Archive for December 23rd, 2011

A new rumor from the Far East claims that Apple is pushing its manufacturing partners to meet deadlines that would allow the company to launch a third-generation iPad next year on Feb. 24, which is the birthday of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

A local Chinese-language newspaper reported Friday that iPad3 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 iPad3 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.

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This week the Recording Academy announced the winners of its annual Special Merit Grammy Awards. One of the awards will go to Steve Jobs who was named one of several recipients, including Brazilian composer and arranger Antonio Carlos Jobim, of a Trustees Award for 2012. The Trustees Award category is designed to recognize those who have made significant contributions to music in areas other than performance.

As former CEO and co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs helped create products and technology that transformed the way we consume music, TV, movies, and books. A creative visionary, Jobs' innovations such as the iPod and its counterpart, the online iTunes store, revolutionized the industry and how music was distributed and purchased. In 2002 Apple Computer Inc. was a recipient of a Technical GRAMMY Award for contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field. The company continues to lead the way with new technology and in-demand products such as the iPhone and iPad.

The ceremony honoring the winners of Trustees Awards will be held on Saturday, February 11th.

The new study entitled iPad Usage Patterns On-the-Go and at Work from the Software Usability Research Laboratory was highlighted on Thursday by Jim Dalrymple of The Loop. A new survey has found that an overwhelming majority of iPad owners (83.65 percent) were satisfied with the iPad, while 62 percent ranked Apple's device as "excellent," 10 percent said "best imaginable," and 21 percent said "good."

The survey was also aimed at finding out how people are using Apple’s tablet. 52 percent of participants reported they carry their iPad only when traveling, while 21 percent carry their iPad every time they go out, and 17 percent only carry it on them for work.

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Last month we reported that Samsung released a revised Galaxy Tab 10.1N design in Germany in order to avoid an injunction over the sale of the device due to design issues. Apple quickly filed suit in an attempt to bar the new design, claiming that changes in the design were not significant. Though, the judge seems not to support Apple’s point of view and may not going to issue a ban on Galaxy Tab 10.1N sales in Germany, giving customers opportunity to choose between Apple’s and Samsung’s tablets. However, the final decision on Apple's request is scheduled to be released on February 9.

The Dusseldorf court that banned sales of the Galaxy 10.1 on Sept. 9 is unlikely to grant Apple an injunction against the Galaxy 10.1N, Presiding Judge Johanna Brueckner-Hofmann said at a hearing today. Samsung has changed the device’s design sufficiently to distance it from the iPad, she said, adding that the view is preliminary. [...]

“Consumers are well aware that there is an original and that competitors try to use similar designs, so buyers are vigilant when looking at products,” Brueckner-Hofmann said. “We don’t think that someone buys a Samsung to make his table neighbor at the coffee house believe he owns an iPad.”

Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said in a note to investors on Wednesday that as Apple did not redesigned several major products in 2011, the analyst suggest that significant changes could be made in 2012. Among such changes are said to be redesigned rumored iPhone 5 that is predicted to debut in the middle of 2012, as well as an expansion of the iPad lineup into both lower and higher price points.

The launch of a so-called "iPhone 5" in 2012 would set the stage for outperformance in 2013, in Munster's eyes. He offered two scenarios for Apple's products in 2013. According to the first scenario, Apple will sell 142 million iPhone units, good for an 18 percent increase in revenue. According to the more successful scenario, Apple will sell 162 million iPhone units throughout 2013, amounting to a 35 percent increase in revenue. As for a total revenue growth for Apple in calendar 2013, Munster suggests that the growth will reach 14 percent, but he noted that such estimates are rather conservative. More prospective scenario shows that Apple’s revenue will increase by 28 percent in calendar 2013.

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