Galaxy S Blaze 4G

Chris Velazco:

[W]hile a Galaxy S III this thing ain’t, one could certainly do worse than eye up a device with a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor, 3.97-inch Super AMOLED display, and support for T-Mobile’s 42Mbps HSPA+ network.

Setting aside the myriad of stupid names electronics device manufacturers churn out all the time, this is what's wrong with punditry. Specs. Punditry decides whether something is good or bad based solely on spec. There's no regard for fit, finish, or user experience. Apple's tight integration of hardware and software has lead devices with less 'spec' to outperform devices that pundits everywhere have decided are better.

AAPL Over $100B Above Exxon’s Market Cap

Seth Weintraub:

NASDAQ, of which Apple represents over 10%, was down slightly on the day.

Unreal.

More iPad Mini Rumors

Killian Bell:

Apple’s latest iPad was not accompanied by the rumored “iPad mini” at its launch event in San Francisco last week. But according to sources in Apple’s supply chain, the smaller tablet is still on the way. One of its features, they claim, will be a slim bezel that will aim to maximize its viewing area.

Wow. Interesting. What's your source?

…according to sources for DigiTimes.

Oh.

iPad Still Boring?

USA Today:

Customer response to the new iPad has been off the charts and the quantity available for pre-order has been purchased

I guess everyone else was bored with the new iPad too, hey Matt?

(Via The Next Web)

App Store Free Trials

Alex Heath:

A recent update to the iTunes Terms and Conditions adds an interesting clause regarding free trials for in-app subscriptions in the iOS App Store. Ever since the launch of the App Store in 2007, users have been clamoring for some kind of demoing system for paid apps. It looks like Apple may be slowly making strides towards that reality.

Welcome, and long overdue.

Galaxy Note 10.1 Superior to New iPad, Says Samsung

This image came from Samsung at the release of the new iPad:

Am I missing something here? Their big claims to fame are the stylus (3.5 separate bullet points) and the fact that two apps can be run side-by-side (3.4 separate bullet points), and don't forget that little (1) which denotes that for apps to take advantage of this great feature they must be specifically coded to use that API. Which is only available on Samsung's devices. Device that are selling so poorly that they are literally being given away everywhere I look (and then being turned over on Craigslist for 1/2-2/3 their MSRP). Oh, and you can use it as a remote control. Oh! And you can hook up a mouse!!

A stylus and a mouse? The tablet revolution is complete.

(Via Neowin)

Apple's Fantasy 7-Inch iPad

Anonymous Samsung Executive:

Apple is planning to release a smaller iPad, probably with a 7.85-inch screen

Uh-huh. And there's no chance Samsung is doing this to hype it's own ill-fated 7-some-odd-inch tablet by using Apple to lend credence to the form factor?

(Via MacRumors)

The $399 Benchmark

Matthew Panzarino:

The drop in price does a bunch of things, and it does them all at once. First, it puts an enormous amount of pressure on Android tablet makers going forward. They were already struggling to compete with the iPad 2 at a $499 entry point, now their margins have been tightened by another Benjamin.

Hadn't thought about this, but it's certainly true. Anything sold for more than $399 will need to be better than iPad 2 - something that has yet to happen.

iPhone 4S Gets Fake Upgrade to 4G

Marco Arment on iPhone now showing "4G" on AT&T:

It’d be more defensible if it only showed “4G” when it was actually hitting those 4G-like speeds, but it just shows “4G” in supposedly high-speed-3G areas whenever it’s connected to AT&T’s network at any speed.

I can't believe Apple agreed to this.

Apple's "New Logo"

Buster Heine:

Tim Cook & Co. just wrapped up their event on the new iPad. At the very end of the keynote the last slide showed the Apple logo as pictured above. Is this a new logo Apple will be using? Apple rarely makes artistic adjustments to their logo during keynotes. We think it looks pretty neat and is a great modern interpretation of the retro rainbow Apple logo.

What do you think? Will Apple use this new logo more often, or was it a one time thing?

This logo is obviously just for this event. It matches the facade of venue's decoration. Move along.

Death of iPad?

Brad McCarthy:

But then it became clear – the iPad 1 is now a 2-year-old device. If we look at Apple’s history with generational devices, especially with mobile, it wouldn’t surprise me if the eldest iPad is about to go the way of the dodo. While that might be heartbreaking to owners of the device, it’s for the best. Consider it like putting an old horse out to pasture.

I hope Apple doesn't expect me to upgrade my iPad every two years. I have friends that are still rocking the Luxo iMac. I have another friend who just upgraded her 1999 iMac. While I don't expect it to last me that long I should get more than 730 days out of $519 CDN. That means iPad essentially costs me $0.71/day. I 5-year lifespan would push it down to $0.28/day. I'd like that a lot more.

Having said all that I ordered my new iPad yesterday.

iPad: What is it Good For?

Alex Wilhelm:

However, through every rolling update, (that are still coming even as I write this) I’m stuck wondering what the damn thing is for. By that I mean, is it a gaming device, a reading device, a productivity device, or something else altogether? Or is it simply a hybrid, borne to be something different for everyone?

Alex goes on to argue that iPad should set itself up as something specific and corner itself in a niche. WRONG. Apple has created a device that literally becomes whatever it's doing. This is the greatest part of iPad. Singular focus on the task at hand.

When I'm in Garageband all I'm doing is composing something. When I'm in 'Photos' all I'm doing is enjoying my photos. The same goes for any other app I might be using. The iPad adjusts itself to be exactly what I need.

But I always know that if I want to do something else I'm as little as three taps away. Genius.

SimCity Returns!

Nathan Tsui:

A reboot of SimCity, the seminal city-building simulation game, was announced by Electronic Arts on Tuesday at the Game Developers Conference, and is set for release on PC in 2013.

I almost squealed like a little girl. The disappointing part? PC-only. Hopefully they do like the Sims 3 and have a PC/Mac compatible version on the same disc. Also… I have to wait until 2013.

Fragmentation

Chris Sauve:

Some folks have told me that it is unfair to compare iOS and Android on this metric because iOS is effectively just three devices (iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone), whereas Android is a multi-manufacturer ecosystem with dozens of devices.

Therein lies the problem. (Emphasis mine)

Windows and Drivers

John Gruber:

That’s pretty much everything wrong with Windows PCs in a nutshell: [messing] around with “drivers” and settling for a crummy experience anyway.

Windows has claimed to be 'plug and play' for ages now, but with my Mac I have never needed an install disc for a single piece of hardware ever.

Apple Specs

Chris Velazco:

According to The Verge, the new iPad will indeed feature double the RAM of its immediate predecessor, with a full gigabyte of memory ensconced within its aluminum frame. But why doesn’t Apple ever talk about it?

Because Apple  doesn't want to compete on spec. It wants to compete on experience. That has always been Apple's M.O.

Replace 'Photos' with 'iPhoto'

Charlie Sorrel:

iPhoto is totally worth the $5 Apple wants for it. I’d rather Apple dumped the Photos.app entirely and replaced it with this, supplied with every iPad and iPhone. Maybe that’s set for iOS6?

Agreed completely.

Also, I believe that Apple could increase the value (dollar-value by $15, perceived value by more) of iPad by adding the iLife suite to all new iPads/iPhones.

Just iPad

Matthew Panzarino:

No numbers, no signifiers, no ‘HD’. Just iPad.

I like it. iPad HD would have made me vomit in my mouth a little.

Apparently, The US Has Decided It Owns All .com Domains

Jim Dalrymple:

The U.S. government says it has the right to seize computer domains that end in .com.

No Live Stream of iPad Event Tomorrow

Alex Heath:

Apple VP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller confirmed on his personal Twitter today that Apple will not live stream tomorrow’s iPad media event on its website.

I don't like the surprises ruined so I'll be waiting for the full video to be posted before weighing in, but I am disappointed. Long gone are the days when Apple Streamed everything.