The new iPad will be a week old tomorrow, but the complaints continue to pour in about Apple's three million-selling tablet (and they've likely sold many more since Monday's announcement, we'd guess). We've got no complaints here -- every day with our new little friend is more glorious than the last, especially thanks to all of these Retina-optimized app updates which keep arriving. In fact, we're off to give our new iPad another hug, so while we're doing that, please have a look at the day's news for Thursday, March 22, 2012, won't you…?
BlackBerry Finally Succumbs to iPhone On Its Home Turf
It's been relatively quiet on the Research in Motion front as the BlackBerry maker continues to lick its wounds from stumbles made in both the smartphone and tablet markets. According to Bloomberg, the company now has another problem on their hands as Canadian businesses begin fleeing RIM's products in favor of the iPhone. Data compiled by IDC and Bloomberg reveals that RIM shipped 2.08 million BlackBerry handsets in their native Canada last year, while Apple's iconic handset shipped 2.85 million -- a big change from 2010 when the BlackBerry bested the iPhone by half a million units, or 2008, when RIM outsold the relatively new iPhone by almost five to one. "For RIM, in its home market, to lose that Number One position to iPhone is strategically important," explained Paul Taylor, a fund manager at BMO Harris Private Banking in Toronto. "It does identify, even with a home-country bias, how consumers are responding to the greater functionality of the iPhone." RIM's domestic sales account for seven percent of the company's revenue, which fell 23 percent in the fiscal third quarter as U.S. sales continue to nosedive.
Sigh: New iPad Can't Get a Break, Now Charging Indicator is Off
The new iPad runs too hot! It's gobbling up all of my 4G LTE data! The Wi-Fi is broken! Anything else left to complain about, folks? Well, Ars Technica might have one for you. It seems that none other than MacLife.com pal Dr. Raymond M. Soneira of DisplayMate has discovered that the new iPad "continues to charge well after the OS shows that it's reach full capacity." That means a 100 percent charge actually is a bit less, with Dr. Ray claiming that users should leave the new iPad plugged into AC for at least an hour after the display shows a full charge "if getting maximum battery run time is crucial." Now that should just about cover all the complaining about the new iPad -- can we just enjoy the thing already?
ORLY? Reuters Says Some Koreans Say Your Next iPhone May Be 4.6 Inches
There have been plenty of rumors that the next iPhone will get super-sized, but a new report from Reuters is contradicting those who believe it may top out at four inches by claiming the next Apple handset will have "a sharper and bigger 4.6-inch 'retina' display" when it launches in the second quarter of this year. The report comes by way of South Korean media, but was quickly disputed by the likes of Daring Fireball's John Gruber, who points out a larger screen size is likely to require every app in the App Store to be redesigned or resized accordingly. The report also seems to give false hope that the next iPhone will rear its beautiful head around June of this year, when most pundits believe that Apple will continue to revamp the iPhone in the fall as it did with last year's iPhone 4S.
PSA: Make Music with Your iPad
There's no denying that the iPad is hot (with some claiming it's literally hot to the touch), and musicians are among those finding revolutionary new ways to use it in their performances. So it's no surprise to discover that fellow Mac|Lifer Ben Harvell has a new book that combines these two subjects into one melodic symphony called Make Music with Your iPad. "Music recording and performance apps are some of the top grossing applications for iPad," the book's synopsis reads. "Major label artists are making use of Apple's iOS products and apps to make music and have even recorded complete albums on the iPad. Written by an experienced Apple and digital music journalist, this unique resource opens your eyes -- and ears -- to the amazing possibilities that the iPad offers as a musical creation device for both novices and professionals." The $29.99 paperback is discounted on Amazon.com, who is also offering a Kindle edition for even less ($16.49 at this writing) -- which means you can read the book and then immediately start making music on the same device.
Screens for iOS Gains Retina Support, Bug Fixes
Edovia has announced the availability of Screens for iOS 2.0.2, a free update to the company's VNC app which adds support for the new iPad's Retina Display. There have been a veritable tidal wave of Retina updates to the App Store over the last week or so and there will surely be more to come. Screens 2.0.2 also offers improved connection detection as well as fixes for password management, the German-Swiss keyboard and some random crashes users were experiencing. The universal app update clocks in at 4.9MB and is available now as a free App Store update for existing users.
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