Oct. 10, the date on which Apple was rumored to be distributing invitations to a second fall product event, passed without a word from the iconic tech company’s Cupertino, Calif., HQ. The silence from Apple left some to wonder if it still plans to debut a smaller iPad this fall; others speculated that production delays may have forced it to postpone the device’s unveiling until later in the year.
Neither is the case.
Apple will hold a special event this month, at which it will showcase a new, smaller iPad. People familiar with Apple’s plans tell us that the company will unveil the so-called “iPad mini” on Oct. 23 at an invitation-only event.
That’s a Tuesday, not a Wednesday, so this is a bit of a break with recent tradition. It also happens to be just three days prior to the street date for Microsoft’s new Surface tablet.
Sources declined to specify where the event is to be held, and I’ve not been able to confirm a location.
But it’s likely to be at Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium. The company has debuted a number of important products there in the past — OS X Lion, a next-generation MacBook Air and the iPhone 4S — so there’s plenty of precedent.
More important, Apple’s already held its big fall event — the unveiling of the iPhone 5 and the 2012 iPod line. The company pulled out all the stops for that one, holding it at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and recruiting Foo Fighters to close the show. It’s hard to imagine it mounting a second production of that caliber in such a short time. More likely that the iPad mini’s debut will be an intimate affair held close to home.
And beyond that? Well, details are slim. Sources say the iPad’s diminutive sibling will feature a 7.85-inch liquid-crystal display and a Lightning connector. It will also probably be thinner. And that’s about it.
But we’ll know more soon. On Oct. 23.
The iPhone 5 boasts a bigger screen, faster processor, and a new connector. But it is worth your hard-earned dollars?
Bigger Screen
The body of the iPhone 5 has been elongated, adding about a quarter inch to the screen height without changing the width. This will allow for HD video to display in its true 16:9 format and give game designers more real estate to work with. While the body is longer, the iPhone 5 is 18% thinner than the iPhone 4S — and 20% lighter.
Faster Processor
The brains of the iPhone have been given a significant bump and now have a faster processor than even the new iPad. According to Apple, the new A6 chipset will result in applications loading twice as fast, graphics running smoother and photos capturing 40% faster.
The Camera
The camera has gotten 25% smaller, has better low light processing, and can produce panoramic images. The video camera can shoot 1080p HD video, has improved video stabilization, and allows you to take still pictures simultaneously while you shoot video. Apple's video conferencing app, Facetime, will now transmit HD video, and Facetime can be enabled over cellular networks and WiFi alike.
LTE Data & Battery Life
The new iPhone will connect up with AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon's faster LTE data networks. This will mean significant increases in web browsing and download speeds. This data network is a notorious drain on battery life, so Apple made a big call-out that the battery life of the phone will remain consistent if not a little better (10% improvement overall) than battery life on past iPhones. They claim 8 hours of talk time, 225 hours of stand-by, and 8 hours of LTE web browsing.
Smaller Dock Connector
The 30-pin dock connector that has come standard on every iPhone to date was certainly due for an upgrade. It takes up a lot of space, and it was big entry spot for dust and moisture. Apple has introduced an 80% smaller connector they are calling Lightning that can be plugged into the phone in any direction, offers faster data transfer, and better durability. But given the $3 billion a year accessory market for iPhones and iPads, this switch will be painful and costly as users are forced to buy extra charging cables, docking speakers/alarm clocks or cases. Apple will be selling adapters for $29 that will ship in October.
IOS 6
The IOS operating system has over 200 changes, the biggest of which is turn-by-turn navigation using Apple's own maps and 3D bird's-eye images. There will be deeper social media integration within the operating system for posting to Facebook and Tweeting, and the web browser will now allow a full screen view that takes advantage of the bigger screen.
Price, Timing, and Design Options
The new iPhone will come in black and white with a new, brushed metal back. It will be available for pre-order September 14th and in stores September 21st. The 16GB model will retail for $199, 32GB for $299, 64GB for $399. The iPhone 4S goes down in price to $99. Initial countries where the iPhone 5 will be available: United States, Canada, UK, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, France, and Australia, Availability in more countries by the end of the year.
What We Didn't See
The online rumor mill did a very good job guessing what the iPhone 5 would look like, but a few out-there predictions that didn't come true: no T-Mobile iPhone, no liquid metal back, no holographic projector or wafer-thin design.
Is it Worth the Upgrade?
The iPhone 4S was only a superficial upgrade to the device, and I did not recommend an upgrade except for those who really needed a new phone. But the iPhone 5 is an iterative step forward from Apple. The faster processor, speed increases from LTE data networks, a better and faster camera, and consistent battery life despite the LTE drain (real world tests pending), make this a worthy purchase.
A faux iPhone 5 commercial apparently created by a 17-year-old from Oklahoma with some serious video production chops sets a pretty high bar for the much-anticipated next-generation smartphone.
This short video from Dakota Adney, who lists his location as a small town near Tulsa, imagines a new iPhone with iOS 6, a quad-core A5 chip, a see-through Retina Display, and a virtual projected keyboard to provide much-needed relief for the fat-thumbed.
Check it out and cross your fingers that Apple can execute what a teenager can dream up.
George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., has been charged with second-degree murder in the 17-year-old's death. Zimmerman is being held without bail.
"Just moments ago that we spoke with Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, the sweet parents of Trayvon," Angela Corey, the special prosecutor investigating the case, said at a news conference in Jacksonville. "They now know charges have been filed, and that George Zimmerman is in custody."
"We did not come to this decision lightly," she said, declining to discuss specifics of the investigation. "We're law enforcement. We enforce the law."
Zimmerman turned himself in and is in police custody in Florida, Corey said, but would not disclose where he is being held.
According to CNN, Zimmerman had left the state of Florida, but returned when he learned he would be charged. Zimmerman will now be transferred to the Seminole County Jail, Corey said.
The announcement comes a day after Zimmerman's attorneys said that they were dropping the case because their client had stopped communicating with them. (On Sunday, Zimmerman launched a website seeking donations for his legal and living expenses.) According to Corey, Zimmerman had retained new legal counsel "within the last hour."
Zimmerman shot and killed Martin on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., a gated community outside of Orlando. He told police he was attacked by Martin and was acting in self-defense.
Earlier this week, Corey announced the case would not go to a grand jury.
"There's been an overwhelming amount of publicity," Corey said, expressing concern about damage to a potential jury pool. "It's regrettable that so many facts got released and misconstrued."
"Forty-five days ago, Trayvon Martin was murdered," Rev. Al Sharpton said at a separate press conference in Washington, flanked by Martin's parents. "No arrest was made. The chief of police announced after his review of the evidence there would be no arrest. His parents refused to leave it there."
"Tonight," Sharpton continued. "Maybe America can come together and say only the facts should matter, when dealing with a loss of life."
Another day, another iPad mini rumor — but this one might just have some truth to it. An unnamed Samsung official tells the Korea Times that Apple is building a smaller version of its popular iPad tablet, and will use Samsung-made displays in the device.
9to5Mac was the first US-based blog to uncover the Korea Times report.
Despite its ongoing patent battles with Samsung, Apple will reportedly buy $11 billion worth of parts from the South Korean electronics giant this year. Part of that $11 billion will go toward the purchase of smaller touch-screen displays, says the Samsung official.
“The contract is expected to rise to $11 billion by the end of this year as Apple is planning to release a smaller iPad, probably with a 7.85-inch screen, and to sell more of its MacBook Air PCs using Samsung’s faster solid state drive (SSD) storage,” the official said.
Interestingly, the 7.85-inch screen size echos a report from Taiwan-based DigiTimes, published last December, which indicated that Apple would release the smaller iPad by the end of 2012, most likely in the last three months of the year. The fact that both reports mention the same-sized screen could mean one of two things: 1) Two independent sources have information that an iPad with that size screen is in the works, or 2) the “Samsung official” read the DigiTimes report (or one like it), and is simply repeating that information without having any additional evidence.
As much as we would love to see an iPad at this size — 8 inches is really the perfect size for a tablet, in our experience — it’s hard to take much of this seriously. That’s not at all to say we doubt its truth, just that we’ve been hearing similar rumors for so long now that it seems unjustified to believe such musings at this time.
Also, the argument for an iPad mini most mentioned by the tech press and analysts is that Apple needs to release such a device to compete with increasingly popular budget tablets, specicially the Kindle Fire. But reacting to the market is not Apple’s way — especially not when Apple already owns the market.
As Apple’s lead designer Jonathan Ive recently expressed, Apple only releases products that are better than what’s available. Of course, one could quite easily argue that every iPad, from the original to the ambiguously named ‘new iPad,’ are miles above the Kindle Fire in nearly every possible way, and at least a few meters above comparable Samsung tablets. So to release a smaller version of the same thing would, by default, be an improvement over what’s out there.
So, will we see an iPad mini in the not-too-distant future? Unclear — but the Ouiji board of tech rumors has begun to push the stars in that direction. As with any Apple rumor, however, we’ll believe it when we see it
Whitney Houston died from drowning in a hotel bathtub, but coroner's officials said Thursday that heart disease and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors to the singer's death.
The release of the autopsy findings ends weeks of speculation about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on Feb. 11 on the eve of the Grammy Awards.
Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and her death has been ruled as accidental. Several bottles of prescription medications were found in her hotel room, but coroner's officials said they weren't in excessive quantities.
Beverly Hills police said in a statement there was no evidence of wrongdoing in connection with Houston's death. "We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure," said Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and manager.
Coroner's Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said cocaine and its byproducts were found in Houston's system, and it was listed as a contributing factor in her death. He said the results indicated Houston was a chronic cocaine user.
Toxicology results also showed Houston had marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril, and the allergy medication Benadryl in her system. Houston died just hours before she was scheduled to appear at producer Clive Davis' pre-Grammy Awards bash.
The singer also had a heart disease that caused blockages in her arteries.
Houston, 48, was buried in a New Jersey cemetery next to her father after an emotional four-hour funeral service that was attended by friends, family and superstars such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Roberta Flack
Houston, a sensation from her first, eponymous album in 1985, was one of the world's best-selling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," ''How Will I Know," ''The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You." But as she struggled with drugs, her majestic voice became raspy, and she couldn't hit the high notes.
Interest in her music skyrocketed after her death, pushing her songs back on to charts and into heavy rotation on the radio.
A full autopsy report is expected to be released in two weeks.
Apple today announced its new iPad -- a powerful updated model with a new processor and a high-definition display.
The new "Retina Display" screen has 2048 x 1536 resolution, which is higher than that found any other tablet on the market. The result, said Apple, will be much crisper pictures and video. After weeks of rumors that it might be called the "iPad 3" or "iPad HD," Apple only referred to it as "the new iPad" at today's rollout in San Francisco.
Apple's Senior Vice President of Marketing, Philip W. Schiller, touted the new screen on stage. "You are going to see sharper images," he said. "Photos are just going to look amazing."
On the outside, the new iPad looks very similar to the tablet Apple has been selling for more than a year. But with an A5x processor and quad-core graphics, Apple said images would have 44 percent greater color saturation than one sees on the previous model. There will be 3.1 million pixels on the screen, 264 pixels per inch.
The new tablet will have 10 hours of battery life, Schiller said, nine hours when receiving 4G signals. It will be all of 9.5 mm thick.
Schiller said the new iPad would have a more powerful "iSight" 5-megapixel camera built in. The camera, he said, can capture 1080p video. It also has image stabilization.
Apple has also added 4G LTE capabilities from Verizon and AT&T, meaning those who opt for the 3G / 4G models will get faster browsing and Internet speeds. This is the first time Apple has decided to integrate LTE into one of its products. The base model, which will start at $499, will have 16GB of memory and only Wi-Fi connectivity.
That's the same price Apple has listed for the existing iPad 2. It said starting prices for the existing model would drop $100, to $399.
Apple said it would start taking pre-orders for the new iPad in 10 countries today, and it will be available March 16. A version with 64GB of memory will retail for $699.
Presiding over the announcement was Tim Cook, Apple's new CEO and founder Steve Jobs' chosen successor. "You are going to see a lot more of this kind of innovation. We are just getting started."" Cook said.
Among other features, the new tablet will take dictation. Speak into a microphone, Apple said, and your words will be transcribed on the screen.
The new iPad announcement comes as the company faces stiff scrutiny over how its products are made in China. Following reports of underage labor and unsafe working conditions on assembly lines at Apple suppliers, the Fair Labor Association will submit a report on Apple's Foxconn production lines this month. ABC News got an exclusive look inside Apple's production line last month.
Yelawolf was admitted to the hospital after a concert in Madison, Wis., reports concert promoter Live Nation. The hip-hop artist was scheduled to perform March 6 at Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit.But that is now cancelled due to the unknown illness. "He remains under observation for illness," Live Nation announced. "At the request of his doctor, the show will be postponed to a later date." Tickets must be returned at point of purchase for a refund. They also will be honored at yet-to-be determined rescheduled concert.
The former G-Unit rapper was shot at 11 times, girlfriend grazed by bullet.An SUV driven by rapper Young Buck was the target of a drive-by shooting early Sunday morning.
According to a WSMV.com, a local NBC affiliate in Nashville, TN, a white Chevrolet Tahoe opened fired on the former G-Unit rapper’s vehicle following a dispute at a local club. Buck’s black SUV was hit 11 times during the drive-by and his girlfriend Kenyetta Rainey was grazed in the shoulder by one of the bullets. Another passenger in the vehicle was unharmed. Rainey has since been treated and released from Vanderbilt Hospital.
Police investigating the crime are looking into an incident that occurred between Buck and several men at a local nightclub, La Bamba, in South Nashville. It is believed that after the heated argument the suspects in the case followed the rapper out of the club and blazed shots at his vehicle soon after.
Buck, a native of Nashville, was reportedly in the area to work on a music project.
Since his departure from 50 Cent’s G-Unit crew in 2008, Buck has fallen on tough financial times. He has faced tax problems and filed for bankruptcy in August 2010.
Congratulations are in order for Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose. The Pittsburgh rapper just popped the question to the model/singer today (March 1) and showed his Twitter followers the ring via Instragram.
"She Said Yes," Wiz Khalifa tweeted. "Love Is Everywhere."
While chatting with her for The Juice's Love Doctor, Rose couldn't help but glow when talking about marriage and babies.
"We [Wiz Khalifa and I] are very much in love and we're really, really busy. He [Wiz Khalifa] is in LA working on his album. I'm in NY working on my album. We travel a lot, separately. We do want to get married and will get married," Amber Rose told The Juice. "But we want to get married, enjoy each other, have babies and be able to take time off. We'll get married when things calm down a little bit."
Are there babies on the way? Cue the "aws"!
This will be the first trip down the aisle for Khalifa (real name Cameron Jibril Thomaz) and Rose, who previously dated rapper Kanye West.
Davy Jones, the lead singer of the 1960s rock band The Monkees has died. He was 66.
An official from the Martin County, Fla. medical examiner’s office confirmed to ABC News that the office has been notified of Jones’ death and is is “currently evaluating whether or not the medical examiners office will take jurisdiction.”
Representatives for Jones did not immediately respond to ABCNews.com’s requests for comment. Jones is survived by his wife, Jessica, and four daughters from previous marriages.
The British born Jones joined The Monkees in 1965 and fronted a stable of rock hits, including “Daydream Believer” and “I’m a Believer.” The band was formed as part of a TV series about a rock band also called “The Monkees.” When the show got canceled in 1971, the group, which included Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith, broke up.
They reunited in various incarnations, most recently last spring for a tour through England and America. A second leg of the tour was slated for fall 2011 but the dates were axed without explanation in August.
Rumors are rife that Apple may release the all new iPad 3 by the end of March. Apple has scheduled a media event next month on March 7th. News leaked by the nearby electronic makers say that many high tech components have been sent to Apple since the last quarter of 2011.
The TSMC- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has received a really big ‘order’ for 28nm APUs from AMD (Advanced Micro Devices). AMD confirmed this Friday that it will shake hands with TSMC to manufacture 28nm Krishna Wichita accelerated processing unit (APUs) during the initial phase.
Because of the Chinese New Year, the launch of iPad 3 has been postponed till the end of March instead of beginning of March. This long holiday season brought disappointment to the millions of Apple’s fans for delayed date of iPad 3’s release.
The new iPad 3 is slated to be thinner and lighter and it will also have an A6 quad-core processor. March 7th is not far away, very soon, we might see people playing around with the super-power quad-core iPad 3.
Whitney Houston's 18-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, was just rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles ... and it's her second trip to the hospital since her mother passed away last night. Bobbi was taken out of the Beverly Hilton on a stretcher (see photo above). It's the same hotel where Whitney was found dead.
Law enforcement sources say police and fire responded to a call for a medical emergency, but would not confirm who was transported.
Bobbi Kristina went to the hospital last night as well, but was not transported via ambulance. We're told she was "hysterical, exhausted and inconsolable." Bobbi Kristina got into an angry shouting match last night with police officers outside the hotel room where her mother was found dead.
Whitney Houston was found in the bathtub of a Beverly Hills hotel yesterday ... with her face underwater Her stylist, hairdresser and two bodyguards were among the people in the room at the time. We're told they became worried about Whitney because she had been in the bathroom for over an hour and it was time to start getting ready for the Clive Davis party.
They began to knock on the door and there was no answer. We're told the hairdresser, who is female, went in to check on Whitney. She immediately screamed and, according to our sources, one of the bodyguards came running in and pulled her out of the tub.
We're told Whitney's face was below the water and her legs were up ... like she had slid down the back of the tub.
Her body was very cold and the bodyguard attempted CPR. That's when hotel security was called.
Paramedics arrived shortly thereafter, but Whitney was pronounced dead at 3:55 PM.
Whitney Houston was reportedly discovered unresponsive in the bathtub of her room in Beverly Hilton Hotel, by a member of her entourage, who called 911.
Hotel sources tell TMZ that the police arrived at the scene within minutes and because of an unrelated fire emergency paramedics were already at the hotel; they attempted to revive the singer with CPR, but gave up their attempts at 3:55 PM and declared her dead.
Police didn't see any obvious signs of foul play, but BHPD has opened an investigation.
Police are stopping Houston family members not already at the scene when they arrived, from going inside Whitney's fourth floor hotel room.
Whitney's daughter and only child, Bobbi Kristina, 19, who arrived several hours after the singer was discovered, was stopped from entering the room, triggering a loud outburst from her during which she screamed and cursed for not being allowed to see her mother. Bobbi eventually calmed down and left.
Police have reportedly not found any illegal drugs in Whitney Houston's hotel room so far, but they have found prescription drugs and there is a possibility the singer drowned in her bathtub.
BHPD officers, who are still examining Houston's room, have also not found any evidence to suggest the singer was drinking in her room.
According to TMZ, a quick determination of the cause of Houston's death is ruled out because her body was moved out of the bathtub. (On being discovered lifeless, she was administered CPR in an attempt to revive her.)
The coroner will now make a call on how the 48-year-old singer died, after a post mortem. Houston's body has been moved from the Hotel to the mortuary.
Legendary singer/actress Whitney Houston died Saturday (Feb. 11) from unknown causes, and while fans and celebrities took to Twitter to mourn the icon, "The View" host Sherri Shephard tweeted a link to video footage of Houston's last performance. Houston joins Kelly Price on stage and sings "Yes Jesus Loves Me" while the surprised audience looks on. Watch the video below.
She’s here! Blue Ivy Carter makes her big debut in a series of photos posted online. The adorable daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z is too precious for words. The month-old baby, who already has a full head of hair, stares into her mother’s eyes in one photo and is cradled by her father is another.
The superstar couple revealed the photos themselves on their websites instead of selling them. “We welcome you to share in our joy,” they wrote. “Thank you for respecting our privacy during this beautiful time in our lives.”
FirstFollower.com, the program — designed by Russian developer Victor Babichev — allows users to see who their first follower on Twitter was, as well as those of other users. All you have to do is type in your Twitter nick (or anyone else's Twitter nickname) and immediately the site researches and identifies the twitter nickname of your first follower.
