iOS 4.3 Coming March 11

Alongside the iPad 2 being announced today, Steve Jobs with the help of Scott Forstall unveiled iOS 4.3 to the world. New features in the update include the Nitro Javscript engine from Safari on OS X to make browsing super sweet, new iTunes Home Sharing that lets you play content from iTunes to your iOS device over WiFi, new AirPlay features that we saw in the iOS 4.3 betas such as the ability for App Store apps to share audio and video. For the iPhone only, iOS 4.3 adds the personal hotspot feature but for only the GSM version and for the iPad it adds Photobooth and Facetime to take advantage of the new camera on the iPad 2. Oh and Apple is giving us choice of whether you want the switch on the side to be for locking the screen rotation or for it to be a mute switch.

iOS 4.3 will be a free download available on March 11 for the iPhone 4 (GSM), 3GS, iPod Touch 3rd and 4th gen and both iPad models.

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iPad 2 Announced

Announced by Steve Jobs only moments ago, the sequal to the iPad has been announced, imaginatively named the iPad 2. The next baby to come out of Apple uses the all new A5 duel core processor with 9x faster graphics, there are front and back facing cameras, it is 2lb lighter now at 1.3 pounds, a 1/3 thinner at 8.8mm thick (which is thinner than the iPhone 4 by the way) and all in a brand new design with a white version that will ship on time! The iPad 2 will come in the same 16Gb, 32Gb and 64Gb models, all at the same price as the previous model and will ship on March 11.

There is the usual Apple accessories like a keyboard dock and USB/SD card dock connector that was available last year but we have some now we have some new ones. The first is a HDMI connector that can go straight to a TV which mirrors the iPad screen and exports in 1080p, which will be good for app demos and the like. The next new accessory for the iPad 2 is a new "case" called Smart Covers. It apparently adds no weight or bulk to the iPad while keeping it protected, the inner material is micro-fibre which will get rid of any fingerprints made while using the device and comes in either Polyurethane ($39) or Leather $69). But the coolest thing about these Smart Covers is that it uses magnets to wake and sleep the iPad when you open and close the case. Fancy!

But there is one missing chunk in this announcement. The lack of a Retina Display. Probably too costly for this iteration but I would of blown away every tablet on the market right now if it had that awesome screen.

So will you get one or is it just a pointless announcement?

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App Store Reaches 10 Billion App Downloads!

 

Today is a day that will go down in history. The App store has reached 10 Billion downloads! This is more apps downloaded than people on this earth! Congratulations Apple, but what is next? 20 Billion? 50 Billion? 100 Billion? I hope we can get a bit of rest before you smash through those barriers. 

The person who downloads the 10 Billionth app will win a $10,000 iTunes voucher but we still have to wait to find out who it is, maybe it will be you. Personally, if won I would sell the voucher for $9,000 and go crazy in the actual Apple store. Probably won't but who knows...

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Source iTunes

First Steps Taken to Hacking iPod Nano

When Steve Jobs announced the brand new iPod nano in September with an interface that looked like iOS, everyone was thinking how long or how easy it would be to hack and put custom apps onto the new nano. And the first steps have been taken towards making this a reality as on a flight home, James Whelton booted up an iPod nano with a modified SpringBoard plist file that "removed" an app from the screens and replaced it with a blank space. Now you might be thinking, is that it. Well yes it is, but don't get to sad, as this could be the first step on the long road that leads to even more hacking, jailbreaking and installing custom apps that we dreamed of when steve announced it in september. See the demo video below.

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Apple Sells 1 Million Apple TVs

 

Last week Apple said it expected the new Apple TV to top one million units before Christmas and now they have told us the have. With the addition of AirPlay for wireless streaming content from your Apple devices and how the Apple TV now costs $99 have pushed up the sales of the Apple TV. One million sold in 3 months. Not bad for a hobby. Not bad. 

Source MacRumours

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Apple Mac Store Opens it's Doors on January 6th

 

Apple has announced that it's Mac app store will be available for download on January 6th next year. This is Apple's desktop version of the already incredibly popular iPhone and iPad app stores. But everyone still running 10.5 needs to upgrade to 10.6 to take advantage of the Mac App store as it only runs on Snow Leopard. Apple is planning on launching it around the world in 90 countries and will include free and paid apps of a wide range of apps for Apple's computer OS from developers all around the world. However Apple is not taking submissions of apps that are trials, demos, or betas, you will have to go to the developer's website to get these, but if you are a developer, I would suggest getting yours in there to get better exposure as it will probably be as big of a hit with developers and consumers alike as the iPhone and iPad app store. 

Read the press release below. 

Apple's Mac App Store to Open on January 6

CUPERTINO, California-December 16, 2010-Apple® today announced that the Mac® App Store℠ will open for business on Thursday, January 6. By bringing the revolutionary App Store experience to Mac OS® X, the Mac App Store makes discovering, installing and updating Mac apps easier than ever. The Mac App Store will be available in 90 countries at launch and will feature paid and free apps in categories like Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity and Utilities.

"The App Store revolutionized mobile apps," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can't wait to get started on January 6."

The Mac App Store lets you browse new and noteworthy apps, find out what's hot, view staff favorites, search categories and read customer ratings and reviews. Like on iPhone®, iPod touch® and iPad™, you can purchase, download and install apps in just one click and start using them immediately. Purchased apps can run on all of your personal Macs and updates are delivered directly through the Mac App Store so it's easy to keep all of your apps up to date. The Mac App Store is available to Mac OS X Snow Leopard® users as a free download through Software Update.

Mac developers set the price for their apps, keep 70 percent of the sales revenue, are not charged for free apps and do not have to pay hosting, marketing or credit card fees. To find out more about developing for the Mac App Store visit developer.apple.com/programs/mac.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

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Source Apple