Complete rumor rundown of Apple’s upcoming iPad 3 event, from release date to hardware hopes and software speculation

Apple’s next generation iPad 3 will almost certainly be announced on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, California. Everything else about it, however, is still up in the air. That’s nothing new. The road to every Apple product release is paved and pot-holed with rumors true and fake, and this one is no different.

Still, while Apple is secretive they do tend towards patterns. What they’ve done in the past can indicate what they may do in the future. That’s what we’re going to look at here — sift through all the recent rumors and try to figure out what makes sense.

Name

Product names are ultimately marketing decisions and regardless of specs, chronological or model generation, or any other factor, Apple can call any of their products anything they like, whenever they like. The 2010 iPad was simply “iPad” and the 2011 iPad was simply “iPad 2″, so there’s a good chance the next one will be simply “iPad 3″.

The internal Apple model number seems to be iPad 3,1, but that doesn’t always translate to marketing name. (iPhone 1,2 was released as iPhone 3G, and iPhone 2,1 was released as iPhone 3GS). Could Apple go with an iPad 2S name like iPhone 4S? Given the presumed Retina display (see below) and processor bump, it seems unlikely. So do things like iPad Pro or iPad HD. The former seems more fitting of the Mac line, the latter unlike anything Apple has used for a flagship products in the past.

So, for purposes of this article, we’ll stick with iPad 3.

Release date

Apple will no doubt announce the release date for the iPad 3 during the March 7, 2012 event. We’ve heard a couple of dates, the most frequent of which is Friday, March 30, 2012.

That fits with previous releases, which were also on Fridays. It is a long time between announcement and release, however. If they go earlier, March 16 or March 23 are both good targets.

Until we hear otherwise, however, March 30 is likely.

Hardware features

Because Apple doesn’t manufacture their own hardware, there are often leaks that come from the factories that do the assembly, or accessory makers who manage to sneak a peak at the assembly. However, Apple also tests and produces different prototypes, so leaks might not always be for the final production model.

When looking at rumors, one thing to consider is component availability and costs. Apple will need to keep component costs down to maintain price point and margins. They’re in the hardware business and they don’t sell at at or near break-even. The iPad 3 has to make money, and that helps reduce the likelihood of some of the more extravagant possibilities.

Processor

Rumors about the iPad 3 processor are split right down the middle. iMore heard Apple is going quad-core with the iPad 3. Others have heard they’re sticking with dual-core, albeit supercharging it with much better graphics. 9to5Mac discovered references to both a quad-core and a dual-core chipset in the iOS software, so it’s possible Apple is testing both and will decide based on factors like battery life. It’s also possible dual-core and quad-core will each be deployed in different devices, an Apple A6 quad-core processor for the iPad 3 and an Apple A5X processor for something with lower requirements, like an Apple TV 3.

For most use cases, it won’t matter much. Since Apple controls the iPad 3 from atoms to bits, they can optimize dual-core to do specific tasks better and smoother than many non-integrated quad-core devices. And either way, it sounds like iPad 3 will be a monster gaming machine.

While there haven’t been many specific RAM rumors about the iPad 3, BGR obtained an alleged iPad 3 iBoot log, and developer Will Strafach spotted a reference in it that suggests there will be 1GB will be on board.

Again, because Apple can optimize iOS for the exact hardware they’re releasing, they can usually get by with less RAM than competitors. More pixels (in a presumed Retina display, see below), and more power might just demand more memory, however.

Storage rumors have been all but non-existant this time around. iPad 2 came in 16, 32, and 64GB models, as did the iPhone 4S. 24nm NAND Flash chips have been announced, making 128GB a technical possibility. Whether it’s a cost-effective one remains the question.

If 1080p content becomes a reality (see below), the extra storage will certainly come in handy, but if iCloud really is Apple’s future, they may consider streaming far more important than storage. Apple can buy in flabbergasting volumes, but even at iPad numbers, 128GB still seems like a very expensive option.

Quad-core Apple A6 with 1GB of RAM and 16, 32, and 64GB of storage sound most likely at this point.

Radios and 4G LTE

We heard that Apple was going 4G LTE this year, but weren’t certain if it would start with the iPad 3. The WSJ claims it will. What we’re still not certain about, however, is where LTE will be available.

LTE isn’t a standard and different carriers around the world use a wide range of different bands to support it. There are so many variations, in fact, our friend and LTE expert, Mickey Papillon thinks Apple would need two different LTE models — one to support North American, and another to support Europe, Australia, and Asia.

It’s possible Apple restricts LTE to North America only, or to the U.S. only for AT&T and Verizon. Verizon needs it the most — their current CDMA/EVDO Rev. A iPads are almost crippled at 2-3mbps.

There are also newer, faster, and more flexible Wi-Fi technologies on the horizon, and Apple was an early adopter of 802.11n. Is it possible Apple will add 802.11ac Gigabit Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi Direct to the iPad 3? 802.11ac may still be a ways off, and AirPlay and AirPrint are doing a lot of direct Wi-Fi transfers now, though not via Wi-Fi Direct. So neither seem imminent at this point.

Both the iPhone and Mac have gone Bluetooth 4.0 however, and it makes sense for the iPhone to follow suit. That will allow for low-power accessories, and likely speed up the iPad (and other iOS devices) becoming interfaces for all sorts of accessories, from household appliances to cars to healthcare products and everything in between.

So LTE, but perhaps North America only, and Bluetooth 4.0 are good bets, but 802.11ac and Wi-Fi direct probably aren’t.

Cameras

The iPad 2 cameras are… terrible. There are reports from NextMedia that we might see a better rear camera in the iPad 3, anywhere from 5 to 8 megapixels, the latter of which would match the excellent iPhone 4S camera. The size and quality of the lens, however, is limited by the depth of the device, so a better camera would either need a slightly thicker device or be positioned at a thicker point in the device. Both are possibilities, given other rumors.

Likewise, Apple has introduced “FaceTime HD” cameras in the Mac, but not in the iPhone 4S. With a Retina display rumored for iPad 3 (see below), the current, incredibly low resolution front facing camera in iOS devices would make my eyes bleed. It seems logical Apple would give it a bump, even if only into the very low megapixel range.

Frankly, any camera improvement would be welcome at this point, so anything 5mp or above on the rear, and FaceTime HD on the front would be huge wins.

Dock connector and speakers

While iMore did hear Apple was getting ready to ditch the traditional dock port for something smaller, it sounds like that’s on more of an iPhone 5 timeline than iPad 3.

As for speakers, Apple hasn’t shown any interest to date in augmenting them for their iOS devices. They let the headphones handle the heavy listening. Even though competitors have implemented technology like Beats, there have been no rumors suggesting a speaker improvement is in the cards.

Screen size, aspect ratio, and Retina display

Apple has said they don’t think smaller tablets are as usable or allow for the quality of apps they want on the iPad. However, Apple has famously derided products and features they later went on to release themselves. Even so, and even though rumors of iPads in sizes from 7- to 8-inches have floated around for a while, there’s absolutely no reason to think the iPad 3 will change screen sizes any time soon. Especially not with so many apps in the App Store designed for the current screen size. (Shrinking apps, even if you keep the same resolution, makes touch targets small and hurts usability.)

Likewise, while 16:9 aspect ratio tablets are better for 16:9 video (which is mostly HDTV — movies tend to vary more), they’re terrible for portrait use. Apple needs a device that’s okay for both landscape and portrait, and that means sticking with 4:3.

A 2048×1536 Retina display seems like the closest thing to a sure bet. Apple has reportedly been working on it since before the iPad 2 launch, and if parts leaks from MacRumors are to be believed, they can finally produce them cheaply enough, and in sufficient quantities to make them affordable and viable.

To put the display in context, 2048×1536 (and it really couldn’t be anything else without trashing existing apps) is a higher resolution than many computer displays, and higher than a 1080p television (1920×1080) — in a 9.7-inch screen.

The idea is that it makes pixels so small they disappear, and all you notice is the content. Everything from ebooks to web pages to videos should look almost as good as they do on the iPhone 4S. The density isn’t quite as high, but since the screen is bigger you’ll probably hold it slightly further away, making the relative quality close to the same.

So yeah, 9.7-inch, 3:4 Retina display at 2048×1536.

Home button

Apple’s iPad event invitation (see above) didn’t show a Home button, leading to rampant speculation that Apple might be ditching the click and going exclusively to multitouch gestures, as introduced in iOS 5.

Gestures aren’t as discoverable as buttons, however, and the iPad is a decidedly mainstream device. The introduction of the Fast App Switcher has put more strain on the Home button than ever before, but with the iPhone 4S Apple has begun making them stronger and longer lasting.

There have been rumors from Boy Genius Report about Apple dumping the Home button in the past. There have also been parts leaks showing an unchanged front-panel layout, including the Home button spot.

It could be something Apple’s working on obsoleting, but not any time soon.

Miscellaneous

No glowing Apple logo. No additional hardware buttons. No AMOLED screen, super or otherwise.

What software features will the iPad 3 have?

Software is harder to predict than hardware. With the exception of the beta process for developers, and carrier testing for network compatibility, Apple gets to keep it completely in house. Leaks happen when people discover hidden strings and images, but Apple almost always keeps the most exciting, most demonstrable new features completely out of the software until event day. That makes new apps and many new functions much harder to guess before hand. Still, there are some things to consider.

iOS 5.1

New versions of iOS have traditionally come with new models of iPhone, and while the incremental x.1 version of iOS has traditionally come with new models of iPod touch, there wasn’t one last year (not really) and so iOS 5.1 falls to the iPad 3.

iOS 3.2 was a major new version, bringing iOS to the big screen, tablet style user interface for the first time. iOS 4.2 was fairly big, re-unifying the platform and bringing all the iOS 4 features like multitasking and folders to the iPad for the first time.

The iPad got iOS 5 day and date with the iPhone back in October, however, so we’re probably not looking at anything nearly as profound as the last two years.

iOS 5.1 has yet to go Gold Master (GM), but that will probably happen at the March 7 iPad event, with release to follow a couple of days before the iPad 3 hits stores.

In addition to some small changes already seen in the iOS 5.1 betas, like the ability to delete Photo Stream photos, faster fast camera access, and fixes to some privacy bugs, there are still a few cards left for Apple to play.

Siri

Apple’s intelligent virtual assistant, Siri is the headline feature of the iPhone 4S and hasn’t been made available to any previous iOS devices. Apple was also careful to point out that Siri is still in beta, with limited language support for now. The beta was, in part, to allow Siri access to far more voice data than it could ever get locked up inside Apple, and while there were a lot of server problems early on, it’s largely more stable, though certainly not perfect, by now.

If Apple really wants to push Siri as part of their user interface going forward, they’ll have to bring it to more devices eventually. iPads aren’t as mobile as iPhones, however. They aren’t as ubiquitously connected to the internet either (there are Wi-Fi only models, after all). You likely won’t need to dictate iMessage replies on your iPad while driving.

But even now, when I’m using my iPad 2, I keep trying to hit the Dictate button so I can use Siri.

It will likely require better mics, like the iPhone 4S has, but Siri seems like a good bet for iPad 3. If it’s not there, the absence will be notable.

1080p

With a Retina display screen, the iPad 3 will have a higher pixel count than a 1080p television — 2048×1536 vs. 1920×1080. With a faster processor, regardless of whether it’s dual- or quad-core, it’ll be able to handle video better than ever before. 1080p content just seems like a natural fit, and a great way for Apple to show off that new display and all that new power.

Whether iTunes begins to offer 1080p content, and how much they can offer, how soon, and in how many regions is another question. In some areas, ISP bandwidth caps may prove prohibitive even to an average amount of 1080p content. Likewise, even with 4G LTE, the ability to stream 1080p would likely be extremely limited if not blocked outright.

But having even simple support for local 1080p — however you get it on the device — sounds absolutely reasonable.

iMovie HD/Final Cut Pro X for iPad

Apple launched iMovie for iPad alongside the iPad 2, but it’s since been overtaken by Avid Studio which offers better support and more features. Again, given the Retina display, it feels like Apple is going to want to show off a little, and give iMovie an update.

Given the recent iMovie-style makeover of Final Cut Pro X, there’s been some speculation Apple may start porting their pro apps to iPad, but that seems less likely. There are still limitations to mobile devices and multitouch that professional level software doesn’t face on the desktop.

If Apple goes back to video for the iPad 3 launch, a version of iMovie that supports 1080p and overtakes Avid Studio in features seems more likely.

iPhoto/Aperture

iOS 5 added rudimentary retouching tools to the Photos app, but it’s nowhere near the desktop iPhoto in feature set or functionality, never mind the professional power of Aperture. Again, a Retina display seems to demand great Apple software to go along with it, and iPhoto feels like it fits that bill.

Aperture, like FCPX, is a pro tool and probably wouldn’t fit with demands of mobile and multitouch, but iPhoto would. Photography professionals are already drooling over the idea of a Retina iPad for carrying around their portfolios. Give them — and us — even good quality consumer tools for editing them, and it will be a huge win. (Especially if, given the native code and Apple UI acumen, it proves more useful than the often-frustrating Adobe Photoshop Touch.

FaceTime conference calls

If Apple goes with a FaceTime HD camera in front, an better chipset inside, and a Retina display on the panel, one of the best demos they could do alongside it would be a FaceTime call. A FaceTime conference calls. Showing gandma the grandkids and talking to a colleague across country is one thing, connecting several members of a family or a team scattered across the globe is quite another.

It would make for a great commercial. Allowing it to work over 4G LTE, if available, would just be a bonus.

Miscellaneous

Given the recent developer preview of OS X Mountain Lion, it’s obvious that there a lot of other interesting stuff Apple’s working on. And as much as iPad interface an experience elements have been brought “Back to the Mac”, it’d be great to see some of the Mountain Lion stuff brought Back to the iPad as well. But that’s probably more likely in iOS 6 than it is for the iPad 3.

One more things…

In addition to the iPad 3, there are rumors suggesting other products might also make an appearance at the next Apple event on March 7. Some Apple events, like the fall music events, typically showed off numerous iTunes-related products. Apple’s famous “One more thing…” has also been used to highlight additional products, including the original MacBook Air, during largely unrelated events.

Apple TV 3

There are rumors, many from 9to5Mac, that Apple’s getting ready to announce an updated Apple TV 3 as well. Given the Apple TV wasn’t updated last year, it makes sense they’d want to get it on the new hardware platform eventually.

Would they take attention off the iPad 3 launch with an Apple TV 3 introduction? Sure, they split the original iPhone launch with the original Apple TV launch back at Macworld 2007. If the Apple TV 3 is positioned as having cool new features that enhance what Apple shows off for the iPad 3 — especially 1080p — then it’s easily something we could see.

New iPod touch

Like Apple TV and the rest of the iPod lineup, the iPod touch received no significant update last year, which makes it feel like it’s due. However, the lack of any leaks surrounding a new iPod touch make it seem like it’s not a priority right now and probably won’t happen for a while still.

(Georgia thinks the “And touch.” in the iPad event invitation might hint at it.)

Conclusion

It’s been roughly a year since Steve Jobs took the stage to launch the iPad 2. This year, Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall, Eddy Cue, Jony Ive, or some combination thereof will show us what Apple has in store for iOS for the first part of 2012.

Regardless of which rumors ultimately prove true, and what surprises may or may not be in store, one thing’s for certain — it’ll be one hell of a show.

Join us next Wednesday, March 7, at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm GMT for iMore’s usual commentary, color, and analysis. And until then, give us your best predictions in the comments below!

AT&T has officially stated that it will now be throttling grandfathered unlimited data uses after 3GB of usage in one billing cycle. If you have a 4G LTE device, you will now be allowed up to 5GB before your data performance is hindered.

When I was first throttled last month I thought the fair thing to do was for AT&T to set a clear policy and give at least 3GB of data before they crippled my service. Those of us on the unlimited plan pay $30 which just happens to be the same as what those on the 3GB plan pay. So for me, 3GB seems fair.

What do you think?

Read AT&T’s full press release below.

[AT&T]

With mobile data usage continuing to skyrocket and the availability of spectrum scarce, AT&T, like other wireless companies, manages its network in the most fair way possible so that we can provide the best possible mobile broadband experience for all our customers.

How we're managing the network only affects a small minority of the heaviest smartphone data users still on unlimited plans. Put another way, this does not impact more than 95 percent of our smartphone customers.

Our unlimited plan customers have told us they want more clarity around how the program works and what they can expect. Here's what customers need to know:

• Customers with a 3G or 4G smartphone – who also still have our unlimited data plan – will see speeds reduced if they use 3GB (gigabytes) of data or more in a billing cycle. Speeds will return to normal at the start of the next billing cycle. For context, less than 5 percent of smartphone customers use more than 3GB per month.

• For customers with a 4G LTE smartphone – who also still have our unlimited data plan – data speeds will be reduced if usage is 5GB (gigabytes) or more in a billing cycle. Speeds will return to normal at the start of the next billing cycle.

Customers will get a text message from us before experiencing a change in speed.

Even with reduced data speeds, these customers will still be able to email and surf the web, and continue to use an unlimited amount of data each month.

Not impacted by this program, launched last year, are customers on our tiered data plans.

The reason reduced speeds only apply to unlimited smartphone customers is because their data usage is significantly higher than those on tiered plans. For example, in January, the top 5 percent of our unlimited data plan customers used an average of over 50 percent more data than the top 5 percent of customers on tiered plans.

Because spectrum is limited and data usage continues to soar, we manage our network this way to be as fair as possible and so we can provide the best possible mobile broadband experience to everyone.

We encourage all of our customers to use Wi-Fi whenever possible – especially when watching video, which is the most data-intensive activity.

New photos have surfaced, purportedly of the iPad 3 front panel, showing both black and white color options, and the traditional home button. If accurate, they show no visible design changes from the iPad 2. The photos were obtained by Fix-iPhones, who note:

The picture above is the iPad 3 digitizer. This part controls the iPad’s touch function, as well as includes your front glass. [...] [A] change we have noticed is the digitizer connection. That difference between the iPad 3 and the digitizer part for the iPad 2 does confirm that the logic board will be different, just as we surmised by looking at the back housing.

Following Apple’s iPad event announcement, the lack of a Home button in the device image spurred speculation that Apple would be ditching the hardware control and going all-in with a gesture-based interface.

That seemed highly unlikely for a number of reasons, not the least of which is accessibility.

It also makes sense for Apple to keep the same overall design for iPad 2 and iPad 3, much as they did with iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, and with iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.

Rumors of a complete iPhone redesign last year created an expectational dissonance for consumers when the almost identically designed iPhone 4S was released. No such redesign rumors have preceded the iPad 3, so expectations will probably be far better aligned for this launch.

We just want our Retina displays.

Check out an additional photo and more description of the front panel via the link below.

Source: Fix iPhones

For today only the iMore iPad Accessory Store has the Marware Eco-Envi for iPad 2 and iPad on sale for only $14.95. That’s a whopping 63% off!

Shop Marware Eco-Envi for iPad 2 and iPad now!

The Eco-Envi offers a stylish eco-leather sleeve that helps protect your iPad.

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Features:

• Premium envelope design
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• Eco-leather iPad sleeve is healthier for the environment
• Meets RoHS Restriction of Hazardous Substances Standards

Looking out my window, it may be snowing, but  spring is in the air! MLB.com just released their amazing At Bat app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad – that means Spring Training is upon us!

MLB.com At Bat is quite simply the best way to "get into the game" during Spring Training and during the regular season. I am a die hard Red Sox fan. During the regular season I use the At Bat app to follow each game live. I can see who is up, who is pitching and follow every pitch and every out of every game.

I can also follow other games in progress (I usually try to see if the Yankees are losing!) As the game progresses, video highlights will be posted. I can also listen to Game Day Audio from my local Boston station wherever I am.

Right now MLB is presenting live Spring Training baseball from the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues, and they’ll be putting out an update with additional features before Opening Day.

As always, what you get to see depends on what you pay for.

• MLB.TV Premium subscribers can watch live video of over 150 Spring Training games
• MLB.TV Premium subscribers receive At Bat 12 for free
• Listen to available radio broadcasts of Spring Training games
• Follow batter-by-batter action for every Spring Training game
• Breaking news, schedules and interactive rosters and player stats for every team
• Customize At Bat’s home screen to feature your designated favorite team
• Enhanced video library archive, searchable by player, team or keyword

It’s a universal app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and it’s available now.

Free – Download now

And here they are, yet more rumors that Apple is working on a 7.85" iPad variant and new claims that this iPad mini will launch in the third quarter of 2012. The information comes by way of Digitimes from their usual anonymous industry sources.

The planned launch of the 7.85-inch iPad is apparently to take on Amazon’s 7 inch Kindle Fire as well as a comparable model from Barnes & Noble, although Apple already took up nearly a 60% share of the tablet PC market in 2011, indicated the sources.

The story even goes on to speculate that the 7.85" iPad would cost around $249-299. This is based purely on another Digitimes rumor that Apple will keep on selling the iPad 2 when the iPad 3 is launched in a cut down 8GB version. Digitimes believes that this cut down iPad 2 would be offered at a price point in the region of $349-399 and this would dictate the price of the 7.85" iPad.

This is not the first time we have heard rumblings. 7-inch iPad rumors have been floating around for years, and recently 8-inch rumors have joined them.

Of course we are sure that Apple tests all sorts of sizes all of the time however this does not mean that it is going to release one. If Apple does expand the iOS family to additional screen sizes, either with a bigger iPod touch or a smaller iPad, it will be when they can see a solid go-to-market strategy for the new device. In other words, when they think they can sell tens of millions of them.

Steve Jobs famously dismissed the smaller sized tablet market during an Apple earnings call in 2010, saying they were terrible.

Apple will reveal its plans for the iPad 3 at an event on March 7, not much longer to wait now and hopefully it will bring an end to the incessant rumors.

Source: Digitimes

Yet more rumors are surfacing that Apple will release a lower priced 8GB iPad 2 alongside the iPad 3 this month… but this one also claims there won’t be a 64GB iPad 3. Digitimes, which has not been extremely accurate lately, says this is to “defend” against Windows 8 tablets coming later this year.

As Apple has scheduled an event on March 7, sources from its upstream supply chain pointed out that the company is expected to launch two iPad 3 models – a 16GB version and 32GB version. In addition to iPad 3, Apple is also expected to unveil an 8GB iPad 2, allowing the tablet PC series to cover different segments and to defend against Windows 8-based tablet PCs, the sources noted.

Lack of a 64GB iPad 3 model sounds very, very strange, given both the original iPad and iPad 2 offer 64GB models. So does the idea of competing with Windows 8 tablets, which have a completely different cost structure to Apple’s. Namely, Microsoft makes money licensing Windows. ODMs (Original Device Manufacturers) like Samsung, HP, Dell, etc. make money on the hardware. In the past they’ve shown a willingness to operate on razor thin margins, driving prices to the bottom, hoping to make it up on volume. That didn’t work out for netbooks and it’s tough to see it working out for tablets. In either case, that’s not a game Apple plays.

Last year, Apple chose not to keep the original iPad around at a reduced capacity and lower price point, however they have done this with older generation iPhones and iPod touches in the past, most recently with the low-end 8GB iPhone 4 when the iPhone 4S was released.

If Apple ends up doing the same with the iPad 2 this year, it could be simply to lower the cost of entry to attract more customers to the iPad platform.

Digitimes previously speculated that Apple would try to hit a $299 price point with a budget iPad, but given Apple’s traditional focus on profit margins, that will depend a lot on how low they can drive production costs. Further, since the iPad isn’t a subsidized product, Apple can’t shift the discounts to carriers the way they do with the iPhone.

Given the lack of subsidies, Apple’s profit margins, and the rumored 8GB storage capacity, it’s hard to see how appealing even a slightly discounted iPad 2 would be. iCloud and iTunes Match would slightly reduce local storage demands, but not significantly.

Would you find an 8GB iPad 2 appealing at $399?

Source: Digitimes

Reflection is a new Mac app that lets you use the screen mirroring feature of your iPhone 4S and iPad 2 with your Mac. It’s very easy to use and will be great for giving demos, teaching, and gaming.

To use reflection, you simply install the app, connect both your Mac and iPhone 4S or iPad 2 to the same Wi-Fi network, select your Mac from the list of Airplay options from your device, and toggle the mirror switch to on. Your screen will then instantly appear on your Mac inside a frame that looks like your device. It’s looks awesome.

Reflection works great and has an almost non-existant delay; however, it does seem to crash a lot. You will likely only be using Reflection while giving some sort of presentation or playing a game and crashes are unacceptable for both of these activities.

This it the first release of Reflection, and the frequent crashes make it feel like it. Having said that, Reflection has the potential of being a very useful app and I’m looking forward to future updates. I’ve been in some contact with the developers and they are already working hard on the next release and have more features in the works.

In the meantime, I recommend at least trying out the 10 minute trial. A single licesne will run you $14.99 and a multi-licence for 5 Macs is available for $39.99.

Download Now

If you’ve been enjoying the blissfully commercial-free experience of Facebook’s iPhone and iPad apps, we’re sad to inform you that Facebook will be integrating ads into their news feeds effective immediately. What’s more, “premium” ads will be displayed on the desktop logout screen as well.

This comes after Facebook recently filed for IPO, and hot on the heels of rival social network, Twitter, announcing plans to integrate promoted tweets into their official iPhone app.

Up until now, Facebook has only pushed ads on the desktop and only below the ticker, on the side of user profiles. They no doubt hope mobile ads in the news feed will increase revenue and profitability. Like Google, they offer a free service to end users, but the price of that free service is advertising, data mining, and marketing. We’re not the customers, we’re the product. Facebook, like Google, hopes the service they offer is valuable enough that we’ll put up with the advertising and keep sharing our data, so they can sell more ads to show us.

It’s been an incredibly successful business model for Google, and could prove to be similarly successful for Facebook. However, ads in search may be more tolerable than ads in timelines. Search doesn’t feel as personal as our social circles, and ads shown when we’re looking for something might feel more helpful than ads shown when we’re trying to share with our friends.

How do you feel about ads in your Facebook news feed?

Source: Facebook

It looks like Apple has started selling iPhone 4 units from Foxconn’s new Brazilian manufacturing plant, which has been up and running since late 2011. According to photos released by Portuguese news site Meio Bit, the iPhone 4 handsets in question appear to be the lower-end 8GB models, with stamps indicating they may only be just a few weeks old.

Gizmodo Brazil previously took a few photos showing Foxconn’s Brazil’s production. In addition to producing the iPhone 4 in Brazil, Foxconn plans to build 5 more production facilities in the surrounding areas to help with growing demand for the iPad among consumers.

Since Brazil also imposes very high duties on iPhones and iPads imported from China, it’s conceivable that switching to local production could eventually eliminate those fees and bring iPhone and iPad pricing more in line with other regions, making the devices more accessible to Brazilian markets. No such price reductions are evident yet, however, so there may be other factors involved that require additional time to sort out.

Source: Meio Bit via MacRumors

The best damn iOS podcast on the net returns tonight to talk all the latest news, how-tos, and app and accessory reviews. Come join us!

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