Apple will be holding a 10am (Pacific time) media event that is widely believed to be the unveiling of the latest iPad, dubbed iPad 2.

The update however, is said to be minor. The iPad’s specifications should be increased but not many drastic new features. It may be Apple is adopting a similar approach to when it released the iPhone 3GS in the wake of the massively popular iPhone 3G.

Other potential updates may include a MobileMe revamp as supplies of the boxed retail version have become constrained, a telling sign of an update. It is speculated to increase the shift towards cloud based operations. There may also be the first look at iOS 5, although an iOS update has garnered it’s own press conference in recent years.

The press conference may well be simulcast from Apple.com which has been the trend with recent press conferences.

Apple has released the first beta for iOS 4.2 to developers; the update is to be released in November. The update will bring the iPad all the features of iOS 4 as well as new features such as Printing. The update is also available for iPhone and iPod Touch. Here is a brief video preview from App Advice outlining how the updated features work:

The update comes just a week after iOS 4.1 was released. The update is only available for developers at this stage.

You can, of course, still purchase the same books via the Kindle app on an iPad.

Sketchbook Pro has been described by some as not as intuitive as Brushes, but I can’t grasp this, Sketchbook Pro was incredibly easy to use and I am a complete novice in this area. You start with a brief tutorial and within seconds you can start painting. There are a vast array of tools to choose from, many are professional, some are rather gimmicky but for those just wanting to doodle these can be very fun. Sketchbook Pro can be enjoyed by any skill level, but obviously some artistic flair will help you. But this app is always enjoyable and really will cater to any user and allow itself to be morphed into what the user requires.

For my first image, I decided to create a replica of a photo I took in Iceland a few years ago. I was able to use a certain brush for the grass and subtle airbrushes for clouds, something you couldn’t do painting alone. The result isn’t too bad for a first attempt.

My main gripe with the app (which I discovered whilst creating my second piece) is that it can become annoying when you want to find the perfect colour and therefore have to navigate the menu again and again. It is simple enough to do, but is not the most efficient method.

The last piece I created is a logo for the site. The iPad frame and the 30 Pin Connector were all created using Sketchbook Pro with relative ease. I then exported the two images via email, a little work using Pages and voilà! The iPad’s background is what I use on my iPad currently. It is an actual painting my brother (who is a much better artist than I am) did. If you like it, more of his work is viewable here.

So there you have it, my feeble attempts to paint a masterpiece. But as you can see, even someone with as little ability as myself can create something. For the Pros, I imagine they could create truly magnificent pieces. For the amateurs, a very enjoyable experience with an app that is thankfully merciful! The app is available here for $7.99 or £4.99.

Market Analyst Maynard Um of UBS Investment Reasearch has forecast that Apple could sell 28 million iPads in 2011, and warned this figure could be “conservative”.

Um goes on to state that while he believes iPad sales are not impacting Mac sales, but rather that “sales of traditional notebooks appear to be feeling pressure from the iPad“. He goes on to state that while people do not see the iPad as a realistic alternative to a PC at the moment, but rather that “consumers who purchase iPads may be more willing to delay purchases and upgrades of existing PCs”.

The iPad is considered a massive success with Apple having already sold 3.27 million at least since launch.

Source

Apple has posted two new ads on their website titled: “iPad is Musical” and “iPad is Delicious”. They follow up from the “What is iPad? ad below:

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Click on the links to view iPad is Musical and iPad is Delicious

iOS 4.1 has been released for general use. The update brings Game Center, Ping, High Dynamic Resolution photography and HD Uploads as well as bug fixes, a performance boost for iPhone 3G being the most notable. Game Center will not work on the 3G model, but will on a 2nd Gen iPod Touch. Click here to download.

Apple has clarified the compatability of Game Center, the service that allows users to play online with friends and random matches. Unfortunately, it will not be available on the iPhone 3G. This means that 2 tent-pole features of iOS 4 are not available on the device, the other being Multitasking. The feature will be available for the 2nd Gen iPod Touch however. Presumably this is due to the performance issues that have dogged the 3G running iOS 4.

The app follows the same premise of the iPhone version of the app. You play the Hero and steer him around to stop robbers, catch falling babies, put out fires, even stop giant spiders!

There are three control methods to choose from. Tilt to steer, finger control or my favourite and the default, D-Pad control. They all have their pros and cons; tilting for example can leave your arms feeling the strain after a while. They do all however, offer a great deal of responsiveness and accuracy. There are other buttons such as the Speed-Boost (it does what it says on the tin) and Superpower buttons which offer a great deal of fun and variety.

The graphics are really nice with an almost comic-like feel. Colours are bright and vivid, the artwork is superb and nicely styilised. There is a good variety between levels whether it be in the sky colours, the buildings or just the number of different challenges, it never feels like you are playing the same level twice despite the simple concept.

This is app is also great for those -and if you’re reading this, you’re probably going to be one of said ‘those’- who have imagined being a super hero.  For when you really get the hang of the game you can perform moves of almost a cinematic nature. My personal favourite is flying high in the air, turning around and to just speed towards the Earth and smash a tank to Kingdom come!

The Hero HD is a great app to just pick up and play. It is a pleasure to use and is extremely fun. There is more variety than you’d expect and  you will find yourself saying “Just one more level…” again and again. The Hero HD is excellent value as you’d expect from Chillingo. The Hero HD for iPad could definitely be what Angry Birds is on the iPhone