iPad 3 Production To Start in October, Samsung Ousted as Component Supplier?

When it comes to hardware news, it is not only the iPhone 5 who has been grabbing the headlines lately because its tablet sibling, the iPad is getting quite a bit of coverage as well. Just last week we have covered a report that Apple has already started the production of the iPad 3 and is about to enter trial phase by the last quarter of this year. Now according to a report, Apple's suppliers will start assembling the iPad 3 except Samsung.
As you may already have known, major hardware companies such as Apple do not make and assemble their own products. Instead they outsource the manufacturing and assembly process to their partners who are usually based in Asia. This is presumably to cut down on manufacturing cost and to enable them to focus on other aspects like research and development. As of this moment, the companies that are in-charge of building the displays for the iPad are Samsung and LG Display. Now according to the report, LG Display will continue to supply the display for the iPad while Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd will take care of assembly. Take note that the South Korean company Samsung seems to be out of the picture.

Samsung is also currently the supplier of the A4 and A5 processor chips which are used to power the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 respectively. There have been previous reports as well that Apple might be axing the South Korea-based with regards to their involvement as a prospective supplier of the A6 chip which is rumored to power the iPad 3. Apple has allegedly contracted other suppliers who will be providing the said chip. Now this is either just a measure of the Cupertino company to have secondary suppliers to prevent production mishaps or it could a step to phase out the involvement of Samsung with the company altogether.
If this report is any indication, it is highly likely that Samsung won't be involved in the manufacturing process of the iPad 3. As of now, Apple can't just oust Samsung because of the latter's intellectual properties being the main supplier of the A4 and A5 chips. So why take Samsung out of the picture? Well, Apple and Samsung isn't exactly at the best of terms lately. For the past months, both companies are currently under legal battle against each other over Samsung's alleged infringement of Apple's intellectual properties with the former's Galaxy Tab which is in direct competition with the iPad. So it is understandable for Apple not to do business with its main competitor.

The iPad 3 is said to enter trial production by October which means that it will be produced in limited quantities for the purpose of testing. The next Apple tablet is expected to launch next year which falls in-line with the same release cycle as the previous iPad. The iPad 3 is rumored to be powered by the new A6 chip and will be supporting a higher resolution screen. [via AppAdvice]

iTunes Match Beta Goes Live for Developers

Apple just sent out an email to developers signifying that iTunes Match is now available to developers.

As you know, iTunes Match is the matching service that allows you to stream the tunes that you already own without uploading all of your music. The service works by “matching” the music contained on your local computer with what’s already available in the Cloud via iTunes.

For those more obscure songs that iTunes doesn’t already have, you can still upload your music for streaming. As usual, we have a video of iTunes Match in action, so be sure to check inside to see how it works!
Keep in mind that this is beta software, so obviously some things are bound to change and bugs will have to be worked out before the final release hits the public. I think it’s a good indication of what we can expect come launch day, though.

Overall, I was fairly impressed with what I saw. It’s a painless process that works pretty much as advertised.

I think that if Apple can educate customers properly, loads of people wouldn’t think twice at shelling out $24.99 for a year’s worth of matching service; it’s going to be a very convenient thing to have.

The whole point of iTunes Match is to make it so you can access your music from anywhere, without the lengthy upload process required by competing services like Google Music and Amazon Cloud Player.

Here is the verbiage from the email that Apple just sent out to developers:

iTunes Match stores your complete music library in iCloud, allowing you to enjoy your collection anywhere, anytime, on any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or computer.
iTunes Match beta is currently available to developers in the United States. Beta subscribers will receive iTunes Match service during the beta period plus an additional 3 months for free with their 12 month paid subscription.

To get started with iTunes Match, download the current version of iOS 5 beta and iTunes 10.5 beta 6.1 with iTunes Match. Once installed, choose Turn On iTunes Match from the Store menu, and click “Subscribe for $24.99.”

Please note that you must maintain a local backup of your iTunes library as well as any music you add to iCloud. Apple will periodically reset your iCloud library during the beta and it is critical that you backup your music regularly. Some features and optimizations of iTunes Match will not be available during the beta.

Again, iTunes Match is only available for developers thus far. Personally, this is one of my most anticipated iOS 5 features, what about you?

Why You Should Never Buy an iPad in a Parking Lot

The fact that Apple products are highly sought after and typically more expensive than similar electronics make them the perfect tool for scam artists. An Apple gadget offered at a significant discount is enough to make anyone oblivious to scandal.

That certainly seems to be the basis of an epidemic that has Grand Prairie police officers scratching their heads. The North-Texas city has seen over a dozen instances of a recurring scam involving fake Apple products…
MacRumors passes on the police report:

“A car load of two or three males will pull up to someone at a convenience store or shopping center parking lot and it’s “Psst, hey buddy. Want to buy an Apple iPad or MacBook? They will tell the victim they are for sale for $300 each or both for $500. The Apple products are actually painted wood or loose leaf note books with the Apple logo on top and wrapped in bubble wrap. They are in a Fed Ex or Best Buy box and sealed up with tape. By the time the victim figures out the purchase wasn’t what they bargained for, the crooks are long gone.

Grand Prairie has had over a dozen such crimes committed since January of this year. The suspects have been mostly black males. However one offense involved a black female as well. The vehicles used vary in most cases. There appears to be several groups of thieves and sometimes the suspects never even get out of the car.

The public should be advised that it is unwise to purchase anything from the trunk of a car, no matter how good the deal seems.”

The scandal reminds me of the old “white van” grift, which involves a similar tactic of selling “high-end” speakers at a ridiculous discount. The scam has been around for years, and has been documented in countless cities around the globe.

As MacRumors has done, we will mention that the Chrysler 300 in the above photo was allegedly used in one of the crimes. And if you happen to live in the area and have information about the suspects, you can call Crime Stoppers at 972-237-8877.

While most of us believe our common sense would stop us long before we bought something from a person in a parking lot, the scam is obviously working. What would you do if someone offered you a new iPad or MacBook for $300 bucks?

DashBoard for Maps Brings Heads-up Display to the Maps App

Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen an increase in interest from jailbreak developers regarding the iOS Maps application. We’ve seen Speed for Maps, which adds a speedometer to the Maps app, and a Compass tweak that does the same thing.

Now there’s is a utility available that will not only tell you how fast you are going and where you’re headed, but also display your elevation. It’s called DashBoard for Maps, and it just went live in Cydia…
If you happen to be a hiker, or you just find yourself using the stock iOS Maps app a lot, you’re going to love DashBoard for Maps. The tweak overlays a heads-up display on top of the application with three very handy tools.

It includes a compass, a speedometer and a gauge that displays your current elevation. I have to say that the graphics look pretty sharp, but the gauges themselves are fairly large. Even at the bottom, they kind of get in the way.

The utility had issues judging my speed correctly, but the compass was spot on (obviously). And I live among the flatlands, so the elevation gauge stayed comfortable at 0mi.

As aforementioned, this tweak is geared at a particular audience. Obviously if you don’t use the Maps app very often, I wouldn’t recommend it. But for those that do, you’ll have no problem dropping $1 on Dashboard for Maps.

Have you tried it? What do you think?