Apple has a serious problem on its hands with the iPad 2 display.
Last week I purchased an iPad 2 on launch day. It suffered from backlight bleeding. I took it back to my local Apple Store, which replaced it on Friday. This second iPad 2 also suffers from backlight bleeding.
I’m pissed. I spent more than $1,000 for the whole thing with accessories – I want something worth the investment not a dud.
But I’m not taking it back to Apple a third time. Why not?
A friend and I were talking today about the iPad 2, the Smart Cover, and the 31 magnets they contain today. We were pondering what would happen when we tossed the iPad 2 with an attached Smart Cover into our laptop bags right next to a MacBook with a standard hard drive inside. A co-worker of my friend had brought this up earlier leading us to the question, “Can the iPad 2 and Smart Cover magnets damage (or erase) our MacBook Hard Drive? ”
The clear answer is — No! The myth about magnets erasing data from hard disks or computers is mostly false and a hard one to shake since many of us were trained to keep the two apart. Let me explain why the myth isn’t exactly true.
Since Apple introduced iOS 4.3 last week, I’ve found a number of complaints about battery issues with the firmware update. I’ve even experienced these problems personally and I know many of you have too.
The update has caused issues with the battery life on my iPhone 4 and my iPad 2 is getting considerably less time out of its battery than my old iPad running iOS 4.2.1, so if you haven’t upgraded to iOS 4.3 you may want to wait until this issue is resolved.
According to users on Apple Discussions under the topics iPhone 4 – ios 4.3 – Battery Drain and iOS 4.3 causing battery drain, the iPhone’s battery life is severely shortened by the latest iOS update. As a result some users are also complaining that battery life is lasting 2 to 4 hours less than before the update was applied.
The picture above is an edited version of a photo that I made while I removed my iPad 2 from its box to create a gallery of photos for Cult of Mac recently. The arrow, which I added to the original picture, points to an anomaly the most obvious out of a handful of them on the display of my iPad 2. I purchased the iPad 2 last Friday on launch day.
Once that gallery went live I started receiving comments from readers stating that it looked like I was encountering a back lighting issue on my iPad 2. I honestly wasn’t sure what was going on because to my eyes the anomaly had a yellowish tint to it. I thought it was just the adhesive problem that plagued some iPhone 4 users last year. That problem actually disappeared on its own as the adhesive dried and dissipated.
Unfortunately that isn’t the case for me, since according to the Genius at the Genius Bar this afternoon the problem is with the backlighting after all and it isn’t a problem that will go away.
I made an interesting discovery today. I took my original Apple iPad case ($40), you know the black one, that the original iPad was inserted into making it kind of like a book or folio. It turns out that my iPad 2 with black leather Smart Cover (see my in-depth review) fits perfectly and tightly inside.
Wow I thought this a great opportunity to recycle something I didn’t know what I was going to do with after upgrading to the iPad 2. So hit the read link to find out how you can recycle your old iPad cover yet retain the unique Smart Cover and all its magic.
Apple’s new iPad 2 is basically one big screen. So the very first accessory that many of us will look for is a protective case for our new iPad 2s.
On launch day I wasn’t aware of any other case options besides Apple’s very own iPad Smart Cover which was available for $39 (polyurethane) or $69 (aniline-dyed Italian leather). The Smart Cover isn’t even close to being a case since it just protects the iPad 2’s display. The sides and back are completely exposed and unprotected. It’s elegant, thin, and doesn’t add a lot of weight or bulk to the iPad 2.
The Smart Cover is very thin and fits the iPad perfectly. It’s so thin it feels like you haven’t really added anything to the iPad at all. Perhaps that is just an illusion after owning the first iPad, but regardless it just doesn’t add a whole lot to the iPad’s weight or thickness. That is how it feels without going crazy weighing it, measuring it, etc. It just feels right.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I didn’t get the initial text from AT&T offering me 1,000 free Rollover minutes. I had to beg for mine by sending a simple text containing the word “yes ” to a number (11113020) that people shared with me.
I’d heard that AT&T was sending out texts or notices (not sure which) that some of the people asking for these minutes would not be getting theirs, but today beggar or not I got mine as you can see from the screen shot above.
Thank you AT&T!
So what about you? Did the AT&T overlords grant you 1,000 free Rollover minutes?
Just like CBS I don’t know if this is real or fake. However, it is interesting and intriguing. The video shows a man who uses his iPhone, a video transmitter, and a repeater to hijack video billboards in Times Square. In a sense it looks like he’s hacked the video feeds going to these video billboards displayed in Times Square.
He starts off with small video billboards at ground level and eventually works his way up to a giant CNN billboard high above the middle of Times Square.
Real or fake? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment.
[via CBS News]
One of the first things I wanted to try out on the iPad 2 was the cameras. I found them to be nice to have for convenience and Facetime calls, but less than adequate for photography. Let’s face it they suck at photography when compared to my iPhone 4 and Canon G12. The iPad 2 won’t be replacing either of these anytime soon. I think that is okay, because I don’t see myself wandering around trying to catch that special moment in time wielding an iPad 2. After all it is kind of big, right?
However, the cameras are there and I might as well make the best use out of them that I can. So I launched iTunes and I looked at the iPhone and iPod touch camera apps within my app library and installed some of them onto my iPad to test.
Here are the results.
Everyone out there that wants a white iPhone it looks like you can keep all your hopes and dreams alive, because Phil Schiller from Apple, Inc. says that you’ll be able to get one soon.
Eric Anderson, asked Phil, via Twitter about how he could obtain a white iPhone and Phil replied, “The white iPhone will be available this spring (and it is a beauty!). ”
What kind of iPhone? iPhone 4? iPhone 5? Will it work on GSM or CDMA networks?
It seems peculiar that Apple would release a white iPhone 4 model with the iPhone 5 allegedly around the corner. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Are you going to buy one?
[via Twitter]
If you have an iPad (any model) running iOS 4.3 then you can easily add additional four or five-finger multi-touch gestures to your iPad. It will take only a few minutes and you don’t have to jailbreak your iPad to get them.
The only requirement is that you’ll need a copy of Xcode 4 and if you don’t already have a copy you can purchase it for $4.99 in the Mac OS X App Store. Registered Mac OS X or iOS developers in the paid development programs for either operating system can download a copy of Xcode 4 at developer.apple.com after logging in with their developer credentials.
However, you don’t need a developer account to activate these gestures either — at least for the time being. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple changes this later.
If you are using Windows you are out of luck that is unless you can find a friend with a Mac to help you out. Xcode doesn’t run on Windows.
Here are the steps.
It looks as though early iPad 2 adopters are being hit by a previous problem with Apple displays on the iPhone 4 that had yellow tinting appearing on the LCD or backlight bleed through.
These problems are being reported on various news sites and I’ve experienced one of them myself. My own iPad 2 Wi-Fi-3G 64GB AT&T model is displaying some LCD anomalies on the portion of the display closest to the Home button.
Here’s some great news! If you are an iPad Wi-Fi + 3G owner on the AT&T network you are in luck.
You can remove the SIM card from your old iPad and insert it into the new one. Viola! You’ll have instant access to your current AT&T data plan, account, etc.
Apple representatives explained to me that all iPad 2’s are sold — unlocked. You can use any carrier compatible SIM card in the AT&T version of the iPad 2 (or actually any iPad).
So my AT&T 3G connection on my new iPad 2 was up and running instantly with my old iPad’s SIM card. I’ll end up giving the unused SIM card to the person buying my older iPad.
Here it is the iPad 2. After spending long grueling hours in the iPad 2 line at the Apple Store inside of Baybrook Mall in Friendswood, Texas just outside of Houston — I’m worn out!
However, I thought you’d like some photos of the iPad 2 being unboxed before I head off for some grub and well deserved R&R.
So click the read link below and enjoy!
Today is iPad 2 day and like the rest of you I got up early today. I’d say way to early since it was 2:45 am CST and I was surprised to find out that my alarm clock on my iPhone 4 could be set to such an early hour. The engineers at Apple HQ in Cupertino could not have done a better job on that alarm, but for once I was wishing they’d screwed it up since I think it should be a crime for an alarm clock to ring before 5:00 am.
Everyone seemed to be pretty excited about the Clamcase for the iPad, from Clamcase LLC. I was a bit puzzled by that after all the iPad is a tablet and a real laptop, like my MacBook Air, would be a better replacement for an iPad stuffed into a keyboard case.
Yet people wanted to be able to covert their iPad into a laptop and if you build it they will come right? Well build it they did and now you can have a Clamcase of your very own to turn your iPad into a clunky laptop wannabe.
Here’s a hidden gem inside of iOS 4.3 that hasn’t been mentioned by anyone as far as I know. It was pointed out to me by an anonymous tipster, who sent me a few screen shots.
Apple is now allowing you to purchase Ringtones directly from your iPhone 4 (I’m not sure if this is supported by other models, but I suspect it would be).
Here’s how it works.
Apple released the Gold Master of iOS 4.3 to developers this afternoon. The Gold Master release includes the iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS as well as the 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch.
The new AppleTV has been left out in the cold still sporting iOS 4.3 Beta 3 and there is no word on when it’s firmware will go Gold Master.
Registered iOS developers can download these updates as well as a new Gold Master SDK from developer.apple.com.
You can see all the new stuff in iOS 4.3 here.
Let us know if you find anything interesting in the new Gold Master release by leaving a comment.
Apple has released iTunes 10.2 which will support iOS 4.3 which will be released for free on March 11th, 2011. It also includes updates to Home Sharing.
Get it now via Software Update on your Mac or download it directly for Mac or Windows.
The Griffin Survivor case for iPhone 4, which retails for $49.99 and works on all iPhone 4 models, is the latest rugged case leaping out of the gate running neck and neck for top dog with the likes of the Ballistic HC and many others. I was surprised to see another new case this late after the release of the iPhone 4 with the iPhone 5 just around the corner. However, it may be that the vendors know something we don’t. Perhaps the iPhone 5 will share the same dimensions as the iPhone 4 just like the iPhone 3G and 3GS.
Griffin labels the Survivor as “Armored Ready for Anything. ” I don’t think so and I’d like to explain why I say that.
iSkin has been my favorite case maker for longer than I can remember. I’ve bought their cases for iPhones and iPods. I liked some of those cases and others I didn’t like at all. Some of them were just okay, but in the end I always used one of iSkin’s cases on my iDevices.
I had to experiment with them, because the cases were like a good pair of shoes. You need to try them on and decide what’s best for you. I hope that this review will help you to make the right choice when choosing an iSkin case for your iPhone 4.
I’ve had my 13-inch MacBook Air since they were first released and although I encountered video problems initially after the plethora of updates that Apple has released the video problems haven’t returned.
The updates included an EFI firmware update, a specific software update for the MacBook Air 2010 model, and the Mac OS X 10.6.5 software update. I even offered not one, but two suggested solutions to try.
These updates and suggested fixes worked for some, but unfortunately they didn’t work for everyone. People are still complaining on Apple Discussion Forums about problems they are encountering when connecting their MacBook Airs to external displays.
According to 9to5Mac MobileMe sales haven’t stopped instead they surmise that Apple is simply moving MobileMe subscriptions to online ordering only.
However, as they pointed out you can only join MobileMe under a 60-day trail. Paying for it isn’t currently possible and you cannot currently order the boxed version.
I think that starting March 2nd we will see MobileMe subscriptions that will be for sale in the Mac App Store.
What do you think?
[via 9to5Mac]
Apple’s new Mac OS X Lion adds support for a recovery partition as part of the OS installation and while this may not seem important to most users — it is. Apple is making the tools and resources available to you that will allow you to perform disk repair and recoveries on your mobile Mac while on the road or on your desktop Mac at home. The utilities will be readily available and therefore you won’t have to go hunting for that always elusive DVD or USB stick.
This is because the new partition labeled Recovery HD acts just like the DVDs and USB sticks that Apple has traditionally shipped with its computers. You simply press and hold the Option key after starting your Mac. You are eventually presented with a list of the available boot partitions.
You use the arrow keys to select the boot drive and press Return. The system will then boot from the selected disk. In this instance you would choose the Recovery HD disk to access the Mac OS X Lion recovery partition.
It looks like Apple is going to have another blockbuster OS release later this year. I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait until Lion hits store shelves (virtual or otherwise).
Check out more photos after the read link.
Lion is the next version of Mac OS X that will be released later this year. Apple released a developer preview today and it included a surprise inside — Mac OS X Lion Server. Mac OS X Lion Server is now a core feature of OS X Lion and included for the time being at no extra cost. You will be able to selectively setup your Mac as either a regular Mac OS X client or as a Server during the OS installation.
Once your Mac is transformed into a server you will be able to perform local or remote administration and implement server features that include: configuration of users and groups, file sharing, contacts, chat, Time Machine, VPN, mail, calendaring, push notifications, web, and wikipedia — all services that run under Mac OS X Lion Server.
