Apple has just posted their annual Supplier Responsibility Progress Report. The report aims to help improve worker protections and factory conditions as well as show audit information for the year. The report outlines how their audit procedure is performed as well as shows results for audits in 2011.

Apple also posted a list of the 156 suppliers that make up over 95% of their supply chain. The main focus of the report is to highlight their continued efforts to improve work conditions and tighten down on underage labor.

Apple-designed training programs have educated more than one million supply chain employees about local laws, their rights as workers, occupational health and safety, and Apple’s Supplier Code of Conduct.

Apple is also offering educational programs for workers to improve their business skills as well as learn more about entrepreneurship.

Source: Apple report, Apple list

Some of my most-used apps have managed to stay the same year after year, but app updates and new contenders are always finding their way onto my device. While there are tons of great apps in the App Store, these are the apps that currently earn a place on the homescreen of my iPhone or iPad, or even both.

BiteSMS

I can not even express how great of an app BiteSMS is. While iOS 5 made several much needed improvements to the messaging app, I still need my quick reply. I desperately miss this functionality on my iPhone 4S and can't wait for a jailbreak for A5 devices to be released so I can have it back. Until then I'll have to enjoy using it on my iPod touch.

• $9.99 - Cydia Search Link

SBSettings

SBSettings is by far one of the most useful jailbreak tweaks ever created. It's made my list year after year ever since its conception. I realize how much I miss it every single time I have to launch the Settings app on my iPhone 4S just to change the brightness level on my phone or toggle off wi-fi. If you jailbreak and haven't picked up SBSettings, what are you waiting for? It's free.

• Free - Cydia Search Link

Reeder

Reeder has been one of my all time favorite apps on both my iPhone and iPad. While apps like Flipboard are great for casual reading, Reeder allows me to read when I want without missing anything. I can set up options for how many days worth of content I want to see when I load it and know I'm still up to date. More importantly, Reeder is a surprisingly beautiful client for one that provides so much functionality. Often times you see a great UI go bad when too many options are added. Reeder is a shining example of an exception to this rule.

• $4.99 - iPad App Store Link

• $2.99 - iPhone App Store Link

Google Currents

While Reeder is the app I'd turn to when I actually want to sit down and catch up on my news for the day, Currents is the app I turn to when I just want to view headlines or pick and choose what I want to read. It has one of the most beautiful interfaces I've ever seen in a news app and it really is a joy to browse through, especially from the iPad. I think Currents will give Flipboard a run for its money. I actually already prefer it due to blogs being able to customize how their content is presented.

• Free - App Store Link

1Password

1Password has a well-deserved spot on every single device or computer I own. Lets face its, most people are terrible at remembering passwords. We all know it isn't safe to have the same password for everything but who can remember all those passwords? Enter 1Password. Not only does it remember all your passwords or generate impossible to guess random ones for you, it does it across all platforms seamlessly. I have 1Password installed on my iPhone, iPad 2, iPod touch, iMac, and MacBook Pro. Never again will I forget a password or have to worry about not having the one I need nearby. While you can purchase them separately for iPhone and iPad, I suggest picking up the Pro version to cover all your iOS devices. It's currently on sale for the holidays for only $8.99, down from its normal price point of $14.99.

• $8.99 - App Store Link

Zeitgeist has published its annual list of top searches for 2011 and they include Steve Jobs, the iPad 2 and, interestingly, the iPhone 5 among the top ten.

Rumors of the iPhone 5 were running at full-force before Apple officially announced the iPhone 4S back in October. Apple likes to keep a tight lid on production and future product releases, which would be one of the reasons the iPhone 5 was among the top searches of 2011 as nobody really knew exactly what they'd be releasing right up until the announcement.

Here's the full top 10 list:

1. Rebecca Black
2. Google+
3. Ryan Dunn
4. Casey Anthony
5. Battlefield 3
6. iPhone 5
7. Adele
8. 東京 電力 (TEPCO)
9. Steve Jobs
10. iPad 2

Source: Zeitgeist

If you are a lover of Rugby, you are more than likely very excited for the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2011. The competition starts in New Zealand in early September and what better way to keep in touch with all the action than with the Official Rugby World Cup 2011 app.

Don’t miss a thing during Rugby World Cup 2011 with the Official RWC 2011 mobile application, in association with Land Rover. Access the Match Centre for live match coverage, including live commentary, stats and video highlights. Get the latest news and keep up to date with the RWC Daily video. In New Zealand and want to know what to do? Go to the Fan Zone section to find out what events are on near where you are right now. Going to the match? Check out stadium locations, seating plans and facilities.

[App Store link]

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Apple has just announced their Q3 2011 results and the iOS platform continues to impress with 20.34 million iPhones sold (up 142% from last year), 9.25 million iPads (up 183%), 3.95 million Macs (up 14%) and 7.54 million iPods (down 20%). All that added up to $28.57 billion in revenue and record quarterly net profit of $7.31 billion.

“We’re thrilled to deliver our best quarter ever, with revenue up 82 percent and profits up 125 percent,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Right now, we’re very focused and excited about bringing iOS 5 and iCloud to our users this fall.”

“We are extremely pleased with our performance which drove quarterly cash flow from operations of $11.1 billion, an increase of 131 percent year-over-year,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011, we expect revenue of about $25 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $5.50.”

Their quarterly conference call is coming up soon and we'll add highlights as we hear them, after the break.

• Starting off with Macs. Up 14%. 4x IDC forecast for PC industry... but nothing compared to iOS. Particularly strong in AsiaPac.
• New iMacs with Thunderbolt, FaceTime HD cameras
• iPod touch is half of iPods sold.
• iTunes $1.4 billion, music, video, apps strong. 225 million accounts. 15 billion songs.
• 20.3 million iPhones. 142% growth, double IDC estimates for global market.
• iPhone revenue $13.3 billion, increase of 150%
• Very strong growth, all segments. AsiaPac robust, 400% up.
• Increasing iPhone manufacturing capacity. 228 carriers in 105 carriers.
• 5.9 million iPhones in channel. Support strong demand, carrier additions, distribution.
• 91% of fortune 500 testing or deploying iPhone, 57% of global 500 companies testing or deploying iPhone. Acta, Netsle, Dow, SuperValue, Comcast.
• 9.2 million iPads. 183% increase. Increased production by over 4.5 million. Sold every one they could make.
• 64 countries for iPad, iPad 2.
• $6 billion in revenue from iPad.
• 1.05 million iPads in inventory.
• 86% of fortune 500 are testing or deploying. 47% of global 500 companies.
• Boston Scientific, Xeorox, Salesforce deploying iPad. Top hospitals, retail. General Electric, SAP internal apps. Airlines using in cockpit.
• iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, 222 million cumulative device sales.
• iOS 5 includes 200 new features, notification center, iMessage, Newstand. PC-free, activate and set up out of the box. Launching this fall.
• June provided preview for iCloud. Free new services. Work seamlessly. Store content on cloud, push to devices. Release in fall.
• App Store 425,000 apps, 15 billion downloads. $2.5 in cumulative payments to devs. Far ahead of competitors.
• Apple Stores now. (They're doing just fine thanks.)
• Cash is at 76.2 billion in the bank. Wow.
• Will continue to charge for OS upgrades like Lion and iWork.
• (Call keeps cutting ou for me, sorry if I miss stuff)
• Deferring revenue, recognizing over 2 years to account for upgrades.
• Now giving out typically conservative guidance for next quarter.
• Q&A time.
• 12% revenue downtick is more conservative than normal, why? PO: September more weighted to higher education. Best Macs ever. Expect increase. Expects iPhone increase as well, expanding iPad, expecting as well. iPod decline. A lot going on with iCloud, iOS 5. Product transition they won't talk about will effect quarter.
• How do you approach working transitions into guidance. OP: Not talking about it. Factored it in. Incredibly confident about pipeline.
• iPad 2 sales, trends? Tim Cook: Do believe some customers chose iPad over Mac. Believe even more chose to purchase iPad over Windows. Lots more Windows to cannibalize over Mac. Mac has attributes that will continue to do well in the market. Grew 5x market. iPad 2 has been a frenzy. Feel good about progress, reception.
• China, growth in AsiaPac? TC: China was key for results. Greater China up 6x. $3.8 billion is quarter, $8.8 billion year to date. Substantial opportunity for Apple. Just scratching surface.
• Outlook for gross margin? PO: 38%, down 370 basis points. 2/3 decline driven by different product mix. Loss of leverage on lower revenue. Full quarter of back to school. Future product transition. TC: NAND and DRAM, LCD, batteries, optical, in positive supply situation. Pricing to fall at or above historical trend. HD supply constrained, less than trend. Components favorable on sequential comparison. Offset by 1 time benefits discussed for June quarter.
• 1 time benefit on gross margins. PO: Saw benefit on warranty on phone support, benefits.
• Patents? IP strategy? TC: Simple view, we love competition, great for Apple, everyone. Want people to invent their own stuff. Going to defend portfolio.
• What drove iPhone strength? TC: Added 42 new carriers, 15 new countries. Throughout quarter. Real sequential improvement due to emerging and developed markets. China, Latin America - Brazil, Mexico, Middle East. Great for Apple. Not historically as strong in. Beginning to see fruits of their labor.
• Milestones for next quarter? TC: No, but can see it's something of great focus. Want to do business with great partners. Still out there. Working new relationships.
• Android activations higher than iPhone, China is on fire, what about Google numbers? TC: Android activation number is difficult to get hands around. Apple numbers from data sheet, add iPhone, iPad, approximate 50% iPods is iPod touch. Sold over 33 million iOS devices. Now over 222 million cumulative devices. Numbers very straight forward, transparent, quarterly. iPhone is up 142%, more than 2x rate of market growth. Incredible. Sold every iPad 2 they could make. Also gaining traction in enterprise. Converting to penetration focus. App Store largest by far, iPad specific over 100,000. Be hard pressed to find more than a few hundred on other platforms. Other tablets not getting any traction to speak of. $2.5 billion to developers, great model. Customers love it. Confident with model, app store. Ranked iPhone #1 in customer surveys. Confident in road map. Feel very good. Changewave data reaffirmed iPhone is clear leader in satisfaction, number one preference for new smartphone buyers.
• Apple TV? Not a leg of the stool yet. Not in size market iPhone, Mac, etc. Love the product, customers love it. Got it right with new model. Still a hobby.
• Non-Apple retail channel? TC: About 115,000 points of sale. Diversified. Part of the magic. Prefer not to share it. Make right decisions for Apple.
• iPhone, iPad manufacturing yield? TC: No specific numbers, supply of iPad improved dramatically in the quarter. Further improved in July. In balance in some SKUs in some countries. Feels good about progress.
• How to sustain growth? TC: On tariff side, carrier sets that. Better question for them. At very macro level, virtually every carrier is desirous of more customers having smartphones, using data, expanding ARPU. No better device to move to from any phone up to smartphone than iPhone. Ease of use, ecosystem. Good alignment. Key driver emerging and developing markets. Putting more and more energy in these markets. Bit more difficult to do well in.
• How to address markets? TC: Some percentage of post-paid but looked in aggregate, predominantly pre-paid. Convinced in some cases to start pre-paid, better for customer, carrier, Apple. Obviously developing and expanding channels on list. 115,000 down, some experience to play with.
• What lack of Mac growth was cannibalization, what was hold off for Lion? TC: Look more year-over-year on Mac than sequential. Proud of numbers. Doing 5x rate of growth is something to be proud of. Why isn't it higher? Some cannibalization by iPad. 2x iPad shipped over Mac. But more customers chose to buy iPad over Windows PC. Some customers have delayed purchase for Lion. Launching tomorrow. Fantastic product. Worked really hard on it. Revolutionary. 3rd thing, year ago quarter launched new MacBook Pros. This time launched new iMac. Both well received but MBP makes up majority so makes more difficult comparison.
• Growth trajectory for iPad? TC: Don't predict units. Don't want to make a comment. Think iPad will grow significantly year over year.
• Why does iPad have supply problems? TC: (Repeats previous statements).
• Any differences in enterprise strategy? TC: Dual prong on both iPad and iPhone. Work with carriers who have sales forces. Train and provide help with carriers. Do some direct sales or act as overlay to channel. Very happy with numbers, interest, pilot, deployment. Now moving to penetration. To be this far into Enterprise for a product only shipping 15 months is incredible. Enterprise typically much more conservative, takes more time to evaluate. Moving at speed he's never seen. K12 takes very long time as well but last quarter sold more iPads than Macs. Would never have predicted this. Clear it has universal appeal from consumer to business to government and on and on.
• Expectations for iCloud? PO: Cannot wait to get iCloud and iOS 5 into hands of customers. Have done it right. Seamless, integrated experience they're going to love. Didn't go unnoticed in Changewave results that iOS devices are #1 in intent to buy.
• Lead over competitors in ability to mirror content? PO: Good with internet, delivering content. Proved with iTunes, App Store. Have some things to learn but have a lot of skills. Excited.
• China Mobile? Pre-paid? TC: Pre-paid or unlocked phones (off contract) are key in China and a number of emerging market where credit systems are not as well established as US, Japan, Western Europe, Australia, etc. iPhone volume for 1st 3 quarters was up 5x year over year. iPhone is key contributor to greater China revenue. Not saying figured out precisely how to play perfectly in environment. Have more to do, more to learn. Feel good about progress. If told a year ago would do $3.8 billion, very many in Apple wouldn't have believed it. Feel very, very good. Applying those learnings to other markets.
• Recent market data in some countries shows lost share? Is iPhone share strategically important to Apple? TC: Share gain is important. Do offer 3GS as example in lower price point. US is $49 with contract. Varies off-contract. Clearly in distinctly different price than iPhone 4. Philosophy same as always. Will only make products Apple is proud of, best in the world. iPod shuffle was created, now $49. Lot of people love it. Always question, litmus test. Up to Apple to convince Apple to spend more for a material better experience and product. Seen people will do that if product is great, message is appropriate. A lot of experience in both those areas.
• iPad media consumption? TC: Talk to 10 people, 10 different reasons they love it. Reason it's doing so well across demos, geographies.
• Why not more movie titles? PO: Have a very broad library, particularly in US. Adding more internationally each quarter. Look for more later this quarter across the various stores. Have neat stuff coming.
• That's all!

Apple is holding their Q1 2011 financial results call today at 2pm PST, 5pm EST. Q1 covers the holidays, traditionally Apple's strongest quarter, and this year should see another record being broken for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad sales.

Juxtaposed against the news of Steve Jobs taking another medical leave of absence, the stock market today and the Q&A following the call itself, could be a mixed bag of hurt for Apple. Numbers vs. emotion, we'll see what wins out.

• www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq111

Quasi-live updates of the call after the break!

• Peter Oppenheimer (PO) talking about Macs.
• PO talking about Mac App Store
• iPod sales down, iPod touch sales 50%, continues to grow. 70% share remains the same. Still top selling in most countries.
• 16.2 million iPhones. Handset and accessories $10.7 billion. $10.1 billion iPhones alone. 185 carriers in 90 countries. Strong growth, Asia and Japan doubling.
• 88 Fortune 100, 60% of FT Europe now testing or deploying iPhone.
• CIOs continue to add iPhone to approved devices. Wells Fargo, ADM, Dupont, Staples, Starbucks, Nissan, Standard Charter, Dannon and others have made it available.
• 7.3 million iPads. Over 3 million increase. 43 countries. CIO's adding iPad at amazing rate. 80% of Fortune 100 deploying or piloting. JP Morgan, Cardinal Health, Well Fargo, ADC, Dupont.
• $4.4 billion in iPads
• 165 million iOS devices sold to date
• Pleased with iAds, expanded to other countries.
• Apple Stores still doing great. China highest traffic, highest revenue. 323 stores worldwide. 87 outside US. $12 million avg. per store. 69% increase.
• 75.7 million visitors. Increase 49%.
• $59 billion in cash
• Q&A time! Tim Cook is on (TC)
• Q: How to ensure sufficient iPhones for Verizon?
• TC: Made bold move going to 14 million production, now gone to 16 million. Working on increasing further. Takes time. Thrilled to offer it to Verizon, existing and new customers. Going to get into as many hands as possible.
• Q: How comfortable are you with iPhone, iPad supply. Shortages?
• TC: iPad increased dramatically last quarter. Expanded to 46 countries. Added 20 during quarter. Adding 15 more in January. Confident. Feel good. Demand is high. Demand from Verizon will be huge. Doesn't want to give prediction.
• Q: Sequential growth is impressive, what's driving that? How will it be sustained?
• TC: Identified China as top priority, put enormous energy into China. Results staggering. (Greater China as region, PRC, HK, Taiwan). $2.6 billion last quarter. Up 4x. Korea also very good market. Driven by iPhone, iPad. Other Asian countries doing well. Japan not in segment. By itself 83% year over year. Stunning. Placing more resource there. Looking for expansion.
• Q: How long is roadmap? 1 year, 2 year? (Trying to find out how far Jobs has been involved).
• TC: Apple magic. Don't want anyone copying it. Apple is doing best work ever. Steve has made excellence a habit. Feel very confident. Have low market share of handsets, huge market. Believe iPad market is huge as well. In fast moving markets. Have best products they've ever done. Confident.
• Q: Could have sold more, how many?
• PO: Can't run experiment both ways. Couldn't make enough. Would have loved more.
• Q: Commodities?
• TC: DRAM favorable. Metals increasing. NAND, batteries, ODDs, LCDs, most others in supply/demand balance. Design components they believe they can innovate beyond market. A4 chip is example. Didn't feel like they had to build fab. Good options for doing that. Focused on design.
• TC: Signed deal with NAND Flash suppliers because anticipated importance, wanted to secure supply. Fantastic use of Apple cash, Look for more of these. Identified another area. Come to agreements PO talked about. Pre-payments, capitol, focused on area they feel is strategic. Not going into details.
• Q: iPad different on historical margin pattern?
• TC: Number of factors. Don't guide on product level on margins.
• PO: Good track record on lowering costs. Strong gross margins. Happy.
• Q: Other tablets
• TC: Android tablets shipping today, OS not designed for tablet. Google has said that. Not Apple dig. Makes size less than reasonable, won't provide real tablet experience. Scaled up smartphone. Bizarre product. Enormous percentage will select iPad. Next generation of Android tablets. Nothing shipping yet. Doesn't know. Generally lack performance specs, timing. Today they're vapor. Will assess when they come out. Apple not sitting still. Have huge first mover advantage. Incredible user experience. iTunes, App Store, ecosystem. Very confident entering fight with anyone.
• Q: Moving to multiple carriers ASP impact, other large carriers without iPhone, CMDA based? More?
• TC: Not releated to US or specific carrier: Always looking, assessing.
• TC: Signed multi-year non-exclusive deal with AT&T. Happy to have 2 carriers in US.
• TC: No contractual exclusivity anywhere in the world anymore.
• iPad cannibalization of Macs?
• TC: Yes but also halo effect. Look at the growth.
• Q: iPad influencing Mac?
• TC: No "not invented here" in Apple groups. Very low walls. Great ideas are great ideas. Uses MacBook Air as example, instant on like iPad.
• TC: Steve had phenomenal insight. MacBook Air is how to compete with iPad.
• Q: iPad new to the brand? Any numbers?
• TC: We collect it, of course. iPhone numbers been for a while. Doesn't need numbers. Look at Asia numbers. Incredible.
• Q: Established tablet market vs. emerging, more about consumption vs. creation?
• TC: Tablet market large everywhere.
• Q: Supply again
• PO: Working hard to increase, won't come overnight
• Q: Any other observations on Android and BlackBerry since Steve spoke last call?
• TC: Could have sold more iPhones. Suggests they grew faster than market. Working around the clock to meet supply. Increasing countries and carriers. Enormous enterprise traction. Mind-blowing. Highest customer ratings in industry. Largest App Store. Now sold over 160 million iOS devices.
• TC: Integrated approach provides better experience than fragmented approach. Fragmented app stores will make users pull their hair out. Updates will be hard to track. iOS is off charts on percentage of people who have latest OS version compared to other guys. Verizon will help Apple in the US. Just repeated Steve. Nut nut is their integrated approach is better for the end user, takes out the complexity. Doesn't make user a system integrated. Doesn't know many users who want to be SI. More iPhones they can get out, the more people love them. Think they have bright future. Same thing about iPad. Same set of issues. Difference is they've been running 3 quarters without any significant competition. iPad also off the charts. None of that new. Apple is in a very good position.
• TC: Thanks to iOS SDK can make an app and run your whole business off an iPad. Numbers incredible. iPad started shipping in April, already up to 80% of largest companies deploying or piloting. Unheard of at least in his dealings. Usually much slower, more cautious. Seen productivity, creativity advantage.
• That's it! Thanks everyone!

It appears some new promo material going up in Apple stores has a subtle footnote stating the white iPhone 4 will be available Spring 2011. Not huge news, as Apple stated spring availability for iPhone 4 a while back, but seeing it in black and white makes it a bit more believable, considering the numbers of delays to date.

Given iPhone 5 will be right around the corner by that point, I don't see many people jumping for joy. I'm hoping they'll take a different approach with iPhone 5 and only offer a white back, not front. It seems that's what was causing all the problems to begin with. I personally didn't much care for the white front to begin with.

Any readers out there excited over this, or are you planning to just wait it out and see what iPhone 5 will offer?

9to5mac

Football season is fast approaching and why not prepare for the upcoming season by checking out the newly released Madden 2011 for not only the iPhone but on the iPad as well. The iPhone version will run you $7.99 while the iPad version is a bit steeper at $12.99. Yes, these two are pricier than we'd like to see but this is EA's cream of the crop and has been for many years so it was to be expected. If you are not in a hurry to pick these up, simply wait a few weeks and it's very possible you will soon see the prices come down.

The game itself contains some pretty great graphics for a portable device but also has some killer features carried over from the console versions as well.

• TDC (“Total Defensive Control”) makes playing defense pure fun. Press the TDC button to pause the action, position your defensive players, and feel the thrill of delivering game-changing hits like never before.

• GameFlow lets you to choose your play without having to go back into the playbook. Stay on the move with more streamlined gameplay.

• Match up all 32 NFL teams featuring updated rosters and nearly 2,000 real players.

• This season, get more gameplay depth with Hot Routes Everywhere. Now draw up Hot Routes for passing, running, and defense. Even save your best (or craziest!) routes as audibles.

EA also states that multiplayer will be coming in a soon to be released update for the iPad version.

[Via TUAW]

AT&T has openly admitted that they have selected Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson as their LTE equipment suppliers and even better is the fact they are on track for a 2011 LTE rollout. 2011 is dead on with the information we gave you almost one year ago stating that LTE would in fact be here on AT&T in 2011 with the slight chance it would be delayed until 2012.

Now don't fret when it comes to the existing 3G network that many of you have issues with. AT&T promises to keep working to improve that for you as well. They are not abandoning you... yet.

It is important to remember that sometimes plans do change, so don't shoot the messenger if things don't pan out next year.

[Via Engadget]