As they so often do when new Apple products land, the gadget vivisectionists at iFixIt have used one of their trademark spudgers to crack open a brand iPad Air 2, and there’s at least one interesting finding.
All the iPad Air’s specs have improved this generation except for one critical thing: battery.
Apple announced its newest lineup of iPads last week without giving a specific launch date, but if you didn’t get in on the pre-order action you can just go to your local Apple Store and pick up a new unit starting today.
Pre-orders deliveries for the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 began earlier today, but Apple retail staff has informed Cult of Mac that stores should receive their first shipments this afternoon, even though most Apple Stores are still waiting for their display units.
The iPad Air 2 is starting to hit doorsteps for preorders today, and already, the benchmarks are blowing us away, with an early Geekmark score showing that the iPad Air 2 is the fastest, most powerful tablet out there. Period.
But that’s not the surprising thing about the iPad Air 2.
If you’ve been holding out on upgrading to iOS 8 until a jailbreak is available, your wait is over — courtesy of Team Pangu.
Currently available for Windows only, the promised iOS 8 and 8.1 jailbreak works on devices up to and including the iPhone 6, 6 Plus and iPad Air 2, as well as earlier devices.
Preorders for the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 will start arriving on doorsteps as soon as tomorrow, and now a flood of early reviews has hit the web.
There’s a general theme throughout these dozen or so reviews of Apple’s newest tablets: boring. While these are unequivocally the best iPads every (like every year since the original), that’s not quite enough anymore.
If you’re looking to get your hands on a brand new iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 ASAP for no money down, you may want to check out T-Mobile’s offers.
Announcing the opening up of its preorders ahead of the new tablets hitting shelves, the cellular service provider is giving would-be tablet owners the chance to pick up a 16GB iPad Air 2 or iPad mini for an upfront cost of zero dollars — so long as they’re willing to sign up for 24 monthly instalment payments.
The price plans break down as below:
Fresh off the Apple event! Catch our impressions of iPad Air 2, the iPad Mini 3, the big, beautiful iMac with 5K display, and the updated Mac Mini. Plus, our favorite Yosemite and iOS 8.1 Continuity features; and HBO makes a move to offer all us cable cutters the a la cart TV we’ve always wanted.
Snicker your way through each week’s best Apple stories! Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the chuckles begin.
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Apple’s new iPads are now available to pre-order through the Apple Online Store. Prices start at $399 for the iPad mini 3 and $499 for the iPad Air 2, and both will be delivered to your door next week.
Tim Cook crowed over the sales figures of the iPad during yesterday’s Apple keynote, pointing out that it has sold a whopping 225 million units since debuting in 2010.
Despite the iPad Air 2 looking like the finest iPad iteration yet, however, sources in the supply chain reckon Apple’s new flagship tablet is going to be available only in limited quantities during the remainder of 2014 — thanks to production difficulties with the devices’ new anti-reflective coating.
Was Apple’s livestreamed iPad event really such a big yawn? Search Twitter for “#AppleEvent yawn” or “Apple boring” and you’ll see tweet after tweet bemoaning the boring nature of Thursday’s press conference. It got so tedious for some, there were dozens of photos of napping dogs.
“Most boring Apple event ever,” tweeted one. “Bring back the Chinese translation.”
Maybe some of those folks are being facetious, but there’s a grain of truth in the tweets: Nothing about Thursday’s event, except for maybe Stephen Colbert’s crackup comedy bit with Craig Federighi, was super-compelling on the surface. Many of the specs had been leaked (some even by Apple itself), and the rumor mill proved pretty accurate in the run-up to the presentation.
Still, this was no Phantom Menace. I mean really, what were people expecting? Jetpacks, aliens and electric cars?
This is Apple’s big dilemma right now: How do you top yourself when you make the best products in the world?
Apple product launches generally run like clockwork and, true to form, the moment today’s keynote came to a close, Cupertino’s digital media team sprung into action by uploading three new videos to its YouTube channel showcasing the company’s brand new iPad Air 2 and 27-inch Retina iMac.
The iPad Air 2 is the best tablet Apple’s ever made. The iPad mini 3 is good, but it’s also a gigantic ripoff.
Phil Schiller gushed over all the new iPad Air 2 upgrades during today’s keynote, reveling in its improved camera, powerful A8X chip, anti-reflective coating and Touch ID. But when it came to the iPad mini 3, Apple tried to slide quickly past it, and for good reason – there weren’t any upgrades to brag about.
Here are the new iPad mini 3 features:
It’s been way too long, joked Apple, since any groundbreaking announcements like the Apple Watch and iPhone 6 Plus. While the product refreshes announced at today’s iPad-centric event aren’t as high on “wow” as the revelations during last month’s big show, these are solid updates to product lines that continue to make Apple great.
Here are the top 12 things you need to know from today’s Apple event.
There’s a really cool feature in today’s new iPads that got zero stage time during the keynote. Apple has built its own SIM card that allows the user to switch between different carriers and plans right from iOS.
Today Apple announced two new iPads: the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. Some pricing adjustments were also made across the entire iPad lineup, with the first-gen iPad mini now costing only $249.
Apple news overload? Fear not. Here’s everything you need to know about today’s new iPads:
Right on cue, the Apple Online Store has gone down hours ahead of today’s special event. When it returns later today, we expect to see new iPads, new Macs, and maybe even a new Apple TV.
It’s been way too long since Apple showered us with new products like the iPhone 6, 6 Plus and Apple Watch, but Tim Cook and his crew are ready to go in for round two at a town hall keynote today at Apple HQ. New iPads, a Retina iMac and OS X Yosemite are rumored to be on the menu, but will Apple have one more surprise waiting for us?
Apple’s holiday lineup will be revealed in just a few short hours, and we’ll be here liveblogging all the details as the event unfolds. So bookmark this page, and come back at 10 a.m. Pacific for what will most likely be Apple’s last major announcements of 2014.
Apple is expected to announce its new iPad lineup at an event next week, but manufacturers in Vietnam have leaked a hands-ons on video of a high-quality iPad Air 2 dummy unit, that reveals all the subtle design tweaks coming to the world’s most popular tablet.
One of the biggest changes is addition of Touch ID as well as the disappearance of the the mute-switch, which has been completely removed from the left side of the iPad Air 2, while the volume buttons are a bit more recessed.
Check out the hands-on video below to see some of the other changes:
The Rumor: Apple will reveal a gold iPad Air 2 alongside the iPhone 6.
The Verdict: No way. Gold iPads are probably in the cards, but Apple always waits until October to reveal its new tablets, and next week's event is going to be jam packed as is with iOS 8, iPhone 6, mobile payments, and the iWatch. Save some more goodies for later Apple.
2014 will be the year the iPad turns golden, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
After introducing gold as a color option in the iPhone lineup with the 5s last year, the second-gen iPad Air will reportedly also be offered in gold.
Despite KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s usually excellent track record on Apple predictions, he messed up his last prediction that the iPad Air 2 would make its appearance at Apple’s iPhone 6 launch event two weeks ago.
Obviously, that didn’t happen. But if you’re eager for an iPad Air boasting an A8 chip, a new report corroborates a rumor we’ve heard before: it’s coming in October. Don’t wait for an A8 iPad mini though: it’s at least three months away.
Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has a big research report out today with his late-minute predictions for Apple’s September 9th media event.
It’s a doozy of a note, mainly because it lays out not only juicy iPhone 6 and iWatch details, but the revelation that Apple is expected to introduce the second-gen iPad Air at the event as well.
Kuo, who nailed most of the details surrounding the iPhone 5s/5c launch last year, is saying that both 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models will be announced. On top of that, both will have a 128GB storage option. He also makes some interesting predictions regarding Apple’s sapphire plans and iWatch specs.
The iPhone 6’s official unveiling is less than a month away, and even though we pretty much know what it’s going to look like, the rumor mill hasn’t let up on new details that could make their way into the iPhone 6.
Once again, we’re donning our finest gypsy apparel and stepping behind the crystal ball to divine the truth behind this week’s most plausible and impossible rumors to see if NFC really is coming to the iPhone, whether the iPad Air 2 will get a RAM upgrade, and if it’s true that iWatch is too hopelessly behind to launch in 2014.
Come stare into our crystal ball to see past the rumors and into the future…
iPhone 6 leaks have stolen most our attention lately ahead of next month’s big reveal, but a new set of leaked images may have just given us our first look at some of the iPad Air 2’s internal components.
Other leaks have shown the next-gen iPad Air’s rear shell and front display, but alleged images of the iPAd Air 2’s Wi-Fi module, GPS antenna, and microphone were posted today by Chinese Apple blogger Xiaolong Cahakan, indicating full production on Apple’s next tablet is about to get underway.
Details of the iPhone 6 have been leaking like a broken water balloon the past few weeks, but while details on the upcoming iPad Air 2 have been scarce, a new report claims Apple plans to increase the next-generation iPad Air’s performance with a big RAM upgrade.
Supply chain sources from China have told TechNews in Taiwan that Apple will double the amount of RAM in the iPad Air 2 to 2GB, but the iPad mini with Retina display will continue to pack only 1GB of RAM.
It’s hard to believe it’s only been four years since the reveal of the original iPad. Over the years the iPad has gone from “just a big iPhone” to becoming a common staple in the household, the office and everywhere in between. With four years behind us, four different iPad models and a new mini generation, this fall calls for yet another addition.
Take a look at today’s video where we rundown all the latest leaks, rumors, and other iPad Air 2 tidbits, to give you an early glimpse at the design, possible specs, and more.
Watch our full report above and subscribe to Cult of Mac TV on YouTube to ensure you don’t miss any of our newest videos.
