We’re sending thoughts and prayers to the people of Japan today. Also, today is iPad 2 day! Here are today’s deals on iOS, Mac, and Mac App Store apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get ‘em while they’re hot!
#MacStoriesDeals - HUGE Friday
Instagram 1.5 Released: Tilt-Shift Effect, News Feed
Image sharing service Instagram, very popular thanks to its 2 million users but still available as an iPhone-only app, has released a new update today bringing the application to version 1.5. The new Instagram introduces a new effect, performance improvements for previous ones, a completely revamped news feed and the possibility to share photos via email.
The new filter, Tilt-Shift, comes after several requests from users that were forced to apply this specific effect in other iPhone apps like Tiltshift Gen; now Instagram integrates the possibility to blur a portion of an image with a slider directly into its interface without leaving the app. All you have to do is pinch to adjust the orientation of the blur and focus area. Other filters got a speed bost as well and now feel much more responsive, especially on iOS 4.3.
The major new feature, however, is the News Feed that’s been redesign to include more activity from your friends. Together with follow and comment notifications, you can now see what your friends are doing, the comments they post, the photos they like and the people they start following, too. I’m not sure I like this News Feed as it brings a lot more social information into the stream and it might get annoying over time, but we’ll see. For now, it’s clear that Instagram is moving towards a more social approach besides the “simple app that takes photos” concept.
Upon taking a picture, you can also share it via email to your friends and family. I’m pretty sure this sharing option should also allow you to drop pictures onto your Dropbox using this service, and I’ll make sure to try it later. This is a welcome addition to the app. Last, you can tap & hold a username to initiate a reply – I don’t use Instagram much to reply to people but I guess the heavy Instagrammers out there will insanely love this option.
Instagram 1.5 is propagating now in the App Store; it’s available for free here. Check it out, it’s a nice update. More screenshots below.
Update: Associating a Send To Dropbox email address to Instagram won’t let you automatically save photos into your Dropbox. Just a text file with the email you shared.
Apple Could Sell 600,000 iPad 2’s This Weekend, Double The Original’s Launch Sales
Speaking with several industry analysts, Bloomberg has reported that Apple could sell 600,000 units as it debuts this weekend. One such analyst, Brian Marshall from Gleacher & Co predicts more than 500,000 sales which would be close to double the original iPad’s 300,000 sales in 24 hours. Apple released its iPad 2 for purchase on its online store in the early hours of today and already orders are backlogged for 2-3 weeks, whilst Apple’s 236 US retail stores and select others will also offer the iPad 2 from 5PM today. Meanwhile many other countries will get the iPad 2 later this month on March 25th.
The original iPad had massive success in sales, becoming the fastest selling product by revenue, reaping in $2 billion within three months, a feat that took the iPhone more than a year to achieve. Tim Bajarin said that “Apple has such a huge lead, competitors are going to be chasing Apple for many years” referring also to the fact that Apple’s competitors are only now releasing their first generation tablets in the coming months.
[Via Bloomberg]
iPad 2 Shipping Times Now Over 2-3 Weeks
The iPad 2 went on sale through the Apple online store almost 5 hours ago and the shipping times have rapidly changed as people clicked the buy button to purchase the new device. Up to 5-7 business days from the initial 3-5 business days in less than 3 hours, the Apple Store now reports shipping times of 2-3 weeks.
Same applies for the WiFi + 3G models:
Are you getting an iPad 2 at your local Apple retail store today? Standing in line already? Send us pics: tips[at]macstories.net
Infinity Blade, Dead Space, Real Racing 2 HD: Now With iPad 2 Support
Just in time for the iPad 2 fever that has begun a few hours ago, three of the most popular iOS games have been updated to include optimizations and new features meant specifically for the iPad 2.
First off, Real Racing 2 HD: not an update, but a brand new version of Real Racing HD from Firemint that follows the steps of Real Racing 2 for iPhone to offer 30 licensed cars, career mode, local or online multiplayer. Most of all, Real Racing 2 HD comes with full iPad 2 support out of the box with enhanced graphics and gyroscope integration. You can find it here at $9.99. Read more
Alleged iPhone 5 Design Documents Show Bigger Screen
Update 2: To keep the display of the iPhone one that qualifies as a “Retina Display” whilst increasing the physical size and not the number of pixels, Apple could increase the display up to a size of 3.845-inches (diagonal) before it drops below 300 pixels per inch which as Steve Jobs explained in the iPhone 4 keynote, was the required PPI specification so that the human eye cannot differentiate between individual pixels when looking at a display around 10 or 12 inches away. (Thanks @ianharrier)
Update: MacRumors forum member, ‘Bartboy919’ did some clever comparison on those images to the current iPhone 4 and it seems as though the form factor is exactly the same which would suggest something around a 3.7-inch display rather than the current 3.5-inch display.
In a new purported leak of the iPhone 5’s design, iDealsChina claims to have gotten a hold of engineering diagrams of the iPhone 5, which show a nearly identical design to the iPhone 4 with the exception of a larger screen, potentially one that is 4 inches. The screen seems to take up a larger portion of the front face of the phone and the bezel on the sides of the display is much thinner.
Whilst there are a number of purported leaks of design documents for upcoming Apple device releases, iDealsChina has previously leaked accurate design renderings of the fourth generation iPod Nano and they have also previously claimed to have posted a photo of the iPhone 5’s bezel which correspond with these drawings. Whilst this doesn’t confirm these designs are accurate it does decrease the likelihood that these are fake. Jump the break for another picture of the drawings.
The Time Is Now! iPad 2 Is Online
The iPad 2 has officially launched in the Apple Store for United States shoppers, and if you don’t know why or what you’re getting into, quickly get the rundown from our iPad 2 roundup. It’s available in eighteen different models between white & black, storage capacities, and carrier compatibility, and they’re all up for grabs. Don’t forget about the iPad 2’s must have accessories, including those delicious Smart Covers (which I think are genius), the Apple iPad 2 Dock, the Apple Wireless Keyboard and the AV Digital Connector for HDMI out. Lastly, don’t forget about AppleCare!
Shipping Updates:
- iPad 2s are shipping within 3-5 business days (limit two per order).
- Smart Covers are shipping within 1-2 business days.
- The iPad 2 Dock is shipping within 1-3 weeks.
- Digital AV Adapters are shipping within 1-2 business days.
Apple will recommend a lot of these goodies at checkout. Once you add your iPad to the cart, the most common accessories (recommended for you) should help you checkout with a full basket faster.
If you’re considering some optional upgrades, the Apogee JAM is available as a companion for GarageBand, and will ship within 3-4 weeks.
Update: iPad 2 shipping times in the US are already up to 5-7 business days from 3-5 business days last night.
Get Coding For the iPad 2: CodeBox for Mac Review & Giveaway
You’re going to want to create the best apps for the iPad 2, and I bet you have an arsenal of methods and classes that could all use some proper organizing. CodeBox for the Mac wrangles all of your fancy code so you’ll have those App Store winning formulas available right from your menubar.
iPad & Tablets Bring 200,000 New Subscribers to WSJ
There’s been quite a debate around the implementation of Apple’s new subscription policy for publishers (we’ll see the real consequences in June) and the problems faced by newspapers and magazine apps for the iPad, which most of the time don’t offer anything users couldn’t find already for free online, or in previously released printed formats. The funny thing is, sometimes the digital version costs even more than print, has a clunky purchase and download system and less content than the magazine. Newspapers, on the other hand, offer less news at a slower rate than a website. For this reason publishers have struggled, and Apple hopes to invert the situation with an easy to use subscription system that’s the first step towards a wider adoption of magazines and newspapers for the tablet. But in the meantime, the Wall Street Journal reports some interesting numbers.
The publication announced they added 200,000 new subscribers from tablets like the iPad, Nook, Kindle and Android devices in the past year. Now I’m no WSJ insider, but I guess most of these subscribers come from the popular WSJ iPad app, which is available for free in the App Store and requires a login for paid subscribers.
The 200k figure is a combination of News Corp’s paid subscriber base on all tablet-size devices, including the iPad, Android tablets, the Kindle, and the Nook. In contrast, the print edition currently represents a circulation of approximately 1.6 million.
The company hasn’t provided numbers for smartphones. With the iPad and Kindle being the ideal reading devices for many, lower performances on iPhones and Android devices wouldn’t be a surprise at all. [via Electronista]