Apple : Survey finds 45 percent of respondents ticked off at iPad 4

Survey finds 45 percent of respondents ticked off at iPad 4
Week in Tech: Apple's little wonder and Microsoft's big baby
Apple CEO lays smack down on Microsoft Surface
Updated: Apple revenue at $36B last quarter, 26.9 million iPhones sold

Survey finds 45 percent of respondents ticked off at iPad 4

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While a lot of excited surrounded Apple's iPad 4 announcement, a recent survey found that nearly half of current iPad owners are livid.

According to a study conducted by Toluna QuickSurveys of 2,000 iPad owners, 45 percent of respondents were disgruntled by the iPad 4's announcement so soon after the launch of the iPad 3.

The third-gen tablet, often called the "new iPad," launched in March.

While the survey didn't poll for reasons why users were angry, a common sentiment seems to be the feeling that older iPads are rendered obsolete by the new tablet.

The iPad 4, by the way, improves on the iPad 3 with its A6X processor, which Apple claimed is twice as fast as the chips found in older iPads.

It also features a 1.2-megapixel HD camera for FaceTime over the previous 0.3-megapixel lens and makes use of the new 8-pin Lightning port that launched with the iPhone 5.

iPad mini changes minds

Of course, while the iPad 4 improves on its predecessors in some ways, iOS 6 continues to work on existing iPads along with all iPad apps. The iPad 2 and iPad 3 are still just as functional as they ever were.

In fact, they are so functional that the brand new iPad mini is nearly spec for spec a miniaturized iPad 2.

As for attitudes towards the iPad mini itself, the survey found that attitudes toward the smaller tablet are more positive.

Fourteen percent of respondents said that they will definitely buy an iPad mini, while 32 percent said that they probably will.

That makes 46 percent who are interested in having an iPad mini of their own, while 21 percent of the total expressed plans to buy one as a gift.

Despite the chagrin, chances are most Apple customers won't stay mad long enough to keep away from the latest launches.

Week in Tech: Apple's little wonder and Microsoft's big baby

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Some predictions never come true. Just because the Mayans say that the world will end in December 2012 doesn't mean it'll happen, and just because Liam Gallagher says he can make music that's better than Oasis doesn't mean he will.

Many people had filed predictions of an iPad mini in the same category, but it turns out that that one's the exception. The iPad mini lives!

As with many Apple launches, iPad minis may be scarce at first - so is it worth queuing up for? We've compared it to its most obvious rivals, the Google Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire HD 7-inch, and the results were... inconclusive. It's a lovely bit of kit with an excellent ecosystem, but it's also considerably more expensive than Google and Amazon's offerings.

The price difference is partly because Apple doesn't do cheap and plasticky, and it's mainly because Apple isn't interested in a bargain basement battle. Apple's own Phil Schiller is firmly on message: he says that customers are already choosing normal iPads over Google and Amazon tablets, "and now you can get a device that's even more affordable".

The iPad mini wasn't the only new product: there was a new full-sized iPad too. That means the new iPad is now an old iPad because the new iPad with a retina display has been replaced by the new iPad With Retina Display. We hope that's clear.

So what does the iPad 4, as everybody's going to call it, have to offer? Not much: it's faster, it's got better wireless, and it's got a lightning connector, and it's going to annoy some existing iPad owners. Susie Ochs explains that some iPad 3 owners will be miffed: "We know a lot of people will feel betrayed, having thought they were getting the best Apple has to offer for at least a year".

Gary Marshall reckons iPad 3 owners should stop moaning. "The complaint isn't that Apple has killed anyone's iPads," he says. "It's that Apple has killed some iPad owners' bragging rights. I'm not sure we should be too concerned about that."

YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39JuCg9uFLU

And then there's Surface

Microsoft has also had a tablety week, of course, with the release of Microsoft Surface alongside Windows 8.

Microsoft is clearly pumped about the new OS and understandably so as it prepares to launch its first Windows tablet alongside the new OS – Microsoft Surface.

Microsoft Surface

"We're very excited at reaching [this point], it's a pretty significant milestone for us," said Windows 8 marketing head Tami Reller in an interview with this very site. "As we look at this project, as we look at this product, we think it's the most ambitious thing since Windows 95.

"I know you've heard us say this before, but Windows 8 is Windows 7 but even better. And it is, whether its boot time, whether it's security, performance, whatever. There is a fairly stunning difference between Windows 7 – which was great – and the performance of Windows 8.

Upgrades and new PCs are available today - and the cheapo upgrade offer is available though January 31 - check out Windows 8 release date and price: all the latest details

The future is fusion

By the way, Apple's event wasn't just about iPads: in a single event we saw not one, not two, but five new products: refreshed iPads and Mac Minis, a new MacBook Pro, a new iMac and of course the iPad Mini. Our columnist was particularly taken by the new, super-skinny iMac: "Thanks to the new one, my iMac looks so fat that it should probably dress in a velour tracksuit and hang around Gregg's eating pasties."

Some of the new Macs get some new technology too. Mac Minis and the new iMac have the option of adding a Fusion Drive, which makes us wonder if Apple's working on an Infinite Improbability Drive somewhere in Cupertino.

iMac

As we discovered, the Apple Fusion drive combines solid state storage and a traditional hard disk to deliver "the benefits of both kinds of storage without the downsides". We can't wait to test the Fusion drive to see if it's as fast as Apple claims.

For Gary Marshall, Apple's event was one in the eye for the Apple doom-mongers. "Now that Apple's well into the post-Steve era, it should be a mess. It should be releasing rubbish, trying to copy every rival, attempting to hit every price point and undoing all of Jobs' good work." It isn't doing any of those things, and the iPad event was an extraordinary show of confidence.

"Apple isn't perfect - anyone who used iOS 6's maps to get to the Apple event probably ended up in Norway - but it doesn't appear to be panicking either."

Apple CEO lays smack down on Microsoft Surface

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Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook - the man in charge of a company that brought in over $8 billion in profit last fiscal quarter - isn't worried about a stream of new products "cannibalizing" one another.

His main focus is taking on the world of PCs, and perhaps one slate in particular.

When asked to comment on the impending launch of Windows 8 and Surface RT tablet, both by Microsoft, during an investor call Thursday, Cook said he hasn't spent any time with the Softies' tab.

That did not, however, keep him from commenting on it.

"What we're reading about it is it's a fairly compromised, confusing product," Cook said, immediately setting Apple's tablet line apart from the new offering.

"One of the toughest things you do is make hard tradeoffs and decide what a product should be, and we've done that with the iPad."

iPad army

Cook and company are clearly locking their sights on making the PC market grovel by offering devices that work in tandem with each other, not against.

Responding to another investor query, he said new slates like the iPad mini and iPad 4 aren't destined to cannibalize one another or other products.

What's more, he has faith customers can choose between the mini, fourth-generation iPad, iPad 2 and products like the iPod touch - or buy all four.

The real decision, he said, comes down to picking between an iDevice and a PC.

"We've learned not to worry about cannibalizations," Cook said. "The far bigger opportunity [is] the 80-90 million PCs sold every quarter.

"I think a great number of those people would be much better off buying an iPod or a Mac. There's a much bigger opportunity there for us than people buying a PC."

Updated: Apple revenue at $36B last quarter, 26.9 million iPhones sold

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Apple revealed its fiscal year 2012 fourth quarter earnings results Thursday, covering the 3-month period ending Sept. 29.

The company, which hosted an investor call after the markets closed, posted quarterly revenue of $36 billion for a net profit of $8.2 billion.

During the same time a year ago, Apple posted $28.3 billion in revenue and a net profit of $6.6 billion.

International sales accounted for 60 percent of the company's quarterly revenue.

iPhone leads the charge

Last quarter alone, Apple sold 26.9 million iPhones, a 58 percent unit growth from the same time last year.

The iPhone 5 demand continues to outstrip supply, said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple CFO, and the company is moving to fill customer need.

The phone's figures were only counted for nine days during the quarter, bleeding expectations for its sales into the next fiscal reporting period.

While the company mentioned its iOS 6 launch, it said work hasn't stopped on fixing one lampooned feature.

"We've made a number of improvements to Maps over the last month and we will not stop until Maps reaches our incredibly high standards," Oppenheimer said.

Fourteen million iPads were moved, jumping 26 percent from the same sales figure in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, though still below investor expectations.

Nearly 4.9 million Macs were sold in the quarter (a 1 percent unit increase over last year), while 18 new stores opened worldwide.

Apple recorded a significant drop in iPod sales, selling 5.3 million units, a 19 percent unit decline from last year.

iTunes brought in $2.1 billion in revenue, while the company sold 1.3 million Apple TVs in the fourth quarter.

Five million units of the TV - Apple's "beloved hobby" - were moved during fiscal year 2012, up from 2.8 million the year before.

Looking ahead

For the fiscal year, the Cupertino company generated over $156 billion in sales, netting $41 billion in income. Operating cash flow reached more than $50 billion.

As for total cash reserves, Apple is sitting on a little over $121 billion.

Moving into the December quarter, the company expects about $52 billion in revenue.

The iPhone 5 and iPad mini will lead the new product charge, Cupertino claimed, while lower pricing for the iPhone 4S and third-generation iPad will help the company chop its margins and increase revenue.

"We're dedicated to making the best products in the world," CEO Tim Cook said during the conference call. "We are managing the company for the long run and will continue to make great long range decisions."

Yahuui Blog

Friday, October 26, 2012