Hasta La Gadget!

Apple’s next iPad might look like an enlarged iPad mini, according to new pictures received by 9to5Mac that claim to represent the device’s new back casing. The pics aren’t “verified,” the blog says, but 9to5Mac’s track record is solid, with another example that it generally posts good info coming earlier this week. And let’s face it, Apple has nowhere to go with the big boy iPad except for slimmer and lighter, if it wants to keep the thing appealing.

The iPad getting a mid-cycle update could suggest that we won’t see a bigger update for the Retina model until later in the year, so these could still be very early prototypes. But we have heard before that there will be a new iPad around spring, which would fit with case parts being in-stream among Chinese supply partners, for production testing ahead of building a shipping product. And Apple borrowing a design page out of the iPad mini’s book makes a lot of sense: the smaller tablet blows the pants of of the larger one in terms of look and feel in my opinion.

What makes the iPad mini such an attractive option over its larger sibling, for me and for many of my fellow tech bloggers and reviewers, is the fact that it’s so much smaller, lighter and generally more manageable than the full-sized iPad. Cutting weight and depth, as the case depicted in these photos appears to do, would be a good move in terms of giving reviewers something to crow about with a new iPad launch. And it could help the device strike a nice balance between portability and screen real estate, maybe attracting back a few customers who purchased the iPad mini despite its lack of a Retina display and other trade-offs, strictly for the nearly pocketable design.

Apple CEO Tim Cook may not fear cannibalization, but a better situation would be one where Apple can create compelling-enough design iterations on both the iPad and iPad mini to keep a percentage of consumers swinging back from one to the other with each successive update. The one advantage of Apple having had to go to a slightly thicker, heavier design between iPad 2 and the first Retina Display iPad is that a swing back the other direction now could really impress. Even if customers only upgrade each once every two cycles, the relationship could become more synergistic than cannibalistic, though we’ll have to see what kind of additional product differentiation Apple has in store to make that happen.

The classic board game Stratego is hitting more platforms today. Developed by Keesing Games, the popular strategy board game by Royal Jumbo is now available on the iPad, Facebook, or through a web browser (Stratego.com). Both the Facebook and web browser versions are free to play, but the developers are charging a hefty $6.99 for the iPad version.

Stratego has been around for over 50 years, and it has seen many revisions along the way by many board game makers, like Milton Bradley, Hasbro, and Spin Master. This digital version from Keesing Games looks to be based on Hasbro’s version from a few years ago, but it includes a few more surprises than what you would find in the regular board game version.

Players can play in both single-player modes and online modes, with the option to play in full 40-piece games or smaller games of 10 pieces. All of the mechanics from the board game are present, with players working to capture the flag of their opponents, and using a mix of strategy and deception to successfully move game pieces around the board.

Development of Stratego began last year during the spring, and the game has been in a closed beta until now, with around 18,000 players having already had their fair share of play time. Keesing Games says that while the game will still see action on Facebook, the game will probably have an easier time gaining players on iOS due to the platform’s popularity. However, the developers are hard at work on a new mode for the game that will hopefully attract more Facebook users.

[via Inside Social Games]

Stratego comes to iPad, Facebook, and the web browser is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple has officially announced the 128GB iPad with Retina Display, with the new super-capacity version of the fourth-gen tablet priced from $799. Set to go on sale from Tuesday, February 5, in both WiFi-only and WiFi + Cellular variants, the 128GB iPad has the same 9.7-inch Retina Display high-res screen as we saw before, but doubles the internal flash storage for those with huge multimedia ambitions.

Inside, apart from the extra storage, there’s the same Apple A6X processor running iOS 6.1. The cellular model also has an LTE radio – with DC-HSDPA for those countries without compatible 4G networks – and both have a FaceTime HD camera, WiFi a/b/g/n, and Bluetooth 4.0.

Apple’s 128GB iPad will go on sale alongside, rather than replacing, the existing three model full-sized iPad range, and will be available in black or white finishes. The company expects it to be popular with those mobile users who insist on carrying all their data around, whether that be iTunes music/video/ebook downloads, presentations, or other content.

The 128GB iPad with Retina Display WiFi is priced at $799, while the WiFi + Cellular model will be $929 when it arrives on shelves. As usual, there’ll be pay-per-use and non-contract data options through the familiar 3G/4G carriers.

iPad with Retina Display 128GB official is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Rumors turned out to be correct, and Apple has launched a 128GB version of the fourth generation iPad with Retina Display. The 128GB version comes in both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular versions, and will be available Tuesday, February 5 from Apple retail, Apple online and Apple authorized resellers in both black and white.

Apple’s 128GB fourth generation iPad is designed to cater to users with greater storage demands, like enterprise users, creative professionals and those in the medical industry, according to details shared in the official press release announcing the new model.

With more than 120 million iPads sold, it’s clear that customers around the world love their iPads, and everyday they are finding more great reasons to work, learn and play on their iPads rather than their old PCs,” Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller is quoted as saying in the release. “With twice the storage capacity and an unparalleled selection of over 300,000 native iPad apps, enterprises, educators and artists have even more reasons to use iPad for all their business and personal needs.

Apple also includes testimonial quotes from an AutoCad VP, the CEO of professional audio company WaveMachine Labs, and professional sports analytics company Global Apptitude. It’s likely a good strategy to aim this at those kinds of customers, given that with a price tag this high, the number of general consumers such an option would appeal to could be quite limited. Apple should make much more money on this particular SKU, however, given that generally its profit margins increase as storage capacity goes up on iOS devices.

A mid-cycle capacity bump is an unusual move for Apple, which, especially with iOS devices, has generally stuck to a fairly regular update schedule where devices get more extensive hardware changes roughly once a year. I said in our post about 9to5Mac’s pre-release leak on a 128GB version of the Retina iPad that this actually makes sense for a number of reasons, however, since it injects some new life into a device that was last updated in October and likely won’t see another major update for at least another six months. Plus, it differentiates the iPad further from the iPad mini, and could put the tablet even more in competition with ultraportables and other PCs now using flash storage in similar capacities, but with much higher price tags, especially in those industries singled out by Apple.

The news isn’t a complete surprise thanks to 9to5Mac’s reports from retail sources. Traditionally, the site has had solid info about Apple’s new product pipeline, and this time proved to be no exception. But it is rare that we get a chance to see an Apple rumor hit the web and then get confirmed in such quick succession.

Earlier today, we reported about the rumor that Apple is brewing up a new iPad model with a 128GB storage that will be priced around $799 for the Wi-Fi-only model and $929 for the Cellular-compatible model. Well, 9to5 Mac is now adding the rumor by posting an “unverified” image submitted by a Chinese iPad accessories manufacturer. The image, as seen above together with iPad mini, appears to be the black of the next-generation iPad, which the source says is a prototype back piece for the fifth-generation iPad with a 9.7-inch display.

(more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple Poised To Launch Additional iPad Model With 128GB Storage [Rumor], iPad 5 Expected To Resemble An iPad Mini And Release In October [Rumor],