I'm deep into writing my book "The iPad Pocket Guide" - but how does one write a book about a product that isn't out yet? Chuck Joiner and I discuss the value of having hands-on time with the iPad at the product's introduction, as well as my impressions of the device compared to the hype, and more on MacVoices.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is working on an iPhone compatible with Verizon's and Sprint's CDMA cellular networking technology.
We won't have iPads in our hands until this coming weekend, but if you're curious to know more about how the iPad works, Apple has posted a series of guided tour videos. For example, the video for iBooks demonstrates the capability to perform searches and look up words in the iPad's built-in dictionary.
Are people crazy to drop $499 or more on a product they've never seen or touched in person? In the case of the iPad, the answer is no, because consumers are buying into the Apple brand as much as they're buying a new computing device. Brand expert Simon Spence explains why.
AT&T finally plans to ship its 3G MicroCell, a cellular base station that plugs into home or small-office broadband to blanket a house-sized area with mobile coverage for voice and data.
Apple has quietly revealed what it will cost to switch AT&T 3G data plans for the iPad in the middle of a billing cycle.
Long a feature of the iTunes Music Store, Apple has now added the capability to purchase iPhone apps as gifts within the App Store.
Former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée, now a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, suggests in this blog post that we won't see the iPhone on Verizon Wireless's network any time soon because Verizon wants to run its own mobile app store and not give up control to Apple. He goes on to postulate that Apple will make deals with Sprint and T-Mobile once AT&T's exclusivity expires, as a way of pressuring Verizon into accepting the iPhone and App Store.
Clearwire suggests that Wi-Fi-only iPad users in regions covered by its Clear fourth-generation WiMAX mobile broadband service buy a 4G router and avoid AT&T's service charges.
Amazon has finally released its Mac OS X Kindle application about five months after the Windows version, and a year after its iPhone release. The free beta software provides a window into Kindle Store books. Amazon also previewed its app for the iPad, and detailed plans for Kindle software on other tablet operating systems.
An iPad battery-replacement FAQ entry has led to a spate of articles that seem to say all poorly functioning batteries in the not-yet-shipping device will cost $105.95 plus tax to replace. Those reports ignore warranty coverage, which Apple hasn't made easy to understand.
Apple will begin accepting pre-orders for the iPad tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM Pacific time.
T-Mobile is the fourth-largest U.S. cellular carrier, and it has to try harder. In the context of testing a T-Mobile 3G cell data modem, I look at the company's current offerings, future plans, and unique twist on mobile broadband plans for laptops.
Verizon Wireless has a campaign ready to launch when the Wi-Fi-only iPad ships to convince purchasers that Verizon's 3G wireless MiFi is a better option than waiting for a 3G-enabled iPad.
Alongside Apple's undeniable success with the iPhone App Store have been the near-constant stories of app rejections for dubious or entirely bogus reasons (to be fair, most rejections are entirely legitimate). But what gives Apple the right to reject or even remove apps? The iPhone Developer Program License Agreement, to which all iPhone developers must agree. The EFF has now acquired copies of the agreement and analyzed some of the more troubling clauses. Would they stand up in court? There's no way to know until someone sues Apple.