iPhone - iPod

PayPal updated their iPhone app earlier today with a bunch of new features, but by far the biggest addition was a 'Bump to Send Money' feature.  You may recognize 'Bump', as it was the billionth app downloaded from the App Store back in April of 2009.

But the combination of the two apps might just be a game-changer.

The new feature allows users to simply enter their payment information and bump to pay.  Pretty cool right?  Below you'll find two screen shots of the new feature as well as some UBER corny videos the PayPal team threw together.

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Over the past few days, Apple has altered some of the shipping times on their branded iPad accessories. First we noticed the iPad case making a slight shift from April 3rd to Mid-April. Today we notice Apple has delayed the iPad Keyboard Dock. The product was originally set to ship to customers in late-April but now the Apple store has placed the shipping time for sometime in May.

That doesn't bode well for those outside the US that wanted to get their hands on this with their iPad order nor anyone in the US who hasn't pre-ordered the product yet. We can speculate about why it is delayed, but it is most likely just brisk sales rather than a product issue they are trying to fix.

Dell's new Android-based Mini 5 (Streak) details were leaked to Engadget last week and seem to have some of the features desired on future iPod touch devices.  Specifically: cameras, a better screen both in size and resolution and 3G data. These look like they could be very popular devices if priced low -- which Dell is known for.  Apple usually updates its iPod lines in August September.

Imagine if they sell the device with a similar data plan as the iPad except with Google Voice with Gizmo5 VoIP.  And maybe even tethering for a nominal cost?   That'd be tempting to a few people (present company included).

Will these things give Apple's iPod touch platform a run for its money? In either case, it may motivate Apple to update the functionality of its mobile devices.

Their content deal with Amazon (below) also appears to be a pretty tempting proposition.

After an initial rush, iPad orders are tapering off to a still strong clip if numbers calculated by Investor Village's AAPL Sanity board are to be believed.  Member Deagol has graphed the buying patterns over the weekend.

The numbers were calculated using Apple's normal online sales numbers and extrapolating the extra sales as iPad sales (below). 

Apple lost former PA Semi CEO Dan Dobberpuhl in the middle of last year, according to CNET. Dobberpuhl is a significant loss because he's seen as one of the smarter people in the processor industry.  That being said, Apple did get its silicon, the A4, out the door, so it isn't certain what effect, if any, his departure will have.

Dobberpuhl isn't alone. Other key PA Semi team members have left Apple, including one of PA Semi's leading members, Mark Hayter...[Dobberpuhl] was the CEO at PA Semi and leader of the team, and one of the guys that was driving the whole thing...those guys are start-up kind of people, and within the structure of Apple, they may [have been] chafing."

Chafing.  Ouch.

On the hiring side, Apple picked up former Google product Manager RJ Pittman according to TechCrunch.  It isn't clear what Pittman will be doing at Apple (nor may it ever be) but TechCrunch speculates that it may have something to do with Apple's streaming music aquisition, Lala.  So much for that "Gentleman's agreement" not to hire people from each other.

Speaking of picking up competitors' people, Apple hired Kiyoshi Kobayashi (no relation to the Kobayashi below), a six-year Nokia vet as Senior Manager, Product Marketing.  Kobayashi will be doing the same kind of work at Apple, but will also be watched closely in the Apple cafeteria.

Oh, and there is this Richard DeVaul (pictured) character doing secret wearable technology stuff for Jonny Ive.

People signing up for AppleCare for their iPad have noted that the protection plan is for only two years, unlike its Mac products which are three years.  Apple's iPhone and iPod plans are two years so, as warranty items, Apple sees iPads more like iPhones and less like Macs.  Apple's iPad AppleCare page could only be found by guessing the URL so it is probably being built out.  Applecare for iPad PDF legal agreement is here.

Also, some readers have noted that Apple isn't able to sell AppleCare in Florida for iPads.  Other states may have similar issues as Apple has issued some customers the following generic email upon purchase of Applecare for iPad.  The below is from Florida resident:

AppleCare has had an on-again off-again relationship with Florida and its product coverage laws.  Some speculate that high insurance premiums related to frequent hurricanes have something to do with the issue.  Others think it has to do with nominal fees and paperwork and laws protecting seniors.

So this was my test result on the FCC bandwidth app.  On "3G".  How did you do?  Feel free to post screenshots in the comments.

Engadget finds that the FCC (1),(2) has been testing out a LEET iPad, namely the A1337, otherwise known as iPad 3G.  With the FCC's blessings, we'll be seeing that hitting customers hands in late April.

In a interesting twist, the FCC has sent Apple an app, which they've now approved, to measure bandwidth from iPhone (images below).  

A number of reports are coming in today with extremely high iPad sales numbers and potential shortages.  

First, Fortune follows the Apple Sanity Board (oxymoron?)who have been tallying order numbers from iPads purchased today.  They've figured that between the start of sales at 8:30am ET until 10:30am ET, 51,000 orders were taken.  While "50,000 iPads sold in two hours" makes a good headline, there were probably a few iPods and Macs sold during that time period as well.  Apple receives 15,000 orders on a normal day.  

Silicon Alley Insider thinks 20,000/hour are selling, which from the above, seem pretty reasonable.

MacDailyNews reports that people who change their order for in-store pickup won't receive their iPads on April 3.

Multiple iPad buyers have been told that in order to do such a change, the delivery order would have to be cancelled and a new in-store pickup order completed, but that iPad orders (which began this morning at 8:30am EST) have been "so overwhelming" that new iPad orders may not be available for in-store pickup on April 3.

Earlier estimates were that Apple wanted to make 700,000 iPads in March and a million in April.

"When something exceeds your ability to understand how it works, it sort of becomes magical." -Jonathan Ive

People.  When something is 'magic', things like static physical keyboards mean absolutely nothing. One second you have the iPad dock keyboard below with a row of function keys…

Then all of a sudden you switch it to head on, and those same function keys switch all around (below).  Repeat after us: 'Magic'!  (and yet the blank key remains in both!) Thanks Juan San Pedro