No huge surprises here, but it sounds like iPad 3 prices and storage capacities will be identical to iPad 2, which were identical to the original iPad. 9to5Macs Mark Gurman has the details:

We've gotten word that iPad pricing is going to be the same across the board as the current iPad 2 models which should be no big surprise given Apple's history – they rarely raise prices. Even better, some countries with currencies doing better than the US dollar should expect to see marginal drops in prices.

This directly contradicts some of the zanier rumors heard earlier in the week, which included seemingly random price hikes and the bizarre exclusion of the 64GB model.

Unfortunately, if accurate, it also means there won’t be a 128GB model, which some users have been hoping for. It’s possible 24nm 128GB NAND Flash chips are still prohibitively expensive, even in the quantities Apple typically buys.

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple’s iPad 3 event is schedule for Wednesday, March 7, 2010 at 10am PT, and from the looks of these pictures, they’re wasting no time in getting the Yerba Buena Center all gussied up for the big day.

We’ve already posted our iPad 3 event preview, rounding up all the rumors, and we’ve asked you what you’re expecting, so all we can do now is sit back, relax, and watch the fun unfold.

As to the artwork, the color-splotch theme is nothing new — Apple’s been using it since the original iPad event in 2010. Like the iPad 3event invitation, there’s nothing much to be gained by staring at it too hard or trying to read too much into it, but Apple’s choices are always interesting to see.

MacStories is posting more pictures as the posters go up, so check the link below for the latest.

Source: MacStories

Apple’s just-posted job creation page actually says the iPhone uses Corning glass. It’s been one of the worst kept secrets in mobile technology, with Apple never admitting to using it and Corning would never admitting to Apple using it. (We’ve asked them every year at CES and gotten nothing but nervous smiles and subject changes in return.) Former Apple employees have mentioned it, but there’s been no official confirmation of it. Until now.

Corning employees in Kentucky and New York who create the majority of the glass for iPhone

It doesn’t say iPad, which is curious, nor does is say Gorilla Glass specifically, though that’s what Corning is famous for. Many of Apple’s competitors have touted their use of Gorilla Glass in device specs for years, but that’s not how iPhones and iPads are marketed.

Still, for gadget nerds, it’s nice to be able to lay this bit of obfuscation to rest.

Here’s a video of Corning’s new, Gorilla Glass 2.0, from CES 2012. There’s no way of knowing when and for which product Apple might switch to the new stuff, but it looks great.

Source: Apple.com via @smutchings via @SeborSAM

Even if the iPad 3 does indeed come with a 9.7-inch, 2048×1536 screen, would that still qualify as a “Retina display”? Does Retina display even have official qualifications? Ever since Apple adopted Retina display as the name for the iPhone 4‘s high pixel density screen, there’s been some confusion as to both of those things. At 330dpi, the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S seems obvious. At 264dpi, a theoretical iPad 3 not so much.

Heroically, TUAW‘s Richard Gaywood has busted out the tape measure and done the math, and not just about the iPad 3, and here’s his determination.

a pixel-doubled iPad running at 2048×1536 is easily enough definition to count as a Retina display — even at a 16″ viewing distance, which is on the close side from my experimentation with an iPad and a tape measure.

Retina is a function of distance as much as density, so the larger the screen, the further you hold it from your eyes, and the lower the density needs to be to effectively “disappear”.

Richard’s whole post is outstanding, and includes discussion on Retina display Macs as well, so be sure to hit the link below.

Source: TUAW

Apple has placed a new page on their website with a lot of big numbers focused on how they’re creating jobs in the U.S. in important and innovative ways.

Throughout our history, Apple has created entirely new products — and entirely new industries — by focusing on innovation. As a result, we've created or supported more than 500,000 jobs for U.S. workers: from the engineer who helped invent the iPad to the delivery person who brings it to your door.

• 304,000 current jobs ranging from engineering to manufacturing to transportation

• 50 states with full-time Apple employees

• 210,000 iOS app economy jobs

Apple has been in the headlines a lot lately due to working conditions in Chinese factories, with part of the debate centering around why U.S. companies can’t manufacture on U.S. soil. Apple isn’t entering into that debate with this page — they’re trying to change it.

Including the impact of the App Store not only bolsters the numbers, it shows the impact a company can have beyond their own walls.

Whether or not any of this draws fire away from the China issue, we’ll have to see, but once again Apple is offering up data while their competitors stay silent and try to hide behind Apple’s massive media gravity well.

Source: Apple.com

Learning the alphabet is a big milestone for every child and My A-Z for iPhone is one of the many options out there to aid in your child’s learning. What makes My A-Z unique is that you can customize the alphabet to contain photos of things your child already knows.

For example, one of our family dogs’ name is Ally, so for the “A” card, I have personalized it to spell Ally, show a picture of Ally, and recorded audio of my voice saying “A is for Ally”. Even though my daughter is a bit young for learning her ABCs, she still lit up when she saw a picture of her dog on the screen and said “ruff ruff!”

You aren’t just limited to a single photo, however. My A-Z let’s you create as many cards as you want for each letter and swiping up and down will cycle through the cards. Swiping left and right will cycle through the letters.

I think My A-Z is a fantastic app to aid in teaching your children the alphabet and adds a fun, personal element to the process. The only thing that would make it better is if it was a universal app for the iPhone and iPad.

$1.99 – Download Now

When I decided that I wanted to learn how to play the guitar, I wasn't sure where to start –- so I turned, as I always do, to my trusty iPad.

I'm not the most spontaneous person in the world – my wife and kids would say that is a huge understatement. I am a bit programmed and disciplined and really work on "trying new things."

So, in my disciplined way, I decided that at 48 years of age, it was time for a mid-life crisis. Since I'm not terribly spontaneous, I have an amazing, beautiful wife and six great kids, my mid-life crisis needed to be something out of the norm.

I thought about getting a motorcycle, but my family seems to think I lack the proper coordination and that it might end very badly for me if I tried that. Then it dawned on me – what I wanted to learn how to do was play the guitar. I have been playing the piano since I was about six, I knew music theory and I played in bands in high school; but what I really wanted to do was learn the guitar.

I found my goal, and set upon my journey with iPad 2 in hand to start my adventure. The first thing I needed to do was buy a guitar. I fired up my eBay app to see if I could get a good used one. When nothing jumped out at me, I launched the PriceGrabber app and looked for a guitar that got a great write up in Guitarist Magazine that I had just read using iOS 5′s Newsstand.

PriceGrabber – Free – Download Now

I ordered my new guitar and started looking for apps to teach me how to use it. I was very surprised that when I did a search for "Guitar" in the App Store, I found over 800 iPad apps and close to 2000 iPhone apps. Where to start? I narrowed my search to "Beginner Guitar" to narrow the field a bit. Pay dirt!

Beginner Guitar Songs – Free – Download now

I found Beginner Guitar Songs from GuitarJamz.com. Marty Schwartz, who is an amazing guitar teacher, showed me how to hold the guitar, how to hold the pick, basic strumming patterns and then introduced easy chords to learn. I quickly progressed through the Beginner Lesson Series and advanced to Important Guitar Chords. After an afternoon, I could play an E minor, A major, D major, G major, E major, A minor and C major chords –not bad for the first day.

The next morning of my first weekend with a guitar, I fired up the Beginner Guitar app again and went through the Strumming Patterns and tried to learn some songs from the Easy Guitar Songs section. This was so much fun and I could really see some progress.

One thing that Marty did mention in the lessons was keeping your guitar in tune. I had forgotten about that. I touched base with some musician friends and read up on line. It seems that the "purists" like to use a tuning fork, the "realists" like to use an analog chromatic tuner and the "techies" like the digital chromatic tuner. I just couldn't see dropping close to a hundred bucks on a tuner when I knew there must be "…an app for that." Back to the App Store – this time searching for Guitar Tuner. I came across many options, but I settled on Cleartune Chromatic Tuner. For $3.99, I figured it would be worth a shot and it is great. Play a note on the guitar and the "analog looking" dial shows you how far off from the actual note you are. I just tuned my strings and kept plucking and tuning until the guitar was in perfect tune.

$3.99 – Cleartune Chromatic Tuner – Download now

Now I was ready to learn more chords – I had about seven under my belt and I wanted more. I found the Howcast Guitar Lessons app and found over 140 video lessons – mostly chords and progressions. I spend the better part of the day learning more chords. I continued each day; adding a new chord and then reviewing the ones I had learned. By the end of the first week I had about 10 chords I was comfortable with. By the end of the second week, I had about fifteen I could remember and play. The Howcast app also taught me how to play scales and I learned the Pentatonic scales and the Blues scale and felt like I was ready to dive into some music.

$1.99 – Guitar Lessons from Howcast – Download now

I so enjoyed the GuitarJamz app that I looked for more stuff from Marty Schwartz and found Blues Licks, Solo Guitar and 100 Lessons and I downloaded all those apps. I then saw that in addition to the apps and the website, Marty had hundreds of lessons for free on his YouTube channel. I watched, learned and experimented to see what I could do. I had to remember, I was only a little over two weeks into my new hobby.

What I learned was that some of my favorite classic rock songs were pretty easy. America's "Horse With No Name" – two chords. The Beatles' "Let it Be" – four chords. Cat Stevens' "Peace Train" – four chords. I could do this.

Over the next few weeks – and now after about four months – I have been watching YouTube videos, using the Chromatic Tuner app and downloading guitar sheet music via the Songsterr Plus app. The guitar learning apps showed me how to read guitar tablature and chord diagrams – so I can do that as well.

$9.99 – Songsterr Plus – Download now

As I write this, I have just learned the guitar solo to Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" – something I never envisioned I would be doing four months into learning how to play the guitar. Now, I still need lots of work and I'm sure my technique needs improving. Thanks to a Valentine's present for my first "in-person" guitar lesson, I hope to work on those things and more. However, the reality is that I really did learn how to play the guitar using my iPad.

Have you learned how to do something new using your iPad? Let us know by posting a comment below or joining this discussion thread in our forums.

For today only, the TiPb Store has the Qmadix Metalix Snap-On Cover for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 on sale for only $14.95! That’s a whopping 50% off! Get them before they’re gone!

Get the Qmadix Metalix Snap-On Cover for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 now!

The Qmadix Metalix Snap-On Cover adds style, sophistication and protection to your iPhone 4S, AT&T iPhone 4, or Verizon iPhone 4. The durable but lightweight, textured polycarbonate border helps to keep a firm grip on your device.

Aluminum alloy accents enhance the look for the iPhone 4S, AT&T iPhone 4, or Verizon iPhone 4 without adding bulk or unwanted weight.

Features:

• Form-fit design
• Access to all buttons and controls
• Easy installation
• Protects from bumps and scratches
• Screen left exposed
• Aluminum alloy accents
• Lightweight

Okay iMore nations, we’ve given you our complete iPad 3 event preview and gone through pretty much much every hardware and software rumor we could think of — so now it’s your turn! Next Wednesday, March 7, when the Apple execs take the keynote stage, what are you expecting them to show off for the iPad 3?

In terms of hardware, a Retina display seems like a sure thing now, right? But what about a quad-core processor? Do they need it to compete or could they stay dual-core for another generation? How about more RAM and 128GB of storage? Nice to have or must have? Do they need 4G LTE speeds? Just in the U.S. or internationally? I doubt I’ll get better speakers any time soon, but what about better cameras? Is 5mp enough or do they need to go to 8pm like the iPhone? And is there any chance at all the rumor mill missed a form-factor redesign this time around?

Likewise for the iPad 3 software. Does Apple simply have to bring Siri to the iPad 3, or can they leave it exclusively for the iPhone 4S? Will 1080p support come not only to the video player but to iTunes as well? Does FaceTime on the iPad need to let us do conference calls? How about FaceTime over 3G/LTE? And which apps will get the Apple spotlight at the event? Any chance of a new version of iMovie or even Final Cut Pro X for the iPad? What about iPhoto or even Aperture on that Retina display? Could Microsoft really be on stage showing off Office for iPad? And is there any way Apple has a Home screen (Springboard) redesign ready to surprise us with, or will we have to wait on iOS 6 for something that big?

Give us your best guesses, but remember, this is not what you want in an iPad 3, but what you actually think Apple will do on March 7. Vote in the poll up top and give me the details in the comments below. Ready… Go!

Apple is rumoured to be launching its own TV streaming service which could be available in time for Christmas. The news comes from a report in the New York Post which claims to have some inside information on the direction Apple is looking to take.

For months, Apple's point man, Eddie Cue, has been leading talks with content providers, which have largely balked at the tech giant's efforts to exert control over all aspects of the video service, including pricing, sources said. Apple's negotiating stance can be summed up as "we decide the price, we decide what content," according to one source familiar with the talks. "They want everything for nothing," said another media executive, echoing similar tense negotiations Apple has had in the past with magazine publishers and music companies.

It appears that Apple wants to offer TV channels as apps for its Apple TV platform as well as the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It is still unclear if Apple is looking to package apps together for a subscription type TV package or if the apps would be offered on an a la carte basis. All of this would be in direct competition to the cable networks so the cold shoulder being shown to Apple should come as no real surprise.

Apple has been rumored to be releasing an updated Apple TV device at its iPad 3 event which is scheduled for March 7. It has also been strongly rumoured that Apple is working on an actual Apple HDTV set. We will have to wait and see how this one transpires but it would appear to make more sense if Apple manages to get control of some live TV content; especially sports content.

Source: New York Post

How many times have you started your run with the intent of finishing your mile in a specific amount of time, then halfway through give-up and slow down, promising to do better next time? Now what if your music slowed down when you slowed down — would that be enough to keep up your pace? If yes, then Faster for iPhone is for you.

With Faster for iPhone, you will will be motivated by your dislike for horrible, slow music to keep your pace. Just tell Faster how far you plan to run and how long you want your run to take. It will use GPS data during your run to determine if your pace is fast enough to meet your goal. If you run too slow, Faster will slow down your music.

Some other features include voice feedback, calorie burn tracking, detailed logs, and achievements. You can also compete with your friends (and strangers) for total distance and best times.

I tested out Faster this evening and it works as advertised. When I slowed my pace, hearing the slow, distorted music was definitely a motivator to pick up my pace.

The whole point of Mobile Nations Fitness Month was to help you get motivated to take fitness seriously and make lifestyle changes to better your health — maybe Faster for iPhone will help you keep that momentum going.

$0.99 – Download Now

The popular reading platform Readability has finally made it’s way to the iPhone and iPad and boy is it beautiful. If you’re not familiar with “read later” services, they transforms web pages into a clean, simple reading view — no ads, no crazy stylings, no heavy layouts or navigation. You can even save the cleaned paged to read later on your iPhone, iPad, or computer. Once you’ve synced over your articles, you don’t even need to be online to read them. If you’ve ever used the Reader button or saved something to Reading List in Safari, then Readability is similar (Apple based Safari Reader on an earlier, open source version of Readability), but it’s contained all in one app and does a lot of things Reader and Reading list don’t.

Readability is integrated with a lot of different apps, including Reeder, Tweetbot, Early Edition 2, Twitterrific, and Echofon. You can also install a bookmarklet to your web browser on your computer. The idea is that if you come across an article that you know you want to read later, you can do so while using any of these apps and continue on with the task at hand knowing that the article will be waiting for you when you’re ready to read it.

The typography in Readability for iPhone and iPad is gorgeous. It comes with 5 different fonts by Hoefler & Frere-Jones, making reading a truly pleasurable experience. In addition to customizing the font type, you can also adjust the size, contrast and margins to your liking.

Readability also has some nice gestures making switching between articles, deleting, and marking as read or favorites a breeze. It’s also equipped with it’s own browser so that you can search for and add articles directly within the app. And of course, you can share your favorite articles with Facebook and Twitter.

Readability is a free service that is free to download, but if you want to give back to the websites that you frequent, you can sign up for a $5/month subscription. 70% of your contributions will go back to the writers or publishers you read with Readability. It’s a great way to support your favorite sites.

Free – Download Now