Apple Will Release $299 iPad Mini in October

A research analyst claims that Apple will unveil a 7.85-inch iPad Mini with 8GB of memory in October.Fresh off the heels of Google’s own 7-inch tablet, new rumors are still firing about the same-sized iPad. Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves suggests that the 7.85-inch iPad Mini will debut in Q4.

“We anticipate an entry-level 7.80-inch iPad with 8GB of NAND capacity to price at $299 with an initial gross margin of 31%,” wrote Hargreaves, in a research noteposted last Thursday.

Hargreaves went on to claim that the iPad Mini will probably cannibalize some of the larger iPad sales. Hargreaves told CNET that Apple would most likely kill off the $399 iPad 2 to make way for a 16GB iPad Mini.

“We estimate Apple will sell 10.0 million 7.85-inch iPads in FQ1 (Dec. 2012) and 35.2 million in all of F2013,” he said. “Based on estimated component order volume, we believe our iPad Mini unit estimates are well within Apple’s production capacity. We anticipate 25% cannibalization of the larger 9.7-inch iPad (for every four 7.85-inch iPads added, we reduced our 9.7-inch iPad estimate by one), so our total F2013 iPad estimate increases to 91.6 million from 65.2 million.”

Rumors of a smaller iPad started circulating when Tim Cook took the reins as Apple CEO. Cook’s predecessor, the late Steve Jobs, famously had a dim view of the 7-inch form factor.

In recent months, TabTimes has learned that Apple has reportedly been testing a 7.85-inch iPad at its offices in Cupertino, while other sources (including Samsung) have claimed that the device could pop up as early as September.

This article comes from:http://mashable.com/2012/07/02/apple-ipad-mini-october/

iPad-Controlled LED Wall Display Will Leave You Mesmerized

There's something about a blank wall that can make a room feel empty. Usually, adding a little art to the space is enough to fill the void, but if you happen to be a little be geeky, you can do one better than that. That's what Greg Friedland decided to do: He decorated a wall with a giant, iPad-controlled moving art installation, called the Aurora LED Wall.

The "installation" is a four-foot-by-eight-foot display, with 544 LED lights positioned on a grid. The lights, backed by wood board, are capable of displaying 16 million colors. A microcontroller feeds the commands to the LEDS, and it's controlled by a Processing Sketch on a computer. Thanks to the software, the display will also respond to music--it'll change colors and patterns depending on the beat of the track being played.

Where does the iPad come in? An app on the tablet, called TouchOSC, lets you interact with the display with the swipe of a finger. You can pick the color palette, resize and sharpen the pattern, control the speed of the display, and generally move and disrupt the flowing images. If you're feeling a bit artistic, you can also do your best finger-painting to show on the display. The app also lets you create custom patterns and activities for the display.

The Aurora LED Wall would certainly be a great addition to any room, and it's quite the conversation piece. In fact, you may run the risk of constantly getting distracted by it rather than getting on with other work or household tasks.

This article comes from:http://www.pcworld.com/article/258270/ipadcontrolled_led_wall_display_will_leave_you_mesmerized.html

Apple iPad review: why it's a genuine leap forward

The most important part of any tablet, whatever the quad-core brigade may say, is the screen. Unlike any internal component, the screen is what you’ll still be noticing a week after your purchase, the part upon which all of your attention is focused. Upgrading it is the most effective way to improve any tablet.

We’re sure all manufacturers understand this, yet few are in a position to make such bold strides as Apple. Following the iPhone 4’s leap with its “Retina” display, the new iPad has a similarly groundbreaking 1536 x 2048 panel – that’s four times the iPad 2’s 768 x 1024 resolution in exactly the same 9.7in diagonal – and higher than many 27in LCDs. Apple calls it “resolutionary” – a word that makes us queasy, but the sentiment is spot on.

The quadrupled pixel count doesn’t quite give the same pixel density as the iPhone 4 – it’s 246ppi compared to the smaller screen’s 326ppi – but it’s way ahead of any other tablet on the market. Asus will soon release its 10in Transformer Pad Infinity, with a 1920 x 1200 resolution; that’s as close as it gets.

The biggest beneficiary is text, so sharp that you can’t see the pixels any more. The same applies to images, provided the originals are of suitable quality. In fact, the new screen acts like a magnifying glass on every medium-resolution logo or banner ad you may have hoped no-one would notice, which will have web developers desperately scrambling to update their assets.

Apple has curated a section of the App Store highlighting the first Retina-optimised apps, and those we tested did a fine job of showing off the improvement. Flight Control Rocket and Real Racing 2 HD look superb, and the updated Kindle app shows the new iPad is a capable ebook reader as well.

Colour saturation is excellent, and our subjective impressions were backed up by the figures: we measured brightness at 426cd/m2, with an excellent contrast ratio of 906:1. Put simply, the new screen is a revelation, and if you find you’ve stopped actively marvelling at it after an hour or so, a trip back to an iPad 2 will be a shock to the system – it’s like going back to a standard-definition TV after watching Full HD.

This article comes from:http://www.bit.com.au/Review/306245,apple-ipad-review-why-its-a-genuine-leap-forward.aspx

IPad Boom Strains Lithium Supplies After Prices Triple

Prices for the conductive metal, the lightest in the periodic table, have tripled since 2000 in a market now worth $1 billion a year as uses expand in vehicles, ceramics, electronics and lubricants. Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), maker of the Prius electric-gasoline car, have few alternatives as they pursue higher performance and mobility, leading Dahlman Rose & Co. analysts to forecast lithium demand will double by 2020.

Talison Lithium Ltd. (TLH), whose shares have gained 22 percent in the last month, together with Soc. Quimica & Minera de Chile SA, Rockwood Holdings Inc. and FMC Corp. (FMC), account for almost 95 percent of world supply. Rio Tinto Group (RIO), the third-biggest mining company, may join the largest suppliers if it goes ahead with a mine in Serbia it says is capable of producing 20 percent of global output of the metal.

“There are some companies now that we think are attractive to get a hold of lithium exposure,” Evy Hambro, who manages about $13 billion in mining stocks for BlackRock in London, said in an interview. “We’ve got a small exposure today and we’re looking for some more,” he said without naming any companies.

Demand for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries out of Asia has helped prices climb threefold in the last 12 years, London- based Roskill Information Services Ltd. analyst Robert Baylis said. Global use doubled from 2000 to 2011 according to Roskill, which has recently consulted on six lithium projects.
Lithium Oligopoly

The advantage of lithium-ion over other battery types is that a typical cell can generate more electricity than competing cells like such as lead-acid. There is about 1.7 grams (0.6 ounces) of lithium carbonate equivalent in a mobile phone, 2.1 grams in a smart phone and 20 grams in a tablet, according to Dahlman Rose.

There will be a “step change,” in the global lithium industry in 2016 or 2017 when electric cars became more commonplace, Rockwood Chief Executive Officer Seifollah Ghasemi said. Hybrid electric vehicles that are fitted with a lithium- ion battery contain about 1.3 kilograms (2.9 pounds) of the material, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles have about 12.8 kilograms, while an electric vehicle uses about 19.2 kilograms.

The four-strong lithium “oligopoly has the capacity to significantly ramp supply higher, but it will take time and significant capital to accomplish,” Dahlman Rose analysts Anthony Young and Anthony Rizzuto said in a May 16th report. “There are a limited number of known high-grade resources that can be economically extracted and there has not been a new lithium mine constructed in the last 25 years.”

This article comes from:http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-19/ipad-boom-strains-lithium-supplies-after-prices-triple.html

iPhone, iPad iOS 6 news: Apple's vendetta against Google continues, Google’s mapping service dumped

Apple is escalating the feud between two of the world’s most influential companies by dumping Google’s mapping service as a built-in feature on most iPhones and iPads. Apple is also making it easier for users of those devices to share their lives on Facebook instead of Google’s competing social network.

The snubs are part of an upgraded mobile operating system that Apple previewed Monday to kick off its 23rd annual developers conference in San Francisco.

Google’s mapping service will be replaced by an Apple-designed alternative when the new software for mobile devices, iOS 6, is released this fall. Those who want to continue using Google Maps will have to go through additional hurdle, such as finding and installing its app.

It represents a major blow for Google Inc., which stands to lose mobile advertising revenue and valuable insights about people’s whereabouts if users of the popular iPhone and iPad devices switch to Apple’s mapping service.

Apple and Google are locked in a fight for the attention of hundreds of millions of mobile device users. The battle has been building since Google’s 2008 release of its Android operating system to compete against the iPhone.

Android smartphones from companies such as Samsung Electronics Co. and Google’s own Motorola division are the chief alternatives to the iPhone. Apple has sued those manufacturers, accusing them of ripping off the iPhone’s ground-breaking features.

Google’s Maps application has resided on the iPhone since the device’s 2007 debut. At that time, the companies were so close that Eric Schmidt, then Google’s CEO, appeared on stage with Jobs to hail their kinship.

Android destroyed the relationship.

Before he died last October, Jobs told his biographer, Walter Isaacson, that he viewed Android as a form of “grand theft” from Apple and declared “thermonuclear war” against his former ally.

“This is a slap in Google’s face,” said Tim Bajarin, a Creative Strategies analyst who got to know Jobs well during his 32 years following the company.

“I don’t think Apple is ever going to be able to bury Android,” he said. “But this is making it clear that they aren’t going to send any more ad revenue Google’s way, if at all possible.”

Apple updates its iOS software every year, to coincide with the launch of a new iPhone. Google is scheduled to show off the latest developments in Android at a conference that will be held at the same San Francisco venue beginning June 27.

In a statement Monday, Google said it is “looking forward to continuing to build the perfect map for our users in the months and years ahead.” In anticipation of Apple’s announcement, Google last week previewed a series of upgrades to its mapping service in an effort to make it more convenient and compelling.

In another jab at Google, Apple also said it’s building Facebook into iOS 6. That threatens to make it more difficult for Google to drive traffic to its Google Plus social network, a high priority for the company. As it is, Google has more than 170 million users while Facebook has more than 900 million users.

Among other things, users of Apple’s new software will be able to update their Facebook status by talking to their phones and declare that they “like” movies and apps in Apple’s iTunes store.

The tie-in with Apple’s mobile devices could be a boon for Facebook Inc., based on the usage of Twitter since that online messaging service became part of the current mobile system, iOS 5. Apple says more than 10 billion tweets have been sent from its mobile devices since last year’s upgrade to iOS 5.

Facebook, though, has warned investors that it still hasn’t figured out how to make a lot of money from mobile devices, where so far it has proven more difficult to bring in as much ad revenue as on traditional computers.

The iOS 6 also will highlight more features from online business review service Yelp Inc. and online restaurant reservation service OpenTable Inc. Both of those companies are competing against Zagat, a review service that Google bought last year for $151 million.

Besides the upcoming iOS, Apple also showed off updated laptops and new features in its software for Mac computers.

Investors appeared to be expecting something more revolutionary, such as more hints about Apple’s ambition to expand into making TVs. Analysts had speculated that Apple would at least update the software on the Apple TV, a small box that connects a TV set to iTunes for movie downloads, as a prelude to perhaps launching a fully integrated TV set.

Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the keynote Monday at an event that last year turned out to be Jobs’ farewell appearance. In a contrast to Jobs’ showmanship, Cook spoke only briefly during a nearly two-hour presentation orchestrated by his top lieutenants.

This article comes from:http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/news_archives/iphone-ipad-ios-6-news-apples-vendetta-against-google-continues-googles-mapping-service-dumped

New iPad App Helps Sports Fans Follow the Action and Feed Twitter

When Philip Sanford goes to his favorite bar to watch his beloved Seton Hall Pirates, he brings along his phone charger so he also can follow the game on Twitter.

Heather Carleton looks to the social media website for clarification when there is a disputed call involving the San Francisco 49ers.David Foreman likes to communicate with West Virginia fans across the country.

More and more these days, when the game is on, so is the computer. Or tablet. Or cellphone. Sports fans around the world are following along on Twitter while they watch their favorite teams in person or on TV, and a new application from a San Francisco startup is designed to make that experience even easier for them.

"Since I can't really listen to it since I'm at a sports bar, I like to read about what's going on from a journalistic point of view," said Sanford, 29, who lives in Charlotte, N.C. "I can learn about what's going from several different sources."

There are signs all over that sports fans are using Twitter even while the games are going on in front of them.Sporting events are responsible for the majority of the top moments measured in tweets per second.

The Champions League soccer match between Barcelona and Chelsea on April 24 peaked at 13,684 tweets per second, second only to the 2011 showing of a movie in Japan.

Will Hunsinger, 42, is a proud Georgetown alum and an avid follower of the men's basketball team. He was watching a game last year while communicating with a friend over Facebook and receiving text messages from his father when he came up with an idea.

This article comes from:http://www.theledger.com/article/20120614/NEWS/120619575/1178?Title=New-iPad-App-Helps-Sports-Fans-Follow-the-Action-and-Feed-Twitter-

'Pinstagram' arrives for iPad

What do you get when you cross photo sharing app Instagram and rising social networking site Pinterest? Pinstagram, that's what.Pinstagram – launched last month to combine Instagram and Pinterest – has introduced its app for iPad, tech site Mashable reported.

Mashable said Pinstagram presents a user's Instagram feed in Pinterest’s signature waterfall layout, and lets one pin one's favorite Instagram photos to Pinterest boards.

Co-creator Pek Pongpaet said they opted for the web and now the iPad, as those are the platforms where Instagram is missing.“If people are already using Instagram on their iPhones. We’ll never be a better Instagram than Instagram, it would be duplicating Instagram’s effort,” said Pongpaet.

Pongpaet said they took advantage of the new iPad’s retina display, offering a high-resolution option as well as a full functionality for the iPad 1 and iPad 2.Mashable said the Pinstagram app offers the same features as the desktop experience.

This article comes from:http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/261829/scitech/socialmedia/pinstagram-arrives-for-ipad

iPhone with Built-In Facebook: Will it Lead to Oversharing?

Apple’s forthcoming software update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch will make it a whole lot easier forFacebook members to post to the site. But does that put you (or your friends) in danger of oversharing?

During Apple’s keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, Senior Vice President of iPhone Software Scott Forstall announced that the company’s mobile iOS 6 software — in beta now — will feature deep Facebook integration.

Here’s how it works: After upgrading an iOS device to the latest software, Facebook will appear as a setting inside iOS 6. Users who sign-in to Facebook via iOS will have access to the social network within many most-used apps including calendar and contacts.

If you opt to sync contacts, events and birthdays from Facebook, this information will populate on your mobile device. For example, your Facebook friends’ birthdays will show up in your iPhone calendar.

Other features include uploading your Facebook location information right from Apple’s new Maps app, and posting a game score from Game Center.

But since iOS users stay logged in to the Facebook, they might end up oversharing photos, updates and geo-location tags because it’s that much easier. The simple solution, of course, is to monitor what’s posted to Facebook and keep it under control.

This article comes from: http://mashable.com/2012/06/12/apple-facebook-integration/

Apple's iPad front-and-back Smart Case unveiled

As anyone who bought an iPad Smart Cover knows it doesn't protect the back of your iPad. But now Apple is giving iPad owners an official Apple case that offers both front and back protection: The iPad Smart Case.

The Smart Case retails for US$49, comes in six colors, and is compatible with the iPad 2 and the new iPad. At launch, there's no deluxe leather option; this one's made from polyurethane.

Here's what Apple has to say about it:
The iPad Smart Case covers your iPad--both front and back--yet still retains the thin, light design of iPad. Like the Smart Cover, it folds easily into a stand for reading, typing, and watching video. And it automatically wakes and sleeps iPad on open and close. Made from polyurethane, it's available in six bright colors. And you can personalize it with free laser engraving on the Apple Online Store.

There's nothing terribly exciting about it--and the price is about what you'd expect to pay for a premium iPad case--but Apple should nevertheless sell thousands of these. I'm not sure why it didn't have the case ready for the launch of the new iPad, but no one was complaining too much with all the other case options out there.

This article comes from:http://asia.cnet.com/apples-ipad-front-and-back-smart-case-unveiled-62216448.htm

IPad tracker leads police to suspects

STOCKTON - Technology got the better of two suspected robbers who thought they had gotten away with an Apple iPad after punching the reluctant victim in the face and throwing him to the ground before fleeing with their treasure Sunday morning in a van driven by a third suspect.

The victim, 21, activated the iPad's tracking application that led police officers to a residence near the attack at 10:26 a.m. at Ishi Goto Street and Brick & Tile Circle in Weston Ranch. The victim was able to identify the suspects and his iPad was recovered.

Police arrested Da'Sean Murphy and Andre Lamar Beard, both 18, on charges including robbery, possession of stolen property and conspiracy, according to the report.

This article comes from:http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120611/A_NEWS/120619998/-1/a_news02

Apple facing $2.22 mn fine over Australian '4G' iPad

Apple agreed Friday to a Aus$2.25 million (US$2.22 million) fine for misleading Australian customers about the local 4G capability of its next-generation iPad, in a case brought by regulators.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) told the Federal Court that the US tech giant had agreed to the penalty for implying in advertising that the 4G function on its latest iPad worked in Australia.

Apple offered in March to refund Australian customers who felt they had been misled by the "iPad with WiFi + 4G" promotion and publish a clarification about the popular tablet's capabilities after the ACCC took it to court.

Though the iPad's 4G function only works on networks in the United States and Canada it had been widely promoted as one of the tablet's features globally, which the ACCC said amounted to false advertising.

It is now advertised outside North America as "Wi-Fi + Cellular" -- a change that came into effect on May 12 -- with a clear caveat on its Australian site that "it is not compatible with current Australian 4G LTE and WiMax networks."

The matter was due to go to a full trial this week but ACCC lawyer Colin Golvan said Apple had agreed to pay the Aus$2.25 million fine and the commission's legal costs as part of an out-of-court settlement.

It is half the maximum Aus$4.4 million fine open to the ACCC in the case.

Apple described it as "more than adequate having regard to the conduct and all the other circumstances" and stressed that the concessions made in the case were only applicable in Australia.

The "iPad + 4G" promotion was in place for two months worldwide including major technology-mad cities in Asia.

Golvan said the "substantial" penalty would send a strong message to the booming smartphone and tablet industry that "such conduct will not be condoned", according to a report of the hearing in The Australian newspaper.

But judge Mordecai Bromberg refused to make an official court order until he had the details of how many iPads had been sold and were returned under the refund offer and further information on Apple's financial position.

"The parties put forward proposed settlement and consent orders, however His Honour requested further information to be provided for the consideration of the court, which will happen next week," an ACCC spokesman told AFP.

Apple agreed to provide a confidential brief to the judge by June 13, with a final decision on the penalty and settlement of the case to be handed down at a later date.

The iPad was the world's best-selling tablet in the first three months of 2012, outgunning its Android-powered rivals, with sales more than doubling from a year earlier to send Apple's profits soaring.

The US giant said the iPad was especially popular in Asia, particularly in China where demand was described as "mind-boggling" with revenues of US$7.9 billion in the first quarter alone.

This article comes from:http://news.yahoo.com/photos/world-events-slideshow/apple-agreed-us-2-22-million-fine-misleading-photo-054128679--finance.html

Devices' embrace of disabled community is improving, but big challenges lie ahead Read more: Devices' embrace of disabled community is improving, but big challenges lie ahead

When the iPad debuted two years ago, there was lots of talk about whether people beyond the iPhone and Mac faithful would use such a thing.
But it became very clear to a particular group of people — advocates for those with autism spectrum disorders — that the device could be a new tool for communication and education in that community, something perhaps even Apple didn't foresee. Some autism-related apps aid conversation between parents and children, while others help with learning words or social skills.
In fact, there are now so many autism-related apps for the iPad and other iOS devices that there's "Autism Apps," an app that provides a comprehensive list.
Kel Smith, a blogger, consultant and founder of the Philadelphia-based technology accessibility company Anikto LLC, has been studying technology shifts like this one for a book he's working on, "Digital Outcasts: Moving Technology Forward Without Leaving People Behind."
It revolves around "accessibility," the idea that websites, apps, hardware and other technology should be designed in ways that do not shut them out to those with disabilities including blindness, hearing loss and other physical limitations.
But the concept of the book is changing as Smith works on it.
"I went in with the premise that there's entire populations of people who are being left behind; they're not being considered. Then I realized, they're the ones driving the innovation and moving it forward. They're forming their own solutions at this very grassroots level."
Smith's company Anikto (the word is Greek for "Open") has for years been advocating more accessible web design, hardware and software. In recent years, he says, tech companies are realizing that they're leaving money on the table by not making their sites or products accessible.
"Ten years ago, I was being laughed out of boardrooms for bringing up that we should make things accessible," Smith says. "Now, there's a

greater recognition that there's a market for this type of stuff and it's not just what we do on a secular level."The idea is that designers should think about accessibility because it's in their own best interests — in addition to being altruistic.
For companies selling products online, for instance, "You have to understand that people who have a disability that prevents them from leaving the home will be shopping from home. You don't want to have barriers (to) that purchasing decision," he says.
What's more, the cost for individuals and nonprofits to create their own web design tools and apps is falling, making it easier than ever for technology for the disabled to be distributed and for communities online to get the word out about them.
Another big shift is that for years, accessibility was largely focused on how the web is viewed on computers, how the online world interacts with computers, and mice and text-to-speech devices.
But now, much of people's web browsing is moving to mobile devices like smart phones, which have much smaller screens. We're also being introduced to personal tech like Microsoft's Xbox 360 Kinect, which relies on gestures and movement.
These new interfaces can be a double-edged sword. They provide "a whole new array of possibilities," Smith says, "and a whole new array of problems... We're almost back to square one in terms of web accessibility."
Improvements in tech accessibility are likely to benefit an increasing number of people as aging baby boomers will soon dictate the demand for devices suitable for people with limited motor skills, hand-eye coordination, poor vision and hearing.
This article comes from:http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_20657523/access-required?source=rss

Smart Notebook App Moves to iPad

Smart Technologies will release an iPad version of its Smart Notebook app this summer, the company said. The new mobile app, which will retail at $6.99 and be available in the Apple app store, is designed to let students use its collaborative learning software on personal or school-owned iPads.

The Smart Notebook on iPad is designed to make many of the tools available on the Smart Board interactive whiteboard available to students on their mobile tablets, including interaction with teachers. The app is designed to let students open any Smart Notebook file from an e-mail or file-sharing Web site, write, erase, add text, move objects, and insert images. Students can also use the iPad camera roll to drop images into Smart Notebook software pages.

Specific application features of the new iPad app include:
Page sorter view so users can view, add, or delete Smart Notebook software pages;
Zoom and pan to adjust page views;
Image insert;
Pen tools, so students can write on the software page in a choice of four different colors; and
Object control that lets users delete, rotate, move, and scale objects.

Additionally, the app supports AirPlay for Apple TV so students can share iPad screens. This summer’s planned version of the application will support United States English. Later versions, available in fall 2012, will support Spanish, United Kingdom English, French, and German.

With Smart Notebook for iPad “students and teachers stay on track and save time by being able to work with the same material on both interactive displays and iPads at school or at home,” the company said in a news release. Smart Notebook itself has already been activated by more than 6 million teachers with more than 40 million students in 175 countries, Smart Technologies said.

This artilce comes from:http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/05/21/smart-notebook-app-moves-to-ipad.aspx

Head of Time Warner Cable Is Unfamiliar With Apple’s AirPlay

AirPlay, a software tool included with Apple’s iPads and iPhones, is widely viewed as being potentially disruptive to the cable industry, because it makes it easy for people to view a broad variety of Internet content on a television. Time Warner Cable’s leader, however, hasn’t heard of it.
Glenn A. Britt, the company’s chief executive, said in a group interview on Friday that the challenge for digital video was that there was no simple way to get Internet-based video onto the television screen. He wasn’t familiar with AirPlay.

“I’m not sure I know what AirPlay is,” he said, though he noted that he was an enthusiastic Apple customer. “Today we want to be on every screen. Today it’s a little bit clunky to get programming from the Internet onto the TV — not so hard to get it on your iPad. What’s hard is the plumbing, what wires do you connect, what device do you use. So the current Apple TV, the little thing, the hockey puck, really doesn’t do anything to help enable you to get Internet material on your TV.”
Apple pitches AirPlay as a way to make it easy to get Internet video from an iPad or iPhone onto a television, among other uses. A user can press a button while watching video to stream it wirelessly to an Apple TV box connected to a TV set.
AirPlay also makes it easy to push pirated video available on the Web onto the television, which could lead some people to drop their cable subscriptions. And it opens the door for content providers to circumvent cable and offer their own channels as apps. That gives them a direct relationship with the customer, as well as the opportunity to try new ways to increase revenue or ad sales. The Discovery Channel, ABC and PBS offer AirPlay-compatible apps. AirPlay will be coming to Apple’s computers too, in the next version of the Mac operating system, due out this summer.
Of course, while many people own iPhones and iPads, Apple TV has not been as popular; Apple sold 2.8 million of the boxes in the year that ended in September. Requiring two pieces of hardware isn’t as straightforward as getting all the content right there from the TV.  Mr. Britt noted that he felt smart TVs — Internet-connected televisions that include computer chips and software — would be better than requiring an extra box to view Web content. “I hate set-top boxes,” he said.
But with many reports speculating about a coming release of an Apple-made television, AirPlay seems like something worth following.
This article comes from: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/14/time-warner-apple-tv-airplay/