Despite Apple's Corporate Efforts and Optimism, iPad Sales Languish

_____________________ During Apple's 2016 Q2 Earnings Report, Apple reported iPad sales of 10.25 million. This can be compared to the most recent non-holiday quarter 2015 Q4 of 9.88 million. This was the last quarter before the iPad Pro (12.9-inch) was introduced in November, 2015. If there was a rush on the iPad Pro (12.9-inch) in…

iPad mini 4 Reflections: Why it's Time to Upgrade

The iPad mini 4 changed that, of course, bringing the iPad Air 2's guts and power to the mini form-factor (well, almost the mini form factor… it changed ever-so-slightly, but enough to render all previous cases unusable). I wondered, though, does all this new speed – and RAM – matter for daily use? I moved to…

How to Check Your Apple Pencil Battery Charge

All you need to see your Apple Pencil's charge is the Batteries widget Apple included with iOS 9. It displays in the pull-down Widgets and Notifications view on your iPad Pro. If you don't see the Batteries widget, that means you need to enable it. Here's how: Swipe down your iPad display from the bezel…

iOS 9: How to Use Slide Over on Your Modern iPad

Unlike Split View, in which apps run side by side (50-50 split) on only the latest iPads (including the iPad Pro), Slide Over runs on many more models. See the table below. Image credit: Apple System Requirements for Slide Over iOS 9.0 or later iPad mini 2,3,4 iPad Air, Air 2 iPad Pro 1. There…

How Much RAM does the iPad Pro Have?

iPad Pro may have 4 GB RAM Adobe detailed its iPad Pro support for Creative Cloud apps in a blog post Wednesday and called out some of the tablet's specs. Along with the 12.9-inch screen size, Adobe's post mentioned the A9X processor, 2732 x 2048 screen dimensions, and that it includes only 2 GB RAM.…

It's Finally Time to Buy a New iPad

_____________________ Those who are jaded will claim that Apple limited some new features of iOS 9 to the more recent iPads or the iPad Air 2 in a callous attempt to force customers to upgrade. But is that really true? I don't think so. Here's why. I think Apple lost its way a little with…

Tim Cook on Poor iPad Sales: 'It is what it is'

iPad Air 2. Image credit: Apple Typically, when Apple reports its financial results each quarter, either Tim Cook or CFO Luca Maestri talks about a terrific year-over-year growth of some number, such as revenue or iPhone sales. But that was noticeably lacking in the case of the iPad sales last quarter of only 12.6 million,…

How to Convert iPhone Photos to Black And White

Seeing in B&W takes practice. I've found that it's best to start with a very simple scene where you focus on a single subject. Reducing the number of colors you have to deal with may reduce the headache of imagining how your final photo will look like and lets you concentrate more on composition. This…

OmniFocus 2 for iPad goes Universal, Now Runs on iPhone

OmniFocus 2 goes universal OmniFocus is a task management app that lets you organize your to-do lists based on projects, and can alert you to upcoming tasks based on location. Your task lists can synchronize automtically between multiple iOS and OS X devices. The 2.1 version of OmniFocus adds universal support, which brings pretty much…

Adonit, Evernote Intro Higher Precision Jot Script 2 iPad Stylus

Evernote and Adonis's new Jot Script 2 pressure sensitive iPad sylus The Jot Script 2's built-in lithium-ion batter charges in about 45 minutes and sports a thinner body compared to the original Jot Script. Like other styluses from Adonit, the Jot Script 2 uses a USB adapter for recharging. The stylus uses an updated version…

Three Tips for Apple's Keynote App on iPad

Delete Keynotes From An iPad I work with Keynote a lot. I save each presentation to the Cloud so each is saved to my iPad. When leaving home to make a presentation nowadays I just grab my iPad and off I go. Those Keynotes start to stack up after awhile, taking up space in the…

iPad + Bluetooth Keyboard + SwiftKey = Problem

_______________________ As all iOS users know, whenever an iOS application senses the need for keyboard input, a virtual, on-screen keyboard pops up. If, however, you need to manually dismiss/hide that keyboard, there is a key on the bottom right that will make it go away. (See the screen shot below.) So far, so good. Standard…

How to Visually Distinguish the 3 iPad mini Models

___________________ 1. The Original iPad mini. (Released 2 November 2012) This model doesn't have the extra noise cancellation microphone on the back. And, of course, it doesn't have Touch ID. Just turn it over and look at the top of the back to see that there is no extra microphone. You're done. iPad mini. No noise…

Belkin Portable Tablet Stage is a Boon for iPad Presentations

The Belkin Portable Tablet Stage is an ideal accessory for anyone who teaches or makes frequent presentations using their iOS device. It folds flat for easy carry.  It works with all versions of the iPad, iPad mini, and iPhone—although it is most effectively used with an iPad or iPad mini. Belkin Portable Tablet Stage holding…

Octa Lynx Grips iPads and Clamps to Just About Anything

Octa has added to its line iPad stands with the introduction of the Lynx.  Although it provides a strong, flexible neck and 360 degree rotation, it is also quite short, measuring just 5 inches (12 cm) from tip to tip. Lynx iPad holder, attached to a pole surface. One end fastens to the back of…

How I Saved my iPad mini with Cracked Display From the Trash

Recently, this lovely iPad fell off a small stand and did a 20 cm. face plant onto the kitchen table. Even though there was a thick table cloth, the display cracked, and cracked ugly. The display looked like we could easily cut a finger if we touched it the wrong way. However, amazingly, everything else…

Where to Buy a New iPad if You Want an Apple SIM

Episode #95   I got a new iPad Air 2 last week and while I’m impressed, you’ll have to wait until next week for my review. Why? Well, while doing my due diligence I found a situation that’s more important for you to hear about today than my opinion of the iPad Air 2: Where you…