According to J. Crew CEO and current Apple board member, Mickey Drexler, Steve Jobs didn’t just want to re-invent the personal computer, mobile phone, and music industry -- he also wanted to take a stab at the car industry too. In an interview at Fast Company’s Innovation Uncensored conference earlier this week, Drexler said that Steve Jobs wanted to build... an iCar.

"Look at the car industry, it's a tragedy in America. Who's designing the cars?" Drexler said. "Steve's dream before he died was to design an iCar and I think it would've been probably 50% of the market. He never did design it."

You can imagine how great that iCar would have been had it come to fruition and you wouldn’t bet against it becoming the leader in the car world either. There would have been no ugly buttons inside, everything would have been simple to operate and elegant. Of course the integration with other Apple devices would have been a thing to behold; sadly it wasn't to be.

Drexler also claimed that Apple would be dealing with the living room in the "near future"; which could be taken as a hint about the often rumored Apple HDTV.

However, neither Drexler no any Apple board member would likely leak real information about unannounced Apple products, so we'll take this as what it is -- a vague, confidence boosting comment with context informed solely based on existing rumor and speculation.

He also went on to say that he wouldn't like to be in Tim Cooks shoes as taking over a successful company is more difficult than taking over one that is failing. (Though Tim Cook certainly seems to have done well enough for Apple so far...)

You can see the full interview in the video below, unfortunatley the video is flash only.

Source: Busines Insider, Apple Insider, Image: Mercedes

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

With both Mothers Day and a birthday in the family this weekend, I didn't have time to compile my usual weekly column. But there are a few things I'd like to comment on and draw your attention to. So let's dive right in.

Podcasts

We've changed up the format of iPhone & iPad Live so that we're talking about less, but talking about it more in-depth. We'd gotten a bunch of feedback about this over the last few months, with many viewers and listeners saying there was just too much news and not enough analysis, too many app mentions and not enough opinion or discussion about how we use them, too many accessories and not enough comparisons. Well, we listened. Now we have one, more in-depth spotlight topic each week and a couple of discussion points. We're still tweaking things, so please keep the feedback coming. (Due to popular demand, we're going to start featuring your feedback on the show as well -- so if you haven't left a comment on last week's episode yet, get to it!)

Speaking of podcasts, the feedback on ZEN and TECH lately has been off the charts (special thanks to the blogging community who've told us how much they like it). The world we live in is more stressful than ever, and Georgia is by far the best in the business at helping people center their inner geek and deal with their connected lives. If you haven't watched or listened lately, do yourself a favor and watch or listen now. It can literally change your life for the better.

Last but certainly not least, we had Loren Brichter on Iterate this week. He created Tweetie which became the original Twitter for iPhone, and is still Twitter for iPad and Twitter for Mac. He also invented pull-to-refresh. Yeah. Genius. Give him a listen.

Rumors

iMore is really careful about rumors because we really value your attention. We're not a rumor site -- we're an enthusiast site. 9 out of 10 times we'll just link to rumors posted on rumor sites. A few times a year, however, we're fortunate to get some really good information about upcoming Apple products, and we're able to check into it and determine it's really good information. Like the iPhone 4S and the new iPad. It's never all the details, so sometimes we misunderstand pieces (i.e. we heard quad-core for the new iPad, and it turned out to be specifically quad-core graphics, not CPU), but overall the info we've gotten has been rock solid. Here's hoping last week was no different.

• 7-inch iPad on track for October 2012 release, $200 to $250 price: Apple doesn't want to leave any room for Amazon in the lower-end tablet space.
• iPhone 5 to be another Google killer -- but with a twist: A new Apple-powered Maps app in iOS 6 might just be the tip of the iceberg.
• iPhone 5 design still not finalized, still no big screen, still no metal back, still on track for October release: Despite some recent rumors to the contrary, we've heard Apple hasn't settled on a widescreen display or metal back yet.

Features

Some great stuff this week:

• Jailbreak concepts Apple should implement in iOS 6 by Ally Kazmucha. Last year Apple took Notification Center, Wi-Fi sync, and more from jailbreak. What should they take this year?
• Is there a future for jailbreak? by Ally Kazmucha. On the flip side, if Apple keeps Sherlocking jailbreak, is there a future left for it?
• Weekly Photo Contest: Black and White! by Leanna Lofte. She's been showing you how to build your iPhone photography skills, and here's your chance to wins some prizes.
• iOS 6: The opposite of widgets by yours truly. Rather than having widgets that take information from apps and splay it on the Home screen, we want that info inside other apps.
• SkyDrive vs. Dropbox vs. Google Drive: best cloud storage option for iPhone and iPad users by Ally Kazmucha. Whether you're new to cloud storage or simply want to check out other options, here's your breakdown.

And the stylus showdown begins:

• SGP Kuel H12 stylus for iPad review by Georgia. Your best bet for long-form note-taking.
• Adonit Jot Pro stylus for iPad review by Georgia. What you want if you're a technical artist.
• Wacom Bamboo Stylus review by Georgia. An okay stylus but not as good or as cheap as the pro-level competition.

Keep an eye out for a pro-stylus battle royal on iMore TV this week!

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

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

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

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

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

French Designer Philippe Starck claims that he has been working on a revolutionary new product with Apple and it will be unveiled in around eight months time. The comments were made to French newspaper Le Figaro and France-Info radio.

"Indeed, there is a big project together which will be out in eight months," said the designer in the show "Everything and its opposite." Invoking the "religious cult of secrecy" of the California firm, he declined further detail, except to talk about a project "quite revolutionary. (French translation)

Either way, we expect some terse phone calls from Cupertino to be hitting Starck's line any time now...

Update: According to Sebastian Page of iDownloadblog, it's an Apple Store design.

>According to a trustworthy source in France, Philippe Starck is actually working on a design for a future Apple Store. I wasn’t able to get more details out of my contact, but I do trust her. And from what I hear, this is hardly a secret in the small French world of design and architecture.

Hit the source link below for more.

Update 2: Apple has issued a statement that they aren't working with Starck on anything at all. He might still be making a yacht that Steve Jobs had commissioned prior to his death.

Source: Hardmac via 9to5 Mac, ATD ; Image: Wikipedia, iDownloadblog

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

We've already heard quite a bit about the next generation iPhone, but now reports are surfacing about its processor and RAM as well. Just as they did last year, when Apple seeded Apple A5 powered iPhone 4 devices for testing prior to releasing the iPhone 4S, Apple is now rumored to be seeding Apple A5X powered devices for testing prior to this fall's new iPhone release. Since this A5X chip won't need to power a new iPad-style Retina display, there will be some differences according to 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman.

Instead, the iPhone prototypes that we’re talking about have a variation of the A5X’s S5L8945X architecture. Like the A5X-powered iPad, these new iPhone prototypes are packing 1GB of RAM. This prototype is labeled N96 internally, but we’re not sure if this internal codename will carry over to the actual next-generation iPhone. Again, this iPhone that we are describing is an internal-only unit built for testing the performance of a new chip in an iPhone, not an actual phone that Apple will produce.

The new iPhone is rumored to be on a fall release schedule and also include LTE networking, a new micro-dock connector port, and a screen size of 3.5-inches or slightly bigger.

They've also gotten word on the next generation iPod touch, Apple went all of 2012 without introducing an upgraded iPod touch, so what have they been up to?

According to a file inside of an internal iOS 5.1 build, Apple is working on a fifth-generation iPod touch that is labeled iPod 5,1 internally. We haven’t heard any specifics regarding the new iPod touch hardware, but the jump from 4,1 (the current internal iPod touch label) to 5,1 indicates major internal changes, at the very least.

If I were to guess, the iPod touch 5,1 would be to the upcoming iPhone 5,1 as the iPod touch 4 was to the iPhone 4 in 2010. Apple typically announces new iPod hardware in the fall, just in time for the all-important holiday shopping quarter.

Source: 9to5Mac

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.

iPads equipped with 4G are showing up in Apple's inventory ahead of the iPad 3 event according to a 9to5Mac source. This would mean that 4G would not only be for US models, but for international models as well. This lines up with our recent prediction that the iPad 3 would indeed be equipped with LTE.

The 4G equipped variants are showing up in Apple's system as the following -

> MD369LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 4G 16GBLACK – USA.

If this is the lower model, it would also debunk the rumor of Apple releasing an 8GB iPad. That didn't seem likely , anyways , nor did the rumor that they may do away with the 64GB model. If the screen gets an overhaul like we expect, consumers are going to want that storage for high definition content more than ever.

Source: 9to5Mac

Apple is once again rumored to be purchasing screens for a smaller, iPad mini type device. This time for 7.1-inches, according to VentureBeat.

Something closer to 7 inches makes more sense for Apple, since it would be able to directly compete against Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire, which will likely see a significant price reduction this Fall. Our source says Apple is particularly keen on taking back ground from the Kindle Fire, which is estimated to have sold 6 million units over the holidays. Apple is positioning the smaller iPad for launch later this year, but those plans could easily change, our source notes.

I'm not quite sold on the idea of Apple releasing a smaller tablet just on the grounds of competing with one specific product, especially a smaller, cheaper less capable device. It just sounds like the same type of thinking that had analysts and pundits alike insisting Apple simply had to produce a netbook to compete with zero-margin PC laptops.

Apple sold 15.43 million full sized, full priced iPad 2 tablets last quarter alone. Apple also typically keeps developers in mind. Adding another iPad would mean either scaling apps down to fit a physically smaller 1024x768 screen, or creating yet another UI size for developers to target. Triple binaries sound like fun to anyone?

Source: VentureBeat

The next generation iPad may not be called iPad 3 but iPad HD instead. Gizmodo ran the rumor a few days ago, basing their report on product names from accessory makers. Now both VentureBeat and CNET claim their sources have told them iPad HD will be the official name.

We're already expecting a higher resolution screen and the HD suffix would no doubt be more marketable to the general public than either the number 3 or the term Retina. The question remains as to whether Apple will once again switch up their naming scheme to center around a single feature, as they did with the iPhone 3GS.

Considering Apple is rumored to be doubling the resolution of the current iPad 2, to 2042x1536 it may make sense for them to market the heck out of an arguably retina display capable iPad. The general public understands what HD is and what it means, and it would highlight that the iPad will likely be the first tablet available to natively support 1080p at its full resolution. (Other 1080p+ tablets have been announced, but haven't yet shipped and likely won't ship before the next iPad hits store shelves.)

iMore hasn't heard anything about the name of the next iPad, be it iPad 3 or iPad HD. If Apple does go with iPad HD, however, what would the 4th generation iPad be called? iPad HD 2? iPad HDS? iPad 3?

The iPhone, as mentioned, went from iPhone to iPhone 3G to iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 to the current iPhone 4S, and is following a pattern of "tick tock" releases -- major design changes followed by mostly internal updates. iPad went from iPad to iPad 2, so it's a bit early to look for patterns.

We'll find out Wednesday.

Source: Gizmodo, VentureBeat, CNET

Phew! That March 7, 2012 announcement date rumor turned out to be accurate. Apple will indeed be unveiling their next generation iPad in San Francisco this coming Wednesday, and it will not doubt dominate the news, and our attention, for weeks to come. As we wait for that giant wave to hit us, however, there's a lot of other interesting stuff happening...

iPad 3 event

Now that invitations have gone out and the iPad 3 event is official, we went through all the hardware and software rumors we've been tracking and put together a monster iPad 3 event preview. Georgia also put together a couple of polls asking for your iPad 3 expectations. Make sure you get your votes in.

While a ton of material has allegedly been leaked already, including what could be a fairly complete outer casing there's still a lot we don't know. Especially about the software.

What apps will Apple show off on stage? They've done GarageBand and iMovie in the past? What's left? What will be the big hero features that highlight iPad 3 commercials for the next year? And will it get Siri? Many of us would love to see Siri on the iPad 3, but there are a lot of challenges Apple will have to overcome to make it a great experience.

All we can do now though is sell off our old iPads, watch for last minute rumors, and wait for Wednesday.

Speaking of rumors...

iMore is fairly cautious about posting rumors when we get them. Several times we've gotten good stories, sat on them to check and check again, only to see a mainstream publication run the story first. That's okay. Sometimes it's better to sure than first. When we do run something it's because we've got a good reason to, so it's nice when something like the March 7 iPad event date pans out. (Sometimes it's even hilarious.) Now we'll just have to see what happens with the quad-core processor we, and several others, heard was on board, the March 30, 2012 released date we heard about last week, and that big micro-dock story for the iPhone 5.

We link to a lot of other sites' rumors though, and there has been a ton of iPad 3 stuff lately. Some of you seem to love it -- you get angry if we take too long to get them linked up. Others of you don't seem to care for them very much at all. The good thing about the timeline nature of web sites is that you can always skip something that doesn't interest you and go on to something that does. But for interest's sake, here's how we're handling it.

Our current strategy is to post anything that gets a lot of attention and try to provide some analysis and some context. If it sounds possible, we'll say so, and if it doesn't make sense, we'll tell you that too. If it's just utterly ridiculous, we'll err on the side of not posting.

Our job is always and only to serve our readers, viewers, and listeners. If that means helping sort through the deluge of rumors that come up before a major Apple launch, that's what we'll do.

Which brings me to what we won't do.

Linking to Linkbait

Definitions for linkbait vary. Here's mine -- when someone smart posts something incendiary, outlandish, or otherwise asinine in a faux attempt to be controversial and attract negative attention. When it comes to iMore, that means dumb Apple stuff. A lot of big sites and big personalities have been posting dumb Apple stuff lately and it's really tempting to take the bait and respond. We've done that in the past. But it never ends. In fact, it just shows them their strategy works and encourages them to do it again. And again.

I love snarky rebuttals, but I can't read the pull quotes that are being snarkily rebutted anymore. Claim chowder takedowns are worth a chuckle but all they ultimately beget are more chowder claims to take down. Whether it's on websites or Twitter, links to dumb Apple stories only proves their formula and all we end up getting are more dumb Apple stories. There's so much intelligent, insightful, inspiring commentary being written in the Apple space it's really disheartening that the dumb stuff seems to be getting so many links. What we really need is an un-link protocol. Absent that, there's still something we can do.

We're going to make up for the linkbait we don't post with high quality, carefully curated links to really good content from really smart people. Like Richard Gaywood's recent article on TUAW about Retina display Macs, iPads, and HiDPI: Doing the Math that we linked to earlier in the week.

Here are some more:

• OS X @2X by App Cubby's David Barnard, which continues the exploration of Retina display Macs.
• iPad 3′s Retina display means trouble for many apps due to Apple’s 20MB 3G download limit by The Next Web's Matthew Panzarino, who rightly asks what inflating app sizes will do for impulse app sales.
• Retina & Universal by MacStories' Frederico Viticci offers some potential solutions to the problem.
• Frequent, Intense Mature and Suggestive Themes by Marco Arment looks at Apple's ongoing, inconsistent, flabbergasting practice of labeling any app with a built in web browser (UIWebView) as 17+ and scaring potential customers with warnings of "Frequent/Intense" content.
• The Readability Fallacy by Ben Brooks about the confusion Readability's business model causes for content creators and users of the service alike.

I don't agree with all of their opinions either, but when I read thought-provoking ideas, it causes me to question my own preconceptions. Sometimes I change my mind, sometimes I don't. But either way I've gone through a process, sharpened my thoughts, and come to have better opinions.

When I read the dumb stuff, even when I read smart people explaining why it's dumb, ultimately I still feel dumber. I'd rather focus on the smart stuff.

Speaking of the smart stuff

Those new columns I mentioned last week just keep getting better.

• How I use my iPhone for police work is from CrackBerry.com's David Boyd and delves into how law enforcement officers can benefit from Apple's mobile tech.
• In defense of Cydia, the jailbreak app store is Ally's counter-argument to Georgia's Agony and ecstasy of Cydia piece from a couple weeks back.
• How to make your iPhone photographs more powerful with negative space is the latest entry in Leanna's outstanding iPhoneography series.
• How my iPad helped me learn to play guitar is a wonderful piece by Gary that makes me think even I have a chance at figuring out how to jam...
• Nexia Home Security Bundle review: The future of iPhone home automation is now has Georgia taking a look at home automation, iPhone style

Look for more to come, even if we take a pause this week to cover iPad 3.

Adobe Photoshop Touch

One of the things that didn't get written last week was my Adobe Photoshop Touch review. I've been using it all week and I'm still deeply conflicted by it. On one hand, it's a fantastic app, with excellent tutorials for beginners, and that brings a lot of great features and functionality to the iPad, and shows just how incredible big screen, multitouch devices can be for content creation. On the other, it's a terribly frustrating experience that stymies my attempts to really use it at every turn.

I'm not sure if it's because Photoshop Touch is an AIR cross-compile and not a native iPad app, and that reduces its intuitiveness and raises the cognitive overhead for almost every activity. It could also be some of the UI decisions, for example having an & button is an odd, utterly opaque choice. I'm assuming the iPad also imposes limitations, for example the maximum canvas size is fine for blog images but way too constrained for professional work. (Could an iPad 3 with more processing power and RAM overcome this?) The masking is also far too imprecise for my tastes.

The bottom line for me is this -- I've worked as a designer for over a decade and lived in Photoshop for years, and I while I can have a lot of fun with Photoshop Touch, I can't even begin to do real work with it.

It doesn't even natively support PSD files for crying out loud.

There's a real opportunity here for a Pixelmator or Accorn or even an Apple-made iPhoto/Aperture to redefine the king of the imaging hill for the next generation of computing appliances.

Adobe should be scared out of their socks about that. They should forget all this AIR/Flash nonsense, forget protecting the platform lock-in, roll up their sleeves and focus 100% on making a fantastic content creation app again.

Join us on March 7

We'll be on Ustream Wednesday at 1pm ET/10am PT/6pm GMT during the iPad 3 event with a special edition iPhone Live podcast, and we'll follow up with a post-game show during our usual 9pm ET/6pm PT/2am GMT. Whether it's an iPad 3 or it gets another name, whether we see a 1080p Apple TV or a new iPod touch, whether new Time Capsules are in the wings or something completely new, we'll give it all the commentary, color, and analysis, it can handle. And we'd love for you to join us.

Actual out.

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

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

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

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

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

It looks like Best Buy is trying to offload some iPad 2 inventory on their internal employee auction website ahead of the iPad 3 launch. Offering internal employees reduced prices isn't an uncommon practice among retailers in the lead up to product refreshes from Apple, as some retailers offered the first-gen iPad at lower prices both internally and at retail stores before Apple officially announced the iPad 2 last year.

The iPad 3, which is expected to be announced on March 7th and to ship sometime soon thereafter. Expected features include high-resolution Retina display, quad-core Apple A6 processor, and possible 4G LTE support. (We'd also dearly love better cameras.)

Along with case leaks, constrained supplies, and tons of rumors, consider this just one of the many signposts that we see along the way, alerting us to the iPad 3 event, and release, coming up ahead.

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

Apple is testing an 8-inch iPad according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Apparently Apple is working with component suppliers in Asia to test out a new size iPad with a smaller screen. According to the report, Apple wants to broaden its product pipeline to maintain its dominant position in the tablet market.

Officials at some of Apple's suppliers, who declined to be named, said the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has shown them screen designs for a new device with a screen size of around 8-inches, and said it is qualifying suppliers for it. Apple's latest tablet, the iPad 2, comes with a 9.7-inch screen. One person said the smaller device will have a similar resolution screen as the iPad 2. Apple is working with screen makers including Taiwan-based AU Optronics Co. and LG Display Co. of South Korea to supply the test panels, the person said.

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.

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

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

Apple reportedly has sought to source IGZO panels from Sharp for the production of iTVs as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, which unveiled their 55-inch Super OLED and AMOLED TV models, respectively, at CES, both have regarded OLED TVs are their killer products for 2012, and therefore the two Korea-based companies are unlikely to share OLED panel production capacities with Apple.

Source: Digitimes

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

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.

Now that iPhone 4S has come and launched, iPhone 5 (or whatever Apple ends up calling the next generation iPhone), concept designs are once again starting to pop up. This one comes from designer Antonio De Rosa, who created the above iPhone concept and has given it the title of iPhone SJ, as it is Steve Jobs inspired. He imagines it having an A6 processor, a 10 MP camera, and a polycarbonate body. I don't particularly feel that an A6 processor or a better camera are out of the question for the next iPhone.

I don't think polycarbonate would be a bad choice for the body as it's extremely lightweight. It would allow Apple to create an even larger device and subtract weight. I'm not sure I would want a larger screen as that has its disadvantages too. Overall, I think the design is great but I'm not sold on Apple making a larger screen that would inhibit one-handed use. You can visit ADR Studio's site for more images of his design.

Source: ADR Studio

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

BRG claims that sources close to Apple are telling them that the next iPhone will be released in the fall of 2012, bringing in a completely new design with an all-aluminium back.

We have also learned that Apple is planning to use a rubber or plastic material — similar to the material used in the company’s bumper cases — that will be built into the new iPhone case. In all likelihood, this material will be used as a bezel surrounding the front edge of the phone (like the iPhone 3GS bezel) and it will serve two purposes. First, it will join the glass iPhone face with a new aluminum back plate. It will also cover a redesigned antenna system that surrounds the device, allowing Apple to build the rear case out of aluminum without having to use a large plastic insert above the antennas as the company does on its iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G.

While BGR has had solid Apple information in the past, they've recently been far more miss than hit, especially where new iPhone models and releases have been concerned. However, it does make sense for Apple to stick to a new fall release cycle for the iPhone given the iPhone 4S release changeover earlier this year, and the need for a strong, fall, hero device now that iPod has declined.

Source: BGR

Rumors of an Apple Television just won't quit, and this new one from The Wall Street Journal pegs Apple ramping up for a release in the not-so-distant future with features like Siri voice-control, built-in AirPlay streaming and more.

Apple executives have discussed their vision for the future of TV with media executives at several large companies, according to people familiar with the matter. [...] In the recent meetings with media companies, the Apple executives, including Senior Vice President Eddy Cue, have outlined new ways Apple's technology could recognize users across phones, tablets and TVs, people familiar with the talks said. In at least one meeting, Apple described future television technology that would respond to users' voices and movements

Details remain extremely vague, of course, with specifics being left off the table to help keep the essence of the future product closely guarded.

Before Steve Jobs passed away in October, he told biography Walter Isaacson that he'd "finally cracked the TV". From user interface and experience to ditching the mountain of controls many of us now deal with, tons of speculation has followed. Some suggest an Apple Television will bring about new ways of communicating across multiple devices like the iPhone or iPad, where a users' content can be switched from the television and onto their mobile device for consumption on-the-go. Imagine watching a movie in your living room and deciding you want to take a quick run, but having limited time. With something like an Apple Television using new technology developed internally at Cupertino, you could watch the rest of your movie on-the-go without any hassle; with everything working seamlessly and with very little setup involved.

With Siri voice control, the possibilites of what a future product like this could do seem almost endless.

Source: WSJ

According to iPhoneiTalia, Facebook is working on an update to its Messenger app that will deliver Facebook video calls across multiple platforms. Facebook currently offers a video calling service between users on desktop web browsers using its agreement with Skype. According to sources, the update to the Facebook messenger app is already being tested in the wild and should be revealed in the not too distant future.

This update appears to be a natural progression for the Facebook Messenger app. The idea of being able to video chat with another Facebook user on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch would be extremely appealing to many. The app should be compatible with any iOS device with a front facing camera. We will let you know as soon as we hear any more information!

Source: iPhoneItalia via Cult of Mac

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple will add Sharp to its list of LCD panel manufacturers, specifically for the next generation iPad. The information comes from people familiar with the situation. Apple is apparently looking to diversify component suppliers for its products and as Sharp is already manufacturing LCD panels for the iPhone; it makes sense for Apple to add it to the supply chain for the iPad too.

Sharp’s Kameyama No.2 plant in Japan will be used to manufacture the panels. It is also believed that Apple is investing in Sharp’s Japanese manufacturing facilities to ensure preferential treatment when it comes to component availability and pricing.

The iPad 3 has long been rumored to have the much coveted “Retina” display. Apple would need to be able to source large quantities of high quality panels with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 for this to become a reality. This could be the deal that paves the way for it to happen early next year!

Source: WSJ

Apple is planning to change its backlight design for the next generation iPad, according to technology news source Digitimes. Vendors have told Digitimes that Apple has been offered two alternative backlight solutions.

With the next-generation iPads expected to adopt LCD panels with resolutions higher than 2048 by 1536, the current single LED light bar designed for the iPad 2 has to be modified in order to maintain or strengthen the brightness of the panels, the sources explained.

Source: Digitimes

As is usual with Apple, they've not mentioned the amount of RAM in iPhone 4S at either the Let's Talk iPhone event or in the specs online. Rumors have suggested it has 1GB of RAM but it appears that it may only have 512MB, the same amount as the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2. The information comes from an interview with Chair Entertainment’s creative director Donald Mustard who had been involved in the development of Infinity Blade 2 demo shown off at the event.

I’m still shocked that, with the iPhone 4S, I’m literally running around with a 1080p video camera in my pocket, with an eight megapixel camera, 64GB of hard drive space and an A5 chip with 512MB of memory. This is a really powerful computer, right?

Source: Eurogamer via This is my next

I'm hearing that Apple is working on a new iPad app that looks a lot like DirecTV without the dish, too. Again, that app will have Steve Jobs' fingerprints all over it as it will be more expansive than the press is expecting in its content availability. There's a reason Apple built a 500,000-square-foot datacenter (about twice the size of a Facebook one, by the way) and that new datacenter is for video and the data that video causes to be shared with everyone.

Source: Robert Scoble Google+

According to 9to5Mac's source, two new iPhone and three new iPod touch SKUs are now appearing in Apple's inventory system. The new iPod touch models most likely represent the rumored white iPod Touch in 8, 32, and 64GB flavors just like its current black counterpart. The current iPod touch has the internal codename N81. These new SKUs are labeled as part number N81A which probably indicates an incremental update, or more likely, white iPod touch models.

The new iPhone SKUs appearing are labeled under the N90A codename. The current iPhone 4 is known internally as the N90 so this would most likely point to a minimally updated device. It may even indicate an 8GB version which is what Apple did when they knocked down the price of the iPhone 3GS last year. The N94 codename has appeared in the iOS SDK quite a few times and is probably the major iPhone upgrade we should hear about during the October 4th event Apple has scheduled. According to rumors, the iPhone 5 should bring with it some significant internal hardware changes so we doubt the N90A is the device we'll see on Tuesday.

What do you think we'll see come Tuesday? Just a new iPhone or white iPod Touch models as well?

Source: 9to5Mac

Vodafone now has a teaser page up on their site for what we'd imagine is the iPhone 5. They're advertising it as "this year's biggest smartphone release" so we can only assume it's a placeholder for whatever iPhone Apple is rumored to announce on October 4th.

The page also gives subscribers the option to sign up for e-mail updates on the mystery phone. Hopefully we are only a few days away from hearing about an announcement and a few weeks away from an actual announcement. How many of you still think we'll see a new iPhone available before the end of October?

The screenshot below was also sent to us by a TiPb reader who received a text from Rogers about reserving the upcoming iPhone. The text reads:

As a valued customer, we want to let you know that we have the Rogers Reservation System. This means you could be one of the first in line in Canada for the next iPhone as soon as it's available to reserve! Replay YES to be notified when the next iPhone can be reserved. Visit www.rogers.com/rogersreservations to learn more.

It appears carriers either know something we don't or they're still assuming at this point. What do you think?

Source: BGR via Vodafone. Thanks Tom for the Rogers tip!

According to a report from All Things D, Apple will hold its media event to launch the iPhone 5 on October 4.  The information comes from “sources close to the situation”.

Tuesday, October 4. That’s the day Apple is currently expected to hold its next big media event, according to sources close to the situation, where the tech giant will unveil the next iteration of its popular iPhone.

The event will be of particular significance because it will supposedly be fronted for the first time by new CEO Tim Cook. Tim Cook will be the main presenter according to the same sources but will have help as usual from Scott Forstall, Phil Schiller and maybe even Eddy Cue.

TiPb previously heard that Apple was moving up the iPhone 5 launch from an October 14 to October 7 timeline, but if the announcement is only happening on October 4, the launch would have to be later in the month, perhaps October 14 again.

There has been no official word from Apple to confirm the date and until there is, this remains nothing more than a rumor; although All Things D is a very reliable source. Apple will send out invites for the event but notoriously leaves it as late as possible. We will let you know as soon as it is set in stone!

UPDATE: Jim Dalrymple for The Loop, whose sources at Apple are usually terrific, seems to agree about the date. [The Loop]

Yep.

[All Things D]

Case-Mate published a page today featuring iPhone 5 case designs and pulled it just shortly after. If the case designs are the real deal we may be seeing an overhauled design for the iPhone 5 after all.

Case-Mate recently claimed to have inside info regarding the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S. (Which we are still a bit skeptical about.) As we get closer to an announcement we typically see a lot of case leaks but they don't typically come from a manufacturer as reputable as Case-Mate.

I'm personally hoping these cases are legit as the iPhone inside the case appears to be a drastic change in design and form factor. It appears to be similar to the iPad 2. Real, fake, or really fake?

BGR

Case-Mate has put up a page on their website making a lot of claims regarding the iPhone 5 and further rumored iPhone 4S. Case-Mate believes the iPhone 5 will be a complete redesign and not just another incarnation of the current iPhone 4. They claim it will feature a wider and thinner design, wireless charging, and an upgraded camera.

Given iOS 5 should only be a few weeks away I would think we would hear something officially any day now. In the mean time here's what Case-Mate thinks we are going to see concerning the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, which is supposedly just an updated model with a similar form factor to the already existing iPhone 4. They believe both versions will be launched, not just one.

The new iPhone 5 will feature a completely different form factor than its predecessor. Wider and thinner, the redesigned device features an extended home button. The screen size could see an increase to 4 inches.

Also included in the iPhone 5 will be an A5 dual-core processor, similar to the one used in the iPad 2. It will also be equipped with an 8 mega-pixel camera, wireless charging and iOS 5, which features iCloud portable storage capabilities...

The debate continues on whether the new iPhone will be an iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S. From our inside resources, it appears that Apple will be indeed launching both an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 4S in early October. The iPhone 4S will feature the same form factor as the iPhone 4 but will be upgraded with the latest technology, including the A5 dual-core processor and 8 mega-pixel camera.

Case-Mate goes on and says that the iPhone 5 will be available in 16 and 32 GB offerings. I'm not quite sure I am confident Apple will release two different versions of the iPhone or continue with their normal tradition of lowering the price of the previous model and using it in place of an entry level model.

The new page also allows you to sign up for updates regarding iPhone 5 and 4S accessories. That seems a bit sketchy to me. Releasing more rumors seems like an awfully good way to get people to sign up for news about your accessories and future products. We would take this insider info with an enormous grain of salt.

Case-Mate

Unwire.HK has uncovered a few pictures today that are supposedly from a screen protector for the upcoming iPhone 5. The screen protector, if real, shows an elongated opening for the home button as well as a much larger screen size for the new iPhone model compared to the current iPhone 4.

We have seen quite a few case leaks recently which supposedly showed the rear of the iPhone 5 and a few months back there was an alleged iPhone 5 case which does appear to match up with this screen protector. It also showed an elongated opening for the home button which may be for a capacitive touch area rather than a physical button.

The screen size also appears to be larger when compared with an iPhone 4. It is believed however that all of these case and screen protector leaks are based on one particular source of design information; so they may all be wrong or of course, they may all be right. Until Apple announces the iPhone 5, we will just have to wait and see!

UPDATE: This post was originally published with the watermarks removed from the original images. That's simply not how TiPb does business. We'll figure out how it happened and make sure it doesn't happen again. Our apologies to Unwire.hk, we deeply regret the error. (Thanks to stupidapplerumors.com for the head's up!)

[Unwire.HK via MacRumors]

iMessage is an iOS 5 messaging application which includes sending messages, photos and videos over WiFi or 3G. Messages can be pushed across all iOS devices that use the same account. You can even pick up on the conversation right where you left off when switching from your iPhone to your iPad or iPod touch.

MacRumors received some information today that reveals some new code has been added to OS X Lion’s iChat framework that points to integration with the iChat app and iMessage.

The "timeDelivered" and "timeRead' fields indicate the tracking of delivery and read receipts for instant messages. These features, however, are not supported in any of iChat's native messaging protocols, while the same features are offered in Apple's iMessage protocol. These properties were also not present in previous versions of iChat prior to OS X Lion. We believe the only reason Apple would have added these properties was to build in cross compatibility with their new iMessage protocol.

[MacRumors]

Apple and Sprint may have already completed work on a Sprint compatible iPad. 9to5Mac claims that the Sprint iteration of the iPad will join the rest of the current iPad line-up (GSM models and Verizon) before the holiday season. Given we've also heard confirmations of Sprint getting the iPhone 5, it would only make sense they'd eventually carry the iPad as well.

Sprint is the only carrier in the United States that still offers truly unlimited data plans. This may be a big draw for data hungry consumers that aren't currently happy with their tier happy carriers. 9to5Mac didn't seem to be able to confirm whether or not the Sprint variation of the iPad will support their 4G WiMAX network. The fact that Apple has made a separate version to run on Sprint instead of using the existing Verizon CDMA model may have something to do with 4G but at this point it's still unclear.

If Sprint ends up carrying the iPhone 5 and/or iPad this Fall, would you switch to have truly unlimited data again?

9to5Mac

New internal documents and screenshots seem to indicate that Radio Shack will soon be adding the Verizon iPhone 4 to their lineup. They recently announced that they would be carrying Verizon devices starting in December so it doesn't come as much of a surprise.

What is interesting is the timing. With all these iPhone 5 rumors and 8GB iPhone 4 rumors, does it really make much sense that they'll start receiving the 16 and 32GB versions? They could always lower the price (as Apple usually does) when the iPhone 5 launches and just add the 8GB version to the current lineup at a lower price point.

Either way it's nice to see Radio Shack adding iPhones for Verizon users as well. They typically have some pretty good discounts and trade-in programs when new iPhones roll out. At least Verizon users will be able to take advantage of those this time around.

9to5Mac

According to randomly accurate rumor site Digitimes, Foxconn is currently rolling out around 150,000 iPhone 5 units a day. The information comes from industry sources. Pegatron Technology who were thought to have won around 15% of the iPhone 5 manufacturing orders may not start shipping until 2012 according to the same sources.

Lens maker Largan Precision, touch panel maker TPK Holding, reinforced glass supplier G-Tech Optoelectronics and battery vendors Simplo and Dynapack are all operating at full swing currently, the sources indicated.

[Digitimes]

Apple’s retail store employees are starting to receive training on the features of iOS 5 and iCloud. The information comes in the form of a screenshot from Apple’s Daily Download. The Daily Download is an Apple internal iPad application in the form of a newspaper; which is used to communicate information to its employees on a daily basis.

iOS 5 and iCloud are just around the corner--- it’s time to prepare for the next generation of mobile innovation. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be presenting a series covering everything you need to know to provide our customers with the best iOS experience. This week, learn some new features of iOS 5 and iCloud.

[9to5Mac]

A photograph of an internal Best Buy retail calendar screenshot may give us the best clue yet as to the launch day of the iPhone 5. The event in question is an Apple fixture installation and is scheduled for October 21st. The date in question is a Friday which would line up with other iPhone release days.

This not a normal fixture installation either according to a tipster who talked to This is my next. The request for a manager to be on hand at 6am is not the norm and is a mirror image of what happened when the iPhone 4 was launched last year. The tipster also went on to say that Best Buy managers have a meeting scheduled for October 10 to discuss upcoming releases.

TiPb recently heard that an original release date of October 14 was being moved up to October 7. Whether it's now been moved back again, this time to October 21 we're not certain, but because Apple doesn't pre-announce products, they're free to adjust the exact date up until even invitations go out and their executives take the stage.

I still expect an announcement of the iPhone 5 at the end of this month with a mid October release. Either way, I am now sick of suffering with an iPhone 4 that is out of warranty. Anyone else tired of waiting for iPhone 5 already?

UPDATE: Boy Genius also got their hands on a Best Buy screen today, this one pointing to a possible first week of October launch for iPhone 5, similar to what TiPb heard a few weeks ago. They also seem to indicate Sprint will be one of the launch carriers, which has been another of the big rumors circulating lately. All of this, again, claims to be subject to change.

[This is my Next, BGR]

If tech site Greek-iPhone is to be believed, they've got their hands on even more iPhone 5 components, namely an updated camera module. As always we will take it with a grain of salt but the images appear to line up with what many sites and other blogs have already heard regarding the camera getting an upgrade.

This one includes more megapixels (which is probably a given) and a different form factor from the current camera found in the iPhone 4. It's slimmer and has a more rounded shape. We've been hearing that the next generation iPhone would carry a slimmer form factor and this lines up with that theory.

Next generation iPhone part leaks are getting more and more abundant, but that will come to an end when Apple makes an official announcement in the coming weeks.

[Greek-iPhone via 9to5Mac]

Earlier this summer 9to5Mac and iFixYouri found some white iPod touch 5 front panels floating around, and now teardown site iFixDirect has gotten their hands on something similar. Given we saw the iPad 2 get a white version this year, it only makes sense that the iPod touch would follow suit sooner or later.

I'm typically a little skeptical with part leaks but the connectors and circuitry appear to be a bit different than the current 4th generation iPod touch, which makes this a bit more believable. Other than adding a white iPod touch to the current line up, it doesn't seem like the form factor will deviate much from the current lineup. We'll probably see more changes internally than anything which are the types of changes I prefer seeing anyways. Have you told us [what you want to see in iPod touch 5] yet?

[9to5Mac, TechnoBuffalo]

iPatchiPods is claiming to have received some images of what it and MacRumors believe are an updated iPhone 4 (or iPhone 4S mid frame casing with some intriguing design changes, including a modified antenna array and the apparent lack of a home button.

The frame shows that this model will have two antenna breaks at the bottom of the casing. Currently the GSM version has breaks in the lower left side and top bar and the CDMA version are both on the top bar. The changes could be to improve reception, reduce the death grip problems, support different GSM bands (including AWS for T-Mobile US), or even to support both CDMA and GSM as a "world phone".

The bottom of the frame is the most interesting part to look at. There is a lack of any defined “Home Button” area. The current iPhone 4 equivalent part shows an area cut out for the Home Button; according to iFixit. Could this mean that Apple will go capacitive and remove another moving part from the iPhone?

There has been a rumor recently that Apple is planning on releasing a cut down version of the iPhone 4 alongside the iPhone 5 when it is launched. This would make sense and this could well be the casing from it. The idea of not having a Home Button or a redesigned one would make sense too in many ways. The current iPhone 4 has a definite weakness in this area -- I have had mine replaced three times for an unresponsive button.

[MacRumors]

Online parts supplier TVC Mall claims to have some iPhone 5 replacement parts in stock. If these are the real deal, it gives us a bit more information on the internals of the iPhone 5. Besides the rear camera, TVC has a few other iPhone 5 replacement parts listed - an iPhone 5 replacement battery, audio jack flex cable (pictured above), and the prox sensor flex.

Compared to the iPhone 4, these parts seem like they may be legit. It also wouldn't be the first time suppliers get their hands on parts before the official release of a device. We also see about 20 fakes for every real leak as well. After repairing several iPhones over the past 2 years, I'd say these parts could maybe be the real deal.

I find myself kind of hoping they're not as I really wanted to see a dual LED flash on the iPhone 5. Sigh. Here's to hoping these are maybe just a really good Photoshop mockup of some iPhone 4 parts.

[TVC Mall]

According to a report from Reuters this morning, Apple has instructed its Asian manufacturers to begin production of a lower priced iPhone 4 with just 8GB of on-board storage. The information comes from “People with knowledge of the matter”. The flash drives for the 8GB iPhone 4 will be manufactured by a Korean company according to the same sources but no company name was revealed.

To be clear, this doesn't sound like the iPhone nano/budget iPhone TiPb previously heard Apple was working on, nor is it the greatest of revelations when you consider previous Apple release patterns -- When the iPhone 3GS was launched, the then-current iPhone 3G was offered as a cheaper entry level iPhone with 8GB of storage. Again when the iPhone 4 was launched last year, the iPhone 3GS was offered with 8GB of storage at a much cheaper price.

Having said that, an iPhone 4 with 8GB of storage at a very competitive price would still be a very compelling device for many.

[Reuters]

Apple's next generation iPhone, be it an iterative "iPhone 4S" or a completely revamped "iPhone 5" could go on sale October 7 in the US. That's a Friday, which isn't uncommon for iPhone launches. Originally it sounded more like a second week of October launch, more like October 14, but now it sounds like the first week. We're still hearing that an "iPhone 4S"-style device, with improved processors and optics, is more likely than an all new design, but given the many and varied rumors, it's impossible to tell for sure. It could even be that the "iPhone 4S" is the budget iPhone Apple supposedly completed work on just before WWDC 2011 (the iPhone nano, so to speak), and the "iPhone 5" is the new high-end model. That could explain the supposedly conflicting rumors.

iPad 3, which Apple may have flirted with releasing this fall as well, sounds like it might have been put back on it's traditional Spring schedule. Whether or not the component costs and yield rates of the rumored 2048x1536 Retina Display simply aren't where Apple needs them to be yet are unknown.

Still, Apple can and will change their plans up to event day, so take all of this with a Cupertino-sized grain of salt. (And feel free to attribute any combination of "people" "sources" "familiar with" "knowledge of" and "little birdies" makes you happy.)

LGD, the leading supplier of LCD panels, appears to be having some manufacturing issues when it comes to the 9.7" LCD panels that are used in the iPad 2. After receiving several defective units, Apple has reportedly pulled them until the issue can be sorted out.

LGD fell 1 million units short of their projected estimate of panel shipments. These defective units could have a lot to do with that. It will no doubt continue affecting them until the issue is resolved.

In the mean time, Apple will continue using Samsung and CMI for iPad 2 LCD panels. Apple has also had their issues with Samsung as well. But if you're in a tight spot, I guess you do what you need to in order to meet demand in the mean time. Digitimes' source seemed certain that LGD would remain the top panel supplier if the issue was rectified.

Digitimes

We don't usually believe in rewarding negative attention seekers, but boy did this iPhone 5 website faker put some time into this almost-certainly-a-hoax video. (After the break.)

[YouTube via eTechno, thanks DEhrlich01]

DigiTimes is reporting for the second time this month, that manufacturer Pegatron has landed an order from Apple for the iPhone 5. Earlier in the month, it told us that the order was for 15 million units, that has now been revised to 10 million.

Pegatron Technology has landed orders for 10 million units of iPhone 5. Shipments will start in September, according to industry sources.

[DigiTimes]

After the recent rumor that the iPhone 5 would not see the light of day until October, UK newspaper The Guardian has chimed in with its thoughts on the matter. It  firmly believes that September is still the month for the iPhone 5 launch.

The Guardian reporter Charles Arthur is pulling no punches when it comes to questioning the reliability of the recent  All Things D report; which claimed that the iPhone 5 would not be released until October. He believes that the All Things D sources are nowhere near water tight and the argument for an October launch is flawed. The basis of his argument is centred on the fact that carriers are now in possession of iPhone 5 test boxes.

My carrier sources tell me that the boxes in which the new iPhone hardware is encased have been transported to carriers for testing. This is an important step in the release cycle for any phone. The next iPhones go for their testing inside locked and sealed boxes so that the carriers can carry out checks on their network compatibility in their labs. The new iPhones are in the system, which means they now just have to get approval - which will probably only take a few weeks at most - and can then be signed off for manufacturing. My gut feeling, allied to the information from carriers and Apple's history, is that we're still looking at a September release. Who knows, perhaps someone was even misdirecting the good people at ATD by suggesting October.

[The Guardian]

According to Ashok Kumar, an analyst for Rodman & Renshaw, Apple will be launching an iPad Pro this quarter aimed at the professional user. The updated iPad will include improvements to the screen resolution and have HD front and rear facing cameras.

A 'professional' iPad would have incremental improvements and possibly appeal to segments such as publishing, according to analysts. "Apple is...expected to roll out a premium version of iPad 2--a higher resolution screen, front-/rear- facing HD cameras--in the current quarter," Ashok Kumar, an analyst at Rodman & Renshaw, wrote in a research note today.

We don't normally pay much attention to analyst predictions but the news of an updated iPad model being released this year is nothing new. We are hearing the same information over and over again and from different sources. This could very well be happening; the next few months are going to be very interesting!

[cNet]

All Things D has heard from reliable sources that the iPhone 5 will not be launching until October. It was previously thought that the iPhone 5 would launch by September at the very latest.

Sources with knowledge of the situation say reports claiming AT&T has blacked out employee vacations during the last two weeks of September in preparation for the retail debut of the next iPhone are misinformed. Instead, it’s going to be an October surprise — the month in which Apple will be launching its next generation iPhone.

It will be interesting to see if Apple has its usual early September iPod event; surely iPhone 5 would have to be announced either before that or at the same time!

[All Things D]

Here we go again, another day another iPhone 5 rumor. This time, 9to5 Mac has received an alleged screen capture from KT’s (Korea Telecom) internal stock inventory system. The screen shot clearly shows SKU’s (stock-keeping units) for AIP5 which we assume stands for Apple iPhone 5 followed by a number.

The number appears to represent the GB capacity of the iPhone 5 however we are widely expecting that a 64GB version would be released this time; but there is no mention of it. What is even more confusing is the third model in the screen capture; it appears that this is an iPhone 5 without any storage capacity? 9to5 Mac believes that this is a carrier unlocked model.

Before we lose all hope of an iPhone 5 64GB model, these SKU’s are just place holders and it may be a case that Apple is keeping the specifications under wraps until it is officially announced. I know a lot of people who are pinning their hopes on an iPhone 5 with 64GB of storage. Personally I have a 16GB version and it still has a few GB remaining.

[9to5 Mac]

According to a report by China Times, the iPhone 5 will be released in the second week of September with 4 million units set to hit the streets at launch. The same source also claims that the iPad 3 has been delayed until after Thanksgiving due to component shortages.

This release date for the iPhone 5 does seem like a popular choice with many rumors now pointing to a September launch. This would also coincide with the fall release of iOS 5; although the official start of fall this year is September 23. We also know that Apple is recruiting temporary sales staff throughout the UK, starting in mid August. This would allow them to be trained to Apple’s exacting standards, prior to the iPhone 5 launch.

The delay to the iPad 3 is a little more mystifying, not quite sure how an unannounced product that is rumored to be released outside of its normal product refresh cycle can be delayed!

The China Times has a hit and miss record with Apple rumors so take this one with the usual pinch of salt. It does however have close links with Apple’s supply chain in China.

[China Times via MacRumors]

Facebook for iPad has been uncovered in the recently updated Facebook for iPhone. A twitter user discovered a hack to make it visible -- editing a file on your iPad to change the UIDeviceFamily ID in the apps plist file to get the iPad interface up and running app, but you do need to have a jailbroken iPad to be able to do this.

It is not just the iPhone version blown up to fill the iPad’s screen either. This is a totally different interface with slide out navigation menus and a separate chat menu too. Techcrunch has spoken with one of its sources who claim that this is the actual Facebook app for iPad and it will be officially launched soon.

I have tested the app with my iPad and it does seem to work very well. It looks and feels totally different to the iPhone version of the app and navigation is very well done. I also tested uploading photographs and it is seamless and offers access to your photo library as well as the camera on the iPad 2. It does have a few little rough edges that will need to be ironed out but that, sadly, won't come as a shock to users of the beleaguered Facebook for iPhone app!

It will be interesting to see if Facebook expedite the launch of its iPad app now that this has leaked out.

[@AeroEchelon via Techcrunch]

An interesting iPod touch screen shot has been uncovered from the just released iOS 5 beta 4. The screen shot shows a toggle switch for cellular connectivity. Could this mean that the iPod touch will be getting a 3G data option when it is refreshed later this year?

The iPod touch would benefit hugely from data connectivity, especially with the introduction of iMessage in iOS 5. An always on messaging device, without the need for a costly voice and text plan would definitely be a hit for parents with younger children.

Personally I think this is just some code left over from the iPhone version of the beta and nothing more than that. However it would make a lot of sense for Apple to offer it as an option!

[9to5 Mac]

It looks very likely that Apple will be delivering a fully integrated voice recognition service into iOS 5 when it is released in the fall. 9to5 Mac has uncovered a setting screen which clearly shows a toggle switch for a service called Assistant. The Assistant service will supposedly take voice input to a whole new level, allowing you to control all the core operating system actions with voice. This is not the first time we have seen information pointing to system wide voice recognition and control.

“Assistant” does not work only based off a user’s voice inputs, but Apple will take information – securely – from user’s devices like location, contact’s information, and music metadata to formulate the best information to serve a user’s request. Since Apple will be taking information such as phone contacts and location, we truly think that “Assistant” will work just like the Siri iPhone application does; but fully integrated into the operating system.

Guess we will just have to wait and see. I am really not that excited by the prospect of voice control. Unless it is done perfectly and works every time, it just takes longer to do things and becomes a constant source of frustration!

[9to5 Mac]

According to an article in The Wall Street Journal from the unusually accurate Kane, a few members of Apple’s board have discussed possibilities for Steve Jobs future replacement. The members are believed to have spoken with executive recruiters as well as at least one head of a high profile tech company. The source of the information is “people familiar with the matter”. The Wall Street Journal even managed to get an email from Steve Jobs in response to its questions.

Mr. Jobs said Monday in an email, "I think it's hogwash." An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

If this turns out to be true, the directors don't appear to have been acting on behalf of the full board or with the knowledge of Steve Jobs. Always a dangerous game to play in any business. especially one as high profile as Apple! On the other hand, it would be foolish for any business with its CEO on a medical leave of absence, not to have long term plans in place. (Almost as foolish as divulging to the competition just exactly what that plan is...)

[WSJ]

Apple has apparently started testing display panels made by Samsung and LG for its next generation iPad 3 according to The Korea Times. The article claims that both companies are close to signing a deal with Apple.  The screens are thought to have a huge resolution increase over the current iPad 2 display which is 1024 x 768. The new panels are believed to be “Retina” displays at a resolution of 2048 x 1536; with the same 4:3 aspect ratio.

Apple’s upcoming iPad 3 will feature an improved display to support quad extended graphics (QXGA), a display resolution of 2048×1536 pixels with a 4:3 aspect ratio to provide full high definition (HD) viewing experience,’’ said a source close to the talks.

The display panels are said to be going through various tests at laboratories in China and should be complete in the third quarter of this year.

Now when you put this rumor alongside the recent story of a second iPad release this year; with a retina display, it all starts to make a little sense. If the panels pass all of Apples tests in the third quarter, we may well see the rumored release in October. Of course you never know anything for sure until it is officially announced. I still think it is a bit of a long shot and really don't think it's going to happen this year!

[The Korea Times]

Reuters is reporting that Apple is conducting trials with Taiwanese chip manufacturer TSMC for its next generation A6 processor; according to sources familiar with the matter.

TSMC has got all the authorization and details ready. Whether Apple puts in a formal order will depend on the yield rate, said the source, who was not authorized to speak to the media. The source did not provide further details of the orders.

The A6 processor will likely debut in the iPad 3 when it is launched next year. Apple tends to introduce new processors to the iPad line of devices first, then introduces them to the iPhone and iPod touch when they are updated.

[Reuters]

Apple is looking to recruit temporary full time iPhone Sales Specialists for its Apple Stores across the UK. The ads appeared on UK recruitment site Reeds.co.uk. The start date for the temporary positions is August 16 with an ending date of October 29. Could August 16 be the release date for the iPhone 5?

Our client, Apple, one of the largest consumer electronic hardware and software companies in the world are seeking full-time iPhone Sales Staff for an exciting project to work 5 days a week (Tuesday-Saturday) for the period 16th August - 29th October within key retail stores. If you are successful, full training will be provided and you will be required to attend a 4 day training event 9th -12th August 2011 in the London area.

[Reed.co.uk via Cnet]

9to5 Mac has uncovered an interesting feature of iOS 5 beta 3 for the Apple TV. The previously unused Bluetooth chip appears to have been activated. It looks like Bluetooth support is aimed at integrating a keyboard into your setup, rather than anything more exciting. The new Bluetooth feature can be found in the normal settings menu, enabling you to pair a keyboard with the usual passcode setup process.

So what could this mean for the future of the Apple TV? Well at the very least we could see the Safari web browser making an appearance. Thinking a bit further outside the box and it all becomes a little more interesting. How about game controllers, similar to the iControlPad that we saw earlier today. Of course you would then need to be able to install apps and games on your Apple TV... See where we are going here?

Apps have always been strongly rumored to form part of the Apple TV’s future. Maybe we will have to wait for the next update of the Apple TV hardware for them to appear. The wait shouldn't be too long as its already strongly rumored to be updated in the fall with 1080p playback and the dual core A5 processor. Either way this could be a very exciting development. Of course, we must remember that features disappear from beta software all the time, but let’s enjoy the possibility just for a moment!

[9to5 Mac]

According to AppleInsider, Apple could be looking to launch full 1080p HD video rentals through its iTunes software as early as September. Currently 1080p content has not been available on any Apple platform through iTunes, be that via a Mac or the Apple TV. This could soon change as “people familiar with the matter” have told AppleInsider that certain films are now being submitted to Apple in three formats; including 1080p.

One such film from 20th Century Fox was said to have arrived with encoding options for SD (480p), HD (720p), and a new, third format listed as HD+ (1080p). Similarly, a small number of upcoming releases from two of the other 'big 5' movie studios were submitted with optional resolutions of 1920x1080 and an average bitrate encoding of 10,000 kbps.

Another problem to consider is internet bandwidth; you would need a very fast download speed to enable streaming of 1080p content. I struggle to stream standard definition content with my connection!

[AppleInsider]

Shing Yin, a Citadel Securities analyst, thinks a Sprint iPhone deal may not be that far off, perhaps as soon as this year, which would likely mean a CDMA iPhone 5. After Verizon finally shipped the iPhone 4, we found out T-Mobile might be getting one, either on their own or as part of the ongoing T-Mobile and AT&T merger. That leaves Sprint sitting alone in the corner.

Interestingly enough, after Verizon ends unlimited data on July 7, 2011, Sprint will be the only carrier to still offer unlimited data. Yin things that may appeal to Apple.

With lower prices on plans, a Sprint iPhone could offer an attractive proposition for more price-conscious users (a demographic that we think is increasingly important to Apple following the rise of Android)...

I think it's only a matter of time before Sprint picks up the iPhone. I'm not convinced they'll receive the next hardware iteration at the same time as Verizon and AT&T but I could see a launch later in the year or early next year, the same way Verizon got the iPhone 4 roughly 8 months after AT&T.

Like with AT&T, eventually everyone on Verizon who wants an iPhone, even an iPhone 5, will have one, and selling into Sprint's user base is the next logical step for expansion in the US.

Barron's

If FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger is correct, in lieu of the much-rumored ipad 3 we may see another iteration of the iPad 2 this year, complete with a beefed up display. According to Berger, Apple is currently shopping around for quotes from manufacturers in China. The current iPad 2 sports 132 pixels per inch. The iPad 2 Plus will supposedly increase the pixel density to around 250 to 300 pixels per inch. (Though, as we've said repeatedly, Apple will have to pixel-double it exactly, the same way they did with iPhone 4, if they don't want to cause headaches for developers.)

Considering new iPhone hardware hasn't even been announced yet, and we'll almost certainly see a new iPhone iteration before the end of the year, it'd be surprising to see another new iPad this soon after iPad 2. Apple knows how consumers work and upgrading a $500+ device more than once a year isn't really going to fly for most average consumers. Since TiPb -- and others -- keep hearing about it, however, one possibility is that this new iPad isn't designed to get existing customers to upgrade, but to get a whole new set of customers buying iPads for the first time. The question then becomes, what changes do they make to do that?

Boy Genius Report

After the recent leak of a beta version of the iPad 2 jailbreak, it looks like the official version may be getting released very soon -- maybe as soon as today. The jailbreakme.com site has been updated with a rather cheeky yellow sticky note with the well know phrase “We’ll be back soon”. (The sticky note is used by Apple when it has taken down its online store to update.)

[jailbreakme.com]

DigiTimes is reporting that Taiwanese manufacturer Pegatron Technology has landed a huge order from Apple to manufacture the iPhone 5. The order is thought to be in the region of 15 million iPhone 5 units and it will start shipping in September. Pegatron Technology currently manufactures the Verizon CDMA iPhone 4 for Apple. The information comes from upstream component makers, of course, and not from Pegatron Technology itself.

The sources pointed out that as the iPhone 5, which does not seem to have any major update from iPhone 4, is already set for shipment in September, they are already started supplying components to Pegatron with Pegatron's plants in Shanghai, China also recently started hiring for manpower.

[DigiTimes]

Digitimes reports that component makers are preparing materials to begin production of the iPhone 5 for an October release, with signs pointing to the iPad 3 dropping before the end of the year as well.

Taiwan-based companies included in the supply chain for iPhone 5 and iPad 3 have begun to prepare materials for the production of the two devices

According to their sources, production of the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 should begin in August and ramp up in September with the iPhone 5 hitting sometime in October.

Most rumors have narrowed the iPhone 5 release to September. It's unclear what the release window for the iPad 3 would be, and it's important to keep in mind that Digitimes has been hit-or-miss with their predictions in the past. Earlier this month they reported iPad 3 component suppliers gained Apple certification for a 2012 release, which goes against these new reports. Both Daring Fireball and TechCrunch have pointed to a "fall surprise" related to a new iPad, possibly iPad 3 earlier this year.

TiPb has independently heard that October is likely for iPhone 5, and that there could quite possibly be a new iPad, perhaps a revised iPad 2 or iPad 3, this fall as well. Regardless of the rumors, however, Apple can and will move things around based on production and marketing needs, so no one knows for certain until Apple makes the official announcements.

[Digitimes]

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty has issued a note to her clients stating that the iPhone 5 will begin production in mid to late August for a September release. This after Huberty had spent a few days in Taiwan, presumably meeting with Apple’s supply chain companies.

Huberty predicts a late third quarter release for the next-generation iPhone. As a result of the later than usual launch, Huberty shifted 2 million iPhone units from the firm's third quarter estimates to its fourth quarter estimates, though the firm's full year estimate of 72 million units remain unchanged. However, the analyst notes that if the next iPhone were to come out in early September, it would "drive upside" to Morgan Stanley's lowered estimates.

A lower priced iPhone may also be in the works, according to Huberty. Apple is forecasting a large iPhone sales increase in 2012; which she is putting down to new products with potentially a lower price point. This would enable Apple to make gains in emerging and prepaid markets. TiPb's been hearing about that

Okay, Morgan Stanley, your entry is hereby added to our iPhone 5 release pool; no doubt it will soon be joined by a ton of others. Now, when iPhone 5 launches (likely this fall, but who knows?) we’ll see who the last analyst standing is, won’t we?

[Appleinsider]

George Hotz, the jailbreak ninja that brought us LimeRa1n for iOS devices as well as the Sony PS3 jailbreak, might just be working at Facebook now.

In a video interview yesterday, Joshua Hill (P0sixninja) a member of the Chronic-Dev Team, confirmed that Geohot had a day job working at Facebook; that is why he declined the offer to help with the iPad 2 jailbreak. Apparently he does not want the attention after being recently sued by Sony.

Also Gabe Rivera of Techmeme, discovered Geohot’s Facebook page and confirmed that the first post at the top of the page said “Facebook is really an amazing place to work…first hackathon over.” The page has now been removed and throws up a message that the content is currently unavailable.

If true, this is an interesting development to say the least . Could it be linked somehow to the three recent Facebook stories which broke last week? We know Facebook is set to release a new photo sharing service, that Facebook was working on an iPad app, and also an  HTML 5 web app store.

Geohot's efforts to date seem to be in a different area than app development, but even with his experience in breaking security we are sure he would be a great asset!

Video after the break. Do you think Geohot's at Facebook and if so, what could he be working on?

[MyGreatFest, @gaberivera via Techunwrapped]

The TiPb forums are naturally a great place to talk, commiserate, celebrate, get help, and offer advice to your fellow iPhone users. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is easy and free so if you haven’t already, head on over and register now!

• Everything you need to know about migrating your MobileMe account to iCloud.

• Discuss iOS 5 bugs and other issues you have found while using the beta.

• Discuss all of the latest iPhone 5 rumors here.

• Many of you are upset Apple does not include a LED for notifications. What are your thoughts regarding this missing hardware feature?

See you in the forums!

Hit and miss technology site DigiTimes is claiming that the iPhone 5 will have a dual-LED Flash when it is eventually released; hopefully in September.

Recent market rumors have indicated that Apple's iPhone 5 is likely to come with a dual-LED flash with Taiwan-based LED packaging firms Everlight Electronics, Edison Opto and Lite-On Technology being pinpointed as potential suppliers. All related companies have denied they are involved in the production of dual-LED flashes.

This rumor is one  more to add to the growing list of recent rumors regarding the iPhone 5. Yesterday we heard that the new iPhone 5 would have a similar form factor to the current iPhone 4; but with improved camera and processor. The day before we heard that it would have a completely different casing and form factor. Until it is announced, be prepared for many more rumors to come!

[DigiTimes]

Bloomberg has jumped into the iPhone 5 rumor game, saying that the next generation iPhone will launch in September with the same form factor as the current iPhone 4.

The device will include the A5 processor, the more powerful chip that Apple added to the iPad 2 earlier this year, along with an 8-megapixel camera, up from the 5-megapixel model in the iPhone 4, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the details aren’t public. The new iPhone will closely resemble the iPhone 4, the people said.

This is in stark contrast to yesterday’s rumors from BGR, which claimed an August release for a redesigned iPhone 5.

Bloomberg also claim its sources confirmed a few other rumors that we have heard before. It claims Apple is working on a new iPad with a resolution of a third higher than the iPad 2; with a more responsive touchscreen. This one is a bit sketchy due to the problems this would cause developers. It also resurrected the rumor of a cheaper iPhone for developing countries, which could be the basis for the long standing iPhone nano rumors. This, it says, will use the current chip and screen of the iPhone 4. Sounds like the iPhone 4 will more likely just become the cheaper option for carriers just as the iPhone 3GS is now.

TiPb keeps hearing a September/October release timeframe for iPhone 5, along with the possibility of another iPad this year, and the "iPhone nano" device, in whatever form it takes, so there may well be something to this. What do you think?

[Bloomberg]

TechCrunch has uncovered that Facebook is looking to launch an HTML5 based app store under the name of Project Spartan. The app store will offer games and news apps that run inside Safari, or as Web Clips on the home screen. Over 80 outside developers are currently working with Facebook on apps for the platform.

As of right now, there are believed to be 80 or so outside developers working with Facebook on Project Spartan. These teams are working on apps for the platform that range from games to news-reading apps. Some of the names should be familiar: Zynga and Huffington Post for example. The goal is to have these apps ready to roll in the next few weeks for a formal unveiling shortly thereafter.

This comes hot on the heels of yesterday’s news that Facebook would soon be releasing a photo sharing application for iOS devices.

Currently most Facebook apps on the web are based around Flash; this new project could purely be aimed at making them available to the huge iOS market. Obviously Facebook would like to make some money from the arrangement and this appears to be the focus. Facebook would become the distribution channel in this case and not the App Store.

What do you think? Would you be happy to pay for apps from Facebook that would only be usable in the mobile Safari browser? Let us know in the comments!

[TechCrunch]

An iPad with a 3D display is supposedly being shown off by display vendor CPT at the Display Taiwan show. The device which has been caught on video, appears to be a first generation iPad; however all product branding has been covered. The display requires the use of special polarizing glasses.

Netbooknews discovered the device and is speculating that this may be a prototype of the iPad 3. It looks much more likely to us that this is a publicity stunt by CPT to gain some attention to its display products. Maybe they decided to modify an original iPad with a 3D display just as a proof of concept. Take a look at the video after the break then head back here to let us know what you think!

[Netbooknews via 9to5 Mac]

Well known Jailbreak expert Chronic, of Chronic Dev Team, discovered a couple of hidden menu pages in the latest beta of iOS 5, confirming that Apple is heavily involved in bringing system wide voice integration to iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Voice recognition was widely rumored to be coming in iOS 5 however there was little mention of it at the recent  WWDC keynote. We did see it briefly mentioned on one of the slides but that was all.

The screenshots above show that the service will come as a partnership between Apple and Nuance; as was widely expected. Maybe we will see it all ready to go when Apple decides to reveal the next generation iPhone, expected to be around the time of the full release of iOS 5 in the fall.

The question is, will this be part of iOS 5 for all devices that can run it, just for Apple A5 powered devices, which would include iPad 2 and iPod touch 5 presumably, or just for the unannounced next generation iPhone?

[@chronic, @chronicwire]

As with all new beta firmware, it appears there are references to new hardware in iOS 5. I expected there to be references to a 5th generation iPhone model but there are also placeholders for new iPad models as well. TUAW is reporting that they found references to not only two difference 5th generation iPhone models, but 2 different iPad models as well.

I'm assuming the two iPhone references are to the GSM and CDMA models of whatever the 5th generation iPhone will be called. I definitely didn't expect to see two new iPad models this soon. And even more interesting, there are no new references of a fifth generation iPod Touch. Considering Apple typically releases new iPods in the Fall, we normally see code pointing in that direction around this time.

From TUAW -

Specifically, there are declarations buried in the iOS system files that reference "iPad3,1" and "iPad3,2." Likewise, "iPhone4,1" and "iPhone4,2." The iPhone 5 will be a 4th generation unit because the iPhone 3G was technically 1st generation. This throws off the numbering and confuses everyone, so don't fret if you were confused....

What do you guys think? I'm going with the fact that they just stuck place holders in there for future iPad iterations. They've done it in the past. I am, however, intrigued that there are no iPod references found this close to what should be an iPod refresh.

TUAW

It's that time of year again and WWDC 2011 is upon us. We have our iOS want list up and if This Is My Next actually does have a credible source, we may be able to check off quite a few things.

Here's a list of changes from their source:

• Messaging - The word is that Apple is readying its own MMS / SMS protocol which will be a native part of the phone. We’re not entirely clear on how this would work, but apparently it will be able to automatically identify iOS users and route the message accordingly.

• Notifications - Notifications will now be handled in drop down located at the top of the screen (similar to MobileNotifier, seen in the image above). Messages will appear and then slide back up in a unobtrusive manner, similar to webOS. There have been some leaked screenshots floating around the web for the last 24 hours, but those are not the real deal.

• Widgets - The notifications will be constantly accessible through a pulldown window which you reach by swiping at the top of the screen downward… just like Android. Not only will this screen house your recent notifications, but it will tout proper widgets like weather, stocks, and more.

• Lock Screen - Surprisingly, Apple is making significant changes to the lock screen as well. There will now be notifications shown on this screen with a small icon to the left of each notification — you can drag that icon as you would the unlock slider and you’ll be taken directly to the app itself (similar to TouchWiz for Android). You won’t get weather or stock widgets here, only notifications — and it’s not clear if upcoming calendar events or the like will be represented.

If these changes are going to come in iOS 5, Apple's competition is going to have to play some major catch up. What do you guys think? Credible source or last minute link bait?

For the full list of changes, hit the link below.

This is My Next

TechCrunch has got its hands on a picture that may well be from an iPhone running iOS 5. The picture shows a notification bar at the top of the screen, under the time. The notification bar shows two new twitter mentions. Now this could very well be a fake; based on previous information that Twitter may be baked into iOS 5. We don’t know and neither does TechCrunch at this stage.

They do note that the iPhone shown could be European; as the weather icon shows 23 degrees and sunny rather than the US 73 degrees. The icons are in the correct out of the box order; however, the camera icon has changed to black from silver.

What do you think? Is this real, fake or really fake? Let us know in the comments!

[TechCrunch]

According to Digitimes, Apple has already begun the certifying process of components for the next generation iPad 3. Some have already gained certification such as Radiant Opto-Electronics for LED backlight units.

Taiwan-based component makers for backlight modules and light bars have received certification from Apple, however, the certification of panels is still in progress, added industry sources. South-Korea based panel firms such Samsung and LG Display have been panel suppliers for Apple. The certification of panels from Taiwan-based Chimei Innolux is nearly done.

[Digitimes]

On the very first episode of TiPb TV we joked about the 11 inch MacBook Air being more like an iPad pro, but deep inside Apple's secret labs they might be working on making it exactly that according to Japanese blog Macotakara

Few weeks ago, DigiTimes told that Apple to launch MacBook Air with Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt in June-July. And additionally, an anonymous source told more information, Apple already made test equipment of Thunderbolt MacBook Air driven by A5 processor.

According to this source who saw live A5 MacBook Air actually, this test machine performed better than expected.

While Apple has been big on taking iPad ideas "back to the Mac" this year, if true it would have to be a proof of concept. Because, as much as I love my iPad 2 for things like Infinity Blade, I quickly run back to my 11 inch MacBook Air to run Photoshop and other intensive apps. Having all that power in a tiny portable is still too good to give up, even if an Apple A5 MacBook Air would have 48 hours of battery life and other benefits.

That's assuming it would be running Mac OS X Lion, which they no doubt have experimented with on A5 (just as they experimented with earlier versions of Mac OS X on Intel back in the PowerPC days). If it's running iOS 5, then I have to wonder if it would have a touch screen, which is something Apple said they don't think works on a laptop.

What do you think? Do you want to add MacBooks to the A5 family? To the iOS family? Would it be the best of both worlds or the worst?

[Macotakara]

According to an article by Buinessweek, Apple is set to unveil its music streaming service at WWDC. The service which has been dubbed iCloud will mirror your existing iTunes music library; also, if needed, it will increase the quality of your content.

Armed with licenses from the music labels and publishers, Apple will be able to scan customers' digital music libraries in iTunes and quickly mirror their collections on its own servers, say three people briefed on the talks. If the sound quality of a particular song on a user's hard drive isn't good enough, Apple will be able to replace it with a higher-quality version. Users of the service will then be able to stream, whenever they want, their songs and albums directly to PCs, iPhones, iPads, and perhaps one day even cars.

Would you pay a reasonable monthly subscription for this type of service? Is it a better service than Google or Amazon are currently offering? Let us know in the comments!

[Buinessweek via Engadget]

Hot on the heels of the obligatory iPhone 5 case leak, we now have a supposed picture of the back panel of the next iPhone with the same LED Flash placement on the opposite corner. The image is obviously unverified but it does match up with both the recent case leak and some supposed next generation camera parts. Two holes are clearly visible, one for the camera on the left and one for the flash on the right.

This of course could well be a Photoshop job based on the recent case pictures however it is not unusual for these types of images to leak out. What do you think, real, fake, or really fake?

[Apple.Pro via MacRumors]