Steve Jobs Hid iPad From Google

Steven Levy’s book “In the Plex” apparently reveals that Steve Jobs hid development of the iPad from Eric Schmidt while Schmidt was still on Apple’s board of directors.

Jobs reportedly didn’t like how Google’s OS was starting to match up blow for blow to iOS and didn’t want the same to happen with tablets. Jobs was angry because he felt that Android was ripping off the key features of the iPhone.

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Leaked Parts Could Mean a White iPad, Fan Renders a Next-Gen iPad

It's almost March 2 which will be when Apple announces the next iPad and rumours tend to fly when their event is getting closer. 9 to 5 Mac scooped the photo you see above which actually might be telling us that the next iPad will actually come in white - even though the company couldn't ever deliver a white iPhone 4. Maybe they figured it out this time. Obviously, the frame of the next iPad has a camera hole for the front-facing camera. Anyways, this'll all be cleared up on Wednesday.

Update: BGR has just scooped the render you see below. The Internet was all abuzz about it this morning but the website has since mentioned that it's just a fan render.

[9 to 5 Mac]

Next iPad Will Have More RAM, A5 CPU, and a Camera; No High Res Display Or SD Card Slot

Coming from an Engadget source is some juicy details regarding the next generation iPad tablet from Apple which will be announced on Mach 2nd. They have heard that a high-resolution display along with an SD card slot will not be making an appearance on this iPad which is some bad news but it was actually expected. However, the next iPad looks like it will feature 512MB of RAM, a more powerful A5 CPU, a front-facing camera, and a thinner and lighter body. Apple looks like they could also be announcing iOS 5 along with more cloud services. It sounds pretty good and it'll be official on March 2nd.

[Engadget]

Apple's Next iPad Reportedly In Production; Thinner / Lighter / Faster With a Camera and 1,024 x 768 Resolution Display

Coming from the WSJ is word on the next iPad from Apple. Apparently, it's in production right now with a front-facing camera (for FaceTime), a lighter / thinner body, more powerful internal components, and a display that sports the same 1,024 x 768 resolution. Of course, this should include things like a faster CPU, a better GPU, and more RAM. The release date is still unknown but it should be quite soon. This one's headed to both AT&T and Verizon in the US.

[9 to 5 Mac]

Android Tablets Start to Take Market Share

No surprise here: as Android tablets appear in the market, Apple is going to lose some market share.

Next Apple iPad To Launch On April 2nd or 9th?

Coming from MacNotes is word that the next iPad from Apple could be available in early April. Of course, we're expecting the announcement for this tablet in the next few weeks but the launch date - right now - is rumoured to be April 2nd or the 9th. This isn't far-fetched considering Apple's usual yearly scheme of refreshing their products. Rumoured specs so far include dual-cameras, a higher-resolution display, a USB port, a slight design change, and it might not have the 'Home' button that we've all been accustomed to.

[Mac Rumors]

Do Tablets Affect When We Read?

Tablets might change how some people read, what they read, how much they read or what else they give up to read. Tablets might also change when people read. After analyzing about one million articles saved for later reading by Read It Later, the company suggests that tablets already are shifting the consumption of content, at least on the part of tablet owners.

The data suggests that iPad owners, for example, shift much of their reading away from PCs during work hours and towards "personal prime time" in the evenings.

Looking at the number of articles read each hour by Read It Later users on their computers, a significant amount of content was shifted towards the end of a user’s day (6PM – 9PM).

When a reader is given a choice about how to consume their content, a major shift in behavior occurs. They no longer consume the majority of their content during the day, on their computer. Instead they shift that content to prime time and onto a device better suited for consumption.

That reinforces the notion that iPads and tablets might wind up being used extensively "on the couch" and in the home, rather than as a replacement for a PC on business trips. One also wonders what happens to TV viewing, as reading is relatively more-immersive activity than much music listening, which happens when users are doing something else.

Is Mobile Affecting When We Read?

Next-Gen iPad and iPhone Won't Have the Home Button; Photo Booth and iLife Coming Too?

There's a new rumour going around regarding future Apple products. This news is coming from BGR exclusively and says that Apple is testing a few new products internally. Apparently, the iPad and the iPhone that launch this year will not have the lone 'Home' button that has always been on their devices. That's because in iOS 4.3 there is support for some new multitouch gestures that will satisfy the 'Home' button's need. If this is really the case, then you can expected the iPod Touch that launches late this year to get rid of the button as well. Furthermore, Apple may also be planning to launch Photo Booth and iLife on these devices as well. 

[BGR]

Verizon Getting a CDMA iPad In the Future Too

Verizon and Apple may have announced the iPhone 4 on the network but it looks like they have something else in the works. Verizon's CFO, Francis Shammo, announced that a CDMA iPad with 3G connectivity is also in the works. If this is really true, you can expect it to be the second-generation iPad which should be announced in a few weeks. At least, that's what I think. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

[GigaOM]

Verizon Gets Apple iPhone, Now the Questions Begin

How many AT&T customers using iPhones will depart for Verizon, and at what rate? How many current Verizon Wireless customers will switch to iPhone, and what will the retention impact be? Will Verizon Wireless get the right to sell the iPad, with native 3G connections?

Will Verizon Wireless get the right to sell a 4G version of the iPhone, and when? Same question for the iPad on the 4G network.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/splash/iphone.jsp

Next iPad Announcement To Be In 3 - 4 Weeks Says Kevin Rose, Will Have Higher Resolution Display and Dual Cameras

Kevin Rose has just made a few claims regarding the next iPad from Apple. Apple is reportedly expected to announce their next iPad in 3 - 4 weeks and it will feature a Retina Display and dual-cameras. This is likely just an announcement with a launch following up within a few months. If the "Retina Display" is true, then the 9.7-inch iPad will have a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution which seems absolutely insane - in a good way! It seems to good to be true though, but you should expect a higher resolution display than the first model. We'll see if this pans out to be true.

Update: Kevin Rose updated his blog post to say that the iPad will have a "higher resolution" display and not a Retina Display. Of course, it was too good to be true.

Picture Source: 9 to 5 Mac (just a mock-up)
[9 to 5 Mac]

Next iPad To Have a Flat Back, Be a Bit Smaller, and Will Have a "Wide Range Speaker"

Coming from Mac Octakara is word on a few new improvements in the next iPad tablet from Apple. Aparently, there'll be a "wide range speaker" with a "metal mesh" over top of it similar to what you see above (just a render). The back of the iPad will actually be flat so that you'll actually be able to rest it down on a tablet properly, but that's expected. The bezel of the iPad will reportedly be about 3mm thinner than the first iPad so that's great news. The overall footprint of the iPad will also be a bit smaller in all ways, which is also expected. Look out for this to get announced in the next month or so.

[Engadget, Apple Insider]

Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad Lead Reader Race

The e-Reader market has essentially become a two horse race between the Amazon Kindle and the Apple iPad, according to ChangeWave’s latest survey of more than 2,800 consumers.

The Amazon Kindle (47%; down 15-pts) is hanging on to a rapidly diminishing lead over the Apple iPad (32%; up 16-pts) among current e-Reader owners. However, the iPad’s share of the overall market has doubled since the last time ChangeWave surveyed e-Reader owners in August.

ChangeWave Survey - Amazon Kindle vs. Apple iPad

Enterprises Adopting iPads

About seven percent of corporate respondents surveyed by ChangeWave now say their company provides employees with Tablet devices, up about one percentage point since ChangeWave's previous survey in August.

The Apple iPad (82 percent) remains by far the most popular tablet for business purposes. H-P has 11 percent share and Dell has seven percent share.

As with other Apple products, the iPad’s satisfaction ratings are outstanding, with 69 percent of corporate users saying their company is very satisfied and another 28 percent somewhat satisfied with the Apple device.

The larger point is that tablet devices, lead by the iPad are finding a home in enterprises very quickly. The ChangeWave survey also suggests that enterprise adoption could double, to 14 percent, over the next quarter.

About 73 percent of respondents say the iPads are used for Internet access, while 69 percent report they are used for checking email. About 67 percent report that iPads get used for work away from the office.

Sales support is an application used by 46 percent of respondents, while 45 percent use iPads for customer presentations. In about 38 percent of respondents say iPads are used for laptop replacement.

ChangeWave survey - apple ipad tablet demand | InvestorPlace

Apple Working On An iPad That's "Almost Half the Size of the Current Model", 7-Inches Perhaps?

Coming from Reuters is word on Apple making a smaller iPad. Apparently, this model is "almost half the size of the current model" so it could be something with a 5 to 7-inch display. This tablet should be introduced the same time the new 9.7-inch model would be announced so we can expect it in late January. When Steve Jobs said that 7-inch tablets were "dead on arrival" it might be because his company was planning on making one too, which is what I was assuming right off the bat.

Update: The Samsung Galaxy Tab has a 7-inch display and it's half the size of the current iPad so a 7-inch iPad is definitely a possibility.

[Slash Gear]

Apple's Next iPad Will Have Dual Cameras and Sharper (More Resolution) Display

A bunch of new sources have just mentioned that Apple's next iPad will indeed have a rear and front-facing camera. At this point, we already know that Apple has opted to go with LCD displays on their iPad because of the cost and because there could be shortages. Apparently though, the next iPad will feature a much higher resolution than the current model but it's unknown if it'll be a Retina display - which would bring it to a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution. This should be announced in about six weeks with a launch a few weeks after that so it's really not that far away.

[Electronista, BGR]

Case For the Next iPad Leaks? Has a Camera Hole

A new iPad case has leaked from a Chinese manufacturer, of course. This one looks like it's for the next iPad from Apple though because you can clearly make out that the top left corner of it has a hole for a rear-facing camera. The weird part about this supposed case is that it actually doesn't have room for a second dock connector that Apple has patented a few times before - rumoured to have portrait and landscape options. Nothing else is known right now but the bottom left corner could be for a USB port or a microSD card slot but I doubt it.

[Crunch Gear]

Apple's Next iPad Will Be Shipping From Foxconn In February

Coming from DigiTimes is word on Apple's next iPad. Apparently, Foxconn will be shipping said tablet in February of next year (2011). The rumour is that Apple will start mass producing the next iPad in January 2011, but it's not all good news. Engadget points out that it might be shipping in February but the launch might not be until April since that's what happened earlier this year.

[Engadget]

Next iPad To Have Retina Display, Dual Cameras, USB Port, and More?

Coming from a Taiwan source is a few rumours regarding the next Apple iPad. Apparently, the iPad will have a 9.7-inch Retina (LCD) Display, two dock connectors (that patents have hinted at many times), a USB port, a thinner and (slightly) smaller body, rear and front-facing cameras, and a 3-axis gyroscope. The launch for this one could be right on cue with the first one, so we could be seeing a late Winter / early Spring launch date (the iPad was announced in January and was released in April).

Earlier rumours said that the next iPad could also be a global tablet so we'll see if that actually comes true.

[Electronista, 9 to 5 Mac]
Picture Source: Slash Gear

Next iPad On Track For Q1 2011, Will It Be a Global Tablet?

DigiTimes is reporting some pretty good news if you're waiting for the second-gen iPad. Apparently, it'll be launching in Q1 2011 which would mean that Apple's yearly launch will be in full-effect. They announced their first iPad in January with a launch in April, so maybe we'll see it hit the market a little bit earlier this time around. The next iPad is said to have a FaceTime camera, a faster CPU (probably from Samsung), a miniUSB port, a bit more RAM, and a "Smart Bezel" feature whatever that is. You should be expecting a display of the same size since Apple seems to hate 7-inch ones.

Update: Coming from AllThingsD (via Slash Gear) is word that Apple could make the next iPad a global model so that you'll be able to use anywhere (on AT&T's and Verizon's network too). If this is the case, it'll likely use Qualcomm's multi-mode GSM/CDMA chip. The next iPad could also feature a Retina Display, which would be insane (I can't see it happening though).

Update: Remember that a patent yesterday said that we might be seeing the next iPad sport a carbon fiber body. This would make it lighter than the current aluminum models. Hopefully the next iPad is sporting an all black body as well.

[9 to 5 Mac, Slash Gear]