Apple iPad Market Share Dominates Second Quarter

iPad Market Share

It appears that the market share for the iPad of Apple is bigger compared to the combined share of all of rivals in the market. According to HIS iSuppli, the iPad market share is around 70 percent for the second quarter while its closest rival, the Samsung Galaxy Tab only has 9.2 percent of the entire tablet market.

The data released by the research company showed that 17 million units of the iPad of Apple for the second quarter compared to 2.3 million units shipped for the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The third and the fourth slots were taken by Amazon and Asus respectively. Amazon garnered only 4.2 percent of the tablet market while 2.8 percent went to Asus. This means the iPad market share is over two times bigger compared to its competitors.

According to Rhoda Alexander, the tablet and monitor research director of the company, the iPad market share gives indications that the company has made all the suitable moves to dominate the market.  The iPad market share may be further increased with reports on the upcoming release of the iPad Mini.

Reports on the upcoming release of the seven-inch model of the iPad will allow the company to the iPad market share to expand to the market for smaller-sized tablets.

Even as Microsoft and Google are set to challenge the dominance of Apple in the tablet market, industry watchers are expecting the company to maintain its share of the market. In fact another research company has indicated that the iPad market share will be over sixty percent for the year, which is an increase from its share from last year.

Users of the older models of the iPad have also been tempted to upgrade to the current models of the device due to the inclusion of the Retina screen display and 4G LTE network support for the current model of the device. This has allowed the iPad market share to be maintained by the company.

The iPad market share has made up most of the 24.4 million units delivered around the world for the second quarter. This is an increase from the 20.3 million units delivered in the first quarter of the year.

New iPad Smart Case Introduced By Apple

iPad Smart Case

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Apple recently released a new iPad Smart Case that will not only offer protection to the front of the tablet but also for the back part of the device.

The new iPad Smart Case will solve the problems of owners of the iPad Smart Cover, which limited its protection to the front of the tablet. With a price tag of $49, the iPad Smart Case will be available in six color options, light gray, dark gray, green, pink, blue and red.

The new iPad Smart Case is compatible with the Apple iPad 3 as well as the new iPad. However potential buyers of the iPad Smart Case will not have a deluxe leather option because the new case for the iPad only comes in polyurethane material.

According to Apple, the new cover will offer protection for the front and back part of the iPad even as it maintains the slim and light design of the iPad. It will easily fold into a stand to allow users to easily read, type, and watch videos on their iPad units. The smart cover for the iPad will also wake up and sleep automatically each time it is opened or closed.

Apple iPad owners who order the new iPad Smart Case through the online store of Apple will be able to personalize it through laser engraving that is offered free-of-charge.

Some observers have wondered why the new iPad Smart Case was not made available by Apple when the new iPad was launched into the market although they expect that Apple will be able to sell a good number of these smart covers in the market.

Apple iPad May Receive Siri Virtual Assistant Service

Siri

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The Sirivirtual assistant service will be brought to the iPad together with the release of the iOS 6 mobile platform of Apple if recent reports are to be believed.

According to 9to5Mac, trusted sources have given indications that the Siri virtual assistant service, together with most of the features that are currently being used on the iPhone 4S, will be released to the iPad by fall.

Among the features that Siri will bring to the iPad are Contacts searching, Notes, Emailing, Maps Integration, iMessaging, Calendar Management, and Music Playback.

Since the accuracy of the report remains uncertain, it may be possible for the company to unveil the service during the upcoming Worldwide Developer Conference or it can also wait for the release of the iPhone 5.

The Siri virtual assistant feature was released to the iPhone 4S last October. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, indicated that the application was being upgraded during a recent interview during the recent D10 conference. The S on the name of the iPhone 4S reportedly represented Siri, which was being promoted as one of the main features of the smartphone.

An unofficial porting of Siri into an iPad was made last October even as some developers attempted to bring the feature into the older models of the iPhone.

Aside from the upcoming release of the Siri virtual assistant service to the iPad, the same sources reportedly revealed that some features of the Mac OS X Mountain Lion will be offered by the upcoming iOS 6 mobile platform. The iOS 6 is expected to be released during the upcoming WWDC event and will come with a feature to allow users to turn off all notifications with one toggle. It will also feature the Safari tab sync feature as well as a VIP mail feature that will highlight messages coming from selected contacts.

Polarized Glasses May Cause Display of New iPad To Appear Black

New iPad

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A number of issues have affected the performance of the new iPad which resulted to some not-so-encouraging comments from users of the device. The latest issue may be trivial since it only arises once the new iPad is used while the user wearing a pair of polarized sunglasses.

The latest issue on the new iPad shows that the screen will turn black once the new iPad is viewed on portrait mode while the user wears polarized glasses.

The phenomenon is also known as extinction, something that is established by the manufacturer. This is a phenomenon that is not limited to the new iPad since it was also noted in previous models of the device. Even as the phenomenon was dealt with by Apple on the iPhone, it was not addressed on its tablet offerings. Majority of other tablets have also worked on this rather marginal issue.

All iPad units including the new iPad would appear black when a pair of polarized sunglasses is used while the device is on Portrait mode. Some displays would show the issue while on Landscape mode. Some observers have hinted at a 45-degree extinction angle to avoid the issue while the device is in either Landscape or Portrait mode. Compensating films can also be used to deal with this latest issue facing the new iPad.

Both the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the iPhone 4 do not have any extinction. The extinction phenomenon is applicable to LCDs since polarized light is used internally. OLED do not appear to experience the extinction phenomenon.

The extinction of the Samsung Galaxy S is at 45 degrees although it only occurs when the device is used outdoors whenever the polarized sunglasses are used by the users.

It would have been better if Apple set the extinction level at 45 degrees or they could have used compensating films in order to deal with the issue.

Drop Test Conducted For iPad 2 and New iPad

New iPad

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A drop test was made recently to find out which tablet offering of Apple will last longer. The test involved the iPad 2 and the new iPad, which may shock some consumers.

A video showed the iPad 2 and the new iPad dropped on a hard surface at different heights. It was a conducted by SquareTrade, a consumer electronics warranty firm. However it appears to be an unscientific test as the video shows people smiling as the two iPad were dropped face down on a hard surface.

Watching the video may scandalize observers since it also produces a recurring shattering sound of the internals and screen of the iPad 2 and the new iPad. However it also shows that the display of the new iPad may not be as durable compared to that of the iPad 2 although some may say that there was no difference at all.

Added Cost of New iPad Absorbed by Apple

New iPad

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The cost of the 32GB 4G version of the new iPad is reportedly higher compared to a similar model of the iPad 2. However it appears that this extra expense was not passed on by Apple to its customers. Instead the company is absorbing the nine percent extra cost for this particular model of the new iPad.

The higher cost for this model of the new iPad was caused by the increase in the cost of producing the next version of the Apple tablet. Despite the increased cost, Apple has not increased the price tag of the device.

A recent tear-down analysis made by HIS iSuppli showed that the cost for the components of the new iPad for the 32GB 4G model was nine percent higher compared to the iPad 2 that features 3G connectivity.

The cost of producing this model of the new iPad is $375 with $11 going to the assembly while $364 for the components. This is more than fifty percent of the price tag of the device in the market which is at $729.

The increase in the cost of the components of the device can be attributed to the retina display of the new iPad along with the bigger battery and the 4G LTE connectivity feature. The cost of the retina display, which is produced by Samsung, is around $87 or $57 higher compared to the display used on the iPad 2.

The applications processor of the new iPad is also produced by Samsung and may be the source of the battery cells for the device. This would indicate that half of the cost for the components of the device is due to the components produced by Samsung.

First-Time New iPad Buyers Account For Half of Users Surveyed

New iPad

A survey conducted by UBS showed that around 46 percent of buyers of the new iPad were first-time buyers of the device. The survey was conducted among users who lined up in New York during the Friday launch of the latest version of the tablet offering of Apple.

Around 38 percent of the new iPad buyers were reportedly upgrading their original iPad units while the remaining 16 percent was not specified by the investment company.

The survey also revealed that 45 percent of the buyers were aiming to purchase the 16GB version while 54 percent wanted the Wi-Fi only version of the new iPad, which has drawn more buyers compared to the first iPad. Since users already have a data plan with their smartphones, it was a possibility that they did not want to get another device which also requires a data plan for the users.

Long lines greeted the flagship store of Apple in New York with 78 percent of those in line did not try to order the new iPad online before heading to the local Apple retail outlet. The first weekend following the release of the new iPad saw sales reaching three million units and the waiting time is currently around three weeks for users who order the new iPad online.

UBS had earlier projected sales of around twelve million units of the iPad by the end of the first quarter of 2012 although if the inventory of the device was higher, the projection would go higher. UBS has also indicated that the stocks of Apple may reach around $675. Currently Apple shares are just under $600.

Apple had also announced recently that a quarterly dividend will be given by the fourth quarter in the current fiscal year. This follows the record sales of the new iPad, which was higher compared to the initial sales of the two previous versions of the device.  The dividend is worth $2.65 for every share of Apple stocks.

Following the release of the new iPad, industry watchers have started to home into the upcoming iPhone 5, which is expected to be released sometime in October. 

Retina Display on New iPad 3 Result To Updates on iBooks an iTunes U

iTunes U

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With the recent introduction of the new iPad 3 of Apple, the iTunes University apps and iBooks apps of Apple were also updated to fully optimize the HD display of the new iPad 3.

The update for the iTunes U and the iBooks was made by the company recently and it is aimed at users who wish to purchase the new iPad 3.The iBooks version 2.1 will offer sharper text when the retina display screen  of the new iPad 3 is used in viewing them.

Although the sharper text was demonstrated by Philip Schiller of Apple during the event last Wednesday, some industry watchers are still waiting for their own new iPad 3 devices before they will make their judgment.

For users of the older models of the iPad, the new iBook also offers some new features including the capability of highlighting text by swiping a finger on the text to be highlighted and selecting the highlight option. The highlight option comes with the typical options including Copy, Note, Define and Search.

Entering a number of the search field on iBooks will also allow users to go to a particular page on iBooks and some titles have the same pages as the printed copy of the title.

Content will also be display in higher resolutions when iTunes U 1.1 is used on the new iPad 3 although this is the only significant modification that users can expect with the iTunes U for the new iPad 3. There may also be some minor enhancements in the performance of the iTunes U 1.1 when it is used on the new iPad 3.

These are some enhancements that users can expect for the iTunes U and the iBooks apps once they get their hands on the new iPad 3, which is set to become available in the market by March 16.