A couple of tweets from CNET’s Brian Tong are fueling speculation that a new batch of iMacs are on their way to the US, with an expected debut in late April or early May.

In a tweet a little over a week ago, Tong noted “New iMacs en route by ocean to U.S. available end of April or 1st week of May. No major cosmetic changes.” That tweet was followed by another today that reiterated the timeframe for new iMac models.

Over at MacNews, Dennis Sellers made some predictions that are quite reasonable to believe. He expects the new iMacs to feature dual- or quad-core Sandy Bridge processors. At the low end of the price spectrum would be 21″ models running dual-core Intel Core i5 CPUs at 2.3 and 2.7 GHz, while the high end would feature 27″ iMacs with quad-core Intel Core i7 CPUs at 2.0 and 2.3 GHz. Sellers speculates that the new iMacs would come equipped with Thunderbolt I/O, an easy guess since the fast new I/O standard has already made a debut on the latest MacBook Pro models.

I disagree with Sellers on his estimate of hard disk capacities. He’s anticipating 500 GB to 1 TB models. Apple already sells configure-to-order (CTO) models with 2 TB capacities, along with 256 GB SSD boot drives, so I’d expect to see the company start at 1 TB and possibly outfit CTO models with 3TB of storage. Most drive manufacturers are now selling 3 TB SATA units at reasonable prices, so there’s no reason for Apple to at least make them an option for buyers. With storage that spacious, it might make more sense for Apple to squeeze two high-capacity drives into a new iMac for onboard data mirroring.

These new iMacs are probably already a done deal if they’re indeed on the ships heading for the US. That doesn’t mean that TUAW readers can’t join in on the speculation. What would you like to see in a new iMac? Leave your comments below.

Rumor: New iMacs on tap for April or May originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For many doctors, iPads are becoming “…as important to patient care as their stethoscope,” according to a segment on CNBC. Last year about 22 percent of doctors started integrating iPads into their practice. At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, iPads became a mainstay in patient care from day one. Describing medical conditions to patients using the graphics of iPads made maladies far more understandable to many.

Additionally, a rush to use Electronic Health Records (EHR) is being fueled by a US Government program called Meaningful Use, in which doctors and hospitals can be reimbursed by Medicare and Medicaid for technology when meeting certain criteria. This, and the clarity brought to patients, is causing medical software companies to quickly scramble to get medical apps ready for the iPad and other tablets.

The iPad should benefit most from this initiative since they are a known quantity and (as long as you’re not looking for an iPad 2) readily available. Hospitals can settle on a tablet now without waiting for what might be coming out later. This can also be a boon to the sanitizing business, since products like Lymstat are a much more elegant solution to keeping tablets clean and safe than using a Ziploc bag, which our own Erica Sadun swears by.

After the break is a video showing doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess in action with their iPads.

Continue reading iPads are becoming as important to doctors as their stethoscopes

iPads are becoming as important to doctors as their stethoscopes originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today’s TUAW TV Live will be coming to you from an undisclosed location in a hotel room somewhere in California. As such, I’m operating on a much slower network and without all of the support equipment that I usually have at the TUAW TV Studios. We’re going to have some fun this afternoon, though — if provide the topics, I’ll respond the best I can. Think of this as an open mic night at your local bar, except you won’t get to sing and there’s no alcohol involved.

As usual, we’ll be starting at about 5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT / 10 PM BST). At that time, drop by TUAW and I’ll have full instructions on how you can watch the live streaming video and participate in the chat. If you can’t join me this afternoon, be sure to subscribe to the TUAW TV Live podcast through iTunes.

TUAW TV Live at 5 PM EDT: Open topic Wednesday originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Customers can now order the new Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot online or in Verizon Stores, Samsung and Verizon announced on Tuesday. The new mobile hotspot, which allows up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices to connect to Verizon’s 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network at the same time, will begin shipping on March 31.

Samsung’s new device, which is about the size of a small stack of credit cards, promises to connect users to Verizon’s next generation mobile network with download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps. That’s about ten times faster than a typical 3G connection and up to 2.5 times faster than the average home broadband service in the United States. Today, Verizon offers 4G LTE service to 39 cities in the US and has announced plans to expand this coverage to 98 cities by the end of 2011. In areas without 4G coverage, the Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot is backward-compatible with Verizon’s existing 3G network.

If you need a high-speed mobile hotspot in your pocket, the Samsung device and associated data services will put a small dent in your wallet. The device itself costs US$99.00 after mail-in rebate with a two-year contract or $269.99 without a contract. For service, Verizon charges a $50 monthly access fee for 5 GB of data or $80 per month for 10 GB. Customers who exceed their monthly rations can expect to pay an additional $10 per extra GB. Disappointingly, Verizon doesn’t appear to offer an unlimited data package at any price.

With its rapidly growing family of 4G devices and services, Verizon is quickly becoming the carrier to beat in the next generation wireless market. Verizon launched its 4G services with only modems for PCs last December and introduced its first 4G-compatible phone, the HTC Thunderbolt, earlier this month. In the second quarter of this year, the Motorola Xoom will receive a hardware upgrade that will allow Verizon to add the tablet to its 4G family. The Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot completes the starting lineup, enabling any Wi-fi device – like a Mac or an iPad – to enjoy Verizon’s speedy LTE services.

The Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot is available to order through Verizon’s website.

Verizon launches 4G mobile hotspot originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the midst of an overwhelming catastrophe, Japan’s wireless carrier Softbank is stepping up to the plate to help many of those affected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son recently traveled to Tamura, a city that is serving as a refuge for those devastated by the tsunami and Fukishima nuclear disaster. Son was moved by what he experienced and offered to buy food, pay for commuting costs and provide jobs for 1,200 people to relocate to Takeo, Saga.

Son also reached out to his Twitter audience and asked for suggestions on how Softbank could help additional earthquake victims. One follower suggested Softbank offer free phone service to those children orphaned by this disaster. Son embraced this idea and announced on Twitter that Softbank will provide orphaned children with a free phone and free cellular service until they turn 18. Softbank also offered to replace iPhones for customers whose handset was lost or damaged in the earthquake.

It is refreshing to see a company put aside financial considerations and use its resource to help fellow countrymen. Let’s hope this move by Softbank will inspire other companies to follow suit.

[Via Engadget]

Softbank to replace iPhones lost in Japan’s earthquake, tsunami originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I had the pleasure of spending part of Wednesday afternoon chatting with yap.TV founder & chief marketing officer Shawn Cunningham. yap.TV is a free social TV guide that initially came out for the iPad last fall, and later for the iPhone and iPod touch. We lightly touched on yap.tv last fall when Steve Wozniak appeared on an episode of The Big Bang Theory. At the time, Woz chatted along with viewers through yap.tv, and it turns out he does more than that. He is an adviser for the app itself.

yap.TV is billed as a second-screen companion, an app that you can utilize while watching your favorite series to connect with like-minded viewers through social media. If you’re watching the latest episode of American Idol and want to see what everyone else thinks of the finalists, this app is for you. But, it’s not for anyone who wants to avoid spoilers, even though yap.TV has a system that filters tweets by time zone to try and stop this.

Cunningham took me through a hands-on demo of the software. While the first release was solid, the additions for the iPhone and iPod touch have made it better, and the UI has been overhauled to take advantage of the smaller screen. This review focuses on the iPhone version of the app.

Continue reading Exclusive: yap.TV 2.5, a social TV guide

Exclusive: yap.TV 2.5, a social TV guide originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Analysts are responding to Apple’s planned WWDC conference and the ensuing rumor that suggests Apple may delay the launch of iOS 5 and the iPhone 5 until the fall. Jim Dalrymple, of The Loop, confirmed his report that the iPhone 5 would not be introduced at WWDC was not based on speculation but came from reliable sources.

A protracted development schedule would be a major shift for Apple which has produced a new iPhone model and major iOS version each summer since the original iPhone launch on June 29, 2007.

A shift in its annual summer launch schedule may cause Apple to lose its yearly summer boost in sales, an expectation that shaped the company’s 2011 financial outlook. This move to a fall debut is prompting analysts to trim the company’s revenue, EPS and iPhone shipment outlook for the remainder of 2011.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek cut Apple’s revenue by 4 percent, its EPS by 5 percent and its iPhone shipments by 8 percent. Other analysts may follow suit and Apple’s stock could be affected by this diminished outlook. Thus far, Apple’s stock remains strong and finished on a positive note at the end of Tuesday trading.

Of course, this trend could be reversed if Apple uses this delay to put the finishing touches on an improved version of iOS and to fine tune those rumored cutting-edge cloud services.

Wall Street cuts Apple estimates, iPhone 5 “delay” the reason originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No, this doesn’t mean that some people have been standing in line for two weeks non-stop; it means that lines continue to form at Apple stores around the USA as new shipments of iPad 2s arrive.

In fact the lines are so notable, says AppleInsider, that Wall Street analyst Charlie Wolf of Needham & Company is now predicting that Apple will sell 30 million iPads this year, 10 million more than his original estimate. And, he predicts, Apple will sell 40 million in 2012.

With supplies running out around the world, the shipping delays of 3-4 weeks and Ebay prices holding at around 150% of list price, it looks like those queues will continue for some time.

Wolf admits that predicting sales is difficult and that his initial predictions (and those of others) were wrong and have had to be updated.

Are there still queues at your local Apple Store? Are you still waiting for your iPad 2? Let us know in comments.

iPad 2 lines persist two weeks after launch originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Launched with iTunes 9, iTunes LP would let record labels include extra content such as liner notes, expanded artwork and lyrics in albums sold on iTunes. The feature never took off, but the concept of adding value to an album using interactive digital content has not died. Record labels such as Universal Music Group and EMI are now looking to the iPad as a way to entice customers to purchase a full album with value-added content instead of individual tracks.

EMI recently released an iPad version of Until One, a dance album from Swedish House Mafia. Besides audio tracks, the iPad album includes video footage, a photo gallery and commentary from the band. The content is distributed as an iPad app and costs $9.99. Universal has also jumped on the interactive album bandwagon and has teamed with a video production company, Eagle Rock Entertainment. The duo are working on an interactive iPad versions of classic albums such as Nirvana’s Nevermind. This latter project is currently under development.

Only time will tell if this latest focus on enhanced album content will succeed. In the past, consumers eschewed bonus content, but the 9.7-inch display of the iPad provides a richer, multimedia experience than the iPhone. Given the choice, would you pay more for an enhanced iPad album or would you stick with the less expensive, music-only option?

[Via Macstories]

Music artists, labels create enhanced albums for iPad originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The screwdriver- and heatgun-happy bunch over at iFixit have been disassembling iPad 2s again, all in the interest of keeping radio (and other) nerds “droolingly-happy,” as Engaget puts it.

Their original teardown was of a humble (relative to other iPad 2s only) 16GB WiFi-only model. Now they’ve attacked (harsh term) CDMA and GSM models to bring us some very nice geeky internals pictures.

In general, they say, Apple has made the same design change decisions as they did between the GSM and CDMA versions of the iPhone 4. There’s no need for a microSIM slot, an extra antenna for the CDMA model or that Qualcomm Gobi radio chip, which supports both GSM and CDMA standards (does this point to the iPhone 5 supporting CDMA and GSM in the one handset?) and so on.

iFixit’s most interesting conclusion: “Of the three, having the Wi-Fi-only version in your chest pocket is your best bet if someone decides to shoot at you.” Tony Soprano, take note next time you visit Junior.

Check out their full teardown when you have a moment; if you got out of bed on the wrong side this morning, this will pick you up better than a Dilbert cartoon making references to Apple.

[Via Engadget]

iPad 2 teardown: GSM and CDMA differences originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Along with the console versions released recently, EA has also dropped an iOS version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12, featuring the latest and greatest in golf simulation for the iPhone and iPad. As much as other developers may rail against EA on the App Store, there’s almost never a question of quality, and this app is no exception. This is a quality golf game that does a great job of replicating a lot of the features of the popular console series, like the controls (yes, you can spin the ball in the air, which may turn some hardcore golfers off, but you don’t have to). There’s a checklist of pro golfers to play as and against, and eight official courses like the classic St. Andrews and TPC Sawgrass.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 has four different modes to play through, from straightforward solo games to a full PGA Tour mode; mini-games and a “Closest to the Pin” social challenge mix things up quite a bit as well. The one real glaring omission in terms of features is Game Center integration, but EA’s eschewed Game Center lately — hopefully that’s not a growing trend.

At any rate, if you like golf and iOS gaming, you’ll enjoy this one. It’s currently US$6.99 on the iPhone and $9.99 on the iPad, but there is a free version to try out on the iPhone. If you think the prices on this or any other EA app are too high, just wait until EA has yet another sale.

TUAW’s Daily App: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China is catching up with the Western world in many ways, and now “Wanting an iPhone really, really badly” has been added to the list of similarities. Until now, Nokia has been the most desired brand in China, largely because it’s provided cheap handsets. Now such handsets come from Chinese manufacturers, and their low-budget image has led to their desirability being drastically reduced.

These days it’s the iPhone that tops the desirability charts amongst those Chinese who say they’re thinking of getting a 3G handset. Up to 53 percent of those surveyed said they’d get an iPhone if price were no object, according to a new Alphawise/Morgan Stanley survey.

This research was carried out with the iPhone 4 now nearly a year old compared to some of the competition. The eventual arrival of the iPhone 5 can only change this situation in Apple’s favor, meaning that sales may be getting ready to take off in the land where the iPhone is actually made.

Survey: Apple ready for big China growth originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell’s global head of marketing Andy Lark spoke to CIO Australia this week, and he not only dissed Apple — a company with a current market cap of $323.3 billion compared to Dell’s measly $28.2 billion — but also found some time to dream up some completely bogus specifications and pricing for the iPad.

Lark started by stating that “Apple is great if you’ve got a lot of money and live on an island. It’s not so great if you have to exist in a diverse, open, connected enterprise; simple things become quite complex.”

Ahem. That deserves a spot on our No Comment wall of confusion.

Next, Lark stated that enterprises were not going to be jumping on iPad deployments, since “an iPad with a keyboard, a mouse and a case [means] you’ll be at $1500 or $1600; that’s double of what you’re paying.”

Joshua Schnell at Macgasm pointed out that a 16 GB Wi-Fi iPad 2, Apple Wireless Keyboard, iPad Dock and iPad 2 Smart Cover price out at US$666 before taxes. Where the extra $900 – $1000 comes into play is a mystery, unless Dell is selling thousand-dollar mice.

Moreover, apparently Lark has no idea that the iPad doesn’t need a mouse. It uses a magical and revolutionary “touchscreen” for its user interface.

In the annals of Dell executive history, this has to go down as a pretty impressive foot-in-mouth comment; it rivals Michael Dell’s famous quote about Apple on October 6, 1997: “What would I do? I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.”

Looks like it’s time for Andy to go back to school and learn a little bit about his competitors. It might also help to brush up on those math skills.

No Comment: Dell exec dismisses iPad, can’t count originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Update: Boy Genius Report gets the official word from RIM; BBM is not coming out for iOS on April 26 (and that ‘social media conference’ where the CEO spoke? Also imaginary). That doesn’t mean it never will, but we’ve erased that “x” from our calendars.

Rumblings of an iPhone version of BlackBerry Messenger surfaced earlier this month from an unidentified source that provided a tip to BGR. Another unconfirmed source has stepped forward with additional information on the MacRumors forums that points to an April 26 debut of the BlackBerry Messenger app in the App Store.

This latest information purportedly comes from an attendee of a social media conference hosted by RIM in Toronto [which never happened — see above]. During the presentation, RIM’s Co-CEO Jim Balsillie supposedly told those in attendance that BBM would make its way to the iOS App Store on April 26. The source also claims the app would be updated this summer with a new notification system. This last piece may be an indirect reference to iOS 5, which may overhaul Apple’s current notification system.

Douse this rumor with some pickling salt, kosher salt and table salt as we cannot verify this April 26 date, nor the existence of a BBM app. Based on earlier leaked information and RIM’s move to incorporate Android application emulation in its PlayBook tablet, a move to iOS in the upcoming month is not that far-fetched. Anyone a believer?

The image above was provided to TUAW several weeks ago and should not be considered evidence one way or the other of a BBM app.

Rumor: BlackBerry Messenger to land in the App Store on April 26 [Debunked] originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 23:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TinyUmbrella 4.30.05 can save SHSH blobs for iOS 4.3.1 (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch). Follow the steps below to save iOS 4.3.1 SHSH blobs with TinyUmbrella 4.03.05…

TinyUmbrella now supports 4.3.1 for the relevant devices. Currently only iPhone 4 for verizon does not have 4.3.1 support (as there is no 4.3.1 available for the verizon iphone). Enjoy!

NOTE:

• You can save SHSH blobs for iOS 4.3.1 only if it’s being signed by Apple. Go grab your SHSH blobs for iOS 4.3.1 before it’s too late. Apple stops signing a firmware when an updated version is out.
• TinyUmbrella can save SHSH blobs regardless of jailbreak.
• With TinyUmbrella you can save SHSH blobs for iOS 4.3.1 even if you’re on an older iOS version.

Let’s save iOS 4.3.1 blobs for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

How to Save SHSH blobs for iOS 4.3.1

• Download TinyUmbrella

Steps to save SHSH blobs for iOS 4.3 are exactly similar to the guide posted earlier. So, please navigate to the guide linked below and follow the steps there to save SHSH blobs.

• How to:save SHSH blobs for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

Also checkout:

• Jailbreak iPhone 4, 3GS iOS 4.3.1 with Sn0wBreeze 2.4b [Guide]
• Downgrade iOS 4.3.1 to 4.3, 4.2.1, 4.x on iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch 4G, 3G [How to Guide]
• Download iOS 4.3.1 Firmware for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch [IPSW]