If you’re anything like me, now that you’ve pre-ordered your new iPad, you’ll be obsessing over its order status.  You know it’s not going to arrive until March 16, but once every hour you’ll logon to the Apple online store to see how your package is getting on anyway.

It’s even easier to do this with the free Apple Store app for iPhone. Here’s how.

When Apple unveiled its new iPad yesterday, the Cupertino company labeled its 5-megapixel rear-facing camera an “iSight camera.” The iSight name has been used for years to label the cameras built into the Mac, but the new iPad is the first time we’d heard it used for an iOS device.

Apple has now extended that name to the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S, updating its website to advertise iSight cameras for both.

Apple introduced its new A5X processor in the third-generation iPad yesterday, and based on the company’s previous moves, we’re expecting the chip to appear in its next iPhone. However, that may not be the case. According to analysts, the chip requires too much power to be used in the iPhone, and Apple will need to create a more power-efficient chip with a new manufacturing process for its next smartphone.

Apple has released iOS 5.1 to the public. The update is available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad owners running iOS 5. Check Software Update in your Settings app to download.

This update includes Japanese support for Siri, an always-visible camera shortcut on the lock screen, a redesigned Camera app for iPad, and the ability to finally delete individual photos from Photo Stream.

Apple is putting a squeeze on the air freight industry with a massive order of iPad 3 shipments, according to multiple reports today. As Wednesday’s announcement draws near, Apple has singlehandedly bought the majority of air cargo space coming out of China at premium rates. Other companies are reportedly scrambling to buy what little space Apple hasn’t already claimed.

Alleged iPad 3 part leaks have revealed that the magnetized Smart Cover will work on the upcoming tablet, but Apple is still set to introduce an enhanced cover for the iPad 3, according to a new report. Citing a “repeatedly reliable source,” iLounge says that a new Smart Cover with a fiberglass back is coming.

On top of that, the report contradicts previous rumors saying the sixth-gen iPhone will feature an aluminum casing. Instead, Apple is said to be implementing Gorilla Glass 2 material for the next iPhone’s exterior design.

The App Store reached the 25 billionth download milestone over the weekend, and Apple recently announced the lucky winner of the $10,000 contest, Chunli Fu of Qingdao, China. It’s only fitting that the winner comes from China when you consider the exponential growth Apple has been seeing in that part of the world.

As it did when the App Store reached 10 billion downloads last year, Apple has revealed the all-time top paid and free apps for the iPhone and iPad.

Apple is yet to strike a deal with China Mobile over the iPhone, but that hasn’t stopped the Cupertino company from supporting China Mobile customers who want to use its latest smartphone with the carrier unofficially. Just a month after Apple confirmed that the iPhone 4S has issues with China Mobile SIM cards, it has fixed the device to eliminate signal issues.

Apple’s App Store just hit 25 billion app downloads. The countdown just clicked over at about 9.45PM PST. Apple has promised a $10,000 gift card to the person who downloaded the 25,000,000,000 billionth app. The winner will be notified shortly and revealed on the countdown’s web page.

The countdown began on February 17th and proceeded at an estimated rate of 49 million app downloads a day. It took the wildly popular App Store just four years to reach the 25 billion download mark. By contrast, it took eight-and-half years for 16 billion songs to be downloaded from the iTunes Store. For more insights into key Apple milestones, check out the latest on apple news today.

Here’s a video of Apple’s 25 billion countdown timer clicking over:

Germany has become quite the hotbed for patent lawsuits lately as it’s been in the spotlight for the Apple vs Motorola Mobility legal battle. As the legal war rages on, a new ruling has found that Motorola did indeed violate Apple’s EU Patent No. EP2059868 on a “portable electronic device for photo management”. The patent in question basically fixes over scrolling by bouncing the user back a bit once they’ve zoomed in too far, and even though this patent is software specific, it may have repercussions on Motorola’s hardware if they don’t come up with a fix quickly.