iPad holdouts can now buy the first version for more than 30 per cent cheaper as Apple slashes its prices and existing owners jump on eBay to offload in preparation for the iPad 2.
Apple Australia has confirmed that those who bought an iPad 1 within 14 calendar days of the iPad 2 announcement are entitled to a refund of the difference between the price paid and the current selling price.
But existing owners who are planning to trade in for an iPad 2 would have done well to sell their iPad before the successor's launch on Thursday last week, as second-hand prices on eBay are crashing fast. A search for iPad in the computer category of eBay.com.au reveals over 600 listings, excluding accessories.
Apple has slashed prices on all existing iPad models by up to $210 and is offering refurbished models for even less. Apple's 16GB, 32GB and 64GB iPad Wi-Fi models have been reduced to $449 (from $629), $579 (from $759) and $689 (from $879), respectively.
For those who want an iPad WiFi + 3G model, prices for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models have dropped to $598 (from $799), $729 ($928) and $839 ($1049), respectively.
Apple is also selling refurbished models that are second-hand but include a new battery and outer shell and come with a one-year warranty. If you want a refurbished iPad you can knock up to about $80 off the price of a new model, which some bloggers have said is not a big enough discount to entice people to buy a used product.
Online gadget-buyer Gazelle, which takes second-hand gadgets off people's hands and then sells them on eBay, said that, within an hour after the iPad 2 was announced, it had bought more than 2000 used iPads.
The company pays the seller a certain amount depending on the condition of the product and other factors such as whether the seller still has the relevant cables and charger.
A similar company, NextWorth, said in the three days following the iPad 2 launch it received almost three times the number of iPads it had been sent in the whole of February.
The iPad 2 will go on sale in Australia from March 25. Prices have yet to be announced but Telstra has already said it will carry the new model. The new iPad 2 is lighter (590 grams versus 680 grams) and thinner (from 13.4mm to 8.8mm) than its predecessor and boasts significant upgrades such as a new A5 dual-core processor, more internal memory, faster graphics and dual front and rear-facing cameras.
Senin, 07 Maret 2011
SBY Urged to Reshuffle Cabinet Soon
Observers called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to reshuffle his cabinet ministers immediately amid a discourse on the stance of two government coalition members, the Golkar Party and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
Golkar and PKS supported a recent tax mafia inquiry motion which was rejected by the alliance under the leadership of the ruling Democrat Party (PD).
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last week that political parties in the government coalition that had not met their commitments could no longer remain in the alliance, a clear reference to the Golkar and PKS parties which were viewed to have taken steps violating their commitments.
Observers are of the opinion that if the president intends to revamp his cabinet, he had better carry it out immediately in order not to miss the momentum. After all, the president now only has 3.5 years left to carry out his mandate.
"If he is willing to reshuffle his cabinet, now is the time because it only has 3.5 years left. It will be too late if he waits for one or two more years," political observer Katjung Marijan of the Airlangga University (Unair) said on Monday.
He said if the president did not carry out a cabinet revamp he would continue to face the same problem which so far had been created by his coalition partners. Moreover, the idea of a cabinet reshuffle existed for a long time and if it continued to be raised it would disturb the government in carrying out its development programs optimally.
Secretary General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Tjahjo Kumolo said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had better reshuffle his cabinet ministers soon.
"PDIP only reminds (the president of the cabinet revamp) because if it is delayed it will miss the momentum," he said at the parliament building on Monday.
Katjung Marijan concurred with Tjahjo’s opinion saying that a cabinet shake-up followed by the coalition’s restructuring is needed to ensure the government stability so that it would work more effectively.
According to Katjung, a cabinet reshuffle should be made a momentum to renew its commitment and improve coordination among political parties supporting the alliance, two things which so far were proven to be weak.
"Ideally, a coalition must be in one home, under one roof and have one door. What happens so far is that each of the coalition members has its own home and door so that a common policy is not created," Katjung said.
He said it should be acknowledged that Yudhoyono’s coalition now was still confined to power-sharing, not a coalition built to achieve a common goal. Fragmentation within the coalition, where each political party has its own interest, could not be avoided, much more coordination was weak.
"Commitment and coordination must be improved which could be done by excluding political parties which so far did not fulfill their commitments," he said.
Political observer Yunarto Wijaya of Charta Politika said now is the correct momentum for Yudhoyono to reduce the number of parties in the government coalition so that his administration would run effectively.
"The large size of the coalition has proven to be ineffective and put shackles on the government so that the administration over the past one and a half years was not effective as it was shackled by the interest of political parties," Yunarto said.
Yunarto said he hoped Yudhoyono would use the momentum to down size the cabinet posture so that it would become more professional by including elements which were free from interests that shackle the cabinet.
He said the change in the composition of the coalition by excluding those considered to have violated their commitment and include others in the cabinet would not have a significant impact on the government’s performance.
"Letting one party go but asking another one to come in to replace it to maintain the coalition strength is only a mirage," he said.
He said that by asking other political parties like the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) and Gerindra (the Greater Indonesia Movement Party ) to replace the Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) the president would face difficulties in giving incentives to a loyal party or in taking ministers from the professional circle.
"The president has the logic that if A is excluded from the coalition, B must be included in the alliance to maintain strength. But this will automatically reduce the room for him to provide reward for loyal parties or to take ministers from professionals to support his government," he said.
PDIP and Gerindra are so far not included in the government coalition. According to Yudhoyono, the political parties who have joined the coalition are the Golkar Party, PKS, National Mandate Party (PAN), United Development Party (PPP), National Awakening Party (PKB) and the (ruling) Democrat Party (PD). These parties have signed 11-point agreements which would serve as rules of the game in the coalition.
Owing to the fact that certain coalition members are viewed to have violated their commitments, while calls and discourse on possible reshuffle, the president is now about to revamp his cabinet. However, analyst believed that a reshuffle should not be based on a political reason but on the performance of a minister.
"A reshuffle should be carried out if the president considers the performance of his ministers to be bad. This is very important. If the cabinet is reshuffled for political reasons, I think it is not appropriate," Maswadi Rauf of the University of Indonsia (UI) said.
He said if the cabinet was revamped because of political reasons, it would affect the government’s performance. It would likely disturb and reduce the performance of ministers. A presidential aide said a cabinet reshuffle would be based on performance consideration.
"It is not a discourse. It is real and is going to be discussed soon. So if a reshuffle really happens later, the basis for it will be an evaluation of ministers’ performance," Heru Lelono, the president’s special aide for information, said.
Golkar and PKS supported a recent tax mafia inquiry motion which was rejected by the alliance under the leadership of the ruling Democrat Party (PD).
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last week that political parties in the government coalition that had not met their commitments could no longer remain in the alliance, a clear reference to the Golkar and PKS parties which were viewed to have taken steps violating their commitments.
Observers are of the opinion that if the president intends to revamp his cabinet, he had better carry it out immediately in order not to miss the momentum. After all, the president now only has 3.5 years left to carry out his mandate.
"If he is willing to reshuffle his cabinet, now is the time because it only has 3.5 years left. It will be too late if he waits for one or two more years," political observer Katjung Marijan of the Airlangga University (Unair) said on Monday.
He said if the president did not carry out a cabinet revamp he would continue to face the same problem which so far had been created by his coalition partners. Moreover, the idea of a cabinet reshuffle existed for a long time and if it continued to be raised it would disturb the government in carrying out its development programs optimally.
Secretary General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Tjahjo Kumolo said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had better reshuffle his cabinet ministers soon.
"PDIP only reminds (the president of the cabinet revamp) because if it is delayed it will miss the momentum," he said at the parliament building on Monday.
Katjung Marijan concurred with Tjahjo’s opinion saying that a cabinet shake-up followed by the coalition’s restructuring is needed to ensure the government stability so that it would work more effectively.
According to Katjung, a cabinet reshuffle should be made a momentum to renew its commitment and improve coordination among political parties supporting the alliance, two things which so far were proven to be weak.
"Ideally, a coalition must be in one home, under one roof and have one door. What happens so far is that each of the coalition members has its own home and door so that a common policy is not created," Katjung said.
He said it should be acknowledged that Yudhoyono’s coalition now was still confined to power-sharing, not a coalition built to achieve a common goal. Fragmentation within the coalition, where each political party has its own interest, could not be avoided, much more coordination was weak.
"Commitment and coordination must be improved which could be done by excluding political parties which so far did not fulfill their commitments," he said.
Political observer Yunarto Wijaya of Charta Politika said now is the correct momentum for Yudhoyono to reduce the number of parties in the government coalition so that his administration would run effectively.
"The large size of the coalition has proven to be ineffective and put shackles on the government so that the administration over the past one and a half years was not effective as it was shackled by the interest of political parties," Yunarto said.
Yunarto said he hoped Yudhoyono would use the momentum to down size the cabinet posture so that it would become more professional by including elements which were free from interests that shackle the cabinet.
He said the change in the composition of the coalition by excluding those considered to have violated their commitment and include others in the cabinet would not have a significant impact on the government’s performance.
"Letting one party go but asking another one to come in to replace it to maintain the coalition strength is only a mirage," he said.
He said that by asking other political parties like the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) and Gerindra (the Greater Indonesia Movement Party ) to replace the Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) the president would face difficulties in giving incentives to a loyal party or in taking ministers from the professional circle.
"The president has the logic that if A is excluded from the coalition, B must be included in the alliance to maintain strength. But this will automatically reduce the room for him to provide reward for loyal parties or to take ministers from professionals to support his government," he said.
PDIP and Gerindra are so far not included in the government coalition. According to Yudhoyono, the political parties who have joined the coalition are the Golkar Party, PKS, National Mandate Party (PAN), United Development Party (PPP), National Awakening Party (PKB) and the (ruling) Democrat Party (PD). These parties have signed 11-point agreements which would serve as rules of the game in the coalition.
Owing to the fact that certain coalition members are viewed to have violated their commitments, while calls and discourse on possible reshuffle, the president is now about to revamp his cabinet. However, analyst believed that a reshuffle should not be based on a political reason but on the performance of a minister.
"A reshuffle should be carried out if the president considers the performance of his ministers to be bad. This is very important. If the cabinet is reshuffled for political reasons, I think it is not appropriate," Maswadi Rauf of the University of Indonsia (UI) said.
He said if the cabinet was revamped because of political reasons, it would affect the government’s performance. It would likely disturb and reduce the performance of ministers. A presidential aide said a cabinet reshuffle would be based on performance consideration.
"It is not a discourse. It is real and is going to be discussed soon. So if a reshuffle really happens later, the basis for it will be an evaluation of ministers’ performance," Heru Lelono, the president’s special aide for information, said.
Pakistani Plane Forced to Land in Indonesia
Officials say two Indonesian fighter jets have forced a Pakistani passenger plane to land after entering Indonesian air space without authorization. A spokesman for Pakistan International Airlines says the aircraft is chartered by U.N. peacekeepers in East Timor and might have strayed off course due to bad weather.
Local air force chief Agus Supriatna said the Boeing 737-300 with 54 people aboard landed Monday at the Sultan Hasanuddin airport in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province. He said it would be allowed to leave after arranging necessary documents.
PIA spokesman Tajwar Mashood said that the Pakistani Embassy in Indonesia has been informed and is taking action.
Local air force chief Agus Supriatna said the Boeing 737-300 with 54 people aboard landed Monday at the Sultan Hasanuddin airport in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province. He said it would be allowed to leave after arranging necessary documents.
PIA spokesman Tajwar Mashood said that the Pakistani Embassy in Indonesia has been informed and is taking action.
Danish, French Arrested on Drug Charges in Bali
Indonesian police on the resort island of Bali say they arrested a Danish woman who allegedly swallowed 23 capsules of hashish and a second suspect identified as a 38-year-old French.
Colonel Mulyadi said Monday that the 37-year-old Dane was taken to the hospital last week soon after arriving at the Bali airport. He said doctors found 218 grams of hashish in 23 capsules in her stomach.
Mulyadi said the woman led them to the second suspect he identified as a Frenchwoman who allegedly carried 2.01 grams of hashish. The predominantly Muslim nation of 237 million people has extremely strict drug laws and traffickers are regularly sentenced to death.
Colonel Mulyadi said Monday that the 37-year-old Dane was taken to the hospital last week soon after arriving at the Bali airport. He said doctors found 218 grams of hashish in 23 capsules in her stomach.
Mulyadi said the woman led them to the second suspect he identified as a Frenchwoman who allegedly carried 2.01 grams of hashish. The predominantly Muslim nation of 237 million people has extremely strict drug laws and traffickers are regularly sentenced to death.
Indonesia Landslide Slows Access to Freeport Mine
A landslide has shut a tunnel that links Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.’s mine with the nearby village in Indonesia’s province of Papua. No one was injured in the landslide, which happened Saturday.
PT. Freeport Indonesia spokesman Ramdani Sirait said Monday that production at the world’s largest gold and copper mine continues normally despite the landslide. Some miners were brought to work by helicopter, until bad weather grounded the choppers.
Sirait said the landslide would not affect shipments to buyers since materials travel to the port by pipeline. Freeport-McMoRan, whose operations also include copper mines in Arizona and New Mexico and molybdenum mining operations in Colorado, is the world’s largest publicly traded copper company.
PT. Freeport Indonesia spokesman Ramdani Sirait said Monday that production at the world’s largest gold and copper mine continues normally despite the landslide. Some miners were brought to work by helicopter, until bad weather grounded the choppers.
Sirait said the landslide would not affect shipments to buyers since materials travel to the port by pipeline. Freeport-McMoRan, whose operations also include copper mines in Arizona and New Mexico and molybdenum mining operations in Colorado, is the world’s largest publicly traded copper company.
BMW Rewinds X3 Prices as Rivals Stack up
Second-generation SUV to fight off Audi, Volvo and Land Rover with increased equipment, more efficient engines and lower prices. BMW has cut the price of most models in its new X3 range in response to growing pressure from luxury SUV rivals.
The entry level diesel model in the new X3 line-up remains the same price as the previous model, while prices have dropped for the higher-spec petrol and diesel models. At the same time, equipment levels have increased, there are more powerful engines and fuel efficiency has improved.
The X3, which for some time had the compact luxury SUV market to itself, faced dwindling sales last year as the Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60 ate into its market share. The pressure has increased recently with updates for Land Rover's Freelander2 range and a new addition to the Volvo XC60 lineup.
The all-new X3 xDrive20d will kick off the all-new model range at $62,200 (plus on-road costs). The 20d is powered by the same 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine as seen in the existing model, though it's now mated to the brand's new 8-speed automatic transmission, as with all X3 models.
The engine has been tweaked for more power (135kW) and increased torque (380Nm). Fuel consumption has dropped to an impressive 5.6 litres per 100 kilometres - making it the most efficient SUV in its segment - while CO2 emissions are also down (147g/km). Helping save fuel is BMW's stop-start technology - standard for diesel models.
The entry-level 20d adds standard equipment such as a 6.5-inch colour screen hooked up to BMW's iDrive media system with iPhone integration, and a reversing camera. The company says it is the only car in its segment to offer the potentially life-saving technology as standard.
It's a significant turnaround for a company that traditionally has an extensive options list for all models.
The mid-range offering is the petrol-powered xDrive28i which replaces the outgoing 30i. Despite a lower number in its name, the 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged model actually produces more power and torque (190kW/310Nm) and offers better performance - it can complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.9 seconds, identical to a VW Golf GTI. It also uses less fuel (9.0L/100km), and at $71,900 it's $3400 cheaper than its predecessor.
The extra $9700 spend over the 20d adds leather upholstery, electric seats with driver's seat memory, twin exhausts and 18-inch wheels. The range-topping model is the xDrive30d, due here about June.
It borrows its engine from the X5, a new turbocharged 3.0-litre diesel producing 190kW of power and 560Nm of torque. The 30d is priced at $74,900, and adds a chrome trim finish and automatic tailgate operation over the 28i. Pricing is down $2500 over the existing range-topper, and BMW expects sales of the top model to increase steadily.
Size-wise the new X3 is longer, wider, taller and lighter than its predecessor - it is just 4cm shorter than the original version of its bigger brother, the X5 (it now measures 4648mm long, 1881mm wide and 1661mm high), and boot space is up to a class-leading 550 litres (seats in place - 1600L with the 20/40/20 seats folded). BMW says the reason for enlarging the X3 was to further differentiate it from its new X1 baby sibling, while still staying small enough for buyers to split it from the larger X5.
BMW is offering its M Sport package (with colour-coded body add-ons and sportier 19-inch wheels) on all models, priced at $4800 for the 20d, $4100 for the 28i and $3000 for the 30d.
In a first for SUVs in this segment, there will also be an optional adaptive suspension system as seen in the 5-Series (with Normal, Sport and Sport+ settings). BMW hasn't confirmed pricing for the adaptive suspension but it is expected to be about $7000.
The entry level diesel model in the new X3 line-up remains the same price as the previous model, while prices have dropped for the higher-spec petrol and diesel models. At the same time, equipment levels have increased, there are more powerful engines and fuel efficiency has improved.
The X3, which for some time had the compact luxury SUV market to itself, faced dwindling sales last year as the Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60 ate into its market share. The pressure has increased recently with updates for Land Rover's Freelander2 range and a new addition to the Volvo XC60 lineup.
The all-new X3 xDrive20d will kick off the all-new model range at $62,200 (plus on-road costs). The 20d is powered by the same 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine as seen in the existing model, though it's now mated to the brand's new 8-speed automatic transmission, as with all X3 models.
The engine has been tweaked for more power (135kW) and increased torque (380Nm). Fuel consumption has dropped to an impressive 5.6 litres per 100 kilometres - making it the most efficient SUV in its segment - while CO2 emissions are also down (147g/km). Helping save fuel is BMW's stop-start technology - standard for diesel models.
The entry-level 20d adds standard equipment such as a 6.5-inch colour screen hooked up to BMW's iDrive media system with iPhone integration, and a reversing camera. The company says it is the only car in its segment to offer the potentially life-saving technology as standard.
It's a significant turnaround for a company that traditionally has an extensive options list for all models.
The mid-range offering is the petrol-powered xDrive28i which replaces the outgoing 30i. Despite a lower number in its name, the 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged model actually produces more power and torque (190kW/310Nm) and offers better performance - it can complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.9 seconds, identical to a VW Golf GTI. It also uses less fuel (9.0L/100km), and at $71,900 it's $3400 cheaper than its predecessor.
The extra $9700 spend over the 20d adds leather upholstery, electric seats with driver's seat memory, twin exhausts and 18-inch wheels. The range-topping model is the xDrive30d, due here about June.
It borrows its engine from the X5, a new turbocharged 3.0-litre diesel producing 190kW of power and 560Nm of torque. The 30d is priced at $74,900, and adds a chrome trim finish and automatic tailgate operation over the 28i. Pricing is down $2500 over the existing range-topper, and BMW expects sales of the top model to increase steadily.
Size-wise the new X3 is longer, wider, taller and lighter than its predecessor - it is just 4cm shorter than the original version of its bigger brother, the X5 (it now measures 4648mm long, 1881mm wide and 1661mm high), and boot space is up to a class-leading 550 litres (seats in place - 1600L with the 20/40/20 seats folded). BMW says the reason for enlarging the X3 was to further differentiate it from its new X1 baby sibling, while still staying small enough for buyers to split it from the larger X5.
BMW is offering its M Sport package (with colour-coded body add-ons and sportier 19-inch wheels) on all models, priced at $4800 for the 20d, $4100 for the 28i and $3000 for the 30d.
In a first for SUVs in this segment, there will also be an optional adaptive suspension system as seen in the 5-Series (with Normal, Sport and Sport+ settings). BMW hasn't confirmed pricing for the adaptive suspension but it is expected to be about $7000.
"Jen Aniston's Sex Tape"
Jennifer Aniston has created the ultimate viral video - complete with dozens of adorable puppies, dancing babies and a fat man crying at a rainbow. And if that weren't enough to set the internet alight, it also featured plenty of shots of Aniston tossing around her blonde hair and pouting into the camera.
The video, jokingly marketed as 'Jen Aniston's Sex Tape', advertises Smart Water, a brand that the actress has promoted previously. The video starts with a tousle haired, chubby cheeked child lip syncing to the song Like A G6.
Before long Aniston appears, dressed in tight trousers and a vest top. She replaces the child and is soon surrounded by a crush of golden retriever puppies, similar to those featured in Britian's popular Andrex adverts.
A talking parrot features next, before a few computer generated babies appear and start dirty dancing. Next a fan man arrives and starts crying at a double rainbow, only to be comforted by Aniston.
A grinning team of internet geeks then discuss how she could increase the appeal of the video. Aniston is then approached by a ginger haired man who tells her he's been in love with her 'like forever'.
She kicks him in the groin. 'Sorry,' she says. 'I've just been told that's worth about a 100,000 hits.'
Moments later a slow motion sequence starts as Aniston flicks her golden hair around to the famous intro to Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street.
After attempting to drink seductively from a bottle of smart water she bursts out laughing. The video ends with the team deciding on a name for the video - 'Jen Aniston's Sex Tape', suggests one.
'I love it', she says.
The video, jokingly marketed as 'Jen Aniston's Sex Tape', advertises Smart Water, a brand that the actress has promoted previously. The video starts with a tousle haired, chubby cheeked child lip syncing to the song Like A G6.
Before long Aniston appears, dressed in tight trousers and a vest top. She replaces the child and is soon surrounded by a crush of golden retriever puppies, similar to those featured in Britian's popular Andrex adverts.
A talking parrot features next, before a few computer generated babies appear and start dirty dancing. Next a fan man arrives and starts crying at a double rainbow, only to be comforted by Aniston.
A grinning team of internet geeks then discuss how she could increase the appeal of the video. Aniston is then approached by a ginger haired man who tells her he's been in love with her 'like forever'.
She kicks him in the groin. 'Sorry,' she says. 'I've just been told that's worth about a 100,000 hits.'
Moments later a slow motion sequence starts as Aniston flicks her golden hair around to the famous intro to Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street.
After attempting to drink seductively from a bottle of smart water she bursts out laughing. The video ends with the team deciding on a name for the video - 'Jen Aniston's Sex Tape', suggests one.
'I love it', she says.
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