iPad air to defy predictions and outsell iPad mini 2 by 2 to 1, survey reveals

Top-end tablet is most in-demand.

Analysts who forecast the iPad mini 2 would trounce the refreshed version of the top-end Apple slate in the sales stakes were wide of the mark, a survey suggest.
The second-gen iPad and the fifth-gen full-size tablet, now rebranded as the iPad air, debuted last week at an uncommonly busy launch event down at Yerba Buena.
In the week before the showcase, smartphone-industry sages from the likes of RBC Capital Markets predicted that the iPad mini 2’s Retina Display and keen price point would see it outsell its more established stablemate by a margin of two to one.
Not so, it seems. At least not if a uSwitch Tech poll can be believed.
Of the 538 customers asked which of the slates they intended to buy, 65.75% (or almost two thirds) named the iPad air. That’s an almost exact reversal of what analysts told us in the run-up to their grand unveiling.

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iPhone 5S / iPhone 6 to offer super-fast LTE-A 150Mbps connectivity?

Headline speed is double standard LTE

The next iPhone could support mobile internet speeds that dwarf those offered by the current-gen model, it has emerged.
According to Korea Times, Apple is mulling incorporating LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) connectivity in its next-generation smartphone, enabling it to reach connection speeds of up to 150Mbps.
LTE-A is the next standard of 4G technology, following on from the long-term-evolution (LTE) tech that features in the iPhone 5, and is twice as fast as its predecessor.
An unnamed exec at SK Telecom claims that the Korean network is discussing LTE-A with Apple, having worked with Samsung to incorporate the technology in the Galaxy S4 last year.
The executive said: “SK Telecom is approaching Apple to put our LTE-A technology on the upcoming iPhone 5S. We are in the middle of negotiations.”

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LG Optimus 2 Android 2.3-toting phone showcased

Stripped down Android 2.3 smartie.

LG has lifted the lid on a new addition to the Optimus-branded range of Android phones.
Dubbed the Optimus 2, the handset reportedly packs the 2.3 version of Android (A.K.A Gingerbread) out of the box, alongside a 3.2-inch touchscreen with 480x320 resolution and 3.2 megapixel snapper.

Elsewhere, it’s home to a 800MHz processor, plus microSD card support to boost the on board storage of 179MB by up to 32GB. A 2GB microSD is included when you buy the handset.
Rounding off the package is the handy Swype touchscreen typing app pre-installed and a 1,500 mAh battery which offers up to five hours talk time on a full charge and the usual array of connectivity options.

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Apple iWatch trademark filed in Japan

Smartwatch edges closer to reality.

Apple has applied to trademark the iWatch name in Japan. Cupertino says the product using the title would be a “handheld computer or watch device”, leaving little doubt that it’s at least hoping to produce its own smartwatch.
Tellingly, the application was made on June 3rd, the same date Apple also filed for an iWatch trademark in Russia. News of that attempt broke early last month.
There’s no news yet on what exactly the device will look like, although rumours abound that it’ll pack biometric tech for beefed-up security.

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iPad mini: lower priced model in the works?

Micro tablet with price to match.

Apple could be about to introduce an ultra low cost tablet to its product range, an analyst claims, in what would be its most aggressive move yet to quell the rise of rival Android slates.
In a research note intended mainly for high-net worth individuals with investment dollars to divest, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that retina display manufacturing problems might mean the iPad mini 2 could be delayed until the fourth quarter of the year.
However, to plug the tablet-shaped gap in Apple’s release schedule, Kuo posits that the tech giant could roll out a cheaper tablet with a lower grade screen in the meantime. Other cost savings would be made for ditching the rear camera and, trimming on board storage to 8GB, with cloud storage making up the shortfall.

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