Tech News This Week: iPad 3 Rumored for February Debut
Thinking about picking up an iPad this month? You might want to sit tight: According to an industry analyst, the iPad 3 could be available as early as February, 2012.
In a recent research note, Richard Gardner cited "several sources" who confirmed that Apple would have its next-generation iPad ready in February -- a month earlier than it released the iPad 2 this year.
The main difference according to Gardner, will be the iPad 3's use of the same super high-resolution retina display used on its latest iPhone models. If the rumors pan out, however, buyers will also get better deals on older iPad 2 models if they wait a couple of months.
Samsung prevails against Apple. In related news, a U.S. federal judge this week refused Apple's request for a preliminary injunction to keep Samsung tablets and smartphones off the market.
The decision is the latest in a war between the two companies that started last April and now involves a total of 23 lawsuits worldwide. Apple wants Samsung's Galaxy S and SII smartphones and Galaxy Tab tablets yanked from the market for mimicking its iPad and iPhone designs.
The case will go to trial -- eventually. But in the fast-moving mobile market, Samsung's temporary breathing space actually counts as a major victory.
Live: Dirty domain names! Last Tuesday, more than 100,000 websites bearing the new .xxx domain went live for the first time. As PC World noted, it's the latest chapter in a struggle over an online red-light district that goes back years -- and probably isn't over yet.
The idea is that a .xxx domain will give porn sites a place to relocate while also making it easier to filter such sites for kids or in the workplace. In practice, it's pretty clear that porn sites see this as a matter of "in addition to," not "instead of" their usual Web addresses.
But the real concern for businesses is the potential for domain-name squatting. Companies that want to protect themselves will have to buy their .xxx domain name before somebody else does -- or deal with an arbitration process to deal with squatters who beat them to the punch.
In other tech news this week:
Microsoft released a service pack for Exchange Server 2010, including a number of important new features and bug fixes.
Dell is killing its Streak tablet line in the United States, making it the latest company to try -- and fail -- to dislodge or even make a significant dent in the iPad's market share.
HP is teaming with Box to offer PC buyers unlimited cloud-based storage and synchronization for one year, with discounted annual rates for long-term users.
