iPad Air vs. Surface 2 vs. Galaxy Note 10.1

 

It's a tablet takedown: CNET pits the newly announced iPad Air against the Microsoft Surface 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1.

CNET - During a San Francisco press conference today, Apple took the wraps off its newest iPad Air tablet. Sporting a more powerful 64-bit A7 processor, narrower bezels, and a thinner 0.29-inch profile, the iOS 7 device features incremental upgrades from its previous iteration, and retains the familiar aesthetics consumers have come to expect.

And while it's obvious that this iPad is an improvement on the last, Apple isn't the only company out there making top-notch tablets.  

Read More, Watch the Video & View the Photos!

iPhone 5S: How Fingerprint Scanners Work

What to Expect From the Apple Event?

iOS 7 and a new iPhone are both near-certainties, but what about everything else?

Ars Technica - On September 10, Apple will host its first major event since its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) back in June. Unlike that event, which revolved around mostly product announcements and not product launches, Tuesday's keynote "should brighten everyone's day" with a bunch of shiny new stuff.

This list isn't comprehensive, but it should encompass all of the major announcements that Apple could make. We'll also share just how likely we think those announcements are.

iOS 7: Definitely

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A release date for iOS 7 will be one of the largest announcements we get from the show. While iOS 6 was all about spit-and-polish, iOS 7 is the most extensive redesign Apple's mobile operating system has gotten since its introduction in 2007. It brings new features, new APIs, and a brand new design that sheds faux-realistic textures in favor of flatter, brighter colors and gradients. The new operating system will support the iPhone 4, 4S, and 5; the fifth-generation iPod touch; and the iPad 2, iPad mini, and both Retina iPads. It's the end of the line for both the iPhone 3GS and the fourth-generation iPod touch (though there have been rumblings that the iPad builds may not be ready at the same time as the iPhone and iPod builds).   Read More

Live Blog Tuesday, September 10th, starting at 1PM ET / 10AM PT

Apple Event: WWDC2013 - Info, Schedule & Live Blog

 

Policymic - The 2013 World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's biggest annual event, will take place from Monday until Friday. The keynote event (the one where all the big updates/ products/ news items/ are introduced) is Monday just before 10 a.m. PT.   More

Ars Technica - The 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is about to begin, and Apple's developer community is gearing up for a sneak peek at what's coming next in software on and off the desktop. Apple has once again said the focus will be on iOS and OS X, all but guaranteeing an early look at iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 during Monday's keynote.

We’re hoping to learn more about iOS 7’s new features and the purported “flat” design element that has been exciting the Apple community. Apple has also allegedly been pulling engineers from OS X to assist with iOS work, but we will probably get a look at a few new features.    More

Schedule 

Live Blog

Apple updates 13-inch MacBook Pro, adding Retina Display, for $1,699

CNET - Apple has announced a 13-inch version of the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, which joins the 15-inch version introduced in June. The new 13-inch MacBook is thinner, measuring 0.75 inch, and lighter than previous models at 3.57 pounds, with a much higher screen resolution.

The 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro immediately became the high-end flagship of Apple's laptop line. This left the current 13-inch Pro a bit of an odd man out, with mainstream consumers flocking to the MacBook Air, and power users better served by the Retina and non-Retina 15-inch Pro. It was getting hard to figure out exactly who the 13-inch MacBook Pro was aimed at, besides users who still needed an optical drive in a 13-inch OS X laptop.

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iPhone 5 Details

(Credit: CNET/James Martin)

CNET - Apple’s next iPhone is official and despite being the sixth iPhone model (technically), we know it’s officially the iPhone 5.

Over the last year, we've heard a ton of rumors about what it might deliver with LTE, a taller display, and a designed connector being the most likely tidbits. Fortunately, we now can put all that speculation to rest as Apple spills the secrets.

Taller and thinner

As expected, the new iPhone is 18 percent thinner than the iPhone 4S. Apple says it's the thinnest handset around, but that's a race that changes often. That means it's also 20 percent lighter for a total of 112 grams. The Retina Display expands from 3.5 inches (its size since the original iPhone to 4 inches). The total resolution remains the same, though, at 326 pixels per inch. The total pixel count is 1136x640 and we now have a 16:9 aspect ratio.

To the user that means a fifth row of icons on the home screen. That's pretty nice since it will let you cut down on the number of home screens. You'll also get a full 5-day week view in the calendar, the calendar shows more events, and all iWork apps will take advantage of the bigger display. Third-party apps that haven't been updated will continue to work, but you'll see black borders on each side (so they won't be stretched or scaled). Apple also promises that widescreen movies will look better with 44 percent more color saturation than the iPhone 4S.    More 

Today’s Apple Event – Apple iPad live blog

San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where 

Apple's special event is taking place tomorrow. 

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Apple is holding its iPad-themed event on Wednesday, and you can get your full dose of the news right here.

The event takes place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown San Francisco and kicks off at 10 a.m. Pacific. CNET’s Donald Bell, Jason Parker, and I will be bringing you the news live, and we’ll have live commentary from the Buzz Out Loud crew.

Tune in to the live blog here:

March 7 : Apple Event Live Blog

Apple unveils iBooks 2 for digital textbooks

mashable.com

CNET - Apple unveiled today iBooks 2, a “new textbook experience” for the iPad and the company’s attempt to bury traditional schoolbooks.

“Clearly, no printed textbook can compete,” said Roger Rosner, an Apple vice president said during a press event this morning in New York.

Before unveiling the plan, Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller noted the sad state of current textbooks. They aren’t portable, searchable, current, or interactive, he said.

Rosner showed off some of the potential improvements: text with embedded movies… rich, engaging layouts…portrait/landscape mode switches for more or fewer graphics….the ability to tap on glossary terms…searching for keywords throughout a text…review questions with immediate feedback…highlighting with your finger…pop-up spaces for note taking…instant study cards.

iBooks 2 will offer “super-fast, super-fluid navigation,” Rosner said.

A new textbook category is appearing in the iBooks store, he noted.

Apple takes the wraps off its education-related announcement this morning. But what exactly will we get as the big reveal?

Today’s event kicks off at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT. Apple is not providing a live stream of the proceedings, though could offer one after the fact as it’s done for previous news announcements. In any case, CNET will be there to bring you the news via live blog.

Go to CNET’s Live Blog