Security firm details new Trojan written for Apple's Mac OS X

Hackers have written a new "backdoor Trojan" targeted specifically at Apple's Mac OS X operating system that can allow remote operations and password "phishing," as Mac sales and market share continue to grow.

Security researchers at Sophos have taken the appearance of the "Remote Access Trojan" known as "Blackhole RAT" as a sign that hackers are beginning to take notice of Apple's continued success with the Mac platform. The unfinished malware, said to be based on the Windows RAT "darkComet," allows hackers to remotely send commands or attempt to deceive a Mac user. The darkComet source code is freely available online.

One of the potential uses for the BlackHole Trojan, which the security firm has dubbed OSX/MusMinim-A," is the ability to pop up a fake "Administrator Password" window to phish a target. It can also be used to place text files on the desktop, or remotely send a restart, shutdown or sleep command to the Mac.

Using the Trojan, hackers could also run arbitrary shell commands, send URls to the client to open a website, or place a full-screen window with a message that only allows the user to click reboot. MusMinim is said to be "very basic," and the user interface has a mix of English and German.

The full-screen window with reboot button displays default text to the user of the affected system. It states that the Trojan is "under development," and promises "much more functions" when the final product is released.

The lack of viruses and Trojans on the Mac has long been a selling point of Apple hardware. Just last week, it was revealed that Apple has begun inviting security experts to examine its developer preview of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, the company's forthcoming operating system update due out this summer.

Prominent security researchers including Charlie Miller and Dino Dai Zovi were asked to analyze security countermeasures included in the first beta of Lion. Apple's invitation to researchers marks the first time the company has expanded beyond its core developers to expose its software to community scrutiny.

Last October, a Java-based Trojan targeting Mac OS X spread through social networking sites by baiting users into clicking a link. Though the Trojan gained some attention, it did not affect a large number of Mac users.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Katie Marsal

Inside Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: New Dock, Finder & Desktop

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion reverses a trend toward user interface complexity, delivering a desktop computing environment that not only incorporates graphical elements of iOS, but also copies the intuitive simplicity of Apple's mobile operating system.

This overall simplification of the Lion user interface doesn't strip away existing features as much as it streamlines the process of using them, making it easier to actually access the power of various components. Two prime examples are Dashboard, a widget feature added in 10.4 Tiger, and Spaces, a virtual desktops feature Apple added to 10.5 Leopard.

While both features added new kinds of functionality to the Mac OS X desktop, they also involved more complexity, requiring users to remember special key commands to invoke and dismiss them while also creating new modes that can be difficult for non-technical users to visualize and comprehend. For many users, that complexity barrier simply means that Apple's development efforts go untapped.

In Mac OS X Lion, Dashboard and Spaces are integrated visually into the "all windows" view of Exposé, which Apple is now calling Mission Control. Additionally, the concept of Full Screen Apps is expanded into what is essentially a single app Space, which like Dashboard and other defined Spaces, is just as easy to call up and then escape from with a four-fingered swipe of the trackpad.

A simpler new Dashboard

Under Lion, instead of depicting Dashboard as a special mode that whisks in above the desktop as a visual overlay, the widget layer simply a panel that slides in from the left (evoking the left-most strip of audio playback and screen orientation lock controls accessible from the iOS multitasking bar).

This strips the desktop of some whizzy eye candy (including the watery layer that since Tiger has rippled when you drag out a new Dashboard widget, and the translucent background of the Dashboard itself), but it simplifies the user experience so that its very easy to remember how to get in and out of the Dashboard interface quickly; it can even be done via an intuitive multitouch gesture (very similar to the one Apple is experimenting with as an iPad gesture for switching between its full screen apps).

There's now no distractingly busy desktop behind your Dashboard widgets, just a simple panel that looks like a starting point for constructing Lego buildings. The Widget strip from Tiger is still there for grabbing new widgets to arrange in the Dashboard area, and the Dock is always available as well, making it even easier to jump back out to a particular app. Movie on page two.


Automatic Spaces and Mission Control

Apple indicated that it worked hard in Leopard to deliver a new virtual desktop feature without introducing too much additional complexity. The problem, however, is that virtual desktops are innately confusing for most users because they act as modal representations of parallel worlds, each with its own desktop of icons.

Apple's implementation, named Spaces, shares the same desktop for each Space, merely grouping a set of app windows (or apps themselves) into different screens. Spaces work for power users who switch between different types of tasks, but they're confusing for most users because there's an explicit, invisible step required to move between each space.

Mission Control, a renaming and enhancement of the F9-invoked "all windows" Exposé screen, simplifies Spaces by making it visually simple to see each space in the context of running apps and all document windows. An important part of this simplification is the use of multi-fingered gestures to navigate through the screens visually. This makes Spaces much easier to visualize and navigate between.


Full Screen Apps

Additionally, Apple has added Full Screen controls to content-oriented apps such as Mail, Safari, iPhoto, and iCal which effectively turn their single window into a full screen app reminiscent of the iPad. When an app goes full screen, it creates a private space for itself rather than simply obscuring other windows. This allows the user to take specific apps full screen and then easily switch between them, the Desktop, Dashboard, and other defined Spaces using intuitive gestures.

In Lion, apps lose the upper right pill icon, with many now getting a Full Screen button that takes the window and turns it into a fully utilized private space. This also trims away the window's title bar and close buttons, erasing all the windowing chrome to present just the app's functions with as broad of an open canvas as possible. To jump out of Full Screen, the user can mouse up to display the hidden Menu Bar, where a new Full Screen button in the top right returns the app into its normal window view. Or alternatively, the use can swipe between full screen apps, Dashboard, the Desktop and other Spaces via gestures.

Integrating Full Screen Apps, Spaces, Dashboard and Exposé, Mission Control is a welcomed point of Singularity that builds upon ideas that have been evolving within Mac OS X over the past decade, and within the iOS, iPhone and iPad over the last few years, finally delivering a cohesive, intuitively familiar way for non-technical users to handle several desktops of active content without getting lost looking for key commands, keyboard shortcuts, or mousing around through menus.


Launchpad

One final step in merging the iPad experience with the Mac OS X desktop is Launchpad, a new app that simply blurs the Mac desktop out and displays an array of app icons very similar to the iPad Home page. Multiple screens of apps can be slid between with a two-fingered swipe navigation, each with rows of icons that can be grouped into iOS-style Folders by dragging them on top of each other.

There's no need to touch and hold apps to enter a "jiggle" mode in order to rearrange them; the user can simply click and drag apps into their preferred location, or within organizing Folders. Using Launchpad is still a bit rough around the edges, with some remaining quirks related to dragging apps around, and no obvious way to remove apps you don't want to appear. The app shows every application you have installed within your Applications folder, so there is currently going to be a lot of stuff you probably don't want to access quickly.

Despite its work in progress status, Launchpad is a welcomed improvement over trying to find an app (that's not in your Dock) manually, particularly for users who don't understand the concept of digging through the filesystem to locate a program, and aren't aware they can use Spotlight to call up an app by name (or for users who want to launch an app they recognize by icon, but can't recall the name). The new feature is essentially the Applications folder as a Dock Stack, but with more simplicity and familiar commonality with iOS.

Finder icon dragging

In addition to the flexible new window controls that appear everywhere in Lion, and the new source list and view controls present in the Finder, the new update also enhances how selections of files are dragged between or within Finder windows.

New in Lion, when a selection of files is dragged to the source sidebar, or to the desktop, or to another window, the selection is represented as a collection, badged with a count of the items in the selection, and with a display that transforms to reflect the view settings it is dragged over.

For example, a selection of icons dragged to the source sidebar is shifted to a set of small icons listed in a an easily readable row, but when dragged to the desktop, the icons morph into larger sized representations in a stack. Dragged to a different Finder window, the same stack takes on the characteristics of its destination.

Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 AppleInsider Staff

AppleCentral takes a week rest

AppleCentral will be taking 1 week off to allow rest to publishers. In that period, no news will be posted on this blog.

However, while we're gone, check out these sites:

http://www.appleinsider.com
http://www.macrumors.com


Thank You,
The People At AppleCentral @ 20 February 2011

AT&T reportedly provisions iOS 4.3 beta Personal Hotspot feature

AT&T has reportedly provisioned the new Personal Hotspot WiFi sharing feature of iOS 4.3 beta 3 for a developer, indicating it will follow Verizon's lead in offering the feature to its subscribers.

Apple added the Personal Hotspot feature in iOS 4.2.6, a build that only runs on the Verizon iPhone 4. It takes advantage of a feature Verizon has long offered that enables multiple WiFi clients to share a phone's mobile 3G connection.

AT&T hasn't committed to supporting the new feature yet, but is expected to in the face of the competitive threat issued by Verizon. Other carriers can choose whether they will support the OS feature.

The individual reporting AT&T's acquiescence in provisioning the feature on his phone running the developer build says the carrier agreed "after I mentioned Verizon a few times."

AT&T similarly balked for months before finally supporting the MMS and Bluetooth tethering features Apple added to iOS 3.0, but could hold up support for those features because it lacked any direct competition in the US. Personal Hotspot is Wi-Fi tethering.

Activating the feature is subject to additional fees. Verizon charges an extra $20 per month for WiFi tethering, and AT&T is expected to offer similar plans

Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com

(C) 2011 Daniel Eran Dilger

iPad 3 with Retina display, new device sized between iPad and iPod in Apple's pipeline

While conflicting rumors have described both a larger screen and a smaller, cheaper iPhone model purportedly planned for this summer, one connected industry expert tells AppleInsider that Apple is also working to expand its tablet offerings with a Retina Display iPad 3 and new device that may be either a smaller iPad or larger iPod touch.

Word of the so-called "tweener" tablet from Apple arrived last month, when Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities informed AppleInsider of detailed component plans attributed to iPad 2. The analyst also outlined Apple's expected production ratios of WiFi, CDMA and GSM/UMTS iPad 2 models.

iPad 3: double resolution IPS/FFS display

A third point relayed by Kuo was that a successive iPad 3 model would incorporate a 9.7 inch IPS panel with FFS (fringe-field switching) technology, which enables a wider viewing angle and clearer visual quality under in sunlight. Kuo previously reported last May that the upcoming iPhone 4 would incorporate a double resolution, 960x640 display using IPS/FFS, which Apple subsequently released under the name Retina Display. He was also correct in nailing down in advance that iPhone 4 would supply twice the RAM of the iPad.

Kuo now claims that iPad 3 will deliver a Retina Display-like quality and resolution doubling to 2048x1536, an enhancement originally thought to make it into the more immediate release of iPad 2.

However, Kuo told AppleInsider last month that iPad 2 isn't getting the new panel yet because of limited manufacturing yield rates. "At this point," he said in January, "making a high resolution and bright IPS/FFS panel is not easy and the production volume and cost couldn’t meet Apple’s requirements." Upcoming iPad 2 models are instead said to be using a thinner panel with "anti-reflection" to deliver a better experience in bright sunlight.

iPad mini, or big iPod touch

Kuo also described a new iOS device that is undergoing evaluation for a potential release during the second half of 2011, with a screen size between that of the current iPad and the iPhone. Speaking of this new product, Kuo said he was "not sure" whether it would be "a 'Super iPhone' or a 'iPad mini.'" Subsequent speculation by a variety of Apple observers, including a new posting from Vláďa Janeček of Czech site SuperApple, similarly suggest an iPad with a screen close to 6 inches.

Given the company's regular criticisms of competitor's half-sized tablet offerings, Apple will almost certainly not deliver a tweener iPad with a 5 to 7 inch screen size.

However, Apple may be interested in delivering an oversized iPod touch intended to fill the gap between its 3.5 inch, smartphone sized iOS devices and its full sized 9.7 inch iPad.

The company has strongly expressed its contention that "tweener" sized tablets smaller than the iPad are not capable of delivering a real tablet experience. However, there does appear to be a market for oversized smartphones, with some Android models offering 4 inch or larger displays that simply blow up the screen rather than offering more to see. Some consumers, particularly older individuals with limited vision, have expressed keen interest in these larger phones.

With a 5 inch screen, a "big iPod touch" at its existing resolution would offer a 230ppi screen density; stretched across a 7 inch screen the same resolution would deliver 164ppi, still higher than the existing iPad's pixel density of 132ppi. Rather than trying to crush the full sized iPad's resolution into a smaller screen, something Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs quipped last fall would require filing down users' fingers, such a device could simply serve as an expansion of the iPod family, offering a larger view of the simpler iPod touch user interface.

Along similar lines, between 2001 and 2006 Apple offered two iBook models offering the same 1024x768 resolution on either 12.1 and 14.1 inch screens, aiming the larger model at people who simply wanted a bigger view of the same desktop. The company now sells its 15.4 inch MacBook Pro and 13.3 inch MacBook Air with the same 1440x900 resolution.

A 4 to 7 inch iPod touch could serve to expand Apple's iPod offerings, enabling the company to more directly compete with handheld gaming devices by leveraging iTunes media, compatibility with third party apps, and iOS' existing support for features like push email, FaceTime video calling, Game Center, and upcoming features such as expected music and photo cloud features and voice activated assistance services.

Expanding the definition of tablet

Apple's iPod touch is currently not counted as a tablet (not even a "media tablet") by market research firms such as IDC and Gartner, but that practice would be harder to maintain if Apple were to ship a larger version of the device with the same 960x640 resolution. Other companies, including Dell and Samsung, have delivered devices with lower resolutions on "tweener" sized tablets, which are counted as "media tablets," even though they have found minimal interest among consumers.

A new, larger iPad touch model could potentially deliver an additional competitor to the low end tablet market currently represented by the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Dell Streak, while still remaining well differentiated from the more sophisticated iPad in order to avoid direct competition. Such a strategy would resemble Apple's efforts to expand the market of the original iPod with the iPod mini, a product which targeted the lower end of flash RAM music players while leaving the iPod to service its original market as a high capacity device.

A big iPod touch would also help differentiate the general purpose, full sized iPad from other smaller, low end tablet devices, forcing them to compete against Apple's media-centric iPod touch rather than being drawn into comparison next to iPad. Both IDC and Gartner group include media-centric tablets as small as 5 inches in the same category as the iPad while completely ignoring the tens of millions of iPod touch devices Apple already sells.

An iPod-branded small tablet strategy would also explain why Kuo cited a delivery target of the second half of 2010, likely coinciding with Apple's fall iPod event rather than being connected to the firm's spring launch of iPad 2 or the summer debut of iPhone 5.

At the launch of the original iPod touch, Apple worked to differentiate the new model with a unique physical design and limited software features compared to iPhone. While the iPod touch continues to be styled as uniquely different than iPhone, Apple has since relaxed its artificial limitations related to functionality, cultivating the product with a focus on gaming. This has resulted in iPod touch sales helping to support the iOS development platform, an element missing from most other smartphone platforms.

Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com

(C) 2011 Daniel Eran Dilger

Apple CEO Steve Jobs photographed at dinner with President Obama

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs sat directly beside President Barack Obama at a special dinner featuring some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley on this week.

In a photo posted on the official Flickr account of The White House, Jobs can be seen sitting to the left of Obama as the table of tech luminaries engages in a toast. Others at the dinner included Google Chief Executive (and soon-to-be executive chairman) Eric Schmidt, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz.

Another picture shows Zuckerberg talking with the president, with Bartz and Genentech Chairman and Apple Board of Directors member Art Levinson in the background. In that picture, a figure standing behind Obama is obscured, but could also be Jobs.

However, none of the pictures uploaded offer a clear look at the Apple co-founder, who reports this week claimed has been spotted looking extremely thin. It was claimed that Jobs was seen at California's Stanford Cancer Center, prompting speculation that he has relapsed and requires additional treatment in his ongoing fight with cancer.

Jobs and other Silicon Valley executives met with Obama on Thursday at the home of John Doerr of venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The meeting was aimed at promoting technological innovation in an effort to boost the U.S. economy and increase the number of jobs available.

Also this week, Gizmodo hired a plane to view the recent demolition of the Jackling House mansion owned by Jobs. A flyover of the property shows the building razed to rubble with construction equipment onsite.

After years of holdups and problems, Jobs finally got the OK to demolish the property, a process that began earlier this week. The 17,250-square-foot building was a decade-long controversy between Jobs and preservationists.

Local historians sought to protect the Spanish colonial revival mansion, built in the 1920s by copper baron Daniel Jackling. They argued that the home was historically significant.

The property has been vacant since 2000, as Jobs has been involved in several back-and-forth filings with the city of Woodside and preservation group Uphold Our Heritage. The CEO reportedly plans to build a smaller, more private home in place of the mansion.

Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com

(C) 2011 Slash Lane

New Shanghai store will be Apple's biggest retail venture in China yet

With its highly successful retail stores constantly crowded in China, Apple is slowing down and thinking bigger starting with its new Shanghai store, planned to be the biggest yet in the nation.

According to China Real Time, Apple is planning its fifth store in China, to be located at Nanjing Road. It will be the third store in Shanghai, joining two stores in Beijing.

Ron Johnson, Apple's senior vice-president of retail, reportedly revealed that the company's stores in China are now visited by more than 40,000 per day, which is four times the average traffic Apple retail stores in America see. Because of that, the company is now looking to build bigger stores that can accommodate customer interest.

The company had previously revealed plans to open up 25 retail stores in China, but Johnson indicated the openings may occur slower as Apple revises its plans and concentrates on bigger stores.

Apple executives revealed in January that its stores in China now attract the most traffic in the world, and also earn the highest revenue. At the time, Apple had a total of 323 stores worldwide, with 87 of them outside the U.S.

Johnson revealed years ago that Apple discovered its stores were too small, resulting in an initiative that has resulted in new locations being at least three table widths wide. Apple also intends to focus on creating more "significant stores" that attract attention, like its flagship location in New York City which is covered by a glass cube.

Apple's retail store opened in Shanghai last July similarly features a stand-out entrance with a massive glass cylinder. When the company began its initial push into China, executives said they were more focused onbuilding the Apple brand in China than achieving strong sales right off the bat.

iPad's growing competition from Android could quell Apple antitrust talk

Growing competition from tablets running the Google Android operating system may help Apple and its iOS subscription plans for the iPad avoid antitrust probes, at least in the eyes of the European Union.

Regulators with the European Commission have said they cannot yet judge whether Apple has a dominant position in the tablet market, according to Bloomberg. Though Apple sold millions of iPads last year and took the vast majority of touchscreen tablet sales, it is a market that is "relatively new and evolving," they said.

Apple caught the ire of European newspapers before it even formally announced its iOS recurring subscription plans, of which the Cupertino, Calif., company takes a 30 percent cut of all sales. Concerns from European publishers prompted Belgian lawmakers to file formal antitrust complaints with the European Union.

But in a response from EU commissioner Andris Piebalgs earlier this month, the possibility of an antitrust probe was downplayed: "Alternative applications platforms exist and several companies have recently launched or are expected to launch in the near future a number of devices similar in terms of functionality to the iPad."

On Tuesday, Apple unveiled its subscription plan for the iOS App Store on the iPad and iPhone. In addition to allowing content providers to offer recurring subscription billing, the company also takes a 30 percent cut of all sales and has banned links within App Store software to external websites that would allow users to purchase content or subscriptions at a lower price and without Apple's share.

Android-maker Google quickly countered by announcing its "One Pass" service for subscriptions just a day later. In the competing product, the search giant takes a smaller 10 percent cut of transactions and offers users the ability to view content in a Web browser on a variety of devices with a single login. But Google has also agreed to allow publishers to control subscribers' personal data, while Apple gives customers the option of providing a publisher with only their name, e-mail address and zip code when they subscribe.

While regulators in Europe for now do not seem convinced that Apple is engaged in antitrust practices, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission are currently looking into Apple's terms in a "preliminary stage." However, a formal investigation has yet to be launched. The report also cited the European Commission as saying it was "carefully monitoring the situation.

Use of RFID in Apple's iPhone 5 expected to have a 'unique' twist

Apple is expected to include near-field communications technology like radio-frequency identification (RFID) in its next-generation iPhone, but with a different approach to the feature than has been seen in RFID-powered Android phones, according to a new report.

Analyst Brian White with Ticonderoga Securities issued a note to investors on Thursday from the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. He noted that there has been a rising interest in near-field communications (NFC) at this year's show.

White said that his sources have indicated to him that the next iPhone will include NFC technology. However, Apple's approach will reportedly have "a twist that will make it unique versus his peers." White did not give any indication as to what the "twist" could be.

He did note that earlier this week, it was revealed that the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S II will feature NFC technology, while he said Google has pushed RFID as technology that "has the opportunity to revolutionize electronic commerce and payments." But the rumor would suggest that Apple is looking to offer more than an e-wallet for payment processing at retail stores.

Last November, one rumor claimed that Apple could use NFC technology in both its future iPhones and Macs to allow RFID-enabled "remote computing." It was said the rumored technology would allow users to securely turn a nearby Mac into their own personal computer, complete with custom settings, personal passwords, and even desktop backgrounds.

Apple has also filed patents related to NFC technology, including one discovered last July which would allow users to obtain information about a range of products wirelessly and instantly. Examples of potential uses for the service, called "Products+," included obtaining information about a product to receiving promotions and coupons.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based iPhone maker has also hired experts on near-field communications, and was even rumored to be testing iPhone models with RFID chips as recently as August.

Also in his note issued on Thursday, White noted that Softbank has issued all 20,000 of its employees both an iPhone and iPad from Apple. He said the news is "a sign of things to come across enterprises," predicting further corporate adoption of Apple's iOS devices.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Neil Hughes

With 60% of world's touch panel capacity, Apple squeezes competitors

Apple has reportedly locked up 60 percent of the world's touch panel capacity, which has led to "tight supply" among competitors hoping to take on the iPad.

According to DigiTimes, Apple is expected to cause an industry-wide component shortage in 2011, which is causing issues among tablet PC makers. The most serious shortage has reportedly occurred with touch panels, as Apple holds the majority of capacity from major suppliers Wintek and TPK.

Major companies Research in Motion, Motorola and Hewlett-Packard are said to be competing for related components with Apple, pushing "second-tier players" out of the market entirely. Specifically, glass capacitive touch panels, like the one found on the iPad, are the most constrained component.

"Sources from iPad distributors pointed out that in 2010, Apple's order forecasts to its OEM partners were all high and the biggest problem on the supply side was not capacity, but low yields of touch panels," the report said. "In 2011, Apple's strategy of taking up most of the capacity should help the company quickly expand its sales, while reducing its competitors' shipment growth."

Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook revealed in January that his company committed $3.9 billion to secret long-term component contracts. The company would not reveal what the money was put toward, citing a competitive disadvantage in doing so, but it has been widely speculated that the money has been put toward LCD screens and touch panels for devices like the iPhone and iPad.

Analyst Katy Huberty of Morgan Stanley said the investment could allow Apple to buy 60 million iPad touch panels, or 136 million touch displays for the iPhone.

Apple's secret investment is similar to 2005, when the company prepaid for NAND flash memory, allowing it to leverage pricing and garner supply for devices like the iPhone, iPad and new MacBook Air. Much like the anticipated control over the touch panel market in 2011, at numerous points in the past Apple caused a shortage of NAND flash, leaving competitors out while products like the iPhone dominated components.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Sam Oliver

Apple's Steve Jobs to meet with President Obama on Thursday

Apple CEO Steve Jobs will reportedly join Google chief executive Eric Schmidt and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in a meeting with US President Barack Obama in San Francisco on Thursday.

Though recent reports have alleged that Jobs' health has continued to decline, the executive is scheduled to attend a business leaders' event with President Obama Thursday evening, a source told ABC News.

Google's Schmidt, who will step down as CEO in April; GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt, the newly named chairman of the White House Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, and Facebook's Zuckerberg will also be in attendance, according to sources familiar with the meeting.

“The president and the business leaders will discuss our shared goal of promoting American innovation, and discuss his commitment to new investments in research and development, education and clean energy,” a White House official said.

Jobs and President Obama met in October of last year to discuss the US technology industry and the economy. At the time, White house press secretary Robert Gibbs said that the President was "eager" to talk with the CEO.

In December 2010, Obama cited Jobs as an impressive example of the American dream.

"Something that's always been the greatest strength of America is a thriving, booming middle class, where everybody has got a shot at the American dream. And that should be our goal. That should be what we're focused on," the President said. "How are we creating opportunity for everybody? So that we celebrate wealth. We celebrate somebody like a Steve Jobs, who has created two or three different revolutionary products. We expect that person to be rich, and that's a good thing."

Though Jobs has kept a relatively low profile during his medical leave, which he announced in January, rampant speculation on his condition continues to abound. Jobs stayed on as Apple's chief executive and continues to be involved in major strategic decisions as he works from home.

RadarOnline reported Wednesday that Jobs had been spotted at the Stanford Cancer Clinic in Palo Alto, Calif. According to a recent report, Jobs, who turns 56 next week, had been in a "down cycle" for weeks and appeared "increasingly emaciated."


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 AppleInsider Staff

Unaffected by Intel chip issues, Apple increases notebook orders - report

Shipments of notebooks reached Apple's expectations in January, and the MacBook maker plans to increase its orders for the first quarter of calendar 2011, providing further evidence that the company is largely unaffected by an Intel chipset design error, according to a new report.

DigiTimes reported Wednesday that Apple's notebook shipments are expected to "remain strong" in the first quarter of 2011. It noted that retail channel vendors indicated a widely publicized design flaw in the chipset accompanying Intel's latest-generation Sandy Bridge processors "did not impact" Apple, and the company is expected to increase orders.

The Mac maker was reportedly aided by the fact that it is slower in upgrading its products to the latest platform. The report said that Apple is still using Intel's Calpella chips for "most" of its current models, allowing it to "completely" avoid the impact.

"The sources pointed out that because Apple's products have high (average selling prices), even if the company is slow in upgrading its products to the latest platform, it will not see a significant impact on its pricing or gross margins," the report said.

"However, for Hewlett-Packard (HP), Acer and Dell, which heavily depend on their economic scale, the new platform will help raise their ASPs and therefore, these makers will try to launch notebooks with new platforms as early as possible."

The report follows an exclusive scoop from AppleInsider published on Tuesday, as people familiar with Apple's plans indicated that the company's new MacBook Pros are in production and on track for release in early March. The company reportedly anticipates an introduction of the new models in about two weeks' time.

Intel disclosed earlier this month that it discovered an error in its series 6 chipsets, dubbed Cougar Point, which causes the performance of serial ATA ports numbered 2 through 5 to degrade over time in extreme conditions. The issue applies to both mobile and desktop processors, and does not affect SATA ports 0 and 1.

Just a week after the error was revealed, Intel announced that it had resumed shipment of chipsets for Sandy Bridge-powered PC system configurations not impacted by the design flaw. The company also said the new, fixed version of its support chip would begin shipping for systems that relied on SATA ports 2 through 5 in mid-February. In addition, the company confirmed it will meet its deadline to begin shipping dual-core Sandy Bridge chips on Feb. 20.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Sam Oliver

Apple's new MacBook Pros in production, due by early March - sources

The first major overhaul to Apple's MacBook Pro line in nearly a year is on the cusp of fruition, with production actively underway and volume shipments to begin as early as the first week of March, AppleInsider has been told.

A person familiar with the matter said the Mac maker currently anticipates an introduction of the new models within about two weeks time, which would represent a delay of just a couple of weeks from when the company initially hoped to usher the new models onto the market. The setback was attributed to a widely publicized design flaw in the chipsets accompanying Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors, which the new MacBooks are expected to employ.

That latest revelations appear to support a rumored timeframe shared last week by Danish blog KennethLund.dk (via MacRumors), which identified Tuesday, March 1st as a prime candidate for the notebook launch. It should be noted that while both reports are believed to be on point as of Wednesday, Apple's product launches are often a moving target that can see last minute delays of several days due to unexpected anomalies in manufacturing or the company's supply chain.

Meanwhile, a second person familiar with the matter has hinted that a move to Intel's new Sandy Bridge architecture won't be the only highlight of the new notebook lineup, as Apple appears poised to up the value proposition of the new models through the addition of some enhancements of its own.

It's unclear, however, whether those enhancements are related to the "slight changes" in the notebook's unibody chassis design that the Cupertino-based company is rumored to have implemented, or something entirely different.

One thing that is clear is that Apple's new line of redesigned MacBook Airs are serving as an indicator for the future direct of the company's notebooks in general, with features such as instant-on, standard SSD drives, slimmer enclosures, and the omission of optical drives expected to become more prevalent in many of the models planned for future design cycles over the next 12 to 18 months.

The new MacBook Airs are so hot, in fact, that a third person familiar with Apple's supply chain recently revealed to AppleInsider that the ultra-thin portables are now selling in volumes roughly half that of MacBook Pros after being on the market for less than six months.

Last week, AppleInsider exclusively reported that a design error in Intel's Sandy Bridge chipsets, dubbed "Cougar Point," would have a immaterial impact on the next-generation MacBook Pros. One person familiar with the situation indicated that some, but not all, of the new notebook designs were affected by the situation, but minor tweaks to the logic boards of those models would result in delays of a couple of weeks at most.

Intel's Cougar Point chipsets support a total of six serial ATA ports, but Intel revealed earlier this month that it discovered an error that causes the performance of ports numbered 2 through 5 to degrade over time in extreme conditions. The issue applies to both mobile and desktop processors powered by Sandy Bridge technology.

Just a week after it disclosed the error, Intel announced that it had resumed shipment of chipsets for Sandy Bridge-powered PC system configurations not impacted by the design flaw. The company also said the new, fixed version of its support chip would begin shipping for systems that relied on SATA ports 2 through 5 in mid-February.

A refresh to Apple's MacBook Pro line is long overdue, with the last hardware update coming in April 2010. At the time, the high-end notebook line was outfitted with Intel's first-generation Core i7 and Core i5 processors.



Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Kasper Jade & Neil Hughes 

Apple's new App Store guidelines get tough on cheating developers

Apple has clarified its position for developers regarding all efforts to game iTunes rating, steal data from users, copy other's work, saying it will remove their apps and expel them from its developer program.

In newly revised App Review Guidelines, revised since first being issued last September, Apple added a new bullet point:

"If you attempt to cheat the system (for example, by trying to trick the review process, steal data from users, copy another developer's work, or manipulate the ratings) your apps will be removed from the store and you will be expelled from the developer program."

The warning serves to address a series of problems ranging from certain developers creating fake iTunes accounts to leave flattering reviews; the apparent use of fraudulently hijacked accounts to inflate purchase numbers; and the listing of apps by developers who have simply copied others' work.

New reasons for app rejections

While incrementing the stated size of the App Store library from 250,000 to 350,000, Apple has also articulated a series of new reasons why it might reject an app.

"Apps that are simply a song or movie should be submitted to the iTunes store. Apps that are simply a book should be submitted to the iBookstore," the guidelines now say.

"Apps that arbitrarily restrict which users may use the app, such as by location or carrier, may be rejected," the guidelines add, raising a question about carrier specific apps, like those Verizon has used in the past to differentiate its offerings from identical phone models on other carriers.

Apple also now says that "apps which recommend that users restart their iOS device prior to installation or launch may be rejected," and notes to developers that "apps should have all included URLs fully functional when you submit it for review, such as support and privacy policy URLs."

The guidelines also clarify that "location data can only be used when directly relevant to the features and services provided by the app to the user or to support approved advertising uses."

Subscription policy

As noted earlier, the main change in the App Store Review Guidelines pertains to subscriptions. "Apps offering subscriptions must do so using IAP, Apple will share the same 70/30 revenue split with developers for these purchases, as set forth in the Developer Program License Agreement," Apple says.

"Apps can read or play approved content (magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, video) that is sold outside of the app, for which Apple will not receive any portion of the revenues, provided that the same content is also offered in the app using IAP at the same price or less than it is offered outside the app. This applies to both purchased content and subscriptions."

It also specifies, "Apps that link to external mechanisms for purchasing content to be used in the app, such as a 'buy' button that goes to a web site to purchase a digital book, will be rejected."


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Daniel Eran Dilger

Legacy apps must comply with Apple's App Store subscription rules by June 30

Software currently available in the iOS App Store that does not comply with Apple's newly enforced in-app subscription rules, such as the Amazon Kindle or Hulu+ applications, have until June 30 to comply or they could be removed.

According to Digital Daily, publishers were sent a memo earlier this year to let them know they must offer content or subscriptions for purchase within their App Store application, providing Apple with a 30 percent cut. Apple has claimed that the rule has always existed, but is now being enforced, which led to the rejection of Sony's eBookstore.

"For existing apps already in the App Store, we are providing a grace period to bring your app into compliance with this guideline," the letter to publishers from Apple reads. "To ensure your app remains on the App Store, please submit an update that uses the In App Purchase API for purchasing content, by June 30, 2011."

That means applications like Amazon Kindle, Hulu+, and Netflix now have less than four months to add an in-app purchasing option to their App Store software. And for those content providers, Apple will take a 30 percent cut of all sales made within the application.

AppleInsider reached out to Amazon on Tuesday for comment, but has not received a response.

Apple on Tuesday officially unveiled its new App Store subscription service for iOS devices. It allows publishers of content-based applications to charge recurring fees to customers.

But Apple also said that software may not include links to external websites to purchase content or subscriptions. Publishers will, however, be able to sell digital subscriptions on their websites, or provide free access to existing subscribers. Apple would not be involved in that exchange and would not take a cut, but publishers would be required to provide their own authentication process inside the iOS software.

But if a publisher chooses to sell a digital subscription separately outside of their iOS application, the same subscription must be made available at the same price or less to customers who wish to subscribe from within the app.

"All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app, so that customers can easily subscribe with one-click right in the app," Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in a statement.

Before it was even formally announced, Apple's subscription offering for iOS drew the ire of some content providers, who feel that Apple's 30 percent cut of transactions is unreasonable. Peter Kafka of MediaMemoreported on Tuesday that major publishers like Time Inc. are unlikely to flock to the iPad's new subscription offering, and instead are more likely to work with other platforms like Google Android.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Slash Lane

iOS jailbreakers thwarted by Apple's latest version of iBooks

Apple has taken a new approach in its battle with users who hack iOS-powered devices like the iPhone and iPad, blocking "jailbreakers" from accessing content in its iBooks e-reader application.

Using the hack dubbed "greenpois0n" to jailbreak Apple's iOS 4.2.1 triggers a "jailbreak check" built into the mobile operating system since version 4.0, according toSocial Apples. That "check" reportedly prevents some users from opening content in the latest version iBooks.

"There is a problem with the configuration of your iPhone," the error message in iBooks 1.2.1 reads. "Please restore with iTunes and reinstall iBooks."

Hacker "Comex" of the iPhone Dev Team explained via Twitter how the new anti-jailbreak measure works: "It seems that before opening a DRMed book, iBooks drops an improperly signed binary, tries to execute it, and if it works concludes that the device is jailbroken and refuses to open the book."

In December it was claimed that a jailbreaking application programming interface found in iOS 4 was disabled with the release of iOS 4.2. But the newly discovered security measure apparently only applies to the iBooks software.

Because the change applies only to the iBooks application downloaded from the App Store and is not a system-wide issue, it's likely that Apple's interest is to curb potential piracy of e-books. Jailbreaking is a process that allows iOS device users to run unauthorized code, and can also be used to pirate software and content from the App Store and elsewhere.

But according to Social Apples, the security measure also prevents users from accessing legally purchased e-books through the iBooks application on a jailbroken device. Though it is a warranty voiding process, the practice of jailbreaking to run unauthorized code was deemed legal by the U.S. government last July.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Katie Marsal

Apple unveils subscriptions for iOS App Store, bans links to out-of-app purchases

Apple on Tuesday unveiled its new App Store subscription service, allowing publishers of content-based applications for iOS devices -- like newspapers, magazines, video and music -- to offer recurring billing, but preventing them from including links to external websites to purchase content or subscriptions.

The digital billing service is the same one Apple recently launched with News Corp.'s The Daily earlier this month. At the time, Apple's iTunes chief Eddy Cue said that Apple would offer more details on its subscription service in the near future -- a promise delivered on Tuesday.

Subscriptions purchased from within the App Store will be sold using the same App Store billing system that has been used to buy billions of apps and In-App Purchases. Publishers set the price and length of subscription (weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, bi-yearly or yearly).

With one-click, customers pick the length of subscription and are automatically charged based on their chosen length of commitment (weekly, monthly, etc.). Customers can review and manage all of their subscriptions from their personal account page, including canceling the automatic renewal of a subscription.

Apple processes all payments through the new recurring billing option, keeping the same 30 percent share that it has for other In-App Purchases.

"Our philosophy is simple — when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30 percent share; when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100 percent and Apple earns nothing," Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said. "All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app, so that customers can easily subscribe with one-click right in the app.

"We believe that this innovative subscription service will provide publishers with a brand new opportunity to expand digital access to their content onto the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone, delighting both new and existing subscribers."

Jobs' comments included in Tuesday's announcement are likely intended to calm some publishers who have indicated they feel "betrayed" by Apple's iOS application subscription service. Apple recently began enforcing a rule that applications offer the ability to purchase additional content from within that app, rather than solely through an external Web-based storefront.

Apple also revealed that publishers who use its subscription service in their app can also leverage other methods for acquiring digital subscribers outside of the app. For example, publishers can sell digital subscriptions on their websites, or can choose to provide free access to existing subscribers.

Since Apple is not involved in those transactions, there is no revenue sharing or exchange of customer information with Apple. Publishers must provide their own authentication process inside the app for subscribers that have signed up outside of the app.

However, Apple does require that if a publisher chooses to sell a digital subscription separately outside of the app, that same subscription offer must be made available, at the same price or less, to customers who wish to subscribe from within the app. In addition, publishers may no longer provide links in their apps (to a website, for example) which allow the customer to purchase content or subscriptions outside of the app.

Protecting customer privacy is a key feature of all App Store transactions, the company said. Customers purchasing a subscription through the App Store will be given the option of providing the publisher with their name, email address and zip code when they subscribe.

The use of personal information will be governed by the publisher’s privacy policy rather than Apple's. Publishers may seek additional information from App Store customers provided those customers are given a clear choice, and are informed that any additional information will be handled under the publisher’s privacy policy rather than Apple's.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 AppleInsider Staff

Apple's next iPhone could have 4-inch screen with next-gen A5 processor

A pair of reports coming out of the Far East on Tuesday claim that Apple is looking to expand the screen on at least one version of the next-generation iPhone to 4 inches, while also adding an upgraded A5 chip processor to its smartphone offerings and an enhanced version of the A4 to the second-generation iPad.

Size matters

According to Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes, upstream component suppliers report that Apple will expand the screen size of the fifth-generation iPhone to 4 inches in order to compete with a growing class of 'super phones' in the 4- to 7-inch range. By comparison, the iPhone 4 sports a 3.5-inch display with a resolution of 960 by 640 pixels.

The screen bump could also serve to push the iPhone toward the smaller end of the tablet market. "The component suppliers noted that the production lines for Apple's next generation iPhone have begun testing, and Apple is interesting in expanding the screen size to 4-inches to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market," said the report.

Google Android-based phones appear to be driving the screen race, the report noted. For example, the 5-inch Dell Streak, which has been called a "tweener," has been marketed as a competitor to both the iPad and the iPhone.

If accurate, the DigiTimes report could dovetail with recent rumors of an "iPhone nano," as Apple may be looking to differentiate its iPhone lineup with bigger and smaller displays. Though rumors of a smaller version of the iPhone have persisted for years, recent reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal of an upcoming cheaper, smaller iPhone have lent credence to the rumors.

A recent unverified report from another Taiwanese website claimed that Apple has built three prototype models for the "iPhone 5," including a version with a "sliding cover" that conceals a keyboard.

A4 and A5

A second report from DigiTimes claims that Apple is hoping to outsource the production of its A4 processor and the next-generation A5 processor, which will likely utilize the ARM Cortex A9 design, to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company due to concerns over increased competition between Samsung and Apple. At this week's Mobile World Congress, Samsung has shown a number of new products, such as the Galaxy S II smartphone and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet, that will directly compete with Apple's iPhone and iPad.

Though Apple's A4 processor is currently exclusively produced by Samsung Electronics, Apple has tapped TSMC for help producing the A4 in the past when Samsung's capacity was unable to meet demand for Apple's devices. Sources indicated to DigiTimes that "the move at that time was perhaps to test TSMC's capability."

"According to Digitimes Research," the report continued, "the iPad 2 will support an enhanced version of the A4 and the A5 will power the iPhone 5. TSMC will initially produce the improved A4, and could likely become the exclusive manufacturer of the A5."

The report echoes rumors from January suggesting that the next iPhone will run atop "Apple's new A5 CPU (a Cortex A9-based, multi-core chip)."

DigiTimes, which bases many of its reports off tips from Asian suppliers, has a hit-and-miss track record with Apple predictions, so Tuesday's reports should be taken with a grain of salt.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Josh Ong

AppleCentral opens second poll booth

AppleCentral on Monday 14 February 2011 opened their second annual poll booth. It is 2rd out of the 6 poll booths to be held over 2011. The theme of this poll booth is "What do you think of this blog". Like the previous poll booth, readers have the option to select multiple answers. 




-------------------------------------------------------
THE POLL BOOTH IS SET FOR CLOSURE ON THURSDAY 24 MARCH 2011 AT 00:00 GMT WITH FINALISED RESULTS ON MONDAY 28 MARCH 2011.










Yours sincerely,
The AppleCentral Team @ 14 February 2011.

Microsoft paying Nokia billions to adopt Windows Phone platform

Nokia will receive billions of dollars from Microsoft for adopting the Windows Phone platform on future smartphones, as the two companies struggle to compete with Apple and Google in the mobile space.

According to The Associated Press, Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop revealed at this week's Mobile World Congress that Microsoft is paying the Finnish handset maker billions of dollars to switch to Windows Phone. Elop revealed the agreement in an effort to appease investors, after his company's stock tumbled 14 percent following the announced partnership with Microsoft.

The CEO said Microsoft's payments acknowledge the "substantial value to contribute" that Nokia offers the Redmond, Wash., software giant. He also said that his company will pay Microsoft royalties for the use of its software, as is standard practice.

Elop was also asked if he's a "Trojan horse" for Microsoft, his former employer, to which he replied "No." He said the decision to adopt the Windows Phone platform was unanimous among Nokia's senior management.

Nokia announced last week that it plans to ditch its Symbian operating system for future smartphones and will instead focus on creating new handsets running Microsoft's Windows Phone platform. Through the partnership, in which the two will "integrate key assets," the companies said they plan to introduce a "new global mobile ecosystem" by jointly creating new mobile products and services.

Nokia went on to reveal on Monday it plans to release its first handsets running the Windows Phone platform this year. Elop said that his company is "feeling the heat" to meet a 2011 deadline.

Elop, previously the head of Microsoft's Business Division, took over as CEO of Nokia in September of 2010. Nokia has struggled to maintain its dominance in the smartphone market as competitors Apple and Google have found great success.

Elop candidly acknowledged those struggles in a 1,300-word letter to employees issued this month. In it, he compared the company's Symbian mobile operating system to a "burning platform" that the company was forced to jump off of in order to survive.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Katie Marsal

$7.8B in parts will make Apple largest customer of rival Samsung

The partnership between Apple and Samsung is expected to grow in 2011, as a new report claims Apple will become the company's largest customer with $7.8 billion in component purchases -- even as Samsung attempts to compete with Apple's iPhone and iPad with new products unveiled this week.

According to the Korea Economic Daily, Apple is expected to buy about $7.8 billion worth of components from Samsung this year. The parts will reportedly be for Apple's mobile products, including the iPhone and iPad, and include liquid crystal displays, mobile application processors and NAND flash memory chips.

The proposed contract, according to industry sources cited in the story, would make Apple the single largest customer of Samsung.

The news comes as the Mobile World Congress is underway and Samsung has shown off a number of products it hopes will compete with Apple's iPhone and iPad. Among the products unveiled was the Samsung Galaxy S II, the follow-up to its hot selling line of Android handsets.

The new Samsung Galaxy S II has a dual-core processor and runs Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread with the device maker's custom TouchWiz user interface skin. It also sports a large 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen with a WVGA 480-by-800-pixel resolution with 50 percent more sub-pixels.

The forthcoming handset also includes an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, 1080p video recording and playback, integrated near-field communications chip, and support for HSPA+, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The device is expected to debut in Europe and Asia this month.

Samsung Galaxy S II, photo via Cnet.

Samsung also this week introduced the Galaxy Tab 10.1, a touchscreen tablet it hopes will compete with Apple's iPad. The Android-powered tablet has a screen size slightly larger than the 9.7-inch display used by Apple's iPad, a change from the first Galaxy Tab, which had a 7-inch screen.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the latest version of Google's mobile operating system specifically designed for tablets. That, too, is an improvement over the previous Galaxy Tab, which runs a version of Android intended for smartphones.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 screen has a resolution of 1,280 by 800 pixels, weighs 21 ounces, and measures 0.44 inches thick. It has an Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor, an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel forward-facing camera.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, via PCWorld.

In terms of components, this past week it was claimed that Apple has shown interest in Samsung's new "Super Plane to Line Switching" (PLS) display technology. A separate report from Korea claimed that Apple will use Samsung LCD panels for the "iPad 2," and that the Cupertino, Calif., company has shown interest in Samsung's "Super PLS" displays, which allow for superior viewing angles.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Sam Oliver

Apple to expand reach with new smaller iPhone, enhanced MobileMe

After bringing its iPhone 4 to Verizon Wireless, Apple will release iPhone 5 alongside a smaller, cheaper phone this summer, bundled with enhanced MobileMe services.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Apple is planning to expand its phone offerings to "accelerate sales of its smartphones amid growing competition."

The report cited a person who claimed to have seen a prototype device late last fall, describing it as "about half the size of iPhone 4." The new model, harmonizing with a recent report by Bloomberg, is said to be aimed at delivering a low cost phone that costs "about half the price" of today's iPhone 4.

Carriers currently buy iPhone 4 at around $625 and then most offer it to their subscribers starting at $199, with the balance of the cost subsidized against a two year contract. Carriers in some countries sell the device closer to its actual price or unlocked at full price.

The new smaller iPhone is expected to priced cheap enough to be offered by carriers for free with a smaller subsidy, or in the ballpark of $300 unlocked. Rather than being a dumbed down "feature phone," the smaller iPhone is said to simply be "significantly lighter," with a smaller edge-to-edge touch screen.

The new model is also said to offer "voice navigation," without elaborating. This could reference the incorporation of the Siri voice-navigated personal assistance service Apple acquired last year, a likely inclusion in this year's iOS 5.0 release.

Apart from using a smaller screen, it's not clear how Apple could shave off much size and weight off the phone itself without using a smaller battery, which takes up most of the space within the current design of iPhone 4.

This all happened before

Apple pursued a similar strategy after establishing iPod as the dominant high end music player. In 2004, the company released a 4GB Microdrive-based iPod mini aimed at cheaper flash RAM MP3 players; it offered half the capacity of the smallest iPod and was lighter, thinner, cheaper and offered in a series of colors.

Along with the flash-based iPod nano that replaced it two years later, the iPod mini helped Apple to aggressively take over the majority of the MP3 market outside of the more profitable, high end hard drive segment.

Delivering a smaller, cheaper iPhone model would similarly enable Apple to directly take on the larger but less profitable market for lower end phones now being dominated by licensees of Google's Android in the US and China, and Nokia's Symbian and S40 platforms around the world.

Google targeted the low end of the market in an effort to create a large installed base to support its advertising business model. Its licensees have been unable to match the overall profitability of the iPhone, with all of their high end models combined selling in far smaller volume than Apple's iPhone.

Nokia already owns the vast majority of the mobile market, and its share of smartphones is largely made up of simple button phones. It too has both been unable to raise its earnings per phone or to deliver high end phones with the appeal and popularity of iPhone.

The company reports that Microsoft, which it said will be paying it "billions" to help launch new Windows Phone 7 models, is "less-focused" on the "substantial portions" representing the rest of its business, which includes "lower-end handsets aimed at emerging markets, such as India."

iPhone 5

The same source who described Apple's plans for a smaller iPhone said the company's flagship iPhone 4 would also be updated in parallel, without offering specifics. It is expected that iPhone 5 will ship in CDMA and GSM versions, despite being built around a world-mode Qualcomm chip similar or identical to the new CDMA iPhone 4 now being sold by Verizon.

That chip also supports HSPA+ with download speeds of up to 14.4Mpbs, twice as fast as the existing GSM/UMTS iPhone 4. AT&T and other GSM carriers worldwide are already running or in the process of upgrading their existing UMTS networks to support HSPA+, a technology AT&T now refers to as 4G, making it all but certain that AT&T will market iPhone 5 as being a 4G phone.

It has previously been reported that iPhone 5 would also use a new version of Apple's A4 chip, upgraded to incorporate the new generation of dual core Cortex-A9 ARM CPUs and Imagination's dual core SGX543 graphics processor, all running at a slightly faster 1.2GHz.

That same chip is likely to be used across all of Apple's new iOS devices, including iPad 2 later this quarter, and a new iPod touch and possibly Apple TV later this fall. It is likely Apple would also use the new chip in its smaller iPhone, to take advantage of economies of scale to drive the production price down. iPad 2 is also reportedly using faster RAM, something that may also make it into the design of iPhone 5.

MobileMe revamp

The report also noted new efforts by Apple to improve its MobileMe offerings for iPhone users, saying that "Apple is considering making MobileMe a free service that would serve as a 'locker' for personal memorabilia such as photos, music and videos, eliminating the need for devices to carry a lot of memory."

This correlates with an earlier report that indicated Apple would be incorporating a new Photo Stream feature in iOS 4.3, designed to automatically push photos and potentially movies to Apple's cloud servers.

The new service is also expected to incorporate the iTunes cloud services Apple has been working on for years, designed to enable users to access their purchased media over the network as a streaming service.

Both such efforts would minimize the storage required on the phone, enabling Apple to differentiate high end, 16 to 32GB iPhone models from a low cost, smaller iPhone sibling. Reports of a smaller iPhone have been circulating since at least 2008, when a model offering a 2.8 inch screen and weighing about 20 percent less was reported to be in the pipeline.

Instead of offering a smaller version of the iPhone, Apple designed a cheaper version for its second edition 3G model, using a plastic back instead of an aluminum case.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Daniel Eran Dilger

Apple Considering Samsung Super PLS Display for Future iPad?

The Korea Times claims that Samsung may be supplying Liquid Crystal Display panels for the next generation iPad. (via 9to5mac)

According to sources, the company, established in January 2009, is in the final stage of talks on supplying its latest LCD panels for Apple’s iPad 2, which is expected to be released later this year.

Apple is said to be working on expanding its list of suppliers for the iPad LCD to many firms, including LG Display and others in Japan and Taiwan, other than Samsung.

The article, however, goes on to say that Apple may also be considering the use of Samsung's Super Plane to Line Switching (PLS) technology that was just unveiled in November of 2010.

It was further reported that Apple is interested in Samsung Mobile Display’s Super Plane to Line Switching (PLS) displays ― first unveiled in November last year ― which enable the company to deliver more and improved viewing angles.

The main advantage of the PLS display is improved viewing angles over existing IPS displays which are currently used in the iPad. The new screen is also said to be 10% brighter and 15% cheaper to produce, but Samsung has 30 key patents for the technology, so we're not sure how this fits in with Apple's plans to secure multiple suppliers for their LCDs.


Information retrieved from: http://www.macrumors.com


(C) 2011 Arnold Kim

March 1st as Possible Date for New MacBook Pros?

As we approach the expected updates for the MacBook Pro line, we tend to start hearing about possible release dates. There are typically some false starts, so it's hard to be sure, but the first contender for this round appears to be March 1st.

Danish blogger KennethLund.dk claims to have heard from a source in one of the major Danish Apple resellers that MacBook Pro models are on tight supply but that the newly updated models will arrive on March 1st.

March 1st falls on a Tuesday which is typical for Apple's releases. The MacBook Pro was last updated in April of 2010 and is due for an update. While there had been some concern that the new models would be delayed by Intel's manufacturing issues, the latest reports claim that any delay will be minimal.

The MacBook Pro will likely adopt Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors. Many also expect that some of the models may take design cues from the MacBook Airs. The latest MacBook Air moved away from traditional hard drives and are now using smaller SSD sticks to save on space. The MacBook Air has also never included a built-in optical drive in another effort to reduce weight and space.





Information retrieved from: http://www.macrumors.com


(C) 2011 Arnold Kim


(C) MacBook Pro image is courtesy of sweetwater.com licensed under Apple Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Source: Intel error pinches Apple's MacBook Pro updates but delays minor

A widely publicized chip design error on Intel's part has disrupted Apple's plans for its next-generation MacBook Pro models, but the impact will be largely immaterial to both the company's bottom line and its customers, AppleInsider  has been told.

Intel said late last month that a design flaw in all of its 6 Series Cougar Point chipsets -- due to support new Sandy Bridge Core processors bound for mainstream notebooks and desktops like Apple's MacBook Pro and iMacs -- would delay volume launches of those chips due to a lapse in production while it corrected the glitch.

The impact on Apple due to the setback hasn't been immediately clear. However, one person familiar with the matter tells AppleInsider  that some -- not all -- of the company's upcoming MacBook Pros were affected by the situation. According to this person, the Mac maker elected to make minor tweaks to the logic boards of those models, but that those changes would translate to a delay of less than two weeks.

Reading between the lines can only lead to speculation that Apple was an early recipient of some of those Cougar Point chipsets from Intel, and that the changes it's making involve tweaks to SATA ports that those MacBook Pros will utilize.

Those chipsets offer support for a total of six SATA ports, but Intel acknowledged the only problem with the chips was the potential for four of those ports -- 2 through 5 -- to "degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives."

However, an Intel spokesperson confirmed that that the problem does not affect SATA ports 0 or 1, so any system builders that received those parts would be clear to ship those chips in systems that utilize only ports 0 or 1. For its part, Apple makes use of only two SATA ports in its current MacBook Pros, according to iFixit teardown specialist Kyle Wiens, and has no reason to require more going forward.

"There are two connections on the board -- one for optical drive, and one for HDD,"  he said. "The other internal devices (trackpad, keyboard, SD card reader, etc.) use USB."

In total, Intel said it shipped roughly 8 million of the Cougar Point chipsets to system manufacturers before it discovered the error but that "relatively few consumers" were impacted by this issue because the only systems that actually made it into end consumers hands' were those based on its new Sandy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 quad core processors for desktop systems. The rest of the chips -- presumably some of which went to Apple -- hadn't yet been built into systems available to consumers.

As such, the launch window for Apple's new MacBook Pros, which have been rumored to "feature a slight change in chassis design" and speculated to employ the Sandy Bridge Core processors listed in the chart below, remains hazy. Still, evidence from those familiar with the matter and checks within the company's supply chain suggest a period sooner than later -- likely between late February and early April for volume shipments.

Apple as early as last month began drawing down inventories of its lower volume MacBook Pros, namely the 17-inch model, in anticipation of the transition. For instance, some of the company's largest resellers including Amazon direct, MacMall and J&R Computer World (1,2,3) have long run dry of this model. And just this week, MacConnection and MacMall appear to have run into trouble securing more of the two high-end 15-inch models (1,2,3,4), which are now both out of stock.

People familiar with the buy side of operations for big box retailers like Amazon and Best Buy say Apple initially offered restocking dates of late January for those MacBook Pros but then missed those dates and pushed them out a week late. This trend has continued for the past two weeks, where a restocking date is supplied, only to be missed and rescheduled.

According to those same people, such anomalies in Apple's Mac supply chain only manifest in the face of a significant production problem or on the cusp of major product line refresh.


Information retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com


(C) 2011 Kasper Jade