Apple dropping the need to enter password for free apps

With the upcoming release of iOS 6 it appears as if Apple will make it much easier for users to install free applications. Users running the third beta of iOS 6 have discovered that they no longer have to enter their password to download free applications from the App Store.

This will be sure to please iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users who currently have to enter intricate passwords on a 3.5 inch display every 15 minutes. This improves the App Store further, following the removal of the need to enter your password to update applications or re-install previously purchase applications; which was first witnessed in the first iOS 6 beta. Furthermore, after selecting to download and install an application the user will no longer be returned to the home screen.

Apple ‘mini’ iPad planned to take out Google and Microsoft

Industry insiders are confirming that Apple plan on releasing a smaller 7 inch iPad later this year. This model will be cheaper and won’t have the retina capable screen featuring in the 9.7 inch version already available. We already reported on this before, however two people close to the matter have confirmed the release, asking not to be identified, according to Bloomberg.

Apple have yet to make the plans public although it may be announced as soon as October, only a few months away.

Apple’s plans will mean customers have yet another competitor against Google and Microsoft who are both planning to release their new tablets later this year.

Analysts suggest that Apple will target the price ‘closer to the Google Nexus 7 tablet and Amazon’s Kindle Fire’, both of which are 7 inch models priced at $199.99. This will really throw a spanner in the works for Apple competitors, especially as they command the market today.

DisplaySearch have predicted that the tablet market will be worth $66.4 billion this year, with Apple holding 61 percent of the total share. Much of  the Apple strength is in their class leading online App Store. Many customers simply won’t move from this platform due to the unmatched software support.

Google said on June 27th that they are releasing a tablet style device called the Nexus 7. Microsoft have plans to release their Surface tablet which will have a similar screen size to the current 9.7 inch iPad.

Google’s Nexus 7 will be built by Asustek Computer Inc and will have a faster processor and better battery life than the Amazon Kindle Fire. It will also ship with a front facing camera.

Apple are making a gross profit of 37 percent on the current iPad according to industry experts. If they use a cheaper screen on the smaller version they could make a similar profit level. Amazon on the other hand are losing money on every Kindle Fire they sell, aiming for sales on software and books.

A Smaller iPad Could Compete with Kindle Fire

A Smaller iPad Could Compete with Kindle Fire Tablet

Many people have been asking if the rumor is true.  Will Apple release a smaller, seven, or eight inch iPad?  I’m not sure if even Apple knows the answer to this question, but personally I would like to see it. Some of the newer Android tablets aren’t bad, but the iPad is simply the de facto standard in tablets. Many say that could change now that Steve Jobs has passed, but it remains to be seen if current Apple leadership can maintain their high standards.

Kindle Sales are Up – So Wouldn’t Apple Release a Smaller iPad?

 Amazon has probably close to 5 million Kindle Fires sold.  Why wouldn’t Apple won’t a piece of that action?  It seems like they are leaving money on the table, and Steve Jobs didn’t become an icon for that.

I’m sure we’ll find out in the coming months if the smaller ipad rumors are true or not.  But with Amazon capturing around 15% of tablet sales, I believe Apple will step up to the plate and dominate the smaller tablet market just like they have the 10″ tablets.  After all, Apple has been working with developers on smaller tablet touch screen displays for several months now.  Are they testing a smaller iPad prototype?  I sure hope so!