If DigiTimes sources are correct, Apple will reveal two new iPads at iWorld 2012-- a high-end version and mid-range model, both featuring 9.7" displays with QXGA (1536x2048) resolutions.

The iPad 2 will remain on the market as the low-end option competing directly (price-wise) with the Kindle Fire and its ilk. Previous rumours insisted Apple was to make a smaller, 7" device.

The high-end iPad will apparently carry a quad-core A6 processor, 14000mAh battery (nearly twice in capacity of the iPad Continue reading...

Analysts might describe 2011 as year of the tablet, with forecasts predicting further growth for a device category most vendors dismissed before 2010. But one can also say 2011 was a very hard year for all tablets that weren't iPads...

Apple launched the iPad 2 on March-- and while the device was more of an lighter and thinner evolution than an outright revolution, it still sold an estimated 500000 on its first weekend in the US.

In the meantime, other vendors scrambled to launch the competition. Google optimised Android for tablet use with Honeycomb, which found use in the Motorola Xoom (the first tablet to run the OS), the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (more about that later) and the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, the first tablet using Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 processor.

Microsoft launches the Mobile Keyboard 500-- a full-size Bluetooth keyboard aiming for use with mobile devices, especially tablets.

It has a comfort curve curve design, encouraging natural posture by placing arms and wrist at a more natural position, and is only 1.6cm thick and 35cm wide (a little wider than the standard notebook). The colour is matte black with a white underside.

It works with any device with Bluetooth connectivity, including most Android tablets and the iPad-- and a driver even Continue reading...

by Catriona Campbell, Founder, Foviance

The experience of shopping with a tablet PC is much less satisfying than with your desktop computer. Although the iPad reinvented the tablet computer, unfortunately it appears that the actual surfing experience does not live up to expectations. In a survey of nearly 5,000 people undertaken by Foviance, a global Customer Experience consultancy, it’s clear that the customer experience of tablet computing is relatively poor – customers are up to 18% less happy with their tablet experience compared to their desktop PCs.

The study, which looked at what customers thought of customer experience in the retail, banking, travel and mobile phone markets in the 2nd Annual Customer Experience survey, commissioned by Foviance in association with Econsultancy.

Whilst companies are rushing to create apps on Apple, Android and Nokia stores it seems that they are not delivering for customers. The Apple store now has more than 200,000 apps, far more choice than the 40,000 products in a branch of Tesco but apps are not delivering the experience of their full-blown desktop cousins.