Rupert Murdoch on Monday said he was closing The Daily, the iPad-only newspaper launched with great fanfare in February 2011, writes Robert Cookson.
Mr Murdoch characterised The Daily as “a bold experiment in digital publishing”, but said that ultimately, “we could not find a large enough audience quickly enough to convince us the business model was sustainable in the long-term.” Read more
The iPad mini – hands-on review
Apple's iPad mini
Apple’s introduction of an iPad mini and the second update this year of the original iPad positions it perfectly to take on all-comers in the tablet wars for this holiday season.
Having handled the new mini at Apple’s launch event on Tuesday, I think it could be onto another winner, the only doubts being over whether consumers will think it too expensive for a 7in-category tablet or so cheap and adequate enough that they need not buy the pricier 9.7in iPad.
Apple must feel it has dealt with the cannibalisation issue by introducing a new version of the “new iPad” it unveiled in March, so that the larger model feels fresh and still appealing to consumers.
Improvements include an even faster chip – the A6X – said to deliver twice the performance of its predecessor, an improved FaceTime HD camera, the new Lightning connector, dual-band Wi-Fi and support for additional LTE carriers worldwide. Read more
Apple unveils $329 iPad mini
Apple has unveiled a smaller version of the iPad – the iPad mini – and an updated version of the original iPad at an event in San Jose, California.
The Silicon Valley company also revealed new versions in its MacBook, Mac mini and iMac line of computers. The updates come three days before the launch of new PCs featuring Windows 8.
You can follow how the announcements were made in our live blog from the event at the California Theatre, after the jump. Read more
iPad Mini? iBook? Apple event invites are out
Exactly an hour after Microsoft announced its pricing for its Surface tablet, Apple sent out the invitations to what is expected to be the launch of a smaller and cheaper iPad – perhaps called the iPad Mini or iBook – next week.
The timing is hardly likely to be coincidental but it’s hard to see who is hijacking whose announcement here. Read more
Amazon challenges iPad with new Kindle Fires
Amazon has taken on Apple with a range of new Kindle Fire tablets in different screen sizes that claim better performance and significantly undercut the iPad on price.
At a media event in Santa Monica, California, Jeff Bezos, chief executive, announced an 8.9in 32Gb Kindle Fire HD tablet (pictured left) that would cost $499 and feature 4G LTE connectivity when it ships on November 20.
An upgraded version of the original Kindle Fire sets a new low $159 price point for a 7in tablet from major manufacturers. The Fire undercuts Google and Asus’s $199 Nexus 7 and challenges Apple, which is rumoured to be launching a mini-iPad in October. International availability for the Fire was announced for the first time. Read more
Interesting commentary from around the Web on the tech story that made headlines this week.
Even though Apple’s earnings disappointed Wall Street this week, attention quickly shifted to the forthcoming iPhone 5 and the latest version of its Mac operating system, Mountain Lion. Read more
Apple iPad complaints seem like hot air
Apple must be wondering whether it was worth the improvements, particularly the addition of 4G LTE, to the new version of its iPad.
The extra mobile connectivity has earned the company plenty of criticism, despite it offering the opportunity to enjoy, at least theoretically, 73 megabits-per-second 4G speeds for the same price as the old single-megabit 3G models. Read more
Samsung = half of new iPad cost – IHS
Samsung and Apple may be locked in a smartphone and tablet war and concomitant patent disputes, but the Korean manufacturer may be responsible for more than half the cost in component terms of the new iPad, which went on sale on Friday.
A “teardown” by the IHS iSuppli research firm reveals Samsung is supplying the new Retina high-definition display, its applications processor, the Nand Flash memory in some cases and probably the battery as well. Read more
New iPad looks best in close-up
The photos of the new iPad look just like the old one’s. Read the specifications – denser pixels, faster graphics, better connectivity, improved camera – and the changes seem predictable and incremental.
But pick up the new iPad, gaze at the incredible detail and vibrant colours in its screen, transform your photos with a few touches on the new iPhoto app, and that old black magic from Apple is back. Read more
The iPad was on everyone’s lips this week, even if there was puzzlement over what exactly to call the third generation tablet. It was not the iPad 3 or iPad HD as expected, but “the new iPad,” according to Apple. Name apart, the latest version’s hardware divided fans into two camps: those who were disappointed by the modest changes and those who claimed the announcement was “truly huge” for Apple.
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Richard Waters has headed the FT's San Francisco bureau since 2002 and covers Google and Microsoft, among other things. A former New York bureau chief for the FT, he is intrigued by Silicon Valley's unique financial and business culture, and is looking forward to covering his second Tech Bust.
Chris Nuttall has been online and messing around with computers for more than 20 years and since 2004 has reported from the FT's San Francisco bureau on semiconductors, video games, consumer electronics and all things interwebby.
Maija Palmer has been writing about technology for the FT since 1999 and is fascinated by cybercrime, privacy and all the other issues of the information society. Based in London, she covers European tech companies and hopes that they won't all get acquired by American rivals.
Robin Kwong is the FT's technology, media and telecoms page editor in London. Formerly he was the Taipei correspondent and wrote about the companies that manufacture the vast majority of the world's computers and gadgets. He is interested in the intricacies of the technology supply chain and how China is increasingly changing the tech landscape.
Tim Bradshaw is the FT's digital media correspondent, and has just moved from London to join our team in San Francisco. He has covered start-ups such as Twitter and Spotify, as well as the online ambitions of more established media companies, such as the BBC iPlayer. He also covers the advertising, marketing and video-game industries. Tim has been writing about technology, business and finance since 2003.
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