Apple to sell iPad 2 in India from April 29

Apple's iPad 2 will be available in Indian stores from Friday, just over a month after the company started selling the updated version of its popular tablet device in the United States

The iPad 2, a thinner and faster version that features two cameras for video chat, is priced between 29,500 rupees and 46,900 rupees, depending on the model.

The device will be available through authorized resellers from 9 a.m. local time on Friday, a company statement said.

The model with 16 GB of memory that works only on Wi-Fi is priced at 29,500 rupees, while the one that can operate on both Wi-Fi as well as third-generation (3G) mobile networks costs 36,900 rupees.

Customers have the option to buy an iPad 2 with 16, 32 or 64 GB of memory and can choose a model that works only on Wi-Fi or on both Wi-Fi and 3G.

Research firm IHS iSuppli estimates Apple will ship 39.7 million units for all models of the iPad this year.

The first iPad - which went on sale a year ago - sold 300,000 units on the first day, 500,000 in the first week, and crossed the 1 million unit mark in 28 days.

iPhone, iPad users sue Apple over location tracking database

An iPhone user and an iPad user have sued Apple over its location tracking database on their devices. The federal class action suit alleges that Apple's tracking violates the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

In the complaint, the two users say they are bringing the suit "to stop Apple's illegal and intrusive scheme of collecting personal location information." They're asking a federal judge in Florida to force Apple to disable this kind of tracking in the next release of its iOS software, and ask for damage awards for "violations of their statutory and common law privacy rights."

The complaint is online at Scribd.com.

BACKGROUND: Apple iPhone location tracking has been no secret, researcher claims

The plaintiffs are Vikram Ajjampur of Hillsborough County, Fla., who uses an iPhone, and iPad user William Devito of New York state. They appear to base their complaint, and their understanding of what Apple is doing and how, entirely on news reports from a variety of sources, which are cited in the complaints footnotes.

The two men argue that they, and other users, "did not provide any sort of informed consent to the tracking" and that "Apple collects the location information covertly, surreptitiously and in violations of law."

By storing the information without encrypting it, "Apple places users at serious risk of privacy invasions, including stalking." Finally, they claim they and all users "were harmed by Apple's accrual of personal location, movement and travel histories because their personal computers were used in ways they did not approve, and because they were personally tracked just as if by a tracking device for which a court-ordered warrant would ordinarily be required." 

They claim that Apple's actions are in violation of the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. "By secretly installing software that records users every moves, Apple has accessed Plaintiffs computers, in the course of interstate commerce or communication, in excess of the authorization provided by Plaintiffs" as described in the act. Those computers, they say, are "protected computers" as defined by the act.

Apple also violated the act by "causing the transmission of a program, information, code or command both in deploying the iOS 4 operating systems, and also as a result of the syncing of user handheld devices with their laptop or desktop computers." This action "caused harm aggregating at least $5,000 in value."

Among additional allegations, the suit argues that Apple violates state laws that follow the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act, banning actions that are either unfair or deceptive. The plaintiffs say Apple's "inadequate disclosures made in its privacy policy" are both; as are its tracking and syncing of users' personal information, because users "had no knowledge of Apple's intent or actions."

John Cox covers wireless networking and mobile computing for Network World.

Apple sues Samsung over smartphone and tablet designs

Apple is suing Samsung, claiming its mobile phone and tablet product lines copy Apple's iPad and iPhone devices.
In a lawsuit filed at the US District Court for the Northern District of California, Apple alleges Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and tablet design features violate its trademarks and patents.
In statements released to Reuters, Apple says previous versions of Samsung's smartphone features did not resemble Apple's. A spokesman said: "This kind of blatant copying is wrong."
Samsung says it will take "appropriate legal measures" to protect its intellectual property.
Growing tablet market
The latest report by Strategy Analytics predicts tablet sales will reach $49bn (£30bn) in four years' time.
Neil Mawston, director at Strategy Analytics, said: "We forecast global tablet wholesale revenues to surge from zero in 2009 to $49bn in 2015. Tablets are a high-value casual-computing segment that is creating huge growth opportunities for major brands such as Apple and Samsung."
Research firm Context says a lot more tablet devices are being bought by businesses, with overall tablet sales up 910% in the most recent quarter.
Apple sued Motorola in November 2010 over touchscreen patent claims.

Samsung Galaxy Tablet Not Thinner Than iPad 2

Samsung took a big shot at Apple at CTIA this week, boasting that its 10-inch Galaxy Tab Android tablet is thinner and lighter than the iPad 2. Our photos say otherwise. Regardless, the tablet competition just got hotter.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs set the bar on March 2, when he unveiled the stunningly thin (8.8 mm) iPad 2. Not to be outdone, Samsung re-crafted its Galaxy Tab 10.1, which it had just launched a month earlier at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Samsung's original 10-inch Android tablet, with its grippable frame, is now only 8.6 mm thin. Or so says Samsung.

The latest one-upmanship centers on size. While I don't care whether the iPad 2 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a couple of sheets of paper thinner than the other, that Samsung would go through such a redesign so quickly shows what's at stake here. Samsung's spokesman said the company doesn't enter a market where it doesn't intend to be No. 1. In response to the pictures directly below (the iPad 2 is the device on the left), there was really no official Samsung response other than to say that the specifications are 8.6 mm. He was at a loss for words. I'll bring my calipers on June 8; meantime, these pictures will have to suffice, at least for those who care about these quibbles.


Core hardware is another tablet battleground, though raw compute and graphics performance may matter most to gamers, and possibly to those obsessed with things like 3D content. Nearly every tablet comes with dual-core processors.An exception is the just announced HTC EVO View, which has only a single core, even though HTC also introduced a phone with dual-core processors. (That's the sound of me scratching my head.) Apple uses, ironically, Samsung processors in its iPad 2; Samsung uses the NVidia Tegra 2. The new HTC tablet runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon. Motorola also uses the Tegra 2, as does LG's G-Slate. (LG is also using TI's OMAP 4 dual core in its Optimus 3D, a full 3D, stereoscopic display phone--no glasses needed.)
All of the chip companies make their own performance boasts. The Sprint-HTC phone and tablet announcement this week featured talk of how Qualcomm's Snapdragon uses asynchronous scaling, meaning as processor needs grow, only one CPU has to kick into action until the other one is needed, extending battery life and reducing heat dissipation, according to one Qualcomm executive I talked to.
NVidia told me that Qualcomm's claims are specious. Because the system caches must be synchronized to ensure data coherency, one fast-moving CPU could have to wait for the caches to synchronize. Dizzy yet? NVidia says it boosts performance while preserving battery life by using DVFS -- dynamic voltage frequency scaling. Dizzy now?

iPhone falls 1000ft from plane, found undamaged in a forest

If proof were needed that the iPhone 4 is a pretty tough device, then look no further than the one owned by Ron Walker. He’s a U.S. Air Force Combat Controller and Jump Master, meaning he’s up in planes preparing soldiers for parachute jumps most days.
On one of his flights recently he was preparing for the jumps when the pocket his iPhone 4 was in became open. As he was leaning out of an aircraft travelling at 150mph at the time the smartphone fell, and continued to fall the 1,000ft to the ground.
A cracked screen, dead phone, and no chance of ever locating it again, right? Wrong. When Walker got back on the ground a fellow Air Forcer and iPhone owner  had Find My iPhone installed on his handset. That allowed the lost iPhone to be tracked to a nearby forest where everyone expected it to be smashed.
The only protection Walker’s phone had was a Griffin Motif case and a metal back fitted, but that seems to have been enough. The iPhone was laying next to a tree on the ground without a scratch on it. Whether the trees had somehow broken the fall without harming it, or Apple has a secret iPhone parachute deployment feature it’s not telling us about, we will never know.
Was this a lucky escape, or does anyone have similar stories of iPhones falling from great height and surviving with minimal damage?

iPad 2 Arrives in 25 More Countries This Friday

Apple® today announced that iPad® 2, the second-generation of its third post-PC device, will go on sale in 25 additional countries this Friday, March 25. iPad 2 will be available at Apple retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers at 5 p.m. local time, and online through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) beginning at 1 a.m. Apple today also announced that all models of iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and additional countries in April.
“While competitors are still struggling to catch up with our first iPad, we’ve changed the game again with iPad 2,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the US, and customers around the world have told us they can't wait to get their hands on it. We appreciate everyone’s patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”
iPad 2 features an entirely new design that is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime® and Photo Booth®, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life* that users have come to expect.
Pricing & Availability
iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK on March 25 for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, $699 (US) the 64GB model. iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and additional countries in April, and in many more countries around the world in the coming months. Further international availability and pricing will be announced at a later date.

Indian Users Upset Over Late IPad 2 Launch in the Country

buyers of Apple's products are upset that the country does not figure in Apple's plans to roll out the iPad in global markets, and some of them said they will not buy the earlier version of the iPad that has been on sale in the country since January.
"After I read about the iPad 2, I decided not to purchase the earlier version iPad being sold in India," said Sujay Rao, a micro-neurosurgeon in Bangalore.
Apple started selling the iPad 2 in the U.S. earlier this month, and said on Wednesday that it plans to start shipping the iPad 2 on Friday in 25 countries including the U.K. and Australia. Apple's announcement suggests it has no supply chain problems for now, although analysts have warned that supplies of components from Japan used in the device could be affected following the earthquake there.
The version of the iPad that Apple is offering in India is at the end of its life cycle, said K. Purushottam, a business consultant who is planning to buy a tablet PC. This strategy of Apple's is in contrast with that of other vendors of PCs, mobile phones and consumer electronics products who often launch their products in India concurrently with their global launches, Purushottam said.
"If Apple delays with its iPad 2, we will consider buying a tablet PC from another vendor," he said.
Other users said that they would consider purchasing the iPad 2 when traveling abroad, rather than buy the previous version in India.
Apple also said on Wednesday that it plans to ship the iPad 2 by April in Singapore, South Korea, and Hong Kong, and some additional countries. It did not give the names of the other countries that will be covered in the April rollout.
India will however have to wait beyond April for the iPad 2, according to a source at Apple India who declined to be named. A date for the availability of the iPad 2 in India has not been finalized, he said.
"India has been one of the last countries to get the iPad, and this is a big mistake," said Rao, the surgeon. He believes that Apple should also invest in a development center in the country, which will save the company costs, and also help develop tools appropriate for the local market.
By offering products that are not localized in Indian languages, Apple is losing out on local language users who have to buy products from Microsoft which support Indian languages, Rao added.
India is not a large volume market for Apple, and the country's 3G and Wi-Fi infrastructure is not yet ready for products like the iPad, analysts said.
Apple did not comment for this story.
The iPad 2 will ship on Friday in Australia, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand, and in Europe in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K.
The iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available in these countries for a suggested retail price of US$499 for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32GB model, and $699 for the 64GB model, Apple said. The iPad 2, with support for Wi-Fi and 3G, will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model, it added.
The aftermath of the earthquake in Japan may cause logistical disruptions and supply shortages for some parts that are sourced from Japan for the production of the iPad 2, research firm, IHS iSuppli, said last week.
While some of the suppliers reported that their facilities were undamaged, delivery of components from all of these companies is likely to be impacted by logistical problems in the quake zone, IHS iSuppli said. The various challenges are being compounded by interruptions in the electricity supply, it added.

More than 500,000 iPad 2 sold

Apple Inc may have sold as many as 500,000 iPad 2 computers after retail outlets ran out of the tablet-style device on its debut weekend, said Piper Jaffray Cos analyst Gene Munster.

Stores run by Apple, Target Corp and Best Buy Co contacted by Munster's team had sold out of the device, he said in a research note. Online orders via Apple's website are taking up to a month for delivery, up from less than a week when sales began.

Early estimates suggest demand for iPads remains buoyant even as competitors such as Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc enter the tablet market. Apple sold more than 300,000 units of the first iPad in the 24 hours after its April debut.

"iPads are sold out across virtually all channels," Munster said in the research note. "We were unable to find any availability." Munster said Apple will probably surpass his early prediction that 5.5 million iPads would be sold this quarter, which ends this month. Munster, based in Minneapolis, said that 70 per cent of the customers surveyed by his team were first-time iPad buyers, signaling Apple is expanding its user base.

Apple may have sold three times as many iPad 2s in the debut as the first iPad, according to Trip Chowdhry, an analyst with Global Equities Research. All of the handful of Best Buy stores surveyed by Global Equities sold out of the iPad in four minutes, Chowdhry wrote.

Thinner, lighter model
The new model, which comes in white and black, is lighter, thinner, includes a more powerful processor and has front and rear cameras. It ranges in price from $499 for a base model to $829 for the top-of-the-line version.

Materials used in the iPad 2 cost about $326.60, according to research firm IHS ISuppli, which based its analysis on a version that has 32GB of memory and works with the mobile phone standard know as global system for mobile communications. That's up from $320 for the earlier model.

Apple expanded the number of retail outlets where the device was available, including 236 retails stores in the US and thousands of AT&T Inc, Verizon Wireless, Best Buy, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, and Target stores.

"Demand for the next-generation iPad has been amazing and we are working hard to get iPad 2 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible," said Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple. The company has not issued a first-weekend sales figure for the iPad 2.

Apple similarly didn't have enough of the iPhone 4 in the days after its June introduction.

102 tablets in works
Through December, Apple had sold 14.8 million iPads, generating $9.6 billion in sales, making it one of the fastest- selling consumer-electronic devices in history.

Rivals including Motorola Mobility, Samsung Electronics Co, Research In Motion Ltd and Hewlett-Packard Co are introducing tablet computers to compete with the iPad. Overall, there are 102 tablets from 64 makers either on sale or in development, according to consulting firm PRTM.

On March 11, hundreds of people lined up at the Fifth Avenue store in New York. Store workers handed out free hot chocolate and water to those waiting.

"I'm a student, and I hate carrying my laptop to school. It's like five pounds and the iPad is a lot lighter," said Jay Narang, 19, a sophomore at Baruch College. "I was going to get the first one, but I knew they were going to come out with one with cameras, so why not just wait?"

Francis Degode, 44, lives outside of Brussels and said he came to New York for the release because it would take too long to get one at home. Degode got in line at 6 a m in the rain on March 11 to get his first iPad.

"The iPad 2 is faster, and there are two cameras. It's very useful," Degode said. "It's the gadget of the year."

The iPad 2 goes on sale in 26 more countries, including Belgium and elsewhere in Europe, on March 25. Apple rose $5.32 to $351.99 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading on March 11. The shares have risen 9.1 per cent this year.

Apple slashes iPad price in India

This was bound to happen, Apple slashing original iPad pricing after the iPad 2 was out of the box earlier last week. Not just in India but around the world, original iPad prices have been slashed in almost all the markets where Apple's tablet is currently being sold. Now the Apple iPad starts at a price of Rs. 24,500 in India.
It was a no-brainer to be honest, even for India which saw the Apple iPad launched only a couple of months ago on January 27. The iPad launch price at the time? Rs. 27,990 for the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad version all the way to Rs. 44,990 for the 64GB 3G + Wi-Fi iPad model. Those numbers have changed in the wake of the iPad 2 launch.
That's the updated Apple iPad price in India as seen on Apple India Store. The new 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad is available for a price of Rs. 24,500 -- cheaper by over Rs. 3,000 -- while the 64GB Wi-Fi and 3G iPad version is now selling for Rs. 41,900 -- down from Rs. 44,990 at launch in January 2011.
Currently, competing Android tablets like Samsung Galaxy Tab and Dell Streak are selling for more than the entry-level Apple iPad price -- Olive Telecom's OlivePad is the only Android tablet that undercuts the new Apple iPad price.
Interesting to note that Apple has reduced iPad prices despite the fact the iPad 2 isn't scheduled for sale starting March 11 -- in fact we don't expect the iPad 2 to hit Indian shores for a few more months.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs Introduces the iPad 2

The iPad 2 is a third thinner than its predecessor, which means it's even thinner than the iPhone 4. With its improvements, the iPad 2 will have a same battery life, storage and pricing as the older iPad, starting at $499.

Apple's second-generation iPad features a 1GHz A5 dual-core processor, front- and rear-facing cameras, up to 1080p video out support via HDMI, a 9.7-inch screen with 1024-by-768 resolution, 10 hours of battery life, an accelerometer and three-axis gyroscope, and separate GSM (AT&T) and CDMA (Verizon) 3G connectivity options.

Apple iPad launch due on March 2

Apple Inc is expected to launch its new iPad on March 2, contrary to speculation of a delay of the latest version of the popular tablet computer. 

One person familiar with the matter said recent speculation about a delay until June was "simply not true" as Apple is planning a launch in the same seasonal schedule as the first iPad, which went on sale in April 2010. 

Apple will host an event on March 2, where the company is expected to take the wraps off the newest iPad model, an individual with knowledge of the situation said. Apple declined to comment. 

Shares of Apple fell 3 per cent after a Taiwanese brokerage firm said the next version of the iPad tablet computer will be delayed as maker Hon Hai faces production bottlenecks due to the device's new design. 

But analysts quickly downplayed the report, noting that Apple has been reliable when it comes to its release schedule. 

"Apple has a very consistent track record," said Hudson Square Research analyst Daniel Ernst. 

The speculation over the timing of the iPad unveiling comes as unverified tabloid reports of the faltering health of its iconic chief executive, Steve Jobs , cloud perceptions of the company's ability to maintain its global technology leadership over the long term. 

Tim Cook , chief operating officer of Apple, is expected to take the stage at the annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday in Jobs' place. Jobs, who underwent a liver transplant in 2009, took his third medical leave in seven years in mid-January. 

The iPad was the hottest technology device of 2010, selling nearly 15 million units and sparking a slew of copycat devices from rivals. More than 50 million tablets are expected to be sold this year, with Apple capturing the bulk of the demand. 

Yuanta Securities had said in a note the next version of iPad would come out two months later in the seasonal schedule this year than the first version, which launched in April last year. 

According to the note, component makers had to change their production processes after Apple made design changes to the iPad2 before the Lunar New Year at the beginning of February. 

Hon Hai declined to comment. Morgan Keegan analyst Tavis McCourt said investors were overreacting to Yuanta's note, adding that even if a late launch hurts second-quarter sales, he is not changing his expectation for full year sales of 27 million iPads . 

Manufacturing sources have previously said the new model would have cameras on the front and back of the device and would be slimmer, lighter and have a better resolution display than the first iPad.