March2
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Apple's announcement timing is uncanny
Tony Bradley at Macworld points out something interesting that I've also been thinking about: Apple is being awfully sneaky with its timing when it comes to product announcements. The upcoming March 2 event happens to land not only right around the time that Motorola's much-anticipated Xoom tablet will hit consumers' hands, but also right in the middle of next week's Game Developers Conference, when quite a few developers will be announcing new games for both the iPad and Android tablet platforms. The timing seems more than coincidental, especially with all of the announcements we've seen today. And this isn't the only recent Apple announcement apparently targeted at shaking things up: The Mac App Store's launch date was set for January 6, right as this year's CES was underway in Las Vegas, and much of that show's sidetalk was taken up by rumors of the Verizon iPhone, which was announced a few days later on the 11th. You could argue that this is just good business, and you'd be right -- with its keynote events, Apple is the uncontested leader in product messaging for tech, and timing is a big part of that. If Apple is going to announce an iPad 2, why wouldn't it be right when everyone's focused on tablet software? (Not to mention that the event is being held at Yerba Buena, right next door to the convention center). But at the same time, it's quite a coup, hijacking the attention of press and developers without any official involvement in the event they're there to attend.
Apple preps Yerba Buena for March 2 event
San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center is getting all togged out for the March 2 event that should reveal the iPad 2. Crews began adding artwork to the building's windows overnight, including an Apple logo (naturally) and colorful dots that we'll leave you to interpret. iPad 2 rumors have inundated us for weeks, and it will be quite a relief to finally meet the iPad 2 once and for all. Most suspect that it'll have at least one camera, a thinner body, additional RAM and a higher-resolution screen (but not that high). The event is scheduled for 10 AM Pacific Time, and we'll have a meta-liveblog to keep you on top of all the info. See you then!
March 2 Apple event confirmed, revised iPad anticipated
The word has gone forth -- invitations to Apple's upcoming product briefing, first reported by Kara Swisher at AllThingsD, have begun to arrive in the mailboxes of Mac-centric press and pundits. All signs point to the introduction of the iPad 2 at the 10 AM (Pacific) event. Stay with TUAW between now and next Tuesday Wednesday for the latest! Below, the invite image (courtesy Engadget):
New UI, tweaked hardware in store for TiVo's March reveal?
We already know all of you have more than a few ideas about what TiVo should or will bring to the table March 2, but an anonymous tipster claiming knowledge of recent developments in the beta program let us know what may be coming. Although it began as simple bug fixes for the Series 3 now an all new user experience is on the way that the company expects to perfect the DVR. The UI is speedy again, rising to the level of the older Series 2 but with new high res, crisp widescreen elements designed to look great on your HDTV. Other fixes that should have the faithful drooling are a capacity meter for add-on drives and Tivo Desktop enhancements including "Sling-esque" features. Naturally, add-ons like Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster and even Facebook lead the app charge with faster and easier program access. No real details on what's new on the hardware side, but that QWERTY remote seems to be a sure bet, we'll be counting down the next 19 days until we know for sure.
TiVo has... something to announce March 2 in NYC
Saying "Inventing the DVR was just a warmup" raises our expectations quite a bit for TiVo's upcoming event in New York City. From the locked down nature of the company's CES presence there's definitely something in the works, but save for some leaked TiVo Premiere manuals and a curious shortage at its own store our imaginations are left wide open to assume how far we can go. While our DVRs will only reveal the final answers at the end of May, TiVo will only have us on the hook until March 2 at 6 p.m., consider our calendars marked.
