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iPad international launch delayed until the end of May
Uh oh. Looks like all that US popularity has taken Apple by surprise and the European arrival for the iPad will be shifted back from the earlier promised "late April" to the end of May. Citing more than 500,000 tablets sold in the first week of American availability, the Cupertino brain trust urges its international audience to look forward to May 10, which is when availability and pricing for the rest of the world will be specified. Update: Rogers has come forward and confessed that it'll be offering the 3G iPad "from the end of May in Canada," though it's keeping monthly price points close to the chest for now.
NPR and WSJ building 'Flash-free' pages for iPad, Apple quietly delays select iPad accessories
For awhile, we couldn't decide what we were more angry at: the fact that select devices wouldn't support Flash, or that Flash was simply too demanding on select devices. We still can't say with any degree of certainty which side of the fence we're on, but there's no question that Apple's refusal to play nice with Adobe on the iPhone, iPod touch and forthcoming iPad limits the abilities of those devices significantly. Curiously enough, it seems that Apple's importance in the mobile (and media delivery) realm is coercing select portals to develop Flash-free websites for those who drop by on an iDevice. Both the National Public Radio and the Wall Street Journal are furiously working on iPad-friendly websites, which will be devoid of Flash for at least the first few pages down. What's interesting is that we get the impression that this will soon become the rule rather than the exception, and it could be exactly what's needed to launch HTML5 into stardom and put these Flash or no Flash debates behind us. In related news, we're also seeing that a couple of iPad accessories won't actually be ready to ship when the device itself cuts loose on April 3rd. Yesterday, the iPad Keyboard Dock was listed with a "May" ship date, though today it has moved up to a marginally more palatable "Late April." The iPad 10W USB Power Adapter also carries a "May" date, while the iPad Case is slated for "Mid April" and that elusive camera connection kit is still nowhere to be found. But hey, at least you'll get your (overpriced) iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter and iPad dock by the first weekend of next month, right?
ExoPC delayed till summer, getting specification upgrades to dull the pain
Now that the tablet PC revolution is upon us (for the second time in as many decades, if you'll recall), there's bound to be a few that really stick out, and a few that get left in the dust. ExoPC is doing its darnedest to be grouped in the former, and it's choosing to hold off on rushing things out in hopes of delivering a superior product to the world this summer. If you'll recall, we heard that the 8.9-inch slate would originally be out and about this month, but the company's own Jean-Baptiste Martinoli has informed us directly why the ship date is being pushed back a few months. For starters, production has been shifted from China into Canada thanks to a freshly signed deal with CiaraTech. And if you're wondering what you'll get in return for waiting just a few more months to get your hands on one, we've excellent news. Here's the good word straight from the outfit: "With [CiaraTech's] help we are improving the specs: better processor, graphics, better battery life, thinner, better screen and touch panel. We should hit FCC soon. As we have more time we are adding more features in the ExoPC UI Layer (ex. an app / media store)." We aren't exactly big on waiting, but we'll let that other tablet keep us company until this one finally gets its shipping papers. Summer ain't too far out, now is it?
InPhase out of business, assets seized for back taxes
It's been something like five years that we've been eagerly waiting for InPhase to finally release that revolutionary holographic storage solution, and while there has been plenty of drama in the way of release dates promised and pushed back, and even some layoffs to keep things interesting, the company has been pretty, pretty quiet lately. As it turns out, this has been due to the fact that employees have been busy enough updating their resumes. "We were expecting it for a long time," said one employee, among the sixty or so who picked up their final paychecks last week. "So it wasn't a big surprise." To put a finer point on things, it's been announced that the Colorado Department of Revenue has seized the company's assets for non-payment of taxes. According to The Register, the state has changed the locks and announced that everything on the premises will be auctioned off, down to the fixtures and furniture. This is certainly an ignominious end to a once great idea, but as you know every cloud has a silver lining: If you're looking to get into the holographic storage business, drop us a line. We've heard that some equipment is becoming available soon -- and at a great price.
The Digital Continuum: Delay? You can't handle the delay!
Rumor: a story or statement in general circulation without confirmation or certainty as to facts. Example: Star Wars: The Old Republic will be released in October, 2010. Yeah, guys, that was never in the wings. The fact of the matter is that the game was never delayed. You need at minimum a projected release date before something can be delayed. I personally find it pretty ridiculous that some people are worried about hype dying down for a game which they themselves thrust a false release date upon because they're so hyped up for it.
Squeezebox Touch delayed until February: Bah, Humbug!
Despite being proudly introduced to the world in early September, it seems as if Logitech's Squeezebox Touch is still fighting the good fight on its way to mass production. Originally, the device was slated to go on sale this month in order to get wrapped and tucked beneath a-many Christmas tree, but now we've heard directly from the company that it won't be shipping out until February 2010. We took a brief tour around the web, and sure enough, most respected e-tailers aren't showing any stock (or any sign of stock); what's odd is that we know at least a few of these things leaked out onto the market, though the whole "Logitech denying its existence" scenario that we saw play out back in August certainly makes a lot more sense now. Either way, it looks as if you'll be waiting if you're believing the official word, which just so happens to be quoted in full after the break.
Nook ship date slips to January 11th, supply chain managers weep
Hardware construction is a funny thing. Sometimes, regardless of the money you throw at something, you just can't get products to come together any quicker. Evidently that's the case with Barnes & Noble's Nook, which has seen its estimated ship date slip from today to sometime after the holidays, and now to January 11th. There's still a sliver of hope that you'll be able to snag one from a high-traffic retail location on December 7th, but unless you're planning on abandoning ship and helping the Kindle have its new best month ever, the realistic choices are pretty clear: a) pay Tickle Me Elmo-like prices on eBay or b) drop an IOU in a nicely wrapped box, preferably with a cute puppy. We suggest the latter. [Thanks, Dave and Wes] P.S. - We're also hearing that pre-orders (even those placed moments after it was announced) are also being pushed back, though hopefully they'll still be received before December 25th.
Nokia N900 not coming until some time in November
We've just heard some pretty sour news. Peter Schneider, head of Maemo marketing, has waxed official about the N900's release and quite casually noted that it'll "start shipping during November 2009," which as you very well know is a whole month later than originally expected. An interesting tidbit to his post is that he notes Nokia had lent out 300 pre-production units to the community, and he stresses the importance Nokia places on the feedback received. Connecting the dots might suggest that feedback wasn't quite as hot as Espoo had hoped, and a few last-minute refinements are now being applied. Either way, you're gonna have to refill your patience for potentially another month of waiting. [Via Chronicles of N900; Thanks, Habib Q]
PCI Express 3.0 specification formally delayed, products pushed to 2011
We've been enjoying (or just dealing with, depending on perspective) PCI Express 2.0 since early 2007, and it now looks as if we may still be utilizing said protocol come early 2011. Way back in June of '08, we began to hear whispers that the next iteration of the technology would be finalized by the end of this year, but now the PCI SIG has formally delayed the release of the specification until the second quarter of 2010. What does that mean for the consumer? Try coping with the fact that you won't see a PCIe 3.0 product until 2011. As the story goes, the delay was needed in order to "maintain backward compatibility with current PCI Express standards," and while the technical details of all that may interest some, it's the awfully unfortunate setback that's most notable here. But hey, at least all those PCIe 1.0 cards that are still totally relevant will work with your next (next-next?) PC![Via Reg Hardware]
StarCraft II delayed to 2010
In an official press release, Blizzard announced today that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the first installment of the Starcraft II trilogy, previously indicated to be released in the last quarter of this year, is delayed to the first half of 2010.The release cited the massive amount of work necessary to overhaul Blizzard's online matchmaking service, Battle.net, as the main culprit for the delay. Since the new BNet will be part of every new Blizzard game from here on in -- including World of Warcraft, as players with BNet accounts have seen -- it's vital that the service be working properly before the game's release.StarCraft II was never officially dated -- only an on-the-sly indication -- and multiple financial sites have reported the now-official release date as the first half of 2010 following this announcement and Activision-Blizzard's quarterly financial report. What does this mean for the WoW player? Well, it means that if you were expecting the focus of BlizzCon, or one of the focuses of BlizzCon, to be a StarCraft II release date, you'd be incorrect.Gives you pause when you consider what else they could be announcing instead, eh?
HTC sees revenue falling due to "delays in product launches"
HTC's been on somewhat of a hot streak here lately, but word on the street has it that the aforesaid outfit may not be able to ship all of its forthcoming handsets on time. A new Wall Street Journal report on falling revenue in the HTC camp notes that an undisclosed amount of delays, a larger-than-anticipated drop in contract orders and lower-than-expected sales in China could lead to drooping income in the short term, and some analysts are pointing out that the company's average selling price per phone is sliding due to looming Android competition from the likes of Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Aside from the Touch Pro2 that'll probably never, ever land on Sprint, HTC has about a gazillion other rumored handsets on the horizon, but it's hard to know for sure which "product launches" are expected to be stalled. So, is HTC secretly retooling a smattering of its handsets in order to stay one step ahead of SE and Moto? Or are old fashioned supply chain inefficiencies to blame?
Belkin kills the FlyWire -- does wireless HD / HDMI even have a chance?
We sort of saw the writing on the wall, but now Belkin has went and made it official: the FlyWire is dead. Originally showcased at CES 2008 and at practically every AV-related trade show since, the wireless HD-enabling FlyWire was seen as the poster child for wireless HD / HDMI by many, and the death of this product certainly doesn't bode well for the technology as a whole. It's true that AMIMON -- the wireless startup responsible for the WHDI technology within the FlyWire and a few other devices -- just landed an extra $10 million in VC funding, but still, we've literally been waiting years for this so-called "promising technology" to get a foothold in the market. Or even make a wave, really.As has become customary these days, Belkin is also pinning the cancellation of the FlyWire on the economy, with a spokesperson telling us that the "retail price of $1,499 would be out of line given the current state of the economy." She continued by stating that the company has "opted to halt production of FlyWire" and "will no longer be introducing [it] to the market." Granted, the company does seem somewhat apologetic, concluding that "there will be some disappointed folks out there, but [Belkin's] end goal is to introduce products that are accessible and that make sense in the current environment." Frankly, we're not buying it. In April, Belkin affirmed to us that while AMIMON's WDHI technology was "solid," it was taking its sweet time in order to "pay very close attention to the user experience, such as the packaging, setup, and the quick install guide." We could be way off base here, but we'd say the economy was sucking quite a bit harder in April than it is today. And honestly, that's beside the point. A $1,500 device that enabled a Blu-ray player to communicate wirelessly with an HDTV is obviously a luxury item, and regardless of unemployment numbers, Belkin had to know that the FlyWire would only appeal to upscale consumers. You know, the same folks who also put in an order for a Ferrari California in 1H 2009 while their hedge fund dived. To us, the sudden death of the FlyWire is more of an industry signal than anything. For quite some while, we've been wondering when the industry at large would embrace wireless HD and HDMI technology, and now we're beginning to think that said embrace will never happen in any significant capacity. Even Wireless USB couldn't cut it, and we're guessing there are an awful lot more USB users out there than HDMI. If the price dropped dramatically and the sector consolidated a bit in order to agree on a single standard, we'd say wireless HD / HDMI has a fighting chance. 'Til that happens, you can pretty much bank on the FlyWire fiasco becoming a model for the rest. Belkin's statement in full is past the break.
Garmin "getting very close" to a US Nuvifone launch... or so it says
If you've a proven track record of delivering solid products to consumers (much like Garmin has), we'll cut you some slack for awhile if you happen to hit a snag or two along the way while bringing a completely new device to market. But after more delays than we care to count and a 1.5 year gap between announcement and right now, the benefit of the doubt vanishes. To that end, we couldn't be happier to report that Garmin's president and COO Cliff Pemble feels that it's "getting very close" to a carrier launch (AT&T, perhaps?) in the US. Said statement was given at a shareholders meeting today, and he also mentioned that the Asian market would see the Nuvifone "this month or in early July." We appreciate the update, but at this point, the burden of proof is squarely on you, Garmin.[Via Electronista]
The Digital Continuum: Dealing with delay
Back in 1999 when I was just a 14 teenager with way too much free time on his hands, I had finally got Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete for my PlayStation. Saying the game saw delays would be quite an understatement and up until that time I had been pretty frustrated with the whole ordeal. Nobody likes it when games are delayed and back then I was no exception.But thinking back to how wonderfully translated (and semi-ported from the Sega Saturn) the game was, it was quite worth the wait. Although I may not have realized it at the time, the delays were entirely the right choice. And as it turns out, they usually are, not that everyone can make that observation.
Vizio's VBR100 Blu-ray player delayed until August
Ruh roh -- bad news for those holding tight for Vizio's entrance into the Blu-ray world. After April came and went with nary a hint of the firm's VBR100 Blu-ray player shipping, we decided to inquire about its status. The outfit's primary press contact informed us that it now "looks more like August at this point" in terms of a ship date, and we're still waiting to hear back on the whos, whats, wheres and whys. We're crossing our fingers that late summer will bring more features and a lower price point in exchange for our patience, but we aren't getting our hopes up too high just yet.Update: According to Vizio, there won't be any changes made in the unit while we wait. Bollocks.
Belkin's $1,500 FlyWire delayed again, now slated for August release
And you wonder why people refuse to take wireless HD / HDMI seriously. A full 15 months after Belkin's FlyWire was introduced at CES 2008, the world is still waiting for it to ship. When launched, it promised the consumer world a device that would take multiple HDMI devices and stream them (one at a time, obviously) to your HDTV sans wires. The box itself relies on AMIMON's WHDI technology, and while we've seen with our own eyes just how marvelous it works, Earthlings won't be able to purchase one until -- drumroll, please -- August 2009. According to a Belkin PR manager that we spoke with on the matter, the January 2009 ship date has now slipped to late summer for the US market, though the altogether painful $1,499 price tag remains firmly in tact. So, what's the over / under on Belkin actually keeping its word this go 'round?Update: Contrary to some reports, the delay is absolutely not related to WHDI. Belkin's own PR team has confirmed that the hold-up is in no way related to WHDI, but that it is "paying very close attention to the user experience." In other words, it's delaying things to get things totally right, and for $1,500, we'd expect nothing less than perfection.
Denon Japan delays DVD-A1UD universal BD player till October
Hope you weren't planning on scoring one of Denon's mighty pricey DVD-A1UD universal BD players anytime soon, 'cause it just got delayed. Again. After surfacing to much fanfare late last year, the all-in-one player has since been tangled in setbacks. The latest excuse has something to do with "taking time to optimize the playback," but we're not exactly sure why that testing will take until October to complete. Believe it or not, it will have been 10 full months from announcement to ship date if the new launch window stays put -- meanwhile, OPPO's taking full advantage of the situation here in America with its BDP-83.
Pininfarina delays prototype showing of B0 electric car
You know things are rough in the auto industry when even an electric car company is struggling to carry on, but that's exactly what seems to be happening with Pininfarina. After showcasing its rather cute B0 electric car at the Paris Motor Show last year, the company was slated to debut a prototype with a working engine at next week's show in Geneva. Instead, it'll be hosting up that same B0 shell as before, with an undisclosed inside source noting that lingering debt problems were forcing the delay. Unfortunately, the mole failed to elaborate on the matter, so we're left with absolutely no indication of when the company may switch gears and forge ahead with production. In other words, don't bank on this being your next ride -- unless you plan on lending the designing company a few hundred million to clear a path forward, of course.[Via Register Hardware]
Large Hadron Collider restart delayed till September
Oh, bollocks! When CERN's Large Hadron Collider started up this past September, we figured it was only a matter of time before the world as we knew it imploded. Thus, we did as any reasonable group of individuals would do and evaporated our life savings before being beamed up. Now, we're stuck waiting around (with four or five pennies) for this September, as that's the new restart date following the LHC's run-in with bad luck late last year. If all goes to plan this go 'round, the machine will run into autumn of 2010, when engineers will hopefully see collisions of lead ions. Needless to say, gurus are implementing a new enhanced protection system to keep things from going so wrongly again, but you never can tell what'll happen when smashing atoms, now can you?[Via CNET]
Plastic Logic e-reader not coming until early 2010
If you've been waiting (and waiting) for Plastic Logic's ultra-durable e-reader, you'll have to stick with recycled paper for another dozen months or so. According to a company representative at the outfit's CES kiosk, the device is now scheduled for an "early 2010" release, and as expected, final pricing has yet to be determined. Though, Mr. Joe (seriously, that's his first name) did admit that it would be "competitively priced for rapid adoption" and that the company would be pushing hard to get this into corporations / enterprises. Don't believe us? The full five minute interview is there in the read link.[Thanks, credo]
