Coolest iPad/iPhone/iPod Blog

In the passing several weeks, a variety of iPad 3 parts exposed, and finally the front glass panel which had never shown up was here.

One Chinese blogger claiming the image was the front glass panel used in iPad 3. It seemed this frong panel was exactly the same as iPad 2 except the cable region on the top of the display. So iPad 3 should have similar design as other iOS devices, round home button, front camera and light sensor.

It has been rumored that iPad 3 will be announed on March 7th, then everything will be clear.

IHS iSuppli survey which was released this Thursday shows that Amazon Kindle Fire has taken 14% of global Tablet PC market.

The report shows that global shipment of Amazon Kindle Fire in the fourth quarter of 2011 is about 4 million units. Over the same period, Apple sold 15.43 million iPad and Samsung sold 2.1 Galaxy Tab, while Barnes & Noble sold 2 million Nook Tablet PC.

Analysts pointed out that the pattern of the whole market has be changed dramatically, since Apple, Amazon and Barnes & Noble launched new tablet PC.

I discussed this with Kreg, author of DivX to iPad, his opinion is that with the low price, it’s not strange Kindle Fire market share increased fast. The problem is how to keep those customers royal and consuming the contents.

Kreg Snit, one iPad software developer disclosed one Chinese documentation in his blog showing that iPad 3 with Retina screen may be sold 579$, 80$ higher iPad 2. This document shows that the next-generation 16GB Wi-Fi iPad 3 sells for $ 579, 32GB and 64GB version for $679 and $779 respectively.

Currently the minimum iPad 2 price is $499. If this documentation is true, the cost up may be due to the retina screen used in next gen iPad. According to Kreg’s news, iPad 3 screen will have 2048×1536 resolution, 4 times iPad 2.

Usually when Apple released new product, the sold price will be kept same as the previous generation, so if it is true, it’s kind of surprise to me.

But Kreg said it’s normal. Apple may lower iPad 2 sold price to beat Kind Fire while increase iPad 3 price to take over high end user market.

On March 7, Apple will officially released next gen iPad tablet computer on YBCA Arts Center. Since the upgrade of hardware configuration, the BOM cost of iPad 3 will be higher so the sold price may be higher than iPad 2.

There is rumor that the sold price of iPad 3 16GB, 32GB, 64GB WiFi version will be 80$ higher than iPad 2 models, so the sold price will be $579, 679 and 779 respecitively. While 3G version will be $ 699 and $ 799, $ 899, 70$ higher than iPad 2.

I discussed this possibility with Kreg Snit, and he thinks if it’s true, in order to covert the lower price band, iPad 2 won’t disappear and keep in the market. So Apple can have a product portfolio which can cover the whole price band, from low to high price.

Gus Richard said whether Apple will introduce Quad-core CPU in iPad depends on its graphic architecture. And since dual-core CPU has enough power to perform required tasks aand he doesn’t think Apple has interest to introduce Quad-core CPU into iPad 3.

TI, main ARM processor supplier, said it has no plan to introduce Quad-core processor even in 2013. TI is focusing its resource on next-generation OMAP5 chip. Medfield chip from Intel is still single core. And Qualcomm also has no plan to introduce Qua-core CPU now.

Kreg Snit, one iPad software developer, told me that Apple should pay attention to maximize the efficiency of each core, and Quad-core also required higher memory bandwidth, which may increase the BOM cost of iPad 3.

Nielsen market recently published a report showed that Apple has replaced RIM becoming United States largest smartphone maker, and its research shows that iPhone smartphone market share is 28.6%, but RIM BlackBerry series mobile phones continue to be popular phone in US,  currently maintaining a market share of 17%. HTC is in the third place, Motorola and Samsung just take 10% market share.

Behringer, one audio device manufacturer, recently launched a iPod/iPhone/iPad wireless speaker system which support AirPlay. It’s one huge speaker with 2.4meters length and 1.2 meters height, weighing more than 300kg, the output power up to 10000W.

ChangeWave Research according to a new study, potential new users wanting to buy tablet, about 65% of the people who say they plan to buy iPad, iPad users satisfaction is as high as 74%. ChangeWave Research recently published in November for the United States consumer interest in buying a Tablet’s findings. ChangeWave Research from North America recover 3,043 survey asked a total ticket receipts, Amazon Kindle Fire potential users purchase rate of 22% and firmly holds a ranking second place Samsung Galaxy Tab ranks third with 4%.

ChangeWave Research findings show, November 14% of United States consumers interested in the next 90 days to buy media tablets, this proportion exceeds August survey of 6% of more than double this year, was 4% findings derived from the same period of last year’s three times more than doubled. The following table lists the recent trend of 13 consecutive months follow-up survey results:

In this 14% in the consumer’s plans to buy a tablet computer, 65% claim that the plan to buy iPad. ChangeWave Research: “Apple continues in the Tablet market has shown a very strong growth momentum. According to the survey results show that this season is the Apple Tablet sales best quarter since its sale. ”

However ChangeWave Research also points out that: “despite the figure as high as 65%, but since the iPad since listing, in which the results of the survey in a row for the first time in the second Tablet potential customers purchase rate reached double digits (Amazon Kindle Fire 22%). ”

Table lists on the survey ranking of the top three of the Tablet PC, iPad and Kindle Fire potential customers than the purchase rate of close to 3:1, Kindle Fire and Galaxy Tab potential customers purchase rate ratio is as high as 5.5:1. ChangeWave Research: “survey Tablet potential customers to buy other brand of rate does not exceed 1%. ”

ChangeWave Research pointed out that Apple completely dominated the Tablet market at present, but the release of Amazon Kindle Fire is a direct challenge to Apple. Although Kindle Fire may purchase rate in potential long-term lagging far behind the Apple iPad, but the first non-Apple Tablet iPad media on other manufacturers ‘ competitive advantage right away have emerged.

Possibility of consumers to buy Amazon Kindle Fire

Can be seen from the above table, in this 14% in the next 90 days to buy media tablets of United States consumers, 2% people have already booked a Kindle Fire, people with 5% “very likely” to buy Kindle Fire, another 12% were “considering” purchase Kindle Fire.

The survey was started, sent to the buyer until Amazon Kindle Fire tablets, and some analysts predict, this Christmas shopping season of the Amazon Kindle Fire sales of up to 5 million units.

ChangeWave Research report that, once the sale is good and the Amazon Kindle Fire would be “a heavy blow to the second Tablet manufacturers, including Motorola, RIM, Dell, HTC, HP and Toshiba.” Although the other tech companies are less likely to be consumers considered to be one of the areas of “second-tier manufacturers”, but in the iPad create a flat-screen TV market, they really and truly is the “second-tier manufacturers”, no matter how high their status in other markets.

ChangeWave Research Apple iPad so also faith rooted in iPad users satisfaction is far higher than other similar products. Through the table we can see that the November 74% iPad consumers surveyed expressed “very satisfied”, while other tablets product satisfaction is 49%. The results of this survey does not include Kindle Fire user, because the Kindle Fire has not yet been shipped to subscribers.

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Download: Official Download Site

iPad has been always one hot topic. Recently most attention has been attracted to next gen iPhone. One photo claiming to be iPad 3 prototype appeared online. There is one bulge in the bottom left. To be  honest, I suspect it’s one iPad prototype. I believe it may be one replica iPad by some small tablet computer maker in China. The bulge may be the net port.

My source told me iPad 3 will have higher resolution which may be 2048×1536 and wireless charging technology may be used in iPad 3.