The New iPad

In March, Apple released the new Apple iPad to record demand for the company’s tablet-style device. Apple has chosen to keep 16 GB models of the iPad 2 in production and available for $100 off of the original price, while bringing a new product iteration to market.

The new iPad offers a quad-core graphics processor on Apple’s proprietary A5X system on a chip. Currently, serious competition for the iPad does not exist. The biggest limit on product sales is Apple’s ability to meet global demand.

Apple Announces a Dividend

Apple suspended its regular quarterly dividend program in late 1995 as the company entered the most challenging period in its history. Last month, in a specially arranged conference call with analysts, CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer announced resumption of a quarterly dividend commencing in September. The initial quarterly dividend payout will be $2.65 per share.

In addition to the reinstatement of a regular quarterly dividend, Apple announced that the company would repurchase $10 billion of the company’s outstanding shares over the next three years. The share repurchase is designed to eliminate the impact of share dilution from the company’s stock-based compensation program. Both announcements were received positively by the market. Apple’s stock ended March trading at $599.55, down from the all-time high of $621.45 established earlier in the same trading week.

In this month’s issue of ATPM, we begin an article series focusing on Apple’s pathways to success and the underpinnings of the company’s high market value.

Our April issue includes:

The Apple Growth Story: A Multi-Part Series to Explore Apple’s Success

Robert Paul Leitao begins a series about Apple, Inc.’s financial performance and success.

MacMuser: Do Androids Dream?

Mark Tennent supposes Androids suffer iPad envy.

PEBKAC: Protecting the Memory Hub

While Apple’s changing the digital hub for our lives from the Mac to iCloud, there are still precious memories worth protecting on our favorite fruit computers. Do you have a backup plan?

Desktop Pictures: Tsavo National Park, Kenya

During his trip to Africa last year, Christopher Turner paid a visit to the elephant orphanage at Tsavo National Park in Kenya.

Review: OtterBox Commuter and Reflex

An update of an old classic iPhone case and a new “tough” entry.

Review: Remotix 2.6

Powerful VNC remote access from an iOS device to host computers.

Copyright © 2012 Robert Paul Leitao. Robert Paul Leitao is a contributing editor at ATPM and is author of the Posts At Eventide and The iPad Chronicles blogs.