iPad

iPad Mini cellular model debuts in China with two-week delay

The cellular edition of the iPad Mini debuted in China today, but buyers will have to wait two weeks before it ships.

That delay also applies to the Wi-Fi only version, which has been out for about six weeks. A check of the Apple Store in China finds that all capacities of both the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular models are stuck with a two-week ship time.

iPad Mini buyers in the U.K., Japan, and other countries face the same delay, though the wait time in the U.S. is only one week.

Apple has been battling to meet global … Read more

Hearst gives iPad owners early dibs on magazines

Publisher Hearst has a new initiative that gives iPad owners early access to digital versions of its magazines.

Apple today quietly launched a new section in its App Store called "Read them here first," with a listing of Hearst-owned magazines that can be had digitally before they arrive on newsstands or on competing digital platforms.

Hearst has 20 of its titles involved in the program, including Esquire, Car and Driver, and Popular Mechanics. A company spokeswoman said the lead time varies by publication.

The move gives Apple a leg up against competing digital newsstand products, particularly apps Zinio … Read more

Rolling Stone lands on iPad with iTunes integration in tow

Longtime Apple Newsstand holdout Rolling Stone magazine has caved, and is now available on Apple's subscription service.

Rolling Stone's new app works like any other publication in Newsstand, with a way to buy a single issue or subscribe using an iTunes account. Rolling Stone is pricing issues at $4.99 apiece, and there are two subscription options: one month for $1.99 (Rolling Stone comes out twice a month), or one year for $19.99 -- both with the first month for free.

The addition is noteworthy given comments made by publisher Jann Wenner of Wenner Media, who … Read more

iPhone, iPod Touch users can now buy music from Amazon

iPhone users now have another option for downloading songs from their device.

Amazon today launched its MP3 store for iPhone and iPod Touch users, allowing them to buy digital music from Amazon's 22-million song catalog. There's one catch, though. The purchases have to be made via the Safari Web browser, not through any of Amazon's apps. That means the process isn't quite as seamless as buying music through iTunes.

Amazon noted that music purchases are automatically saved to the customer's Cloud Player library and can be downloaded or streamed instantly from an iPhone, iPod Touch, … Read more

iPad sales may be lower than expected, says analyst

The iPad may have missed out on a healthy chunk of sales last quarter due to limited supply, says J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz.

In an investors note out today, Moskowitz said he believes unit sales of the iPad and iPad Mini combined will be lighter than expected for the final quarter of 2012, which marks Apple's first fiscal quarter of 2013. He's now predicting unit sales of 18.4 million, down from his prior forecast of 20.1 million.

"Our research indicates that near-term supply constraints impacted iPad sell-in activity during the seasonally-stronger holiday season,&… Read more

Google Nexus 7 tops iPad in Japan: Is this a trend?

Google's Nexus 7 is gaining market share in Japan and topped Apple's iPad in one survey.

Japanese digital device consumers are some of the savviest in the world. So, a report Thursday showing that the Nexus 7 has bested the iPad in market share is worthy of attention.

Based on a survey of 2,400 consumer electronics stores in Japan, Google's Nexus 7 tablet had 44.4 percent of the market versus the iPad's 40.1 percent, according to Nikkei, Japan's largest business daily. The survey was done by market research firm BCN in December. … Read more

iPad hasn't cornered market on round corners, says Dutch court

Samsung's Galaxy tablets do not infringe Apple's design patents relating to the iPad, a court in the Netherlands ruled today.

In a judgment handed down by a district court in The Hague, the court found that the rounded corners of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, 8.9, and 7.7 did not infringe the patents held by Apple, citing a similar case in the British courts last year, which also found in favor of Samsung.

In a statement given to the Reuters news agency, Samsung said: "We continue to believe that Apple was not the first to … Read more

iPad Mini 2 to sport Retina Display, analyst says

Apple's next-generation iPad Mini will feature a high-resolution Retina Display, says KGI Securites analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In an investors note detailed last night by MacRumors, Kuo projects that the iPad Mini 2 will come with the same Retina Display already offered by its larger counterpart.

The upgrade will be beneficial not only to consumers but to developers who can then design the same high-resolution apps to fit both iPad models. The next version of the 9.7-inch iPad will also lose some weight, get much slimmer, and take on the same thin bezels used on the Mini, according to … Read more

Apple slapped with Russian Railways trademark suit

Russian Railways has sued Apple for alleged trademark infringement over the use of images in its online store.

It's not entirely clear what Russian Railways is alleging, with its press release simply saying it concerns infringement of the company's trademark No. 341333.

Here's the full release from Russian Railways (translated by Google):

Clarification of the lawsuit JSC "Russian Railways" company to Apple Inc.

JSC "Russian Railways" to the Arbitration Court of Moscow with a claim concerning infringement of the exclusive right to the trademark under the certificate No. 341333 by Apple Inc. We … Read more