Apple recalling some Verizon iPad 2 tablets

Apple Inc is recalling some of its iPad2 tablets that is designed to run on Verizon's network for connectivity issues.

"Duplicate MEID codes were flashed onto an extremely small number of iPad units for the Verizon 3G network," an Apple spokeswoman has said.

MEID, which stands for mobile equipment identifier, is a unique number that is used to identify a mobile device when it connects to the network. Two devices cannot have the same MEID code.

Apple is replacing the affected units that were already sold with new ones.

Apple iPad 2 Competitors at a glance

The Apple iPad 2, announced March 2, is hitting shelves March 11 with the updated iOS 4.3, a year after the April 2010 original iPad was released. Both the iPad 2 hardware and software updates promise users a better overall user experience.

New iPad 2 Features, Old iPad Pricing
The iPad 2 offers HDMI mirroring, FaceTime Chat, advanced browsing, and iTunes Home Sharing, one front facing and one rear facing camera-finally-but still no flash. iPad 2 also has an in-the-box "extra," a USB Dock Connector; the original iPad did not offer these features. iPad 2 comes with the improved Apple A5 processor, and its battery will still last about 10 hours. However, the iPad 2 uses the same 9.7-inch screen and 1024-pixel by 768-pixel resolution as the original, so the iPhone's retina display technology is not included.

The iPad 2 sells at original iPad prices, from $499 to $699 for Wi-Fi, but the Wi-Fi + 3G versions cost $130 more per unit, and storage has not changed. The Wi-Fi + 3G CDMA version will sell in the U.S. at Verizon only; otherwise, all versions will be available at AT&T and Verizon. Here is a sneak peak at the competitors.

Motorola ZOOM Tablet PC:
The Motorola XOOM runs the newest Android OS, Honeycomb 3.0, features a 10.1-inch screen, 1200-pixel by 800-pixel resolution, true multitasking, and a 16:9 widescreen HD display. In comparison, the iPad 2 only allows some multitasking in the background and its resolution equates to a ratio of 4:3. The XOOM is one of the only tablets of this size that has a battery lasting as long as the iPad 2 at 10 hours.

Xoom also offers two cameras, and LED flash; a Micro USB port and an HDMI out connector are standard, while a Tegra 2 Dual Core CPU powers the device. The Motorola XOOM debuted at the 2011 CES, where it took home the "Best of Show" award for its intriguing design and features, making it a great iPad 2 competitor. The XOOM is available from Verizon for $800 or $600 with a two-year contract; not much different from the iPad 2 models offering half the features.

T-Mobile LG G-Slate:
This LG G-Slate, announced at the 2011 CES, is another Android Honeycomb 3.0 tablet, this time from T-Mobile. Even though the G-Slate only offers an 8.9-inch touchscreen display, it makes up for it by offering a 3D experience. The G-Slate features not two, but three cameras; two cameras are rear facing, one for use with video, and the other for stills and LED flash for both, and one front facing camera for chat. The tablet also allows HDMI out for 1080p compatible video natively; something the iPad 2 is still has not gotten right just yet. A Dual core Tegra 2 processor powers the tablet, while it is available in either a 32 GB or 64 GB version, all of which include Google Mobile apps such as Google Maps, Talk, and Video. It will be available from T-Mobile, but prices are not yet public.

ASUS Eee Slate EP121 Tablet PC:
The ASUS Eee Slate Tablet PC offers more features than iPad 2 does. It runs the desktop Microsoft Windows 7 version, powered by an Intel Core i5 CPU and Intel-based HD graphics system. The Eee Slate has a huge 12.1-inch, 1280-pixel by 800-pixel resolution display, a full 2.3-inches larger than the iPad 2. Eee Slate has dual card reader compatible with SD and MMC, two built-in USB ports, a mini HDMI out port, a Bluetooth Keyboard, and a Pen Stylus. While a tad expensive, the extra features are worth the $999.

Worth watching for Apple
Even though iPad 2 is may become as popular as the original, Apple should worry about competitors, since iPad 2 is still missing features included on other tablet PC models that debuted at the 2011 CES in Jan. 2011. With Android in second place ahead of Apple in platform market share, iOS 4.3 also needs more than "faster browsing," if it hopes to compete. The standard features of these tablets are nowhere to be seen on an iPad 2, and prices are comparable.

Samsung working to improve Galaxy Tab

Apple CEO Steve Jobs called out Samsung and its Galaxy Tab during his keynote address, citing sales figures that put the Galaxy Tab at about 2 million shipped units and using a quote from Samsung VP Lee Young-hee that seemed to concede that few Galaxies actually made it into customers’ hands.

That quote from Young-hee has been widely determined to be wrong. He actually said “smooth” but reporters heard it as “small,” and since then the quote has been corrected. Jobs engaged in some revisionist history during the iPad 2 keynote in other areas, too - he noted that the iPad 2 would be the first tablet with a dual-core processor to ship “in volume,” while the Dell Streak and the Motorola Xoom, both have dual-core processors and both have been shipping pretty high numbers. And that “greater than 90 percent market share” bullet point would be wrong, as well.

As for comparison of price points between the iPad 2 and other tablets on the market, Apple’s not being exactly forthright, either. Taking a look at hardware, though, the Xoom packs better components: a stronger processor, better cameras, 4G support and probably more RAM. Comparatively, that extra power puts the Xoom on good terms with the iPad 2 as far as price point - it’s the other peripheral areas, like app support, where Apple has the edge.

Despite playing a little fast and loose with exactly what “facts” about the tablet market Jobs was sharing at the iPad 2 announcement, other tablet manufacturers are still sitting up and taking notice. According to Ars Technica, Samsung is looking at the improvements the iPad 2 is bringing to the market, and working to adjust things about the Galaxy Tab it feels are “inadequate.”
Samsung’s mobile division executive vice president, Lee Don-joo, mentioned this week that Samsung might be considering a new price point for the incoming 10-inch Galaxy Tab, which was set to be higher than the original Galaxy Tab.

“The 10-inch (tablet) was to be priced higher than the seven-inch but we will have to think that over,” Don-joo said. Pocket Gamer reports the 10-inch tablet was aiming at a price point of just under $900 - way higher than even the most expensive iPad model.

Don-joo also commented about the size of the iPad 2. “They made it very thin,” he said, which suggests that thickness is a concern for Samsung as well as for Apple. The iPad 2, at 8.8 millimeters, slips under the Galaxy Tab 10.1’s 10.9mm. The 10.9mm measure was thinner than the original iPad, but still leaves Samsung outpaced by Apple.

Whether these changes to the iPad 2 will really affect the next iteration of the Galaxy Tab isn’t clear and Samsung hasn’t said what, if anything, it might do. A change to pricing seems like a smart decision, but as for attempting to redesign the tab ahead of launch, even subtly, it’s probably not something potential buyers should expect to see.

Samsung and other Android tab makers would probably have better success pointing to the real benefits of their products over the iPad 2 - specifically, the kinds of specs that can outpace the dominant device, like processing power and 4G LTE support. Apple isn’t the only company that can make claims about others’ products, and in a lot of cases, the truth is on Jobs’ competitors’ side.

Apple unveils iPad 2, slimmer version of iPad

Apple has finally unveiled a slimmer, trimmer version of the wildly popular version of iPad, complete with a front facing camera for vedio chat and a souped-up processor.

The new iPad 2 took the spotlight during a press event at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, with none other than Apple CEO Steve Jobs - who is still on medical leave, taking the stage to unveil the much-anticipated follow-up to the best-selling original.

The "dramatically faster" iPad 2 boasts a dual-core A5 "system on a chip" processor under the hood, said Jobs, good for twice the CPU power and nine times the graphics performance of the original while maintaining the same 10-hour battery life.

Also new are, dual cameras, including a front-facing camera for VGA-quality video chat, while the rear camera will be good for 720p video capture.

As predicted, the 9.7-inch display on the iPad 2 has the same resolution as that on the original: 1,024 by 768, disappointing news for anyone hoping that the new iPad would boast an improved "retina"-style display.

Measuring 9.5 by 7.3 by 0.34 inches, the iPad 2 is slightly shorter and narrower than the original, with the listed weight of 1.33 pounds (or 1.35 for the 3G-enabled iPad 2) a bit lighter than the iPad 1.

As with the first iPad, the iPad 2 comes with Apple's proprietary 30-pin dock connector for syncing and charging, along with a 3.5mm headset jack. Missing in action, is a slot for SD (or microSD) memory cards.

A white version of the iPad will be available on "Day One," promised Jobs, with Apple probably hoping to avoid last year's debacle of the white iPhone that never quite arrived.

The iPad 2 retains the same price points as the original: $499 for the 16GB version, $599 for the 32GB model, and $699 for the 64GB model. The 3G-enabled versions will also come with the same $130 premium over the Wi-Fi-only models ($629 for the 3G-ready 16GB iPad 2, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for the 64GB version), and they'll be available for both AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

The shipping date is expected to be March 11 in the U.S., and March 25 in 26 additional countries.

Jobs also announced a new "Smart Cover" to go along with the iPad 2 - one with magnetic clasps that either wakes up the iPad or puts it to sleep depending on whether it's being attached or removed. The polyurethane version of the case will sell for $39, while a pricier leather one goes for $69.

Another new accessory is a $39 HDMI video-out cable that's capable of 1080p video mirroring. The cable works with all iPad apps, Jobs said, and it'll charge your iPad when plugged into a power source.

March 11 will also see the release of iOS version 4.3, with new features such as personal hotspot support for the iPhone 4, a speedier version of Safari, improvements to AirPlay media streaming, and FaceTime video chat, but the iOS 4.3 release on the 11th will only be for iPads, third- and fourth-generation iPod Touches, and the GSM version of the iPhone - meaning that owners of the iPhone for Verizon, which runs a CDMA network, will have to wait.

There will also be a new iPad version of Apple's iMovie video-editing app, which is slated to arrive March 11 for $4.99.

Before unveiling the new iPad, Jobs confirmed recent rumors that book publisher Random House, the last of the major iBooks holdouts, would be offering more than 17,000 volumes through Apple's e-book store.

Jobs also took a shot at Honeycomb, Google's new Android-based tablet OS, by bragging that only 100 Honeycomb-ready apps are currently available for download, versus about 65,000 apps for the iPad - perhaps not the fairest comparison, since the first Honeycomb-enabled tablet only landed in stores about a week ago.

The first iPad, originally unveiled last January before landing in stores the following April, was initially greeted with skepticism.

Unsurprisingly, the massive success of the iPad has drawn a slew of competitors, with sleek new tablets from the likes of Dell, HP, LG, Motorola, and Samsung either on sale now or waiting in the wings.

Most of the hottest new tablets, such as the Motorola Xoom and the upcoming LG G-Slate, are based on Google's tablet-oriented Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" OS, although we'll also see some non-Android tablets as HP's WebOS-based TouchPad and the BlackBerry PlayBook from RIM.