While Jobs was dismissive of the iPad Lite concept, calling them “scaled-up smartphones” in Apple’s earnings conference call a year ago, Apple is readying the new device to go head-to-head with Kindle Fire, Amazon’s $200 color 7-inch slate.
However, Jobs was not pleased with the experience of the iPad Mini and thought it diluted Apple’s product-line, said our insider.
Positioned between the iPod Touch and the iPad 2, the iPad Mini does complicate Apple’s simple lineup. Apple’s management team, in their first move of establishing independence, decided to proceed with the smaller iPad.
With the Kindle Fire priced at $199, a mini version of the iPad could fill a market gap for people still uncomfortable with the iPad’s $499 price-tag. The Kindle Fire was afire on Black Friday, where it was the bestselling tablet at Target and Best Buy stores. By producing a less expensive, smaller and more portable tablet, Apple will certainly maintain market dominance.
Additionally, Taiwanese Economic Daily News has reported that Korean LG Display and Taiwanese AU Optronics, two potential suppliers, have recently sent samples of their iPad Mini displays to Apple.
Their sources state that Apple has already set the specifications for the smaller tablet, which is scheduled to ship Q1 2012, with the iPad 3 shipping in Q3, which is said to carry a Retina display with 2048×1536 resolution.
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The Cire Trudon shop in Paris, located at 78 rue de Seine is the world’s oldest candle maker was founded in 1643. Past customers have included Marie Antoinette and Napoleon. Current customers include Kenzo, Guerlain, Hermes and Dior.
Few brands have 367 years of heritage and know-how behind them, and few are lucky enough to have the skills of a talented marketer, patron of the arts and designer to support them. Cire Trudon literally gave light to the people (and royalty) and produced such high quality candles that it has survived, even flourished, in an electric world.
Cire Trudon's staying power is partially due to the quality of their wax, which is made from rice, soy and copra (coconut kernal). It burns cleanly, doesn't drip, lasts a long time, is biodegradable and is particularly well suited to carrying pigment and scent.
Ramdane Touhani has led the company since 2006, and in a few short years has created a wide range of products, a cult following, a store in Paris and a second store in the heart of NYC's Nolita neighborhood.
Prices range from $20-$375.
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The Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS 2012 will be producing the first four-door convertible supercar — Made by the premium car maker from Holland, with a 670 HP V8 engine under the hood, the Rivale Roadyacht GTS will be capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, while top speed goes up to an impressive 205 mph.
Savage Rivale’s Roadyacht GTS is one of the most exclusive vehicles in the world, and only 20 autos will be produced in three colors.
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American Express developed the black ‘Centurion Card’ for its very best customers. It is so exclusive that you won’t even find details of it on the American Express website. It’s available by ‘invitation only’ and reputedly requires card spending of US$5,000 per month.
This kind of spending brings plenty of benefits, including a personal travel counselor to handle all travel needs, and a personal concierge to help with anything from special occasion planning and selecting ideal gifts, to locating unusual items.
James Bush, Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing, said at the launch of the card: “We created the Centurion Card in response to customer research that identified a small but affluent group of cardmembers for whom individual attention and access to previously unavailable elite travel benefits was of great interest.”
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The Droplet outdoor workspace is an inventive seating system designed to get university students to study outside.
Droplet was designed by Nick Chubb, a designer obviously against the stuffiness and antisocial studying that occurs inside of college libraries and computer labs.
The Droplet outdoor workspace consists of six hanging chairs (droplets) and two tables. The droplets can be repositioned and re-sized to fit students of all shapes and heights. The unique shape of the chairs ensures that students will be able to study rain or shine.
Creative seating like the Droplet would be a great way to get students to study outside in the sunshine. Here’s to hoping that Chubb designs an indoor version of droplet sometime soon.
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