The sometimes-reliable DigiTimes reports that Apple is planning to launch a new 8 GB iPad 2 model next week alongside the iPad 3, presumably seeking to reduce costs to make the device as affordable as possible while also differentiating the offering from the iPad 3. The strategy is similar to one used by Apple for the last several generations of the iPhone, where the company has discontinued the standard 16 GB and 32 GB models of the device being updated and added an 8 GB model to serve as a low-end option for consumers.


Today's report also claims, however, that Apple will be introducing 16 GB and 32 GB models of the iPad 3, making no mention of a 64 GB version or even a potential 128 GB version that some users have been hoping for. Both the original iPad and the iPad 2 top out at 64 GB, and even though Apple is trying to encourage adoption of its iCloud service to allow users to freely download content on-demand, a reduction in maximum capacity would be a very odd decision for Apple. With the iPad 3 expected to carry a 2048 x 1536 "Retina" display with four times the pixels of the iPad 2, the device would be capable of handling higher-resolution video and app content, which would obviously require larger file sizes.

As Apple has scheduled an event on March 7, sources from its upstream supply chain pointed out that the company is expected to launch two iPad 3 models - a 16GB version and 32GB version.

In addition to iPad 3, Apple is also expected to unveil an 8GB iPad 2, allowing the tablet PC series to cover different segments and to defend against Windows 8-based tablet PCs, the sources noted.

A shift to only two capacities for the iPad 3 would also seem to be at odds with part numbers said to be for the new device. Those part numbers show three "Good/Better/Best" versions of each new model, presumably corresponding to three different capacities.

Regardless of the accuracy of the report's iPad 3 claims, a move to an 8 GB iPad 2 is an interesting option that so far has not been the topic of much rumor or speculation. Most discussion has centered around the possibility of Apple keeping the 16 GB iPad 2 available at a price point of $399 or even lower, but a move to 8 GB would give Apple even more room to shift lower on pricing.

This post was written by Eric Slivka from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories.
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If you’ve been enjoying the blissfully commercial-free experience of Facebook’s iPhone and iPad apps, we’re sad to inform you that Facebook will be integrating ads into their news feeds effective immediately. What’s more, “premium” ads will be displayed on the desktop logout screen as well.

This comes after Facebook recently filed for IPO, and hot on the heels of rival social network, Twitter, announcing plans to integrate promoted tweets into their official iPhone app.

Up until now, Facebook has only pushed ads on the desktop and only below the ticker, on the side of user profiles. They no doubt hope mobile ads in the news feed will increase revenue and profitability. Like Google, they offer a free service to end users, but the price of that free service is advertising, data mining, and marketing. We’re not the customers, we’re the product. Facebook, like Google, hopes the service they offer is valuable enough that we’ll put up with the advertising and keep sharing our data, so they can sell more ads to show us.

It’s been an incredibly successful business model for Google, and could prove to be similarly successful for Facebook. However, ads in search may be more tolerable than ads in timelines. Search doesn’t feel as personal as our social circles, and ads shown when we’re looking for something might feel more helpful than ads shown when we’re trying to share with our friends.

How do you feel about ads in your Facebook news feed?

Source: Facebook

This post was written by Andrew Wray from iMore - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog.
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It looks like Apple has started selling iPhone 4 units from Foxconn’s new Brazilian manufacturing plant, which has been up and running since late 2011. According to photos released by Portuguese news site Meio Bit, the iPhone 4 handsets in question appear to be the lower-end 8GB models, with stamps indicating they may only be just a few weeks old.

Gizmodo Brazil previously took a few photos showing Foxconn’s Brazil’s production. In addition to producing the iPhone 4 in Brazil, Foxconn plans to build 5 more production facilities in the surrounding areas to help with growing demand for the iPad among consumers.

Since Brazil also imposes very high duties on iPhones and iPads imported from China, it’s conceivable that switching to local production could eventually eliminate those fees and bring iPhone and iPad pricing more in line with other regions, making the devices more accessible to Brazilian markets. No such price reductions are evident yet, however, so there may be other factors involved that require additional time to sort out.

Source: Meio Bit via MacRumors

This post was written by Andrew Wray from iMore - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog.
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Thomas Schlijper posts a stunning photo of the glass staircase at Apple's new Amsterdam retail store in the historic Hirsch building. The store, which opens to the public this Saturday, is Apple's first in the Netherlands.


Previously-revealed floor plans for the location show a large two-level store with a massive 20-seat Genius Bar extending along one wall of the first floor. In the weeks leading up to the opening, Apple has been concealing the store's interior with striking orange window coverings.

This post was written by Eric Slivka from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories.
You can view the original post by clicking here.

Safari gets a minor overhaul in this summer's release of OS X Mountain Lion, offering a cleaner, smarter user interface with a unified search and location field and new sharing features.

This post was written by AppleInsider from AppleInsider.
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