new iPad - page 4

It’s a well known fact that the new iPad takes significantly longer to charge than the iPad 2. You can chalk that problem up to the fact that the new iPad has approximately 70% more battery in the same form factor than the iPad 2, requiring almost twice as long to charge. Consequently, the iPad has gone from being something you could charge up in just a few hours to a tablet that needs all night to charge to 100%.

But you shouldn’t stop charging your iPad at 100%. No sirree bob. If you want the most battery life from your new iPad, you should keep the device plugged in for at least an hour after it reports full. Why? The iPad battery gauge lies.

This morning we reported that a number of new iPad owners are suffering from poor Wi-Fi performance on their new tablet. If you’re one of the unlucky few, then this simply fix might just solve the issue, and in turn save you a visit to the Genius Bar.

In the desktop and laptop world, computer chips tend to get smaller over time, but with the A5X, Apple has gone a different route: they’ve actually made the chip bigger than its predecessors.

How big is the A5X? Over 310 percent bigger than the A4 shipped in the iPhone 4 and original iPad.

Here at Cult of Mac, we’re interested in building a data set which we can use to determine which networks offer the fastest and most reliable 3G & LTE coverage to new iPad owners. We’ll then use this data to report on which new iPad carrier is the best in each country or territory where it’s available.

Will LTE networks be crushed by demand, or will the upgrade to true 4G be as dramatic as the likes of AT&T and Verizon would like us to be. Finally, will most people who buy an iPad Wi-Fi + 4G even live within an LTE coverage area?

If you’ve got a new iPad Wi-Fi + 4G, could you take a couple minutes out of playing with your new, shiny tablet and help us out?

Do you use your iPad as a second monitor using Air Display to wirelessly extend your desktop? If so, bet you wish you could harness your new iPad’s retina display, don’t you? Unfortunately, the functionality currently isn’t baked into Air Display, but that’ll soon change… and for the first time let millions of OS X users experiment with the hidden HiDPI mode in Lion and Mountain Lion.

If you didn’t catch The CultCast Special Edition episode we released this last Saturday, you can download it here.

What’s so special about it? Well, besides giving you our honest hands-on review of the new iPad, we decided to include an impromptu pre-show discussion on the Agony and Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs, the powerful monologue by Mike Daisy that’s been getting press lately for being partly fabricated.

Our frank discussion revolved around this notion: Mr. Daisey’s monologue focussed consumers’ attention on labor conditions in China, and in that light it has done a world of good. Should it matter that it’s not 100% true?

In most regards, Consumer Reports do great work, but when it comes to Apple’s mobile devices, they’ve historically tended to act like bozos. Quickly jumping upon the Antennagate bandwagon when the iPhone 4 came out, Consumer Reports refused to recommend Apple’s latest handset for over a year. When the iPhone 4S came out, Consumer Reports grudgingly said it was worth buying, but not as good as Android phones. Are you for real?

Anyway, yesterday, in response to reports that the new iPad ran hotter than its predecessor, Consumer Reports eagerly promised to investigate, sniffing another scandal. They’ve now published some preliminary results, though, and surprise! They’re surprisingly sensible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iox5Q2nWi-Q

The staggering difference in quality of the new iPad’s display isn’t hype, it’s real. It’s a jaw-dropping difference, one that finally turns the iPad into the promise of its potential: a living, breathing page through which the wide world can be explored. The new iPad is the best consumer display on the market at almost any price, period…

Which makes it completely befuddling that in a blind test, a surprising amount of Apple Store customers couldn’t tell the difference between the iPad 2 and the new iPad.

Having slipped to 2-3 weeks last week, shipping times for the new iPad through Apple’s online store have already eased to just 1-2 weeks.

Yesterday we reported that a number of new iPad adopters are taking to Apple’s Support Communities forum to voice their concerns about its operating temperature. Many feel the new slate gets a little too warm during prolonged use, and they’re concerned it’s a serious issue.

Thermal imaging has now confirmed that the third-generation iPad does indeed get around 10° Fahrenheit warmer than the iPad 2, but it’s really nothing to worry about.

Earlier today, Tim Cook played coy with how many new iPads they had sold opening weekend, but a mere eight hours later, the numbers are in, and it’s a record setting weekend indeed: Apple sold 3 million iPads in the first weekend of sales alone. That’s three times as many as last year… and with plenty to go around for everyone. Press release after the jump.

Over the past few days, a large number of iOS users have been reporting that their App Store downloads are becoming stuck on the “Waiting” status when they attempt to install or update a number of apps at once. It is thought that the influx of Retina updates for the new iPad is causing an App Store overload.

Fortunately, there is a simple workaround. Here’s how to fix that frustrating “Waiting” freeze.

NetZero made a name for itself in the late nineties by offering free ad-supported dialup Internet access before turning to a low-cost model (still available for dialup and and basic DSL). NetZero is returning to its free/freemium roots with today’s announcement of a contract-free 4G service. The service offers several tiers of data use with the first one being free beyond purchasing a 4G device.

While intriguing, the free service tier definitely illustrates the “you get what you pay for” addage. Some of the other tiers are attractive, but there are some downsides and, quite frankly, a Verizon 4G iPad may be a much smarter investment in the long run.

Why yes, we did just release episode 4 of The CultCast two days ago, but this is a special New-iPad hands-on edition recorded just hours ago! They’re here, we have them, and in this special episode, we tell you what we think of them.

And make sure you catch the end; we decided to include an impromptu preshow discussion on the Agony and Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs, the powerful monologue by Mike Daisy that’s been getting press for allegedly being partly fabricated. We discuss: it’s focussed consumers’ attention on labor conditions in China, does it matter that it might not be 100% true?

There’s a good reason we say The CultCast is the best 30 minute Apple conversation you’ll hear all week long: not only do we bring you the best news, products, and rumors in every show, we make it fun!

And there’s never been a better time to subscribe to The CultCast. We just released a fresh new episode filled with informative Apple banter.

Fancy a listen? Good show! Episode 4 is out now, and if you subscribe, we’ll delivery another great CultCast to you every Thursday night.

Just a few short weeks ago, Michael Dell announced that his company should no longer be considered a consumer PC and device maker. Dell should now be considered an IT vendor with a focus on enterprise data center products, went the message. The company was going to get out of the device and peripheral business.

What a difference a few weeks can make when it comes to a company’s message. While the tech world focused on today’s launch of Apple’s new iPad, Dell’s chief commercial officer Steve Felice was talking up the company’s ability to challenge the iPad in business environments. Or put more accurately, the ability that Dell will have to challenge the iPad when Windows 8 ships later this year.

In what may just be the speediest jailbreak ever, Dev Team uberlord MuscleNerd has confirmed that he has already jailbroken the iPad 2 and Apple A5X SoC.

Since 3 a.m. this morning I’ve been subjected to the most vile of tortures. All my co-workers on Cult of Mac were hanging out in our chat-room, gushing about their new iPads, while I sat helpless, waiting for my tablet to be delivered later in the afternoon by FedEx. We’ve heard a lot of reports on Twitter that Apple Store lines have diminished quickly and there’s plenty of stock left. Around 8:45 a.m. I couldn’t take hearing John and Alex talk about their retina displays, so I decided to drive down the road to my local Apple Store to see what the line was line. Shockingly, there wasn’t a line, and it appears that across the country, Apple has plenty of new iPads instock, which means you’ll probably be able to buy an iPad today.

When Apple introduced FaceTime on the iPhone 4 nearly two years ago, many users were disappointed to find out that they could only place video calls while connected to Wi-Fi. That was a disappointing fact, but not entirely surprising given the bandwidth that it takes to pull off a high quality video call and Apple’s penchant for making the user experience perfect at all costs.

Guaranteeing a solid experience might have made a good deal of sense when it comes to the iPhone 4, iPad 2, and iPhone 4S – all of them are 3G devices and 3G data performance often falls short of terrestrial broadband and Wi-Fi. But the Wi-Fi only restriction remains in place on the new iPad models with LTE even though LTE performance can approach that of many home broadband options – begging the question: Why is Apple limiting FaceTime on its new LTE devices?

People may love the new iPad, but it seems that not everyone loves the name “new iPad.” A recent poll found that more half of consumers don’t like it and would rather see Apple go back to specific model names like the iPad 2 or iPhone 4S.

According the poll, run by opinion and survey site SodaHead.com, 54% of users liked the old naming format better with 46% approving of the simpler designation of the device as simply “the new iPad.”

After unboxing your new iPad and getting it setup, the first thing you should do is open up the App Store and download some essential games. We’ve compiled a list of 9 of the App Store’s greatest offerings, which we think should be installed on every iPad. These are games you certainly won’t want to miss.

If you’re waiting for your new iPad to arrive, you might be wondering about cases. The difference in the thickness between an iPad 2 and an iPad 3 is only about half a millimeter: is that enough to mean you need to buy a new case?

After putting our new iPad through its paces, we’re happy to say that it will probably be a very rare thing indeed for a case to be incompatible with the new iPad.

As with many Apple product launches, today’s release of the new iPad is mostly a consumer event. But that doesn’t mean that the launch won’t have an impact on businesses. In fact, on Monday morning a number of new iPads may be walking into workplaces around the world. And users may be lobbying their employers to purchase the new iPad – if they haven’t stared doing so already.

So, what questions should businesses or IT professionals be asking about the new iPad? More importantly, what are the answers to those questions?

Just 15 minutes after the in-store launch of the new iPad, lines in many Apple Stores have dwindled to nothing. And it’s not a case of Apple’s excellent employees being so efficient that they managed to move all the opening day stock in a quarter of an hour. It just seems there’s not so much demand for it.

Just because he co-founded frickin’ Apple doesn’t mean that Steve Wozniak is some sort of wooly, barrel-chested, twinkle-toes GOD. He puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like us. Sure, he does it while balancing precariously on a Segway, but still. He’s definitely a man, and not, in fact, an immortal.

As if to prove it, every time a new iPhone or iPad is released, Woz goes on down and waits in line to pick up the latest Apple product just like the rest of us plebs, and this year is no different, except for one thing: instead of being first in line, Woz is second.