If you are one of the many people who have pre-ordered the Apple iPad well ahead of time (with the wisdom to ensure that you are able to actually get the device), it seems that Apple is all set and ready to disappoint you and what is estimated to be thousands of other people who have pre-ordered the Apple iPad touch screen tablet.

According to recent reports, the iPad worldwide launch is set to go on May 28, this coming Friday and that many stores are already getting ready for the big event. However, it seems that all of the iPad stocks are going to be allocated for over the counter sales –no iPads will be shipped to online pre-order customers. In fact, it is highly possible that the iPad will not be shipped until two weeks after June 28.

This sad turn of events is a serious blow to many people who have been preparing for the iPad launch. While it is impressive to see long lines in stores, sales are still sales and Apple should respect the foresight that many people had when it comes to buying their devices. Or perhaps Apple is simply bitter over not having foresight of their own –as shown with the reason why the iPad international launch was delayed; due to their inability to foresee that their stocks would not meet the US demands for the touch screen tablet.

Users who will check online will find that tracking of orders is no longer present and that there is a notice for the possible two-week wait. Apple is practically spitting in the face of its online customers.

Still, there is no doubt that the launch of the iPad will still be a success. It is the first tablet device to be launch in this scale and there is a definitive interest in the device. However, one cannot help but feel that if Apple keeps treating customers like this, they will eventually lose support.

Sure, HTML5 is the next big thing, and in the next six years, it is possible that most of the Flash content on the internet would have been converted to HTML5. Still, that projection is for the distant future, not right now. And that is the main reason why many Apple iPad users find the lack of Flash on the device absolutely annoying.

It may not seem like a big deal at first, but once you realize that there are plenty of websites that cannot be accessed because of the lack of Flash, Apple’s strict policies start becoming a source of disdain. This is the result of a recent survey held by a market research company named Changewave.

The results are not surprising, with the iPad being hailed as the new way to access mass media, the fact that it is unable to handle plenty of video streaming sites online due to the lack of Flash is a severe disadvantage that would not be resolved anytime in the future.

For those wondering why Apple is not getting any Flash support, most of the blame goes to Steve Jobs’ stubborn stance regarding support for the Adobe web format.  For the past few years, Adobe has been struggling to update and streamline Flash to be compatible with not only the Mac OS but also the iPhone OS.

Still, lack of cooperation from Apple has left Adobe unable to stabilize Flash performance on Apple’s devices. Ironically, Jobs’ biggest complaint was that Flash is unstable –an issue that he could have helped resolve.

The problem hit a major turn when Apple launched the iPhone 4.0 OS SDK. The software development kit came with a license agreement for developers that practically banned the use of Adobe’s software as a development tool for iPhone apps. This action drove the wedge that has now completely severed Adobe’s ties with Apple. Flash compatibility will be present in the new Android operating system instead.

The industry is up in arms with the raid of REACT operatives on the home of Jason Chen –the now famous Gizmodo tech blogger who was in possession of the prototype Apple iPhone device. Many believe that there should have never been a raid in the first place. Beyond the raid, many are also questioning Apple’s motives; while there is sufficient reason to protect the technology behind their latest product, it does not make their urgent response to the situation easier to understand.

It has been recently revealed that the Apple, and in particular, Steve Jobs, has been in contact with Brian Lam, the editor for Gizmodo. It appears that the two professionals had a very civil exchange regarding Apple’s need for the prototype to be returned and for Gizmodo to be able to receive a confirmation from Apple that the device is indeed an authentic iPhone prototype.

Steve Jobs however, was concerned about another important factor –current iPhone sales.

Apple’s stand on the matter is that they would lose iPhone sales once details about the next generation device have been revealed. This is because the public would start seeing the iPhone 3G and 3Gs as part of an older generation of devices. With the competition between the iPhone and the Android being at a very crucial point, Apple does not want to lose the position of being on the high ground. The current iPhone has been on top of the market for over two years now, and at this point, it is barely holding its own against devices such as the Desire and the Nexus One.

Apple has yet to confirm that the prototype device is indeed a next generation iPhone, but they have confirmed that they are the rightful owners of the device –in many ways, this is already the confirmation that Gizmodo needs.

Originally, the title is supposed to say that the iPhone was lagging behind the sat nav race, but that would imply that the current generation handset is lagging and this might change with the upcoming iPhone HD/4G. This however would be the wrong impression.

The reason why Apple’s handset is aging far behind Nokia and Google in terms of sat nav technology is due to the fact that Apple does not have its own Maps service. This is the one thing that the Cupertino based company lacks in order to jump into the market. Nor will they be able to. Their recent tie up with TomTom has tied Apple’s proverbial wrists in terms of being able to compete in the GPS market. If the developer decides to make their own maps service, they could potentially face legal action from their industry partner TomTom.

Google has confirmed that they will be launch free voice guided sat nav services for all of their Android devices that use 1.6 Donut and above. Nokia has also stated that their Ovi store equipped handsets will also get to enjoy free services as well. This has left Apple’s iPhone in the dust as all of the sat nav services on the touch screen handset rely on the use of paid app services like TomTom and the recently released Skobbler.

Speaking of which, users should be a little careful of using Skobbler as it uses the OpenStreetMap. While this compilation of geographical data is impressive, it can possibly be inaccurate as the data is not coded by professional cartographers. You could possibly drive you vehicle into a wall if you are not careful (or if the data is outdated).

Back to Google’s sat nav, it has been announced that the free service will also be tied up to Google’s search function, allowing users to instantly query addresses and locations of important places and more importantly, the closest pub.

The launch of the Apple iPad will be happening in the last week of May with pre-orders for the touch screen tablet being made available as early as May 10. Aside from Vodafone UK, mobile operators Orange Mobile and O2 UK have confirmed that they too will be having the device offered to clients.

Apple had originally planned the iPad to be launched late this April (the device has been released successfully in the US last April 3). However, international release has been delayed due to product availability. According to Apple, they are still trying to keep up with the US demand for the product and as such, would not be able to do a proper launch of the touch screen tablet this month.

Despite the disappointing news, many Apple fans all over the world are still awaiting the launch of the tablet. Those who are in a rush have already ordered and shipped iPads from the US. However, the Apple app store will only allow users with accounts linked to US addresses and purchases can only be done with US credit cards.

The Apple iPad is a touch screen tablet with a 9.7 inch display screen. The resolution is 1024 x 768 in landscape view. The device also comes with an accelerometer which allows the device to be titled to portrait mode as well. Many early buyers of the device have encountered various problems regarding USB charging, app compatibility and connecting to WiFi routers that use dual band technology.

Despite the initial setbacks, many believe that the tablet is an effective device for web browsing and reading eBooks. Many praise Apple’s design aesthetic with the user interface and overall appeal of the gadget.

Read more about the Apple iPad’s delayed launch and how many fans are reacting to the news at the Times Online UK.

If you are using the very first edition of the Apple iPhone, then you might have already caught wind of the news that Apple will stop supporting the old handset after this latest update. The word comes straight from Steve Jobs as he muttered a simple “sorry, no” to a question regarding if Apple would be continuing its support for the older smart phone.

In any case, the original iPhone has been on the lifeline long enough and people still using the device should let it retire peacefully. It has been over two years and smart phones from other manufacturers would have already met their respective ends at a much earlier time (a testament to the longevity of the iPhone series).

Many users feel that the decision to finally let go of the first generation iPhone is a good move by Apple, whom they feel has been generous enough to stand by the device for so long when other companies would not have.

This also means that it is time for iPhone users to start preparing for the big migration to the 4G handset. The iPhone 3G version will not be getting much support later on and with many of the new OS’ features hinging on the additional hardware by the 4G device, it would be best for users to starting synching their files for the move.

The iPhone 4G launch date has yet to be officially stated but many believe that the device will be launching sometime later this year. With the Windows Phone 7 mobile platform also coming out, it is likely that Apple will be holding its own major launch event in order to keep the market interest on the Apple product line.

Read more about the original first generation iPhone no longer being supported at Stuff TV.

It may be a simple feature that so many people take for granted, but for Apple device users, multitasking is a rare gift from the engineers at Cupertino. The feature was recently announced as a definite new feature for the iPhone 4.0 OS and it will allow up to a total of 4 programs running at the same time.

Still, there is one simple thought that occurs to many people, if iPhone users have learned to live without the feature for such a long time, why is it such a big deal now? There are plenty of technical bonuses to being able to run more than one app at the same time. For one thing, it opens up new possibilities for multi-app features. A location based service can link up to a game application which will allow users to invite nearby users to join their game.

There are also more simple uses such as being able to switch in an out of various app calculators when doing complex computations or being able to run an app while checking online for usage instructions.

The real story here however is not exactly the inclusion of multitasking, but what it means for the Apple community. For years, Apple has done without support for the feature in the iPod Touch and the iPhone, so why now?

This is a landmark event that shows that Apple is finally beginning to adapt some changes in order to meet the needs of the users more. While we certainly are not going to see Flash support anytime soon, at least we can be sure that Apple is starting to care.

Aside from multitasking, the new OS update also brings a total of almost a hundred new features.

Read more about the iPhone multitasking and see the video of the feature in action at Know Your Mobile.

The Apple iPhone is getting an update to its operating system and Steve Jobs just presented all the new details.

Multitasking, background wallpapers, icon folders, a game center, a unified inbox and other new features will be coming our way with the latest iPhone operating system version 4.0. It is impressive and something to look forward to, until we get to the part about iAds.

iAds is Apple’s new scheme to bring integrated advertisements into the iPhone. Originally, the annoying presence of ads can only be encountered within the web pages you visit and inside certain applications, iAds could potentially bring ads to everywhere on your mobile phone.

The odd thing about this is that Apple seems like it expects users to be happy about the new development. While companies would certainly appreciate the value of such a revolutionary new method of advertising, this is hardly anything that an average user would really want in the first place.

Another major concern is how ads will be sent to our phones. If Apple will be piggybacking 3G connections in order to pre-load ad content, that would be a serious problem for people who are trying to conserve bandwidth. Also, the ad selection would mean that the device would be monitoring a user’s preferences and activities in order to get relevant ad content. Now that is just plain creepy.

Aside from the issue about the iAds feature, the OS announcement also revealed some key fact that people are not too happy about. In regards to the 4.0 SDK agreement, it turns out that Apple will be banning the use of Adobe Flash content completely –even for the creation of apps. This would render Flash to iPhone compilers unusable and discourage some developers as well.

Read more about the iPhone OS update’s ads service at the Guardian UK.

For iPad owners who are using WiFi routers that use dual band technology, it is likely that the touch screen tablet has been working erratically, unable to connect or maintain a good stable connection to the network.

According to Apple, this problem is caused by the device’s lack of compatibility with dual band routers. Routers that use both 2.4GHz and 5.4GHz bands will have problems with the touch screen device one way or the other and according to the folks at Apple the best way to solve the issue is by changing the router settings.

It is a bit of a hassle when you have other devices that rely on your current settings -but if you are planning to get the iPad when it comes out in the UK and the rest of the world this coming April 24, then it is best that you know this little factoid beforehand.

Despite the fact that the solution is not a real fix (as opposed to patch to the iPad’s system settings which would help it connect to dual band networks –or maybe it is a hardware issue), this does show that Apple has been keeping a close eye on the public reaction towards their new device.

Aside from issues with the WiFi settings, owners of the tablet have also reported problems concerning the USB charging settings for the iPad as well as compatibility issues with iPhone apps. Some iPad units are having problems charging when the device is turned on, requiring users to switch off the device to charge.  As for the app issue, it appears that some apps for the iPhone will crash when it is loaded on the iPad.

Find out more about the WiFi issue with the iPad and see the step by step solutions for fixing the problem at Pocket Lint.

Mark your calendar UK Apple fans, the touch screen tablet may have been already released in the United States and we are sure that you are all eager to know when this ‘game-changing’ new device will be hitting store shelves locally.

According to reports, Apple will be bringing over their new tablet by the 24th of April and while the launch date may be several weeks later than the US launch, both the 3G and non-3G versions of the device will be available and hopefully, they would have been able to sort out that whole deal with the WiFi connectivity.

For those who missed out on the newest scoop about the iPad, it turns out that the new device is prone to having WiFi problems. Fortunately, the error seems to only happen in a few units. Though it has not yet been determined as to whether the problem is caused by software or hardware errors. Many point out that the fact that the problem does not persist on all devices makes it more like an issue with the hardware itself.

In any case, the sales performance of the iPad has been very impressive. On the first day alone, the number has hit a nice big 300,000 units, the figure has since reached up to 700,000 units. As to whether the device will meet the same success when it launches in the UK later on remains to be seen.

The Apple iPad comes with plenty of features such as web browsing, maps, image viewing, media playback, apps, eBook reading and it will even serve as a mini workstation with the iWork function. The device’s dual battery setup will deliver a good 10 hours of usage –some users have reported that their devices can last for longer periods.

Read more about the upcoming UK launch of the iPad at Slashgear.