Bites from the Apple: iPad Gets Official Release Date

Apple officially announced today that the iPad will be available for sale starting on April 3--about a week later than its promised delivery back at its unveiling--with pre-orders to starting next Friday (March 12). Well, that's April 3 for the Wi-Fi edition of the iPad, with the 3G version becoming available by the end of April. TUAW also notes that the iBooks e-reader app (with attendant iBookstore) will be available as a free download from the App Store starting on April 3, with the iWork apps for the iPad to follow shortly thereafter.

Stuff.tv has hoovered up a video of Penguin and Dorling Kindersley book publishers showing off the interactive potential of the iPad--from basic kids' books (which I'm really looking forward to) to travel books (could really use that Paris title on an iPad for an upcoming trip) to a GPS-enabled book on the stars that tracks your location and provides real-time star positioning:

In other semi-related iPad news, books are now the largest category in Apple's App Store (beating out games) and AppleInsider reports the iPad has supplanted Amazon's Kindle as first choice for likely e-reader buyers.

• Who says the iPhone doesn't multitask? Well, a number of folks. But with the 2010 version of MLB At Bat iPhone app, TUAW reports that the app's developers have exploited a trick (previously used by ESPN Radio) that allows a modicum of multitasking. In the app, you can select to push an audio stream through the Mobile Safari Web browser--enabling you to open other Mobile Safari windows and surf, check email, etc.

• Chatting with Dan Frommer over at Silicon Alley Insider, Apple COO Tim Cook says that its Apple TV set-top box "hobby" hada 35% bump in year-over-year sales last year (without giving specifics).

• In other Apple TV-related news, the ATV Flash bundle of Apple TV workarounds has just released a new version (4.1) with expanded support for 5.1-channel surround sound audio from a wider selection of video file formats (via MacNN). I bought and installed ATV around the holidays, and it's made my Apple TV so much more useful. Wonder if the uptick in Apple TV sales has had anything to do with its hackability?

• CNet reports that Apple is now trying to convince movie studios to allow iTunes users to access video purchases on Internet-connected mobile devices from cloud-based storage, which comes a month after it was reported that Apple tried the same sales job on major record companies. AppleInsider reminds us that they originally reported on this Apple initiative when it was being developed with the iTunes Replay name.

• The new iLuv Vibe Plus (available for pre-order) offers a new twist on the standard alarm clock-style iPhone/iPod dock--an included mouse-like bed shaker that you can place under a pillow to vibrate for waking. It also includes a speaker and volume control (via Gizmodo).

• MacHeist is at it again, bundling 7 applications for the Mac that would normally go for a total price of $260 for just $20. This second nanoBundle includes the RipIt DVD ripper, the RapidWeaver Web site create and the MacJournal blogging/journaling tool. It's available through March 10, and as a bonus MacHeist is donating a quarter of the purchase price to your choice of charity (from a pre-selected list 11 charities).

• Wondering we haven's seen any Core i7-powered MacBook Pros yet while Windows 7-based PCs have been touting that processor since January? Seth Weintraub over at 9to5Mac has a few thoughts, which center on operability issues between the Intel processor and Nvidia graphics cards as well as Apple's entry into the processor chip business with its A4 chip for the iPad.

• And finally... an Apple-ized version of the awesome Old Spice ad shown during the Super Bowl via Cult of Mac (for more on how the original one-take ad was made, check out Leo Laporte TWIT interview the two ad guys behind it):

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

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