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Apple Releases iTunes 10.6

Following today’s new iPad announcement, Apple has released a new version of iTunes, which reaches 10.6. The update is now available through Software Update, and will be up soon on Apple’s website. iTunes 10.6 brings the possibility to play 1080p HD movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store, and “many improvements” for iTunes Match, listed below.

  • Improved song matching
  • Improved album artwork handling, downloading, and display
  • Addresses an issue where songs may skip when playing from iCloud

iTunes 10.6 is out now in Software Update.

Apple Releases iOS 5.1 [Direct Links, Screenshots]

Apple just released the new version of iOS, iOS 5.1, through Software Update. Notable new features in this update include Siri support for Japanese users, a new camera shortcut, and new Camera app for iPad. Full changelog below.

This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:

  • Japanese language support for Siri (availability may be limited during initial rollout)
  • Photos can now be deleted from Photo Stream
  • Camera shortcut now always visible on Lock Screen for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (4th generation)
  • Camera face detection now highlights all detected faces
  • Redesigned Camera app for iPad
  • Genius Mixes and Genius playlists for iTunes Match subscribers
  • Audio for TV shows and movies on iPad optimized to sound louder and clearer
  • Podcast controls for playback speed and a 30 second rewind for iPad
  • Updated AT&T network indicator
  • Addresses bugs affecting battery life
  • Fixes an issue that occasionally caused audio to drop for outgoing calls

At the moment of writing this, the update server can’t be reached with iTunes, but the over-the-air update is working through iOS devices. We’ll update this story with more details as we install iOS 5.1 on our devices. Read more

New iPad & Tablet Comparison Chart

 

The new iPad (our March 7 news hub) is a thing of beauty. As we’re detailing in our complete overview right now, the device features a high-res Retina display, supercharged dual-core A5X processor with improved graphics for smooth gaming performance and video playback, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, LTE, and a bunch of new apps from Apple. Together, these new features complete a package owners of the original iPad will likely have a hard time saying “no” while considering an upgrade this year. And what better way to put this upgrade question many will face later this month with a handy comparison chart?

At MacStories, we typically don’t care about tech specs as much as others do. We value the experience more than speeds and feeds. But we also think that, for the sake of information, tech specs are a set of data worth reporting and disclosing to those who care – that’s what Apple does with its Tech Specs page on every product.

So here’s what you’ll find below: a comprehensive chart comparing the new iPad to previous models. We have included specs and price – as well as a bunch of other tablets so you’ll get the big picture of what Apple has to offer with its latest iPad.

Last, make sure to check out our March 7 news hub for a roundup of everything that went down at the Yerba Buena Center today, as well as our New iPad Overview.

Full-size comparison image here.

Apple Offers New AppleCare+ for iPad

Apple has announced that new iPad owners will have the option to purchase the AppleCare+ for iPad service plan. Every iPad will ship with the usual one year hardware-related technical support and 90 days of expert telephone technical support. The optional AppleCare+ for iPad will not only extend both of these support features to two years but it also gives the customer protection from accidental damage. This is similar to the AppleCare+ plan that launched during the iPhone 4S release as it provides up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage. Each of these incidents would be subject to a $49 fee should the iPad need to be serviced because of accidental damage.

AppleCare+ for iPad extends your coverage to two years from the original purchase date of your iPad and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a $49 service fee.1 Whether you use your iPad with a Mac or a PC, just one phone call can help resolve most issues.2

Items covered under the warranty:

  • The iPad
  • Battery
  • Any Time Capsule or AirPort device purchased with the iPad
  • USB cable and Power adapter

Apple also states that in order to qualify for the AppleCare+ plan, it must be purchased within 30 days of the date the iPad was purchased. If you wait to buy the plan, you can still pick one up within that 30 days by bringing your device to an Apple retail store for a Genius to inspect. Provided there is no pre-existing damage then you will be able to purchase the AppleCare+ plan.

AppleCare+ will be available soon and is priced at only $99

Apple Posts “New iPad” Event Video

Apple has posted a video for its new iPad event that took place in San Francisco earlier today. The video can be streamed here, and a higher quality version should be made available in a few hours through iTunes.

Streaming: Apple Events

Also, here’s a recap of our coverage for today’s event:

- The Apple TV Gets A Refresh: New UI, 1080p Playback, Available on March 16

- This Is The New iPad: Our Complete Overview

- Apple Announces iPhoto for iOS: Coming Today at $4.99

We will post additional news on the site’s homepage, or tweet as @MacStoriesNet throughout the day.

Update: The keynote is now available for download in iTunes.

Apple Announces iPhoto for iOS: Coming Today at $4.99

At the media event in San Francisco, Apple today announced an all-new version of iPhoto for iPad. Giving users new ways to organize and browse their photos, iPhoto for iPad comes with new effects, new gestures, multi-touch editing, and a new feature to seamlessly share photos between devices.

With a dark interface completely rebuilt for the iPad, iPhoto makes heavy use of gestures to browse and edit photos. With a simple swipe gestures from the side of the screen, users can bring up a list of photos to edit. A double-tap will allow users to automatically find similar pictures, or enter full-screen mode. With support for EXIF information and sharing on various social networks including Flickr, iPhoto for iPad is set to become a great mobile companion to photographers – the app even features an auto-enhance mode to instantly enhance various aspects of an image, as well as other advanced effects. Brushes, white balance, cropping – they can all be accessed through multi-touch gestures and commands in the new iPhoto for iPad.

Aside from skeuomorphic brushes, iPhoto for iPad comes with a new Photo Journals functionality that lets users build “journals” using photos and additional information such as location and weather data using the stored GPS info and various EXIF data from images. Users can move photos around, add captions, choose favorites, and share the results with their friends.

iPhoto is a universal app (runs on the iPhone as well), and it will be released today at $4.99. Check out our complete March 7th coverage here.

[image via]

This Is The New iPad: Our Complete Overview

Rumored for the past two years, the new iPad featuring a higher resolution Retina display is finally here, and it’s simply called “iPad “. Announced at Apple’s media event in San Francisco a few minutes ago (our liveblog and March 7 news hub), the new device features the same design of the iPad 2 (flat aluminum back with tapered edges), and it comes in two colors, black & white. Looking at the initial photos of the new iPad, a less tech-savvy eye wouldn’t notice any difference from the current-gen model. The new iPad, however, is packed with completely new hardware components inside, so let’s take a look. Read more

The Apple TV Gets A Refresh: New UI, 1080p Playback, Available on March 16 [Photos]

At the media event in San Francisco, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced an update to the Apple TV. The updated model will support 1080p playback, newly added iTunes in the Cloud for movies and TV shows which will allow users to watch their purchased content on-demand in 1080p definition if available. The new Apple TV ships with a new streamlined interface that will make it easier to navigate between apps, browse photos and media from an iCloud account, and initiate playback.

“People are going to love streaming movies and TV shows in 1080p with the new Apple TV, and photos look beautiful displayed at the maximum resolution of your TV,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Apple TV is easier than ever to use with its new icon-based interface and the ability to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music right from iCloud.”

Apple has also prepared several content providers to stream HD quality content to the new Apple TV. Netflix, Vimeo, and of course movies and TV shows available through iTunes will be in HD for consumers on launch day. Apple also stated that there will be over 15,000 movies and over 90,000 TV episodes available on the iTunes Store. Just some of the other notable apps that will be prominently displayed on the Apple TV’s new icon based interface includes YouTube, Flickr, and the Wall Street Journal.

The Apple TV also gained greater integration with iCloud today. Now users can purchase, not just rent, movies and TV episodes from the Apple TV and watch them on their all of their Apple devices. iCloud makes it incredibly easy to access all of your digital content regardless of what device you are using.

The new Apple TV will remain only $99, and it will be available on March 16. Pre-orders for the new Apple TV will begin today.

For additional information, check out the Apple press release on the new Apple TV.

Update: MacRumors is reporting that the 5.0 software update for the current (second generation) Apple TV is live and available for download. They also state that not only has Netflix rolled out 1080p streaming but Netflix also has a new billing option that allows customers to pay for their Netflix subscriptions through their iTunes Store accounts.

Update #2: From the short amount of time I have spent with the 5.0 update to the (second-gen) Apple TV, I find it to be a really great upgrade for existing Apple TV owners. I love the new movies and TV shows in the Cloud feature. To test it out, I selected the Movies icon on the home screen, browsed to my purchased videos and found a couple of movies I forgot I had purchased well over a year ago. Selecting my Halloween (2007) movie started it as if I had just rented in through iTunes. The process was simple, fast, and very well implemented.

Screenshots of new 5.0 Software.

Update #3 Ars Technica has details on the processor inside the new Apple TV model. It’s not the same of the new iPad.

We asked whether the third-gen Apple TV had the same A5X processor as that in the new iPad (as was previously rumored), but an Apple spokesperson told us that it has a “single-core version of the A5” and it’s not the same as what’s in the iPad. The CPU is capable of handling 1080p HD video. The spokesperson also claimed that users “only need an 8-10 megabit Internet connection” in order to take advantage of 1080p movies from iTunes, but speaking as someone with experience with the second-generation Apple TV at a mere 720p, this depends highly upon your individual ISP.

Apple Creates New “Catalogs” App Store Category Ahead of iPad 3 Event

As noted by MacRumors, Apple has created a new Catalogs category on the App Store, moving a number of existing apps into it. The category looks interesting for a number of reasons: first off, Apple doesn’t just create new App Store categories, which are prominently featured on iTunes, leaving them empty as Catalogs looks when browsed from its direct URL right now. Second, whilst both iPhone and iPad apps have been moved into Catalogs, the empty App Store listing page reports “iPad Catalogs” – this might as well hint at catalogs, as in shopping guides, being part of an announcement on stage tomorrow, or perhaps some demo time.

Several existing apps have already been placed into the Catalogs category, including Catalog Spree (pictured above), SkyMall, MTG Merchant and more. These apps have long existed in the App Store and have now been recategorized to “Catalogs”. The apps had previously been listed under the Lifestyle and Utility sections of the App Store.

Interestingly enough, Google’s own Catalogs app for iOS has received the new category treatment, while IKEA’s app is still listed under Lifestyle. The new Catalogs category can be accessed here, albeit opening the link in a browser returns an empty itunes.com webpage.

Whilst a new category isn’t necessarily related to the next iPad, the fact that Catalogs went live ahead of the scheduled event and that it appears to not be completely developed seems to suggest that might be more coming soon. Tune in tomorrow at 9:30 AM PST for our Apple event liveblog.