Hasta La Gadget!

An early fourth-generation iPad benchmark was spotted on Geekbench today, and it scored a 1757, which more than doubles the score of the third-generation iPad, which checked in with a Geekbench score of 791. In fact, the fourth-generation iPad (which goes by iPad3,4) scored higher than the iPhone 5 on the Geekbench score we took. However, we have seen some Android phones and tablets flirt with this score before, like the Galaxy S3 and the Nexus 7 . (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Don’t buy an iPad 3 today unless you like the old 30-pin connector, Apple Event available on video,

It would appear that amongst the software and hardware releases Google has detailed this week is their first giant iPad competitor in the Google Nexus 10. At first glance the differences might not be abundant to an everyday average user other than the obvious Android vs iOS and feel of each device. As it turns out though, these two tablets, for the first time, create a battle between the iPad and an Android-toting tablet made not just by a major manufacturer, but Google as well.

Google’s first full-sized Nexus tablet

Some might argue that it was the Motorola XOOM tablet that Google first gave their highest attention to as it was indeed presenting a very vanilla look at Android 3.0 Honeycomb (made for tablets specifically). This means that Motorola provided the hardware, sure, but it was Google that took care of the entirety of the software, with no additions from Motorola as would otherwise be standard. But because the name of the device was no Nexus, it never was truly a Nexus family device – not by today’s Nexus standards and expectations, anyway.

Here with the Nexus 10, Google and Samsung are coming in full force. Unlike the Motorola XOOM, this device is branded with Google first and foremost. Samsung certainly put their work on in the hardware, but this is Google’s show. This is the closest Google has gotten to having the same control over a full-sized tablet the way Apple does with the iPad.

Legal considerations

Samsung clearly had practice with the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and the Galaxy Note 10.1 given the form-factor here. It’d be silly to assume that Google didn’t take into account both that Samsung built the Galaxy Tab 10.1N to avoid Apple wrath (the 10.1N being the precursor to the 2) and that this move effectively worked. With a tried and true – and legal – design on the books, Google must have seen this as an opportunity to work Samsung’s ever-evolving design sensibilities into their own Nexus family.

AirPlay vs Wireless Display Mirroring with Miracast

One of the most interesting additions the Nexus 10 adds with Android 4.2 is wireless display mirroring with Miracast technology. This update will eventually be on all new Android devices as it comes standard with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean+. Have a peek at our SlashGear 101: How does Android 4.2 Jelly Bean wireless display mirroring work? guide to see what it all means. Basically it uses a wireless standard technology that’ll be working on many, many devices in the near future.

With the iPad you’ve got AirPlay support which is quite similar to what Miracast offers, and like Miracast, it’s limited to devices that are compatible with it specifically. At the moment there appears to be more adoption of AirPlay out there in the 3rd party device world than there does Miracast, but given the adoption and promises we’ve heard around Miracast over the past few months, we’re expecting it to take hold very, very fast.

Display

With this Nexus 10 device from Samsung, Google brings a warrior to the battle and hits Apple right where it hurts – directly in the display. Of course it’s going to be all up to the end user deciding which unit has a “better” display, but the facts are these:

10.055 inches at 2560 × 1600 pixel resolution for 300 ppi PLS
9.7 inches at 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution for 264 ppi IPS LED

Apple brands their display as “Retina-quality” while Google says they’ve got the “highest resolution on the planet.” Apple’s “Retina” qualification was created by Apple, of course, while Google’s claim goes this far: if you’re considering every display on the planet, there certainly are a handful of units (smartphones, each of them) that have a higher number of pixels per inch : but when you consider the fact that this tablet has more pixels overall at 300 PPI, it does indeed have the most. If you had several HTC J Butterfly smartphones merged into 10.055 inches of screen space, Google would be beaten – HTC’s smartphone monster has 440 PPI and indeed the sharpest panel.

PLS stands for Plane-to-Line Switching, and was created by Samsung to be the next generation after IPS. It’s also known as “Super PLS” and is supposed to cost less to produce while providing better image quality, viewing angles, and brightness than previous generations – of course we’ll just have to see about that when the device hits our review bench.

Size, System, Cameras

The iPad 4th gen is 7.3 x 9.5 x 0.37 inches and comes in at 1.44 or 1.46 pounds depending on if you’re working with 4G LTE or not. You’ve got the new Apple 9-pin dock Lightning connector on the iPad while you’re using iOS 6 and a battery that Apple says will last you 10 hours for video playback. The cameras you get on the iPad 4th gen are a 5 megapixel rear-facing shooter capable of 1080p video and a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat.

The Google Nexus 10 by Samsung comes in at 1.33 pounds pounds (wi-fi only) and is 10.39 x 6.99 x 0.35 inches across the top, side, and thick. The Nexus 10 connect with standard microUSB and has a microHDMI port as well, works with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and Google says it’ll have 9 hours of video playback. The back-facing camera on the Nexus 10 is 5 megapixels strong with 1080p video capabilities while the front-facing camera is a 1.9 megapixel machine made for video chat as well. Both devices have Bluetooth 4.0 and wi-fi capabilities, while the iPad currently has versions on the market with 4G LTE capabilities as well.

Apple has boosted the processing capabilities of the iPad 4th gen over its predecessor with a new chipset by the name of A6X. This chip only exists in Apple products and has been detailed as Apple’s top of the line model surpassing even the iPhone 5′s chip. The Google Nexus 10 comes with the Samsung Exynos 5250 with dual-core A15 Eagle CPU and Quad-core ARM Mali-T604 GPU – that’s the same as the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook we reviewed – rather powerful indeed; though again, we’ll see once we bring on the full review

Both Apple and Google currently have smaller devices like these on the market as well, Google’s being the Nexus 7 (made by ASUS) and Apple’s being the iPad mini. Have a peek at them as well if these 10-inch tablets are too rich for you blood.

Cost

The iPad comes in many different variations, and now that the iPad 4th generation is out, there are also iPad 3rd gen units floating around out there in the wild without Apple to sell them directly. Thusly the following list must suffice:

$499 for 16GB
$599 for 32GB
$699 for 64GB

The iPad 2 is also in your local Apple store and its prices essentially match that of the Google Nexus 10. The specifications, on the other hand, are far less grand than either the Nexus 10 or the iPad 4th or even 3rd generation devices. The Google Nexus 10 is about to be for sale (or already is, depending on when you’re reading this), for the following prices.

$399 for 16GB
$499 for 32GB

Each of these units are wi-fi only, while it’s expected that mobile data connected iterations will be out in the future. Google just released the Nexus 7 with wireless data, so it’s likely that the Nexus 10 won’t be far behind. The iPad 4th gen has 4G LTE connectivity units out right now that are the same prices as listed above +$130 USD regardless of internal storage size.

Wrap-up

We’re not going to choose for you, of course – it’s up to you: but given the prices, the displays, the wireless technology, and of course the operating systems, it’ll have more to do with your preference than anything else. With these manufacturers creating the devices, it’s certainly not a question of hardware build quality – and with the software on both devices being evolved to the point they’re both at, it’s also not about which system is more mature. Stick around for our full review of the Google Nexus 10 in the near future and check out our full review of the iPad 3rd Gen right this minute – and of course we’ll have the 4th gen on the way as well.

Nexus 10 vs iPad 4th Gen is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

EE has thrown in with Apple’s new iPad 4th-gen and iPad mini, confirming that it will be offering LTE versions of the two tablets “in the coming weeks.” Sold alongside the Orange and T-Mobile UK versions – which will be limited to HSPA+/DC-HSDPA – the 4G iPads will be tied to data plans from £25.99 per month for your mobile browsing.

EE’s announcement doesn’t come as too great a surprise, since the carrier was the only UK 4G network to be cited as compatible with the new iPad’s on Apple’s own tech pages. What we’re more interested in is pricing, given the carrier found itself in hot water this week after would-be early adopters proved turned-off by EE’s initial price plans.

We can make a few educated guesses as to data bundles from the mobile broadband pricing EE is offering, however. They’re pegged at £15.99 for 2GB per month, £20.99 for 3GB, and finally £25.99 for 5GB, when accessed via a USB modem or mobile hotspot.

Of course, that’s with an 18-month agreement, unlike what are normally rolling month-to-month plans provided for iPad users. Rates will likely be a little higher – or data allowances a little less – than the contract pricing, therefore.

Update: EE’s tablet data plans are here, though the news isn’t great if you – like us – you were hoping for rolling agreements. Instead, there are three 24-month contracts to choose from, priced at £25.99 for 2GB, £30.99 for 3GB, and £35.99 for 5GB; beyond that, £6 gets you another 500MB and £15 gets you another 2GB.

There’s more on the iPad mini in our hands-on from Apple’s event on Tuesday. In the UK, it will go on sale from £369 for the 16GB WiFi + 4G version, with preorders starting from Friday, October 26.

EE confirms LTE iPad mini and iPad 4th-gen headed to UK is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

As with all new Apple devices, we’re expecting consumers to throw their money at the company once the iPad Mini goes up for pre-order later this week. Even though Apple is boosting the number of suppliers its working with to produce the iPad Mini, at least one analyst is expecting there to be a stock shortage once the new tablet launches. Better get those pre-orders in early, lest they run out fast and you end up waiting a month before Apple has more to sell.

DiaplySearch analyst Richard Shim writes in a new Analyst Blog post that he expects stock to be tight for the both the iPad Mini and the fourth generation iPad, but is expecting the iPad Mini’s stock to be particularly slim thanks to its lower price and issues with Apple’s panel supply chain. “The new low price point is expected to appeal to a wider audience and drive up demand,” Shim said. “However, panel supply chain indications point to an even more than typical tightness in the market for the iPad Mini.”

Apple’s recently-soured relationship with Samsung may be partially to blame for the whatever shortages the iPad Mini experiences, considering that Samsung used to be one of Apple’s biggest display suppliers. Apple may be moving away from Samsung, but it has taken some measures to expand its supplier base. Apple will be relying on LG to produce displays for the iPad Mini, but the company has also brought on AUO, which unfortunately is experiencing issues with yields in its 7.9-inch displays.

Shim writes that AUO was only able to get 100,000 displays out the door in September due to these problems with yields – a far cry from the 400,000 it plans to produce this month, the 800,000 its shooting for in November, and the quota of one million its expected to reach in December. Given all of that, it’s no wonder that Shim is expecting an iPad Mini shortage, so if you want one at launch, it might be a good idea to get your pre-order in as early as possible once October 26 rolls around.

iPad Mini shortage likely at first, warns analyst is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

With the Apple iPac mini event over with, it’s time for the Apple Store to return to the web in full force, here with the tinier iPad, a new MacBook Pro, a new Mac mini, and a whole heck of a lot more. This update to the store brings with it not just a wave of new products, but a set of product retirements, this leading to a rush on the Refurbished and Clearance section – be sure to check the iPad 3 (now retired, believe it or not) for a big thrill ($375!) Then there’s the MacBook Pro with 13-inch Retina display at $1699, the iMac refresh with much-much thinner body for $1299, and the Mac mini for $599.

There’s a new USB power adapter in the Apple Store that works with the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPod touch 5th gen and iPod nano 7th gen as well as all the iPads. This charger is 12w instead of the until-now 10w, this allowing you to charge faster then ever before – or so we’re to understand. We’ll have to see once we’ve got our hands on a unit in the very near future.

Note that this marks a rather silent retirement of the iPad 3, as marked above. You’ll find the iPad 2 continuing to sit in stock in Apple Stores around the world while the iPad 4th generation device replaces it. This will have Apple’s stock quite obviously showing the iPad 2 as the lesser device across the board, even compared to the iPad mini – with prices that may make the iPad mini and the iPad 4th gen irresistible.

Have a peek at the rest of our Apple event coverage in our giant Apple iPad mini event round-up and stick around the Apple store portal for more information as it arrives. This update to the Apple store and the Apple ecosystem has a whole miniature vibe to it, wouldn’t you say? We’ll see how it all adds up with more in-person hands-on action soon!

Apple Store back up: iPad mini and goodies galore is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.