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OtterBox’s new accessories are aimed at kids and their iPads
OtterBox finally has a line of rugged iPad accessories for kids.
Play-Doh's new toy-to-life app is pointless but fun
If you had a decent childhood, you probably crafted some Play-Doh masterpieces back in the day. Today, however, kids are less likely to play with the modeling compound and more likely to spend time on an iPad. As such, Hasbro is taking a stab at making the 60-year-old brand relevant to modern kids with its new Touch app for iPads and iPhones. The game scans your creations and animates them in a virtual world that's as immersive as it is entertaining, even if you're nearly 30 years old (ahem).
Apple supplier accused of labor violations once again
Just days away from the unveiling of Apple's newest smartphone -- and quite possibly our first look at a wearable as well -- the company is yet again dealing with allegations that one of its suppliers isn't treating its employees well. According to a report by The New York Times, a factory operated by Catcher Technology has come under scrutiny for forcing employees to work excessive overtime as well as handle dangerous chemicals without protection. The factory, which manufactures parts for the iPad, had been audited by Apple earlier this year, and a statement from the company admits that there were "some concrete areas for improvement in Catcher's operations." One would have to imagine that if something as critical as poor chemical handling was noticed during the audit, it would have more than simply an area for improvement. This isn't exactly the first time Apple or any major electronics maker has had to respond to questions about another company's operations. When it comes to outsourcing, it's an unfortunately common issue that doesn't appear to have a clear or easy solution.
Avatron's Air Stylus shows promise for artists
Avatron's new Air Stylus (US$19.99) app transforms third generation or newer iPads into pressure-sensitive drawing surfaces compatible with desktop graphic design apps. The app is an outgrowth of Avatron's Air Display app. Air Display extends your computer's desktop to your iPad or iPhone to provide an extra screen. Air Stylus layers pressure-sensitive drawing on top of that display functionality. Not only can you view items on the secondary screen, you can draw on them too and in a meaningful way. Think of a Wacom tablet that you can place in your lap and draw onto, but one that shows the image you're drawing and not just a blank surface. There were a few gotchas. First, for an app to work with Air Stylus, it must be pressure-ready. On the Mac, that means working with apps like Acorn, Pixelmator, Manga Studio 5, Art Range, Intensify Pro, Mischief, and Photoshop Elements. Acorn is a terrific app that I happened to have on my system available for testing. Avatron has posted Photoshop how-to for those who wish to follow through with frame buffers and GPU settings, but don't think that the app will produce out-of-the-box pressure input for all drawing apps. Second, there is lag. Although a slight lag usually isn't a problem with Air Display -- especially when you're using the extra screen space for something not time critical such as Twitter -- when drawing, even a half-second of lag can really throw a wrench in things. This does not appear to be a problem for the artists highlighted in Avatron's shiny video and there were times in testing when reaction time was excellent, but at others I experienced a noticeable, albeit slight lag between drawing and the app responding. It was irritating. Third, there is sensitivity. I encountered difficulty when trying to consistently draw a line that changed pressure. You can see a subset of my attempts recorded here. The video shows the Reflector capture session of my iPad Air as I used both the brush and pencil tools. Eventually, I learned to put a bit of pressure onto the stylus to get the sensitivity going and then back off or press harder. I am never going to be a calligrapher and the process of learning to draw with pressure using the stylus was harder than I expected. I tested Air Stylus using a Wacom stylus, a Pogo Connect, and a cheap no-pressure stylus from the dollar store. The app worked well with all three. For pressure testing, I stuck with the Wacom as it was the only one that worked for those tests (Avatron plans to update its support for Pogo Connect soon). While I personally found Air Stylus difficult to use gracefully, I did love how well I could zoom and pan to focus my drawing space exactly where and how I wanted it. I suspect many of my difficulties stem from my ham handed lack of any sophisticated drawing abilities. I also liked how the desktop client offered to save my extra window state until I was ready to pick up and draw again. Unlike other screen extension apps, Air Stylus didn't revert my window configuration until I told it to. That's a great feature. At US$20, Air Stylus isn't going to be an impulse buy for most people -- especially when you take the stylus and drawing app prerequisites into account. However, if you're a serious artist and have mad pressure-sensitive skills, I think the app has the potential to really grab you. Be aware that the app is new and growing. Reaction on the App Store has been mixed. From an admittedly small sample, it's currently middling in ratings and has at least two very unhappy customers. I was more apparently impressed then they were, and I look forward to seeing how this app evolves.
Transformer-like Dock-It Pro provides quirky iPad keyboard case
To call the Dock-It Pro (US$159) quirky is to understate the oddness of this product. This Parle Innovation device offers a flip-case that enables users to treat their iPad as either a mini laptop or a very, very heavy tablet. A well-designed keyboard represents its strongest feature, but the weight, compatibility issues, and awkward usability let a promising product down. If you own an iPad air, this is not the product for you. It works only with the iPad 2, 3, and 4 form factor. To use, you slide the top element in a few directions (there are hints printed onto the product because it doesn't quite open like a laptop) and place your iPad inside. In my testing, this process went very smoothly and I was delighted to find a notch that allows me to connect my old-style charging cable to my iPad 2, even while docked to the unit. The built-in Bluetooth keyboard is battery powered, using a standard micro-USB charger -- which is exactly as hard to plug in as any other similar device. It helps to have good eyes and a steady hand. Now that I own Lightning products, I'm finding my patience wearing thin with some of these USB ports. Your iPad and your case charge independently. Unfortunately in "laptop" mode, the battery connector and the charging port notch are on opposite sides of the product, making cord organization a bit of a hassle. This is especially notable because in "laptop" mode represents the times when you're most likely to make extended use of the product. The built-in keyboard is my favorite part of this unit. Yes, the keyboard is small -- but so are all keyboard cases for iPads. And yes, the keyboard is chickleted, but it's a pretty decent chicklet keyboard with decent travel. There will probably never be a portable keyboard with proper mechanical switches and high key travel, so my evaluation was limited to: "Is this usable?" and "Does it feel pretty okay?" It certainly does. How good? About as good as it gets in the as the top of the middle to the bottom of the top of the keyboard case keyboard product pack. Decent. A set of handy function keys lines the top of the keyboard. At the very left, where the ESC key normally sits, is a home key equivalent -- very handy. Other built-ins include brightness control, volume control with mute key, and a lock key. The product is most suited to someone who needs to move between the touch world and text entry world, presumably in work areas where dictation is out of the question. Compared to my MacBook Air, which I bought refurbished, it's heavier, and less capable, and with the iPad, costs about the same. The target market that would best benefit from a device like this -- such as medical personnel and sales persons on the road -- would probably balk at the weight and awkward use. The product is not ruggedized in any way, so I wouldn't imagine taking it into a construction zone. In the end, I think the Dock-It Pro is probably a much better product concept than an actual product for sale despite its appealing keyboard and fun transformer screen.
16 GB of storage is just enough
Editor's Note: Sometimes our debates in the TUAW newsroom get a bit heated. That was the case when Erica Sadun and Mike Wehner faced off about the merits -- or lack thereof -- of 16 GB devices. We decided that the best way to resolve the debate was to let them each write a post. Here's Erica's entry; Mike's will be posted in 30 minutes here on TUAW. On Friday, I placed an order for my latest new device: a refurbished silver iPad. Shipped, it cost $399 plus tax. Like my previous iPads, I opted for the 16 GB device. I can't defend the 16 GB line on its merits. It takes a lot of work and overhead to maintain one. You must constantly weed through apps and documents to keep the device streamlined and ready for upgrades. But for many of us, the 16 GB option is the one that allows us to watch our pocketbooks while remaining in the iOS ecosystem. As anyone who owns a 16 GB unit, I've been subjected to many day-to-day space indignities. Not enough space to sync. Not enough space to update the firmware. Too many photos synced to my stream. Too much music in my library so I cherry-pick my play lists. Using a space-limited iPad certainly has its downsides but, that said, I use it differently than my iPhone. I read books on my tablet; I listen to music on my phone. I play a lot more games on my iPad; I place phone calls on the iPhone. I spend most of my Twitter time on the iPad and interact nearly exclusively with notes and reminders on my phone. This difference in usage is reflected in the number of apps I have installed at any time (many on my iPhone, very few on the iPad), as well as the media libraries I have established. Settings > General > Usage tells me that I am using almost 3 GB of precious tablet space just for books compared to just 1 GB for music. On my iPhone, I carry almost no books at all but over 13 GB of music. Where the 16 GB unit really hurts is with movies. Each movie requires about 1-2 GB of storage on average. That means to watch movies, I have to load them over to the iPad, then watch and delete to make more room for the next one. It's not convenient, but it's doable. As much as I'd love more onboard storage, the price-to-value ratio just doesn't work out for my family. I'm really glad that Apple continues to offer relatively inexpensive entry models because its space-limited options allow us to be part of this system. We may not be dreaming of the extra management overhead but we're happy to have some really cool Apple kit to take home with us.
A year with FreedomPop: how did it go?
About a year ago, I wrote about FreedomPop's new data service and shortly thereafter signed up for an account. I opted into the Free 500 MB plan, which offers half a gig of data per month, with additional data available at US$20/gigabyte billed in $2 increments. To get that free data, you had to put a "deposit" on a device -- a "deposit" that was really an upfront cost if you continued using the service. (You lose the deposit and the device becomes yours after a certain number of months.) You can think of it as pre-paying for the first year of data, which turned out to be slightly over $100 for me after all was said and done, or about $8/month for the first year of 500 MB allotments. Now a year later, I'm pretty satisfied with what I purchased and I have regularly used the data when I've been out and about. I've routinely connected my data to any number of devices. This is one of the big advantages of going with a router rather than a device-specific solution. It works with laptops, iPads, Kindles and so forth. You do have to remember to charge and manage the tiny puck, so that's one extra thing to carry around. Keeping on top of your data usage is key. In my first write-up, I mentioned how important it was to disable the auto-top-up feature. That feature automatically adds a data purchase after you use 400 MB of bandwidth. What I didn't realize is that even with that feature disabled, after reaching your 500 MB limit, the data doesn't shut off. You simply keep going and get billed $2 per 100 MB. I have a strict rule now for the family -- each time someone uses the FreedomPop router, they must make the iPad forget that network. This ensures that the device doesn't auto-connect and start sucking down data when you think you're using the home network instead. It's a bit of a pain typing in the password for each connection, but far less painful than $20 per inadvertent gigabyte. I don't mind paying the extra cash when I know that I'm intentionally buying that bandwidth. It's doing so by mistake that really stings. (To keep your data flowing, you must always have an active credit card registered with Freedom Pop.) Over the last year, I did run into one strange service issue at one point, which frustrated me, but eventually was resolved. FreedomPop's customer service was slow compared to other tech companies, but it did eventually respond. ("We apologize for the inconvenience, but we were experiencing a bug in our system that is causing an incorrect billing display on your account page.") The company seems to be working on improving its reputation, especially if you look around the reviews and Q/As for its various products on Amazon. For that reason, I feel comfortable cautiously recommending the service. It compares favorably to other freemium options like that offered by T-Mobile, although I have yet to try the T-Mobile plan. (Under T-Mobile, you get 200 MB free per month and then purchase additional data.) The most important thing to consider when evaluating whether these kinds of plans are right for you is how you use your data. Are you a light user who just wants to check email on the go? Or do you intend to heavily browse the web and get work done? Data prices generally go down in unit cost the more you buy. Budget solutions like FreedomPop's 500 MB plan work best for those who need only the lightest levels of connectivity and it's been a very nice perk for me and my family this year.
Shopping in the iOS device bargain bin
Although we're not expecting refurbished iPad Airs to hit Apple's online store for a month or two yet, it's still a terrific time to shop for all things iOS. At US$500, the bottom-line iPad Air may not be discounted, but it still provides excellent value for the dollar. Light, thin and super fast, this latest Retina-based iOS tech offers a lot to the buyer. The intro model Retina mini starts at $400. But what about those of us with a more limited budget? You won't go wrong picking up an original (non-Retina) iPad mini from Apple's online refurbished and clearance store. All items sell with a one-year warranty and refurbished iPads include both a brand-new battery as well as a new outer shell. It's that battery guarantee in particular that makes buying refurbished devices from Apple such a great choice. Right now, you can pick up a refurbished first-generation 16GB WiFi iPad mini for just $250. Stock varies, but on any day you're likely to find units with varying memory configurations and onboard cellular support listed for sale as well. Yesterday morning, a 64GB non-Retina WiFi mini was just $419. Although the iPod touch tends to get short shrift in glamour, it provides surprisingly sophisticated kit. A fifth-generation refurb with an A5 chip, a 4-inch screen, excellent cameras and more starts at just $189. That's particularly attractive to developers looking for an extra work unit with modern screens and geometry without having to pay that costly phone premium. Like iPads, refurbished iPods sold direct from Apple contain that all-important new battery. If you're focused on Retina and shopping for a full-size iPad, your best bet is probably a refurbished fourth-generation unit, which starts at $379 for the 16GB WiFi model. While Apple is still selling third-generation devices, with an admittedly spotty collection of stock, we'd suggest choosing the latest-but-one version instead. It was an excellent model and while it weighs more than the Air and has a larger frame, it's still a great iPad all around. Compared to a new iPad 2, which sells for $20 more, the refurbished iPad 4 gives you that Retina screen, better battery life and all-round stronger computing.
Daily Roundup: Google's 15th anniversary, Stir's Kinetic Desk, iOS 7.0.2 and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Sports fans with iPads score with in-stadium WiFi
A lot of sports fans are going to be, in the words of Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, "Happy, happy, happy" this fall. That's because a number of stadiums are installing WiFi networks that make toting the iPad to a football game a great way to access the second screen that fans enjoy at home. ZDNet's Jason O'Grady attended the Philadelphia Eagles home opener at Lincoln Financial Field last weekend and was delighted to find a free WiFi network that can fulfill the bandwidth requirements of 45,000 simultaneous users (the stadium holds 69,000 fans). A dozen NFL stadiums are currently outfitted with WiFi, although NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants all stadiums to be equipped so that fans can use their smartphones and tablets for fantasy football and social networking. According to a press release sent out by the Eagles last week, here's what fans can do with their iPads and the free Eagles iPad app: Fans will have the ability to stream the popular NFL Red Zone Channel live through the app, allowing them to watch action from around the league. Live camera view of the player tunnel prior to the game, which will give fans a unique glimpse of the players pumping each other up right before they run onto the field. Live stream of the video board, allowing the user to get a better view of the replays that are displayed on the big screen. A dynamic stats channel that provides fans with updates from the Eagles game, as well as information and statistics from around the NFL. Social media hub, which will make it easy to log on to various popular social platforms including Facebook, Twitter and others without having to leave the Eagles app. Many of the original features remain, including news, game previews, video clips, photo galleries, fantasy stats, rosters, depth charts, bios, stadium information and much more. Some Major League Baseball parks have also made free WiFi available for fans, including four of the five teams in the NL West -- San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Arizona. My favorite ballpark, Denver's Coors Field, doesn't provide WiFi -- between that and the Rockies' season record, it's been a lousy year for baseball.
Pogo Art Contest winners show what's possible with an iPad and Pogo Connect stylus
That image you see above wasn't painted using traditional media like oil or acrylic, nor was it created on canvas with brushes. Instead, artist Michael Bartosiewicz used an iPad, the US$4.99 Procreate app and a Ten One Design Pogo Connect stylus to pick up the Grand Prize in the 2013 Pogo Art Contest. The winning painting, titled "Roman Coffee," is one of 213 entries that were received by Ten One Design for the contest. Judges Susan Murtaugh, Corliss Blakely and Benjamin Rabe all use iPads and the Pogo Connect for their work, so they're aware of the techniques and skills required to produce a winner. All of the 2013 winning art is on display over on Ten One Design's website.
Chitika's look at Apple OS adoption on the eve of a product launch
It's very likely that along with the announcement of some new products tomorrow, we'll get a better idea of when Apple's newest operating systems -- iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks -- will actually ship. iOS 7 is widely expected to ship with the new iPhone(s) that should be announced tomorrow, while OS X Mavericks may be slated for an October release. Online advertising firm Chitika looks at millions of ad impressions generated by their network to scout out trends, and its most recent numbers (from August 15 to August 21, 2013) show that a whopping 92 percent of all iPhone users and 82 percent of iPad users are currently running iOS 6. Why are fewer iPad users on the most recent version of iOS? Chitika noted analyst Chetan Sharma as pointing out that 90 percent of tablet users use WiFi only (even if they are WiFi + cellular devices). iOS 6 has some mobile-focused features like turn-by-turn GPS and FaceTime over mobile networks that made the upgrade to iOS 6 more attractive to iPhone users than those who own iPads. Chitika believes that "based on past adoption rates of new iOS versions, it's likely that users of both device categories will adopt iOS 7 at high rates." So what about Apple's desktop / laptop operating system, OS X? Chitika's numbers show that 34 percent of all Mac owners in North America currently use OS X Mountain Lion (10.8), while 23 percent are still using Lion (10.7). What's quite surprising is the number of users who are somewhat stuck in the past with OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) and Leopard (10.5), a surprising 32 and 10 percent, respectively. For those who are running newer hardware capable meeting the requirements for the upcoming release of OS X Mavericks (10.9), the upgrade to the new version should be a no-brainer. Older Macs, however, will most likely continue to run the older operating systems until such time as the hardware is beyond repair.
CES 2013: FileMaker celebrates half a million iOS downloads
FileMaker was here in attendance at the Digital Experience event last night at CES in Las Vegas, and they had some big news to announce: The company has reached a full half million iOS downloads for its database-driven software solutions. That's a big milestone for the company, and while iOS installs still pale in comparison to the huge amount of desktop users, a rep from the company told us that this many downloads signifies a big shift that FileMaker is going through. Initially, we were told, when devices like the iPad first arrived, they were seen only as content reading devices -- even Steve Jobs sat down on stage with the iPad and showed off how it worked as a content reading device. But what FileMaker's seen since then is that users have started bringing their iPads to work, and using them to actually browse through and compile business information. The third phase, said the FileMaker rep, is actual creation on the device itself, which is what they say is driving adoption of their apps. FileMaker's apps can not only create databases and information files, but the apps can also deliver some custom interactivity as well: The staff showed off a point-of-sale solution, as well as even a very simple math game, all put together with FileMaker's software. The company said that the biggest challenge in acquiring new users is just teaching them how versatile the software can be, and just what it's capable of. Finally, we asked about the emerging trend of "bring your own device" among iOS devices, where users are bringing their own personal iPhones and iPads to the work environment. FileMaker said that it has benefited from that trend for sure, and that it's just one of many drivers for their iOS popularity. FileMaker is one of the oldest brands around in Apple software, and it's interesting to see that it's finding such success on Apple's newest platform.
Ex-WSJ publisher: Apple's 30% profit sharing ebook agency model is not a conspiracy
As Apple prepares to go to trial to fight the US Department of Justice's claims that the Cupertino company conspired to fix ebook prices with publishers, former publisher of the Wall Street Journal L. Gordon Crovitz has an interesting oped in today's paper which he says that Apple's 30% profit sharing "agency model" with ebook publishers does not amount to the price fixing conspiracy that the DOJ accuses the company of. It is Crovitz's contention (as I assume Apple will also argue the same in court) that the government's assertion that the agency model is "inherently wrong" is false. The agency model means publishers, rather than resellers, set the prices of ebooks. Matter of fact, Crovitz says that Apple's agency model is not only good for Apple, but good for consumers and publishers as well, insisting that instead of conspiring to fix prices, they conspired to fix a broken ebook system in which Amazon controlled almost everything: Publishers conspired to repair an anticompetitive business model. They thought it made no sense for Amazon's Kindle to have a 90% market share and a single loss-leader price of $9.95 for consumers. They were right. Over the past couple of years, thanks to the agency model, the Kindle's market share has fallen to 60% thanks to competition from iPads and Barnes & Noble Nooks, and there is more variation in consumer prices, typically ranging from $5.95 to $14.95. Of noted interested is when Crovitz relates how he met with Apple's Eddy Cue to discuss the terms of revenue sharing for published works. Expecting a better deal than the 30% take Apple generates from apps Crovitz was a bit surprised when Cue told him, "'I don't think you understand. We can't treat newspapers or magazines any differently than we treat FarmVille." As Crovitz states: "It was a sobering reminder that traditional media brands have no preferred place in the new digital world."
Apple clearing out the old to make way for the new, selling iPad refurbs starting at $299
At this point, we're sure you've heard all about Cupertino's new slate. But, if for any reason the Retina display, iSight camera and A5X chip aren't enough to make you unload the $500+, Apple may have something for you. Quietly hiding in the online store's left corner is the special deals section, where a plethora of "Apple Certified Refurbished" devices await shoppers who don't mind a rejuvenated unit. For $299 you can virtually walk out with a WiFi, 16GB OG iPad, 50 bucks more gets you a second-gen with the same storage capacity and, if premium is your middle name, you could snag a 64GB WiFi / 3G iPad 2 for $679. It's also worth noting that all of them include a one-year warranty. Now, if that's still not budget-friendly enough, we hear there's a $129 tablet willing to take your cash. [Thanks, Eddie]
Dukane launches mobile charging carts for piles of iPads
Companies and schools that have bought into the whole iPad thing need a place to store and charge their tablets without running miles of extension cords and power strips. Dukane clearly sees an untapped market here, and has launched the MCCD1 and MCC1. Both are caster-mounted, fire and drill resistent cabinets designed to dock and lock piles of iPads. The MCCD1 has space for up to 32 of the iOS tablets and can both charge and sync them while keeping them organized and safe. The MCC1 holds just 30 and can't sync the slates, but it will keep them juiced and locked down between uses. The MCCD1 is available starting at $2,250 while the MCC1 is a slightly more affordable $1,260. Looking for more info? Hit up the source to download PDF fact sheets.
GameStop iOS trade-ins a big success
GameStop recently started taking trade-ins on iOS hardware, and it turns out the decision was a great one for the company: President Tony Bartel said in a statement that the program "has exceeded our expectations," especially citing lots of post-holiday traffic, as people bring in their old iPhones and iPads to clear them out of the way for newer models received as presents. GameStop will reportedly pay out up to $300 for iPhones and $400 for iPads, but of course those prices are for the highest-end and latest models. Odds are that you'll get significantly less for an older model or one with no 3G or less RAM flash storage. But it is interesting to hear that GameStop is seeing lots and lots of devices come in. Unfortunately, they didn't share actual numbers, but I'd argue that there are plenty of other places to get rid of iPhones and iPads -- I've sold my old devices on Craigslist, and just over the Internet to friends and even family. Then again, maybe some people prefer just walking into a GameStop and walking out with store credit or cash. This may be a trend to watch in the new year -- as Apple releases more iterations of their various mobile devices, we'll undoubtedly see more markets like this pop up for older versions and used items.
Angry Birds to ride Russian rockets into space, follow iPads bound for bored cosmonauts
Slingshots and unbridled rage might be enough to launch Rovio's furious fowl across the battlefield, but they'll need some outside help if they hope to break free of Earth's atmosphere -- it's time to call the cosmonauts. Two upcoming Russian space launches are scheduled to ferry a pair of iPads and a plush Angry Birds toy to the International Space Station. The twin tablets will fly on an unmanned resupply vehicle early next week, and the irritated avian is playing the part of a jocular gravity indicator in a manned mission next month -- part of a russian tradition of hanging a toy by a string to signal when the vessel has escaped the Earth's gravity. NASA told collectSPACE that the iPads are only slated for recreational purposes, but mentioned that various tablets were being evaluated for future use. The plush bird? It's coming home; cosmonaut Shkaplerov's five year old daughter can't be expected to give up her toys forever, can she?
Apple snags MagSafe patent for iOS devices (update: it's a movable magnetic coupling)
We've all tripped on power cords, sending laptops or other precious items tumbling to the ground. With the introduction of the MagSafe connector, back in 2006, Apple fixed the problem for clumsy MacBook owners, but has since left plugged-in iPad users up a creek. Cupertino was awarded a patent yesterday to integrate the magnetic (trip-safe) cord into future iOS devices like the iPad, potentially solving the dilemma for good. The Haus of Jobs also snagged patents for magnetic assembly and a "securing system," whatever that means. Update: Oops! While the patent does mention the possibility of integrating this technology into a "tablet computer" or "cell phone," what we're looking at isn't actually a MagSafe patent specifically for iOS devices -- it's a movable magnetic coupling.
Tim Cook: Tablets will outsell PCs (no kidding)
Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope has been talking to Apple's higher-ups lately according to BI (including COO Tim Cook), and that they're extremely bullish on iOS devices, even more so than they've been in the past. That's hardly surprising -- not only would you expect Apple executives to be excited about Apple products, but the iOS platform has been rocketing up anyway. Anyone betting against it at this point would be nuts. Still, Cook specifically is claiming that there's "no reason why the tablet market shouldn't eclipse the PC market over the next several years," according to Shope. And while it seems hard to believe that the much larger PC market could ever be threatened by tablets, that's exactly what's been happening lately anyway. Shope's report says he expects another big increase in iPad sales this quarter, which surely Cook and friends would agree with as well. This also means that we'll see some interesting announcements about iOS 5 next Monday for sure.
