Launch - page 5

For some time yesterday, UK carrier Three gave customers the opportunity to purchase the white iPhone 4 through its website for delivery on Wednesday, April 20th. The carrier later removed the listing as news spread over the web, but was this simply an error, or did Three just reveal the device’s launch date?

Well, recent reports have suggested that the device is now in production, and will launch by the end of April. Although Apple is yet to give customers an official date, it may have provided this information to carriers.

Having said that, we still think someone at Three made a slight cock up, and that this listing means nothing. It’s not the first time the carrier has listed the device on its website either; back in January the white iPhone 4 appeared on Three’s website, thought it was listed as “out of stock.”

[via 9to5 Mac]

Just as expected, Toys ‘R’ Us has now joined the growing list of U.S. retailers to offer the iPad 2. The toy giant began advertising the second-generation tablet on Sunday, which is now available for purchase in selected stores. (If you can find stock.)

There is a list of stores now offering the iPad 2 available on the Toys ‘R’ Us website, and a leaked product sheet indicates the retailer will also offer the Smart Covers, Camera Connection Kit, and VGA Connector to accompany the device.

Toys ‘R’ Us joins Best Buy, Walmart, Target, AT&T and Verizon on the list of third-party stores to offer the iPad 2 as Apple’s retail expansion for the device continues to grow in the U.S.

Despite this, the device seems to be no easier to obtain – with stores continuing to sell out the day they receive their stock.

[via AppleInsider]

Not so long ago, Apple removed all images of the white iPhone 4 from its website and it seemed for a brief period that the device would never launch. While rumors turned to the iPhone 5, the white device seemed to have been disregarded. That period didn’t last very long, and speculation about the device is now very much in full flow once again.

Last week Apple confirmed that the white iPhone 4 would launch this spring, while a Bloomberg report claimed that it could launch before the end of April.

It now seems April 26th could be the special day. In an exclusive report, iPhoneItalia (Google translation) cites information they have received from a “reliable source,” who has confirmed the device will arrive on that date.

So, if you’re still waiting, you have another date to pencil into your calendar. However, we’d suggest that you don’t start camping out in front of stores just yet.

Despite recent speculation that a third generation iPad will launch later this year, component makers in China have ruled out the possibility of two iPads in twelve months, and claimed that although Apple has released its plans for a higher resolution tablet, the device is still in the “initial planning stage.”

Sources said they do not see the iPad 2 as a transitional product, and pointed out that the launch of an iPad 3 so soon after the release of the second generation device would simply cut off interest in the iPad 2. Component makers confirmed that they are yet to receive any notice for next generation iPad components, and with such a strong demand for the iPad 2, an update won’t appear anytime soon.

Touch panel makers also revealed that Apple may be considering an AMOLED panel for the iPad 3, which would be a “great risk” for the Cupertino company since AMOLED technologies are currently largely controlled by Samsung. It may mean Apple could no longer have priority over the key technologies used in its devices, and meeting demand for the device could prove even more difficult.

[via DigiTimes]

Earlier today, we brought you a report from CrunchGear about a Best Buy employee who had revealed that the retail giant was deliberately saving stock of the iPad 2 once it had met its sales quotas each day – a technique that apparently didn’t sit too well with Apple.

Since then, Best Buy has denied rumors that it has fallen out with the Cupertino company, and declared it was holding stock of the iPad 2 for an “upcoming promotion.”

In an official statement sent to Boy Genius Report, Best Buy said:

Best Buy continues to receive iPad 2 inventory from Apple on a regular basis. As we’ve said previously, we are fulfilling customer reservations first.

Our stores have been asked to temporarily hold non-reserved iPad 2 inventory for an upcoming promotion. This is a customary practice for us when there are supply constraints. Best Buy enjoys a great partnership with Apple, and we’re delighted by customer response to iPad 2.

While Best Buy seem to have clarified the issue of holding stock, it did not comment on a claim that its employees were lying to customers by informing them they had no stock of the second generation device, when in fact its stock rooms could be littered with them.

Despite the short supply of iPad 2s, training materials for Toys ‘R’ Us staff have revealed that the children’s toy giant could be the next store to offer the device. Pictures sent into ModMyI show one of the questions featured in the employee training programme, and a product sheet for the device – both of which contain a Toys ‘R’ Us logo.

The badly-worded question was obtained during an employee training session and reads: “The iPad 2 features a what size LED screen?” Together with the branded product sheet, these photographs would suggest that a Toys ‘R’ Us launch of the device could be imminent.

One of the big questions everyone’s asking about the iPhone at the moment is whether or not a fifth generation device will launch this summer. According to a new report from Korean site ETNews.co.kr, Apple is planning to release the iPhone 5 during the 4th week of June, with Korean carriers SK Telecom and KT among the first providers to offer the device:

iPhone 5, the next model of iPhone 4, will be released on the coming 4th week of June. In the midst of the iPhone 5 postponement rumors, Apple has confirmed that iPhone 5 will be released as planned and it will be released simultaneously in Korea through SK Telecom and KT.

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Shipping times for the iPad 2 from the Apple online store have dropped today, with new orders now facing a wait of 2-3 weeks down from the previous 3-4 weeks. The new shipping times aren’t just U.S. specific either – they apply to every country in which the iPad 2 is currently available.

A reduction in the shipping delay of the second generation iPad is a sign Apple is clearly dealing with the overwhelming demand of the device’s international launch.

Today is iPad 2 day and like the rest of you I got up early today. I’d say way to early since it was 2:45 am CST and I was surprised to find out that my alarm clock on my iPhone 4 could be set to such an early hour. The engineers at Apple HQ in Cupertino could not have done a better job on that alarm, but for once I was wishing they’d screwed it up since I think it should be a crime for an alarm clock to ring before 5:00 am.

Although Apple is notoriously tight-lipped about new products in the pipeline, it’s pretty easy to predict when they’ll refresh one of their devices as long as you know when they last released an update… and this is doubly true for iOS devices, which follow a strict yearly update cycle.

Knowing this, you’d have to be addled-of-brain and swollen-of-tongue to bet against the iPad 2 shipping anytime before early April: after all, the first iPad shipped in America on April 3rd, a Saturday.

MacNotes‘s “reliable sources” tipping either an Apil 2nd or April 9th U.S. release for the iPad 2 aren’t really saying anything jaw-dropping then. They suggest, like last time, that the iPad 2 will ship on a Saturday early in April, and, like last time, it’ll be a U.S. exclusive for a a couple months before launching internationally.Also like last time, they say it’ll be six months before big box retailers like Wal-Mart and Best Buy get to offer the tablet.

Well, yeah. Duh. My guess is the iPad 2 launch will be more or less identical in timing and specifics to the first-gen iPad launch except for one thing: just a hunch, but I’m betting Apple will have both the WiFi and 3G versions ready simultaneously this time.

Today is iPhone 4 day and like the rest of you I got up early today. I’d say way to early since it was 4:00 am and I was surprised to find out that my alarm clock on my iPhone could be set to such an early hour. The engineers at Apple HQ in Cupertino could not have done a better job on that alarm, but for once I was wishing they’d screwed it up since I think it should be a crime for an alarm clock to ring before 5:00 am.