Day four of iPad mania and here it is. You load up your new iPad, which you only got a few days ago and guess what…where’s your files? Your contacts? Your schedule? You’ve fallen victim to the first iPad virus!

Last night, we received an unconfirmed report  from a user who appears to have the first iPad virus. From what we know, this has actually been an iPhone virus infecting an iPad device and the virus has not been developed purposely to hit the iPad. We are investigating this ourselves now and will report further on this when we have more details.

iPad’s iPhone OS

How is this possible anyway? An iPhone virus on the iPad? Well, the iPad actually runs the iPhone’s OS. This gives the iPad the capability to run the thousands of applications that have already been written for the iPhone but it also endangers it into giving virus writers an even bigger platform to write for; as most iPhone viruses will work on the iPad too, and vice versa.

Below are some tips on how to prepare and avoid viruses on your iPad and how to remove a virus if you have it.

How to prepare and avoid getting a virus on your iPad?

Preparation is key as with viruses on all computer platforms. Follow these steps to make sure you do not get a virus and are prepared if you do get one:

1. Regularly back up your data through the iTunes synchronization feature. It can automatically store your contacts, schedule, tasks and other data.

2. Install Apple’s regular firmware updates to your iPad. These updates are essential as they patch holes in the security of the iPhone OS. Again this means syncing your iPad up with iTunes often.

3. Be careful which apps you install. Only install applications you trust and do not install apps or open files from outside the iTunes App Store.

What to do if you have a virus on your iPad?

1. Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes by going to the Apple website and downloading the installation file.

2. Connect your iPad to your computer and open up iTunes.

3. Select your iPad when it appears in iTunes under devices

4. Click on the Summary tab

5. Choose the Restore option

6. iTunes will now ask you if you want to back up your device before restoring it. If you have already backed up your device previously, choose ‘Don’t Back Up‘ otherwise press ‘Back Up‘.

7. In the next windows press the ‘Restore‘ button.

8. Your iPad will now restore itself to factory defaults. After it has completed it will show the Apple logo and start up.

9. After the iPad has booted up it will display a ‘Connect to iTunes’ dialog. This will disappear after it is connected again.

10. From iTunes, a dialog will show to ‘Set Up Your iPad’. Choose to restore the backup (pick the backup file you want) and press ‘Continue‘

11. You now hopefully have a working iPad again with your old data restored. Congratulations and stay safe next time!

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The Apple Tablet has supposedly received future content backing from the New York Times, Wired Magazine, Vogue and GQ (being not just these publications, but these companies as publishers of many more publications), Apple clearly sees the market opportunity here. Users do not like a stand-alone device with one function, such as an e-reader or a PMP. Giving them the ability to work with a device as comprehensive as the potential Apple Tablet on which they can browse the web, write notes, work on spreadsheets and for leisure listen to music, watch movies and read books is a much better solution for mainstream multimedia users.

(Above is solely an artist’s rendering, courtesy of AppleTablet.net)

Specifications

Apat from the content backing news, an industry analyst has previosuly reported to Apple Tablet the possible specification sheet for the Apple Tablet to be launched very soon:

[Update: the iPad has already been launched and actual Apple iPad specifications have been updated]

• Display:
  • 9.6″ widescreen multi-touch display (by WinTek)
  • 1440-by-1050-pixel resolution at 489 ppi
  • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.13GHz
• Memory: DDR2 2 GB @ 667 MHz
• Video: nVidia GeForce 9400M
• Storage: 64 GB flash drive
• Optical drive: Apple SuperDrive with DVD±RW and CD-RW
• Wireless:
  • Integrated Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
  • 3G: HSDPA (through AT&T)
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Location tools:
  • Assisted GPS (aGPS)
  • Digital compass
• Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery (by DynaPak)
• Usage time:
  • Internet: up to 6 hours on 3G
  • Internet: up to 12 hours on Wi-Fi
  • Video playback: up to 12 hours
• Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
• Colors:
  • black with silver or
  • white with silver
• Software:
  • Mac OS X 10.6 with touch-enabled interface
• Price level:
  • $899  USD, 799 EUR

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Steve Jobs is said to be focussing all of his energy and attention on the Apple tablet and may have already shot a TV advert for it. Research analyst Piper Jaffray has calculated that the tablet could grow into a $1.2 billion business in its first year.

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The previous price point was to be expected above $500. Most predictions have set it at around $900.

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According to a survey of over one-thousand professionals active in book publishing, a device by Apple functioning as an e-reader will be the primary factor of driving digital book publishing foward. The survey was executed just before a conference about the future of books in London on December 2.

Over 88% of survey takers belief that book shops will lose out from the growth in digital sales. Just like traditional music stores have done in the past with the growth of online music stores. The high price of e-books is still perceived as a problem for the growth of digital book sales. As buyers do not understand why online versions of the same books have to be just as costly as the prices of actual printed versions.

Back to how the Apple tablet fits in to this picture. With confirmed content backing for the Apple Tablet by the New York Times, Wired Magazine, Vogue and GQ (being not just these publications, but these companies as publishers of many more publications), Apple clearly sees the market opportunity here. Users do not like a stand-alone device with one function, such as an e-reader. Giving them the ability to handle a comprehensive device such as the Apple tablet on which they can browse the web, write notes, work on spreadsheets and for leisure listen to music, watch movies and read books seems like a better solution.

[Via TheBookSeller]

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Apple has officially registered the TabletMac name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. What does this mean for the name of the Apple Tablet? Well, not necessarily a lot. Apple is known to register many different variations to their brand names to avoid competitors releasing products with names that may be confused with Apple’s trademarks. But there is a possibility we have the new name for the Apple tablet right here.

Axiotron, a U.S. company that actually already developed Apple tablets by converting existing Apple MacBooks into so-called Modbooks owned the TabletMac trademark before. The Modbook has been quite succesful and for this reason, many supposed photos of the Apple tablet were actually Modbooks in action. The trademark was registered by Apple in November 2008 and was transferred from Axiotron to Apple in the last few months.

Do you like the idea of your tablet being called a TabletMac? Do you think it fits with the entire name line up of Apple? MacBook, iPhone and TabletMac? Tell us in the comments.

[Via MacRumors]

Via

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Back in 2007, HTC already offered a wide-array of smartphones that offered nearly identical functionality to Apple’s iPhone, albeit lacking a smooth interface. This did not stop Apple from revolutionizing the industry in this segment. With their focus on aesthetics, build quality and a superior interface experience, they won over a 30% market share in the United States alone.

It is a unique moment in time where the cost of parts is low and consumers are ready. The costs are low because suppliers have already experienced a huge demand for touchscreen parts for use in smartphones and are able to produce them now quite well. However smartphone screens are at most 5 inches in diagonal. Suppliers are therefore ready to try larger sizes such as 10 or more inches (the size rumored for the upcoming Apple tablet). In addition consumers are also ready. They have experienced touch interfaces on their smartphones and especially on the iPhone. Everybody knows it and everybody has played with it, or even owns it.

This unique combination will pave the way for tablets in 2010 and making it therefore the year where the tablet computer became a household device.

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Hewlett-Packard has released its DreamScreen five months before Apple’s tablet is supposed to. The interwebs is going crazy about this DreamScreen. But should Apple be worried? Let’s compare the two.

• Display:
  • Apple tablet: 9.6″ widescreen multi-touch display (by WinTek)
  • HP Dreamscreen: 13.3″ widecsreen non-touch display
  • Apple tablet: 1440-by-1050-pixel resolution at 489 pp
  • HP Dreamscreen: 800-by-480 pixel resolution at 270 pp
  • Apple tablet: Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
  • HP Dreamscreen: Gloss coating, attracts fingerprints
• Processor:
  • Apple tablet: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.13GHz
  • HP Dreamscreen: ARM-based processor
• Memory:
  • Apple tablet: DDR2 2 GB @ 667 MHz
  • HP Dreamscreen: see storage
• Video:
  • Apple tablet: nVidia GeForce 9400M
• Storage:
  • Apple tablet: 64 GB flash drive
  • HP Dreamscreen: 2 GB (1.5 GB usable) flash drive
• Optical drive:
  • Apple tablet: Apple SuperDrive with DVD±RW and CD-RW
  • HP Dreamscreen: None
• Wireless:
  • Apple tablet: Integrated Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
  • HP Dreamscreen: Intergrated Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
  • Apple tablet: 3G: HSDPA (through AT&T)
  • HP Dreamscreen: No 3G
  • Apple tablet: Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
  • HP Dreamscreen: No Bluetooth
• Location tools:
  • Apple tablet: Assisted GPS (aGPS)
  • HP Dreamscreen: No GPS
  • Apple tablet: Digital compass
  • HP Dreamscreen: No compass
• Battery:
  • Apple tablet: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery (by DynaPak)
  • HP Dreamscreen: No battery, powered only by cable
• Usage time:
  • Apple tablet: Internet: up to 6 hours on 3G
  • HP Dreamscreen: Infinite
  • Apple tablet: Internet: up to 12 hours on Wi-Fi
  • HP Dreamscreen: Infinite
  • Apple tablet: Video playback: up to 12 hours
  • HP Dreamscreen: Infinite
• Sensors:
  • Apple tablet: Accelerometer
  • HP Dreamscreen: None
  • Apple tablet: Proximity sensor
  • HP Dreamscreen: None
  • Apple tablet: Ambient light sensor
  • HP Dreamscreen: None
• Colors:
  • Apple tablet: black with silver or white with silver
  • HP Dreamscreen: Black
• Software:
  • Apple tablet: Mac OS X 10.6 with touch-enabled interface
• Price level:
  • Apple tablet: $899 USD, 799 EUR

Do they compare? Not at all. It’s an internet hype! The DreamScreen is nto a contender for the Apple tablet, nor will it ever be. It’s not even a tablet!

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The rumored Apple tablet is due for a February 2010 release date. Previous accounts also reported a release date in 2010. This time the information comes from a newspaper in Taiwan According to Tawian’s Economic News, Apple will be receiving parts from suppliers in December and it will then start assembling the first batch of devices for shipment in February. Mentioned is a long-lasting battery from DynaPack, it expects to make around 300,000 batteries a month for Apple. This number translates into the expected number of tablets on the market in the first months.

The newspaper also mentions some new specifications:

• ARM-processor from Apple-acquired PA Semi
• A 3G HSDPA connection through AT&T’s network
• Long-lasting battery (up to 10 hours) from DynaPack
• Price between $799 and $999

The touchscreens for the iPhone and iPod are produced by WinTek. This supplier is said to be supplying Apple with the tablet screens.

See the full updated Apple tablet specifications for more information:

• Display:
  • 9.6″ widescreen multi-touch display (by WinTek)
  • 1440-by-1050-pixel resolution at 489 ppi
  • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.13GHz
• Memory: DDR2 2 GB @ 667 MHz
• Video: nVidia GeForce 9400M
• Storage: 64 GB flash drive
• Optical drive: Apple SuperDrive with DVD±RW and CD-RW
• Wireless:
  • Integrated Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
  • 3G: HSDPA (through AT&T)
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Location tools:
  • Assisted GPS (aGPS)
  • Digital compass
• Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery (by DynaPak)
• Usage time:
  • Internet: up to 6 hours on 3G
  • Internet: up to 12 hours on Wi-Fi
  • Video playback: up to 12 hours
• Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity sensor
  • Ambient light sensor
• Colors:
  • black with silver or
  • white with silver
• Software:
  • Mac OS X 10.6 with touch-enabled interface
• Price level:
  • $899 USD, 799 EUR

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The Amazon Kindle e-book reader will be out of the market in a bang when Apple introduces the Apple Tablet (or iPad), says Steve Jobs.

The Apple Tablet will be a touchscreen MacBook used for functions as broad as browsing the web, watching movies, writing notes, playing games, and now it becomes interesting: as a device to read e-books on.

In an interview with the New York Times yesterday, Steve Jobs has hinted pretty strongly at Apple’s plans for the future. He criticizes Amazon’s Kindle strongly and continues to state that if there will be a device like the Kindle from Apple, it will be a multi-purpose device. Such as a tablet computer. Additionally he states that Apple does not see e-books as a market to move into at this point due to lack of scale.

It’s a good point. Why would a person on the move want to hold his mobile phone, media player, (touchscreen) laptop, also his e-book reader. It’s not realistic. The e-book reader is for a different kind of market. Avid book readers that stay at home, not mainstream multi-purpose media consumers.

“I’m sure there will always be dedicated devices, and they may have a few advantages in doing just one thing. But I think the general-purpose devices will win the day. Because I think people just probably aren’t willing to pay for a dedicated device.”, Steve said.

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