iPad 3 Launch Imminent: Other Expected iDevices in Pipeline and iOS 5.1 Upgrade Tutorial

As rumours behind the release of Apple products hit fever pitch, the anxiety among restless fans continues. We bring a takedown of the most-anticipated Apple products or iProducts this year along with the iOS 5.1 upgrade tutorial.

iPad 3 - Releasing in First Week of March?

Speculation is rife that the next-gen tablet - iPad 3 will be launched at an event in the first week of March. Reports from AllThingsD suggest, the new tablet's launch event will be held in San Francisco at the Yerba Buena Center for Arts, which is Apple's favoured site for product launches.

Going by Apple's history of launching new products on a periodic basis, the speculation is favourably consistent with the release date patterns. iPad 2 was released on March 2, 2011 and the original iPad at the end of January 2010.

So, expect iPad 3 to release in the first week of March, as history dictates Apple's promptness with its releases.

iPhone 5 - Releasing at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June?

iPhone 5 is the most hyped up gadget and also the most awaited, as rumours swirl about its release date. Following a series of rumors about its launch date, Apple is finally set to release the most-anticipated fifth generation smartphone at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), to be held in June at Moscone Center, CA, according to the Chinese-language Commercial Times, quoting Daiwa Securities.

Latest reports from Cydia Blog about the Moscone's event calendar suggest that Apple has reserved an entire week starting from June 11 to June 15 for a "Corporate Event." Rumours abound that Apple will launch the iPhone 5 anytime during that corporate event.

Historically, Apple chose Thursdays or Fridays to release iPhones and June 15 falls on Friday this year, which fuels the speculation about the expected release of the iPhone 5.

Besides, the biggest surprise awaiting iPhone 5 fans is the speculated nanotech coating on the chipset that could make the gadget absolutely waterproof. We just hope that Apple doesn't water down our expectations with yet another delayed release.

iTV - Expect Google's Home Entertainment Device take on Apple iTV in the War of Titans

Quite strikingly, Google's announcement of the device is spurred by rumours surrounding Apple iTV's release at the end of 2012. Latest reports suggest Samsung making the chips and Sharp the displays for the mystery device.

The battle to seize control of the living room has just begun, as the two bigwigs - Apple and Google - lock horns in the entertainment arena. Wall Street Journal reports confirm Google is in the process of building a "home-entertainment system that streams music wirelessly through the home."

This is the first device in the history of the company to independently bear Google's own brand name, without any third-party hardware collaboration. Google is in the works to seamlessly integrate its mobile operating system Android with the home entertainment system.

Meanwhile, Apple Inc.'s supply chain is expected to start prepping materials for iTV sets in the first quarter of 2012 in order to meet Apple's schedule to launch the new products in the second or third quarter of 2012, according to DigiTimes.

Amid escalating speculations, Apple executives have been meeting media executives lately to discuss the future of television, according to the Wall Street Journal. If there is any truth to the rumours, expect iTV to get the latest software upgrade iOS v5.1 and Google's counterpart might just flaunt the new Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) onboard.

iOS 5.1 on the Horizon: What Else you Need to Know to Run the Upgrade on Your iDevice?

Currently in its development stage, expect the iOS 5.1 release for the next-gen devices any time soon. The existing iOS 5 sports amazing user interface and unsurpassed stability. However, it is imperative that you upgrade your iTunes version to 10.5 or later version to meet the installation requirements for iOS 5.1, which undoubtedly includes better features and performance optimizations.

Here is the complete list of steps for successfully running iOS 5.1 on your favourite iDevice:

Method 1

Step 1: Click on the device's "Settings"
Step 2: Click on "General"
Step 3: Click on "Software Update"
Step 4: Download the new iOS 5.1

Method 2

Step 1: Connect your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to your computer running iTunes 10.5 or later via USB cable
Step 2: Now, a new message from the iOS 5.1 firmware will appear on the screen
Step 3: Click on the "Download and Install" button
Step 4: The downloading and the installation of the iOS 5.1 will now start on your device

Method 3

Step 1: First download the iOS 5 firmware for iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch (Links have been provided below)
Step 2: Now, open iTunes and connect your device via USB cable
Step 3: Next, you will need to select your iDevice from the left navigation pane on iTunes
Step 4: Hold down the Shift (Windows) or Alt/Option (Mac) key and hit the restore button on iTunes at the same time.
Step 5: Finally, browse and select the downloaded iOS 5.1 IPSW file and let the restore process complete successfully.

Important Download Links:

iTunes 10.5 - For Mac, Windows (32 Bit) and Windows (64 Bit)

iOS (All versions and updates)

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