Hasta La Gadget!

If you were expecting an iPad mini in the next couple of days, you may have to be a little more patient, after thieves made off with 3,600 of the coveted tablets in a heist at JFK airport. The $1.5m haul saw two pallet-loads of iPads snatched away at midnight, the NYPost reports, with the airport’s own forklifts used to do the heavy lifting.

Unfortunately for the thieves – though good for Apple and pre-order customers – a pesky airport employee scuppered plans to snatch all of the tablets waiting to be shipped. Instead, only two pallets were taken out of a total of five.

According to Cargo Airport Services, which was handling the iPads, that tablets had just come into the US from China ahead of being distributed across the country. Sources close to the investigation suggest the team of thieves had some degree of inside assistance, being let into the airport and then back out again.

iPad mini supplies have been in hot demand in the weeks since the 7.9-inch tablet was put up for sale, with a two week delay for online orders of both the WiFi and the WiFi + Cellular models. Customers are limited to two per order, while in-store availability is similarly constrained.

Your iPad mini may just have been stolen is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

One of the most irritating things about Apple moving from its tried-and-true 30-pin connector to the new Lightning connector is that people are being forced to buy new accessories. Accessories that use the tiny new 8-pin connector have been slow to hit the market, but JBL has announced two new audio products that are aimed at the iPhone 5, 5th-gen iPod Touch and other Apple gadgets that use the new Lightning connector.

The OnBeat Micro and the OnBeat Venue LT speaker docks are the first on the market to use the new Lightning connector interface. The Micro is a battery-powered mobile speaker dock that also has a USB port for connecting older Apple devices as well as a 3.5mm audio input. The internal battery is good for up to five hours of playback and charges via an included AC adapter. Its two small full-range drivers are powered by a 2W-per-channel amp.

The Venue LT is a larger dock designed to be used in the home or office that connects to iPhones using Bluetooth and has its own Lightning connector for charging the iPhone 5, and the latest iPod nano and touch as well. It has a 15W x 2 amplifier, and a pair of full-range speakers.

Both devices work with the JBL MusicFlow app for viewing album art, changing tracks, and adjusting volume. The Micro retails for $99(USD) and the Venue LT sells for $199.

Apple’s iPad mini seems to be a success, and that has attracted the criminal element’s attention. According to the New York Post, a shipment of Apple’s iPad mini, numbering 3,600 devices and with a total value of $1.5 million, was taken from JFK airport from the same location that a group stole $5 million in cash and $900,000 in jewelry in 1978.

The thieves apparently only got a fraction of their total target, since they had to leave three pallets behind when an airport worker returned from dinner and questioned their actions. Before that, however, they had already managed to grab two full pallets, which still adds up to $1.5 million in goods as mentioned above. Police suspect an inside job, but no suspects have been apprehended as of yet.

The iPad minis had just reached the U.S. from Apple’s assembly partners in China, and were destined for delivery across the U.S. Apple is known to be shipping out its first batch of LTE iPad minis this week, so it’s possible this shipment was part of that rollout. If so, it’s possible that means 3,600 expectant Apple fans are going to be disappointed, but Apple could also very theoretically redirect stock destined for store shelves to make up the difference.

The whole job was reportedly pulled off by just two guys. Fencing the stolen goods might be difficult, since posting an ad on Craigslist for 3,600 iPads might look a little suspicious, but it’s still a remarkable take for a couple of guys who apparently just drove a truck to the airport.

That larger JBL speaker dock looks familiar, doesn’t it? Near the end of September, Harman gave us a peak at it’s latest consumer audio products. Curiously, however, a slew of new iOS-focused speaker docks were shown off, each lacking a Lightning connector. Today that’s changed, as JBL has announced a duo of systems that are equipped with Lightning docks. To start, the larger system is dubbed as the OnBeat Venue LTE ($200). This unit is essentially a Lightning-enhanced version of the 30-pin loaded Venue we recently spent time with, featuring the same 30 watts of power and Bluetooth connectivity with Apt-X support. Like it’s sibling, the dock can be set flush with the front, and better yet, you’ll even be able to dock your iPad Mini into it. Sizing things down a bit is the OnBeat Micro, a $100 bedside system that’ll play nice with the iPhone 5 and the new iPod Nano. While it doesn’t benefit from Harman’s Bluetooth know-how (a pricing consideration, as we’re told), it’s loaded with a rechargeable battery for quick bouts away from wall power.

Based on a quick listening session, we can report that the Venue LT sounded very full and clear. Even with the optional bass- or vocal-boosts enabled, it didn’t seem like the speakers were having trouble pushing out a high level of volume. The Micro on the other hand sounded decidedly tinny, which we’re frankly not surprised about given the size. Both systems are compatible with JBL’s MusicFlow app as well, giving you some extended options for tweaking the EQ. Both rigs felt fairly sturdy, but we were immediately able to notice some niggles with the Lighting connector. Our iPhone 5 and Harman’s iPad Mini and iPod Nano clicked into place easily with the connector, but the hinge it’s built on is very loose without any tension. A slight knock could potentially send an iOS device leaning forward, which would have us concerned in a party situation (the problem is more apparent on the Venue). Secondly, the docks won’t play nice with common cases like Speck’s CandyShell, so you’ll need to have your devices naked before docking. JBL noted the quirks, stating that they have little control over the behavior of connector itself, as it’s is supplied by Apple.

JBL expects that the OnBeat Venue LT and Micro will be the only Lightning-packing speaker docks for at least the holidays, so check out the press release after the break for more details if you’re interested. As for us? We’d say the Venue LT is definitely worth a look, but we’d just as easily pass on the Micro given the myriad options out there for smaller Bluetooth-equipped speakers.

Continue reading JBL intros first Lightning-equipped speaker docks, we go ears-on

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio/Video

JBL intros first Lightning-equipped speaker docks, we go ears-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen many electronic devices in the past that have been given the luxury makeover, resulting in smartphones, tablets, cameras and the likes that are decked out in diamonds, rubies, titanium and etc. Certainly not for the masses since not everyone is willing to spend a few thousand on a device that can be had for a few hundred, but we suppose there is a market out there for these sorts of things, which is why we can’t say we’re surprised that Gold and Co. has announced that they will be releasing a 24kt gold dipped iPad mini.

The golden iPad mini will be available in London, the UAE and Dubai and while the price of the gold dipped iPad mini was not revealed, a gold iPhone 5 will set you back around $5,000, so we can expect the iPad mini to go for around that price too. According to the company, they have described their gold dipped iPad mini: “All buttons and bezels are hand-polished to a mirror finish then plated in a Multi layer process topped off with 24KT gold to ensure end-to-end coverage and worry-free durability. Each limited-edition item is individually numbered to ensure exclusivity. There are no factory locks on our devices, which means they can be used anywhere in the world.” Any takers?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple posts new iPad mini adverts touting iPhoto and iBooks, iPad mini LTE to ship in five business days,