Apple's iBookstore Agency Model Under Questioning?

Reports are coming in claiming that the Texas Attorney General is investigating Apple’s entrance into the e-books market. US Publishers told the Wall Street Journal that they were being approached by the Attorney General’s office to discuss this matter, but refused to give details.

Under question is the agency model which Apple is pushing because it enforces a standard contract on publishers, a condition of which is that e-books cannot be sold cheaper elsewhere.

US Trade site, Publishers Lunch, reported the following “As best we can determine, the questioning so far has been highly-focused in scope, directed at the largest book publishers and at least some retailers." The questioning was described as a general “fishing expedition” for information, which could go on for months, or end very quickly.

However, these concerns have not prevented most publishers from offering their titles via Apple’s iBookstore, as it has had a successful launch.

Earlier, US trade website Publishers Lunch reported that Apple was the subject of an anti-trust inquiry by the Texas Attorney General's office into the agency model. The publication cited well-placed sources as claiming the queries had started in early to mid-April - within days of the launch of Apple's iPad and iBookstore.

Research Scientists Use iPad to Communicate With Dolphins

Yesterday we saw a dog play air hockey on the iPad. Today we hear about a young bottlenose dolphin named Merlin who became the first of his species to use the Apple iPad. Dolphin research scientist, Jack Kassewitz of SpeakDolphin.com, introduced the iPad to the dolphin in early steps towards build a language interface.

“The use of the iPad is part of our continuing search to find a suitable touch screen technology which the dolphins can activate with the tip of their rostrums or beaks. After extensive searching and product review, it looks like our choice is between the Panasonic Toughbook and the Apple iPad” Kassewitz explained. “We think that once the dolphins get the hang of the touch screen, we can let them choose from a wide assortment of symbols to represent objects, actions and even emotions”.

Kassewitz explained the requirements of the technology. “Waterproofing, processor speed, touch- sensitivity, anti-glare screens, and dolphin-friendly programs are essential. As this database of dolphin symbols grows – we’ll need fast technology to help us respond appropriately and quickly to the dolphins.”

The research was being conducted at Dolphin Discovery’s dolphin swim facility in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico along the picturesque coast now referred to as the Riviera Maya. The dolphin, Merlin, is a juvenile, born at the facility only two years ago. “Merlin is quite curious, like most dolphins, and he showed complete willingness to exam the iPad” said Kassewitz.

For now, the researchers are getting Merlin used to the touch screen by showing him real objects, such as a ball, cube or plastic duck, then asking the dolphin to touch photos of those same objects on the screen. “This is an easy task for a dolphin, but it is a necessary building block towards our goal of a complete language interface between humans and dolphins”, Kassewitz said.

The iPad Buyers' Guide [Download]

iLounge has published their iPad Buyers' Guide and made it available for download.

Now with 150 pages, the iPad Buyers’ Guide + iPod/iPhone Book 5 shows you how to make the most of your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, featuring everything from buying and selling tips to looks at top accessories, apps, and games.

The iPad Buyers’ Guide
With over two million iPads sold in the first 60 days of availability, Apple’s tablet computer is taking the world by storm. We explain why and spotlight its top add-ons.
● Introducing the iPad
● Cases, Film + Stickers
● Car Accessories
● Stands + Docks
● Earphones + Cables
● iPad Camera Connection Kit
● Great iPad Games + Apps

iDesign Addendum
Profiles of six top accessory and application developers add to our series on great design, including early details on upcoming apps.
● Incase
● Speck Products
● SwitchEasy
● Duck Duck Moose
● PopCap Games
● Tapbots

All Things iPod + iPhone
Every current iPod and iPhone model are compared, with 16 different sections discussing everything from buying, selling, and trading to accessorizing, filling, and customizing your favorite Apple pocket device.
1. Installing The Right Software
2. Charging + Synchronizing
3. Filling It Up: Music, Videos, Apps, More
4. Entertainment Everywhere
5. Customization
6. Expanding Your iPod or iPhone
7. Playing Around: Toys + Games
8. Protection
9. Cables, Cord Managers + Sharing
10. Maintenance and Repair
11. Selling and Trading
12. Buying
13. Apple TV
14. Gifting
15. Joining The Community
16. More Help

iPad, iPhone + iPod Photo Galleries
● Great photos from our Around the World galleries are shown off here.

You can download the complete pdf from here

Apple Announces Over Two Million iPads Sold

Apple today announced that iPad sales have topped two million in less than 60 days since its launch on April 3. Apple began shipping iPad in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK this past weekend. iPad will be available in nine more countries in July and additional countries later this year.

“Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad, and seem to be loving it as much as we do,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”

The company also notes that developers have created over 5,000 new apps for iPad and that there are more than 200,000 apps on the App Store which run on any iDevice.

Early Screenshots of ProSwitcher HD for iPad

Ryan Petrich and Chpwn have posted some screenshots of ProSwitcher HD, an upcoming utility to easily switch between background iPad apps.

ProSwitcher HD still moving forward: http://yfrog.com/1qjl0tj http://yfrog.com/bfzk8aj

Take a look below...

International iPads Arrive Early for Many

The iPad is set to launch tomorrow in nine countries; however, it seems that shipments are getting through a bit earlier than expected.

Reports indicate that customers in Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK have all received early shipments. With the UK customers being the luckiest.

International iPad App Stores are also live so if you haven't already received your iPad you can get your apps ready.

[via MacRumors]

UK Apple Stores to Open Early for iPad

Apple Stores in the UK will open at 8am on Friday for the launch of the iPad, according to an email sent to customers.

The Apple Retail Store is the best place to experience iPad. Have one of our Specialists show you all the amazing things it can do. If you buy one, we'll even help you get set up and running

The iPad will also be available at 139 Currys and PC World store locations across the country, according to The Times. The retailer is thought to have a 60-day exclusive window to sell the device outside Apple stores, although rumors suggest that the Best Buy’s mega-store in Thurrock may also have stock.

Read More

iPad 3G is Completely Sold Out at Apple Stores

The iPad 3G is completely sold out at 50 Apple retail stores in the US, according to an AppleInsider report.

Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said his team contacted representatives at 50 Apple retail stores and found that 74 percent of them were sold out of all models of the iPad, with the Wi-Fi model available in 26 percent of stores, and the 3G version sold out. It's been the same story for Apple since the iPad 3G first launched on April 30 in the U.S.

The typical wait time is about 4 to 7 days to receive an iPad.

Read More

The Solid Gold iPad SUPREME Edition

Stuart Hughes is offering a solid gold and diamond encrusted iPad to those who have an extra $189,000 to spend.

For the most elite individual, we bring you the the worlds 1st solid gold and diamond ipad. Encrusted with 25.5 cts of ‘I'F' Flawless diamonds, a magnificent total of 53 individually set sparkling gems dwell beautifully in their solid 22ct Apple logo. The rear and screen surround are made from a single piece of solid 22ct gold, weighing an immense 2,100 grams.This most luxurious ipads appearance is outstanding even down to the precise polishing to reveal its most beautiful harmonious appearance. A magnificent combination of top of the industry technology and unrivaled craftsmanship was involved in creating this masterpiece.

The company says only 10 units of this item will be made.

Read More [via CrunchGear]

BeeJive IM for iPad Submitted to App Store [Screenshot]

BeeJive IM for iPad has been submitted to the App Store for review and should be available by next week, according to a Wired report.

The site had a chance to try an almost finalized version...

My favorite part about the BeeJive UI is it lists your chat sessions in a column on the right side of the screen. You can see a preview of what a person is saying in a bubble, which eliminates the need to switch back and forth between chats over and over. Selecting a chat in the right window displays the full conversation in the center screen.

You can scroll up and down the active chat window in the center, and there are icons to send an image, record and send a voice clip, e-mail a copy of your conversation and close the chat. I was surprised by how painless sending a photo and audio clip was: Rather than require a friend to accept a file transfer, BeeJive sends multimedia in the form of a URL for the recipient to view on a webpage. It’s fast, fast, fast, which is how the overall iPad experience should be.

BeeJive IM will be offered at an introductory cost of $6 and will cost $10 later. It is being sold separately from the iPhone version.

Read More

Japanese Customers Lineup to Pre-order the iPad

Japanese customers are reportedly lining up at the Apple Store for a chance to pre-order the iPad, according to Hard Mac.

One of our reader, took some photos of an Apple Store in Japan, illustrating customers queuing in front of the shop. Customers can only pre-order from the physical Apple Store, other distributors do not offer such option (well Apple made it forbidden for them).

Recently it was announced that the iPad would be carrier locked to Softbank Mobile in Japan; however, it seems as though there is still plenty of demand for the device.

Read More

Ship Date for New International iPad Pre-orders Slips to June 7th

It looks like Apple has sold out of all its international iPad inventory available for a May 28th ship date.

Customers pre-ordering the iPad now will have to wait until June 7th for their devices to ship.

Those who were among the first to place their iPad preorder should still see the device by the May 28th launch.

[via AppleInsider]

iPad Supports Eleven Simultaneous Touches

Matt Gemmell has written some code to find out how many touches the iPad supports. The answer is: eleven.

Please note that the videos show only ten touches, but I previously established (with Lauren’s help) that the iPad supports exactly 11. You can reproduce the result yourself using ten fingers and the pads of your thumbs, or lowest knuckle-joints of your index fingers, or your nose and chin (or just ask a friend, which will look less odd).

Take a look below...

Read More [via DaringFireball]

Apple to Fix iPad Wi-Fi Issues With Future Firmware Update

Apple has updated its iPad Wi-Fi support document to reveal that they will address remaining Wi-Fi issues with a future firmware update.

A very small number of iPad users have experienced issues with Wi-Fi connectivity. This article outlines workarounds for these issues. Apple will also address remaining Wi-Fi connectivity issues with a future iPad software update.

If you are having Wi-Fi issues you can trying following some of their suggestions in the document linked below...

Read More [via MacRumors]

Apple to Release Carrier Locked iPad After All

When announcing the iPad, Apple promised that all 3G models would be unlocked. Turns out that is not the case.

The iPad releases to nine additional countries on May 28th. Eight of those countries will get an unlocked iPad. Japan will not.

All Japanese models will be SIM-locked to Softbank Mobile, Apple's iPhone partner in Japan, Apple said late Monday. The company confirmed the presence of a SIM lock but couldn't immediately explain why it was enforcing the restriction in Japan.

This runs contrary to a direct pledge made by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "All the iPad 3G models are unlocked," he said.

Hopefully Japan is an anomaly and Apple doesn't plan to release more locked iPads to other countries still waiting for the device.

Read More

Apple Starts Accepting International iPad Pre-orders

Apple has started accepting international pre-orders for the iPad Wi-Fi and iPad 3G.

So far Germany, the U.K., Australia, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, and France are accepting pre-orders. Canada and Japan will likely go live soon.

The iPad will launch in these nine countries on May 28th.

Read More [via AppleInsider]

Force Your iPhone Apps into iPad Mode Using FullForce

Using FullForce you can make your iPhone applications run in fullscreen iPad compatibility mode.

We already posted an in depth tutorial on how to accomplish this earlier; however, Ryan Petrich has released a tweak in Cydia to make the process much easier.

Once you install FullForce, simply open your Settings.app, select FullForce from the Extensions list, and use the switches to set compatibility mode for whichever apps you choose.

You can download FullForce from the Big Boss Cydia repository.

Winterboard for iPad Makes Great Progress [Now Available]

Saurik has announced that he and DHowett have made great progress on a new version of Winterboard for iPad.

While not 100%, @DHowett and I have made great progress on WinterBoard's iPad support with version 0.9.3182.

This new version is now available in Cydia for your download. To install WinterBoard you must be jailbroken.

Apple Releases International Pricing for the iPad

Apple has announced international pricing for the iPad in Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK.

Australia:
iPad is available in Australia for a recommended retail price of AUS$629 inc GST for 16GB, AUS$759 inc GST for 32GB, AUS$879 inc GST for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and AUS$799 inc GST for 16GB, AUS$928 inc GST for 32GB and AUS$1049 inc GST for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

Canada:
iPad is available in Canada for a suggested retail price of $549 (CAN) for 16GB, $649 (CAN) for 32GB, $749 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and $679 (CAN) for 16GB, $779 (CAN) for 32GB and $879 (CAN) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

France:
iPad est disponible en France au prix de vente conseillé de 499 € pour le modèle 16 Go, 599 € pour le modèle 32 Go, 699 € pour le modèle 64 Go en version Wi-Fi, et au prix de vente conseillé de 599 € pour le modèle 16 Go, 699 € pour le modèle 32 Go, 799 € pour le modèle 64 Go en version Wi-Fi + 3G.

Italy:
iPad è disponibile in Italia ad un prezzo consigliato di €499 per 16GB, €599 per 32GB, €699 per 64GB per i modelli Wi-Fi e €599 per 16GB, €699 per 32GB e €799 per 64GB per i modelli Wi-Fi + 3G.

Spain:
El iPad estará disponible en España al precio recomendado (IVA incluído) de 479 euros el modelo de 16GB, 579 euros el de 32GB y 679 euros el de 64GB, en el caso de los modelos Wi-Fi; y al precio recomendado (IVA incluído) de 579 euros el de 16GB, 679 euros el de 32GB y 779 euros el de 64GB, para modelos del iPad con Wi-Fi + 3G.

United Kingdom:
iPad is available in the UK for a suggested retail price of £429 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £499 (inc. VAT) for 32GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and £529 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 32GB and £699 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models.

iPad Available in Nine More Countries on May 28

Apple today announced that the iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on Friday, May 28. Customers can pre-order all iPad models from Apple’s online store in all nine countries beginning on Monday, May 10. In the US, Apple has already sold over one million iPads and customers have downloaded over 12 million apps from the App Store, as well as over 1.5 million ebooks from the new iBookstore.

Additional Plans
Apple plans to release iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July. Apple will announce availability, local pricing and pre-order plans for these nine additional countries at a later date.