Apple has replaced the iMacs that were previously on the kids' table at its retail stores with iPads, as first noticed by iMore . The switch is a clear sign of the direction the company is going, particularly with regards to its younger customer base.

Our Dave Caolo likes the idea behind Disney's AppMates cars but felt the cost ($20 street price) was a bit steep for what is, essentially, a cheap car with a few capacitive pads. He challenged me to see if I could turn a basic Matchbox unit into an AppMate-compatible iPad accessory. I created an aluminum band around a Matchbox car's belly, attached two "pads" (folded Kleenex wrapped in aluminum foil), and ran the app in "Paper" car mode -- which requires only two points of contact on the screen at any time

In his biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson shared a story of Jobs' meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama

If you need to get a bunch of little kids to school, firing up a big diesel school bus isn't exactly the most efficient way to go. The Dutch have always been pretty environmentally sensitive, so they have come up pedal buses that let the kids power their own way the school.

Apple today released a new iPhone 4S commercial focusing on iCloud. Entitled "iCloud Harmony", the ad offers no voiceover and instead utilizes a series of fast-paced cuts to show music, photos, calendars, apps, contacts, and books all automatically syncing among Macs, iPads, and iPhones.

A few more interesting items are starting to leak out ahead of CES 2012.

Large cameras meant for kids to use have been around for years, but Sakar's AppClix appears to be the first to be aimed at those whose parents own an iPad. The colorful camera, adorned with your choice of several Disney characters, is nothing to sneeze at with a 7-megapixel sensor and 4x zoom. However, instead of a USB cable, there's a 30-pin dock connector

WowWee is beginning to see the value in connected toys that work with the iPhone and iPad. The toy maker is working on a line of toys that include an iOS app and a collectable that interacts the phone or tablet

Following up on last month's promise that it would be launching an updated user interface for its iPad application, Netflix has just updated its universal iOS app to version 2.0. The new update brings the updated iPad interface, compatibility with new streaming services in Latin America, and several other improvements

Harmonix is, of course, the company behind the great Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises for consoles, but its latest project is an iOS app, VidRhythm , that will let you create quick and funny music videos just by recording quick clips of you and your friends recording various musical parts.