10.2-Inch iPad Said to Launch in the Fall as Successor to 9.7-Inch iPad

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Apple is widely expected to release a new 10.2-inch iPad later this year as a replacement for its $329 entry-level 9.7-inch iPad, and hit-or-miss Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes has now added its weight to this rumor, claiming that the tablet will be released in the "late third quarter."


If accurate, that timeframe means the 10.2-inch iPad would be released by the end of September, suggesting that the device might be unveiled alongside new iPhones at Apple's usual September event.

iPad releases in the fall have typically occurred in October, including in 2012 through 2014 and again in 2018. September would not be totally out of the ordinary, however, as Apple unveiled the original iPad Pro and the iPad mini 4 at its September 2015 event without hosting an October event that year.

It's worth noting that DigiTimes has a rather unreliable track record as it relates to the timing of new Apple products. This week alone, for example, the website published one report saying the 16-inch MacBook Pro will be released in September and another saying the notebook will launch in October.

Multiple sources have outlined expectations for a new 10.2-inch iPad, including reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and the previously-reliable mystery Twitter account CoinX. Apple has also filed several unreleased iPad models running iPadOS 13 in a Eurasian regulatory database, as legally required.

The 10.2-inch iPad would have a modestly larger display than the 9.7-inch iPad, possibly in tandem with narrower bezels.

A reasonable assumption would be that Apple will unveil new iPhones and Apple Watches in September and save the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro, 10.2-inch iPad, and iPad Pro refresh for October, but Apple could always break with tradition.

Related Roundup: iPad

Tag: digitimes.com

Buyer's Guide: iPad (Caution)

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Nanoleaf Canvas Squares Now Support 'Touch Actions' to Activate HomeKit Scenes

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Nanoleaf today introduced a useful new capability for its Nanoleaf Canvas Smarter Kit, allowing individual Canvas squares to serve as touch controls to activate HomeKit scenes.

For those unfamiliar with the Nanoleaf Canvas, it's a set of light-up panels that attach to the wall or the ceiling, providing accent lighting. The Canvas tiles are touch-compatible and support different touch gestures, which is what enables this new feature.


Touch Actions lets a Canvas light square double as a smart button to activate different HomeKit scenes, such as turning off the lights or getting a bedtime scene ready. Three actions are available for each of the squares, including a single press, double press, and long press.


More than one button can have scenes assigned, so the Nanoleaf Canvas can double as a control panel for all of your HomeKit scenes.


Setting up Touch Actions requires a Home Hub for HomeKit, which can be an Apple TV, a HomePod, or an iPad. Scenes need to be set up, and from there, you can turn Canvas panels into buttons by opening up the Nanoleaf app, selecting My Devices, choosing the Canvas, tapping the gear icon for more settings, and then selecting Touch Actions. It's a little bit complicated, but Nanoleaf has created a tutorial video.


Touch Actions are available today following a firmware update for the Nanoleaf Canvas. The Nanoleaf Canvas can be purchased from the Nanoleaf website starting at $119.99.

Tag: Nanoleaf

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Chrome 76 arrives with sneaky Incognito tweak, PWA updates, Dark Mode tools and more

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'Mac Book' Recommends Surface Laptop 2 in New Microsoft Ad

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Microsoft has come out with a new marketing campaign that features a man called Mackenzie Book (read: Mac Book) explaining why a Surface Laptop 2 is a better option than an Apple MacBook, in his humble opinion.


The 30-second ad consists of a quick-fire Q&A session between a voiceover narrator and the man-Mac himself, who proceeds to explain why he thinks the Microsoft machine beats Apple's notebook in various departments.

"So Mac, which laptop lasts longer?" the narrator asks.

"Surface laptop lasts longer," Book responds.

The actor's answers are accompanied by the text "Mac Book says Surface laptop ... [lasts longer / is faster / has a better touchscreen.]" The latter response is qualified by the narrator with the remark "Oh right, because MacBooks don't have touchscreens."

The ad ends with two thumbs up from Mr Book and his recommendation: "You should get a Surface. Trust me, I'm Mac Book." His sign-off is followed by the tagline, "Mac Book says get a Surface Laptop."

Microsoft and Apple have often taken aim at each other over the years with jokey Mac vs. PC ads. From 2006 to 2009, Justin Long played a Mac computer in Apple's "Get a Mac" campaign, alongside John Hodgman, who played a PC.

The commercials always started out with the tagline "Hello, I'm a Mac," and were some of Apple's most iconic ads, featuring Long as the cool, casual Mac and Hodgman as a stuffy PC in a suit and tie.

However, Microsoft's latest effort is a decidedly left-field take on the man/Mac concept.


Last year, Microsoft released a holiday ad promoting its Surface Go over Apple's iPad, using the tagline "Big dreams need a real computer."

Microsoft's 2018 ad was aimed at Apple's own "What's a Computer?" ad campaign, which began in 2016 and showed off some things that the iPad Pro can do as a replacement to a traditional laptop computer.

Microsoft released the Surface Laptop 2 in October 2018 and is expected to launch refreshed Surface Pro and Surface Book models later this year.

Tag: Microsoft

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Google Overtakes Apple to Become Most Cash-Rich Company

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Google parent company Alphabet has overtaken Apple to become the world's most cash-rich company, reports The Financial Times this morning.


According to the FT, Apple’s cash hoard has fallen to $102 billion, down from a peak of $163 billion at the end of 2017. Meanwhile, Alphabet's $117 billion cash reserve has risen by almost $20 billion over the same period.

However, as FT notes, Alphabet's new title as "king of cash" may be somewhat of a poisoned chalice, as it could antagonize investors who would rather see the cash being used to reward shareholders with buybacks or dividends.

The leadership switch is said to be a result of Apple's own efforts to reduce its liquidity, by taking advantage of US tax reforms to repatriate overseas reserves and pay out to investors. The company has spent $122 billion on buying back stock and paying dividends in the past 18 months.

Alphabet's stock buybacks, by contrast, have been paltry. In the nearly four years since it began repurchasing its own stock, it has spent an average of only $1.7bn a quarter.

In that time, it has handed out more new shares in the form of employee stock benefits than it has bought back through its repurchase programme. As a result, the payments have done nothing to lift its earnings per share — the reason investors generally welcome buybacks.

Alphabet's new cash-rich status also comes at a time when it is under more intensive scrutiny than ever before. Google and its parent company have received over $9 billion in antitrust fines by the EU in the past two years. It is now facing a new antitrust investigation by the Justice Department.

Alphabet's cash reserves have actually increased despite the parent company's heavy investment in real estate for new office builds and data centers, which will form part of the infrastructure supporting Google's increasing AI endeavors.

In terms of most valuable company on the planet, Apple has been overtaken by both Amazon and Microsoft, with the latter now taking that particular crown. Microsoft is now worth nearly $1.1 trillion, after soaring on the back of optimism about its cloud business.

Tag: Google

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Vivo Z5 with Snapdragon 712 SoC, 48MP Triple Camera Setup Launched in China: Price, Specifications

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The best iPhone XS deals of August 2019

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Here's where to get the best price on the iPhone XS on contract or SIM-free for right now.

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