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Our live coverage of Apple's iPhone OS 4 event starts April 8th, 10AM PT, 1PM ET!
We don't know what the future holds for the iPhone OS. Will we see multitasking? Will there be widgets? Will Apple forgo the whole idea of icons in exchange for constantly mutating digital lifeforms? Luckily, we're less than 24 hours from finding the answer to those questions (and hopefully many more). We'll be bringing you live, up-to-the-minute coverage of Apple's event starting tomorrow morning, delivering each astounding factoid with the speed and precision that only Engadget can provide. Tune in at the times (and URL below), and be prepared for more magical revolutions. Here's where the liveblog will be, and the start times (by timezone) are below. See you then! 07:00AM - Hawaii 10:00AM - Pacific 11:00AM - Mountain 12:00PM - Central 01:00PM - Eastern 06:00PM - London 07:00PM - Paris 09:00PM - Moscow
Apple confirms iPad issues with dual-band WiFi routers, offers fix (sort of)
Judging from our recent poll, a sizable number of folks have had problems with their iPad losing its WiFi connection, and Apple has now confirmed that such an issue does exist -- although it's not exactly saying there's any problems with the iPad itself. According to a new knowledge base article, the issue is known to occur with some third-party dual-band WiFI routers, and tends to happen if you're the same name for each network or different security settings for each network. To ensure your iPad automatically rejoins WiFi networks, Apple suggests (you guessed it) giving the networks different names, and making sure that they're using the same security settings. Of course, that doesn't explain why other devices are able to work just fine with said routers, but this looks to be the most we'll get out of Apple for the time being. P.S. At least some users have also reported some success in fixing the issue by simply turning up the brightness on their iPad (of all things), but Apple doesn't seem to be recommending that as a solution. [Thanks, David]
iPad apps: creativity unleashed
We love to create things: drawings, movies, photos, songs, and, on occasion, stunning literary imagery with the help of text styling. While Apple didn't necessarily blow us away with its offerings on this front for the iPad (no GarageBand, iPhoto, or iMovie, for instance), 3rd party developers are naturally happy to oblige. We were frankly surprised at some of the depth and functionality we discovered in the App Store, but while what we have here is a nice start, we're even more curious to see what sort of creativity these developers can coax out us with a few months of iPad experience under their belts and a better handle on the strengths and weaknesses of the system. For the time being follow us after the break as we run you through some of our existing favorites. Not enough apps for you? Check out some of our other roundups!
iSuppli pegs iPad component costs at as little as $259.60
This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone: just because Apple's touting the "magical" $499 pricepoint of the iPad doesn't mean they're selling it at a loss. After carefully poring over the iPad's internals, iSuppli has waved its hands in the air and added up a thoroughly guesstimated bill of materials as low as $259.60 for the 16GB iPad, including $95 for screen and $26.80 for the A4 processor. Sure, we suppose we can believe that, although that number doesn't really explina the final price tag, since it fails to include include gigantic costs like, oh, say, "development." The good news for us is that there's actually a lot more complexity inside the iPad than iSuppli was expecting, and that means the raw component prices might come down over time as things like the three-chip touchscreen controller get simplified over time. What might seem silly and wasteful at $499 could seem all-too-tempting at $299.
iPad apps: books and comics galore
Reading on the iPad is something that is part of the device's DNA. Whether or not you think that LED-backlit display is a killer or a cure for the world's third favorite bedtime activity, you can't deny that Apple has pushed the idea of the iPad as e-reader pretty heavily. So, if you've got one you must be thinking about what kinds of reading choices you really have. Unlike a lot of platforms, you're not just locked into Apple's iTunes-integrated iBookstore for getting your textual kicks -- you can also utilize Amazon's Kindle service and a handful of other distribution channels for the books and comics of your choosing. So, which ones stand out? Take a look beyond the break and see our picks for reading on your magical new device. Oh, and be sure to check out our other app roundups right here.
SNES Mario Kart power slides onto (non-jailbroken) iPad? (Update)
You're looking at Super Mario Kart, running on the Apple iPad, courtesy of emulation guru ZodTTD. When do you get to play it, faithful reader? Hard to tell. If, say, the iPad had already been jailbroken, all you'd need to do is wait for a suitably safe jailbreak method, download RockApp or Cydia, grab the snes4iphone emulator you see running above, and fire up the ROM. However, the intriguing thing about the above video is not that it's running an SNES game -- but that ZodTTD claims he compiled a special version of his snes4iphone emulator "specifically for non-jailbroken iDevices." Since Zod is almost certainly an official developer, it's possible he output the emulator as an .ipa file and is testing it on a fresh iPad using Apple developer tools, but if we're lucky, it could instead mean that someone has finally found a way to sideload apps onto a stock Apple device. Either way, peep multitouch karts sliding and shells flying on video, right after the break. Update: ZodTTD tells us that while he does have access to the jailbreak, he did have to flex developer muscle (and official dev tools) to make snes4iphone work on a non-jailbroken iPad. He says: The build of snes4iphone running on my iPad as seen in the video was actually based on an AppStore app I submitted called "snesty". Apple quickly rejected it right after pulling the NES emulator. I combined snesty with some snes4iphone features such as using the private API called CoreSurface. I used Apple developer tools and self signed it. Zod says that after Apple officially releases iPhone OS 4.0 and the existing jailbreak is distributed freely, he plans to create new versions of his emulators that run at the iPad's 1024 x 768 native resolution and support touchscreen controls, hardware keyboards and even external controllers should they come.
Dost thine iPad trouble thee?
You know us, we like to keep an ear to the ground and, while our own iPads have been purring along with no more than the occasional crashed app, we're hearing others have not been so fortunate. A number of persistent issues have been reported by anxious iPadites across the USA, including weak or intermittent WiFi signal, overheating, broken PDF exports from Pages, and the iPad completely forgetting your network settings and password. So we figured what better way to see how widespread these problemos are than to ask the collective Engadget brain trust? Have you experienced any of these symptoms? Found a fix? Returned the iPad, bought a skateboard, and started a new gadget-free lifestyle? Vote in the poll, pretty please, and drop by in the comments to let us know how it's working out for you. %Poll-44007% [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPad apps: video for the well-rounded couch potato
We totally would have had this roundup done earlier, but we were just way too busy watching TV on our iPads. Let's face it, as fun as those social networking and gaming applications are (sorry, utility apps -- no fun for you!) sometimes you just want to sit back, rest those fingers and soak in some drama. The iPad's 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768-resolution screen certainly looks nice when reading books and browsing the web, but you haven't seen anything until you get some HD content playing. Though we may never get over the fact that we can't watch Flash video in the browser, the following apps are just what the doctor ordered to ease the pain and turn Apple's tablet into a portable media viewing machine. What are you waiting for? Hop on past the break already, and then kindly let us know if you've come up with a good way to prop up the iPad so you can watch all that video goodness while laying down.
iPad gets fitted into car dashboard, makes you an instant carpooling superstar (video)
Let's face it, the Toyota Tacoma has a long way to go before being considered glamorous, or even remotely cool, but jacking an iPad into its console might be a good start. That's what the good people of SoundMan Car Audio over in California have done with a little bit of elbow grease and knowhow, and we've got video of how it all came together after the break. They've yet to wire it up to the Audison Bit One sound processor and McIntosh MMC406M 6-channel amp that are intended to receive the iPad's audio goodies, but the important stuff of fitting and molding the dash to its new 9.7-inch centerpiece is all done. Alright, so the glossy black screen and the demure grey plastic don't exactly sing in harmony, but surely the funky aesthetics can be forgiven for the sake of accessing all your media on the move. Right, dawg?
Apple's A4 system-on-chip gets decoupled from iPad, investigated with the help of an X-ray
Ever so gently, we're starting to peel away the layers of mystery surrounding the A4 system-on-chip that powers Apple's fancy new slate device. iFixit, helped by reverse engineering firm Chipworks, have gone to the trouble of both dissecting and X-raying the iPad's central processing hub in their quest to lift the veil of ignorance. Their findings confirmed that the A4 is built using a "package on package" method, meaning that the 256MB of Samsung-provided SDRAM is stacked immediately atop the CPU, which is noted as being reductive to both latency and energy use. With a single core processor inside, the iFixit team concluded the iPad had to be running on a Cortex A8 -- which is very much the likeliest choice at this point -- but their assertion that it couldn't be a Cortex A9 MPCore inside is inaccurate, as those chips also come in single-core options. Either way, it'll be interesting to see how it stacks up against Samsung's Hummingbird chip, which was designed by Intrinsity, the same company Apple is being rumored to have recently acquired. Finally, the visual inspection of the iPad's mobo puts a model number to the already known PowerVR GPU, narrowing it down to the SGX 535, while also naming and picturing a number of other exciting components, such as the always popular capacitive touchscreen controller. Hit the source link below for all the lurid images.
Scottevest debuts 'iPad compatible' clothing line, the world cringes (update: available now!)
If you're the kind of person who has no problem walking into the Apple Store on Walnut Street dressed in some urban approximation of safari gear, you'll probably go wild for Scottevest. The company sells travel vests and jackets that feature a million gadget-friendly pockets and little conduits for wires and such, meaning that even the geekiest among us can have a somewhat acceptable-looking PAN, if that's what you're into. And now its SeV Travel Vest is iPad compatible! Available July 1st for $100, please feel free to hit that source link to pre-order today. We will continue to look into the rumor that this is actually a re-badged Joojoo vest. Update: The founder and CEO of Scottevest, Scott Jordan, just sent us a video message (embedded after the break) to set the record straight. Apparently, the vest is available now -- unless you're ordering it in XXXL (black or khaki). And we're glad that he seems to appreciate our sense of humor.
Will it blend? iPad edition (update: he cheated!)
Getting sick of the iPad? Then let our old friend Tom Dickinson do what he does best. If you've somehow missed all of his Blendtec videos in the past, be warned that they aren't for the faint-hearted gadget fanatics -- especially this latest edition where Tom forcefully folds the pad to fit it into his gadget muncher. When you're ready, march on for some "pad smoke" after the break. Update: Commenter ernie pointed out that the aluminum back was missing when Tom folded the iPad. Come on, Blendtec, just blend the metal already!
Apple holding iPhone OS 4 event, April 8th!
Yes folks -- the world is turning upside down. Apple has announced an iPhone OS 4 event on April 8th at 10AM PT for a "sneak peek of the next generation of iPhone OS software." So if you're wondering about the future of the platform... your answers will appear sooner than you think. The team collectively dropped an "OMG" when we saw this news, as it's pretty unusual to see such a big event coming from Apple right on the heels of something like the iPad launch. Of course we'll be there -- at Apple's Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino -- live and direct, providing the liveblogging coverage you know and love.
Adobe AIR developer demonstration: one game, five platforms, all the same code
We love the idea of Android apps running on iPhone and vice versa, and that's exactly what Adobe's selling with its multiplatform development solution AIR -- but though we've seen a demo here and there, conversations we've had with the company led us to believe that AIR was not yet up to the task. However, Adobe dev Christian Cantrell has the proof -- he created a game of Reversi that runs on five platforms without having to change a single line of code. In a video after the break, he demonstrates iReverse running on OS X, Windows 7, Ubuntu Linux, the iPhone, a Droid and the new iPad, explaining how it took only a series of seriously tiny platform-specific wrappers to make his program function on each. Since each platform has its own hardware strengths, this kind of convergence isn't always a good thing -- but if it provides extra incentive for developers to get cracking on hot new apps, we're all for it.
iPad apps: utilities you need
Utilities are the vegetables of the software world -- not fun, rarely pretty, but gosh darnit, they're good for you. Whether they're checking that your new TV has been mounted square on the wall, crunching your numbers, getting you up in the morning, or keeping track of your mad ramblings in the middle of the night, these little bundles of binary joy can save your job (or your marriage) every time an iPad game almost destroys it. We've taken a close look at a few of the utilities available to iPad owners in the first volley of native, high-resolution apps for the platform and come away with a few winners -- and even better, some of these suckers come at absolutely no cost to you. Follow the break for the full rundown -- and don't forget to check the rest of our app roundups after you're done!
Apple sells over 300,000 iPad tablets on US launch day
We heard some pretty ridiculous estimates over the weekend, but these figures are straight out of Cupertino's mouth: over 300,000 iPads were sold on April 3rd. Specifically, that many were moved in the US as of midnight (PT, we're assuming) on Saturday, though this does include deliveries of pre-ordered units to customers, deliveries to channel partners (such as Best Buy) and sales at Apple Retail Stores. We should point out, though, that just because Best Buy purchased a bundle of 'em doesn't mean that end users have (yet), but still, this is a pretty impressive feat for something that not everyone was convinced that they "needed" in January. If you'll recall, Apple only sold 270,000 iPhones during its first 30 hours on the market, yet it moved over a million iPhone 3GS units during that handset's opening weekend. In related news, iPad users also downloaded over a million apps and over 250,000 ebooks from the iBookstore during launch day, with Steve Jobs himself noting that "iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad." Now, let's see if these guys can keep pace through the first full week. [Thanks, Tal]
iPad apps: Twitter and social networking essentials
As you might've notice, either here on the site or likely elsewhere on the internet, we at Engadget have somewhat of an affinity to social networking. With a new screen sitting here saving us some screen real estate, we decided to give a number of Twitter and other pro-social apps a go for perennially staying connected to our online friends -- so long as there's a decent WiFi connection nearby. Here's the highlights from what we've toyed with, and stay tuned for even more roundups on the horizon. Twitterific for iPad (free; $4.99 for Pro account) - Definitely the best Twitter app on the iPad so far (pictured above). It works great in portrait and landscape, contextual links conveniently pop out and photos even get special format treatment. No option to upload photos when tweeting, but we're guessing with a lack of a camera, it didn't seem as necessary an addition -- we like to show off our screen captures and saved browsing images, but hey, that's just us. The only deterrent for power users is that you can only view one column at a time, but with lists, saved searches, and all other thread options easily accessible from the leftmost column, we didn't find it too inconvenient whatsoever. [See in iTunes]
Screen Grabs: LeBron James overlooks iPad at MLB season opener
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. Never mind that Bron Bron and company got handled today when facing the Celtics -- the NBA's biggest star (yeah, we said it) made a pit stop at Major League Baseball's 2010 season opener tonight in order to plug Dr. Dre's (grossly overpriced) new cans, sport a Louis Vuitton zip-up and not care one single bit about a nearby iPad. During a shot up to a luxury box at tonight's Yankees vs. Red Sox matchup, LeBron was seen glancing in the direction of an iPad that was actually being shown off to someone else, but rather than drooling over Jobs' latest magic trick, he casually withdrew and returned to his conversation with Dre. Don't believe us? Have a gander at the video just past the break. [Thanks, Noah] %Gallery-89735%
iPad misses out on Office romance, but gains a $900 app and more
Stephen Elop, el presidente of Microsoft's business division has stated that his company has "no current plans" to port its Office productivity suite over to the iPad. Contenting itself with a "wait and see" approach, the Redmond outfit isn't willing to completely close the door of possibility, but earlier hopes of seeing family favorites like Word and Excel on the iPad might have to be doused for the time being. Should that hamper the enjoyment of your new slate, you might want to console yourself with the extravagantly priced SiteClone Publisher, also available for the iPhone, which converts $900 of your hard-earned cashola into a tool that downloads data off particular sites while online, so that the user may access that content even without a connection. Doesn't sound worthy of a tenth of its price, but maybe the government and corporate entities it's aimed at will appreciate it more. Finally, Apple Insider is reporting whispers that Apple retail employees will be getting freebie iPads at some indeterminate point in the future, while NeoSmart has a particularly insightful breakdown of the differences between PowerPC, x86, and ARM CPU instruction sets. Hit up the links below for the full edifying experience.
iPad apps: games that stand out
Now that we've had a couple days with the iPad, some apps are rising to the top and monopolizing our lounging time. We'll have some more roundups for you in just a little bit, but we thought we'd start off with one of the iPad's most natural talents: gaming. The large screen and hardy processor offer a wild in-between space, much more immersive and "stunning" than a PSP, DS, or iPhone game, but hardly on par with modern laptop or desktop graphics. We haven't leapfrogged any platforms here, it's just an evolution, but it's a pretty fun evolution, complete with multitouch gestures, accelerometer tilts, and cheesy soundtracks pumped out over the iPads surprisingly loud speaker. Of course, these games aren't cheap anymore -- most clock in at $9.99, often with the threat of "introductory pricing" -- so we thought we'd wade through the masses and pluck out some of our favorites as well as a few titles to be wary of. Follow along after the break.
