Major Prediction Mishit, AppleCare+ For The iPad And New Maps Integration

Well, our blog and other major blog went crazy with all sorts of predictions for “The new iPad”, but there was one mystical mishit, most probably for the first time ever all the blogs failed to predict this one thing correctly. Its the name “The new iPad”, the only options people had in mind was iPad HD, iPad 2S and iPad 3. But Apple disappointed everyone by naming is as “The new iPad”. Apple’s senior vice president for world-wide marketing says they don’t want to be predictable. We say its a major misfire Apple!

We still have a strong gut feeling that it will be referred to as iPad 3 itself by majority of consumers. The internet, especially twitter world was going ga ga over the name yesterday. Most felt funny about it, some felt confused and others were shocked! Did we find any happy fans with the name? To be frank not yet! We got to see the reaction of sellers on sites like eBay. Try searching for “The new iPad” and see the kind of results that pop up!

Apple has launched AppleCare+ plan for iPad which basically extends the device warranty and telephonic support to 3 more years including the 1 year warranty and 90 days telephonic support provided with device purchase. AppleCare+ also provides Accidental Damage Insurance which basically ensures you get your iPad repaired or replaced in case of accidental damage. All this comes for a mere $49 which seems to be really attractive. But there is a small catch here. Accidental Damage Insurance can be claimed only twice in a period of three years and for each claim the user has to pay a service fee of $49 which still seems to be pretty reasonable considering iPad to be an expensive device!

Apple yesterday released a major update to the iPhoto app which seems to be a potential killer of all current photo editing apps present on app store. But there is one thing that gained our attention, the maps that are being used in the application. It has been noted that Apple is using some different maps apart from google maps. As pointed out by twitter user Holger Eilhard the new maps are directly communicating with Apple servers. Is this a sign of the things to come? It has been pretty evident that Apple is slowly moving away from google technologies. Its also know about Apple acquiring PlaceBase a mapping company and C3 Technologies, a 3D mapping company. Things might get more heated up with iOS 6. Will it bounce out Google Maps from iOS? Only time will tell.