Weekly Review: Nexus 10-inch Tablet Arrives, iPad Mini Ships

While Hurricane Sandy’s arrival on the East Coast of the U.S. delayed Google’s press event last week, a new line of Nexus products, including a smartphone and tablet, has already been unveiled on Google’s blog. There is a 4-inch Nexus 4 smartphone, a 10-inch Nexus 10 tablet, and the Nexus 7 has had a makeover: storage is increased to 32 GB and a 3G version  is now available. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, prices have been reduced.

Interestingly, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 seem designed to go up against the iPhone, iPad mini, and iPad. Google’s three devices will be carried by LG, ASUS, and Samsung, respectively.

In other news, Hurricane Sandy presence has highlighted the importance of social network sites and wireless networks in times of crisis; major U.S. telecoms AT&T and T-Mobile have decided to share their network in the areas affected by the disaster.

The iPad mini officially began shipping on November 2, but some consumers in France received the devices a day ahead of schedule, exposing the iPad mini box to the world early. In addition to revealing the exquisite packaging characteristic of all Apple products, photos of the box show iTunes 11 listed as a requirement for the iPad mini, indication that the delayed release of the latest iTunes version was not planned.

Aside from reviews, after the iPad mini shipped the focus has been on the new device’s teardown. iFixit has once again been the first to rip apart Apple’s latest device, and has made a few unexpected discoveries in the process. The iPad mini’s battery capacity is 4,400 mAh, nowhere near the iPad 3’s astonishing 11,666 mAh, although both batteries take up a good amount of space. Additionally, the iPad mini uses a Samsung display, which is surprising to say the least in light of the recent legal battles.

In addition to iPad mini news, Apple is making headlines with the announcement that software engineer Scott Forstall will be leaving the Cupertino company in 2013. Forstall has been a major player in the development of iOS throughout the years, and his departure will surely result in some shake ups for Apple’s mobile device software. Apple’s finance reports indicate research and development expenditure is still high, which bodes well for new products, but Apple shareholders seem to have a more pessimistic outlook as Apple stock falls.

Products equipped with one of Microsoft’s three Windows 8 platforms have begun shipping, but the market response has not been as the software giant expected, despite its promotional efforts. The ARM-based Windows RT has a bit of a learning curve, not to mention the fact that there is a relatively low number of apps available for the platform. Regardless, the ARM processor, used in smartphones and tablets, has fared well recently. ARM has not only developed new products to target server platforms, but its finance reports are looking good and the company has plenty of cash on hand. Furthermore, there are rumors ARM may be acquiring another company, aiming to improve its technology even further.

Last week’s figures indicate Samsung remains at the top of the global mobile phone market, with Apple close behind. Nokia was pushed out of the top five smartphone maker list for the first time, by Chinese manufacturer ZTE. As for Lenovo, the maker may soon take Samsung’s crown in China’s domestic smartphone market.