Apple hopes the iPad Pro will reinvigorate slumping tablet sales, but the company’s not showing much faith in the device, if initial orders are to be believed.
According to supply chain sources, Apple is taking a “rather conservative attitude” toward iPad Pro, ordering just 2.5 million for the rest of 2015 — and possibly even less for the first quarter of 2016 if holiday sales prove weaker than expected.
Is merging iOS with OS X a good idea? For the longest time, the answer to that question has been a resounding no from anyone who appreciates good software — but with iPad Pro on the horizon, there may well be a growing case for it.
The iPad Pro has the potential to be the ultimate 2-in-1 — a laptop that could really replace a notebook when you need to get stuff done. But in many ways, it’s being held back by iOS, which is still very much a mobile platform without many of the basics we have on our desktops — like a file manager.
So, is there now room for a new platform that delivers the best of iOS and OS X, perfectly suited to a tablet that doubles as a notebook?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we battle it out over that very question!
A ton of new emoji land on iOS devices today with the public launch of iOS 9.1.
Apple released iOS 9.1 this morning to users after five beta builds of the first big iOS 9 update were tested by developers. Among the new features: dozens of new emoji for everything from tacos, burritos, unicorns — and even a middle finger.
iOS users currently running iOS 9.0.2 can grab the new software via an over-the-air update or download it directly from iTunes.
Here’s everything that’s new in the update:
Apple still hasn’t given us an official release date for the upcoming Apple TV 4 and the iPad Pro, but if you live in Europe you can already pre-order the new devices.
Apple’s super-sized iPad Pro is one step closer to going on sale after securing the approval of the Federal Communications Commission. Both the Wi-Fi and LTE-equipped options were given the green light this week.
Apple gave Disney’s animators an early look at the iPad Pro with its accompanying pressure-sensitive Apple Pencil, and based on to the teams initial reactions, they’re in love.
“Let’s order a bunch,” said Disney Product Manager Paul Hildebrandt at the end of his brief hands-on with the iPad Pro. Disney’s artists got a preview of the iPad Pro’s drawing capabilities with apps like Pro Create and FiftyThree’s Pencil app that are both optimized for the iPad Pro, and they’re raving about the device’s sensitivity and palm rejection technology.
Check out some of the sketches Disney’s artists created during the demo:
Microsoft’s not taking the threat of the iPad Pro lying down. During today’s keynote event, the company called its brand new 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4 “the most productive device on the planet.”
“We have competitors. You may have noticed,” said Microsoft hardware guru Panos Panay as he introduced the tablet. “They’re chasing it, it’s pretty cool.”
The Surface Pro 4 doesn’t look bad, either.
Samsung’s super-sized iPad Pro competitor will come packing painfully disappointing specifications, according to the latest leak.
The slate’s 18.5-inch display is to be accompanied by a speedy octa-core Exynos processor — but it’s lacking in RAM, cameras, and motion sensors.
Apple’s gigantic new tablet just got a huge endorsement from some of the best animators and graphic artists in the world.
Pixar’s animation team got an early hands-on look with the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil yesterday, and according to Pixar’s R&D pre-production architect, Michael Johnson, the palm rejection on the iPad Pro is so ‘perfect’ you’ll never have to worry about trying to draw while resting your hand on the device.
We didn’t expect to see a new tablet from Google today, but we got one, and it wasn’t a Nexus.
It’s called the Pixel C, and it’s a 10.2-inch slate that hopes to take on devices like the Microsoft Surface and Apple’s upcoming iPad Pro with a detachable keyboard and a focus on productivity.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was spotted using an iPhone at Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference this week, and while Nadella insisted the device wasn’t actually his, he was all too proud to show off the amazing apps his company is making for it.
Nadella even gave his device a new name, dubbing it the ‘iPhone Pro’ (a little knock on the iPad Pro that was recently announced) because it was running all of Microsoft’s apps.
Check out Nadella’s demo below:
Well that didn’t take very long. A little over a week after Apple announces the iPad Pro with Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard accessories, a leather sleeve has emerged on Kickstarter to nicely pair your new 12.9-inch tablet with the stylus.
The new Pad & Pencil is a snazzy case for your iPad Pro made with high-grade, oil-tanned leather. It slips on and covers your entire iPad Pro, plus has an extending pocket on the side for safely storing your Apple Pencil.
iOS 9 won’t shock you with a bunch of whiz-bang new features or a drastic new look, but in many ways, Apple’s latest mobile operating system is more important than its two immediate predecessors. While iOS 7 and iOS 8 laid a foundation that embraced the future of mobile design, iOS 9 is making all those changes worth a damn.
Apple drops iOS 9 today, bringing a more intelligent UI, better built-in apps, a smarter Siri and much more. Our iOS 9 review shows how the new software makes everything you do on your iPhone or iPad easier — and far faster — than ever before.
Tim Cook told us the iPad Pro was the “biggest news in iPad since the original iPad,” but you wouldn’t necessarily know that based on initial availability of the plus-size tablet.
Apple is reportedly experiencing panel shortages for the device, making it likely that iPad Pro shipments will come in at less than 3 million for the last three months of 2015.
Accessories company Catalyst likes to assume the extreme in everybody. Its marketing wants us to fret not about getting our iPhone or Apple Watch wet or dirty. Catalyst projects the confidence that it has your investment protected.
So, less than a week after Apple announced a new iPad Pro, Catalyst is touting the specs of a military-tough iPad Pro case that will be available after the first of the year.
This is a guest post by Fraser Speirs, a teacher, systems administrator and consultant specializing in the application of modern mobile technology in schools. It originally appeared on his personal website.
“The iPad is the clearest expression of our vision of the future of personal computing.” — Tim Cook
The above statement by Apple’s CEO is — by far — the most important thing that happened for iPad at Apple’s event last Wednesday. We have been through more than three years of the iPad playing a distant second to the iPhone and, to some extent, even the Mac at Apple events. It’s been three long years of “Here’s the new thinner, faster iPad. We can’t wait to see what you do with it. Bye!”
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Our reactions and impressions of all the gadgets unleashed at Apple’s media extravaganza! Plus: Why the 6s is the best “s” yet; a look into Apple’s efforts to architect the 6s’ new 3D Touch technology; why the Apple Pencil is not a stylus; and so. much. MORE…
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Build a beautiful website quick at Squarespace.com, and enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10 percent off.
Apple’s keynotes typically give you plenty worth singing about, and for “Song-A-Day” YouTuber Jonathan Mann, that’s reason enough to bust out new tunes.
Mann, whose catchy jingles once made Steve Jobs dance, always puts together a musical remix following Apple events, and this week’s jam-packed keynote is no exception.
If you don’t have time to sit through the entire 2-hour-plus event, or simply want to relive the most memorable lines with a catchy electronic backing, this is the video for you. Check it out below:
We get that yesterday’s Apple event was a marketing thing, which is why every presentation began with whoever was onstage telling us how “thrilled,” “excited” or “really happy” they were to be there. And the exaggeration just continued from those intros.
Here are some of the most outlandish and enthusiastically subjective lines that came from the stage at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. We’ve organized them by speaker so you can see who “won” this verbal arms race of canned excitement.
This is a guest post by Linda Dong, a graphics expert and former designer at Apple. It originally appeared on her personal website.
A lot of hesitation (or dismissal) of the new Apple Pencil seems to stem from people’s belief that the Wacom Cintiq, currently regarded as the pinnacle of professional drawing stylus/surface design, is superior in performance and design at a similar price.
😩 *sigh*
Quite plainly, the Cintiq sucks in comparison. And I’ve been using them for years for industrial design sketching, UI and art. Let’s compare the experience:
The iPad Air 2 may boast a more-than-adequate 2GB of RAM, but the newly announced iPad Pro is living up to its name with a massive 4GB.
Siri may be able to keep a secret, but once word gets out, just try to stop it from sassing you about it.
Apple’s digital assistant is now chock full of sass in the aftermath of the company’s event today, at which it revealed new models of the iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV.
Apple rolled out one drool-worthy new gadget after another Wednesday.
The iPad Pro? Want.
A Hermes Apple Watch? Gotta have.
The new Apple TV? Gimme!
If you’re like me, you’ll want one of everything Tim Cook and crew showed off in Apple’s September showcase. But if you get one of everything, it is going to cost you.
After a little playtime with Apple’s new products Wednesday, the bloggers and tech reporters who cover Cupertino wrote positive reviews, but nothing seemed to make anyone pause and say wow.
The hands-on reviews and observations of the new Apple TV, the iPad Pro and iPhone 6s were measured praises of what may come later, the story appears to be more about evolution than revelation.
Wow, that was fast – Logitech, purveyor of fine Apple accessories for a long time, has just pulled the curtains from around its new Create Keyboard Case, made to work with the iPad Pro just announced this morning. The case is an alternative to Apple’s also just-announced Smart Cover.
Perhaps its even more telling that Logitech worked with Apple to get its new Create keyboard to market on day one; something that never happened in the past at Apple. If the mothership is helping third-party companies ahead of new products, consumers will ultimately win out with more day-one options for all their magical Apple gear.