Feb 08

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RepairLabs reports that it has received a photo of what is claimed to the inside of the rear shell of the iPad 3, comparing the part to the corresponding version found on the iPad 2. The iPad 3 version demonstrates a few minor changes compared to the iPad 2, with one of the most notable being an apparently narrower logic board that could make room for an expanded battery.

A. You can see here that the mounts for the logic board are very different, which means the logic board shape will be different allowing for . . . .

B. More battery. The width of where the logic board sits on the iPad 2 appears much larger than that of the iPad 3. We have long heard that the iPad 3 was going to provide longer battery life, and this back housing seems to support that.

The report also points out slight differences to the locations where the iPad’s rear camera and LCD display mount to the rear casing. While those changes obviously do not offer any evidence of enhancements for the components themselves, they do suggest that Apple has at least tweaked their designs from the current iPad.

The photo does not show the backside of the rear shell that would be visible on the assembled device, nor does it show an edge view that would allow for a thickness comparison to the iPad 2. The photo’s source does claim, however, that there is no apparent difference in thickness between the two rear shells.

Rumors have disagreed on whether the iPad 3 will thicker, thinner, or the same thickness as the iPad 2, with some suggesting that the final result depends on what type of display technology and backlight system Apple has settled on for the device. The iPad 3 is said to be gaining a high-resolution “Retina” display that could require new solutions for powering and lighting the the screen.

Other rumors have claimed that the device will run utilize a quad-core processor on Apple’s next-generation “A6″ system-on-a-chip and that support for LTE cellular connectivity will be included on some models.


Feb 08

Popular iPhone Twitter client Tweetbot has finally arrived on the iPad, with a user interface instantly familiar to any current Tweetbot user. Designed for the Twitter power-user, Tweetbot packs a lot of punch into an intuitive, slick interface, with unique functionality like Smart Gestures which give quick access to a variety of features through double or triple-taps.

The Next Web and Business Insider have more in-depth reviews.

The app is $2.99 and is a separate purchase from the iPhone app, a fact some users may dislike, but Tweetbot co-developer Paul Haddad explained his thoughts behind the pricing strategy to Business Insider:

People complain that it isn’t $.99 or free. But we never said we’d make Tweetbot universal. If you look at the other paid universal Twitter clients they are for the most part $5 and I think we have more features than those, so we’re comfortable with the pricing and having separate apps.



Also released today was Tweetbot 2.0 for iPhone, bringing updated timeline, direct message, and reply views, as well as a number of other smaller changes. It’s a solid upgrade that’s free for current Tweetbot for iPhone users.

Tweetbot for iPad is available for $2.99 from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tweetbot 2.0 for iPhone is available for $2.99 from the App Store. [Direct Link]


Feb 08

Last month, we noted that Apple had signed a pair of leases for over 300,000 square feet of space in Sunnyvale, the company’s first venture into the city next door to its home in Cupertino, California. The leases were said to be part of a larger effort in which Apple was looking to secure 700,000-800,000 square feet of space in Sunnyvale as it continues to grow and to tide it over until its massive new headquarters campus opens several years from now.

According to a press release (PDF) from the City of Sunnyvale, another piece of that plan has fallen into place with Apple’s commitment to lease a new 156,000 square foot building in downtown Sunnyvale. Apple is said to be planning to move 400 employees to the building, which sits directly adjacent to a similar building where Nokia just last year consolidated the majority of its Bay Area operations.

Sunnyvale City Manager Gary Luebbers has announced that Apple will join the ranks of high-tech businesses located in downtown Sunnyvale. Apple will occupy the new 156,000 square-foot Town Center Office building at Mathilda and McKinley avenues.

“This is an important step forward,” said Luebbers. Our entire community will benefit as we see yet another large gain in the Town Center redevelopment project.”

Apple plans to occupy the new building in the third quarter of this year.

Apple’s planned “spaceship campus” in Cupertino is set to offer 2.8 million square feet of space, but the structure will not be complete until 2015. In the meantime, Apple has continued to snap up real estate leases wherever it can in Cupertino and the surrounding area to accommodate its rapidly-growing workforce. Apple currently employs roughly 25,000 full-time non-retail employees, the vast majority of which operate out of or near the company’s Cupertino headquarters.