Hasta La Gadget!

Apple‘s results for its fiscal first quarter of 2013 are in, and things are looking pretty good for the iPad family of devices. Apple managed to sell 22.9 million iPads in Q1 2013, and though it doesn’t go into specifics as to which model sold the most, it seems safe to assume that the all new iPad mini posted some excellent numbers. Just the same, the fourth-generation iPad probably had strong numbers as well, with iPad sales up from 15.4 million year-over-year and setting a record for Apple.

Those gains aren’t anything to stick your nose up at, and we imagine that increase will be something that makes investors smile. Earlier today, Apple’s shares were up in anticipation of this financial report, and with sales looking good to excellent almost across the board, those numbers might increase further. At the very least, that huge gain over the same quarter a year ago will definitely look great when it comes time for Apple to face investors.

Apple announced the iPad mini at a special event on October 23, 2012. Following the success of the iPhone 5, Apple used the event to unveil not only the iPad mini, but also the fourth-generation iPad. Pre-orders for the iPad mini came shortly after the event, with stock diminishing quickly. While we don’t know yet just how much of those 22.9 million sales the iPad mini can claim for itself, we wouldn’t be surprised at all to hear that it’s a significant amount.

With a good Q1 2013 on the books, we now look forward to the rest of 2013, which is rumored to be a pretty big year for Apple. We’ll likely see the introduction of a new iPad this year, with the company rumored to be launching at least a couple new iPhone models. Be sure to read through our reviews of the iPad mini and the fourth-generation iPad for more details on Apple’s newest slates!

[via Apple]

Apple sells 22.9 million iPads in Q1 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week we got the opportunity to speak with Jane from ONGUARD about the company’s new family of folding cases and covers for the iPad, iPhone, and Google Nexus 7. What you’re seeing here is a brand new line of cases and covers, the company bringing on a new generation of magnet-toting amalgamations of protection and display for your devices. What we’ve seen here is a unit for the iPhone 5 that’s a case and a stand in one, a similar solution for the iPad (3/4), and another for the Google Nexus 7 tablet that’s not just a stand, but a sleeve as well.

The iPhone 5 unit we’re seeing here is shown in leathery black with red stitching, working as two separate pieces, a case that can exist on its own, and the leathery bit that fits over it to create one single unit. The protection this unit offers is thick and robust, but the real gem is the stand – it’s magnetically held tight and down in your pocket when you don’t need it and folds up and out when you do. Real simple, really high quality – and it’ll hold your iPhone up in two different positions.

NOTE: None of the cases are called “origami” as such, but that’s certainly the easiest way to describe them to someone who has never seen them before.

Next is the iPad case and stand by the name of ONGUARD Shell. This unit fits around the sides and back of your iPad to offer some basic protection for everything but the display and, like the iPhone case, folds up in a triangular origami-like way to prop your iPad up with style. While we’ve seen similar solutions to this in the past, this is the only unit we’ve seen where the stand stays flat against the back when not in use.

Finally there’s a unique case/stand by the name of ONGUARD Sleeve for the ASUS Nexus 7 from Google. This unit (like the other solutions we’ve seen today) comes in a variety of colors, but here works on the understanding that the Nexus 7 is already thick enough as it is, keeping your protection limited to when you’re in transit with the machine rather than having it covered at all times. The case then folds up and acts as a stand, once again, when you’ve taken the device out for daily use. Well played!

We’ll be seeing more of ONGUARD in the near future – for now you’ll want to jump in on the rest of our CES 2013 action in our massive CES portal all week long for more hands-on action and up to the minute updates all week long!

ONGUARD iPad, iPhone 5, and Nexus 7 folding “origami” cases hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s time to get your transitional period on with an update the the specifications accessory makers much follows in order to get official support from Apple. In the wake of an issue with having both the Lightning cable and the legacy 30-pin connector working on one device, Apple has come forth with a tweak to the rules. While it’s not entirely clear if it was the POP Kickstarter incident from earlier this week that made this change in Apple’s policies a reality, the result is clear: you’ll be able to work with a single accessory in the future with both types of connectors, no sweat.

Word of an update to the policies Apple has for accessories working with their mobile devices came down today via CNET where Apple spokesperson Tom Neumayr made just the past crystal clear. The actual “we’ve changed” part of the equation was left to the author to elaborate on himself with a simple “the company added that the guidelines have since been updated.” Neumayr spoke thusly:

“Our technical specifications provide clear guidelines for developing accessories and they are available to MFi licensees for free. We support accessories that integrate USB and Lightning connectors, but there were technical issues that prevented accessories from integrating 30-pin and Lightning connectors so our guidelines did not allow this.” – Neumayr

What we’re talking about here is not Apple telling the world that they may not have cords coming from devices with the Lightning connector as well as the 30-pin iPod connector in one, but that if they do, they’ll not be speaking kindly with them any time soon. Accessory makers around the world speak with Apple on a regular basis to get official licenses from the company so that they can get approval for the cords Apple designed. With the dawn of the Lightning cable, many accessory makers had to re-think their entire iDevice strategy.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see some of the brief history of the Lightning connector and make sure you’ve got your eyes open for the first dual-connector accessories in the very, very near future. Expect some Apple-approved dual-wielding docks by the middle of 2013, without a doubt.

30-pin Lightning combo docks coming soon as Apple tweaks spec is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’ve got a Gmail account and you work with the iPhone or an iPad, you may have been jealous of all the extra fabulous features that your Android friends and family have had that you didn’t in a Gmail app – that era has ended. With Gmail 2.0 for iOS, you’ve got a perfectly simple interface that’s so stripped down, you might think something is missing. In reality you’ve got the best-tuned Gmail app experience yet offered on iOS – though that should be true every time there’s a release, it’s gotten particularly well improved over the past this time around.

This new version of Gmail has, first and foremost, easy access to multiple accounts. Perhaps you’ve got an account for work, another for personal business, and another you use to keep in contact with your granny. You don’t want those all mixed up, do you? Gmail 2.0 makes it perfectly simple to switch between them on the fly with a simple tug of the display – right up where your profile name is – check the new arrow and make your faces appear.

The 6 months since the team at Google announced they’d be creating a whole new Gmail experience for iOS have been spent not just adding usability features, but adding aesthetic cues and tweaks as well. You’ll find that this version of Gmail is flatter and smoother than ever before, even going so far as to update the color scheme of the icon for the app – white now takes over the previously dominant red – or does it emphasize it?

This version of Gmail allows you to see much more in-detail invitations to events via Google+ as well as the ability to give a +1 to Google+ posts without leaving the app. In short, this version of Gmail entices you to join Google+ more than ever, and we expect this trend to continue through the future as well. Access posts, RSVP, or jump on down to the mobile web if you absolutely must – but stay if you can!

You can download this version of Gmail from the iTunes app store right this minute for absolutely no cash at all – it’s free! You’ll need a Gmail account to work with Gmail, of course, but you can create a profile from the front screen of the app as well.

Gmail 2.0 for iOS Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We knew at some point that the iPhone 5, and other Apple products, would be hitting China sometime before the year’s end, but now it’s finally official. The iPhone 5 will cross over Chinese borders and make its way into the country on December 14, while the iPad mini and the 4th-generation iPad will land on Chinese soil a week earlier on December 7.

Consumers in China will be able to get all three gadgets through the Apple Store online, at select Apple resellers, and at Apple retail stores. While you’ll be able to pick up an iPad mini and a 4th-generation iPad, only the WiFi versions will be available. There’s no information on if or when China will receive LTE version of Apple’s tablets.

China has a huge impact on Apple’s sales, accounting for around 15% (almost $24 billion) of the company’s revenue for the fiscal year that ended back in September. At the time, CEO Tim Cook said that Apple was expecting the arrival of the iPhone 5 in China sometime during December, and it looks like they were right on the money.

While Apple may have a commanding hold on the smartphone market in the US, Apple recently slipped out of the top five smartphone manufacturers in China. Research firm Canalys said that the iPhone’s share of the Chinese smartphone market dropped slightly to 8%, while Samsung holds the lead at 14%. Other Chinese manufacturers account for the other four spots in the top five.

iPad mini coming to China December 7, iPhone 5 a week later is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.