Let's speculate about the next iPad.

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Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
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OS X's App Store is pretty stupid. It's gotten to the point where you can't even easily download major updates of big apps for local storage. In fact, even just building clean OS X install discs is a pain.

For some reason Apple wants everyone to redownload updates on every individual Mac.
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
45
91
I just wish that there was a feature on the Time Capsules that would cache all your music/movies/apps/etc.
 

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
OS X, just like full Windows, doesn't need an app store, there are thousands upon thousands of apps already made and continuing to be made, they just aren't forced to only be in a single "app store."

Depends if you want an iOS experience on the device or if you just want something that's a tablet but runs regular OS X. Windows 8 has that split personality which somehow seems to work well on the Surface Pro, but just the Surface Pro.

OS X's App Store is pretty stupid. It's gotten to the point where you can't even easily download major updates of big apps for local storage. In fact, even just building clean OS X install discs is a pain.

For some reason Apple wants everyone to redownload updates on every individual Mac.

No arguments there. The entire app store in general on iOS and OSX is just a mess.
 

TreVader

Platinum Member
Oct 28, 2013
2,057
2
0
Why can't my Mac just read my mind and shape-shift into the item or person I want?



Seriously apple wtf it's 2014 or something
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,047
1,676
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Ming-Chi Kuo is guessing the iPad Air 2 will show up next week and will come in gold.

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Kuo, of KGI Securities, issued a new research note on Thursday, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider, in which he said he believes a so-called "iPad Air 2" will be unveiled by Apple next Tuesday. That would be alongside the 4.7- and 5.5-inch versions of the "iPhone 6," as well as a wearable wrist-worn device.

Kuo stated that "only iPad Air 2 will see significant spec upgrades," suggesting that the company's iPad mini may not be given as much attention in 2014.

Specifically, he believes the next iPad Air will have an anti-reflective screen coating, a full-lamination touch panel, a new gold-colored casing, and a next-generation A8 processor. He also expects the device to adopt the Touch ID fingerprint sensor that debuted last year in the iPhone 5s.

Kuo said that the iPad mini "may" be updated this year with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, but expressed less confidence about the company's diminutive 7.9-inch tablet.


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I wouldn't be surprised if only the iPad Air 2 got the TouchID sensor, but I have doubts about a gold one, and I have doubts it will be launched next week. Then again, the construction of a new building just for this Sept. 9 event is out of the norm. Perhaps Apple has decided for one massive dump at one event this year.
 
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Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
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Public Service Announcement:

These are the requirements for the live stream at http://www.apple.com/live/

Live streaming video requires Safari 5.1.10 or later on OS X v10.6.8 or later; Safari on iOS 6.0 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later.

I guess I'll be bringing my MacBook Pro to work tomorrow. You can't even watch on Windows, even with QuickTime installed.

Somehow I'm thinking the stream may be problematic though.

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In other news: Staying power: iPhone 5, iPad 2 still Apple's most popular models

The iPhone 5 and iPad 2 remain the most popular models among consumers, says a new report.

Looking at the number of iPhone models detected on its mobile network, Localytics pegged the iPhone 5 at a 27 percent share followed by last year's iPhone 5S with a 25 percent share. That left the iPhone 4S in third place with 21 percent, the iPhone 4 with 13 percent, the iPhone 5C with just 8 percent, and other assorted iPhone models with 5 percent.

Among Apple's tablet lineup, the iPad 2 garnered the lion's share of Localytics' iPad traffic with a 29 percent share. That's an impressive number given that the second-generation iPad will celebrate its fourth birthday come next March.

The original iPad Mini took second place with a 20 percent share, followed by the iPad 4 with 15 percent, the iPad 3 with 13 percent, the iPad Air with 12 percent, the original iPad with 6 percent, and the iPad Mini with Retina with just 5 percent.


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We fall into that demographic. Rather than pick up a iPhone 5c for my wife last year, I chose instead to get a better looking (in my opinion) iPhone 5 silver refurb, and for less money. And we've been using that iPad 2 ever since 2011 when it came out.

It's interesting to see that the non-Retina iPad 2 and iPad mini make up half of all iPads out there. Half! That means if Apple kills support of these two models with iOS 9, that will be a lot of pissed off users.
 

Childs

Lifer
Jul 9, 2000
11,313
7
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I'm surprised the 5c doesn't have more marketshare. Isn't that like $99 on contract? I wonder if its because they don't have a plain black color.
 

Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
12,181
35
91
I'm surprised the 5c doesn't have more marketshare. Isn't that like $99 on contract? I wonder if its because they don't have a plain black color.

The 5c blows. I'm glad I got the 5 when it came out. Thought I do see more people using them than the 5s, probably because of the price.
 
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Rakehellion

Lifer
Jan 15, 2013
12,181
35
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iPads in public schools are expensive and waste of taxpayer dollars. Chromebooks and Chromeboxes are better use of the dollars and far better education tools. Fortunately, more schools are now recognizing this and adopting Chromebooks.

Except there's pretty much no software available for it.

That's fine but my wife and I had the exact same problem with the TouchID. One phone having problem I can understand. Two phones having the exact same problem with everything else working perfectly? Highly doubtful it's user error.

Two devices out of millions? Highly likely it was user error.
 

Subyman

Moderator <br> VC&G Forum
Mar 18, 2005
7,876
32
86
My touch sensor is a little finicky. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Its even worked with a layer of paint on my finger, put then it didn't when it was completely clean. Once when I was a bit dehydrated and my thumb was wrinkled, it didn't work either haha. Overall, its been a great feature though.
 

bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,605
3
81
I'm thinking they'll keep the current iPad 4, but maybe will update the iPad mini to iPad 4-like specs, but without Retina. ie. Apple A6 SoC and 1 GB RAM. In other words, it will be very similar to the iPhone 5c. iPhone 5c is 1136x640 (0.73 MP), while the iPad mini 2014 will be 1024x768 (0.79 MP), both powered by the same A6 SoC. Similarly, if they keep the iPad 4, it will still have the A6X.

There's no point in moving the iPad Mini off the A5 processor unless it gets a Retina Display.

But, does Apple want to keep manufacturing A5 chips? They're in the AppleTV but that has to be updated soon. They've already pulled the iPad 2 and they'll stop selling the iPhone 4S.

I foresee the iPad Mini with Retina falling to the $299 spot. That will be a fantastic purchase as well. The iPad Mini Retina 2 will have TouchID, a better camera and probably some extra bells and whistles to justify the difference.
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,047
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So, on to the next event.

The last iPad event was Oct. 22, 2013, and the event was announced Oct. 15.

At that event, they announced the new iPads, MacBook Pros, Mac Pro, and OS X Mavericks.
 

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
There's no point in moving the iPad Mini off the A5 processor unless it gets a Retina Display.

But, does Apple want to keep manufacturing A5 chips? They're in the AppleTV but that has to be updated soon. They've already pulled the iPad 2 and they'll stop selling the iPhone 4S.

I foresee the iPad Mini with Retina falling to the $299 spot. That will be a fantastic purchase as well. The iPad Mini Retina 2 will have TouchID, a better camera and probably some extra bells and whistles to justify the difference.

My biggest concern is that iOS 8 will run like molasses on A5 devices. Apple likes to do that.

So, on to the next event.

The last iPad event was Oct. 22, 2013, and the event was announced Oct. 15.

At that event, they announced the new iPads, MacBook Pros, Mac Pro, and OS X Mavericks.

Most likely October. Yosemite is supposed to be due this Fall, so that makes the most sense to me.
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,047
1,676
126
My biggest concern is that iOS 8 will run like molasses on A5 devices. Apple likes to do that.
As I mentioned in the iOS 8 thread, iOS 8 may be a bit harder on my iPad 2 than iOS 7 was.

In iOS 7 I felt the performance was adequate after I turned on Reduced Motion. I had left Reduced Transparency off though.

In iOS 8, now I have both Reduced Motion and Reduced Transparency on now. However, with both of these on, it feels decently fast. Very usable.

OTOH, the iPhone 5s is just very fast all around. I have Reduced Motion on though just because I don't like the extra animations.
 

jaydee

Diamond Member
May 6, 2000
4,500
4
81
I think you've pretty much got it with your first post, except I'd probably wager that, like the iPhone 6, the 32GB version of the iPad gets dropped, not the 16GB.

They want encourage people to pay more for the 64GB, not less for the 32GB. The BOM cost to Apple to go from 16GB to 64GB is probably a fraction of the $100 upcharge...
 

LightPattern

Senior member
Feb 18, 2013
413
17
81
So, on to the next event.

The last iPad event was Oct. 22, 2013, and the event was announced Oct. 15.

At that event, they announced the new iPads, MacBook Pros, Mac Pro, and OS X Mavericks.

Apple's next product splash slated for second half of October

A person familiar with the company's pre-launch logistics says Apple has set internal project and marketing deadlines of mid-October, ahead of the planned unveiling of major new products during the second half of the month. That would align with an anticipated media event previously rumored to be held at some point during October. The same source who spoke to AppleInsider has shared reliable information on product introduction and timing in the past.
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,047
1,676
126
MacBook Air Retro

MacBook-Air-Retro-Colorware.jpg


colorware-apple-macbook-air-retro-2.jpg


colorware-apple-macbook-air-retro-4.jpg


1.jpg


Only $3499.
 

Steelbom

Senior member
Sep 1, 2009
455
22
81
For the iPad Air I believe a move to 3072x2304 (1024x768@3x) is coming which will give it 393 PPI, somewhat more than the Mini, though I'm not sure if it'll be this generation. That's a lot of pixels -- going off what Apple's done in the past, it'd need at least a 50% increase in graphics performance. Perhaps a highly clocked 6 series GPU will be able to achieve that.
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,047
1,676
126
For the iPad Air I believe a move to 3072x2304 (1024x768@3x) is coming which will give it 393 PPI, somewhat more than the Mini, though I'm not sure if it'll be this generation. That's a lot of pixels -- going off what Apple's done in the past, it'd need at least a 50% increase in graphics performance. Perhaps a highly clocked 6 series GPU will be able to achieve that.

Not a chance in Hades.
 

Steelbom

Senior member
Sep 1, 2009
455
22
81
Not a chance in Hades.
To what exactly are you referring? The resolution itself or powering it on a highly clocked 6 series?

If the former, it's simply the next step after 2048x1536. At the moment the Air is only 264 PPI and the move to 3072x2304 would give 395 PPI, putting it a fair amount above the Mini.
 

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
Moderator
Aug 23, 2003
25,375
142
116
Here's what I think:

iPad Air - thinner, lighter, A8, TouchID, better cameras.
iPad Mini (Retina) - thinner, lighter, A8, TouchID, better cameras.
iPad 12" - size/resolution bump.

They will probably move the iPads to the rounded design philosophy of the iPhone 6.

iPad Mini (non-Retina) - end of life.
iPad 2 - end of life.

Their storage tiers will mimic the iPhone 6; base of 16GB, add $100 to go to 64GB, another $100 to go to 128GB.
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,047
1,676
126
Here's what I think:

iPad Air - thinner, lighter, A8, TouchID, better cameras.
iPad Mini (Retina) - thinner, lighter, A8, TouchID, better cameras.
iPad 12" - size/resolution bump.

They will probably move the iPads to the rounded design philosophy of the iPhone 6.

iPad Mini (non-Retina) - end of life.
iPad 2 - end of life.

Their storage tiers will mimic the iPhone 6; base of 16GB, add $100 to go to 64GB, another $100 to go to 128GB.
The one key factor missing from above is the amount of RAM. That crucial factor will determine if I buy or not.

To what exactly are you referring? The resolution itself or powering it on a highly clocked 6 series?

If the former, it's simply the next step after 2048x1536. At the moment the Air is only 264 PPI and the move to 3072x2304 would give 395 PPI, putting it a fair amount above the Mini.

There is zero chance they will move to ~400 ppi.
 

Steelbom

Senior member
Sep 1, 2009
455
22
81
There is zero chance they will move to ~400 ppi.
I disagree, and you're certainly not giving me any reason to think otherwise. Plus, they just moved to 400 PPI with the 6+, and considering the resolution it renders at, will move to an even higher pixel density in the future.

Going to 3072x2304 would be a nice improvement for the Air that would place it over the Mini in terms of pixel density rather than below it as it currently is, and the graphics in the A8, which is a current generation SoC, should be enough to power it... yet alone the A9 or A10.
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,047
1,676
126
I disagree, and you're certainly not giving me any reason to think otherwise. Plus, they just moved to 400 PPI with the 6+, and considering the resolution it renders at, will move to an even higher pixel density in the future.

Going to 3072x2304 would be a nice improvement for the Air that would place it over the Mini in terms of pixel density rather than below it as it currently is, and the graphics in the A8, which is a current generation SoC, should be enough to power it... yet alone the A9 or A10.
You can't necessarily use the pixel densities and design considerations of the iPhones or even the iPad mini to determine the pixel densities of the 10" iPad Air. The design considerations are different, as are the usage patterns. 325-350 ppi is necessary in a phone because we hold them in front of our face just inches away. Like 10 inches away. I don't think I've ever met anyone who uses a laptop this way (although I've seen people who are near blind use desktops up close). Indeed, for the iPad, people don't generally hold it that close either, although kids with the mini might hold it a bit closer.

With the iPhone 6 and 6 plus, the reason to go to 1080p on the 6 plus is due to the OS design. It allows 3X pixel densities to maintain reasonably constant element sizes, sort of. John Gruber theorized the 6 plus would actually be higher than 1080p, at 2208x1242, because mathematically, that would allow element sizes at that screen size that are only 6% magnified from what they are on the iPhone 5s. In fact, if you do the math, or if you just measure it, you'll realize that the element sizes for all the iPhones from the original to the iPhone 6 are all exactly the same. The only one that is different is the 5.5" 6 plus, 1.06% normal. But why are we talking about 2208x1242 then, if the 6 plus is actually 1080p? Because John Gruber was actually right, in a sense. All the calculations on the iPhone 6 plus are actually done at 2208x1242. Then it's actually downsampled to 1080p for display. Presumably this is just a decision of practicality. 1080p is a common 5.5" screen size now, so the tech is already available in volume. Furthermore, at such high pixel densities, there is no visual penalty for downsampling. 2208x1242 still looks gorgeous when downsampled to 1080p. In contrast, the iPhone 6's 1334x750 would look horrible at 5.5" on the 6 plus. So, they jumped up to 2208x1242 for the 6 plus, but then downsampled it to the also high 1080p.

On an iPad Air, just about nobody complains about the pixel density, except for occasional spec weenies. It already looks gorgeous at 264 ppi, which BTW, is way higher than the Retina MacBook Pros, at 220 ppi on the 15" and 227 ppi on the 13". There is essentially no need whatsoever to go to 3X 3072x2304. Furthermore, with 2048x1536, Apple can design its SoCs to work with both the iPad Air and the iPhone plus at 2204x1242, which translates into 3.1 MP and 2.7 MP respectively. If they went to 3X 3072x2304, the Air would be a huge outlier, and either they have to have a much higher spec'd common GPU for all iDevices but which would be overkill for all the other iDevices, or else they'd have a separate A8X just for the iPad Air... sort of like the iPad 3 days. However, in this scenario, there is just no need for that outlier. The A8 powers the iPad Air, iPad mini Retina, and 6 plus no problem. I'll reiterate since it's an important here: Despite how high the 6 plus's internal rendering rez seems, it's still significantly lower than the rez of the iPad Air, so an A8 powering a 2204x1242 iPhone 6 plus will have no problems powering a 2048x1536 iPad Air 2, esp. since it will probably slightly higher clocked in the Air.

The iPad mini Retina has a higher pixel density, but it also has the same 2048x1536, which means that SoC design considerations don't have to include any resolution higher than the flagship iPad Air. And all of those screens look gorgeous in terms of detail. (The iPad mini Retina isn't as colour accurate however, among other things.)

There is one thing I have not talked about though, and that is the rumoured 12" iPad.
 
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Steelbom

Senior member
Sep 1, 2009
455
22
81
You can't necessarily use the pixel densities and design considerations of the iPhones or even the iPad mini to determine the pixel densities of the 10" iPad Air. The design considerations are different, as are the usage patterns. 325-350 ppi is necessary in a phone because we hold them in front of our face just inches away. Like 10 inches away. I don't think I've ever met anyone who uses a laptop this way (although I've seen people who are near blind use desktops up close). Indeed, for the iPad, people don't generally hold it that close either, although kids with the mini might hold it a bit closer.

With the iPhone 6 and 6 plus, the reason to go to 1080p on the 6 plus is due to the OS design. It allows 3X pixel densities to maintain reasonably constant element sizes, sort of. John Gruber theorized the 6 plus would actually be higher than 1080p, at 2208x1242, because mathematically, that would allow element sizes at that screen size that are only 6% magnified from what they are on the iPhone 5s. In fact, if you do the math, or if you just measure it, you'll realize that the element sizes for all the iPhones from the original to the iPhone 6 are all exactly the same. The only one that is different is the 5.5" 6 plus, 1.06% normal. But why are we talking about 2208x1242 then, if the 6 plus is actually 1080p? Because John Gruber was actually right, in a sense. All the calculations on the iPhone 6 plus are actually done at 2208x1242. Then it's actually downsampled to 1080p for display. Presumably this is just a decision of practicality. 1080p is a common 5.5" screen size now, so the tech is already available in volume. Furthermore, at such high pixel densities, there is no visual penalty for downsampling. 2208x1242 still looks gorgeous when downsampled to 1080p. In contrast, the iPhone 6's 1334x750 would look horrible at 5.5" on the 6 plus. So, they jumped up to 2208x1242 for the 6 plus, but then downsampled it to the also high 1080p.

On an iPad Air, just about nobody complains about the pixel density, except for occasional spec weenies. It already looks gorgeous at 264 ppi, which BTW, is way higher than the Retina MacBook Pros, at 220 ppi on the 15" and 227 ppi on the 13". There is essentially no need whatsoever to go to 3X 3072x2304. Furthermore, with 2048x1536, Apple can design its SoCs to work with both the iPad Air and the iPhone plus at 2204x1242, which translates into 3.1 MP and 2.7 MP respectively. If they went to 3X 3072x2304, the Air would be a huge outlier, and either they have to have a much higher spec'd common GPU for all iDevices but which would be overkill for all the other iDevices, or else they'd have a separate A8X just for the iPad Air... sort of like the iPad 3 days. However, in this scenario, there is just no need for that outlier. The A8 powers the iPad Air, iPad mini Retina, and 6 plus no problem. I'll reiterate since it's an important here: Despite how high the 6 plus's internal rendering rez seems, it's still significantly lower than the rez of the iPad Air, so an A8 powering a 2204x1242 iPhone 6 plus will have no problems powering a 2048x1536 iPad Air 2, esp. since it will probably slightly higher clocked in the Air.

The iPad mini Retina has a higher pixel density, but it also has the same 2048x1536, which means that SoC design considerations don't have to include any resolution higher than the flagship iPad Air. And all of those screens look gorgeous in terms of detail. (The iPad mini Retina isn't as colour accurate however, among other things.)

There is one thing I have not talked about though, and that is the rumoured 12" iPad.
I'm aware of all that. However when it comes down to it, I believe that the difference between 264 PPI and 395 PPI would be beneficial -- as in, not a pointless increase that you can't actually see, but one you can tell the difference between. Don't forget that how much detail you can notice also depends on your visual acuity and (as you stated) viewing distance, both of which vary from person to person greatly.

I don't expect it this generation. Whilst the A8's graphics could handle it, I'm not sure there's enough bandwidth to handle a display with 7 million pixels. And then there's the backlight. It'd need to be improved so that the power consumption would be acceptable and that'll take time.

You have a point about the A8 easily powering the Mini, Air and 6+ as they have a very similar resolution. However I don't think it's such an issue having an "AX" with improved graphics.

I think if Apple does release a 12 inch iPad, it will run a different resolution like with the 6+, in order to gain more workspace and not simply make everything on-screen bigger.