When Apple introduced the 7.9-inch tablet, it mentioned no availability date, but since then numerous reports have been highlighting severe supply constraints due to Retina display manufacturing issues at Sharp, the main supplier of panels for the iPad mini.

Early in the morning, however, Apple published a press release highlighting the incredible consumer response for the iPad Air.

“The response to iPad Air has been incredible, and we’re excited for customers to experience the new iPad mini with Retina display,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We think customers will love both of these thin, light, powerful new iPads, and we’re working hard to get as many as we can in the hands of our customers.”

Although the Retina iPad mini is currently only available in the online store – ships in 3 business days – the press release notes that the device will be available through the in-store Personal Pickup mechanism, which allows customers to check stocks at their local Apple retail store, buy one online, and then pick it up personally. We must note though, that the system is not active yet, but we can assume it will be when the stores have the iPad mini with Retina display in stock.

The Retina iPad mini starts at $419 for the 16GB WiFi only model and goes up to $849 for the 128 GB Cellular +Wi-Fi model. The Wi-Fi-only models are currently available to ship in 1–3 business days, and the Cellular models in 5–10 business days.

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Prices for the iPad Air start at $519 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular model in 16GB starts at $649. Storage sizes will come in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities. You can check out the prices below:

Apple resellers such as Future Shop, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and London Drugs will also sell the iPad Air at launch, with some stores opening at 8AM. The Retina iPad mini will launch later in “November”.

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The app is free to try out. You can download it here from the App Store for free.

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KEY FEATURES
-WATCH 51 films by Norman McLaren.
-WATCH 11 short documentaries on Norman McLaren and his work.
-WATCH LATER – Store films for up to 48 hours of off-line viewing.
-MAKE YOUR OWN ANIMATION with the PAPER CUT-OUTS Workshop.
-DRAW DIRECTLY ONTO FILM FRAMES with the SCRATCH ON FILM Workshop.
-CREATE A MOVIE & SOUNDTRACK with the SYTHETIC SOUND Workshop.
-READ an exclusive essay on McLaren’s works by Don McWilliams.
-DISCOVER McLaren’s complete illustrated biography.

The app is completely free and in-app purchases such as the Scratch on Film and Synthetic Sound Workshop ($2.99 each) allow users to get interactive and hands on with the film.

“The NFB continues to break new ground,” says Tom Perlmutter, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada. “Staying true to McLaren’s creative spirit, this original app presents an exciting new challenge to artists who want to see how they measure up against the great master. It also gives a wider audience the chance to tell their stories as they explore the techniques McLaren invented. And for the first time, we’re launching a free app with the option to purchase other features—a way of ensuring maximum access to our innovations while testing new business models.”

Check out the trailer for the app below:

Click here to download McLaren’s Workshop for iPad–it’s free. Let us know how you like this!

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The iPad Suede Jacket with pocket ($25) is made out of a soft and durable material WaterField Designs calls Ultrasuede. It essentially stretches to fit your iPad very snugly, probably better than any other sleeve out there. 

There are two handles along the top sides to stretch the sleeve to insert your iPad and another at the very bottom helps you remove the sleeve. There’s also a pocket on the outside to hold your headphones or a USB cable, but not much more.

I was able to easily insert and remove my third generation iPad with Smart Cover from the iPad Suede Jacket with ease. The bottom handle makes it easy to remove the sleeve. It’s an incredibly snug fit and would be the smart way to protect your iPad if you throw in into your bag or briefcase often. It also fits perfectly in the back zippered pocket of my WaterField Designs CitySlicker MacBook Air case.

Would the iPad Suede Jacket protect my iPad from a drop? It might prevent scratches but its purpose is not for drop protection. 

Another bonus is the sleeve can be used to clean your iPad screen, plus conceal the fact you’re holding and iPad too. Can you tell from the picture below that I’m holding an iPad?

You can learn more about the WaterField Designs iPad Suede Jacket here–prices range from $19-25, depending on model. There are different versions to accommodate the iPad or iPad mini with or without a Smart Cover. If you want minimal and lightweight protection for your iPad, definitely consider this thin and durable sleeve jacket from WaterField Designs.

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You can check out the new Yahoo! Mail app here from the App Store.

Check out the video below:

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Turns out, the owner of the iPad forgot it on top of his car and kept driving. The tablet did not fly off until he drove in front of Alexa, which the iPad then sliced into the car’s bumper. The iPad was jammed in so tight Alexa’s father had to use a hammer to remove it.

Surprisingly, the iPad still worked. The owner had activated ‘Find my iPhone’ and pushed his contact details to the device, which allowed Alexa to return the tablet to its owner.

Check out the full news story below (WSBTV Flash video):

Seriously folks, watch out for flying iPads when you’re on the road.

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Here are some excerpts, originally posted from a collection of quotes via iPad naysayers from three years ago (via Asymco). Some of these are pretty juicy gems:

Mika Majapuro, Worldwide Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Lenovo, 22 February 2010

“We of course build plastic mock-ups that we show (to customers)…we had a slate form factor. The feedback was that for (our) customers it will not work because of the need to have (a physical) keyboard. These were 14-year-old kids, who, I thought, would be most willing to try a virtual keyboard but they said no, we want the physical keyboard.”

Dvorak, MarketWatch, 12 February 2010

“The Apple iPad is not going to be the company’s next runaway best seller.” John

Bill Gates, Microsoft, 10 February 2010

“It’s a nice reader, but there’s nothing on the iPad I look at and say, ‘Oh, I wish Microsoft had done it.’”

Satoru Iwata, President, Nintendo, 29 January 2010

“It was a bigger iPod Touch. I question whether those features would be enough to get people to buy new machines.”

Bianca Bosker, Huffington Post, 29 January 2010

“9 Worst Things About The Apple Tablet:
1. No Flash
2. Its screen
3. Its price
4. Closed App Store
5. Its name
6. No multitasking
7. No camera
8. No USB
9. AT&T deal

How are you liking the iPad three years later?

[via Daring Fireball]

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There are three races for you to choose from, and each have their own unique set of towers. That being the case, the races are still well balanced, so you won’t gain an advantage by using one race over another. However, no matter which one you pick you’re always sending the same monsters.

The branching maps are particularly interesting. While most tower defense games have all enemies following a single path, Stratosphere sends a unit down each path. So on a map with three paths, each time you buy a unit three will appear, and one will advance down each path.

Stratosphere also has multiplayer, which looks, and works exactly like single player, except your opponent is controlling the other race. Unfortunately, there is no online multiplayer. So your opponent will have to be sitting across from you, and sharing your iPad to play.

There are also a large number of maps, costumes, and modifiers to unlock – and more are coming soon. You’ll unlock these by purchasing them with the cash you earn from playing. And by changing maps, and activating modifiers you’ll give yourself new challenges to overcome, which really makes Stratosphere infinitely replayable.

Though I found Stratosphere was a cake walk on easy, it really challenged me on the higher difficulty levels. I quickly discovered that striking a winning balance between building towers, and sending monsters was not easy. I had to keep sending monsters, as this increased my income, and allowed me to buy more power monsters and towers, but I also needed to keep building towers to stop the enemy.

If you like tower defense, and are interesting in trying something new, you can download Stratosphere for $2.99 from the App Store here. Then, tell us about your game winning strategy.

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“We were bored, basically; we thought it would be funny to use iPads,” said Ma, who also added that the idea struck him as a pretty smart business move too.

“It’s a marketing strategy; it promotes itself.”

The iPad is not without its problems, as according to Ma it “crashes” at times (most likely app crashes? The iPad menu app was created by YawenChan):

“The iPad does crash at times,” said.

“It’s not a frequent thing and it does happen. But it’s not a big deal.”

Spring Sushi also has a Toronto location, which similarly uses iPads as well.

Have you tried out the iPad menus at Spring Sushi?

[via CBC]

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