With the iPad Mini just around the corner, will Apple continue to push its iPad 2 as a midrange option or will it eventually be phased out altogether?

According to analyst Rob Cihra with Evercore Partners, it seems likely that the end of the iPad 2 is near. Cihra goes on to claim the newest iPad will see around 7 million units in the December quarter, with a total of 26 million units of iPad devices sold including the larger-screen models.

So why no iPad 2? Basically, he thinks that Apple’s vision has clearer tiers drawn in the sand. A 7-inch model – for example – is clearly a lower tear than most 10-inch tablets. Apple tends to have very few options and product ranges and keeping a device that has a different naming scheme than the newest iPad might also technically cause confusion.

It is hard to say if the analyst is right or not. More than likely, the iPad 2 will still be widely available throughout the holiday season but they might start phasing it out for the 2013 year. Do you think Apple should keep three distinct devices – entry, midrange and high-end? Or does it make little sense for Apple to keep the aging iPad 2 around?

Some might argue that the iPad 2 only stuck around this long because of a clear need for something at least somewhat-closer in pricing to low-end devices like the Nexus 7. It also is possible that if Apple plans to release the 7-inch model around $350 and doesn’t want such a close gap between the two model’s pricing.

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Can’t decide if you want to have an iPad or a MacBook Air? If you pick up the CruxSKUNK Keyboard Case from CruxCase, you can almost have the best of both worlds. This is a protective case for the iPad 2 and the “new” iPad, but what it really does is transform that tablet into a notebook. You get a complete Apple-style keyboard that very much mirrors what you get from the MacBook series, except you’re still being powered by iOS.

The CruxSKUNK goes even further by providing a 360-degree hinge. What this means is that when you don’t want to use the keyboard, the case can be rotated all the way through so that you can more easily use the touchscreen. The keyboard portion is just 6mm thin and the whole thing is made from aircraft-grade aluminum. The CruxSKUNK uses Bluetooth to connect to your iPad and the built-in 350mAh battery is said to last about a month.

CruxCase has even integrated Smart Cover technology, so just like the regular Smart Cover from Apple, your iPad will turn itself on and off when you open and close the CruxSKUNK. It’s currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, but with over $87,000 raised of the $90,000 goal with 36 days to go, I think they’re in good shape. Pledge a minimum of $135 to get your hands on one of the first CruxSKUNK cases, plus a bonus leather sleeve. Shipments are expected to commence in December.

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At first, I thought this iPad case would be the complete opposite of useful. It looked like it would block out about half of the touchscreen and then you would presumably load some sort of app to simulate the old Mac operating system. And then, I realized I was wrong. The “Mac” part of this Padintosh case is really for the back of the iPad and not the front. This way, when you decide to hold up your iPad to take a picture of Bill and Melinda Gates in London, they can stare right into the faux Mac screen that reads “hello.”

Go ahead and “party like it’s 1984″ with the Padintosh Case. It’s available now through Thinkgeek for a fairly reasonably $24.99. Since it’s only the back part of the case, you can still use your Smart Cover for the front. If only they made a 1984 style Smart Cover to match…

[Source]

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The iPad as we know it is a slim, sexy device loaded with a great OS and plenty of apps, but it certainly didn’t start that way. Recently the net world has been abuzz with information about the leaked 035 iPad prototype, which dates back to sometime between 2002-2004. These photos were published to the net by BuzzFeed, and it is speculated that they probably came from court documents filed between Apple and Samsung about design copying, even though BuzzFeed hasn’t said for sure.

The 035 is a monster, to say the least, at nearly an inch in thickness and bearing a screen that is clearly larger than the iPads we know and love. Can you imagine holding one of these? You can clearly see the iBook roots when looking at the 035, and I can’t help but notice that it looks a little like the modern Toshiba Thrive 13-inch model.

While we don’t know tons about the 035 prototype, we do know that in a court deposition in December, Jonathan Ive did mention this prototype and at least somewhat confirms the legitimacy of the photos by saying it looks like it was one of the prototype units he saw sometime between 2002 and 2004. From what we know, the 035 was a non-functioning prototype design used for reference during the R&D process. While its a little unwieldy and bulky by today’s standards, I have to admit I kinda like it personally, maybe its just nostalgia over my old iBook?

[ source ]

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Up until now, only older iDevices have had the ability to downgrade to previous firmware versions using the Limera1n exploit and SHSH blobs, but that ability has now been ported to newer A5-powered iDevices like the third-gen iPad and the iPhone 4S.

This news comes by way of the iPhone Dev-Team, stating that redsn0w version 0.9.11b1 directly supports the restoration of older firmware versions to your jailbroken iPhone or iPad. There is no need for a bootrom-level exploit and the new feature can be found under Extras -> Even More -> Restore.

Of course, you’ll need the personalized SHSH blobs to be able to downgrade to that firmware; these blobs can then be remote or local for the restoration process. It’s also important to note that the A5 downgrade will update to the latest firmware before reverting back to the older one. What this means is that Apple can eventually close the exploit with a newer firmware, but they haven’t yet.

As always, proceed at your own risk and discretion.

[Source]

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The outside packaging, exterior shell, and just about every other component has gone untouched, but there is one very important difference. The original iPad 2 made use of a 45nm A5 processor, whereas the newer version is equipped with a 32nm A5 processor. It’s just as powerful, but it happens to be smaller and more power efficient.

Apparently, this reduction in power draw allows the “new” iPad 2 to enjoy up to 16% bettery battery life while web browsing and up to 30% better battery life when playing games. That’s pretty substantial. The trouble is that you have no way of checking which iPad 2 you’re getting unless you either crack open the shell or start running some benchmarks.

[Source]

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Toshiba’s Thrive tablets were certainly not crowd favorites, and the company, after listening to customer complaints, has introduced a new line of tablets in the Excite line. It’s a good thing that they are changing their designs and bringing out pretty looking devices: the 7.7″ tablet which has the same AMOLED display on the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and the 10″ Excite with a resolution of 1280 x 800. But why in the world have they decided to include an unnecessarily large 13″ model in the list?

The new Android ICS powered Excites feature an extremely thin chassis (good that they are moving away from the bulky, port-heavy body designs) and will pack NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 SoC. The 10″ and 13″ models both come with a full-sized SD card slot, but no USB and HDMI ports.

About the 13-Inch device, Toshiba says that it will be good for indoor use, particularly in the kitchen if you want to look at recipes or the weather forecast. But we can do those things with a $400 iPad 2 or some other mid-range tablet, and this fact becomes important when we take a look at the Excite 13’s price tag: $650 for the 32GB model and the 64GB model costs $750.

And we don’t think that the company thought about portability while designing it. 10 inch tablets can be handled without problems, but anything larger and heavier will certainly be uncomfortable to use and may also lead to shoulder and neck strain. But if you still want to check out the device, it’s coming on June 10^th, but don’t say we didn’t warn you.

And the price tags of the other two devices:

Excite 7.7″ – June 10th Release Date

• 16GB model – $500
• 32GB model – $580

Excite 10″ – May 6th Release Date

• 16GB model – $450
• 32GB model – $530
• 64GB model – $650

[Image Source: 1, 2]

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In the Android world we pretty much have two standard groups when it comes to sizes, that’s the 10-inchers and the 7-inchers. Sure, we have a few devices that are different, but these are the most common. That makes Lenovo’s IdeaTab S2109 a little different with its 9.7-inch display with a resolution of 1024×768- for those keeping track, that’s exactly the resolution and size of the iPad 2.

The new IdeaPad will feature Android 4.0 ICS, Google Play and Lenovo App Shop, a 1.3MP front-facing camera, 10 hours of battery life, Micro-USB, Micro-HDM, and MicroSD. It is also unique in the fact that it has a unibody design, essentially meaning that it is made of a single piece of material and is only .35-inches thick. The S2109′s processor and RAM haven’t been revealed at this point, though.

The key to this device’s success will likely have a lot to do with pricing. With the iPad 2 selling for $399, Lenovo would be wish to try and undercut this price if they truly want to have the widest possible appeal.

[ source ]

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And now the Android tablet world is being struck with another hurdle. Yes, the new iPad is all nice and shiny with its Retina Display, but the iPad 2 is sticking around and it’s getting a price cut. The 16Gb Wi-Fi model is now going to sell for just $399, making it the same price as a reduced price Sony Tablet S and making it cheaper than many Android tablets.

That’s gotta sting. For the average consumer, when they are faced with choosing between a $399 iPad 2 and a $399 Motorola Xoom, you know they’re going to lean toward the Apple side of the table. Remember that this is an entirely different proposition than the $199 Kindle Fire, but the upcoming Nexus Tablet, if it does indeed launch at $199 with Tegra 3 and ICS, could upset the balance again. For the time being, though, it looks like Apple will continue to gobble up the lion’s share of the market, even if it didn’t have to change things all over again, again.

[source]

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When I talk to most of my techie friends, we tend to agree that devices like our smartphones and tablets are largely for consumption, whereas the laptop or desktop is where the content is usually created. The lines are blurring, of course, thanks to apps like Flickr Mobile, Instagram, and so on. That trend is continuing with the release of Adobe Photoshop Touch for the Apple iPad 2.

Announced at MWC 2012, the new iPad app isn’t going to be quite as robust as its desktop counterpart, but it does grant access to core Photoshop features, “as well as new capabilities for creating and sharing in an app custom-built for tablets.”

You can use the app to create layers, add effects, and touch up photos. There’s a “Scribble Selection Tool” that works like the lasso tool for removing elements, for example, as well as a “Refine Edge” tool for making fine-tuned selections.

Photoshop Touch for iPad is available now through iTunes for $9.99. It’ll be a part of a large family of iPad apps from Adobe, including Adobe Collage (moodboards), Adobe Debut (presentation), Adobe Ideas (sketching), Adobe Kuler (color themes), and Adobe Proto (website and app prototyping).

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