Kibbles & Bytes Blog

Tim Cook kicked off the Apple Media Event on Wednesday with an Apple TV update. Now offering support for 1080p video (also now available through the iTunes Store), the Apple TV features a new UI, among other updates.

Features overview:

* New user interface includes icon-based category buttons and large artwork for content
* TV shows now support 1080p
* Movie Genius recommends movies for you based on what you’ve already watched
* customers can re-download purchased movies to any device
* iTunes playlists from iCloud now port to Apple TV
* PhotoStream images are pushed directly to Apple TV from iCloud
* Same $99 price point
* Available next week

“*Check out our blog, Barkings!,*”:http://blog.smalldog.com for all of the new updates and more.

No…it’s not an iPad 3. Nor is it an iPad HD. But, the iPad announced at Wednesday’s Apple Media Event does have most of the amazing features everyone was hoping it does: Retina display, updated processor, 4G capability (and more). It’s so feature-rich, we don’t even care that it doesn’t have a fancy name and that everyone at Apple kept referring to it as the “new” iPad.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s new in Apple’s third-generation mobile device.

*Retina display*

* 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution with 3.1 million pixels for sharp text and fine image detail
* Over a million more pixels than a 1080p display at 1920 x 1080
* 44 percent better color saturation

*A5X processor*

* A5X chip with quad-core graphics
* iPad 2 features a dual-core A5 chip by comparison

*5-megapixel camera*

* iSight camera has advanced optics for photos
* 1080p HD video recording
* Front-facing FaceTime camera for video calling

*Dictation*

* Built-in microphone for writing email, sending texts, creating notes, and searching the web

*4G wireless*

* “Ultrafast” wireless speeds (up to 4G LTE) on 4G networks (where available)

The battery life is about 10 hours, and 9 using 4G. The new iPad is available at the same price points:
* $499/$599/$699 for Wi-Fi models
* $629/$729/$829 for 4G LTE models
* 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities for each

Plus, iPad 2 16GB W-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models are still available at new lower prices: $399 and $529, respectively.

*Available March 16!*

“*View everything here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/Apple/iPad/iPad_3rd_Gen/

Waiting around for Apple to make their announcement on Wednesday, really made me miss attending Macworld EXPO. Back in the day, Don and I would make the trek to San Francisco (or NY or Boston) and there would be this great energy.

One year, we were treated by Ingram Micro, one of our distributors with VIP tickets to one of Steve’s Keynote addresses. Picture hundreds (if not a thousands) Mac fanatics hanging on every word Steve spoke. I think Don and I made a game of getting to other people to applaud by applauding at really weird things.

One vivid memory I have is standing on the steps in San Francisco looking over a sea of people with their MacBooks on their laps. This was the single, largest collection of like-minded geeks in one spot that I had ever witnessed. I miss the opportunity to mingle with other geeks. The closest that I come now to satisfying my need to socialize with other geeks is watching The Big Bang Theory on TV.

Each time I watch the show now, I fantasize about getting Sheldon to wear a Small Dog T-shirt. Now I just have to figure out how to get a shirt to him. Maybe readers will help?

Perhaps you’ll join me in a “Sheldon wear our shirt” campaign? “*Follow us on Twitter*”:http://twitter.com/hellosmalldog and spread the word!

__No copyright infringement intended–we just want Sheldon to wear our shirt…__

_Dear Friends,_

We are in the midst of a spring heat wave and a solar storm today, though the weather report calls for cloudy skies so we are unlikely to catch any Aurora Borealis caused by the massive solar flare. I think one of Vermont’s famous “shoulder” seasons–mud season–will be early this year.

Of course the big news this week was Apple’s Media Event, which brought the new iPad and Apple TV announcements. Kali and Dawn will review these announcements in detail, however, I do want to comment on how Apple has once again set the bar quite high for any competitor in the tablet market. As Apple continues to enhance the iPad, Tim Cook is right that we are entering a new era in computing appliances. The Retina display, faster processor, improved camera, and 4G LTE networking are all features that will make this new iPad a huge success. While I am a bit disappointed that Apple did not bring Siri to the iPad, the voice dictation feature is going to be a hit if it works as well as Siri on the iPhone 4s.

I was also very pleased to see that Apple has retained the iPad 2 in its base 16GB configuration at a new price of $399. That is great for entry-level users but also gives us plenty of time to sell our Hammerhead products for the iPad 2. Apple has changed the naming conventions for the iPad, just calling it the iPad rather than the speculation that had it named “iPad 2s” or “iPad 3” or “iPad HD.” This is consistent with how they have named iPods and makes a lot of sense. We will use the qualifier of 3rd Generation to distinguish this latest iPad version on our website and in stores.

This week also marks the first 1-hour radio show for Small Dog Electronics on WDEV, Radio Vermont or as station owner Ken Squire puts it, “Radio Flea Vermont.” Rebecca and Dawn will join me on the call-in show from 1-2 on Thursdays to discuss Macs, iPads, PCs, dogs, dog friends or just about anything that the listeners want to discuss. We are going to have some fun on the Apple products version of Car Talk. We haven’t officially named the show but it is going to be community radio at its best with an award-winning radio station that really understands the need for local programming rather than syndicated packages. “*Check out WDEV’s website here.*”:http://www.wdevradio.com/index-home.asp