iPad mute switch magicked into a 'screen rotation lock' overnight, a flurry of other tidbits emerge
By Paul Miller 
posted March 12th 2010 12:34PM
posted March 12th 2010 12:34PM
Apple's pushing out a few more scraps of info about the iPad in conjunction with the launch of pre-orders. One of the quirkier details is that what was previously known as the mute switch on the iPad -- similar to the one on the iPhone -- is now known as the "screen rotation lock" on Apple's website. We suppose it makes more sense for this sort of device, both due to the "hold it any way you feel like" marketing push, and since it's less likely to start ringing in the middle of a Remember Me screening than your iPhone is. In other news, it's been confirmed that iBooks will be able to sync free (non-DRM'd) ePub titles in from iTunes, which is good news for people who want to use an existing ePub stash of theirs with Apple's fancy page-flipping interface. Also on the books front, it was clarified today that the iPad can indeed use VoiceOver screen-reading for reading pages of books out loud -- we knew the screen reading tech was on the iPad, but now it sounds as if it will be more directly integrated into iBooks. Apple also clarified today that folks who sign up for the 250MB iPad data plan will receive pop-up alerts when they're running short on data, similar to battery warnings, at the 20 percent, 10 percent and zero marks. There's an account management pane that lets you sign up for or cancel service, add another 250MB, or swap to an unlimited plan. But wait, there's more! Apple's also confirming a few more iPhone OS 3.2 features, like the addition of Google's "Terrain" view in maps and a slightly revamped iPod app UI. 3.2 also brings some nice video tweaks like support for additional formats (AVI and MJPEG) and native uploads to Facebook -- further boosting the iPad's external camera friendliness.
@LAY It's not that light. I've held one.
I don't see any value of a camera on the back, you're not going to take pics with it. A camera on the face seems a big omission to me. This is a netbook competitor but you can't video conference with it?
@WindFreak People with loved ones in other countries would love skype with video on this
@mark29 I think these people will begin to hate you if all they see is disgusting nose hair..
Imagine if you will for a moment holding a 16:9 device wide screen then switching to regular...feels wierd doesnt it?
@LAY
They listened to a tiny majority of the readership. But that's not the point really.
Now there's plenty of threads for WM7 and everything else, you would think all the tards could comment there instead of every single Apple thread they have no interest in
These anti-iPad comments never get old. I've enjoyed reading them since day one. I especially enjoy the ones that talk about:
A. Lack of Flash
B. Lack of Multitasking
C. Lack of Camera
/s
@mynameisjay Lack of HDMI, Lack of OS, Lack of Imagination
@mynameisjay
I don't quite understand this. The Nexus One had all these features that geeks love and yet Google sold only about 80,000 units in the first month. Very poor numbers for such a wonderfully radical smartphone that everyone was going to buy. It had crappy email customer support on top of that.
The iPad is supposed to be the tablet nobody wants because it doesn't have all the geek-required hardware/software. Yet the iPad will most likely reach 100,000 pre-orders before the day has ended.
I fail to see why some of you people think that because a device has a lot of features, it will automatically be a successful product. I believe it has something to do with most consumers don't care about all those features and would rather have lots of content and good customer support from a reliable brand even if the cost is higher.
So, what's the most important for sales? Features or brand reliability.
@MosesusedaniPad
"/s" = Sarcasm :)
I agree with you, though. Just because you throw in every feature people demand, doesn't mean the product will be any better than a product with less of these features.
The way Apple's always went about doing things is by "less is more". Do a few core things extremely well, then build more completely solid features as the product and market evolves. The iPad is just another one of these products.
Because of this, though we get a horde of angry nerds demanding "feature x, y, z". Well, the solution now as always, is to go buy a similar product from a vendor such as HP, Dell, etc and stop alienating people who are actually interested in Apple products.
@mynameisjay -- "Well, the solution now as always, is to go buy a similar product from a vendor such as HP, Dell, etc..."
It's funny though.... the people who are trashing the iPad are probably *not* gonna rush out and buy an HP Slate... aka a netbook without a keyboard... for $800 either...
@iPaul
Lack of USB, Lack of e-Ink (or was that iInk?), Lack of tactile keyboard...
Lack of openness, Lack of buttons, Lack of screen estate...
Lack of battery life, Lack of bezel, Lack of World of Warcraft...
Lack of mute switch, Lack of ergonomics, Lack of weight...
Lack of love, Lack of apps, Lack of porn, Lack of competitions...
Lack of disc drive, Lack of graphic prowess, Lack of fans...
Now did I miss anything?
Oh, Lack of sausage, I mean stylus.
3.2 also brings some nice video tweaks like support for additional formats (AVI and MJPEG) and native uploads to Facebook -- further boosting the iPad's external camera friendliness.
avi isn't a format, it's a container. thanks.
They're going to dribble out features over time right? Like a woman who doesn't get in bed fully naked?
@pukerocket
"They listened to a tiny majority of the readership. But that's not the point really."
Well if it was, (Heaven knows how you would know) then so? They cared enough to make the noise. If Apple people wanted the opposite then they should have open their mouths. Engadget isnt the Psychic Friends Network.
"Now there's plenty of threads for WM7 and everything else, you would think all the tards could comment there instead of every single Apple thread they have no interest in"
Obviously they care like some folks whom dont like WM7 comment there.
The moral of the story: People that dont care dont post.
It sure would be nice if Apple would give us visually impaired users the ability to change the color of the background, color and size of the text thru out the iphone and the upcoming ipad.
on my iphone all i can do is go to settings>general>accessability and click on or off the white on black option. unfortunately all it does is reverse the current page color.
I can not see anything against a white background, but i can see perfectly on a black background. i've been writting, emailing, and calling apple for almost three years now and so far nada damm thing has been done for those of us visually impaired types who use the iphone and or want to try the upcoing ipad.
thanks to the kindle for iphone app i can change the background to black and make the text bigger and bold. And thanks to that app, i have been able to read a book for the first time in over ten years..
Unfortunately, ereaders...both software and hardware don't give me that option.
oh well...don't mind me.... i am just blowing off steam.... i know based on experience that nothing will change for us visually impaired types. thanks goodness i have my guide dog help me get around.
@jallis
I believe that the iPad does have this;
http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/accessibility.html
(enlarged fonts, white on black and voice over.. all built in)
TIP: If you want your iPhone to remain in landscape mode while it's on its side (e.g. laying in bed), all you have to do is 1) Rotate it 90 degrees into landscape mode, then 2) rotate it another 90 degrees so that the top of the phone (earpiece/lock button) are pointing toward the ground. The screen will not rotate any more, and you can use the phone in landscape mode while laying on your side :)
One thing that caught me by surprise when ordering was that Apple was listing their bluetooth keyboard as an accessory to the iPad.
I am assuming this means you can hook a bluetooth keyboard up rather than having to purchase the keyboard dock. Which seems pretty cool to me.
CharlesJR
@CharlesJR
yeah, and you can even hook up a bluetooth camera if you want. Ah, what will all of the Apple/iPhone/iPad haters do once Apple has addressed every so-called short-coming of the iPad? OS 4.0 will be sweet! I can't wait!
Will the 3G version have a SIM slot?
@Hotrod
New to iPad?? It will have a micro-SIM slot so you won't be able to use the regular kind of SIM that would go into your GSM phone.
"...data plan will receive pop-up alerts when they're running short on data, similar to battery warnings, at the 20 percent, 10 percent and zero marks. There's an account management pane that lets you sign up for or cancel service, add another 250MB, or swap to an unlimited plan."
I wonder if this is the ground work for the end of the "unlimited" data plan for the iPhone? Seems like a lot of work for an option 3G data card for one device. Or do other carriers outside the US that don't sell "unlimited" data plans for the iPhone already make use of this sort of mechanism?
@KAL326
There is no unlimited data for the iPhone in most parts of the world. My understanding was that USA was the only one to be honest. Up north you're looking at $80 for 2 GB of data...ffs...
@Plazmic Flame
In the UK all 3 of the iPhone providers have unlimited data plans around the £30 mark.
@Plazmic Flame Do know if it utilizes this sort of notification system when you are nearing your 2GB limit?
@Plazmic Flame
i have unlimited data with bell for just $30
@WolfDV - and you have an iphone?? If you do, that's pretty sweet.
@KAL326 - yes, there are notifications when you come close to your limit and when you reach the limit.
Although I'm not buying an iPad, I can't wait to see what's next for iPhone OS (specifically for iPhone and iPod touch).
Nice to see that non-drm ePub will be importable. I didnt think this would be the case.
What I want to know is does this mean that at launch will ibooks be available to non-us territories just without the ibook store?
An on\off button? Someone call the media!
In other news, I'm waiting for the buttonless version. It's not magic if it can't read my thoughts.
I'm sueing Apple for stealing my on/off button patent.
Nothingreal..
thanks for the reply about the accessibility options... sadly in the iphone if you click on the white on black option... all it does is reverse the current page color scheme. check it out on your iphone. if the background is already a dark color it is changed to white which i can't see on. on the other hand if the hand, if the page starts out white thne it becomes black which i can read
unfortunately the interface thru out the iphone has different background colors and the white on black option just blindly changes the current color no matter what i say thru the entire phone.
if i could make all the pages the same black background color then i would be all set and very happy.
when it comes to the ipad time will tell if the white on black option makes all the pages black then i would be more than happy to go for it.
what a joke. it's so sad that a company this full of itself can get so many sheeple to do what they tell them. i'd bet the majority of the people that buy this garbage dont even have a clear answer as to WHY they want it. brainwashed much?
@syph007
just because you're too stupid to see the niche or how this device can fit into someone's lifestyle, doesn't mean it's useless. I don't have a laptop and don't want a clunky, slow, and heavy netbook. The iPad is perfect to bridge the gap between my iMac and iPhone. I love my iPhone, but smartphones are just too small to really enjoy watching a movie. Even some of my existing apps will be better utilized on the large screen. Then there's the whole ebooks and magazine reader option. Couple all of this with the super fast browser, slick UI and spot-on touch screen of the iPad and you have a winner. The majority of the other so-called shortcomings are being addressed or will be a non-issue with future software updates. OS 4.0 is said to have expose'-type mulitasking similar to the Mac's OSX. If you want a physical keyboard, either buy the dock or pair a bluetooth keyboard of your choice.......same with a bluetooth or USB-type camera. So now that we've addressed all of your issues, what are you going to bitch about now? No FLASH. I'm sure people like you will never be satisfied b/c you just hate Apple. Stick with the masses!
@syph007 I have to say your a typical nerd, and that's what all the apple haters r, they r nerds living in their bubble, while the rest of us live in the real world. I have to admit u have the common sense of a donkey. Anyone with any logic will see how successful this will be, this is exactly what a tablet is supposed to be, it's not supposed to be the feature packed tablets that have 350 bullet points under tech specs. Tell me honestly does your boner get bigger, the more bullet points there are? Tablets are supposed to be quick and easy to use, not the horrible overloaded windows 7 tablets that will eventually come out. So while the rest of us enjoy apples latest revolution, I have a tip for a nerd like u, go to your win 7 pc that undoubtedly u have nodifed 3000 times, go on to YouTube and pull up that video of of the MS vapourware, I think they call it the courier. I'm sure u can cum multiple times watching that, that should be enough for your daily dose of porn. Honestly these nerds need to be exterminated...anyone know any good pest control?
@syph007 You seem like the type of person that would have dissed the GUI in ’84.
People keep forgetting about the Apple Patent for "hot corners" on the iPad. They can very well introduce more fucntions with a software update. Just like the iPhone evolved, so will the iPad. I'm pumped!
Why no alarm clock, since this thing will be on my night stand ever night, reading, watching movies, surfing the web, emailing, listening to music, etc... Just makes sense to give it that world clock the iPhone has.
@commonman
just b/c it doesn't come standard with the stock, alarm clock, etc. apps doesn't mean you can't find a comparable, if not better, app in the app store.
Yesterday evening, while watching NBC's "The Marriage Ref", I noticed Maria Menounos(celebrity fact person) was resourcing what appeared to be an Apple iPad for her internet search queries. The iPad was being held up by, what looked to be a glass column of-sorts. How were the peripherals able to connect to the iPad? Would this indicate some deviation from the current iPhone OS? It looked like it was being displayed as a desktop replacement, could this be true?
Yay AVI support! That's a serious deal maker for me :)
Was that switch actually ever listed as a mute-switch on the Apple website?
Did you know the screen will be able to play videos? It's a new innovation.
Nice these comments, funny seeing all the nerds that keep complaining and hating. Apple's minimalistic approach is not their cup of tea.
This is a great indicator that it will be a perfect device for the masses.
I believe in the 'less is more' strategy, this will be a huge hit.
"...iPod app UI. 3.2 also brings some nice video tweaks like support for additional formats (AVI and MJPEG)"
Any chance of dvix and/or xvid?
All those of you who are so kind to share the fact that "you don't want it" or "you still don't want it", I just want to say a heart-felt "Thank you!". Please do share what else you don't want, or what else you don't intend to buy. So very fascinating.