event earlier this week, we told you there was a handful of new accessories coming including four new Lightning adapters and a 12W USB power adapter. We didn’t hear much about them during the event, but the new cables and adapters have hit Apple’s online store now, including a Lightning Digital AV adapter and Lightning to VGA adapter, with most shipping in “2-3 weeks”.
On the product page for the new 12W USB charger, Apple confirmed it would indeed ship with Retina iPads. With the new fourth-gen replacing the third-gen iPad—that would essentially cover just the iPad 4. It is, however, selling the adapter by itself for $19 online and listing compatibility with iPad 2, iPhone 4S, and iPod touch fifth-gen and up. Many readers have wondered whether the adapter would allow for faster charging with the iPad 3 and fourth-gen iPad. A big complaint among third-gen iPad users is that the device took up several more hours to charge than previous generations due to its larger battery. Also, on Apple’s discussion forums, some users asked if a software update would be required for the iPad 3 to draw additional power.
When we asked Apple about the 12W adapters, we were told the following:
Following yesterday’s report from DigiTimes claiming Apple had a new 7-inch iPad in the works for August, iMore’s Rene Ritchie today claimed Apple is actually targeting an October release, alongside the next iPhone. He also claimed his unnamed source said the device will launch for $200 to $300 and pack-in a Retina display and specs almost identical to the current iPads:
Apple will be going forward with the 7-inch iPad, currently targeting an October 2012 release alongside the new iPhone, and — here’s the killer — at a $200 to $250 price point… Our source has indicated, however, that the 7-inch iPad will be identical to the current 9.7-inch iPad, just scaled down. That seems to include a 2048×1536 resolution display, just like the new iPad. If accurate, that would put the pixel density at around 326 ppi, the same as the iPhone 4S (and higher than the 264 ppi new iPad) retina display.
Ritchie noted his source is not sure of the exact dimensions, but past rumors indicated a 7.85-inch size could work. According to the report, one way Apple will meet the low price point is to offer the new 7-inch iPad with just 8GB of storage. We are taking this report for what it is until we have some solid proof, but we know iMore’s Ritchie has been accurate with several Apple product launches in the past, including the third-gen iPad and iPhone 4S.