On June 15th, we brought to you a piece written by the Financial Times detailing the Apple tablet and what it is expected to look like, (http://bit.ly/5OmlhR) well the wait may just be over.

Mac rumours website has unearthed documents detailing Apple has already registered a few websites, “iSlate” and “iGuide” – applications dated 2007, while US records from the US Patent and Trademark Office have showed Apple has made applications detailing a new “touchscreen like keypads”.

Question being, how will you be able to use a touchscreen as you would a keyboard when it is expected to be entirely flat – thus making touch-typing virtually impossible. Will the iSlate have a 7″ screen – the same size as an Amazon Kindle? Or perhaps a 10″ screen – similar to netbooks? Predictions have set the US retail price at $700 – $1,000, around £400 – £628.

With 10 days to go, will Apple finally reveal what many have been waiting for…

Source: The Sunday Times 10.01.2010

General Conclusion:

The general conclusion here is not only is the Apple/Mac micro-economy feeling significantly better than it did earlier this year, but over half are expecting 2009 to be better than 2008. And that includes us here at MacTech as well. Compared to this point last year, we’re up in print readers, print advertisers, print page count, and website traffic as well.

Click here for the full article…

• A thinner Nano with more memory, a video camera and a slightly bigger screen
• A new iTunes
• A cheaper iPod Touch
• A New iPhone OS

Not exactly earth-shattering news and arguably not really worth hosting such an over-hyped event for.

Indeed, from reading live feeds and comments this morning, yesterday’s announcement seemed to be more of an exercise in negative association, i.e. commenting on how bad the competition is. Maybe I am being very ‘English’ and naive but I have not noticed Apple doing this before and it seems a little unsavoury. For a company which apparently harbours 73.8% of digital music device market, why even mention the competitors at all?

I am sure there are a few red faces at the case manufacturers who all seemed so sure of a camera on the new iPod Touch. Could there be a few heads rolling this morning or was it a calculated risk taken to raise profile?

It seems funny that everyone in the tech world still seems to hold Apple and Mr Jobs as some kind of omnipotent deity. Don’t get me wrong, I have an iPod and iPhone and love them both and I would dearly love a MacBook. However, the near fever pitch excitement which these inevitably fruitless announcements evoke is baffling. We can only marvel at the fact that a brand has got so big that the planet grinds to a halt to hear its latest product news, and take our hat off to a communications machine that could create such hype time and time again.

Lord Jobs, you have us exactly where you want us!

Tom

Last minute Apple rumor roundup: iPhone HD video out, no new iPod touch?

http://live.gizmodo.com/

Ars Technica

Macworld

Wired

I’ve just read an article on PocketLint where a bunch of people seem to be complaining about it, but it triggered me to look at the Apple’s website to see if they had any useful tips…

They do and some of the tips include:

-Minimize use of location services
-Turn off push notifications
-Fetch new data less frequently
-Turn off push mail
-Auto-check fewer email accounts
-Minimize use of third-party applications
-Turn off Wi-Fi
-Turn off Bluetooth
-Use Airplane Mode in low- or no-coverage areas:
-Adjust brightness
-Turn off 3G

I appreciate that turning off some of these features will improve the battery life of your iphone, but aren’t these the reasons why you buy an iphone to have all these features? Do we really care that the battery isn’t up to it with all these features on?

I know its not Apple’s fault, bearing in mind that handsets are generally getting smaller and packing in lots more features and we are expecting twice the battery life etc etc…well I guess something’s got to give and its generally the battery!

Also, is the limited battery life a chance for third parties to make money on battery extension accessories? Same as has been going on with the ipod accessories market for so long?

Anyway, I still love my iphone even if I have to charge it constantly! ☺

Links:

Batteries

Pocket Lint

Cut and Paste is brilliant, syncing Notes is useful but we have all pretty much got used to not having it to be honest, and some of the new apps are awesome.

What do you reckon is the best feature of 3.0?

It really is unlikely that many people would be able to use their iPhone tethered to their Mac as their only means of accessing the internet.

Anyway we wanted to have the option to Tether our iPhones so were pretty pleased to come across this post telling us how it could be done.

CUPERTINO, California—June 22, 2009—Apple® today announced that it has sold over one million iPhone™ 3GS models through Sunday, June 21, the third day after its launch. In addition, six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software in the first five days since its release.

“Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With over 50,000 applications available from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever.”

The new iPhone 3GS is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance—up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G—with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. iPhone 3GS includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS*, Spotlight™ Search, landscape keyboard and more. iPhone 3GS customers get access to more than 50,000 applications from Apple’s revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world where customers have already downloaded over one billion apps. iPhone 3GS offers twice the capacity with a 16GB model and a new 32GB model. iPhone 3G is available in a 8GB model.

*MMS messaging is available only on iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS; fees may apply. MMS may not be available in all areas.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Check out the news link