Archive for March, 2012
China Surpasses U.S. In Terms Of Android And iOS Activations For The First Time
Mobile analytics company Flurry
“February, Flurry calculated that China surpassed the United States in monthly new iOS and Android device activations for the first time in history. China is now the world’s fastest growing smart device market”.
Thermal test of iPad's A5X chip shows operating temperature of 97 degrees
Yesterday we reported that the new iPad is running warmer that its predecessor. Repair Labs has conducted their own analysis and found that the A5X chip in the new device runs as much as 16 degrees Fahrenheit (about 9.5 degrees Celsius) warmer than the A5 chip in the iPad 2.
According to a series of tests conducted by Repair Labs, the A5X chip registered temperatures up to 36 degrees celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit), compared to A5 readings of 27 degrees C (80.6 degrees F). The experiment involved opening up the tablets in order to directly measure the temperatures of the chips.
iPad 3 Uses Retina Graphics From iPhone Apps
When the original iPad was released, there weren’t many apps available for the device. So Apple allowed apps developed for the iPhone’s smaller display to run on the iPad by using emulation. The apps could use only a fraction of the iPad’s display. Alternatively, iPhone-specific apps could be run in a 2x mode, utilizing pixel doubling technique to fill the iPad’s display. However, in 2x mode text and artwork look pixilated and blocky.
Infrared test shows new iPad running 10 degrees hotter than iPad 2
Left: New iPad, Right: iPad 2
Thermal imaging of the third-generation iPad and the iPad 2 demonstrates that the recently released iPad running 10 degrees (Fahrenheit) hotter than its predecessor.
Dutch site Tweakers.net performed the GLBenchmark test on the two generations of iPads for five minutes to measure a heat difference. Using an infrared camera, the publication discovered that the hottest part of the new iPad was 33.6 degrees Celsius (92.5 Fahrenheit), while the iPad 2 measured 28.3 degrees Celsius (83 Fahrenheit).
Teardown of new 1080p Apple TV finds cooler single-core A5 CPU
On Monday iFixit also get their hand on the recently released Apple TV. Having disassembled the device, the team found that this version of Apple’s set-top box does not have a thermal pad, suggesting it runs even cooler than its predecessor.
Even though it apparently runs cooler, the new CPU is more capable and allows users to output 1080p high-definition video content. The device still has the same power supply, though, providing 3.4V at 1.57A.
An earlier disassembly of the new Apple TV discovered that the updated set-top box features the same 8 gigabytes of storage as its predecessor. Monday's latest peek inside the Apple TV also found two antennae inside the device. The addition is presumed to boost signal strength in the latest Apple TV.
New Graphics and Processors Benchmarks Compare New IPad to iPad 2 and Tegra 3
With the iPad 3 now available on the mass market, we are starting to see more benchmark tests comparing the iPad 3 to the iPad 2 and other handsets.
Insanely Great Mac
New iPad Sales Top 3 Million in Under 4 Days
During the early Monday call, which outlined a surprise stock dividend and buyback plan for the company's $100 billion cash horde, Cook said that "[Apple] had a record weekend and we're thrilled with it." Apple also announced yesterday that it has sold 3 million new iPads in less the four days of availability.
It should be noted, however, that pre-ordered items are commonly not counted as sales until a transaction is complete and thus those iPads that are awaiting shipment were most likely not part of the final tally.
“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold―the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can't wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.”
Apple Announces Plans to Initiate Dividend and Share Repurchase Program
Yesterday Apple hold a conference call where the company announced its plans to initiate quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share sometime in the fourth quarter of its fiscal 2012, which begins on July 1, 2012.
Additionally, Apple said that it authorized a $10 billion share repurchase program that begins on September 30, 2012. The repurchase program is expected to be executed over three years, with the primary objective of neutralizing the impact of dilution from future employee equity grants and employee stock purchase programs.
Sharp to Begin Retina Display Shipments for New iPad
Left to Right: iPad 3, iPad 3 (Yellow), iPad 2
According to The Wall Street Journal, Sharp Corporation is still doing its best to start ramp up production of Retina displays for the new iPad. The company is expected to start shipments in the nearest feature.
The panels are to be used in Apple Inc.'s new iPad, according to people familiar the matter. The first batch of the U.S. company's newest tablet, released Friday, were not equipped with Sharp's LCD panels after the Japanese company faced difficulty in customizing the screens according to Apple's requirements, one of the people said last week.
Consumer Groups In 11 EU Countries Request Apple To Change AppleCare Policy
In December last year AFP
Apple to host conference call Monday to discuss its $100B cash balance
Apple issued a press release at 6 p.m. Eastern on Sunday evening where the company reported that it would host a conference call on Monday at 9 a.m. Eastern, 6 a.m. Pacific to discuss what it plans to do with its $100 billion cash balance.
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, and Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO, will host a conference call to announce the outcome of the Company’s discussions concerning its cash balance. Apple® will not be providing an update on the current quarter nor will any topics be discussed other than cash.
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A5X Chip Floorplan Reveals Significant Space Required for Quad-Core Graphics
Thanks to various teardowns, we already know that the A5X system-on-a-chip is being manufactured by Samsung and is using the same 45-nm process used for the A5 package in earlier devices. Having stripped down the new iPad, UBM TechInsights found that the amount of area taken up by the quad-core graphics found in the A5X, a significant boost from the dual-core graphics found in the A5.
What should be noted is that the processor cores from ARM are identical in look but the extra real estate on the processors (the A5 measures at approx. 120 mm^2 vs. the A5X which measures at 163 mm^2) is accounted for by the the PowerVR SGX543MP4 GPU cores, of which they are paired in groups of two and then symmetrically opposed to each other.
Apple Seeded Second Developer Preview Of OS X With Several New Features
Apple seeded its second preview version of the upcoming OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion to developers. When introducing the new OS X operating system earlier this year, Apple noted the new version brings iOS functionality to the Mac. Among this popular iOS features are Notification Center, Messages, Game Center and AirPlay Mirroring. With the release of the new beta version, a few interesting features have been spotted.
iPad 3 was jailbroken three times using three different methods
Chpwn (Grant Paul) and Phoenixdev (Paul Griffin) have posted photos of an iPad 3 that was jailbroken using a third method!
Jailbroken iPad (3), using a different method by myself and @phoenixdev: http://db.tt/mqIZmw96 http://db.tt/g2UlawxV http://db.tt/V9a3YZRJ
This has truly been an amazing day for jailbreaks. First iPhone Dev-Team posted photos of jailbroken iPad 3, later i0n1c posted a video using unique method. Now it seems that there is a third methid. Wow!!
iPad 1 vs. iPad 2 vs. iPad 3: Network Speed Test [Video]
Check out this video showing a network speed test of the iPad 1 vs. iPad 2 vs. iPad 3.
The original iPad featured EDGE + Triband HSPA connectivity. The second generation iPad was then released with Edge + Quadband HSPA. Now the new iPad 3 features 4G LTE; UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA; GSM/EDGE.
Take a look at the video below to see their network speeds compared.