Steve Jobs Didn't Want an iBookstore, but the iPad and Eddy Cue Changed His Mind

Testifying in court yesterday as part of the ongoing e-books price fixing trial, Apple senior vice president for Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue offered some perspective on the history of iBooks and the iBookstore, noting that Steve Jobs was initially opposed to such a project. As shared by AllThingsD, Cue noted that it wasn't until just prior to the launch of the iPad that he was able to convince Jobs of the potential of e-books.

“… When I got my first chance to touch the iPad, I became completely convinced that this was a huge opportunity for us to build the best e-reader that the market had ever seen,” Cue said. “And so I went to Steve and told him why I thought [the iPad] was going to be a great device for ebooks. … and after some discussions he came back and said, you know, I think you’re right. I think this is great, and then he started coming up with ideas himself about what he wanted to do with it and how it would be even better as a reader and store.”

Cue had initially suggested an e-book effort earlier in the fall of 2009, but Jobs felt that the iPhone's screen was too small to allow for a good user experience and that the Mac didn't feel like a reading device. By the time Jobs was on board, it was November, and the iPad was scheduled for a January introduction, giving Cue just weeks to line up the deals needed to build the iBookstore. 

In relating the story, Cue noted that getting the iBookstore deals done took on special significance for him, as it was obvious that Jobs was in declining health at the time. Jobs had taken a strong interest in iBooks for iPad, and was committed to showing it off at the iPad media event, giving Cue extra incentive to make sure everything was in place.

Source: Mac Rumours

Study shows Android users spend larger percentage of time browsing than their iOS counterparts

Are you reading this on your smartphone? If so, you’ve got about 14 minutes to finish up.

A new study by Simmons Connect finds that smartphone users spend about 14 minutes a day looking at websites. They also compared Android to iOS users, and found some interesting statistics which may cast doubt on previous claims of iOS usage over Android. Interestingly enough, this all comes to light the day after Tim Cook noted (again) that iOS users spend more time visiting websites than their Android counterpart.

Android users spend about 49 minutes on their mobile device daily, whereas iOS users spend a whopping 75 minutes a day squinting at their screens. That averages out to about an hour, which is a good median number for comparison. We’ll keep in mind, though, that percentage of use versus overall time will have an integral part of the discussion...

Read the full story here. Source: Android Authority

More 'iPad 5' Cases Surface Showing Smaller and Thinner Design

With both front and rear casing parts and several case designs for the fifth-generation iPad having surfaced over the past several months, we are starting to get a very good idea of how Apple is drawing on design cues from the iPad mini to design a thinner and narrower full-size iPad. 

Building on this concept of an iPad mini-inspired design, several more cases have appeared today offering a additional glimpses at what we might be able to expect from the next iPad.

iPad 5 case (left) and iPad 4 case (right)

The first set of images comes from case maker Tactus, which shows cases for both the current iPad and the fifth-generation model, with a clear plastic mockup of the fifth-generation model showing how its features would mimic those of the iPad mini. 

[Source: MacRumors - Click here to read more]

iPad 5 May Slim Down Thanks to More Efficient LEDs

The fifth generation iPad may be going on a diet of sorts as one analyst believes Apple is working on a new LED lighting system that would allow the popular tablet to slim down.

Speaking with CNET, Paul Semenza, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, stated that he felt Apple was looking to slim down the fifth generation of the iPad in multiple ways. ”It’s likely that part of the thinner/lighter design will be reducing the size of the LED backlight, partly by making the display more efficient and partly by using more efficient LEDs,” Semenza said.

NPD DisplaySearch has contacts throughout the display supply chain, but it sounds as though Semenza may be speaking more from a speculative point of view than from some form of evidence.

A back panel that appeared in Jan. and alleged to be a component for the iPad 5 did seem to indicate that the next version would be trimming down to look more like the iPad mini. And a leak from this week that is supposedly the front panel showed thinner bezels along the side, which would also support the idea that Apple is playing around with the display.

There is no question that Apple is obsessed with making its devices as thin and lightweight as possible, so don’t be surprised if at least some of these come true when the iPad 5 hits the shelves.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Hacker sentenced to 41 months for exploiting AT&T iPad security flaw

Hacker Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer was found guilty last year of spoofing iPad user IDs to gain access to an AT&T email database, and he's now been sentenced to 41 months in prison. The time was chalked up to one count of identity fraud and one count of conspiracy to access a computer without authorization. In addition to the nearly three and a half years behind bars, Auernheimer also faces another three years of supervised release, and restitution payments of $73,000 to AT&T.

Prosecutors in the case were asking for a four-year sentence, and reports say that they used both a Reddit Ask Me Anything post that Auernheimer did as well as quotes from the Encyclopedia Dramatica wiki. Auernheimer did give a statement before the sentencing, where he both read out a John Keats poem, and said that he was "going to jail for doing arithmetic."

Auernheimer has promised that he will appeal the sentencing, so this may not be the last we've heard of "Weev" just yet.

[Source: TUAW]

Amazon Releases Cloud Music Player for iPad

Apple has released its Cloud Player app for the iPad, some six months after it came out for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Your music. Everywhere. Listen to your music collection from the cloud on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad anywhere you are. You can download or stream your library from the cloud – or play the music you already have on your device.

Amazon has made several moves to expand its cloud music platform in recent months. It has optimized its music store for mobile Safari, made free digital copies of all CDs ever purchased on Amazon.com, and introduced a new "scan and match" service similar to iTunes Match.

[Source: MacRumors]

iPad 5 Case for Rumored Redesign Surfaces

With numerous specs circulating for the iPad 5, it isn’t surprising that we have seen the first potential case surface.

Case maker MiniSuit has supplied MacRumors with an image of a case the firm has already made for the fifth generation iPad based off of specs it has received from a source. The case is similar to the leaked iPad 5 rear shell that surfaced back in Jan. that showed a relocated microphone. It also follows along with the rumors we’ve heard that the new tablet will share more design characteristics with the iPad mini, and also come in somewhat slimmer than the fourth generation iPad.

It is not unusual for case manufacturers to begin work on cases based solely on rumors. While they could end up being wrong, if they’re right, and able to get their cases to market quickly after the announcement, it can be a financial windfall for them.

Currently rumors for the release of the fifth generation iPad range anywhere from March to October, but June seems to be taking the lead as of late as the probably release window.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo] 

Two new iPad ads hit the airwaves

The latest iPad ads appeared this evening, both on TV and on Apple's YouTube channel. Both new ads are embedded below.

The ads feature a rapid text scroll, presumably listing the attributes of the magical and revolutionary tablets. Each "landing" word is then given life with quick demo moments of iPad apps like TED, iBooks, Vimeo, Garage Band and plenty more. How many apps can you identify?

[Source: TUAW]

Quickly sketch out class or meeting schedules with Weekly Schedule for iPad

With so many ways to share calendars and schedules, sometimes it's nice to go a little bit old-school with a blank sheet of paper, a Magic Marker and a little bit of time. Mobile Simplified's $0.99 Weekly Schedule app, just released to the US App Store for iPad, delivers some of that hands-on feeling as it lets you create sharable weekly agendas, monthly calendars and task lists.

Weekly Schedule inherits most of its features from the $1.99 iTeach Pad, which also includes student management and lesson plan options; both apps share a UI aesthetic with a more "classroom" feel than most iOS offerings.

The core schedule features are simple: on a time grid for the week, you add your event blocks and build out your schedule. If you want a specific event to repeat all week long (a morning meeting, for instance) just tap and hold to duplicate it.

Blocks get a specific duration, color and name when you create them, and they hold onto that indefinitely. (You can also edit the names of the days, and it's easy to accidentally edit Friday when trying to tap the "add event" button.) The quick drag-and-drop rearrangement of the blocks -- almost as if you had paper cutouts on a cardboard schedule -- makes it easy to fit all the necessary schedule elements into your week, and know that you're not skipping anything.

In the monthly calendar mode, you're actually getting an alternate view of your iPad calendar data one month at a time. It's not as flexible as dedicated apps like Agenda or Readdle's Calendars, but it's a nice overview. The Lists view gives you a basic task manager, with folders to group lists of individual to-dos. Each task can be checked off with a single tap.

Sharing and exporting is an interesting -- and very constrained -- feature in Weekly Schedule. Nothing is cloud synced, dynamic or remotely editable (except events in the Calendar view, if your native calendars are shared); it's all local data, all on your iPad. For the weekly view and the calendar view, there's one way to get your work out to your colleagues -- you email an image of the schedule or calendar. Yep, that's it. For task lists, the email is text instead of an image, which is appropriate for that data type.

I'd love to see some next-gen features (AirPrint, flexible export options) make it into Weekly Schedule down the road. In the meantime, though, if you have a weekly planner to make and only your iPad handy, it's a solid tool.

[Source: TUAW]

Is The 128GB iPad Really Necessary?

Apple recently released an iPad with 128GB of storage onboard. However, is this really necessary? Have Apple gone overboard, and added another chapter into their iBook of failures?

The new 128GB iPad is identical to the fourth-generation iPad. That's the one they released this year with the Retina Display. Except that it has double the storage. You can buy a Wi-Fi version of the monster tablet today directly from Apple at a price of £639.99. The 64GB tablet, is £559.00. That's a £80.00 price difference for double the storage. Furthermore, for the Wi-Fi and Cellular version, you are going to be a whopping £729.00. And £659.00 for the 64GB. Again, with a £80.00 price difference between the two.

For starters I can see plenty of positives for owning a 128GB iPad. Who needs one? Doctors as they have a great deal of charts and reference material that they would use. I can see architects & photographers using it too, as they have very large files, that they use everyday for work. Thus, having a device with a large amount of storage is a requirement for them.

Does that mean that we will see a 128GB version iPad mini in the next refresh? Let us know your thoughts by leaving them in the comments below.

128 GB iPads now on sale at Apple online store

Apple's new 128 GB iPads are now on sale at Apple's online store. The new iPads were announced last week and mark the first time users can buy an iPad over 64 GB in size.

The new 128 GB models begin at US$799 for the Wi-Fi version. The Wi-Fi + Cellular version will set you back $929. Currently Apple is showing a 1 to 3 day ship time for the Wi-Fi model and 3 to 5 day ship time for the Sprint and Verizon Wi-Fi + Cellular models. The AT&T Wi-Fi + Cellular model is listed as shipping in 1 to 3 days.

[Source: TUAW]

Sky Sports on Now TV brings Premier League to your iPad

When Saturday comes you'll soon be able to watch the match on your phone, tablet or computer without forking out for Sky. Sky Sports is kicking off on Now TV, Sky's online viewing service for those of us without a dish.

Starting in spring, you can nab 24 hours of access to the service for £10. That's okay value if you have a full day of Test cricket, Masters Golf or Formula One driving-in-circles to enjoy, although it might sound a bit pricey to watch a Premier League match. Then again, get a few mates to chip in and you've got yourself a footie feast with added top bants.

I doubt pub landlords will be too impressed by this development if it leads to more people watching games at home instead of heading to their nearest hostelry with a little pint glass in the corner of the screen. But it's certainly good news for armchair fans who hate having their G and T spilled by flying elbows when they're forced to venture into the local boozer to watch a game.

You can watch Now TV on your iPhone 5, iPad, Xbox, laptop or desktop computer. Sadly for Android fans, the service is only available on a very limited range of Android devices for now, including the Samsung Galaxy S3.

At the moment Now TV just features Sky Movies. You can pay for individual films  on your phone, tablet or computer, or subscribe for a month -- handy as Sky Movies has a stranglehold on new releases but charges a premium for a Sky dish and contract. Sign up now and you get a free month to try it out.

Sky customers can also now download Sky films and TV shows to their mobile devices to watch while out and about with Sky Go Extra, which costs an extra fiver over the usual Sky Go service.

[Source: CNET]