Apple Slashes Prices on Refurbished iPad Mini and iPad 4 Models

Posted by Gary on May 25, 2013 0 comments
Apple today significantly reduced prices on refurbished models of the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad, with all models now carrying approximately 15% discounts relative to brand-new units.

ipad_mini_refurb_279
iPad mini

- 16 GB Wi-Fi: $279, down from $299 previously and $329 brand-new
- 32 GB Wi-Fi: $359, down from $389 previously and $429 brand-new
- 64 GB Wi-Fi: $439, down from $489 previously and $529 brand-new

- 16 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: $389, down from $429 previously and $459 brand-new
- 32 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: $469, down from $519 previously and $559 brand-new
- 64 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: $549, down from $619 previously and $659 brand-new

Fourth-generation iPad

- 16 GB Wi-Fi: $419, down from $449 previously and $499 brand-new
- 32 GB Wi-Fi: $499, down from $549 previously and $599 brand-new
- 64 GB Wi-Fi: $579, down from $649 previously and $699 brand-new

- 16 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: $529, down from $579 previously and $629 brand-new
- 32 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: $609, down from $679 previously and $729 brand-new
- 64 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: $689, down from $779 previously and $829 brand-new

Introduced last October, the iPad mini and fourth-generation arrived in Apple’s online store for refurbished products in mid-March at modest discounts. The company’s 128 GB fourth-generation iPad models introduced in early February have yet to appear in the refurbished store.

Rumors have indicated that Apple is unlikely to launch its next versions of the iPad and iPad mini until late this year, but the company has apparently still decided to reduce pricing on refurbished units of the current generation in order to attract more buyers as its supply of refurbished units has undoubtedly grown over the past several months.

Update: Apple has also knocked $30 off of the price of its refurbished Thunderbolt and LED Cinema Displays, bringing the prices down to $799 compared to $999 brand-new.

Not sure if I would say the prices were “slashed” maybe use “moderate discount” instead.
bring the Retina for the Mini :D
MR, don’t use the verb ‘Slash’ when talking about a 6-10% price reduction. Makes you look desperate.
Slashed = $20.00 :eek:
Thinner, lighter, faster iPad 5 :cool:
Many local stores sell NEW for $299. I would pay the extra $20 for new.

Thinner, lighter, faster iPad 5 :cool:

This is the one I’ve been waiting for. Lightweight, AND Retina, AND full size.

Not sure if I would say the prices were “slashed” maybe use “moderate discount” instead.

Haha yes, I was expecting more like 20% or more to consider “slashed”.

Not sure if I would say the prices were “slashed” maybe use “moderate discount” instead.

I was expecting a shocking price with the title…a modest reduction.
Though I guess on the larger ones it is close to $100 off REGULAR price.

Many local stores sell NEW for $299. I would pay the extra $20 for new.

Not sure if I would say the prices were “slashed” maybe use “moderate discount” instead.

I agree on both of these counts. SLASHED! to me implies 30-50% or more

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Motorola appeals dismissal of ITC complaint against Apple

Posted by Gary on May 25, 2013 0 comments

Single patent remains at stake

Google-owned Motorola Mobility is appealing the US International Trade Commission’s dismissal of a complaint filed against Apple, according to newly-published court documents discovered by FOSS Patents. A single patent was left in the complaint at the time of the final ruling, one involving using a proximity sensor to disable a touchscreen when a phone is held close to a person’s ear. It’s not clear what basis Motorola might be pursuing for the appeal.

The motion is in fact Motorola’s second appeal in the case. Last September Motorola appealed the dismissal of three patents from the complaint, and that process is still ongoing. Apple has since intervened, submitting answering briefs earlier this month as part of its support for the ITC’s decision. Before a hearing can be scheduled, Motorola is expected to file a reply to Apple.

By Electronista Staff

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Horace Dediu’s four questions for Tim Cook

Posted by Gary on May 25, 2013 0 comments

Next week at AllThingsD’s D11 conference in LA, Apple CEO Tim Cook will be interviewed by Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg.

Here are some questions I’m hoping they will ask:

  1. Why is the iPhone not sold as a portfolio product? Meaning, why, after six years, is there no iPhone product range being updated on a regular basis. Having a portfolio strategy is not only followed by every phone vendor but also by Apple for all its other product lines, including the iPad, which came after the iPhone. In other words, please explain why the iPhone is anomalous from a product portfolio point of view.
  2. There are more than 800 operators world-wide so why are there only about 250 of them carrying your phone? Competitors large and small (from BlackBerry to Nokia to Samsung) have cited relationships with more than 500 operators so Apple is being uniquely selective. My question does not stem from a lack of patience: this total number of iPhone distributors has not increased markedly for over a year. Are you limiting distribution through conditions placed on operators (like the availability of sufficient quality data services) or are operators finding the distribution agreement too onerous (e.g. too high a minimum order quota)?
  3. In 2012 Apple’s capital spending has reached the extraordinary level of $10 billion/yr, higher than all but the most capital-intensive semiconductor manufacturers. This is unusual for Apple as it was less than $1 billion in the year before the iPhone launched. It’s also unusual for Apple’s competitors in phones, PCs or tablets. It’s on a level matched only by semiconductor heavyweights. What is the purpose of this spending and what should we read into it leveling off at $10 billion for 2013?
  4. Depending on one supplier is an operational faux pas, and yet Apple has found itself in that situation with Samsung for mobile microprocessors. It may be excusable in PCs with Intel having an architectural monopoly but it’s not excusable for a chip that you designed yourself and purchase in massive quantities. Why did you give Samsung such a concession, especially knowing their potential as a competitor vis-à-vis alternative suppliers who had no such potential? Does the answer have something to do with the previous question?

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iPad shipments could see first ever year-on-year decline in Q2, analyst says

Posted by Gary on May 25, 2013 0 comments

Due to a combination of seasonality and heightened competition from Android device makers, shipments of Apple’s iPad may see a year-on-year drop for the first time since debuting in 2010, says KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iPad mini


In a note to investors obtained by AppleInsider, Kuo said that overall iPad shipments will experience a quarter-to-quarter decline of 20 to 25 percent, or 10 to 15 percent year-on-year, for the second quarter of 2013. The analyst based his prediction on sell-through, which is expected to hit 14 to 15 million units for the three-month period.

The dip shipments is thought to be a result of a glut of cheap Android tablet offerings this year, as well as a high comparison base from 2012 when the third-generation iPad launched.

Driving the decline is lowered iPad mini shipments, which are believed to see a roughly 40 percent quarter-on-quarter drop. Overall, Kuo forecasts a sell-in of around 12.7 million units for the three month period ending in June. Breaking the numbers down by model, the iPad mini is expected to see 6.2 million units shipped, while the latest fourth-generation iPad will see 4.5 million units. The entry-level iPad 2 will likely come in at around 2 million units shipped.

Finally, Kuo notes the third quarter will see growth as seasonality and an expected launch of a fifth-generation iPad boost shipments to first-quarter levels. However, the analyst points out that success is highly contingent on how attractive the supposedly slimmed-down “iPad 5″ is to consumers.

A recent study conducted by IDC saw the iPad’s share of the overall table market dip to 40 percent during the first quarter of the year. Year-over-year growth was still positive at 65 percent, but rival manufacturers Samsung and ASUS saw their share of the sector jump 283 percent and 350 percent from the year ago period, respectively.

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Apple seeds eighth OS X 10.8.4 beta to developers

Posted by Gary on May 25, 2013 0 comments

Little time left before OS X 10.9 reveal

A little over a week since the last beta, Apple is seeding a new build of OS X 10.8.4 to developers. The release is listed as 12E55, and has no known issues. People are asked to concentrate testing on Safari, Wi-Fi, graphics, and Windows filesharing.

The pace of v10.8.4′s development has so far been intense, with new betas coming roughly once per week. Apple may be in a hurry to finish the code ahead of WWDC on June 10th, since the company should be releasing the first beta of OS X 10.9 there, and may also need to have v10.8.4 ready for updated Macs.

by MacNN Staff

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Microsoft pokes some long-overdue fun at iOS

Posted by Gary on May 25, 2013 0 comments

mac vs pc

It used to be the console wars and browser battles, now it’s the tablet skirmishes. I still remember when Microsoft and Sony would buy advertising space on opposite sides of a busy Japanese street and periodically change posters in ongoing and increasingly hostile conversations. Gamers, being the sorts of people they tend to be, took to this rivalry, not so much with gusto, as wild abandon. Those were wars, man. It’s difficult to envision the same happening in the tablet space, even given that the sector is home to two of technology’s most deeply entrenched rivals. New Windows 8 tablets have brought MS and Apple back into direct and furious competition, as seen in the latest round of advertisements.

The enmity between Microsoft and Apple has dimmed a bit, of late, probably due to the fact that they’ve been shooting for divergent sections of the market. Though some thought it was a bit much to cast John Hodgeman as a PC and have him bumble around like a fool, I always thought such gentle prodding was fairly tame. Microsoft’s response at the time was well rendered but overly dramatic.

This week’s video sees Microsoft taking some gentle jabs of its own — we’ll see if Apple will be hypocritical enough to respond with indignation…

[embedded content]

This is what Microsoft should have been doing all along. The brilliance of the initial “I’m a Mac” campaign was that virtually everything said in those commercials is correct — PCs are less user-friendly than Macs, and they do tend to acquire simple, frustrating problems that ought to be avoidable in the modern era. The correct response would have been to come right back at their competitors with equally accurate observations — and that’s what they’ve done.

iOS devices really are more restricted than Windows ones (though not by nearly the same margin as OSX and Windows for desktops.) The swipe at Apple’s seeming phobia of full featured multi-tasking is particularly well aimed, so much so that it gives us to wonder why it took so long to make such observations in the first place. These are the arguments that Microsoft’s fans have been making for years, now.

Given the underwhelming performance of Windows 8 tablets, it’s about time Microsoft stepped up and did a little of it, themselves.

Now read: First Windows Vista Seinfeld advert released

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Apple Removes Download Options From Quicktime Trailers Website

Posted by Gary on May 25, 2013 0 comments
It appears that Apple has begun quietly phasing out its trailer download options from the trailers.apple.com website, effectively eliminating 1080p trailer availability.

Previously, the site gave users the ability to stream trailers in 480p or 720p, along with providing download options for 480p, 720p, and 1080p. Trailers uploaded to the site after an approximate date of May 22 no longer have any download options and can only be streamed in-browser at 480p or 720p.

trailersbefore

Trailer options before 5/22

trailersafter

Trailer options after 5/22

While trailers uploaded before May 22 can still be downloaded, Apple appears to be removing the option from movies with multiple trailers that have a trailer uploaded after that date. For example, Disney Pixar’s Monsters University has trailers that were uploaded on the following dates: 6/20/12, 3/08/13, 5/20/13, and 5/22/13. None of these trailers have download options.

Disney’s Planes, on the other hand, has trailers that were uploaded on the following dates: 3/15/13, 04/04/13, and 5/17/13. Each of these trailers can still be downloaded at all resolutions, including 1080p.

So, while older trailers can still be downloaded from the site, Apple appears to be removing downloads from older trailers as newer trailers are added, slowly phasing out the availability of trailer downloads altogether.

It is not clear at this point why Apple has begun phasing out movie trailer downloads, but we have contacted the company for more information.

(Thanks Eduardo and Theo!)

Theo and Eduardo?

Since when do Arsenal players send information to Mac Rumors?

Yeah stupid joke that only football fans would understand. :)

Perhaps it’s time Apple phased out Quicktime? My experience of streaming Quicktime video has never been good in my experience, while Netflix, Youtube and iPlayer all deliver reliable 720p streaming over a comparable connection.

I have NO idea why they aren’t using HTML5 on their trailers site. How is QuickTime any different than Flash here? It’s not!

———-

I’ve always used the “download” option, since that opens up the native quicktime player and allows me to watch the trailer in full screen. Is such an option available for the web player?

Only if you use Safari.

Well that certainly sucks and is rather baffling. I’ve often downloaded movie trailers at 1080p, and stuck a load on a flash drive or hard drive to watch on my TV. I guess they don’t want people like me to go to their trailer site anymore.

People use this?? :confused:

Well that certainly sucks and is rather baffling. I’ve often downloaded movie trailers at 1080p, and stuck a load on a flash drive or hard drive to watch on my TV. I guess they don’t want people like me to go to their trailer site anymore.
Can’t believe this. Apple was the last official site out there providing high-quality, 1080p encodes. Truly don’t understand why they’d stop. As a huge movie fan, it sucks that 1080p trailers have just become an “endangered species,” so to speak. They’ll definitely be more scarce, and we’ll only be able to get them from third-party sites like HD-Trailers now. Wasn’t technology like this supposed to be moving the other way?

People use this?? :confused:

No. People don’t use this. Only cute kittens do. :rolleyes:

Never knew Apple doing trailers was a thing. Page 2 surely?

Absolutely, I am refreshing page one to get maybe some leaks on a possible mac pro and rmbp release at the wwdc, and I get a news item about trailers on apple’s site? Wtf?

Quicktime does not flash.

(Quicktime is almost exclusively used only for video content, not for animated graphics and flashing banner ads.)

I think what Eminem means is that it’s still a browser plugin. Something they should have moved beyond by now.

I have an AWESOME way I watch hot new trailers on an ENORMOUS screen. I go to the cinema. When I want to watch a less impressive version… YouTube.

I doubt that. Apple uses the Akamai CDN (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akamai_Technologies).

I was being cheeky.

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The Week in iOS Apps: Music all around you!

Posted by Gary on May 25, 2013 0 comments

Like music? Like making it? Discovering new artists? Figuring out who the heck is singing that song on the TV commercial? We’ve got you covered in this week’s roundup of new and updated iOS apps.

The Doors

Father! Yes son? I want to buy the $5 The Doors app for iPad, which features more than 700 images and over 100 music and sound clips featuring Oliver Stone’s favorite band. There are also a half-dozen short films—we call them videos now—featuring some of the band’s most beloved songs. C’mon baby, take a chance with us.

Guitar! by Smule

Smule has spent the last few years turning even the most amateur of musicians into music creators via a series of clever iOS apps. The free Guitar! app for iPhone and iPad teaches users the basics while making them sound good from the start. And time spent playing lets users unlock different styles of guitar to play within the app. Rock on.

Mailbox

OK, so it’s not all music apps this week. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t note that the popular Mailbox app is now available for the iPad. Like its iPhone predecessor, it’s designed to let users scroll quickly through their Gmail inbox, trashing what needs to be trashed and “snoozing” items that can wait for later attention.

Rhapsody

The Rhapsody music-playing app has been overhauled with a redesigned user interface, along with a new organization scheme that lets users divide music they’ve downloaded from what’s available only through a live Internet connection. A reminder: You’ll need a $15-per-month subscription to Rhapsody’s music service to use the app.

Shazam for iPad

The free Shazam app has always been a favorite of iPhone users, letting them put names to the music they hear on the radio and TV. Now it’s also available on the iPad—and carries the ability to run in the background, tagging music while you check your email or play a game. The app also includes interactive maps, so you can see what music is popular locally and around the world.

Text Expander

A favorite among writers who spend a lot of time with their iPad or iPhone, the $5 TextExpander app has received a major overhaul, with added support for fill-in snippets, support for renaming and duplication of snippet groups, alerts for conflicting snippet abbreviations and duplicate snippets, and more. Write away!

Tornado by American Red Cross

The free Tornado by American Red Cross app lets users track weather, donate to recovery causes, and tell family members that you’ve survived a brutal storm. In the aftermath of this week’s deadly storm in Oklahoma, it’s a reminder that your iOS device isn’t just about having fun, but can also be helpful.

Yap

The free Yap Music lets you listen to and discover new music by following the Facebook feeds of some of your favorite artists. This allows you to avoid cluttering your own Facebook feed with updates from famous musicians, but also enables you to discover new tunes and buy them directly from iTunes.

Other apps of note

Clear added the ability to email your to-do list to friends and family … Foursquare updated with new filtering options that help you better discover the right place to eat lunch … and Zite (pictured) updated with an expanded array of publishing partners.

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