Sony Xperia S gets priced in the UK. Hovers around RM2,000 range
UPDATE: UK Pricing is normally inclusive of 15% VAT which is often rebated for tourists. We’re looking at RM1750 after tax rebates.
The Sony Xperia S which was revealed recently is now open for pre-orders in Europe and the UK. In the UK, the Xperia S is priced at £429.99 while in Germany, Italy & France it is priced between €449 to €499.
The lowest £429.99 UK price tag is actually similar to the Galaxy Nexus UK pricing at £429. If converted directly that’s about RM2,059 in today’s currency which is quite close to our Galaxy Nexus RRP of RM2099. However do note that it is usually cheaper for us since the UK charges VAT of 15% which means that it costs around RM1,750 after tax rebates. Meanwhile Italy & France is pricing it from €449 which is approximately RM1,784.
This gives some indication for our local pricing and we are expecting the Xperia S to be priced somewhere around the RM1,900-RM2,200 range. Ideally, we hope Sony Ericsson would price this locally below the RM2,000 mark. As comparison, the Xperia arc was launched in Malaysia last year at RM2,099.
If you haven’t seen it yet, do check out our first impressions of the Xperia S and its sample photos & videos.
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iPad 3 to feature HD display, quad-core processor, longer battery life and LTE, on sale in March says Bloomberg
Bloomberg says the next iPad (iPad 3) will sport a HD display, a faster processor, run on LTE and go on sale this March citing “three people familiar with the product”. The sources also claim that Apple’s manufacturing partners in China have started ramping up production of the new iPad this month to meet what Apple expects is a huge demand the new tablet and also to make up for the massive Lunar New Year exodus where factories in the country will halt production. Mass production for the new iPad started this month with factories running 24 hours a day, one of the Bloomberg sources said.
Bloomberg requested for comment from Apple on the matter but a spokeswoman said the company doesn’t comment on rumor and speculation.
The new iPad is expected to feature a high resolution display with pixels so small and packed in so tightly that it makes images appear like printed material. According to information found in the iOS 5 SDK, the new display could have a resolution of up to 2048×1536 pixels.
Assuming Apple will stick with the 9.7-inch screen form factor, that gives the display on the iPad 3 a pixel density of around 264ppi – well below the 300ppi threshold where Apple claims the naked eye is not able to discern individual pixels. In comparison, the Retina Display on the iPhone 4 and 4S pushes 326ppi.
The iPad 3 is expected to feature a slightly thicker case to accommodate the HD display and a larger battery. The larger battery is said meet the higher power requirements of LTE allowing Apple to make the iPad 3 its first LTE device. For countries outside of the US where LTE is not prevalent, users can expect the iPad 3 to deliver considerably better battery performance, possibly double that of the iPad 2.
In addition to the bigger battery and higher resolution display, the iPad 3 is said to feature a quad-core processor and possibly a new GPU as well. One of the Bloomberg sources said that the new processor will bring faster multitasking capabilities and allow video playback to happen instantaneously.
Apple rumours are a whole different animal altogether, there are so many flying around it get difficult to separate the truth from the fluff but when a credible news source comes in with information that is in line with some of the many rumours that has been going around, then you know something is up. This is going to be interesting.
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Singapore selling iPhone 4S without cameras
Thinking of getting an iPhone 4S but your work doesn’t permit anything that take pictures? You might want to check out Singapore as they are offering iPhone 4S with its front and main camera removed.
In Singapore, military staff are prohibited from bringing in any form of camera devices into their bases. Aimed at catering for these folks, telcos in Singapore are offering special iPhone 4S bundles which include “Camera removal service”. On M1, the 32GB version is going as low as $49 on iPhone Max Plans or as high as $649 on their iPhone value plan.
It is interesting to point out that such modifications performed by telcos will automatically void the standard Apple warranties. As a result, the telcos are reported to offer warranty coverage of their own. In Singapore, the iPhone 4S is not the only device with “camera-less” options as we’ve found out that M1 is also offering a similar version for its BlackBerry Bold 9780. This certainly goes to show that the military market is rather substantial for Singapore and this ruling doesn’t necessary have to restrict them to dumb feature phones.