A teardown of the just-released iPad Pro has revealed one of the secrets behind Apple’s redesigned sound system: chambers filled with sound-amplifying foam.
That’s the best guess from the folks at do-it-yourself repair site iFixit, who are strategically dismantling the new tablet as we speak.
Big and hot: the iPad Pro is the BBW of tablets. Photo: Leander Kahney / Cult of Mac
I ordered the iPad Pro online at first light this morning and picked it up at the Apple Store in Stonestown, San Francisco, just as the store opened. Aside from the sticker shock — more than $1,326.49 for the iPad, Pencil and Smart Keyboard — I was surprised at how readily it is available. Seems like there’s plenty in stock, despite reports of short supply.
The iPad Pro is getting lukewarm reviews, but isn’t that what we always get from the professional reviewers? The same-old measured response that’s neither wildly enthusiastic nor harshly critical? It was the same with the iPhone 6s-es, the new MacBook, and the 6 Plus before that. “They’re not for everyone!” the reviews tended to say.
Well, bollocks! I’m excited about the iPad Pro. I’m as excited as I was about the first big-screen iPhone a couple of years ago. I think size does matter, and the bigger screen on these devices makes a huge difference.
But we’ll see. I just got my hands on it. Check out the video to see what’s in the box and my initial impressions.
This is what a real iPad Air 2 looks like. Needless to say, this isn't what was being sold. Photo: Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
A video has gone viral online showing a man complaining after ordering a cheap iPad Air 2 online for $100 — only to discover that it is actually an overpriced piece of tin, complete with a printed iPad home screen on the front, and Apple sticker on the reverse.
What is it that they say about offers which appear too good to be true? You can check out the video below.
The iPad Pro is big, powerful, but not a replacement for your Mac. Photo: Apple
The iPad Pro is out today and, like clockwork, the first batch of reviews have started to circulate.
The consensus? That the iPad Pro is gorgeous, powerful, and its (added extra) Apple Pencil stylus is great — but the add-on keyboard is disappointing, multitasking can be problematic, and it’s not quite ready to take over from the Mac in every situation as Tim Cook has suggested.
Out of that mixed bag of pros and cons, we’ve picked out a few of the most interesting comments for our big meta-review below.
Since then, I keep ending up at the store or almost running out of gas without my wallet with me: I leave it at home all the time. Apparently, I’m constitutionally incapable of remembering my ID, cash, and cards.
This Q Card Case, from CM4, is the perfect solution.
Imagining an iPhone 6c with more than a little color. Photo: SET Solutions
We keep on waiting and waiting and waiting for the iPhone 6c, Apple’s low-end follow-up to the colorful, plastic-backed iPhone 5c. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s still a year away.
But what will it look like when it actually does come out? Pretty damn lovely, if the concept video below is anything to go on.
Tim Cook talks all things Apple. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Tim Cook is in my home country of Jolly Old Blighty (read: the U.K.) at the moment, promoting the imminent launch of the iPad Pro.
While there, he’s given an interview to the Telegraph newspaper, in which Apple’s CEO touches on everything from the new Apple TV to the U.K.’s rumored “snooper’s charter” to, of course, Apple’s super-sized tablet.
The Apple News app relies less on algorithms than other tech companies in the news business. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
The latest trend in news consumption is curation. Apple News — replacement for the earlier, less-than-successful Newsstand — does just that. It may not be the first app to repackage the web for easy reading (looking at you, Flipboard), nor maybe even the best, but chances are it’s already on everyone’s iOS 9 iPhone or iPad, making it a clear winner for mindshare.
News is pretty fantastic, as it allows you to customize and set up the News channels and outlets you want to check on regularly without having to rely on any specific outlet for updates. News pulls from your favorite websites RSS feeds and repackages it all in an intuitive, newspaper and magazine-like format for easy browsing and reading.
Let’s take a look at how to set it up and use the iOS 9 News app to your best advantage.
Careful with that new Apple TV remote, mister! Photo: Drstover
This week: the new Apple TV remote is unnervingly easy to break; home-buttonless iPhone 7s; the UK wants your Apple devices to be less secure; and we pitch our favorite new Apple TV apps!
Our thanks to Lynda for supporting this episode. Lynda is like the Apple Music of online education, with over 3000 expert-taught video courses you can stream straight to computer or mobile device. Learn how to use Logic’s new super powerful Alchemy synth, or develop Mac apps for OS X—learn all you want for free for 10 days at lynda.com/cultcast.
The new iPad mini is more affordable when you sell your old one. Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac
The iPad Pro is the Apple tablet of my dreams.
I’ve been lusting after Apple’s crazy-big iPad since the first whispers of the device echoed around the rumor mill a few years ago. When Apple finally unveiled the Pro at the September keynote, I was beyond stoked to fork over more than $1,000 for an iPad big enough to host Thanksgiving dinner on.
The display is breathtaking. The graphics are mind-blowing. The Apple Pencil is magical. Even the freaking speakers are better. But after weeks of debating whether the Pro is really worth it, I’ve realized its diminutive little brother, the iPad Mini 4, is really the perfect tablet for me.
Here’s why the mini 4 might be the best iPad for you, too: