iResQ is blowing up this week with iPhone 4S repairs, MacBook screen repairs, and iPad repairs. But we have pause briefly to discuss some very important ballyhoo. Yep, I just said ballyhoo. March 7 is the date we’ve been hearing this week. Apple’s March 7 Media Event should mark the arrival of a new iPad with Retina display (LCDs with a 2048×1536 resolution according to tinkers at MacRumors). And multiple retailers such as Target and Best Buy are lowering the prices of their iPad 2s, presumably in anticipation. So what does that mean for the fate of the iPad 2? Well, not much really. At least not in the immediate future. There are still plenty of iPhone 3GS in use (we see a plethora of 3GS and 4 iPhones for repair despite the iPhone 4S release last fall), and early indications seem to suggest that, aside from a speed bump and twice the resolution there aren’t necessarily going to be major fundamental differences between the iPad 2 and the iPad 3. You 3D proponents out there are going to have to wait a little longer.
- Three Dimensions of iPad? Slow down, Marty McFly.
Just a quick note on the Academy Awards, since I can’t help but dispense my opinions on movie culture. It’s no surprise that Hugo and The Artist cleaned up- both were beautifully stylized without being heavy-handed and both were earnest homages to film history at large. It’s the least I have disagreed with the Oscars in quite a while. What was interesting to me is how the Academy seems to respond when there isn’t a clear frontrunner in a given category, like this year’s Animated Feature. Nothing against Rango (I’m a big fan of Gore Verbinski), but it seems like when there isn’t a heralded Pixar picture then the judges essentially put recognizable names on a dart board and fire away (*cough* Kung Fu Panda 2 *cough*). The lack of a great Pixar film in 2011, and the In Memoriam montage serves as a reminder of, like him or hate him, how influential Steve Jobs was on so many facets of popular culture. Apple is moving forward, and I can’t imagine Pixar won’t as well, but I hope it’s with the same gusto and attention to perfect detail that we’ve come to expect. Ah, now I think I hear the music playing me off. Goodnight, everybody.