Rumors of Reseach In Motion's iconic BlackBerry Messenger app wriggling its way over to iPhone may be coming to an end. Anonymous sources have claimed that new CEO Thorsten Heins shut down the idea of licensing BlackBerry Messenger to carriers and manufacturers as soon as he stepped in, and was actually against RIM doing any kind of licensing at all. Apparently the issue was "not up for discussion", according to the source. It's unfortunate that he made that call early on, considering he openly admitted to looking into licensing deals during the last quarterly conference call. Ex co-CEO Jim Balsillie was previously rumored to champion BBM on other platforms, a project which new sources claimed was called SMS 2.0 internally. They had even acquired a small company called LiveProfile to work on it.

Now, we already know that iMessage and BBM are pretty comparable, and there are plenty of cross-platform instant messaging apps available, so it's really unclear what problem BlackBerry Messenger can really fix. Adoption is still pretty high according to RIM, but unless they can stem their dwindling smartphone market share, it's not going to count for much.

Right now, RIM's survival hinges on BlackBerry 10, but I somehow doubt they're going to be doing anything mind-blowing with BBM when it comes out in the fall. Would BBM on iOS have helped save RIM at all, or is the market saturated with instant messengers as is and Heins was smart to save on development costs? Keep in mind that most of RIM's revenue is from devices these days, though they may need to pivot towards services if things keep going the way they are. Do you still have friends that use BBM, and if so, how much would you be willing to pay to keep in touch with them? How do you do most of your instant messaging?

Source: WSJ

Word has it that Samsung and Apple's mediated settlement talks were not fruitful, and that their patent dispute will be ongoing. This outcome probably seems a little obvious after Apple filed to ban the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from being imported to the U.S. the day the negotiations kicked off.  Samsung nor Apple have detailed exactly how the settlement talks panned out, but Samsung's CEO returns to Korea on Friday, at which point we can expect to hear a bit more on what's going on.

Samsung and Apple's patent disputes are extensive enough that the courts had to ask them to trim down the list of complaints so that there was actually a hope that they could resolve everything.  While I'll leave it to the judge and to figure out the technical merits of either side's complaints, this case is very likely to drag out as one side demands that another side's experts be banned from testifying, or claims that evidence is being spoiled, or any number of complaints that involve anything other than comparing patents and looking at prior art.

There is a definite sense of animosity between the two tech giants, which is to be expected considering how often Apple flat-out calls Samsung a copycat (which is funny considering Steve Jobs openly admitted to stealing great ideas himself). That said, I can't see Apple and Samsung settling out of court any time soon, nevermind wrapping up the case in a timely manner. How long do you guys think this patent dispute will last? Will it be worth the hassle for either party, or is this all just an extension of Steve Jobs' blood feud with Android? Can a patent case like this actually put a serious and lasting dent into Android? Anyway, I'm certainly curious to see what new evidence is brought to light throughout the case.

Source: Korea Times

Yet more widescreen iPhone 5 rumors have hit the web this morning, with a whisper that at least one of Apple's multiple iPhone 5 prototypes boasts a 3.9 inch touchscreen with a 1136 x 640 resolution. This by way of 9to5Mac which claims two of the larger-screen devices are code-named N41AP (5,1) and N42AP (5,2), and would have an aspect ratio around 16:9 to accommodate widescreen videos. Supposedly iOS 6, expected to make its debut at WWDC this June, will be fully optimized to make use of the additional screen real estate. For example, they claim we can expect an extra row of icons on the home screen, as illustrated in many mock-ups. 9to5Mac also claims the iPhone 5 will have a smaller size micro dock connector port, a rumor first published by iMore by in February.

iMore has also been told Apple is keeping the Home button, which means an extra long screen can't occupy the same space as that button. So, either the front would have to be moved around to accommodate it, the entire phone would have to be lengthened, or both.

We've already commented at length about a 4-inch iPhone 5, and there are a lot of reasons that make such a change reasonable. Android devices have been ballooning in size over the last year or two, while Apple has kept the iPhone at its original 3.5 inch screen size. Personally, I welcome the extra area, particularly if it's maintaining the same Retina sharpness that we've grown accustomed to since the iPhone 4. I have no doubts that Apple will at the very least maintain its current battery life levels, but that may be a steep challenge if the iPhone 5 comes with a hotter processor as well as a bigger screen. What I worry most about is estranging iOS app developers with increased fragmentation. Given Apple went a long time at the same screen ratio, we've already seen many devs skip optimization for the new iPad's Retina display; would Apple really change the aspect ratio further complicate the lives of app-makers, or do they have much of a choice?

If Apple does go to close to 4 inches with the iPhone, would you prefer a wider screen, 16:9 aspect ratio, or the same 2:3 aspect ration simply stretched larger?

Source: 9to5Mac

According to the latest rumor, Apple's co-founder, Steve Jobs, worked one the next generation iPhone 5 design prior to his passing last October. Bloomberg claims 3 sources familiar with the matter say there will be a redesign, 1 claims the redesign will involve a bigger screen, and 1 claims the redesign involved Steve Jobs.

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, has placed orders from suppliers in Asia for screens that are bigger than the 3.5- inch size now on the smartphone, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had worked closely on the redesigned phone before his death in October, one person said.

iMore previously heard that Apple had implemented a smaller micro-dock for the next generation iPhone but hadn't yet decided on a new screen size or aspect ratio. Yesterday the Wall Street Journal and Reuters claimed Apple had settled on a 4 inch screen size.

We went through a wide range of possible 4-inch iPhone variations, how Apple could implement each of them, what advantages each would bring, and what problems each would bring with them.

Given Steve Jobs' passion for Apple and involvement with the product roadmap, it's not hard to believe he would have kept himself involved in future projects even years out. Depending on the manufacturing and performance realities at the time of production, we could be seeing bits and pieces of Jobs ideas for a good long while still.

Whether or not it's ultimately true, it's reassuring to people who place stock in the "Steve Jobs was Apple" story. Regardless, Jobs created the best team in the business and with Scott Forstall running software, Bob Mansfield running hardware, and Jony Ive running design, it's more than likely we have nothing to worry about.

Given the spate of iPhone 5 rumors recently, however, one thing is clear -- Apple is starting to get things in place for the product ramp up. As we get closer to the expected fall release, more and more decisions will get made, parts will be ordered, factories will be set up, and units will begin to be produced.

Until then, all we can do is enjoy the pre-game show.

Apple looks set to increase the next generation iPhone’s screen size to at least 4-inches according to information coming from people familiar with the situation. According to the sources, Apple has already placed orders for the larger screens from its Asian suppliers and they are bigger than the screens used on the current iPhone.

Production is set to begin next month for the screens, which measure at least 4 inches diagonally compared with 3.5 inches on the iPhone 4S, the latest phone from Apple, the people said.

The rumor states Apple has ordered the larger screens from multiple suppliers, LG, Sharp and Japan Display Inc. Production of the next iPhone is scheduled to start in June with it becoming available at a similar time to last year; sometime in October. We have already heard that Apple is slowing down production of the iPhone 4S in anticipation of the new model iPhone.

The latest rumor does line up with what we heard at the end of last week, namely that if the screen does indeed increase, it would be to a maximum of 4-inches but no larger. We heard Apple hadn't yet decided on a final design, but given both The Wall Street Journal and Reuters are reporting the 4-inch screen size today, that decision could now have been made.

If accurate, several questions remain. Will Apple reduce the size of the current iPhone bezel to allow for a bigger screen, or increase the size of the phone itself, or a bit of both? There's also nothing in these rumors that suggest an aspect ratio change from the current 2:3 to something closer to 16:9, which some other rumors have suggested. That kind of change would be far more problematic for developers than a simple increase in scale.

It would, however, reduce the density of what Apple's has marketed at the Retina display from 326 ppi of the current iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 to 288, which is only slightly better than the new iPad's 264. Not only would buttons and other touch targets be physically bigger, its possible the pixels would once again be visible as well.

The alternative, to increase the amount of pixels, would force old apps to be letterboxed (like iPhone apps are on the iPad), and open the door for the creation of "bigger" apps that wouldn't really work on older iPhones. That's a level of fragmentation Apple hasn't been willing to allow thus far.

Until more information surfaces, or until Phil Schiller holds one up on an Apple event stage, we'll simply have to wait and see.

What's you preference?

Source: WSJ, Reuters

Right on schedule, the reports of Apple slowing down current generation iPhone production are hitting the internet. Just like parts leaks, case leaks, and all types of rumors, production reports are one of the signposts we all must pass coming down the long road to a new Apple product release, and this year certainly won't be any different. At least not now that Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu has claimed Apple has cut back on its iPhone manufacturing between 20% and 25% since last quarter.

This is a trend that we had seen prior to the launch of the iPhone 4S. We're expecting an iPhone 5 launch in the fall, so this would give manufacturing partners a chance to get everything in place for what will no doubt be a busy few months leading up to the holidays. Wu estimates Apple's potential iPhone shipments to be in the neighborhood of 26 to 28 million units. While iPhone shipments may be dropping, Wu said iPad production is set to dial up to around 15 million units.

Although analyst estimates are hardly bulletproof, it's good to see previous rumors of a fall launch for the iPhone 5 being corroborated to some extent. There are plenty of other rumors floating around the manufacturing side of things, from the logical to the farfetched, but Wu's estimates seem a lot more believable to me.

If accurate, could the amount of time before the presumed iPhone 5 launch suggest bigger hardware changes be coming? We've heard Apple hasn't settled on a design for the next generation iPhone yet, but that doesn't mean the design they ultimately settle on won't have significant differences.

It's doubtful iOS 6 at WWDC 2012 will give us any real clues. As always, we'll have to wait and see, and enjoy (or avoid) the rest of the pre-release crazy that'll no doubt keep coming up along the way.

Fall really can't get here fast enough, can it?

Source: CNET

Earlier today one "analyst" published an assumption that Google would be making Chrome for iOS (iPhone and iPad) and would market it extensively, and basically bring the desktop browser wars to mobile. He didn't claim any sources, anonymous or otherwise, or any leaked information, or any good faith basis at all for the assumption. It was purely a flight of fancy, and a poorly reasoned one.

Google hasn't announced Chrome for iPhone or iPad, of course. Chrome for iOS would be very difficult to pull off as anything other than a novelty app under iOS 5.

Now Google does make Gmail and Google+, and other apps for iOS, and they work okay. But their primary function isn't web browsing. And here's the thing: Apple doesn't allow alternate HTML or JavaScript rendering engines. If you want to show a web page in a iOS app, you use UIWebView and that's it. And UIWebView, as far as I understand, doesn't have access to the significantly faster Nitro JavaScript engine that the Safari app or that Web.app (Home screen web apps) enjoy.

If you've ever noticed how much slower web pages seem to render inside an iOS app, that's the reason.

Google prides itself on the speed of Chrome. That's part of its raison d'être. From their own implementation of WebKit to their own V8 JavaScript engine, Chrome is all about speed.

Why on earth would Google want to put the Chrome brand on a much slower thin web client on iOS? Even if they skin it to look more like Chrome (and UI has always been one of the worst aspects of Chrome), it would always be worse than Safari, and that would damage the Chrome brand.

Sure, there are "alternative" web browsers in the App Store, and some people love the extra features they provide, but none of those extra features are better local performance. (And I'd argue proxy performance is minimal at best, and always a trade off.)

Apple takes control and security extremely seriously in iOS. I doubt they'll let third party browser or rendering engines onto the iPhone or iPad in iOS 6 or any time in the near or distant future. Google takes Chrome's reputation for speed just as seriously. I doubt they'll put a frustratingly slow web browser on iOS any time in the near or distant future.

Google could very well be playing around with Chrome on iOS in the labs, but there's nothing to indicate it's coming, at least not based on the information presented to date.

Right now, the only story here is the unfortunate one about how it become a story.

Apple might just be ready to add photo and video sharing and commenting to iCloud, most likely at WWDC 2012 this June. According to The Wall Street Journal:

The new features, expected to be announced at Apple's world-wide developer conference beginning June 11, will allow iCloud users to share sets of photos with other iCloud users and to comment on them, these people said. Currently, users can only store one set of photos in iCloud through a feature called Photo Stream, which is designed to sync those photos to other Apple devices, not share them.

Apple is also working on a new feature that will allow iCloud users to sync their personal videos via iCloud, these people said, as well as allow users to access "Notes" and "Reminders"—two of its apps for jotting down quick thoughts—through iCloud.com. Currently, those items have to be accessed via apps for those features.

iCloud's predecessor, MobileMe, included a gallery feature that provided sharing functionality, but it was not migrated to iCloud. When Apple introduced iCloud, they included Photo Stream, which handles backup but not sharing.

The recent, apparently inadvertent publication of an iCloud beta site also showed Notes and Reminders web apps that seem likely additions to iCloud.

WWDC 2012 is less than a month away. What else should Apple be adding to iCloud?

Another supposed part leak from Apple's next generation iPhone 5 has shown up online. The component is listed as a headphone jack/earpiece/Wi-fi antenna. The iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 parts are grouped a bit differently -- but that's not what I find interesting. If this is indeed a part from the next generation iPhone, I don't think what it's listed as is what we're actually looking at. I think it's possible we're looking at Apple's new micro dock connector, the one iMore first reported on back in February.

As you can see, the part leak above shows more of a resemblance to a dock connector and loud speaker assembly. The upper portion also looks like it contains a cellular antenna as opposed to a Wi-Fi antenna.

While it is correct that the headphone jack, volume buttons, and mute switch are grouped together on one component in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, I don't believe that's what this component is at all. The picture above is a photo of an iPhone 4S with an iPhone 4 dock connector below it. As you can see, the part leak shares a pretty strong resemblance to the dock connector and loud speaker of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. What I think we are actually looking at is a dock connector/loud speaker/cellular antenna assembly. Currently the dock connector and loud speaker are on the same assembly but the cellular antenna is its own component that is fastened to the speaker housing with adhesive and a set of screws.

The cellular antenna in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S is affixed to the speaker assembly. Part leak photos may show the cellular antenna attached to the dock connector and loud speaker flex cable instead.

People also tend to confuse the Wi-Fi antenna (which is actually located in the top portion of the iPhone 4 and 4S) with the cellular antenna located in the bottom portion along with the housing. Above you can see a photo of an iPhone 4 cellular antenna. If you refer back to the supposed iPhone 5 part leak photo, you can see the resemblance to a cellular antenna, which actually would make a bit more sense considering these parts are all grouped in similar areas already. The fasteners are very similar though so I wouldn't rule out it being a Wi-Fi antenna just yet.

What intrigues me the most about this image is that the dock connector (which is what I believe it is along the bottom) does indeed look quite a bit smaller than the current version. This lines up with the new iMore broke back in February -- that Apple would be ditching the traditional 30-pin dock connector and going with a smaller micro dock connector in the next generation iPhone. 

While this could be a component for the iPhone 5, it's also too early to assume that this is the final assembly Apple will go with as we've heard reports that the design has not been finalized just yet.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Source: PirateXMac via MacRumors

Update: Loewe has officially denied this report, telling Heise Online that there's "nothing to it." [Heise via TNW]

Apple is rumored to be in talks to acquire high end German HDTV manufacturer Loewe. The news comes from an anonymous source who claims that Apple has offered 87.3 million euros (around $112 million dollars).

A source claims that Loewe "has been advised by its financial advisor to accept the offer and a final decision is scheduled to be announced internally before 18 May 2012."

As well as HDTV sets, Loewe also manufacturers high end AirSpeakers that work with Apple’s AirPlay technology as well as various audio systems with iPod integration. Loewe has also embraced the iPad and has released its own app that makes controlling its Audio/Video products a breeze.

We will keep a close eye on this story and let you know as soon as we hear any more information.

Source: Apple Insider

iOS 6 is rumored to be code named Sundance, continuing Apple's tradition of naming iOS releases after ski resorts. This according to MG Siegler at TechCrunch. Siegler also triple confirms the newly updated Maps app is coming in iOS 6, though he thinks the hype surrounding how good it is might be hyperbole.

Specifically, while the 3D functionality is cool, it’s also not something people are going to use regularly. Think of it like Google Street View — cool, but how often do you actually use it when compared to the regular Google Maps product? (Having said that, I still expect Apple’s 3D maps to be cooler than Google Street View.)

He's also heard whispers that Siri might be getting API access, meaning App Store apps could interface with it at some level. As to Siri on the iPad, just like iMore conjectured back in March, he's led to believe Apple is still working out the user interface.

After all, Apple is using the technology for the Dictation functionality found on the new iPad. They’ve just been working on what Siri for iPad will look like, I’ve been led to believe.

Lastly, he speculates iTunes 11, which he says Apple has been trying unsuccessfully to rewrite for a while now, may be getting close to a revamp and may bring some type of Spotify-like functionality. (Yes please.)

Siegler generally has good sources at Apple and has reported correct information in the past. None of the above sounds really farfetched either, and some of it matches what iMore and other sites have also been hearing.

And to think, WWDC 2012 is just exactly a month away...

Source: TechCrunch

Despite some rumors to the contrary, according to our sources Apple still hasn't finalized the design of the next generation iPhone 5 (or whatever Apple ends up calling iPhone 5,1). No giant screen. No 16:9 aspect ratio. No metal back.

Apple typically makes extensive use of the prototyping process, which could well be the source of inconsistent rumors (perhaps best seen in the conflicting iPhone rumors last year). Sometimes there are more audacious and more conservative prototypes, with the final choice coming down to component costs and device tests.

Currently, the new, smaller dock connector is being implemented, but no changes to screen size or aspect ratio have been decided on. And yes, it still has a Home button.

Once again we're hearing that if the screen size does change, it won't be by a lot (no larger than 4-inches). We've heard nothing to indicate a planned change in the aspect ratio either way (and such a change still doesn't make much sense to us).

Keeping the Home button also necessitates certain design trade offs (everything has an opportunity cost) when it comes to overall device size and screen layout.

October is still the planned launch period, alongside the 7-inch iPad we reported on yesterday, and Apple is indeed planning to hurt Google with this release by removing their data pipe into (and out of) the Maps app. (Which we, like others, have heard is terrific looking.)

iMore previously heard the iPhone 5 was going to ship with an LTE radio as well.

Update: Not surprisingly, Foxconn has denied the statement, telling The Next Web:

“Any reports,” the statement reads, “that Foxconn confirmed that it is preparing to produce a specific product for any customer are not accurate.”

Foxconn chiarman Terry Gou was recently quoted as saying that the manufacturing giant is making preparations for an Apple "iTV" television set, which included buying a significant stake in Sharp for access to LCD displays.

Previous rumors suggested that an Apple-made television would include Siri-style voice recognition and Kinect-esque motion detection, but that's all unconfirmed for now, and I would just as soon chalk it up to wishful thinking.

Steve Jobs was quoted in his biography as having "cracked" the formula for a smart TV set, something beyond Apple's existing set-top box is likely on the way. But Jobs has also said how tough the go-to-market situation is for televisions and the living room, with the cable and satellite providers being far more numerous and enjoying far more monopoly control than even carriers do in the mobile phone space.

We have heard Apple has television concepts in the labs, but it would be more surprising at this point if they didn't. Whether they ever choose to ship an Apple branded television set remains the question. Gou may be in a position to know, given Foxxcon's relationship with Apple, but it's really difficult to see him knowingly leak that sort of information. He couldn't imagine Apple being happy about it, if true, could he?

As always, we'll believe it when we see it. TV is the third screen that Apple has yet to make an agressive play for. Apple TV, from launch until this day, remains a hobby; something for Apple enthusiasts more than the mainstream. If Apple does decide to launch a television, and they do it right, their sphere of influence stands to expand massively.

That being said, we still can't see people lining up to buy a new one every year, especially not at the price that size display, and that type of technology would necessitate.

What would an Apple television need to have for you to drop, say, a thousand bucks or more on one?

Source: China Daily via AppleInsider; The Next Web

A couple of years ago Steve Jobs called a Town Hall meeting at Apple and rallied the troops by saying the next iPhone, which was to be the iPhone 4, would be an A+ update and take it to the turncoat Google and their Android operating system. According to our sources, a similar sentiment is being expressed by Apple in Cupertino again this year, but with a decidedly different twist. Instead of just hitting Google and Android in the market place with better hardware and software, and in the courts with patent litigation, they're going to hit them where it really hurts.

While the exact numbers are hotly debated, it's long been said Google makes more money off iOS than they do off their own Android operating system. The reason for this is simple -- mainstream iOS users tend to use the web and apps more than mainstream Android users, and iOS is filled with Google services. The built-in Maps app is powered by Google and provides sponsored search results. The built-in Safari web browser defaults to Google Search and serves Google Search ads. When iOS users use those services, Google makes money. Regardless of whether or not iOS or Android is winning in the market place, Google is winning in the wallet.

And Apple wants to end that.

Removing Google from Maps is an easy step in that direction. As reported by 9to5Mac earlier today, and as we've confirmed from our own sources as well, iOS 6 will come with an updated Maps app that removes the Google backend and replaces it with an Apple backend.

This isn't without precedent. Both Apple and Google used to use Skyhook for Wi-Fi router location mapping, and both have now switched to in-house databases. Google used to license map tiles and has since re-drawn them themselves. Apple has bought 3 mapping data related companies, and could have either re-licensed or redrawn tiles by now as well.

For the end-user, the interface is the app, and switching out backend pipes is far more transparent than altering front ends. Mail is Mail regardless if it's being fed by iCloud or Gmail. The same holds true, in large part, for Maps.

So in this case, the goal is more interesting than the process -- to remove Google as much as possible from iOS.

Realistically, Google Search will be tougher to replace since Google enjoys an almost monopoly sized share of the search space. But it may not be impossible to displace. Apple is already intermediating Google Search with Siri and that will likely continue.

Google isn't in the search business, it's in the data collection/advertising business. It doesn't make money when you search its index, it makes money recording your information, aggregating it, and brokering deals for it. Search isn't the product it sells. We are. If Apple steps in and makes the queries on our behalf, and returns them on Google's behalf, Google is cut out of the important parts -- the money.

All of this is in stark contrast to January 2007, when then Google CEO Eric Schmidt took the Macworld stage with then Apple CEO Steve Jobs to celebrate the Apple/Google iPhone partnership. That was before Google pulled a 180 and turned Android from a low-end Windows Mobile and BlackBerry competitor to an iPhone competitor. That was before Apple started suing Android manufacturers and Steve Jobs threatened to go "thermonuclear".

And that's before Apple decided to stop helping Google's revenue stream, data stream, and perhaps bolstering their stock profile, by giving them built-in access to iOS users, and Apple branded data deals.

Now, Apple isn't just fighting back by making the best iOS software and iPhone hardware they can, and by trying to legally force Android manufacturers to stop copying Apple. With iOS 6 on the upcoming iPhone 5 and rumored 7-inch iPad, they're fighting back by removing as much of Google as they can as well. By denying Google access to iOS eyeballs and data.

If history is any indicator, both new devices will sell incredibly well, and tens of thousands of new customers, and hundreds of thousands of newly updated customers, will be funding and feeding Google less than ever before.

This time Apple's fighting back by hitting Google where it really hurts -- in the wallet.

iOS 6's built in Maps app will no longer call on Google Maps as its back end, but will instead host an Apple-made solution. Map's will retain a Street View-style option  and 3D building functionality thanks to their acquisition of C3 Technologies, with other mapping data coming from Placebase and Poly9. The design will be similar to the current Maps app, with a minor icon tweak, but will offer a "cleaner, faster, and more reliable experience". This according to 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman, and confirmed by our sources.

Apple has already started to ditch Google Map data in iPhoto, so this isn't exactly a huge surprise.

We're expecting to out first glimpse of iOS 6 and hopefully some confirmation of that Google Maps is gone at WWDC this summer.

Source: 9to5mac

Apple and Proview are apparently in talks to settle the case of who has rights to the iPad trademark in China, and rumor has it Apple's initial offer was $16 million. This is after Proview's initial ask of a whooping $2 billion in February, which they've since lowered to $63 400 million according to anonymous sources. Although it might seem like an obscene amount to ask, it's worth noting that Proview is a company on the verge of economic collapse with creditors knocking on their door.

Proview has claimed that the UK-based middle-man that had originally sold the rights to Apple a few years ago actually didn't have the authority to do so, thus nullifying any earlier agreement, while Apple is contending that the original agreement was legitimate.

This trademark hurdle is slowing down the new iPad's arrival in China, but by the sounds of it, Apple's patience will outlast Proview's needs to pay off debts. Anyone want to take bets on how long it will take for this trademark battle to conclude?

Source: Sina via TNW

Apple will be going forward with the 7-inch iPad, currently targeting an October 2012 release alongside the new iPhone, and -- here's the killer -- at a $200 to $250 price point. According to our sources, the reason for such aggressive pricing is to do to the tablet market what Apple did to the MP3 market in 2004 with the expansion of the iPod product line -- leave absolutely no space for competitors.

We haven't gotten a firm read on the exact screen dimensions, so we're using 7-inches generically here. Our sources have indicated, however, that the 7-inch iPad will be identical to the current 9.7-inch iPad, just scaled down. That seems to include a 2048x1536 resolution display, just like the new iPad. If accurate, that would put the pixel density at around 326 ppi, the same as the iPhone 4S (and higher than the 264 ppi new iPad) retina display.

It's hard to imagine a device with a panel that large and dense that having a price tag of just $200 to $250, especially when the baseline new iPad comes in at $500, but one way Apple will be keeping costs lower is by providing less storage capacity. $200 to $250 will get you 8GB. By way of comparison, the current entry-level iPod touch also starts at $200 for 8GB. (And no, Apple won't be replacing the iPod touch with the 7-inch iPad, both devices will remain in the product lineup -- though it'll be interesting to see what happens with iPod touch pricing and storage capacity.)

Recently AppAdvice reported on the logic of 7.85-inch iPad, which makes a lot of sense. And both iMore and Daring Fireball heard Apple had that device in the labs. Only the go to market decision remained.

While Apple's late co-founder, Steve Jobs, was famously dismissive of 7-inch tablets, calling them terrible and dead-on-arrival, he also said no one wanted to watch video on an iPod and that Apple wasn't interested in making a phone. One of Jobs' chief criticism of the 7-inch form factor was its impact on software -- that competitors stretched out smartphone apps instead of making iPad-class apps. Obviously, Apple's 7-inch iPad would run the same apps as the current 9.7 inch app, though scaled down. While that will affect design elements like touch targets, and may cause some developers to approach iPad apps in different ways, it's better than introducing a 3rd interface size to the mix (in addition to iPhone/iPod touch and 9.7-inch iPad).

Apple previously addressed the lower price point by keeping the 2011 iPad 2 around at $399 following the launch of the new iPad.

Rumors of a 7-inch iPad mini have been around since just after the launch of the original iPad in 2010, and picked up speed when competitors like Samsung, RIM, and Amazon began offering 7-inch tablets. Some, like the Kindle Fire, are already at the $200 price point, using cheap to compete with good. While Amazon won't talk sales numbers, and none of these devices can really be called successful at this point, to a certain segment of the market, cheap is what matters. Apple hasn't chosen to address that segment in desktop or laptop computers, or in phones, but they have in MP3 players and it sounds like they will again in tablets. And they'll do it in the same way -- by being cheap and good. For large scale markets like education, a 7-inch, $200 to $250 iPad would be compelling.

Steve Jobs' tag line for the original iPad was "...our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price".

Sound like Apple is getting ready to be even more unbelievable.

The new iPhone hitting in September, a "10-inch" new new iPad hitting in Q4, and, of course, a 7-inch iPad mini coming in August got recycled and reposted on the interwebs today. Time was we could count on a red iPhone or iPhone nano rumor getting trotted out every holiday season. Clearly the iPad is the new thing, so fall iPad release rumors are the new retread. Or the new new retread. The source, not surprisingly, is randomly accurate rumor site, Digitimes.

Pegatron Technology reportedly has landed orders for a new-generation iPhone to be launched in September and a 10-inch iPad to be launched in the fourth quarter, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

A 7-inch iPad, which reportedly will be released in August, will be manufactured by Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry).

So let's break these down. In 2011 Apple shifted their previous summer iPhone release schedule to the fall, with the iPhone 4S (iPhone 4,1) launching in early October. It's not hard to imagine they'll keep to that schedule this year for the next iPhone (iPhone 5,1). Late September is close to early October, so that's not an impossible launch window.

It's harder to reconcile what they mean by a "10-inch" iPad when all iPads to date have been 9.7 inches. There are competing tablets at 10.1 inches, but not 10 inches. If they're suggesting Apple will introduce a new iPad line at 10-inches alongside the existing 9.7-inch line (much as many hope a new 4-inch iPhone joins the current 3.5-inch iPhone line), that's difficult to imagine. Benefits would be negligible. There's just not as much relative difference between 9.7 and 10 as there is between 3.5 and 4. And screen density (what puts the "Retina" in the "Retina display" marketing) would fall from 264 to 256 ppi.

As to a Q4 2012 timeline, last year several people (iMore included) heard that Apple was considering launching the iPad 3 in fall, 2011. Ultimately, due to costs and constraints on 2048x1536 Retina displays, iPad 3 retained the tradition spring position, and we got it in March, 2012. The advantage to a fall 2011 iPad 3 release was significant -- competitors were theoretically ramping up to challenge Apple with a new generation of tablets. An iPad 3 in fall of 2011 would have kicked the legs out from under these competing devices before they gained any traction. Turns out they didn't need any help from Apple, and in their race to get to market, they shipped unfinished operating systems with little to no app support.

This time around, there haven't been any credible rumors of an additional 2012 iPad launch. Since Apple now has a Retina display, LTE equipped iPad on the market, it's also hard to see any pressure on them to get an iPad 4 out early. (Windows 8 probably won't gain significant tablet traction until several months after launch anyway, if that.)

As to the 7-inch iPad mini, that's something Apple has in the lab, along with a lot of other products, and they'll release it when they feel they can go to market with it and sell 10s of millions, if not 100s of millions of units. Apple is, even more than a design company or software company, a go-to-market company. If Apple sees a huge opening for a 7-inch iPad this summer, they'll no doubt go for it. If not, it'll stay in the lab, maybe forever. Apple, as they've often said, are even more proud of the products they've chosen not to release.

It's always interesting to think about Apple's upcoming product roadmap, but in this case the rumors seem more than just a little recycled.

Source: Digitimes

Walmart is set to cut the price of the iPhone 4 to $114 on contract and the 8 GB iPhone 4 to $34 according to these price cards and their internal pricing console. These are $54 and $74 price drops respectively, but it doesn't seem like many (if any) Walmarts have pulled the trigger on the new pricetags just yet.

While the price cut isn't a huge deal in and of itself, it does suggest that a new iPhone is right around the corner. We're expecting the iPhone 5 to drop in the fall, but if Walmart is already trying to clear out old iPhone stock, maybe we'll see the next iOS smartphone sooner than later.

It's a little curious that it seems like these price cuts are just for the AT&T version; maybe Verizon and Sprint models will be included with this slash goes into effect, but it's tricky to say at this point. Anyone want to take bets about a new iPhone being announced at WWDC, or are we just going to see iOS 6?

Source: Cult of Mac

UPDATE: Aaaaand it turned out to be a pricing error. Carry on, as you were.

Two anonymous sources are claiming that Twitter was looking to acquire Camera+, one of the top iPhone photography apps available. This, of course, would be in response to Facebook recently snagging the hugely popular iPhone app Instagram. Unfortunately, the folks that make Camera+ are all over the world, and few were willing to move to San Francisco as a part of the deal.

Twitter has a long-standing mobile lineage, so it makes sense that they're looking to the world of iOS apps to expand their workforce. They reportedly even had talks with Instagram (as did Google) before Facebook swooped it up. Sure, Camera+ only has a fraction of the userbase Instagram enjoys, but really any devs with experience creating filters could significantly upgrade the embedded photography functions of the native Twitter apps for iOS. Camera+ already plugs into Twitter, includes geotagging support, and has offers image stabilization when taking your picture.

Even if these talks fell through (if they happened at all, that is), it's entirely possible that Twitter execs will continue to hunt for savvy app developers to upgrade Twitter's mobile photography experience. Maybe the guys at Camera Awesome would be open to that kind of conversation....

Twitter has a history of buying mobile apps and taking on their developers, after all. They bought Loren Brichter's Tweetie for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and they bought Tweetdeck, darling of the social marketers.

How often do you guys share pictures on Twitter? Which cloud service do you usually upload to? Is there a particular iOS app you use to take your snaps? Do you tend to apply artsy filters when you share mobile pics online?

Source: Bloomberg

The next generation iPhone 5,1 is once again being rumored to include a lengthened, 16:9 ratio, 4-inch screen as well as a smaller dock connector port, and a (partially) metallic back plate. According to iLounge:

What we’ve learned: the new iPhone will indeed be longer and thinner than the iPhone 4 and 4S. Approximate measurements are 125mm by 58.5mm by 7.4mm—a 10mm jump in height, nearly 2mm reduction in thickness, and virtually identical width. According to our source, Apple will make one major change to the rear casing, adding a metal panel to the central back of the new iPhone. This panel will be flat, not curved, and metal, not ceramic.

A The Verge reader, Tom Collins, first posited the 16:9, 4-inch screen possibility almost a month ago and Daring Fireball's John Gruber lent his support to the notion. If Apple goes with it, they could simply lengthen the iPhone, or they could also make changes to the bezel and Home button to better optimize it.

iMore first broke the news about a new, smaller dock connector a couple of months ago so it's good to see some additional support for the idea. It makes sense since space will be at a premium, especially with an LTE radio.

Rumors of a return to the metal backplate have been around for years, probably since the day after Apple dumped the original iPhone's casing for the plastic of the iPhone 3G. Having metal-on-glass, the inverse of Apple's current glass-on-metal aesthetic, looks a bit odd. But so did the iPhone 4 design when it first leaked. Likely radio transparency will dictate the final composition.

Gorilla Glass 2 has been speculated since Corning showed off their next generation material at CES 2012 earlier this year.

So, overall, iLounge backs up a lot of what we've already heard. But here's the caveat: Apple has had several different iPhone prototypes in the works at the same time in the past. Sometimes there are more ambitious and more conservative prototypes. It's the way Apple works. (There's an old cliche about 10 designs, 3 prototypes, 1 product.)

Last year, prior to the iPhone 4S launch, a lot of information leaked about a radical redesign for 2011 as well. So while we're starting to hear similar information from multiple sources, it's always important to remember that nothing about the new iPhone, or any new device, is certain until Apple holds it up on stage, likely this fall.

Source: iLounge

Some additional investigation into the "Wake Up" flashmob that happened at Australia Apple stores last week reveals it may actually be BlackBerry and Research In Motion behind the stunt. This conclusion was drawn from a wily forum-poster who checked out the teaser site, and found within the source an account code for DoubleClick (an online ad campaign management system). That code apparently matches up with RIM Australia. On top of that, the countdown in seconds points to July 2 12:30 PM PDT, which a tipster suggests will be the launch day for RIM's new operating system.

Samsung has already denied that they were responsible, so if it isn't them or RIM, who could be in charge of this campaign, and to what end? My only guess at this point is Greenpeace, who had recently published a scathing report on Apple's iCloud operations. Greenpeace has made a similarly high-profile protest at an Apple store in London, but this incident seems like it might be a bit too slick and professionally-executed to be a Greenpeace effort.

(It probably wasn't CrackBerry Kevin -- he seems to have an alibi...)

Assuming RIM is behind this "Wake Up" campaign, how effective is it? Does going after Apple this aggressively actually accomplish anything, especially if the organizers are being so coy about what it is they're promoting or pushing?

Home buttons that could be a parts for the next generation iPhone 5 have started turning up online. They are available in black and white from TVC-Mall and TrueSupplier and appear to have a different rubber gasket than the current iPhone 4S design.

It seems as if part leaks have become an honored tradition when it comes to iPhone launches. We see similar leaks when it comes to iPad and iPod touch as well. This also isn't the first time that we've seen a part supplier leak parts ahead of a launch or make them publicly available for sale.

From the pictures on their respective sites in comparison to an iPhone 4S or iPhone 4 home button, the only thing that appears to have changed is the rubber gasket and mold they're using. It doesn't give us much of a clue as to what we can expect in the way of form factor or size change. The square portion would most likely be seated completely below the frame assembly and be an unnoticeable change to users. My guess would be that Apple is just adding a bit more stability.

As you can see, the iPhone 4S added an enclosure around the button to add more stability.

Apple did something similar when they jumped from the iPhone 4S to the iPhone 4. While the button remained the same, they added a rubber gasket around it which seems to alleviate a lot of the issues users were experiencing when it came to the iPhone 4 home button. The iPhone 4 home button is basically "taped" on to a flimsy sensor cable that wears down over time. The iPhone 4S home button is a bit more sturdy due to the rubber gasket and somewhat improved contact.

The iPhone 4S home button compared to the iPhone 4 home button. The iPhone 4S home button sits on the back of the digitizer assembly opposed to the mid-frame assembly like the iPhone 4

I still think it's too early for us to see genuine part leaks for the next generation iPhone. Any little detail could change when it comes to the actual production model. Especially something such as a home button that has no mechanical parts involved. They could just be changing out the rubber gasket for a more solid button assembly. For now, I'd say it's too early to tell whether or not this could end up in a production unit.

Source: MacRumors

Apple's next generation iPhone is rumored to use a new display panel technology that could make the device not only thinner but lighter too. The panel technology which is called in-cell touch is currently being rolled out by Sharp and Toshiba. The rumors come from sources in Apple's current supply chain.

An improvement in yield rates of the in-cell touch panels at Sharp and TMD has persuaded Apple to choose to cooperate with Japan-based panel makers, the sources noted. The adoption of the in-cell touch panels, if realized, will also have a significant impact on the operations of Apple's current touch panel suppliers TPK Holdings and Wintek, which are specialized in the production of glass on glass touch solutions currently, said the sources.

Source: Digitimes, AUO

Will the next generation iPhone 5,1 switch from glass and stainless steel to something infinitely more cool -- Liquidmetal? Who know, but that's what's making the rumor rounds this morning. It's easy to see why: Apple purchased perpetual, exclusive consumer electronic rights to the sci-fi sounding substance years ago but, a single-issue SIM-removal tool aside, hasn't done much with it yet. Even after Liquidmetal announced they were shipping commercial parts a few months back, we've yet to see or hear much of anything when it comes to iPhones or iPads.

The T-1000 in Terminator 2 made the term "liquid metal" famous as a mimetic poly-alloy that let a Robert-Patrick looking robot morph shape and turn his arms into blades. This isn't that liquid metal, of course, but it still has several desirable characteristics. Namely, Liquidmetal is strong, highly resistant to corrosion, wears well, and can be moulded in a similar way to thermoplastics.

The original iPhone had an aluminum back with a plastic strip along the bottom. The iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS had (and have) full plastic backs. The iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S have chemically treated glass backs with stainless steel antenna arrays.

Could the current stainless steel antenna array be replaced or reinforced by Liquidmetal? Could the glass back be replaced by something that somehow involves Liquidmetal (yet remains radio friendly)?

While it's only been on the market for a couple of years, there don't seem to be any widespread reports of stainless steel causing problems for the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S antenna. The glass back, however, looks great but isn't as crack-resistent as some users would like.

The next generation iPhone could potentially include a new casing design, and other new features like LTE and perhaps a slight variance in screen size. What role Liquidmetal could play in enabling any of that remains uncertain.

So, for now, this is a fun rumors about a cool sounding technology, and nothing more.

Source: ETNews

UPDATE: Never happened, according to Valve:

We actually, we all sent mail to each other, going, "Who's Tim Cook meeting with? Is he meeting with you? I'm not meeting with Tim Cook." So we're... it's one of those rumors that was stated so factually that we were actually confused.

No one here was meeting with Tim Cook or with anybody at Apple that day. I wish we were! We have a long list of things we'd love to see Apple do to support games and gaming better. But no, we didn't meet with Tim Cook. He seems like a smart guy, but I've never actually met him.

Source: Kotaku

ORIGINAL:

Last week Tim Cook visited Valve, one of the biggest influencers in PC gaming, to talk about a work-in-progress TV set Apple is working on, according to anonymous sources. Supposedly the TV will be ready for games, complete with Kinect-style motion recognition, touch input through a custom remote control, and support Siri-esque voice input. Obviously, the gaming opportunities for such a mythical piece of hardware are significant, especially if it's able to tap into the huge library of iOS games currently available, but it's unclear how Valve would fit into that picture. Supposedly, this TV set will be available this year, though analysts think that kind of timing is unlikely.

This rumor comes after word that Valve was working on their own console called the Steam Box, after their hugely successful digital distribution platform, but Valve promptly corrected the media by saying they would rather partner with a hardware vendor for that sort of thing. A vendor like Apple? It's hard to say, and I somehow doubt Apple would allow anything but the App Store to sell games on there, but an Apple TV set with gaming powered by Steam would be really, really awesome.

It's worth noting that Valve is perpetually experimenting, including in the realm of wearable computing, but the process is more about gathering valuable information than it is about shipping a product. That said, even if Apple was talking to Valve about a TV doesn't mean they would be directly involved. Steam started supporting Mac about two years ago, and it seems more likely that Cook's visit was about how that relationship is evolving, rather than some high-profile hardware partnership.

In any case, it's interesting to hear about the potential capabilities of a game-ready Apple TV. Could you guys replace your Xbox 360 with an Apple TV that plays games originally optimized for the new iPad?

Source: Cult of Mac

P.S.: For a good laugh, check out Team Fortress 2's Mac update minisite and comic.

Update: Aaaaand it totally didn't happen, according to Valve CEO Gabe Newell.

The latest half-baked rumors from China are suggesting once again that Apple is preparing to kick off an iPad mini this fall, with an initial shipment of 6 million units. The supposed $249 - $299 price point would compete nicely with the lower-end Android tablets that are coming out of the woodwork, and meet upcoming Windows 8 tablets head-on. The source is apparently close to Hon Hai, the parent company of Apple's primary manufacturing partner, Foxconn.

These rumors are especially entertaining considering how non-reactionary a company Apple has historically been. They didn't release a budget netbook to meet cheap PCs head on, they released the 11-inch MacBook Air and the iPad. They didn't release a budget iPhone to meet cheap handsets head on, they kept around previous generation iPhones at increasingly lower prices.

We're reasonable certain Apple has an iPad mini in the labs, but if and when they choose release it, it will be because they've figured out a go-to-market strategy to sell hundreds of millions of them, regardless of what the Android and Windows tablet makers are doing (or not doing).

The iPod nano and iPod shuffle both addressed the lower end of the MP3 market and an iPad mini could address the lower end of the tablet market, or it could just clutter Apple's product line between iPod touch and iPad.

For now, all of this iPad mini talk is strictly in the realm of speculation; so here's the part where we ask you what you want. Have you held off on buying an iPad because of cost or size? Would an iPad mini get you to buy and Apple product when you wouldn't have otherwise?

Source: NetEase via Kotaku

Some Apple Stores in the United States and Canada are experiencing major supply constraints with the white 16GB iPhone 4. Allegedly the problem is so bad that Apple has instructed genius bar workers to replace customers' 16GB white iPhone 4 models with iPhone 4S where needed. Multiple sources have apparently confirmed this is currently being implemented.

The replacement model would be a refurbished iPhone 4S 16GB but customers would get a significant upgrade from their iPhone 4; namely a better camera, faster processor and of course Siri. Not all Apple Stores have been affected so far but we are sure that if supply constraints are that bad it won’t be long before they are. Currently the problem only seems to be within the United States and Canada.

If you've exchanged your white 16GB white iPhone 4 and received a refurbished 16GB white iPhone 4S, let us know in our iPhone 4 Forum!

Source: 9to5Mac

Rumor has it that RIM's recently-resigned co-CEO and board member, Jim Balsillie, sought a drastic plan to open up their infrastructure to wireless service providers, and allow competing platforms, like iOS, to run data through it. That would enable many signature BlackBerry services, namely BBM, to run on iPhone. It would also let carriers offer lots of other inexpensive messaging plans for access to Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks. Unfortunately, the rest of the management team saw the move as too drastic and risky, so shortly thereafter, Balsillie quit.

See, BlackBerry smartphones shunt all of their data through a central server infrastructure managed by RIM in order to improve security and handle compression when needed. Back when carriers didn't have support for data, RIM actually worked as an mobile virtual network operator, renting network capacity to sell their devices and service. Even once carriers developed the ability to handle cellular data on their own, RIM kept the network operating center set-up and integrated it tightly with providers selling BlackBerry handsets.

BBM on iOS has been whispered about for some time, but with iMessage in the picture, there may not really seem like there's much reason for it at this point. However, cross-platform mobile IM continues to be a problem in search of a great solution.

There are still other avenues RIM is exploring when it comes to supporting multiple platforms, namely through the recently-launched Mobile Fusion app for remote enterprise device management. The PlayBook operating system supports Android apps, too. While I think revamping RIM's archiecture would have been an interesting move, and carriers would likely have given it a shot (at least for awhile), service revenue has always been a relatively small piece of RIM's earnings; for a small increase in cashflow from carriers, RIM would lose a ton of BlackBerry sales since the devices really wouldn't be offering anything unique anymore.

Even though BlackBerry market share is continuing to spiral downwards anyway, RIM will have one last hoo-rah with the BB10 update this fall. If that fails, then maybe Balsillie's plan may see a resurgence, or, more likely, RIM will start locking in those licensing partnerships they've been talking about.

Do you guys think RIM would be able to stay alive if they got BBM on iPhone? Would a super-cheap (say, $5/month) unlimited social networking plan appeal to you instead of your regular data bucket? There's always Wi-Fi for the intensive stuff.

Source: Reuters via Crackberry.com

Apple may already be hard at work on iTunes 11, the next generation version of their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink media and device management app, and iOS 6 support and better iCloud integration could be part of the feature list. This according to 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman who may have caught glimpse of an iTunes 11 internal development seed.

The above image is an actual screenshot from an internal iTunes 11.0 build, but we have seen more than that. iTunes 11 includes an increased presence of iCloud integration. Perhaps the biggest testament to this is a dedicated iCloud settings panel within iTunes. This panel is a centralized, always accessible spot for users to control iCloud related features while in iTunes. These features include iTunes Match, iTunes in the Cloud, iCloud iOS device backups and more. We’ll have more on this soon.

No word yet on when iTunes 11 would ship, or if it would be the first version of iTunes to offer iOS 6 and expanded iCloud support, or if it would follow an iTunes 10.x release that already included those features.

iTunes 10 was introduced on September 1, 2010 as part of the then-annual Apple Special Music Event and included a new, more beautifully blue icon, a streamlined, less colorful interface, and the Ping social music network. Also released at the event was the iOS 4.1 gold master, iPod touch 4, and the iOS-based Apple TV.

Source: 9to5Mac

What if, in order to fit a 4-inch screen into the next iPhone, instead of changing the iPhone chassis or altering the Retina-grade pixel density, Apple simply switched from a 3:2 to a 9:5 aspect ratio? The Home screen could simply show another row of icons, apps with listviews could simply show another list item, videos could simply be shown wider-screen, and current, non-scalable apps could simply be boxed the way iPhone apps are on iPads. The display would maintain the 1.94-inch width, but be bumped up to 3.49 inches long, resulting in a 640 x 1152 resolution and measure 3.99 inches diagonally. Such a display would fit on the 4.5" x 2.3" footprint of the current iPhone while providing 20% more screen space, though the home button and earpiece might need a bit of reworking.

A reader on The Verge, Timothy Collins, posited just theory on how Apple might implement a 4-inch screen with the iPhone 5.. Another forum-goer picked up the theory and went to town describing how it might work. Now, this wasn't much more than a neat hypothetical idea until Daring Fireball's Jon Gruber commented "Methinks 'Colin' wasn’t merely guessing or idly speculating." Developers might have a few changes to make in order to adapt to the new screen size, but overall, the idea is pretty sound, if only in theory. Let's put it this way: could Apple reasonably release another iPhone while keeping the display size at 3.5 inches? What are the odds that they're willing to increase the physical dimensions to do so? Right now, screen real estate is my biggest complaint about the iPhone, but I love the fact that it fits in the tiny pocket on my jeans. Though I'm not asking Apple to release something the size of the Galaxy Note, it would be nice to see a screen in the 3.7 - 4-inch range. What do you guys think? Could this theory fly?

Source: Daring Fireball, The Verge

According to numerous iMore readers, Universal Studies movies are now showing as available to re-download via iTunes Movies in the Cloud. Part of Apple's iCloud offering, apps, iBooks, and music were available at launch, with TV Shows following soon thereafter. Movies in the Cloud were added shortly after the new iPad but only in the US and only from a few studies. This may have been due to the so-called "HBO window", when cable operators like HBO have exclusive license to certain movie for a certain period.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported, however, that HBO was open to negotiations.

HBO isn’t planning to give up its exclusive windows, for which it pays hundreds of millions of dollars a year, and which allow it to beam movies to its online service HBO Go as well as to its traditional TV channels. But HBO is relaxing terms to let users of iCloud and other services send movies they already own to other devices during those windows, an HBO spokesman said.

HBO agreed to loosen its arrangement with Warner Bros., which is working with iCloud, and also is in talks with Universal and Fox to do the same, the spokesman added.

Hopefully this is what's happened with Universal, and hopefully it will happen with the other remaining Movies in the Cloud hold-outs.

And hopefully we'll get it outside the US soon as well!

Note: MacRumors is reporting the same.

Rumor has it that Apple is quietly tinkering with a new device dedicated to making gaming easier on iOS devices. During their 2012 iPad review, AnandTech mentioned:

 I know of an internal Apple project to bring a physical controller to market, but whether or not it will ever see the light of day remains to be seen. As smartphones and tablets come close to equalling the performance of current game consoles, I feel like the controller problem must be addressed.

Apple is most definitely targeting gaming consoles with the new iPad, so the possibility isn't too far-out. Still, any game which makes use of AirPlay basically turns the iOS device into a controller while the image is beamed to your TV. If this Apple project actually comes to fruition, I worry that it will be some bastardized version of the Apple TV remote that isn't remotely ergonomic like the mock-up above, but until we get some more fuel for this rumour, that's not something we have to worry about for the immediate future. Besides that, who knows if it will be used with iOS, or will just be another Apple TV peripheral.

Gamers, how much are you hurting for an Apple-approved dedicated controller? What kind of controller would you like? Are touchscreen controls good enough for you as they are?

Source: AnandTech

Search giant Baidu owns roughly 87% of of the huge Chinese market, and according to rumors, Apple could be planning to add support for their service to a future version of iOS. Sina Tech is reporting that, according to their "knowledgable sources", Baidu integration could come as early as next month. Tech in Asia translates and encapsulates:

Apparently, Baidu’s cloud and mobile chief Li Mingyuan hinted at this during the launch of Baidu’s cloud storage service last week, saying that the company already had a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Apple in China.

iOS currently has Google as the default search engine, with options to switch to Yahoo! and Bing in the Safari Settings. There's been no official word from either Baidu or Apple on the matter, but OS X Mountain Lion contains expanded Chinese web services so iOS adding one more search engine, especially one as big as Baidu, in a market as important to Apple as China, doesn't seem far-fetched.

Indeed, China currently tops the charts when it comes to iOS device activations, recently blowing past the US. Even though Apple still trails Samsung, Apple has increasingly stressed the growth of their retail presence and product adoption in China. Apple CEO Tim Cook has placed China ahead of Brazil and Russia on Apple's priority list, saying demand in China has been staggering and off the charts. Apple has even reportedly been working to help better support gray-market iPhones on China's largest carrier, China Mobile.

If accurate, it would also likely need to be part of an iOS 5.1.x or even iOS 5.2 update.

Whether or not this has anything to do with Apple's increasingly tense relationship with Google is uncertain, but putting Baidu on iOS, even if Google retains default status, could further erode what percentage of the search space Google has managed to secure in China.

Source: Sina Tech via Tech in Asia, The Next Web

Apple is trying to take a little of the sting out of it's proposal for a nano-SIM standard by offering the rest of the industry a royalty-free license for the technology. Apple was among the first to ditch the popular mini-SIM found in the iPhone 3GS for the much smaller micro-SIM found in the iPad and iPhone 4/iPhone 4S, but with component space increasingly at a premium, the nano-SIM aims to make the total package even smaller still by essentially removing everything but the chip. While carriers seem to be on board, Motorola, RIM, Nokia and other vendors have pushed back, partly because they didn't want to be constrained by Apple's inclusion of a SIM card tray in the standard offering.

Now FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller brings word on Apple's latest attempts to win them over.

A perfectly reliable source that I can't disclose has shown me a letter dated March 19, 2012 that a senior Apple lawyer sent to [the European Telecommunications Standards Institute]. The letter addresses the primary concern of critics of the proposal. The FT said that "the Apple-led proposal has caused some concern among its rivals that the US group might eventually own the patents". But Apple's letter has removed this roadblock, if it ever was any, through an unequivocal commitment to grant royalty-free licenses to any Apple patents essential to nano-SIM, provided that Apple's proposal is adopted as a standard and that all other patent holders accept the same terms in accordance with the principle of reciprocity.

Mueller thinks that a) this shows how serious Apple is and how hard they'll be pushing the nano-SIM standard, and b) it will make it harder for other vendors to push back, especially the soon-to-be-Google-owned Motorola due to Google's vocal support for open standards.

iMore previously heard that Apple is also looking into reducing the size of the traditional 30-pin dock connector in iPhones, iPads, and iPods, to save on space inside. As power-hungry parts like Retina displays, LTE radios, and quad-core chipsets become more common, battery capacity needs to grow to support them, and every micro-militer that can be saved inside a device becomes incredibly important. This is especially true for Apple since they've shown no interest in simply making the iPhone larger the way other manufacturers have done with, for example, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to the Nokia Lumia 900.

Carriers reportedly previously shot down an Apple initiative to completely replace the SIM card with a built-in, programmable alternative, since they didn't want to be eliminated from the customer relationship. If all the players agree, this could be the next best alternative.

Source: FOSS Patents

While Apple has only just released the new iPad, iMore has already started to hear more about the next generation iPhone (iPhone 5,1). We previously reported that Apple was working to reduce the size of the traditional 30-pin dock connector to something closer akin to a micro-dock so there'd be more room inside for other components (similar to how they went from a mini-SIM to a micro-SIM in 2010). Yesterday we reported that, as of last month, Apple was planning to stick with the current 3.5-inch screen size for the new iPhone, but that it wasn't set in stone and it could get a little bigger (though nowhere near as big as current 4.5-inch-plus Android phones.)

Following that story we received some additional information.

First, the new iPhone will be 4G LTE compatible. That shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, considering the new iPad supports LTE and it's hard to imagine Apple giving the iPad a feature like that and not passing it on to the iPhone. So look for that this fall.

Second is the timeframe. We've mentioned October 2012 as the current release schedule for iPhone 5,1 before and that's still the plan. The exact date won't be determined until closer to launch, but the iPhone is locked to a fall cycle for the immediate future.

That makes sense for a number of reasons. While going from the iPhone 4 in June 2010 to the iPhone 4S in October 2011 was a longer wait than previous generations, a new iPhone release in June of 2012 would create the opposite problem -- only 9 months between iPhones. That's not dissimilar to the period of time between the Verizon iPhone 4 launch in February of 2011 and the cross-carrier iPhone 4S launch in October of the same year, but that was a unique circumstance. Apple has shown they can earn significant revenue on their flagship devices even when they've been on the market for over a year. Why unnecessarily shorten that shelf life?

Also, to date, every new iPhone has been launched alongside a new version of iOS. The last version, iOS 5, was a major, ambitious update, including iCloud and Siri, and Apple made good use of those 16 months to bring it to market. We have no specific information on how large an update Apple is planning for iOS 6, but 9 months doesn't sound like a lot of time for even a modest release. If Apple announces an iOS 6 SDK event this spring, like they did from 2008 to 2010, then we may start getting an idea. If iOS 6 isn't introduced to developers until WWDC, presumably in the summer like 2011, then a fall release would seem a certainty.

So to sum up, iPhone 5,1 is on track for:

• Similar if not same sized screen (currently 3.5-inch but not set in stone)
• 4G LTE radio
• New "micro dock" connector
• Fall/October 2012 release

There's some other stuff we're still looking into and we'll update asap. In the meantime, if next generation iPhone rumors and discussion are your thing, jump on into our iPhone 5 forum and have at it.

One of our forum members has been able to pop an AT&T microSIM into his new Verizon LTE iPad, and get access to AT&T's 3G network. We haven't been able to confirm or deny this yet - it could be a one-off glitch, it could be AT&T or Verizon's systems being a little confused, or maybe it's a software oversight (or plan) on Apple's part to lock down the SIM slot.

If this glitch turns out to be widespread, I suspect that it will be patched up pretty quick, unless of course Apple is purposely selling these iPads unlocked. If any of you guys have a spare AT&T microSIM kicking around, give it a shot and let us know in the forums if it works!

(Image credit)

Rumor has it that Apple had offered a settlement with an unnamed smartphone manufacturer to license patents for $5 - $15 per device (which worked out to 1% - 2.5% of the total device price). Apple is making ground in its ongoing patent battle with Motorola, but apparently head-to-head litigation isn't the only route they're willing to take.

This goes pretty distinctly against Steve Jobs' desire to crush competitors that are trying to copy Apple's work.  With new leadership in the house, however, maybe that draconian approach has subsided. Some sources had clarified that Apple still isn't going to be licensing out to all of the competitors, nor are they trying to get into the royalty business - Apple's making plenty of money as is, after all. They did settle with Nokia, however, and have discussed deals with others.

Should Apple play nice and license their patents? Maybe it would cut down on other manufacturers suing them if there was an amount of mutual goodwill, but unless they're cornered and out of options, Apple tends to go at things on their own - competition be damned. Any guesses as to who Apple might be willing to offer licensing deals to? Would any of the big Android manufacturers like Samsung, Motorola or HTC be off the table?

Source: Dow Jones

There are some last minute, highly speculative rumors circulating that Apple's "And touch" in their iPad 3 event invitation may refer to their use of electrostatic technology to dynamically simulate textures on the display. The Next Web's Matthew Panzarino threw it out as wild speculation last night:

Imagine a touch sensitive screen that could take on the friction properties of paper, the plastic of a keyboard or the rough resistance of a patch of grass. The possibilities for art, learning and gaming are immense.

Both The Guardian and Pocket-Link have now jumped on the same electrostatic bandwagon. All of them focus on a small Swedish startup called Senseg that has developed a system called E-Sense which appears to give texture to a touchscreen.

By using "tixels" generated by electric fields from elements embedded around the screen, it can make areas of the screen feel rough, ridged or rounded – and change those just as the screen pixels can change.

The technology transmits electro-vibration stimulus via an ultra-thin coating which is applied to the touch interface on a device. The coating can be applied to almost any surface and because there are no moving parts, it can be applied to any size of device.

Senseg patented solution creates a sophisticated sensation of touch using Coloumb’s force, the principle of attraction between electrical charges. By passing an ultra-low electrical current into the insulated electrode, Senseg’s Tixel™, the proprietary charge driver can create a small attractive force to finger skin. By modulating this attractive force a variety of sensations can be generated, from textured surfaces and edges to vibrations and more.

This is a really long shot and one I would personally file in the crazy rumors section. Maybe all this sudden attention on electrostatic touch feedback is purely coincidence but who would bet against Apple products using this technology in the near future; if it’s not already part of the iPad 3.

Check out the links below for more speculation and video demonstrations of the technology. What do you think, could this be Apple's big surprise?

Source: The Next Web, The Guardian, Pocket-Lint

Apple is set to announce the next generation iPad later today at its media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Also on the agenda is a revamped Apple TV which 9to5 Mac has garnered some rather interesting information.

According to their sources, the new Apple TV will stick to its current low price point of $99 even though it is getting a very nice spec bump. The new Apple TV should have the exact same form factor as the current version but include the ability to play back 1080p high definition content, Bluetooth 4.0 should also be included and of course a processor bump to help run all of the new internals.

The Apple TV J33 model, MD199LL/A – J33 BEST -USA, which we’ve covered before will come in at the same $99 price point (and similar prices globally).

Also the mystery Apple TV accessory which is listed as B82 has also been given a price point of $39. We have no idea what this accessory may be but we assume that it could be some type of advanced remote control to take advantage of the new Bluetooth 4.0 capability.

And lastly, the new iPad 3/iPad HD may also be receiving the same AppleCare+ treatment the iPhone 4S received back in October. It would replace the already existing $79 AppleCare plan and be priced at $99. From there users would be covered for up to 2 incidents of accidental damage, which general AppleCare plans don't cover. The AppleCare+ package for iPhone currently has a $49 deductible per incident. No word on whether the deductible would be the same for AppleCare+ for iPad.

Source: 9to5 Mac

Once again, rumors are circulating about an Apple TV 3 update to accompany the new iPad 3/iPad HD. Adding yet more weight to previous reports, The Verge's Josh Topolsky says the new Apple TV will indeed be 1080p, and what's more:

According to sources familiar with the matter, Apple will update both the new Apple TV and the iPad 3 (or iPad HD, a name we first unearthed last year) not with the rumored, quad-core A6 system-on-a-chip, but rather the A5X, a dual-core SoC said to have a more powerful GPU. From what we're hearing, it's basically an A5 on steroids.

Our source was adamant that neither of the new products would be receiving the next generation chip — rather, that Apple seems to be waiting for the launch of the iPhone 5 to introduce the rumored A6.

iMore, and others including Daring Fireball's John Gruber, have heard the iPad 3 will be quad-core, and 9to5Mac has found code strings for both the A5X and A6 in iOS. Apple could have the different chips in different models, or could have decided to stick with dual core for battery reasons. We'll find out tomorrow.

Topolsky also paints a complex radio picture:

two distinct, separate versions of the LTE tablet ([one for AT&T, one for Verizon]). In addition, there's a third international model which does double duty on 3G; a CDMA / GSM model using a similar radio chipset to the iPhone 4S (a Qualcomm Gobi chip).

That would be two 4G LTE models for the U.S. (that could fall back on 3G), a 3G model for international markets (no LTE outside the U.S.), as well as the usual Wi-Fi only model.

Source: The Verge

The long-in-beta iOS 5.1 software has a Gold Master (GM) candidate, build 9B176, and has passed quality assurance (QA) testing by Apple and their carrier partners. According to Will strafach of Chronic Wire:

The build number of iOS 5.1 Gold Master is 9B176 according to a very solid source, although three different partners who are testing the Gold Master claim to have slightly (by single digits) higher builds numbers on their copies, I'm assuming that's because right now it'd make sense for those people to be testing what will soon be released as 5.1.1, so I've disregarded the claims.

Currently, only Photo Stream photo deletion, faster camera access, Japanese Siri support, and some privacy fixes, are rumored to be included in iOS 5.1, but Apple often keeps major new features under wraps until they debut with a new device.

Since tomorrow is the iPad 3/iPad HD event, it seems likely the rest of the features will be revealed and the Gold Master will be given to developers, with release a couple days before the new hardware hits the shelves.

• iOS 5 forum
• Developers forum

Source: Chronic Wire

The same source that originally told iMore Apple would be holding their iPad 3 event on March 7 has now let us know that the announcement will include 4G LTE networking. We'd heard previously that 4G LTE would be coming to iOS in 2012, but not whether it would make the cut for iPad 3, or whether Apple would save it for iPhone 5 in October.

Sounds like LTE is good to go, though it remains to be seen how Apple will handle the many different 4G bands being used internationally. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that AT&T and Verizon would be getting LTE-equipped iPads, but had no word on carriers outside the U.S.

Verizon has the most to gain from an LTE iPad. Right now, Verizon is stuck carrying an iPad 2 that gets up to 3mbps on EVDO Rev. A, well below the theoretical 14.4mbps offered on AT&T's HSPA network. Given how far ahead Verizon is with LTE, that has to sting, as has to be something they want Apple to address.

Despite recent uncertainty about the process, iMore is also still hearing that the iPad 3 will ship with a quad-core processor. We'll find out one way or another on Wednesday.

For a complete rundown of all the rumors, check out our iPad 3 event preview or jump into our iPad 3 Forums.

A set of the supposed iPad 3 parts, like the ones that have been floating around for weeks, have again been put them together, and again offered them up for the internet's collective viewing pleasure. This time it's M.I.C Gadgets doing the inverse-teardown (build-up?) and... there's nothing much surprising. It looks like an iPad 2 that's the tiniest bit thicker and has a more pronounce tapering around the edges. They do, however, think 4G LTE is unlikely at this point.

iPad 3, as we said before is the same size in terms of memory. 16GB, 32GB and 64GB are the flavors of the day here, no surprises. Readers will also be pleased to know that the price has not increased either. We at M.I.C. feel that this is because the rumored LTE will not be integrated. As indicated in our previous in depth article to Apple’s mobile strategy, we said there was a very limited market for LTE at this time. Also, the LTE chipset adds an extra cost to each unit, which the normal Qualcomm 3G chipset does not incur. We also feel that it will most likely be added to the next model, as opposed to this one. Our sources concur with us on this as well.

The Wall Street Journal previously confirmed 4G LTE for the iPad 3. iMore heard it's coming but not whether it would debut in the iPad 3 or later this fall in the iPhone 5.

If accurate, and now that we can rest doubly assured all the parts do indeed fit together, we can turn our attention to what will likely be the more interesting part of the iPad 3 event scheduled for next Wednesday, March 7 -- the software.

New features in iOS 5.1? Siri? New Apple apps? Apple's managed to keep those bits of news almost completely under wraps.

Source: M.I.C. Gadgets

No huge surprises here, but it sounds like iPad 3 prices and storage capacities will be identical to iPad 2, which were identical to the original iPad. 9to5Macs Mark Gurman has the details:

We’ve gotten word that iPad pricing is going to be the same across the board as the current iPad 2 models which should be no big surprise given Apple’s history – they rarely raise prices. Even better, some countries with currencies doing better than the US dollar should expect to see marginal drops in prices.

This directly contradicts some of the zanier rumors heard earlier in the week, which included seemingly random price hikes and the bizarre exclusion of the 64GB model.

Unfortunately, if accurate, it also means there won't be a 128GB model, which some users have been hoping for. It's possible 24nm 128GB NAND Flash chips are still prohibitively expensive, even in the quantities Apple typically buys.

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple is rumoured to be launching its own TV streaming service which could be available in time for Christmas. The news comes from a report in the New York Post which claims to have some inside information on the direction Apple is looking to take.

For months, Apple’s point man, Eddie Cue, has been leading talks with content providers, which have largely balked at the tech giant’s efforts to exert control over all aspects of the video service, including pricing, sources said. Apple’s negotiating stance can be summed up as “we decide the price, we decide what content,” according to one source familiar with the talks. “They want everything for nothing,” said another media executive, echoing similar tense negotiations Apple has had in the past with magazine publishers and music companies.

Apple has been rumored to be releasing an updated Apple TV device at its iPad 3 event which is scheduled for March 7. It has also been strongly rumoured that Apple is working on an actual Apple HDTV set. We will have to wait and see how this one transpires but it would appear to make more sense if Apple manages to get control of some live TV content; especially sports content.

Source: New York Post

New photos have surfaced, purportedly of the iPad 3 front panel, showing both black and white color options, and the traditional home button. If accurate, they show no visible design changes from the iPad 2. The photos were obtained by Fix-iPhones, who note:

The picture above is the iPad 3 digitizer. This part controls the iPad's touch function, as well as includes your front glass. [...] [A] change we have noticed is the digitizer connection. That difference between the iPad 3 and the digitizer part for the iPad 2 does confirm that the logic board will be different, just as we surmised by looking at the back housing.

Following Apple's iPad event announcement, the lack of a Home button in the device image spurred speculation that Apple would be ditching the hardware control and going all-in with a gesture-based interface.

That seemed highly unlikely for a number of reasons, not the least of which is accessibility.

It also makes sense for Apple to keep the same overall design for iPad 2 and iPad 3, much as they did with iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, and with iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.

Rumors of a complete iPhone redesign last year created an expectational dissonance for consumers when the almost identically designed iPhone 4S was released. No such redesign rumors have preceded the iPad 3, so expectations will probably be far better aligned for this launch.

We just want our Retina displays.

Check out an additional photo and more description of the front panel via the link below.

Source: Fix iPhones

And here they are, yet more rumors that Apple is working on a 7.85” iPad variant and new claims that this iPad mini will launch in the third quarter of 2012. The information comes by way of Digitimes from their usual anonymous industry sources.

The planned launch of the 7.85-inch iPad is apparently to take on Amazon's 7 inch Kindle Fire as well as a comparable model from Barnes & Noble, although Apple already took up nearly a 60% share of the tablet PC market in 2011, indicated the sources.

The story even goes on to speculate that the 7.85” iPad would cost around $249-299. This is based purely on another Digitimes rumor that Apple will keep on selling the iPad 2 when the iPad 3 is launched in a cut down 8GB version. Digitimes believes that this cut down iPad 2 would be offered at a price point in the region of $349-399 and this would dictate the price of the 7.85” iPad.

This is not the first time we have heard rumblings. 7-inch iPad rumors have been floating around for years, and recently 8-inch rumors have joined them.

Of course we are sure that Apple tests all sorts of sizes all of the time however this does not mean that it is going to release one. If Apple does expand the iOS family to additional screen sizes, either with a bigger iPod touch or a smaller iPad, it will be when they can see a solid go-to-market strategy for the new device. In other words, when they think they can sell tens of millions of them.

Steve Jobs famously dismissed the smaller sized tablet market during an Apple earnings call in 2010, saying they were terrible.

Apple will reveal its plans for the iPad 3 at an event on March 7, not much longer to wait now and hopefully it will bring an end to the incessant rumors.

Source: Digitimes

Yet more rumors are surfacing that Apple will release a lower priced 8GB iPad 2 alongside the iPad 3 this month... but this one also claims there won't be a 64GB iPad 3. Digitimes, which has not been extremely accurate lately, says this is to "defend" against Windows 8 tablets coming later this year.

As Apple has scheduled an event on March 7, sources from its upstream supply chain pointed out that the company is expected to launch two iPad 3 models - a 16GB version and 32GB version. In addition to iPad 3, Apple is also expected to unveil an 8GB iPad 2, allowing the tablet PC series to cover different segments and to defend against Windows 8-based tablet PCs, the sources noted.

Lack of a 64GB iPad 3 model sounds very, very strange, given both the original iPad and iPad 2 offer 64GB models. So does the idea of competing with Windows 8 tablets, which have a completely different cost structure to Apple's. Namely, Microsoft makes money licensing Windows. ODMs (Original Device Manufacturers) like Samsung, HP, Dell, etc. make money on the hardware. In the past they've shown a willingness to operate on razor thin margins, driving prices to the bottom, hoping to make it up on volume. That didn't work out for netbooks and it's tough to see it working out for tablets. In either case, that's not a game Apple plays.

Last year, Apple chose not to keep the original iPad around at a reduced capacity and lower price point, however they have done this with older generation iPhones and iPod touches in the past, most recently with the low-end 8GB iPhone 4 when the iPhone 4S was released.

If Apple ends up doing the same with the iPad 2 this year, it could be simply to lower the cost of entry to attract more customers to the iPad platform.

Digitimes previously speculated that Apple would try to hit a $299 price point with a budget iPad, but given Apple's traditional focus on profit margins, that will depend a lot on how low they can drive production costs. Further, since the iPad isn't a subsidized product, Apple can't shift the discounts to carriers the way they do with the iPhone.

Given the lack of subsidies, Apple's profit margins, and the rumored 8GB storage capacity, it's hard to see how appealing even a slightly discounted iPad 2 would be. iCloud and iTunes Match would slightly reduce local storage demands, but not significantly.

Would you find an 8GB iPad 2 appealing at $399?

Source: Digitimes

The long rumored Apple TV 3 may finally be unveiled by Apple on March 7 as part of the just confirmed iPad 3 event. According to 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman, the device is code named J33, will have "near immediate" availability, and a "mystery accessory" will be available along with it:

We’re not sure what it is, but it’s called “B82″ internally. The product is likely some accessory, probably ranging from either a cable, cover, or new audio remote. The new Apple TV will include Bluetooth 4.0 capability, so perhaps Apple will ship an improved remote to that takes advantage of that next-generation Bluetooth protocol.

Rumored features of Apple TV 3 include 1080p video playback with potential 1080p iTunes content to go along with it, as well as Bluetooth 4.0 and an upgraded processor, either the suspected dual-core Apple A5X or quad-core Apple A6.

Combined with AirPlay on iOS, and the upcoming AirPlay on OS X Mountain Lion, it could finally take Apple TV from "hobby" to necessity. I for one will never be transcoding a video or storing anything in an iTunes library again.

• Apple TV 3 news and discussion forum

Source: 9to5Mac

Ready to add yet more quad-core, 4G LTE rumors to your iPad 3 launch list? Well, you better be because CNBC just tweeted the following:

ALERT: Quad-Core iPad 3 with 4G LTE to be unveiled in New York next week. -Sources

iMore reported on a quad-core iPad 3 with possible 4G LTE networking, set for a March 7 announcement a couple of weeks ago, so that part lines up nicely.

A New York unveiling would be unusual, however. The recent education event and last year's Verizon iPhone launch were both in New York, but every major product introduction in iOS history has been in or around Apple's home base of San Francisco/Cupertino.

Either way, with March 7 fast approaching, we should find out sooner rather than later.

As to the actual iPad 3 release date, we shared our most recent information with you over the weekend, but we should find out for certain next week.

UPDATE: Um, yikes. Looks like "cable channel CNBC" jumped the gun with that alert. They weren't confirming iMore's story, they were copying it and didn't provide attribution until after the fact. That's okay, we all make mistakes, but iMore had nothing to do with the New York City part of that story (we didn't hear it and didn't report it).

Source: @CNBC

iMore heard Apple was going quad-core with a full on, next generation A6-powered iPad 3, so did Bloomberg, but The Verge heard dual core and strings have been found identifying a less ambitious A5X chipset instead. Which one is it? Both? Neither? Mark Gurman from 9to5Mac thinks it's almost certainly both.

Going by this naming scheme, the next major iOS device processor revamp (A6, not A5X) would be called the S5L8950X. Now, we have discovered evidence that Apple is working on that specific chip. Deep in the iOS 5.1 betas (as shown below) sits references to two next-generation iOS device chips: the previously discussed S5L8945X and this brand-new S5L8950X. While nobody has found this 50X (A6) chip in the code until now, we can report that both next-generation processors entered the iOS code simultaneously. This would seem to indicate that Apple has been working on two next-generation chips.

Why there are two new chipsets in the works is anyone's guess. Mark thinks Apple A6 may be bound for the iPad 3, while the Apple A5X goes to the less demanding Apple TV 3. The less powerful chip could also go to an updated, but still lower priced iPad 2, or something we haven't even seen yet, like the long-rumored Apple iTV television.

Strings from the iOS code showing both the S5L8945X (A5X) and S5L8950X (A6) processors..

Source: 9to5Mac

There's a rumor going around that Apple could be preparing a second product launch to accompany the iPad 3 this March, and the current front-runner is Apple TV 3. Mark Gurman from 9to5Mac reports:

We’ve been hearing that supplies of the Apple TV are severely constrained, but it’s hard to see a reason for this besides an imminent refresh. We’ve been hitting hard with evidence for the past few months that suggests a new Apple TV is in development, and what better time to launch it than alongside the latest and greatest mobile iOS device?

Rumored new features center on 1080p content made possible by an updated chipset, perhaps the current Apple A5 dual-core, ARM Cortex A9, or even a next-generation Apple A5X or Apple A6 (whichever ships with the iPad 3).

What and how much 1080p content Apple will have available via iTunes to accompany the launch is unknown. What a new Apple TV 3 this march means, if anything, for rumors of a full-on Apple iTV television is also unknown.

The current, iOS-powered Apple TV 2 was announced in September of 2010. Apple TV 3 rumors have been swirling for a while now, beginning well before the 2011 holiday shopping quarter.

If these rumors pan out, March could just bring us one more thing...

Source: 9to5Mac

Adding to the mountain of iPad 3 rumors is word that shipments of Apple's next generation tablet will be leaving Foxconn factories in China on February 26 for arrival in the U.S. on March 9.

Friends broke the news: Chengdu International Airport at major international cargo charter flights, cargo owners demanding security, from CTU takeoff by stop PVG Shanghai, and then directly to ORD Chicago, the JFK New York, LAX in Los Angeles, March 9, completed before transport. According to the privately disclosed the Chengdu F production for the U.S. A company’s latest products… Received friends inside information, Chengdu International Airport night cargo charter flights, said the owner of the security demanding, and in private that the Chengdu Fu X Kang new products. Takes note of the location of the United States (ORD Chicago, JFK New York, LAX in Los Angeles)

Looks like there may be some components, including storage chips, being shipped as well, according to photos found by Sonny Dickson. iMore previously heard that Apple was planning their iPad 3 event for March 7 and BGR has reported that iOS 5.1 was scheduled for March 9.

Apple released the last 2 iPads on Fridays, so that's consistent, however at 2 days it's also a far shorter period of time than last year's 9 days (announcement on March 2, launch on March 9). A GM version of iOS 5.1 hasn't even been released to developers yet, let alone a version that supports additional features presumed to be coming with the iPad 3. If Apple releases the GM seed of iOS 5.1 at the iPad 3 event, we'd expect at least a week between that and final release, a couple days before the product launch.

Furthermore, 9to5Mac's Marc Gurman has heard there may be pre-orders for the iPad 3, which would also indicate a slightly longer timeline. While the iPad 2 didn't have pre-orders, the iPhone 4S did (announcement on October 4, pre-orders on October 7, launch on October 14).

Gurman has also heard more talk of the iPad 2 sticking around at a lower price point.

Additionally, our sources are pointing to the discontinuation of all iPad 2 WiFi + 3G models and all iPad 2 WiFi-only models (except the black and white 16GB units – at least initially) when the iPad 3 launches. This would refute rumors of Apple launching the Retina Display-packing iPad 3 as an extension of the iPad 2 line, and would seem to back up rumors of Apple keeping the 16 GB iPad 2 around at a lower price point. This iPad 2 model discontinuation information is based on Apple product supply checks.

If that proves accurate, it could take some air out of the lower end, Amazon Kindle Fire and BlackBerry Playbook market.

Source: Weiphone, Apple.pro, 9to5Mac, @SonnyDickson

An updated "micro dock" would make room for bigger batteries, 4G radios, and other components far more important to the iPhone and iPad in a PC free world.

We've heard that Apple is getting ready to ditch the dock connector as it's currently sized and implemented on iPods, iPhones, and iPads. The reason isn't anything political, like a new desire to conform to an outdated micro-USB standard, but typically Apple: to save space inside the iPhone 5 for what are now more important components.

There are some precedents for this. Apple switched from the very common mini SIM card to the then very uncommon micro SIM card for the original iPad. They took the antenna out of the core package and put it around the edge in the iPhone 4. They had 10 hours of battery life they wanted to hit. They had a Retina display and its backlight. They had an HSPA radio. They had 802.11n Wi-Fi. They had a bigger camera sensor. They had a lot of power-hungry components, and they needed space to hold them and power them, so they switched to a smaller SIM and kicked the antenna to the outside.

The dock connector, while not huge, still takes up space that could otherwise go to what are now more important components like battery and LTE radios

The dock connector as it exists now is a relatively big component that takes up, while not a lot of space compared to the entire assembly, a lot of space compared to the difference between mini and micro SIM.

4G LTE radios also take up a lot of space. Apple has waited on better, smaller chipsets, and won't be going to a form-factor the size of the Galaxy Nexus or Nokia Lumia 900 any year soon, but every square millimeter they can save inside the device will matter.

The importance of the dock connector has also changed. When the iPhone 4 was released, iOS was not yet PC free. There was no iCloud. There was no AirPlay. There was no Bluetooth 4.0.

Apple cut-the-cord to iTunes with iOS 5. Cutting the 30-pin dock connector down to size is a logical next step.

The 30-pin dock handled all syncing and data transfer, including backups, music, movies, and other media, all car and other connections, even video-out dongles. Over the years it changed slightly, most significantly the change from FireWire to USB-only charging, but up until now it did all the heavy lifting.

Up until now. Backups are easier and better over iCloud. Wi-Fi sync can handle even large media files, if not as quickly, still relatively painlessly given their average frequency. Video and screen mirroring just bean straight to the Apple TV. Accessories can connect and interact over the air. The iTunes app tether has been appreciably cut, so the timing to cut down on the dock connector might never be better.

Apple has also reduced the size of connectors in their Mac line, going to the PCI Express and Mini DisplayPort based Thunderbolt connector almost across the line (Mac Pro the lone holdout).

iOS devices probably can't go Thunderbolt since they doesn't use PCI Express architecture, but that doesn't mean the dock port can't get smaller, doing everything it still needs to do in a PC free world, and saving Apple precious space inside the iPhone 5 package.

(I'm saying iPhone 5 because we haven't heard a specific timeline. iPad 3 is a much bigger device which may not be facing the physical size constraints of the iPhone yet. iPad did get the micro SIM first, however, so it's possible Apple could be looking to debut a newer, smaller dock connector on that device first. We just haven't heard anything specific about it and so think iPhone 5 is more likely.)

Apple probably won't go micro-USB either, because it's not faster and not Apple's style.

A smaller dock connector -- a "micro dock" if you will -- makes a lot more sense.

Not all current accessories would be compatible, of course, even if Apple offered an adapter dongle. It would upset as many customers as it would thrill. But Apple had never been afraid to ruthlessly jettison the past for a better future. Just ask the floppy drive, and now the optical drive and FireWire port.

Apple is fearless when it comes to driving the future. And the dock connector might be next on their list.

We've seen a number of supposed iPad 3 parts recently, and this latest one shows the front glass and digitizer assembly with the layout remaining largely the same as that of the iPad 2, with no changes to the Home button, front-facing camera position or ambient light sensor arrangement. If the pictures, which come by way of Sina Weibo, are accurate, the only recognizable change is the ribbon cable on the side of the glass, which extends roughly half-way up the device as opposed to the iPad 2 which has a shorter cable with a sideways orientation.

A separate post from the same person claims the rumored A5X SoC includes a dual-core processor instead of quad-core, in addition to the iPad 3 coming with full support for Siri, which has so far remained exclusive to the iPhone 4S.

Other recent component leaks indicate a thicker, more tapered back, a logic board with possible A5X chipset and the supposed Retina display put under a microscope.

Additional notes indicate Apple plans to release iOS 5.1 alongside the iPad 3, which is expected to be announced on March 7th with a Retina display and possible 4G LTE. BGR previously heard rumors of iOS 5.1 hitting on March 9th, which could be when Apple plans to deliver devices to consumers, but we'll have to wait for the official announcement next month.

Source: Sina Weibo via Apple.pro, MacRumors

The iPad 3 rumor mill is chugging a long a full speed, this time showing us what's supposedly Apple's next generation tablet side-by-side with an iPad 2. These photos highlight a slightly thicker casing and more tapered edges, which falls in line with previous image leaks.

If accurate, these images from M.I.C. Gadget likely confirm that Apple will be modifying the casing of the next iPad to offer a thin feeling while ever-so-slightly extending the thickness of the device, most probably to allow room required for a higher quality 8 megapixel camera, Retina display, battery, and possible 4G LTE networking

The iPad 3 is expected to be announced on March 7th shortly before Apple is rumored to push out iOS 5.1 to the masses.

Source: M.I.C Gadget

Apple is reportedly planning a redesign for the iTunes Store and App Store for sometime later this year. Apple hasn't introduced a complete overhaul to the iTunes Store interface since late 2009 when they introduced iTunes 9. Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac reports:

The new design is said to be even simpler and more user-friendly than the current design. Apple is working on ways to enhance the speed and efficiency of finding new content, such as songs, videos, and applications. The cornerstone element of Apple’s new iTunes Store is interactivity. As Apple vaguely explained to a number of music labels and entertainment partners, Apple is looking to make the iTunes Store a much more engaging experience. [...] The interactivity that Apple wants within the digital store is something Apple could only likely pull off by housing the store within a full-fledged application, not a pure web browser experience.

They're not sure if this redesign, like iTunes 9, will require a new version number -- iTunes 11 -- or if it will just be rolled into an iTunes 10 point release. However, discoverability is said to be on the agenda, with more interactive ways to find music, movies, apps, and games being a priority. It sounds like iTunes on Windows and Mac is the current focus, and may be timed to coincide with Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion this summer, though the more traditional fall update cycle -- perhaps alongside the iPhone 5 -- could be a more likely possibility.

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple is rumored to be sticking to a September or October 2012 release cycle for the iPhone 5 -- or whatever they end up calling the next-generation iPhone -- just as they did with the iPhone 4S in 2011. Japanese news site Macotakara reports:

According to Asian reliable source, the next iPhone will be released in September or October, and this cycle seems to be kept for years.

Previous to the iPhone 4S, Apple historically held to a summer release cycle, with the original iPhone hitting on June 29th, 2007. Subsequent releases of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS were in mid July and late June respectively, with the iPhone 4 following up on June 24 of 2010.

With the iPhone 4S, however, Apple switched to a to an October release window, moving away from the summer cycle they've been accustomed to and taking the Holiday spot previously reserved for the iPod. Given that Apple announced a record-breaking quarter with over 37 million iPhones sold after the iPhone 4S hit consumers late last year, it was likely a smart move and it makes sense for Apple to continue on this path going forward.

iMore previously reported on an October 2012 release date for the iPhone 5.

Source: Macotakara

Adding to the ever-growing iPad 3 rumor mill, a new photo has surfaced on the WeiPhone forums showing a system-on-a-chip nestled onto a prototype logic board, carrying a previously unheard of "A5X". The A5X chip also includes a date code of "1146", which would peg production at or around November 14th-20th of 2011.

This could mean a) the iPad 3 will have an updated variant of the Apple A5 chipset rather than an Apple A6 chipset as previously speculated; or b) this specific prototype was being tested on a variant of the A5 while work was still in progress on the Apple A6.

The A5X chip is model #S5L8945X, which matches an iPad 3 iBoot log reported by BGR a couple weeks ago, and indicates a less dramatic update than than the previous 30X to 4X jump between the original iPad and iPad 2. If the A5X ships with the iPad 3, it could mean Apple is sticking with the original dual-core architecture of the A5-powered iPad 2 rather than going to a quad-core architecture, as previously rumored. This wouldn't overly affect speed and power, as an A5X would likely be faster and incorporate a newer graphics chip as well, but it could reduce flexibility and the number of complex tasks the iPad 3 could do at once.

We won't know the broad strokes for certain until Apple makes an official announcement, likely on March 7th. We also won't know the details until after Apple delivers the iPad 3 to customers, the date of which is still up in the air. Then the teardown companies will get at it and give us a more detailed look.

In addition to a new chipset, the iPad 3 is expected to include a high-resolution 2048×1536 Retina display, possible 4G LTE network support, and a higher quality 8 megapixel camera and slightly adjusted tapered casing.

Source: WeiPhone via MacRumors

Adding fuel to the blazing hot iPad 3 rumor fire, NextMedia claims to have gotten actual pictures of Apple's next-generation tablet, along with specs indicating the rear camera will be 8 megapixel. Physically, the casing looks very much like the iPad 2 but with shaper, more tapered edges.

They also echo the March 7 event date iMore heard previously, as well as the Retina display and quad-core Apple A6 processor. They don't seem to mention anything about 4G LTE, though the Wall Street Journal has previously confirmed that.

Going from the 1 megapixel camera in the iPad 2 to 8 megapixels in the iPad 3 is quite the jump. If the optics are anywhere near as good as the iPhone 4S Apple's tablet will have gone from a photographic joke to a serious shooter in one generation flat. It won't be anywhere nearly as convenient to use as an everyday camera, the way the iPhone is, but it will be great for when you need to take a picture, capture a document, or shoot some -- presumably 1080p -- video.

Source: NextMedia via Apple.pro via MacRumors

iOS 5.1 has been in beta for a while now, but several features have remained hidden from developers thus far -- potentially including rich text formatting for the Notes app. Previously limited to just plain text, iPhone Hellas reports that users will soon be able to include bulleted lists, links, underlined text, change the font color and more.

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will be getting rich text editing in the new Notes app for Mac, so this would mean parity between the platforms. If accurate, it's great to see Apple pushing Notes a little further, as it's been essentially the same since the early iPhone OS days. It probably won't have any effect on App Store note-taking apps, which often include additional features, or features Apple would never add, like Dropbox or Box.net support, or allow hand-writing support.

Like the Photos app, it's just bare bones functionality.

iOS 5.1 has been rumored to hit the streets on March 9th from operator profile code uncovered in the latest beta release, which is also right around the time we think Apple will be announcing the iPad 3.

Source: iPhoneHellas

iMore recently heard Apple's iPad 3 event would be happening on March 7, and now BGR is hearing that iOS 5.1 will follow on or around March 9. BGR also confirmed the new slide-up-to-access-camera lock-screen gesture spotted yesterday by Blog do iPhone.

iOS 5.1 has been in beta for quite a while and has been assumed to be coming with the iPad 3, so that timeline makes sense. However, new camera access and Japanese support for Siri aren't a ton of new features for iPhone users to look forward to.

Previous iOS x.1 releases have varied in their new feature sets, gaining everything from the iTunes Store app in 1.1 to Genius Playlists in [iPhone OS 2.1] to Genius for Apps in iPhone OS 3.1 to HDR photography, Ping social music network, TV show rentals, and Game Center in iOS 4.1.

It will be interesting to see what, if any, surprises Apple has in store for iPad users with iOS 5.1, however, specifically designed to highlight iPad 3.

The current method for fast camera access in iOS 5 might soon be changing into a faster camera access in iOS 5.1, according to Blog do iPhone. The existing method involves double-clicking the Home button and tapping the Camera icon to quickly switch to the Camera app. That's 3 actions and a wait for a separate app to launch or come to the foreground. The new method is a gesture -- a slide up to reveal an embedded camera. That's 1 action and no wait for a separate app. You just slide and shoot.

They're only showing pictures of the supposedly new user interface, so it's hard to tell how it feels in implementation. If accurate, Apple would have to give it enough traction and timeout so you can't accidentally reveal the camera in your purse or pocket, and leave it on to drain the battery.

Likewise, since fast camera access bypasses the passcode lock, hopefully Apple will add a Settings toggle to disable it when and if you want to, like for when your prankster friend is visiting and tries to photo bomb you.

iOS 5.1 has been in developer beta for a long while now, with current guestimates pegging its release sometime in March to coincide with the iPad 3 release.

Source: Blog Do iPhone

More: iPhone photography starters guide, iPhone photography projects, iPhone photography forums

Following up on iMore's news today on the iPad 3 announcement, quad-core, and possibility of LTE the Wall Street Journal has now said LTE looks to be a lock as well.

Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. will sell a version of the coming iPad that runs on their newest fourth-generation wireless networks, according to people familiar with the matter, as the battle to cash in on big investments in mobile broadband heats up.

We noted earlier, Apple could release a 4G LTE variant model targeted specifically for Verizon and AT&T. Due to differences in frequencies for international carriers, like Rogers, Bell in Canada and others in Europe and Asia/Pacific, it's still unknown how wide-spread the LTE iPad 3 would be. Could Apple go U.S.-only for now? Again, Apple likely has these details decided already but they simply haven't all leaked out yet.

Also missing from the latest round of rumors is any mention of the U.S.'s third largest carrier, Sprint. While Sprint currently offer the iPhone, they don't have an iPad on their CDMA/EVDO rev A network at all. Considering Sprint won't start their deployment of LTE until mid 2012, and even then, only in six markets. Would they still get a 2-3mbps "slow" CDMA/EVDO rev A iPad 3... or nothing again?

So Retina display, quad-core, and now LTE seem good bets for iPad 3. Out of all of those, how important is 4G LTE to you, and what network would you most want it on?

Source: WSJ

According to sources who have been reliable in the past, Apple currently plans to hold their iPad 3 announcement on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. Along with the 2048x1536 Retina display, the iPad 3 will feature a quad-core Apple A6 system-on-a-chip, and possibly 4G LTE networking.

The March 7 date fits with what AllThingsD reported last week, about the next iPad event being scheduled for the first week of March, and Wednesday is a traditional day for Apple to hold these types of events.

Whether Apple would simply improve and optimize the current dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor found in the Apple A5 SoC, or go quad-core has been a lingering question, with 9to5Mac finding code references to quad-core but The Verge hearing otherwise. However, it sounds like they're going quad-core.

4G LTE networking has been another mystery surrounding the iPad 3, with a compatible Qualcomm chipset becoming available, but international LTE coverage is still slim, and in some cases a year or more away. It sounds like Apple has 4G LTE lined up for iPhone 5 this October, but we're still not certain if the iPad 3 will get it earlier. Verizon is going to want iOS devices that go faster than 2-3mbps, of course, especially with AT&T offering HSPA 14.4, and potentially faster, models. Apple could release a 4G LTE variant model, targeted at Verizon, AT&T, Rogers, Bell, and other carriers that have rolled out enough support to see demand, or they could wait and debut it in the next iPhone instead. (No doubt Apple has already decided, it just isn't clear to us which way they went for the iPad 3.)

Other rumors from iLounge have included better cameras, either a 5 or 8 megapixel rear camera and a FaceTime HD front camera. We haven't received any information on these, though any camera Apple includes will have to fit into the thin iPad 3 casing. Likewise, they're probably going to want to keep component costs down low enough to maintain their $499 entry level price tag. (Even if Apple decides to keep iPad 2 around, with a low end, low storage offering at $399.)

Again, these are rumors, and an extract of a lot of information we're still trying to properly sort, but we'll update when and as needed to clarify and correct. Either way, we'll only know for certain when Apple executives take the stage next month to officially announce the iPad 3.

Recently leaked parts purportedly from Apple's upcoming iPad 3 have been put together and the fit indicates not only that they may be near final production versions, but that the often-rumored 2048x1536 Retina display panel comes from Sharp, that a better camera is coming with it, and that overall, the casing may be slightly thicker.

According to the report by iLab, the new back plate on the iPad 3 will be roughly 1mm thicker in order to accommodate a larger battery, with screw alignments that line up precisely with the LCD panel from Sharp. The 30-pin dock connector also fit nice and snug on the new back plate, and a new camera hole suggests a higher megapixel camera should be coming as well.

Apple is rumored to be holding the iPad 3 announcement event during the first week of March.

Source: iLab Factory via 9to5Mac

Update: iTV denies The Telegraph's report:

The Telegraph's piece is entirely speculative, and there has been no recent dialogue between ITV and Apple. ITV has no further comment on the matter."

There have been an increasing number of rumors flying around that Apple is set to launch its own television set later this year. The rumors also all seem to think that if Apple does follow this product route, this particular television set will be called the iTV. Unfortunately for Apple, there is already a huge broadcasting company in the UK that already owns the name ITV. ITV stands for (Independent Television) and it is sharpening its knives ready for a fight; if Apple does decide to launch a television this year and name it the iTV.

Adam Crozier, chief executive of Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster, raised the issue with the company when he took the job in 2010, amid expectations that Apple would follow the pattern of branding used for its iPhone and iPad when it eventually cracked television. At the time, ITV, the broadcaster of popular period drama Downton Abbey, received assurances that Apple would not muscle into its territory, at least in the UK. However, insiders fear that the world’s biggest company might take a different stance under Tim Cook, who replaced Steve Jobs as chief executive shortly before Mr Jobs died in August last year.

Source: The Telegraph; Update: The Verge

Now that it seems Apple will be holding their iPad event in early March, rumors have turned to Apple working with developers in a frenzied rush to get Retina display iPad apps ready to show off on stage. TheNextWeb reports:

Apple has a long history of hand-picking apps that it thinks are exemplary or really show off the hardware of a device to demonstrate during iPad presentation. The iPad 2 saw demo segments with Apple’s own Garage Band, iMovie and Photo Booth apps, while the recent ‘Let’s Talk’ iPhone event saw game title Infinity Blade 2 demoed in order to show off the graphics capabilities of the new iPhone 4S. Apple’s pre-event weeks are often spent soliciting demonstrations from many app developers and preparing demonstrations of those apps for the live event. Our sources tell us that this selection process is continuing at an increased rate as Apple looks to finalize the lineup for the iPad 3.

Retina display iPad apps would require 2x, high-definition elements. The iPad 3 -- or iPad 2S according to some rumors -- is widely expected to have a similar form factor to the currently available iPad 2. The main differences are thought to be on the inside with a faster, possible quad-core processor, improved graphics performance and of course a higher resolution display.

We're taking a poll of what you expect to see, hardware wise, in the iPad 3 so if you haven't already, hurry up and vote now.

Source: TheNextWeb

Apple will announce the iPad 3 in the first week of March according to All Things D, which has a superb track record when it comes to the timing of Apple events. Apple typically holds these types of events on a Tuesday or Wednesday, making March 6 or 7 likely targets. Apple iPad launches have so far been on Fridays, so possibilities include March 16 and 23.

Sources say the company has chosen the first week in March to debut the successor to the iPad 2 and will do so at one of its trademark special events. The event will be held in San Francisco, presumably at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple’s preferred location for big announcements like these. No word yet on a street date for the iPad 3 (assuming that’s what it’s called), though my guess is retail availability will follow roughly the same schedule as that of the iPad 2: available for purchase a week or so after the event.

The iPad 3 is widely expected to have a similar form factor to the currently available iPad 2. The main differences are thought to be on the inside with a faster processor, improved graphics performance and the much sought after Retina display. That would give the iPad 3 a screen resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 9.7-inches.

Features like a quad-core processor and LTE networking have been the subject of conflicting rumors.

Come event day, what are you hoping to see?

Source: All Things D

Following up on the information iMore received yesterday on potential ZFS hooks in iOS 5.1, a reliable source let us know that Apple has been investing heavily in ZFS appliances from Oracle. (Whether or not this will be made public is unknown; it doesn't seem to be right now.)

Also, several of our readers familiar with ZFS wrote in to speculate as to why Apple may be exploring ZFS for use on iPhone and iPad. Broadly, it may have something to do with ZFS' snapshot technology. ZFS snapshots can be easily compressed and encrypted, de-duplicated, and can transfer delta (bit differential) updates between cloud and device. The snapshots can also work like Time Machine, easily and efficiently providing incremental backup and restore capability from an hour ago, a day ago, a week ago, or more, asynchronously and block by block. Here's what Wikipedia says about ZFS snapshots:

An advantage of copy-on-write is that when ZFS writes new data, the blocks containing the old data can be retained, allowing a snapshot version of the file system to be maintained. ZFS snapshots are created very quickly, since all the data composing the snapshot is already stored; they are also space efficient, since any unchanged data is shared among the file system and its snapshots.

Writeable snapshots ("clones") can also be created, resulting in two independent file systems that share a set of blocks. As changes are made to any of the clone file systems, new data blocks are created to reflect those changes, but any unchanged blocks continue to be shared, no matter how many clones exist. This is an implementation of the Copy-on-write principle.

Snapshots is only one of the features of ZFS (Zettabyte Files System), the advanced file system created by Sun, now owned by Oracle. Apple included a partial port of ZFS in earlier versions of Mac OS X but pulled it before the official release. It's a file system particularly well suited for cloud environments and storage pools, which might be why Apple is looking at it again in the post iCloud.

Apple is an incredibly private company that works hard behind the scenes in order to present a beautifully packaged, highly polished product to consumers. No doubt there is a lot of really cool, really geeky technology at the core of iCloud, for example, but all most of us see are elegant interface elements in Settings.app that, when tapped, all but transparently backup and restore our iPhones or iPads.

If indeed Apple is planning on using ZFS to make iCloud backups and restores better, it will probably be invisible to end users. One day, iCloud will simply work better, faster, and even more reliably.

More: Wikipedia

Apple may have begun testing what appears to be ZFS (Zettabyte File System) support in the latest iOS 5.1 beta. If the information received by iMore is accurate. references to ZFS, including the mounting tools, are contained deep inside the system files. This raises a lot of questions about where Apple may be taking iOS storage in the future.

If you're not familiar with ZFS, here's Wikipedia's introduction:

ZFS is a combined file system and logical volume manager designed by Sun Microsystems. The features of ZFS include data integrity verification against data corruption modes, support for high storage capacities, integration of the concepts of filesystem and volume management, snapshots and copy-on-write clones, continuous integrity checking and automatic repair, RAID-Z and native NFSv4 ACLs. ZFS is implemented as open-source software, licensed under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL).

In other words, it's highly scalable and highly resilient, something you want in cloud environments. ZFS support was included in some earlier versions of Mac OS X, but was not included in the final, shipping version. Rumor has it Apple wasn't pleased when Sun spoke openly about Apple's adoption of their technology, leading Apple to pull the plug. Whether that's accurate or whether Apple simply determined it was going to go another way with OS X storage is unknown.

Even without official Apple support, we've seen OS X ZFS ports crop up since then. What sets this iOS implementation apart from some of the very original, official, OS X ports of ZFS is that it already contains the ZFS utilities (zpool, zdump, etc). By having the utilities already installed it means that the port is in a more complete stage of development and has full read + write access (unlike the original OS X ports).

So here's the question again, if this information is accurate, why is Apple looking to include ZFS in iOS? Could it be part of a greater plan to integrate better cloud services into future versions of the iPhone and iPad?

More: Wikipedia

iMore heard a while back that the iPad 3 would be coming March 2012, and several other outlets have heard the same thing. Macotakara is is the latest. However, in their version there was also a "strange" report about a "strange" event, scheduled for February.

I reported that Apple was going to hold Special Event in early February according to Asian supplier and source from united states, but this report told a half-side of truth. Apple will hold "Strange" event at February instead of Special Event.

Jim Dalrymple of The Loop, however, says when something smells "strange", it usually is.

This is not going to happen, according to my sources. Apple will not hold an event in February, unusual or otherwise. That’s it.

Dalrymple's sources are typically excellent, so if you were holding hope for a February surprise from Apple, stop holding.

Source: The Loop, Macotakara

Some fresh pictures of a camera-equipped iPod nano have slipped out, indicating that Apple's music player may be due for an update soon. Apple usually updates the iPod nano every fall, but this year the iPhone 4S hogged the spotlight at Apple's traditional event. The 2009 iPod nano had a camera, before ditching it for the current form factor in 2010. Aside from the camera, the overall design doesn't seem to have changed much from the previous generation.

As Georgia aptly points out, the iPod nano isn't really hurting for a camera; instead, the iPod nano really should start changing into a smartwatch accessory, complete with notifications pushed over Bluetooth, hosting lightweight apps, while still playing music. Motorola and Sony Ericsson have both taken a stab at this idea, but Apple will likely be able to pull this off in a way that really resonates with their fans.

Anybody out there own an iPod nano? Do you ever find it lacking in functions, or does it already do what you need it to? Is a camera really needed?

Source: Apple.pro via MacRumors

The iPad 3 could be coming packed with a quad-core A6 chipset and support LTE speeds according to a source who claims to have access to the unannounced, unreleased device. BGR reports:

From the data in the photos, which contain the output from an iPad 3 using a development and debug tool called iBoot, we can infer plenty of information about the upcoming iPad 3. [...] The new processor will also apparently be a quad-core model, making the upcoming iPad 3 the fastest iOS device ever, we have been told.

The veracity of the data is, of course, uncertain. Previous rumors have claimed that iPad 3 production has started, as well as Foxconn issuing plans to build 5 new iPad production facilities in Brazil.

The A6 chipset noted in the debug tool, if accurate, carries a model number of S5L8945X with the iPad units themselves carrying model numbers of J1 and J2 (iPad 3,1 and iPad 3.2 respectively). This falls in line with what was uncovered in iOS 5.1 beta code. The rumor calls for one model being WiFi-only, and the other adding full support for LTE/CDMA/GSM. This should allow for Apple to release just one SKU across data-equipped iPad units for all major carriers, rather than a special LTE model for the limited markets that currently support it.

As far as rumors of when the iPad 3 might hit the streets, speculation of a March 2012 seem likely with Apple sticking to their historical release cycle, but we won't know for sure until Apple makes the announcement.

Source: BGR

Facebook, the massive social network that counts one of the most popular iPhone apps of all time in their portfolio, is rumored to be readying a $5 billion IPO (initial public offering). Yes, Zuckerberg and co. might finally be ready to hit the stock market. The New York Times reports:

The Internet giant plans to list a preliminary fund-raising goal of about $5 billion, one of these people said. Another cautioned that any such number was largely a placeholder for determining filing fees, and that the final amount could differ significantly. And the company could still decide to delay its filing.

While huge, it narrowly misses out on being the biggest tech IPO ever -- that distinction belongs to Infineon. That is, of course, unless Facebook raises the stakes to $10 billion, then they'll own all the records. And the money.

Facebook has enjoyed enormous growth but not without growing pains, including and especially in regards to user privacy and transparency. Along with Google and Twitter -- the former public, the latter still private -- Facebook faces Federal privacy oversight for the foreseeable future.

Still, if Facebook does pull the trigger on this IPO, will that change anything? If any of us could buy stock and become a shareholder, does that make trusting our data to Facebook any easier, or any more difficult?

Source: New York Times

Apple's largest production partner, Foxconn, has plans to build five new production plants in Brazil to help support the growing demand for the iPad tablet.

Officials from Foxconn and the Brazilian government will reportedly meet following the Chinese New Year to decide on where the factories will be built, but São Paulo is said to be pushing heavily for the investment. [...] In addition to helping supply Apple with iPads, the factories will be tooled for notebook and general electronics production. [...] A Foxconn representative declined to confirm its Brazilian expansion plans to Economia, calling the report "pure speculation."

This news comes shortly after iPad production in Brazil got a generous tax break from local government following Foxconn reportedly investing up to $300 million in a São Paulo factory. The new production facilities could house up to 1,000 employees each, with officials from Foxconn and the Brazilian government said to be meeting after the Chinese New Year in order to make a final decision on the desired location.

With Apple selling through over 15 million iPads during Q1 2012, increasing production to help meet future demand is a no-brainer. And although Brazilian-made iPads may be a little behind schedule, adding more facilities to the mix can only help the situation in terms of availability.

Source: Folha via AppleInsider

Could Apple have an Siri-powered, OLED equipped iTV television set to debut this April or May? So a source within a "major electronics retailer" would have TechnoBuffalo believe.

Speaking on conditions of anonymity, the source said they’ve seen “gorgeous, very thin” pre-production versions of the set in person, and that they employ OLED panels at various sizes up to 42-inches.

In addition to Siri artificially intelligent, voice controlled assistant, they claim it will sport facial recognition, and be able to use the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad as a fallback controller. But wait, there's more!

Our source said Apple is exploring the notion of using the set to control other connected devices in the home; think along the lines of ovens that pre-heat while you’re watching TV before dinner, and garage doors that can be closed by voice command while you sit on the couch. No details were given as to whether Apple would consider manufacturing such devices, though given their history, a “Made for iPod” style accessory program would be a natural fit for a TV-based connected home system.

In Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography, the late Apple co-founder did claim he'd "cracked" the television interface, and rumors of an Apple television have certainly picked up steam ever since. However, Jobs has also spoken about how difficult a challenge it is to deal with regional cable and satellite monopolies and oligopolies, never mind paranoid, anachronistic Hollywood executive who believe Apple is out to destroy their business, and consumers to steal their content.

The part about "other connected devices" is interesting in so far as Google's Android at Home might one day compete at doing just that.

With iPad 3 likely to be the star of Apple's spring schedule, however, it's hard to see a new product like an iTV television getting jammed in alongside. Still, these kinds of rumors do get us thinking, even as we wait for them to get smashed. Or for a follow up claiming it will be exclusive to Sprint. Or that an iTVS Pro with Retina display will also hit before the end of the year. Whichever comes first...

Source: TechnoBuffalo

Microsoft is planning to bring more Xbox Live gaming to Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, as well as Google's Android platform.

“While the Xbox Live experiences and games always work best on the Windows platform, we understand that some Xbox fans may be using other types of devices. To satisfy that need, we are working to extend a few of our Xbox experiences and titles to other platforms.”

All of Microsoft's current XBox efforts have done well on iOS and Microsoft isn't exactly a company to leave to money on the table or avoid recognition, it's another avenue for both of those things if Microsoft puts the effort into it. No mention was made of when we could expect to see these efforts put into to place but if we had to wager a guess, we'd bet it's not all that far off.

Given that Microsoft's Windows Phone is still -- as some would say -- 'ramping up', it only seems logical that Microsoft would target iOS and Android users as well, especially considering the market share Apple and Google have in the mobile space.

Microsoft has already made a small foray on iOS with the release of My XBox Live and Kinectimals, but who knows what could be next. Halo, anyone?

• Source: Forbes

Daring Fireball's John Gruber has weighed in on the supposed iPhone 5 leak from earlier today, saying the iPhone 5 has not yet gone into production, and throwing cold water on the idea that the overall form factor will be larger.

Longer and wider? Sounds like bullshit. I can see Apple putting a bigger display on a device of the same size. I can’t see them making a bigger device.

iMore has independently heard that the iPhone 5 may stay on a fall schedule, similar to the iPhone 4S release in October of 2011. That makes a certain amount of sense, given how well Apple's iPhone 4S sales persisted despite a 15 month window between launches last year. A June/WWDC 2012 launch would be only 9 months between devices, and might not maximize Apple's earnings potential. However, with Android 4.0 devices expected to hit the market starting in the March quarter, competitive pressure won't be letting up any time soon.

As to the design, Apple has had multiple prototypes in contention before, including more conservative and more audacious models. If fall 2012 is and remains the target, it's likely far too early to tell much if anything for certain. However, a similar sized device with as big a screen as Apple can fit into it certainly sounds nice.

Seth Weintraub from 9to5Mac has a source within Foxconn that claims Apple is readying the iPhone 5 -- as it's apparently being called -- for production in time for a summer release. The leak also claims:

• 4+ inch display (made by LG on at least one of them)
• No teardrop-shaped devices as were rumored in the lead up to the iPhone 4S. Samples so far have been >- symmetrical in thickness. Also longer/wider.
• None of the sample devices have the iPhone 4/4S form factor
• None of the devices are final versions

Given Apple has already re-used the iPhone 4 form factor for the iPhone 4S, it makes sense they wouldn't revisit it again for the iPhone 5. Likewise, the oft-rumored teardrop form-factor, while seen in other devices, doesn't really seem to fit within Apple's existing iOS device design language.

Again, no word on 4G LTE network connectivity, which while increasingly common in the U.S. still isn't widespread internationally.

However, since none of these devices were considered the final version, and since Apple can and will make changes well into the production cycle, it's best to take everything with a 4-inch grain of salt.

We'll find out for sure when Phil Schiller holds it up on stage. Or someone leaves it in a bar...

Source: 9to5 Mac

According to Adam Lashinsky, author of the upcoming book, Inside Apple, the late Steve Jobs arranged a meeting with Ren Ng, a Stanford graduate and the CEO of the incredible Lytro light-field camera company.

The company’s CEO, Ren Ng, a brilliant computer scientist with a PhD from Stanford, immediately called Jobs, who picked up the phone and quickly said, “if you’re free this afternoon maybe we would could get together.” Ng, who is thirty-two, hurried to Palo Alto, showed Jobs a demo of Lytro’s technology, discussed cameras and product design with him, and, at Jobs’s request, agreed to send him an email outlining three things he’d like Lytro to do with Apple.

Lytro, if you've not heard of them, uses radical new imaging technology that involves capturing the entire light field into one single file. Edits can then be made post-production, including refocusing the image or any portion of it.

Given the nature of their technology and how it works, it all seems like something Steve Jobs would have been interested in, especially when you consider the amount of attention Apple gave to how the iPhone 4S camera worked.

According to Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs had three things he wanted to reinvent - the television, textbooks and photography. We've bared witness to the beginning of one of those things at Apple's education event with the introduction of iBooks 2 and  iBooks Author for Mac OS X. And Apple Television has been rumored for a while now.

One could argue that Steve Jobs and Apple have already changed the photography world with each iteration of the iPhone, as the cameras got better with each new release. The the iPhone 4S has an 8 megapixel camera equipped with a fast f/2.4 lens, and is certainly capable of taking great shots and that photo taking ability has caused some folks to drop their point & shoot cameras and strictly use their iPhone for shots as needed.

Could we see a portion of Lytro's camera technology in the some iteration of the iPhone and possibly even the iPad? It's quite possible - but we'll have to hold on for that. One meeting does not a next-generation iPhone 5 camera make.

• Inside Apple - Amazon link

Source: 9to5Mac

Sony has announced a new 13 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS image sensor, which could one day allow for thinner iPhones that take even higher quality photos and HDR (High Dynamic Range) video.

This image sensor layers the pixel section containing formations of back-illuminated structure pixels onto chips containing the circuit section for signal processing, which is in place of supporting substrates for conventional back-illuminated CMOS image sensors. This structure achieves further enhancement in image quality, superior functionalities and a more compact size that will lead to enhanced camera evolution.

The setup separates the CMOS sensor from the imaging circuits which, along with a bit of optics-magic, results in higher quality images. It also thinner, which means iPhones and iPads, if Apple implements it, could be thinner.

Source: Sony

802.11ac, sometimes referred to as 5G or gigabit Wi-Fi, hasn't been finalized and Apple seldom if ever speaks ahead of time about the incorporation of new technology into the iPhone, iPad, or Mac lines, but they were aggressive in adopting 802.11n while it was in the draft stages and 802.11ac appears to have even more to recommend it.

The new 802.11ac standard achieves much faster wireless networking speeds than the existing 802.11n specification (in use on the latest Mac, AirPort and iOS devices) by using 2 to 4 times the frequency bandwidth (from 80 to 160MHz), more efficient data transfers through sophisticated modulation, and more antennas (up to 8; existing standards support up to 4, while Apple's Macs currently use up to 3).

With everything from AirPlay to iTunes Wi-Fi sync to the downloading of content from iTunes Netflix and other online repositories becoming increasingly front and center in iOS, better, faster Wi-Fi will be huge plus. (Especially if when we see the eventual move to 1080p content on the rumored Apple TV 3.

The link below says Apple's working on 802.11ac, though the article doesn't say where that assertion comes from. Still -- I want it, and hopefully we'll indeed get it sometime this year if not the next.

Source: AppleInsider

BGR was tipped on a few references to x2 iPad graphics -- the kind required for Retina displays -- in the new iBooks 2, adding fuel to the iPad 3 rumor fire.

Some of these aren't new, and were included in the iBooks 1.1 update from last year, but it's still nice to see that Apple's getting ready.

Source: BGR, @boygenius

While we've been referring to Apple's next generation iPad as iPad 3, according to 9to5Mac Chinese accessory maker Chinee has gone and gambled on iPad 2S -- not only the name, but the form factor as well, producing what might just be the first case for the unannounced, unspecified tablet.

Case producer “Chinee” of China has begun selling cases for a device that it called “iPad 2S.” The name obviously stems from the name iPhone 4S, where the S notes an internal technical specification update rather than a re-design. Based on previous “iPad 3″ rumors, the new tablet will follow that naming convention. The new iPad is rumored to look identical to the iPad 2, but it will be slightly thicker. The seller of these “iPad 2S” cases said its new products fit a design that is 1MM thicker than the iPad 2′s form-factor. The case maker also claimed such design knowledge came from sources within Apple’s supply chain.

Having your accessory ready to go on launch day can make for much higher profits, but if they end up banking on the wrong form-factor -- something that happened with iPhone 5 cases last year -- it can cost them a bundle.

Even betting on a name on the packaging -- iPad 2S in the case -- can be a risk. The "S" in Apple iOS device marketing usually used to reduce expectations and push-back when new devices don't look as significantly updated as their internals suggest, like the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S.

With a 2048x1536 resolution Retina display boost, would Apple really call their 3rd generation iPad an iPad 2S?

AppleInsider is rumoring that Apple's education event will include a textbook initiative codenamed "Bliss", inspired in part by current Apple board member and past Vice President of United States, Al Gore's Our Choice ebook app.

The person who contacted AppleInsider indicated that Apple's Internet software chief, Eddy Cue, is responsible for the distribution side of the new e-textbook initiative. But Rosner is said to be in charge of development of the editor used to create digital textbooks, as well as the reading software that will allow students and teachers to view the files. The person said the internal code-name for the project is "Bliss," and said the software will allow publishers to make textbooks more interactive.

Gore's "Our Choice" ebook app was built by Push Pop Press, which was subsequently bought out by Facebook. If true, the combination of iTunes/App Store/iCloud head Eddy Cue on the content delivery side, and iWork shepherd Roger Rosner on the content creation and consumption side could be powerful.

We'll find out tomorrow. In the meantime, check out a video of Our Choice, and then hit the link below for all the details.

Source: AppleInsider

Apple is hosting an event in New York tomorrow, and if the chalkboard logo is any indication,  we'll be seeing some new content for educators, specifically new interactive textbooks delivered on iPad through a new file format and publishing system curated by Apple. On top of cutting the hassle of lugging around a bunch of print volumes, digital textbooks would be more engaging, and publishers would be able to update their products as necessary.

iPads in the classroom has been a common image in many Apple ads, and more than a couple of schools have bought  in to the idea. Programs like iBooks and iTunes U are already in place to support a new digital textbook standard, but the real question is, will schools be willing to cough up $500/student for iPads? Will Apple be willing to subsidize the cost, just so they can hook 'em while they're young?

I guess we'll find out tomorrow - stick around for our coverage of the event!

Source: Bloomberg

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple’s iWork VP Roger Rosner has been charged to lead Apple's entry into the digital textbook arena.

According to people familiar with the matter, Mr. Rosner—Apple's vice president for productivity applications, in charge of its iWork document, spreadsheet and presentation software—is closely involved in developing the new digital-textbook service. Apple last week said it was holding an event in New York City on Thursday for an announcement, which people familiar with the matter have said will be around digital textbooks.

With Apple's education event happening January 19th, we'll soon be able to lay to rest all the rumors surrounding what, exactly will be unveiled. It seems, however, that rather then looking to replace textbooks with their digital counterparts right away, Rosner's team will introduce a new set of tools for publishers to create "iTextbooks". Apple's iTunes U podcast section is a critical if not mainstream success, and their iBooks eBookstore and reader already have a small set of textbook publishers participating. If Apple can expand on that existing base with tools to make the transition easier, they could start to get some momentum going.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Japanese news site macotakara claims Apple will hold an iPad 3 launch event in early February. The report cites sources in the U.S. as well as within the Asian supply chain, and note a release will likely take place in early March.

This falls in line with what iMore has heard about Apple is gearing up for a March 2012 release. Since the iPad 3 seems likely to get a Retina display, designers and developers will need to produce 2x graphics (if they haven't started to already) and the more time they have, the better, especially for gaming companies.

Source: Macotakara

According to a report by Ars Technica, Apple is going to announce a GarageBand type tool to aid in the creation of e-books at its New York education event this Thursday. The new tools will assist in the creation of interactive e-books especially in the education sector.

At the same time, however, authoring standards-compliant e-books (despite some promises to the contrary) is not as simple as running a Word document of a manuscript through a filter. The current state of software tools continues to frustrate authors and publishers alike, with several authors telling Ars that they wish Apple or some other vendor would make a simple app that makes the process as easy as creating a song in GarageBand. Our sources say Apple will announce such a tool on Thursday.

Source: Ars Technica

Deep within iOS 5.1 beta 3 are mentions to two next-generation iPad 3 code names, J1AP and J2AP, as well as ongoing references to Facebook. While digging through firmware code is not a sure fire way of finding out exactly Apple is up to -- it has in the past yielded some results. In this case, they seem in line with a previous account from Digitimes on iPad 3 code names J1 and J2. These likely, though not definitely, refer to the Wi-Fi and cellular data versions of iPad 3.

Another tidbit of information found within the firmware is that Facebook is again being mentioned. As we know it, iOS 4 was set to have Facebook integration but it was subsequently dropped from the OS when an agreement couldn't be reached between the two companies. Could there be more integration with Facebook coming or is this simply legacy code left around, just in case?

Alas, we'll just have to wait and see what Apple has in store for us with iOS 6 but if any of what we're seeing in the iOS 5.1 beta 3 code turns out to be accurate then, we're pretty glad folks still keep checking in there for things Apple may have missed. Jump on past the break, and you can see where the J1AP and J2AP are showing up.

UPDATE: Some iPod touch goodness added for your enjoyment, below.

Source: @jackoplane

Bloomberg is reporting that Apple has begun production of the iPad 3 for an expected March 2012 release.

[iPad 3] will sport a high-definition screen, run a faster processor and work with next-generation wireless networks, according to three people familiar with the product. [..] The tablet will use a quad-core chip, an enhancement that lets users jump more quickly between applications, two of the people said.

The March date is spot on, and the 2042x1536 Retina display screen is an easy bet at this point. Apple could go quad-core with the A6 chipset as competing tablets have recently done, but Apple's integrated hardware/software approach has thus far let them do more with less.

LTE still feels like a wildcard to me. While Verizon has better deployment and AT&T is starting to ramp up, Sprint and T-Mobile are behind and international carriers are hit and miss (and just like 3G GSM, frequencies are not always compatible).

The Retina display and A6 alone will make for a compelling upgrade, but for those in LTE areas, it could make it a no brainer.

Source: Bloomberg

Apple has apparently sent a few high-level employees to CES to scout out the competition and see how other companies present future products.

Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) famously avoids the biggest event on the tech industry calendar, and given the traffic on Paradise Road this morning you can’t exactly blame them. But that doesn’t mean Apple isn’t scouting the competition in person at CES 2012.

A reporter from PaidContent says he ran into Greg Joswiak, head of iOS product marketing for Apple, who answered a few questions as to why he was there. Apple is interested in learning more about presentation techniques from competitors, including the layout, aesthetics and which products are at the forefront.

Source: Paid Content

According to japanese news site macotakara, Apple has issued build orders to Foxconn and Pegatron for the iPad 3, which is expected to hit in March.

This first lot production implements LCD's, which are produced by Sharp Electronics Corporation, and aims to be shipped at early March, source told.

It has been rumored that Sharp will produce the new IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) iPad 3 panels, with a purported Retina display resolution of 2048×1536.

If Apple intends to stay on their spring release schedule, it makes a lot of sense for them to be getting orders in place now.

Source: macotakara

Randomly accurate rumor site Digitimes suggests that, according to industry sources out of Taiwan, Apple will release a Retina display iPad 3 in March, then turn around and ship a more significant iPad 4 in October.

The 9.7-inch iPad 4 is expected to come with much upgraded hardware specifications and integrated applications so as to compete with an array of Android-, Wintel- or WoA (Windows on ARM)-based tablet PCs to be released in the fourth quarter, said the sources.

They also reaffirm the rumor that Apple will keep the iPad 2 on sale at a lower $399 price.

This is an almost identical rumor to one that made the rounds last year, with numerous sources -- including iMore -- hearing that Apple was at least toying with the idea of releasing iPad 3 in October of 2011. Whether those rumors were ultimate inaccurate, or display constraints required Apple change plans and revert to a spring 2012 release is unknown.

Likewise, whether or not there's any substance to these rumor rehashes, or an attempt to suppress iPad 3 sales with early chatter of an iPad 4 is impossible to say at this point. It does seem unlikely that Apple would release two iPads in the same retail year, given the enormous success of their current strategy.

Source: Digitimes

Mark Gurman over at 9to5 Mac has discovered some code buried deep within the iOS 5.1 beta which might suggest Apple is prepping a quad-core chip to power future iPhone and iPad devices.

The references to quad-core iPhone and iPad chips come by way of a hidden panel that describes cores that are supported by iOS device hardware. The updated core management software includes an option of “/cores/core.3,” and this represents a fourth available processing core…

Gurman explains that people who work closely with iOS code advised the core count begins at 0, so a dual-core processor would be labeled as core.1 for its second core, and as such, a quad-core processor would carry a core.3 label for its fourth core.

Whether we'll see this in the Apple A6 chipset -- which is expected to power the iPad 3 and next-gen iPhone -- is another story. Although Apple doesn't like to tout specs as a selling point, they need great hardware to drive great software.

Source: 9to5Mac

Jeremy Horwitz from iLounge has posted rumors about the iPad 3 and what his sources say we should expect.

Some of the changes included were upgraded front and rear cameras with HD FaceTime on the front and an 8MP sensor on the rear. His sources believe the rear camera may in fact be the same as the iPhone 4S.

Horwitz, who has had good information in the past, also dispels rumors of the next iPad hitting in January or February, and instead suggested it will follow the same March/April release cycle the iPad has been on since it debuted in 2010, and that the iPad 2 will stick around at an entry-level price of $399.

Source: iLounge via @horwitz

Clayton Morris has chimed in on the January media event and what Apple may have in store for us.

• This event will focus on iTunes University and Apple in education
• This initiative has been in the making for years.
• The announcement will be small in size but large in scope: a big announcement in a demure space.
• I expect at least two large project announcements as they relate to Apple in education.
• Steve Jobs was intimately involved with this project before his passing. He gave a hat tip to the textbook side of this project in the Isaacson biography.
• This will not be a hardware-related announcement.

It was previously speculated that Apple may be holding a special iBooks-related event, which could definitely hold true in respect to textbooks as Morris has outlined. Check out his whole post via the link below.

Source: Clayton Morris

Hit or miss rumor site Digitimes has reported that Apple may plan on introducing a low-end iPad 2 with a starting price of around $299 after the next-generation iPad hits the market.

Sources from Apple's supply chain have claimed that there will be two versions of the new iPad, one targeting the high-end segment and the other the mid-range. Digitimes Research believe the two new iPad models will both be equipped the A6 processor with high-end model coming with a high resolution panel (2048x1536) and the mid-tier model featuring the same grade of panel as iPad 2 (1024x768).

Digitimes can be as accurate as your average coin toss, but with the Kindle Fire and other, lower-end tablets now on the market, Apple could consider doing what they've done with the iPhone for years -- keeping the previous year's model around at a reduced price to choke the air out of the budget players. iPhones come with steep carrier subsidies, however, and there's no telling if Apple could -- or would be willing to -- make even a previous year's iPad at a low enough cost to both match Kindle-style competitors and still keep Apple's margins where they need to be.

A reduced price iPad 2-style device does make more sense than the 7-inch iPad Digitimes has also been peddling lately.

Source: Digitimes