Hasta La Gadget!

Apple has started selling the capacious new 128GB iPad, the latest update to its fourth-generation Retina Display-sporting tablet design. The 9.7-inch iPad is pulling away from its 7.9-inch younger sibling, desperately crying out “I’m different!” with a flash storage bump. But more importantly, it’s also narrowing the perceived gap between itself and competitors like Microsoft’s Surface Pro.

The Surface Pro, an iPad competitor? Nay, you say. Microsoft’s computer is a computer, running a full-fledged desktop OS capable of running powerful apps like Photoshop and more, powered by an Intel Core i5 processor. It, too, comes equipped with up to 128GB of storage, features a number of input and output ports, and has a fancy stylus for handwriting.

But the iPad is not, nor has it ever been, in direct competition with incumbent devices running Windows software. In fact, the iPad has made its enterprise progress in spite of not being able to do all those things the Surface Pro is trumpeting about. People seeking out the Apple tablet for business use aren’t doing so because it has full Windows software support – it doesn’t. They’re doing it because what Apple does provide is conducive to changing practices in the workplace and new ways of getting things done.

The Surface Pro is a device that could potentially hold a lot of appeal for users who are stuck on legacy systems in workplaces where there’s little flexibility for switching to entirely new platforms, but for the crowd already eager for hardware innovation, the iPad will remain an attractive option. And with the introduction of iPads with much improved storage capacity, at prices that, while expensive, still come in under their Surface Pro equivalents, with double the battery life and a lot more actual usable space.

Apple’s 128GB iPad, timed for sale as it is just under one week ahead of the Surface Pro’s official launch, was not planned coincidentally. But it’s also an indication that Apple doesn’t seem all that scared of what Microsoft is putting out there: they’ve taken the one spec they suspect could actually matter to their prospective enterprise and education customers and matched it (on paper, and exceeded it in practice). Let’s see if that’s enough to cut Redmond off at the knees in terms of its attempt to take the wind out of Apple’s enterprise sails.

So we’ve all seen various concept videos of what Apple’s next-gen iPhone should (realistically or not) look like with features such as a laser keyboard being suggested. It seemed a little far-fetched, or is it? Well according to the folks at Patently Apple, they have discovered an Apple patent which was revealed Apple’s plans for a future iPad which could come with a section where a laser keyboard would be projected out, allowing users to type out documents, emails and etc. on any flat surface! While we’re not sure how much better this would compare to the virtual keyboard, having a laser keyboard would most definitely free up some screen real estate, allowing you to type out emails and documents more comfortably.

Of course this being a patent, there is no indication if Apple would ever go for such an idea. It could merely be a concept that Apple toyed around with, or it could be an option that they are seriously considering. Either way don’t get your hopes up just yet, but for those rooting for the laser keyboard, take some comfort that the Cupertino has at the very least thought about it. What do you think? Yay or nay on the laser keyboard?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: 128GB iPad 4 With Retina Display Now Available In The Apple Store, Radio Buttons Found On Jailbroken iPad Corroborates iTunes Streaming Service Rumor,

It was inevitable that Logitech would expand its Ultrathin iPad keyboard cover lineup to include an offering fit for the iPad mini, and the time has finally arrived. Priced 20 bucks less than it’s full-sized counterpart, the $79.99 Ultrathin Keyboard mini brings tactile typing and some added protection to Apple’s 7.9-inch slate. Like the bigger version, it offers full size keys to please tapping fingers, has an aluminum cover and comes in your choice of black or white. Folks looking to pick one up won’t have much longer to wait, as the Ultrathin Keyboard mini will make its retail debut in the US and Europe later this month.

Filed under: Peripherals, Tablets

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Source: Blog.Logitech

This week Gartner has released a report in which they predict Apple to be as accepted by Enterprise IT by the year 2014 as Microsoft is here in 2013. That’s may appear to be a mighty large feat for those unaware of the inroads Apple’s taken over the past few years into this space that’s traditionally be dominated by Microsoft, but the truth of the matter is as Gartner says – it’s certainly looking like Apple’s presence in the business world is about to get much more visible if (and perhaps when) it reaches past Microsoft.

The report follows Gartner’s assertion that mobile apps will be of a much more hybrid nature in a very big way over the next few years. This idea and Apple’s growth in the Enterprise IT environment create vision for the future where businesses work with devices based on their hardware quality rather than the operating system they run. It’s important to note here that Gartner is affirming Apple mobile devices as already accepted in a large way by enterprise IT, while Apple’s desktop hardware and software is on the rise.

David Mitchell Smith, vice president and Gartner Fellow says that “Going forward, Apple will continue to benefit from consumerization and will continue to evolve Macs to take on more iOS characteristics.” It’s because of this cross-pollination that Macs will grow in their use by businesses across the market. Smith continues, saying that because the iOS universe is being pushed to desktop feature by feature and because Apple’s mobile lineup continues to be massively popular, Mac desktop systems will inevitably continue to be accepted by enterprise as consumer demand grows.

The Gartner team also spoke on Microsoft’s mobile systems in Windows Phone and Windows 8 (and Windows RT for tablets too, we must assume). They say that enterprise acceptance of these mobile systems are due in a large way to the relationship the companies have with Microsoft rather than the features the smartphones and tablets work with. Because Microsoft has “not benefited from consumerization”, as Gartner says, Apple will continue to grow in this rather healthy way.

Consumerization here is, as Gartner says, “driven first by consumer demand, and then by the demand of those consumers to bring that technology into the workplace.” How simple is that? Sounds like a winning strategy if there ever was one to be had!

[via Gartner]

Gartner: Apple just as Enterprise friendly as Microsoft by 2014 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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