First-Gen iPad Prototype With Two Dock Connectors Shows Up On eBay

Patent applications and rumors in the past have pointed to the existence of an iPad with dual dock connectors, and today, via an eBay listing, we know that Apple indeed manufactured such iPad prototypes in a small quantity before the actual launch.

The iPad prototype being auctioned in the eBay listing is a first generation, 16GB, Wi-Fi only model with two dock connectors, one each for portrait and landscape mode. It runs a beta version of iOS 3.2 alongside Apple's software testing suite called "SwitchBoard."

Although Apple intentionally disabled the device and removed its battery, the seller managed to get the prototype working except for the touchscreen. In normal cases this would be a deal breaker, but since this prototype is meant to be a collectors item, it shouldn't matter much.

Since the prototype was manufactured before the specs were finalized, the numbers at the back are nothing but 'X's, and the serial number of the device shows up as invalid on Apple's website. The seller says the prototype was built somewhere around late 2009 or early 2010.

Apple, for good reason, shelved the design, but the choice of docking the iPad in both, portrait and landscape mode would have been nice.

Click on the image above to see the slideshow of all the photos of the first-gen iPad prototype with two dock connectors

You can buy it right now for $10,000 or place a bid above $4,800 and hope that no one's willing to pay more than you. The auction ends in 10 hours. Here's the eBay link.

[via MacRumors]

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Rocky Racoon 5.1.1 Untether Updated to Add Support For Revised iOS 5.1.1 (9B208)

Categories : Absinthe 2.0 Jailbreak, Chronic Dev team, Jailbreak iPad 3 (New iPad), iPad 2, iPad 1, Jailbreak iPhone 4, Jailbreak iPhone 3GS, Jailbreak iPhone 3G, Jailbreak iPhone, Jailbreak iPhone 4S, Jailbreak iPod touch 4G, iPod touch 3G, Rocky Racoon Untether

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Sn0wbreeze 2.9.5 Adds Support For Revised iOS 5.1.1; Includes Location Services Fix For iPhone 3GS

iH8sn0w has also released a new version of Sn0wbreeze (v2.9.5), which adds support for the revised iOS 5.1.1 that was released by Apple for GSM iPhone 4 users.

iH8sn0w has released Sn0wbreeze v2.9.4, which includes suport for iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Apple TV.

In addition to support for the revised iOS 5.1.1, iH8sn0w has also included a fix for location services for iPhone 3GS users (iPad baseband users).

Sn0wbreeze allows users to create custom iOS 5.1.1 firmware file that is pre-jailbroken, which can then be used to upgrade their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to iOS 5.1.1. In case of iPhone, Sn0wbreeze also preserves the baseband from getting upgraded so that it can be unlocked using Ultrasn0w (though Ultrasn0w is not yet compatible with iOS 5.1.1).

Here's what's new in Sn0wbreeze v2.9.5:

Added 5.1.1/9B208 untether payload for the iPhone 4 GSMAdded iPhone 3GS (iPad Baseband users) location services fixSn0wbreeze 2.9.5 supports the following iOS devices running on iOS 5.1.1:iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4iPad 1iPod Touch 3G, iPod Touch 4GApple TV 2iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users who depend on unlocking should use Sn0wbreeze or Redsn0w (whenever Dev team releases it with iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak support) as it preserves the baseband. If you're only after jailbreaking then you could use the Absinthe jailbreak tool as it is easier to use. Users having trouble jailbreaking their iOS device with Absinthe can also try Sn0wbreeze.You can download the latest version Sn0wbreeze, which is available only for Windows users using this link.If you need help with Absinthe 2.0.x, then check out our step-by-step guide to jailbreak your iOS device using Absinthe 2.0.1: As always, let us know how it goes in the comments.

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Analyst: Next-Gen iPhone in October; Apple Television in Early 2013

Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, a long time Apple analyst, is quite bullish on Apple's stock.

Fortune reports that he is predicting that Apple's stock will hit $1000 within the next two years.

Here're his top 10 ideas, which he believes will help Apple's stock, which closed at $562.29 on Friday, to reach $1000.

An aggressive product roadmap. Munster expects a rapid sequence of new products and product updates over the next 12 months, including a new iPhone, new Macs, a new iPad and a TV.A huge iPhone 5 upgrade. He predicts it will happen in October and be, in his words, "the biggest consumer electronics product launch of 2012 as well as the biggest device upgrade cycle in smartphone history."Apple television in 2013. Munster hasn't lost the faith. He expects it to be announced this December and priced between $1,500 and $2,000 for screen sizes ranging from 42" to 55".Carrier subsidies to continue. For at least another 2-3 years. Despite the chatter about reducing the subsidies they pay for the iPhone, carriers like the low churn rates, the fact that the device sells itself and that they don't have to pay Apple a bounty for each sale.40% gross margins. Apple's profit margins are the envy of the tech sector, and Munster expects them to continue for at least three more years."Heart transplant" strategy. This is Apple's strategy of eliminating old products as quickly as possible, streamlining its product line and securing the best component prices possible (which translates to higher margins).China's adoption curve. In the U.S., iPhone sales slowed down 34% in the second quarter of iPhone 4S sales. Munster doesn't think that will happen in China, where the iPhone and iPad are just taking off.Tablets will be bigger than PCs. By 2020, Munster estimates, tablets will be outselling personal computers and the iPad will still dominate the market.Enterprise sales. Apple won't change its spots; it will continue to rely on consumer adoption to drive adoption in the corporate market -- at least for iPhones and iPads. Macs not so much, because unlike Microsoft (MSFT), Apple doesn't support old operating systems until the end of time.The largest registered user base in the tech world. Although Apple runs its services (iTunes, App Store, etc.) at just above break-even, those services make Apple's hardware platforms both very big and very sticky. Once you give Apple your credit card number, you tend to stick around.

You can also check out Gene Munster's interview on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West" back in April, where he claimed that the next generation iPhone will be the mother of all upgrades (unfortunately, it won't work on iOS devices as it needs Flash).

[via Fortune]

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Update on iOS 5.1.1 Untethered Jailbreak For iPad2,4

iPad 2 users probably know by now that Absinthe 2.0.x released few days back by iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak team does not support the $399 iPad 2 Wi-Fi only model (iPad2,4).

The good news is that the jailbreak team is working hard to add support for iPad2,4 to Absinthe 2.0 - the iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak.

iOS hacker - planetbeing tweeted:

Need someone with an iPad2,4, can upload 200 MB quickly, knowledge of FTP. Send screenshot of Absinthe not working for confirmation.

He quickly got a response from a iPad2,4 user.

i have Mac OS and Ubuntu 12.04 on virtual machine can get windows 7 if needed pic.twitter.com/Yg5ELcO6

Now that they have access to the device, it remains to be seen, how much time it will take to add support for iPad2,4 model to Absinthe.As always, we'll let you know if there are any further updates.

Tip: You can follow these simple steps to find out if you own an iPad2,4:

Download the free linpack app from the App Store (direct iTunes link)Launch the app and on the Home screen, it should display your iPad's model number as seen below:

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How Does Samsung’s S Voice Stack Up Against Siri?

In the third iteration of its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S, Samsung has used software along with hardware to differentiate itself from other Android manufacturers, and of course the iPhone. A part of the software suite bundled with the Galaxy S III, Samsung introduced S Voice, a voice assistant just like Siri.

Given that this is a clear response to Apple baking in Siri right into the iPhone 4S, we were curious to know how do the two voice assistants stack up in terms of performance, effectiveness, accuracy and speed.

The Verge's Galaxy S III review has already gone up, which includes a section that has a side by side comparison of Siri and S Voice.

From the review:

Say hello to Siri for Android, as produced by Samsung. If you harbored any doubt as to whether or not Samsung ripped off Apple’s voice assistant, let it go now. That’s not to suggest that Apple invented voice commands on mobile phones — Samsung had the Vlingo-powered Voice Talk on the Galaxy S II — but the look and feel of this application takes so much inspiration from Apple’s effort on the iPhone 4S as to deserve being labelled a clone. Not that any of this matters a great deal — neither Siri nor S Voice is good enough in its present incarnation.

S Voice consistently chews up my words when I try asking it questions, although it works better when instructed to schedule an appointment or set an alarm. It can also be used as an unlocking mechanism once you pre-record a pass phrase. That adds to the face unlocking option that’s native to Android 4.0 in being frustratingly unwieldy and planted firmly within gimmick territory — more than once I was stuck repeating "hello" without any recognition from the phone

Here's the side by side comparison video:

Although there are occasions where one outperforms the other, overall both seem to be average performers with Siri incapable of handling location queries outside the U.S., and S Voice often turning to a Google search for answers. Unfortunately for Samsung, Apple's early entry into this space ensured them a lot of good press surrounding the technology (at least initially).

Head over to this link for more on Siri and S Voice.

See also: Apple responds to Siri lawsuits, tells unsatisfied customers to return their iPhones.

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Over a Million iOS Devices Jailbroken Using Absinthe 2.0

pod2g and the Chronic Dev team released Absinthe 2.0 on Friday, which allows users to jailbreak their iOS devices running iOS 5.1.1. It was also the first jailbreak for the new iPad (3rd generation iPad).

Chronic Dev team has just revealed that more than a 1 million new iOS devices have been jailbroken since Absinthe 2.0 was released.

Chronic Dev team has shared the following numbers:

Some stats since release of #Absinthe - 211,401 jailbroken iPad3's and 973,086 devices newly jailbroken! #JBFTW ! ;D

This means that 1,184,487 new iOS devices were jailbroken using the Absinthe jailbreak in less than 3 days. Earlier in the year, almost a million devices (953,232) were jailbroken in 3 days using the Absinthe jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1 and iOS 5.

The data is based on the query that is sent to saurik's servers when Cydia is launched to get the list of available SHSH blobs for that iOS device.

Have you jailbroken your iOS device using Absinthe? Let us know in the comments.

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