Weekend Wrap-Up: Apple Could Launch New iPads in Spring 2015; Amazon Cuts Fire Phone to $199 Unlocked

Happy Sunday! Thanks for stopping by for this edition of the Weekend Wrap-Up. Companies and agencies making headlines in tech this past week include the Apple, Amazon, T-Mobile, and the FAA.

Let’s find out why.

New 12.2-Inch iPad and Updated iPad mini Could Come in Spring 2015

Ready for some of your Apple stuff to become obsolete even faster than you’d anticipated? Good! Reports put out this past week are stating that Apple could launch a 12.2-inch iPad — which could either be an “iPad Pro” or an “iPad Air Plus” — as well as an update to its 7.9-inch iPad mini in Spring 2015. The larger iPad could probably be considered a new line in the family, but you know that iPad mini 3 owners aren’t going to be happy if that line gets an update so soon, especially since the 3 didn’t get much of an upgrade. We’ll keep an eye out and let you know if we hear more.

Amazon Drops Fire Phone to $199 Unlocked

Oh, woe is the Amazon Fire Phone. The way Amazon launched the device, it looked like the company really believed in its entry into the smartphone market — it priced it right up against Apple’s iPhone at $199, after all. And that was $199 subsidized dollars! Well the company has learned that demand for the Fire Phone isn’t great; Amazon cut its price to $199 unlocked this week, likely in an attempt to clear out some of that excess inventory. Personally, I think that price is still too high. $99? That’s probably more like it.

T-Mobile Adds New Services to its ‘Music Freedom’ Program

T-Mobile’s Music Freedom is, depending on who you ask, either a gift to consumers or the first look at a non-neutral Internet. It seems T-Mobile isn’t doing anything wrong or violating any laws, though, so the program marches on. Several new partners joined up for Music Freedom this past week, including Google Play Music and Xbox Music. This means that T-Mobile customers who subscribe to these services can stream music without impacting their data plans.

FAA May Add Tighter Regulations for Commercial Drones

The FAA has played spoilsport every step of the way with commercial drones, and the agency shows no signs of letting up. We reported this past week that the FAA is looking at some tighter regulations for commercial drones that would stop Amazon Prime Air before it — pardon the unintentional pun — even gets off the ground. We’ll let you know if/when the FAA decides to adopt the new regulations.