The personal computer market includes desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and handheld PCs. With “pads”, also known as tablets or slates, increasing in market share every year, 2012 was a big year of growth. More specifically, pads accounted for over 1/3 of the personal computers shipped in 2012. With Apple and tablets leading the personal computer market, can you guess what product is succeeding the most?

The iPad is on top. Thanks to the introduction of the Apple iPad Mini and the Apple iPad “4″, one in six PCs shipped in Q4 of 2012 was an Apple iPad. The initial feeling was that the iPad mini would undercut the new iPad’s revenue. Although this seemed to be reflected in Apple’s stock price dropping, consumers disagree.

Furthermore, low-cost tablets continue to be on the rise thanks to content sales in Google Play and on Amazon. Finally, Apple was not the only one to make a splash in the personal computer market. Google’s Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 accounted for combined shipments of 2.6 million.

What do you think about the rise of the iPad and other tablets? Do you prefer to use your tablet or smartphone over your laptop or desktop? Let us know in the comments below.

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We will naturally have to take this leak with a grain of salt, but it looks like we are getting our first look at the upcoming fifth-generation iPad from Apple. There aren’t too many surprises here, as it has been rumored for months that the next iPad would borrow much of its design inspiration from the smaller iPad mini.

This is just a look at the back plate and the leak comes by way of a China-based iPad accessories maker. The back looks like it will have the same black and slate appearance as its smaller cousin, along with thinner casing and chamfered edges. We’re also hearing that the overall footprint will be smaller, because Apple will be shrinking the bezel around the 9.7-inch display. You’ll also notice the top portion of the back plate, which seems to indicate that this would be the LTE model.

When can we expect to see the iPad 5 announced and hitting the market? There are two conflicting rumors at this point. On the one hand, some people are saying that the fifth-gen iPad could launch as early as March. On the other hand, with the 128GB version of the iPad 4 just launching now, it is possible that the iPad 5 isn’t quite ready. Given that, we’re hearing an October launch window is more likely.

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It looks like Apple is gearing up for a new model of the 4th-gen Apple iPad. According to 9to5mac, developers have found code in iOS 6.1 pointing towards a newer 128GB version of Apple’s popular tablet.

Adding ot the rumor, SKUs from an unnamed “high-profile US retailer” have supposedly leaked suggesting a new “ultimate” version of the iPad. This fits along with “Good”, “Better” and “Best” being used by Apple in the past to describe storage sizes.

If this is all true, how much will the 128GB version of the iPad run you? According to 9to5, it is believed the Wi-Fi model will set you back $800 and the 4G version with cost a whopping $929. Really, considering Apple’s premiums though, it isn’t all that shocking of a price.

What do you think, would you ever pay so much for a standard tablet or at that price point would you be better off considering a Windows 8 tablet or hybrid instead?

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The iPad might currently be on top when it comes to tablets, but things may be shifting quickly, according to a new ABI Research report. Back in 2011 Gartner had suggested that Android would hold a 38% share of the tablet market by 2015, but ABI says that things are now moving much quicker. The latest data suggests that Android accounted for an impressive 44 percent of all tablets shipped during the last quarter.

Sure, this might only speak for one quarter, but with continued competing products coming from B&N, Amazon and Google, change is clearly on the horizon. The Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire might be the leaders in this change, but they aren’t the only players that are shifting the game, and the new Samsung Nexus 10 will likely also play a key role.

So when do analysts think that Android might overtake Apple in the tablet market, if trends continue in Google’s favor? Perhaps as early as mid-2013, believe it or not.

What stands in Google’s way? Not only do they have strong competition from Apple, Microsoft is also in the game now with Windows 8. Android might have cost on its side, but it also is known for not having as many tablet-optimized apps as iOS. In the 7-inch market, Android also now has competition from the Apple iPad Mini. Still, it is hard to deny that Android is gaining major traction in the tablet market.

It does seem inevitable that iOS will eventually be dethroned by Android in the tablet world, but do you think it will happen as soon as mid-2013 or will it take longer?

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Looking to make the most out of your Xbox multimedia experience? With Xbox SmartGlass you can control your Xbox through the tablet for many functions, including selecting movies, rewinding and a whole lot more. Best of all, the control app is now out for iOS devices as well.

A little over a week ago, Android was added into the supported list of devices that worked with SmartGlass– that includes Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows 8. Unfortunately, iPad and iPhone users were left out in the dark– but no longer.
The idea of integrating the tablet experience into the living is nothing new, though recent devices like the Nintendo Wii U (with its tablet-like controller)and Xbox 360 are attempting to take the concept to new heights.

Anyhow, the apps is available now through the AppStore for your downloading pleasure.

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As far as outward dimensions, they’re comparable but different. They’re both 9.4mm thick, but the Surface RT takes on a 16:9 aspect ratio, making it narrower and longer compared to the more shorter and wider iPad 4. The weight is also comparable at 680g (Surface) vs. 653g (iPad). While the 9.7-inch iPad has a much more impressive resolution of 2048×1536 (264ppi) compared to the 1366×768 resolution (148ppi) on the 10.6-inch Surface, the ClearType tech is supposed to make the Surface look sharper than it really is.

Raw power should also be comparable with the iPad 4 getting the dual core Apple A6X processor (presumably running at 1.3GHz) along with quad-core GPU. The Surface RT gets a quad core NVIDIA Tegra 3 (1.4GHz) chip, which is similar to what you find on many current high-end smartphones and tablets. The Surface RT does have double the RAM at 2GB, though, compared to what we think is the same single gig on the iPad 4 as was there in the iPad 3.

Apple is notorious for not providing a memory card slot and that hasn’t changed in the fourth-gen iPad. You get the 16GB, 32GB or 64GB that’s already on board, compared to the microSD slot on the Surface RT to complement its 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. The iPad is available with 3G/LTE though, whereas the Surface is currently a WiFi-only device. The iPad also sounds like it wins in the camera department too with a 5MP rear (1080p) and 1.2MP front (720p) shooter, whereas both Surface cameras are 720p. They haven’t specified the actual megapixel count.

Of course, there are all those other things that you need to consider. The iPad has access to a tremendously huge App Store, whereas the Windows Marketplace for RT is not nearly as developed, especially since RT can’t run native Windows programs. That said, the Surface has the cool Touch Cover and Type Cover, and you do get a version of Microsoft Office right out of the box.

At the end of the day, which tablet you choose really depends on your needs and preferences. And let’s not forget about the plethora of Android options too, like the less expensive Nexus 7 or possibly the upcoming Nexus 10, as well as trusty standbys like the Galaxy Tab and Asus Transformer Pad families. Whatever the case, it looks like this could be a great holiday shopping season for tablet lovers.

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When it comes to future Apple products, such as the iPad Mini and iPhone 5, we as consumers get excited about the idea of new products heading our way to America or Europe, but what about those on the other side of the fence? Apple gives us shiny new toys to play with, and that’s exciting- but in China the idea of upcoming new Apple products means that plants like Foxconn will need more seasonal workers to help push out these upcoming units and for those that are currently unemployed, nothing is more exciting than having income, even if there have often been accusations that Foxconn’s conditions are less than desirable.

Many of us take our situations for granted, but looking at the picture above, think about it, have you ever had to wait in such a massive line during a rainstorm just for the possibility of a job? Of course some of you might have had to go through something close to this situation, considering our economy.

What’s even crazier is that these would-be jobseekers all have to pay Foxconn 150 Chinese Yuan, about twenty-four bucks, just to apply. Sure, there are probably at least some of these people in line that are of college-age level that simply want a seasonal job and like the idea of possibly tinkering with a new iPhone or iPad as much as we do, but for the vast majority its just about having income coming in, no matter the source. Next time you are waiting outside in a long line for the next iProduct, remember the picture above and think about just how different things are on the other side of the world.

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Here we go again. Rumors of a smaller Apple iPad have been around for as long as the iPad itself, but with the arrival of the Google Nexus 7, a so-called iPad Mini could really see the light of day. Of course, we have to remember that Steve Jobs himself said that Apple would never release a 7-inch tablet, but he’s not around to stop that anymore.

Even though Android tablets have been around for a while, they’ve barely put a dent on the iPad’s domination in this space. However, with prices starting at $199, the Tegra 3-powered Nexus 7 is incredibly compelling, even more so than the Kindle Fire. And so, it’s starting to sound more and more like Apple wants to exert its dominance in the realm of more affordable 7-inch tablets too.

According to “two people with knowledge of the plans,” Apple is working on a new model of iPad that will have a 7-inch to 8-inch screen, but it won’t be a Retina display presumably to save costs. While I doubt Apple would price the iPad Mini at $199, it should be cheaper than the iPad 2 or the “new” iPad. The current rumor points toward an October announcement and launch.

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Obviously enough, when you use Dictation, the audio file of your voice data is necessarily sent up to the Apple servers so that it can be processed and turned into actual words. However, it looks like some additional data is also being beamed up to complete the process. These include the names of all your contacts, as well as data about songs and other media that you may have stored on your iPad.

The rationale is that you could be wanting to write something related to the people that you know and by providing your list of contacts along with the voice file, the Apple servers can get a little more context and do a better job at doing the voice recognition stuff. Most of this gets deleted after it has served its purpose, but Apple does retain some “disassociated” data “for a period of time to generally improve Dictation and other Apples products and services.”

So, it’s probably best that you don’t use Dictation for something that you’d rather keep reasonably private, just to be sure.

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We already know about the new Retina display and its impressive 2048×1536 resolution. We already know about that A5X SoC and its quad-core graphics capabilities. But what about the RAM? The teardown has confirmed what we had pretty much expected: there is 1GB in there. This is double the 512MB that we find in the iPad 2. That should give a pretty good performance boost.

For the record, both cores of the A5X CPU are clocked at 1GHz. That’s not quite as fast as many of the processors on Android phones, but you have to remember that this is a different beast altogether and the lower (more efficient) clock speed could help a lot with battery life, even if the battery has gotten a fair bit bigger too.

So, what do you think? Have you decided to pick up the new iPad? Are you reading this while camped outside your local Apple Store, anxiously awaiting today’s launch?  Stores open at 8:00AM local for anxious soon-to-be tablet holders.

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