Hasta La Gadget!

It certainly feels like the iPad 2 is coming in the next few weeks? In the wake of CES’s massive tablet lovefest, we’ve seen a parade of iPad rumors, all seemingly pointing to the fact that Apple would be unveiling something soon. And besides, Apple’s fairly regular release schedule pointed to a late January event (the first iPad was announced on January 27th of last year).

Here’s another interesting little potential hint. In the second beta of iOS 4.2, a thumbnail seems to actually give away the release date of the new tablet. In the past version, the iOS, the old calendar icon had a big “27” on it–the day in January that the last iPad was released. The new icon, meanwhile, spots a big “9.”

Could Apple be releasing the new iPad on the 9th of February? Seems like a long shot, sure, but in the world of Apple rumors, everything is fair game.

Apple doesn’t want you to fix your own gear–it would much rather have you walk into a Genius Bar for repair, or just buy a new gadget altogether. The company has made that painfully clear all along, with non-removable batteries and other safety guards in place to assure that you don’t open up your devices. And now it has another trick up its sleeve.

The company has begun using Pentalobe-screw heads on its devices. The screws apparently first started popping up on MacBook Pros in 2009, assuring that no one could get the pesky battery out of the thing. Next up, they began appearing on last year’s MacBook Air, keeping the whole inside of the ultraportable off limits.

The screws were in place on a certain number of international iPhone 4 units, but not any of the ones that arrived in the first shipment of US handsets. Now, it seems, Apple has begun to install them on more recent phones.

Why is Apple going through all of the trouble? Simple–Pentalobe screwdrivers are hard to come by. iFixit, those perpetual gadget fiddlers, are offering a solution–the iPhone 4 Liberation Kit. It’s basically two screwdrivers–something approximating a Pentalobe and a Phillps–and all of the requisite screws, so you can remove the old one and stick in much more easily removed versions.

Hugh Hefner wasn’t lying to his loyal Twitter followers earlier today when he stated, “Big news! Playboy–both old & new–will be available on iPad beginning in March.” But the facts aren’t quite what many had suspected (or, perhaps, hoped).

Apple hasn’t dropped its staunch anti-adult content policy in the wake of Steve Jobs’s absence. Nope, Hefner and co. will be circumventing the company’s strict App Store policing the way so many adult content providers have before–via the Internet.

Playboy is teaming up with Web designer Bondi to create an iPad-friendly content site. As a Playboy rep said in an interview, “We are releasing a web-based subscription service with Bondi Digital Publishing that will give users access to every issue of Playboy both past and present. The service will be iPad-compatible and will utilize iPad functions.”

The publisher will also be offering an iPad app in the coming months, but this one will feature a lot less nakedness, for those who are actually, you know, in it for the articles.

Every great gadget needs a great case. Been looking for something a little more high-level to wrap your new iPad in? iKit, a licensed Apple accessory brand, has just unveiled its latest creation, the iPad Exec Case. The case features a sleek look and provides secure protection for the iPad.

The case is slim, so it won’t add much bulk to your tablet, and delivers form-fitting protection. It allows full access to all controls and functions, guaranteeing a durable solution against drops while still maintaining functionality. The case comes in either black or gray for $39.95.

Apple today posted its financial results for the first quarter of 2011, and the company has plenty to celebrate, pulling in $26.74 billion dollars–that’s up from $15.68 billion the same time last year.

Apple moved 7.33 million iPads, 16.24 million iPhones (up 86 percent over last year), and 4.13 million Macs (up 23 percent over last year). iPod sales decreased, meanwhile, with 19.45 million (down seven percent), continuing no doubt to be cannibalized by iPhone sales.

The company’s CFO, Peter Oppenheimer, was, not surprisingly, optimistic about the whole thing,

We couldn’t be happier with the performance of our business, generating $9.8 billion in cash flow from operations during the December quarter. Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2011, we expect revenue of about $22 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $4.90.

A release issued by the company also contained a quote from CEO Steve Jobs,

We had a phenomenal holiday quarter with record Mac, iPhone and iPad sales. We are firing on all cylinders and we’ve got some exciting things in the pipeline for this year including iPhone 4 on Verizon which customers can’t wait to get their hands on.