The iPhone 5 won’t look like this, but it’s fun to speculate. Personally, I prefer the header image they’ve used for the post (seen above). It looks a lot more elegant than the video concept.

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The lastest and greatest rumor from 9to5 Mac has indicated that insiders at Apple HQ, who apparently don’t value their jobs, have tipped them off with news that the next iPhone will not only have a bigger screen, but that it will also have a 16:9 aspect ratio.

While we’re not sold on a 16:9 aspect ratio in the next iPhone, we’re certainly starting to lean towards the next iPhone having a bigger screen. It’s based on a hunch, but a lot of people are “confirming” that the next iPhone will indeed have a bigger screen.

Personally, I’d like to see the iPod touch get the bigger screen, bringing the device in line with other gaming-only platforms on the market, and thereby turning it into Apple’s balls-to-the-wall gaming device. Hell, you could even name that the iPad mini or whatever else you want to call it, but I digress.

Via: Gizmodo
Image Credit: Christyam

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Below is an except from each report, just so you can see who is saying what on the new iPhone.

From The Wall Street Journal:

From Reuters:

We’re still not 100 percent sold on the rumors, as it seems everyone, including mainstream media outlets, are getting in on the Apple rumor mill cash cow these days. That said, we tend to give publications like The Wall Street Journal and Reuters the benefit of the doubt in these matters. Only time will tell, I guess.

Image Credit: _GUIMS

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The entire Mac lineup has been reported to include Ivy Bridge CPUs in the upcoming computer refresh from Apple, but the inclusion of the GeForce GT 650M card in the MacBook Pro is a pretty new rumor at this point.

From Joanna Stern at ABC News:

The current MacBook Air has an Intel HD Graphics chip, and the MacBook Pro versions that start at 15-inches currently have an AMD Radeon HD 6750M card or Radeon HD 6770M card. We wouldn’t be surprised if Apple gives the graphics processor a bit of an upgrade moving forward. It pretty much happens every time they release a new version of their laptop.

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From Stern’s ABC report:

The report seems largely based off of 9to5Macs findings; however, Bloomberg has also thrown its hat into the ring this time around, and states that new MacBook Pros with Retina displays will be unvieled at WWDC this year (June 11).

From Bloomberg:

That’s two seemingly independant verifications that the new MacBook Pro and potentially iMac will be getting Retina displays. If you run a website in any capacity, now’s the time to start figuring out how to serve up Retina capable graphics to your visitors. Things are about to get a whole log blurrier come WWDC.

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It’s pretty cut and dry. Translated from German, here’s what Loewe had to say:

Like the iPhone before it, it seems like the Internet is trying everything in its power to willfully rumor the Apple Television into existence. Reports pop up, like the one suggesting Jony Ive has a huge prototype in his lap, and then they disappear to never be heard of again.

As much as we would love to see an Apple Television hit the market, and more specifically hit up my living room, we really have a hard time believing that we’ll see the device this year. It seems that the market is terribly small.

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Kotaku is reporting on a photo tip from a GameStop employee who managed to find a couple of used MacBooks in the company’s inventory system:

Would you buy a refurbished laptop from GameStop? I purchased a new MacBook Pro from Best Buy once. Note the once. Nightmare after nightmare, I vowed to never purchase another machine or product from a Best Buy. I’d be a little skittish walking out of a GameStop with a new used MacBook. Would you?

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Apple Insider found further evidence that Apple has increased the resolution of its TextEditor application, along with some other apps:

If true, this could be pretty exciting news, but it also provide a bit of a problem for citizens of the Internet. If you’ve spent any time using the new iPad and surfing the Internet, including our site, you know that normal web graphics are a bit blurry on non-Retina ready devices. Apple will face a huge challenge in convincing websites and app developers not on the Mac App Store to provide readers and customers with Retina-ready applications and websites. It’s easy to encourage iOS developers that rely solely on one platform to upgrade their apps, but when you’re trying to convince the tech world on a whole to upgrade their websites, no matter if they’re Mac users or Windows users, it’s going to be a difficult proposition to achieve. Cinema Displays aren’t ubiquitous currently, and unless the entire monitor industry is getting ready to go Retina, it’s going to be hard to get the tools needed for designing these apps into developers’ hands.

Image Credit and Via: Apple Insider

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It would certainly be a big change-up from the last couple of major OS updates from Apple. Lion was released on July 20, 2011, and Snow Leopard was released on August 28, 2009, with both releases falling a full month after WWDC of that year. The Leopard release was a giant mess with the shipping date slipping numerous times. If we take the last two releases as a case in point, Mountain Lion would be released sometime in July this year, with the Gold Master being available to developers at, or around, WWDC 2012.

We’re inclined to believe that the pattern will continue this year, because we have no reason to believe it won’t.

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While Apple may be “investigating” the bug, they may not have a solution for it just yet. If anything, the email, dug up by AppleInsider, sounds a little like a canned response for suggestions and bugs that have found their way into Apple’s hands.

Two years ago (yikes) I wrote an article titled The iPad needs user accounts, and I still stand by it. It’s great that some families can afford to buy all their kids iPads, but the practice is pretty far from the norm. We currently have one iPad in my family, and it gets passed around quite a bit between us. Add in the fact that visitors may stop by and pick the iPad up to check their email while hanging out, and you’ve now got yourself a full-fledged problem that multiple user accounts can solve.

Apple, get on with it. We need multiple user accounts. The iPad is not like the iPhone. Some of us share them quite a bit with family members.

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The always wrong DigiTimes is reporting that Apple will release a sub $800.00 MacBook Air in the coming months:

It’s laughable, isn’t it? Would Apple rather that cheap asses purchase a cheaper MacBook Air, or an iPad? Our money is on the iPad, which is exactly why the company won’t realistically introduce a cheaper MacBook Air to the market in the third quarter of 2012.

Would a cheaper MacBook Air encourage customers to purchase the device over the competition? Yes. Do people already purchase the MacBook Air over the competition due to quality differences? Yes. The MacBook Air is bound to get an update, with a new CPU, and other specification goodness, but Apple won’t be releasing a cheaper model of the laptop. It’ll bring the price too close to the iPad, and right now, Apple’s all about selling post-PC devices, not cheaper PC devices. A cheaper MacBook Air would directly compete with people purchasing iPads, and Apple isn’t in the business of competing with itself.

Image Credit: Gizmodo

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Jeremy Horowitz, of iLounge fame, states in a blog post:

In addition to the size differences, iLounge is stating that Apple will also introduce a new, smaller dock connector. Get ready to buy new docks, cases, and iPhone speakers. This version of the new iPhone could be pretty damaging on your pocket book. Also, a bigger screen would mean a new aspect ratio, and ultimately result in yet another resolution for developers to fiddle with to ensure previous generation iPhone users could still use their apps.

For those keeping score, iLounge has been doing these early looks at devices for the last two iPads with varying degress of success. The iPad 3/HD early look that they published was vague enough that it read like a horoscope out of a Sunday newspaper. Their iPad 2 hands on was a lot more accurate than the latest, but still had some holes in it. This iPhone rumor is a lot more specific, including the rumor of a bigger screen, and a “metal panel to the central back of the new iPhone.” That’s a make-or-break type of prediction. Horowitz seems pretty sure of his source, but that being said, last year around this time Joshua Topoolsky was pretty sure the iPhone 4S was actually going to be an iPhone 5 with a tear-shaped body and we all know how that one turned out. Oh, wait, it didn’t.

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According to MacRumors, the latest developer build of OS X Mountain Lion and Safari 5.2, the app now includes a Passwords preference pane:

In all fairness, 1Password does an awful lot more than just password generation and storage. The application also stores software licenses, files, as well as other things that are not yet built natively into OS X. 1Password is also available across iOS, OS X, Windows, and Android devices, making it a lot more useful than just a Safari password sync.

That being said, I know a lot of people who could benefit from some password help in Safari. If you’re currently looking to get some help with your password generation you can search for Keychain Access in Spotlight, and create new password items for websites that way. Clicking on the key icon will bring up a password generator for you.

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From ETNews:

Liquidmetal is rumored to be stronger and more damage resistent than the materials currently in the iPhone 4S. From what we hear, a phone made of Liquidmetal would not only be lighter than current iPhone models, but it would also be able to withstand greater impact than previous models of the iPhone. Liquidmetal products are generally scratch resistant. A Liquidmetal iPhone, if the rumors are true, would not only save Apple a ton of money in phone repairs, but it would also eliminate the need for carrying around your phone in a mediocre iPhone case.

There’s only one way to carry an iPhone: Naked, baby.

Image Credit: Gizmodo

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The iPad Mini has been a part of the rumor mill for about as long as the idea of an Apple tablet has been around. When Amazon released its Kindle Fire, it stirred up the rumors even more.

AI:

We all know that analysts, on the whole, have a terrible track record with Apple. More often than not, it is safer to bet against their predictions than with them. Just because the rumor mill wants it, doesn’t mean Apple is going to release it. While Apple has most assuredly long had a 7-inch tablet prototype, that doesn’t make it true that they are going to release a 7-inch tablet. The iPad is selling like hotcakes, and undermining the impressive sales with a lower cost item while their growth is spiking seems silly.

We’re not ruling out Apple ever releasing a 7-inch tablet, but we’d be very surprised if it happened any time soon. Truth be told, we’re still not sold on the concept of using a scaled-down iPad interface on a smaller tablet. Tap targets are already pretty small on the 10-inch iPad — it would get much worse if you were expected to tap the same target at a reduced on-screen size.

Source: Neil Hughes

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If true, it’s starting to look likely that Apple is actually planning to move away from Google Maps in iOS, and instead could be adopting OpenStreetMap in iOS 6. Apple has already implemented OpenStreetMap in iPhoto for iOS, and it sounds like it may only be a matter of time until the Maps application gets an upgrade from Google’s services.

The rumors about Apple creating its own mapping service have been floating around for years. Apple purchased C3 Technologies last year. Back in May of 2011, Apple was looking to hire an iOS Maps Application developer, which really kicked off rumors that the company was looking to create its own mapping system. Apple was awarded a patent system for preparing and presenting schematic maps. The company has also purchased Placebase and Poly 9, both amazing mapping companies.

The idea of Apple replacing Google Maps has been around since 2009 when Seth Weintraub wrote a piece for Computerworld suggesting that the Placebase purchase signaled the end of Google Maps when he titled his article Apple purchased Placebase in July to replace Google Maps?. It’s 2012, and Google Maps is still kicking around. Who knows, maybe 2012 is the year with see a new Maps application from Apple.

Via: MacObserver
Image Credit: HypeBeast

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The report reads (translated from Chinese):

We should note that the original article cites ZDNet: Ni Austria as its source, but fails to provide a link to any article or commentary. We couldn’t find the original source. The report also seems pretty suspect, but we can’t deny that we’ve been hearing more and more about an iPad mini being released in the coming months.

That said, we’re still not sure that it makes much sense. If anything, and this is just a hunch, we’d like to see the iPod touch get a little bigger to help differentiate it from the iPhone. The iPod touch can stand to gain a few more inches, and it would certainly make the device a gaming epicenter in the home, letting it compete directly with the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.

Via: Kotaku

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It sounds like Apple’s setting its sights on “seamless, more aesthetically pleasing unibody” headphones for their mobile devices through ultrasonic bonding. We’re not joking: one headphone, one solid piece of ultrasonically welded plastic.

AppleInsider has uncovered a patent that illustrates Apple’s attempts at combining plastics, and deburring curved plastic objects with their headphone lineup. The next time you buy a next generation iPhone or iPod, you may find yourself with a set of unibody earbuds.

Photo Credit: Peter Gerdes

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Of course, new model rumors wouldn’t be complete without a little speculation about the upgraded specifications that could be in the new models. Currently, rumors suggest that Apple could be including Intel’s Core i5 (3720QM) and i7 (3820QM) Ivy Bridge processors in the new machines.

CPU World has taken those two particular CPUs and benchmarked them against the current generation MacBook Pros:

As expected, new chipsets are faster than old chipsets. Go figure. Rumor has it that the new MacBook Pro lineup will be announced and released on April 29, 2012. There’s not much to go on with the rumor, but April 29th seems to the be the most agreed upon date. It’s probably true considering I just purchased a MacBook Air two weeks ago.

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This rumor, just like all the others that came before it last year, hinges on the fact that the next iPhone will not look like the current model, the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. Many have speculated that the iPhone 4S was going to look like an entirely new phone around this time last year, but as we now know the rumor didn’t have much weight to it.

Historically, the iPhone lineup keeps the same form factor for two generations of phones, so right now, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that the next iPhone will not look anything like the iPhone 4S. Additionally, this rumor du jour hints that the iPhone 5 will have an A5X processor and 1GB of RAM, much like the current iPad (third-generation).

Furthermore, we’re also hearing today from a Foxconn employee that the next iPhone will be available in October. Late last week we heard from a glorified security guard at Foxconn who announced to the world that the next iPhone would be available in June or July. Today, a person inside Foxconn’s Human Resources department is stating that the next iPhone will ship in October, stating “We just got the order. It [the release] will be around October.” Like we said last week, it’s unlikely that anyone with intimate knowledge of the iPhone 5 plans would talk to the press and spill the beans like the HR representative did at Foxconn. If the employee was in the know and did legitimately spill the beans, they may just be the worst HR rep of all time. The original iPhone through until the iPhone 4 were released during the summer months; however, the iPhone 4S shirked the norm, and instead was released in the early fall. There’s a very high likelihood that the next generation iPhone will follow along with the new release schedule of the iPhone 4S.

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Putting aside the assumption that a recruiter would know the shipping date of the next iPhone, and so cavalierly share that information with the public, a June release is pretty suspect at this point. The iPhone 4S didn’t ship until October last year, and at that time there was plenty of speculation that Apple was trying to separate the release of the new iPad and the iPhone at that time, putting more space between the two releases.

Despite the fact that the last iPhone, the iPhone 4S, shipped in October, it didn’t stop some publications from suggesting that the iPhone 5 will be available this summer. The International Business Times kicked off this June rumor by suggesting the iPhone 5 release could happen in March when they published a report that Foxconn was hiring 20,000 employees and that “the plant will reportedly manufacture more than 80% of total iPhone 5 units. Adding more workers in mass number simply reflects that Apple and Foxconn are speeding up the process of manufacturing next generation iPhones.”

Now, circling back to the recruiter. There’s a very slim chance that this glorified gatekeeper at a Foxconn factory would have inside knowledge that Apple would be releasing the iPhone 5 in June. Foxconn may be hiring to help with the iPhone 5 demand, but it’s just as likely that production on the new iPhone would be ramping up through June for a release in October, as Apple would stockpile the device for an October release.

Via: Gizmodo

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Mac, you’re now Siri’s bitch. You had better get used to it.

The patent application points out that (PDF):

The idea of sending commands to your peripherals and computers directly from your iPhone 4S is an intriguing one that may explain the lack of Siri functionality in the new iPad. Coupling devices together so that they can communicate via a remote server may be easier said than done, but at this point, being able to tell my Apple TV to start playing a movie from my couch through my iPhone 4S is something that has me more than a little interested. This type of model would eliminate the need for including chipsets to decipher speech, and instead the secondary devices would only have to execute the remote commands that a Siri server would send to the device. That makes a lot more sense than including Siri speech recognition capabilities in every single product Apple makes. The iPhone becomes a command central for initiating Siri queries, and the rest of your devices would just do what they’re told.

I like it.

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Vivek Gowri of Anandtech on the iOS controller:

Simply put, if Apple’s serious about running games from iOS directly on a television, then this kind of input device is seriously needed. As nice as touch displays are for gaming on-screen, the moment I lift my head to watch on the television while mirroring my iPad, things get really out of control. My fingers start sliding off the buttons, and I constantly find myself looking down at the iPad instead of up at my television, defeating the purpose of mirroring my game in the first place. A controller would be ideal in this scenario, and I’d certainly welcome it into my gaming sessions.

Via: AppleInsider

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A report from RepairLabs claims that Texas Instruments has begun production on the newest iPhone’s power management chip. Routinely, the phone releases a few months after TI begins work on their chips. This report is backed up by the same Chinese source who showed pictures of the new iPad back housing and glass, who says the phone will be released in September.

The TI inside source also claims that the new phone will, in fact, be named the iPhone 5 (even though it’s the 6th phone). Also, the Chinese source claims that the screen “will indeed be larger than the current 3.5 inch model.” While dates and specifications are just rumors at this point, RepairLabs states that their source has “proven extremely reliable in the past.”

I’ll wait till the press conference before I get excited for anything.

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From Jeff Benjamin over at the iDownloadBlog:

Given the evidence that’s been revealed by Benjamin, and the fact that the team over there found mention of FaceTime over 4G integration in all of their iOS 5.1 devices, we’re a little bit skeptical that we’ll see the technology rolled out any time soon. Apple just released an LTE, 4G iPad, but FaceTime isn’t available over the network yet on that device. There’s always a chance that FaceTime over LTE could be an exclusive to the new iPhone (just like Hotspot was originally), but even then it’s unlikely. Why’s it unlikely? Well, the carriers are a bunch of douchenozzles, and they’re the ones standing in the way of the technology going live already. Expecting them to change their minds any time soon is a pipe dream. If anything, we can see AT&T, Verizon, and others charging a fee for the ability to use FaceTime.

Anyway, FaceTime has always worked over the 3G network. Jailbreakers have been able to do it for quite some time now. The technology already exists in the current iPhone, but access for us normal non-jailbreaking folks does not. It’s pretty obvious that Apple would be testing new devices with FaceTime, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to go live any time soon, so don’t hold your breath.

Anyway, great find by the iDownloadblog team. Props where it’s due.

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From the Reuters publication:

Reuters, not a publication that takes rumors lightly, has published a report based on an unnamed source speaking to the Maeil Business Newspaper. It’s a little bit surprising, and it’s starting to look like Reuters may be getting in on the cash cow that is iPhone rumors. Also, the Maeil Business Newspaper is a Korean based newspaper, so there could be some connection to Samsung factories in the region. That being said, there’s no mention on the Maeil Business Newspaper website of this story at all, so it appears Reuters got the news from an actual printed paper, conveniently.

Rumors of a larger screen iPhone have been around since before the iPhone 4S release last October. It didn’t happen then, and we’re not completely sold that it’ll happen this time around. Personally I think the 3.5-inch screen of the current iPhone is pretty perfect, but I have girly hands, so you sausage finger dudes may disagree with me.

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From the team at Electricpig:

Putting aside the absurdity that a vendor would have information about upcoming products from Apple, the idea of a 15-inch MacBook Air kind of makes sense in the grand scheme of things.

Currently, Apple only offers the Air in 11- and 13-inch models. The Mac Pro comes in 13-, 15-, and 17-inch models. Some consumers are willing to shell out the extra cash for a MacBook Pro just to get the extra screen real estate. This new rumor suggests that Apple’s looking to split their lineup clearly in two, between consumer and professional once again, by offering 15-inch MacBook Air editions to consumers.

The move makes sense, and after speaking with some colleagues about it, like Stephen Hackett, I’m growing more convinced that the 13-inch MacBook Pro could disappear in the near future. A lot of pro applications work well on the 13-inch display, but for the most part, most of the professionals I know that rock the MacBook Pro prefer the bigger screens. It’s a hunch, but I’ve got the feeling we may see an 11-, 13-, and 15-inch MacBook Air, and only a 15-, and 17-inch MacBook Pro moving forward, leaving the 15-inch model as the swing point between the consumer and professional level devices in Apple’s catalog.

Image Credit: /rnikko

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The day is upon us. Today we will most likely witness the introduction of the third generation of the iPad. Many rumors have been flying around the Internet; some of them make sense, and some are just batshit crazy. When reporting on these rumors, we usually try to reality check them at once, but having them in one place before the event is nice, too. So to give you, our dear readers, an overview of the rumors that are out there and — in case of the more sane predictions — a glimpse of what actually might happen, here’s our iPad event rumor round-up and sanity check:

• High resolution display: It’s widely expected that the next iPad will sport a 9.7-inch display with a resolution of 2048 px by 1536 px. This seems pretty likely, especially because scaling-up UI elements by a factor of 4x is less of a pain than having to deal with factors of 3x or 1.5x that would be necessary at resolutions other than the aforementioned. Grain of Salt Meter™ 1/5
• Quad-core CPU: Whether it’ll be called A5X or A6, the rumor sites are certain that we’re going to see a new processor in the next iPad, with four cores and better graphics performance to power the Retina display. We’d be surprised if Apple didn’t equip the next iPad with a new processor. The iPad got the A4 (after that the iPhone 4 also got the A4). The iPad 2 got the A5 (a few months after that the iPhone 4S was treated with this processor, too). The continuation of this pattern seems logical, Captain. Grain of Salt Meter™ 1/5
• iOS 5.1 release today: This next version has been in beta for quite some time and seems ripe for the picking, laden with smaller improvements and rich text editing in more of Apple’s own apps. A release during an iPad event is likely, and Apple has done things like this in the past.Grain of Salt Meter™ 1/5
• iPad 2 to stick around: Some sites suggested that the iPad 2 might be here to stay after the new iPad is released. This wouldn’t be surprising. Apple has does this every time a new iPhone hits the market and even though they didn’t do it with the first iPad after the second one was released, discounting the iPad 2 to give people a cheaper option (call it gateway drug if you will) isn’t unreasonable or new. The education market surely wouldn’t mind cheaper iPad 2s. Grain of Salt Meter™ 1/5
• Better camera: The next iPad might receive a better camera, if the rumors of purported bigger camera and lens elements are to be believed. Does the iPad need a better camera? Do people really use it for things other than video calls? All in all a small improvement of the camera or cameras doesn’t seem like too much of a hassle and the iPad 2’s camera really isn’t something to write home about. Maybe Apple will do something about this. Grain of Salt Meter™ 2/5
  
• New Apple TV: Stocks of the current model have been constantly falling, leading to speculation about a refresh. Apple doesn’t like to steal the thunder of a newly announced device by introducing many other things at the same time, but Apple understands the Apple TV not only as a standalone device, but also as an accessory to its iOS and OS X devices, the “wireless gateway to the living room” so to speak. A short heads-up on improved hardware, new software and 1080p capabilities wouldn’t surprise us. Grain of Salt Meter™ 2/5
  
• Form factor: Some sites reported the new case to be thicker, others that it’ll be just as thick as the iPad 2’s. What all seem to agree upon is that it’ll look almost like the iPad 2, making it harder for hipsters to brag with their new gadget. Would a new form factor make sense? If everything fits well into the current casing, it’d make almost no sense for Apple to rebuild it. On the other hand, a higher-resolution display would need more energy, warranting a case change to accommodate a bigger battery. Grain of Salt Meter™ 3/5
  
• Name: ‘iPad 3’ or ‘iPad HD’, that is the question (one very great podcast even suggested the name ‘iPad Be Careful’, but that probably won’t happen). Another possibility would be ‘iPad 2S’ especially if the new iPad will only receive “minor” improvements. While ‘iPad 3′ would make perfect sense mathematically, iPad HD might resonate more with regular consumers, communicating the higher resolution better, even though the purported Retina display would have a resolution greater than 1080p. Grain of Salt Meter™ 3/5
• 4G LTE chipsets: This one has been repeated over and over again then retracted. No one seems to be sure if Apple will add the new wireless standard to the iPad just now. Apple could do this. It’s unlikely they will, as the company has stated multiple times that the technology is still too bulky and too power hungry. Add to that the fact that it isn’t nearly as widespread as carriers and Android device makers would have us think. Grain of Salt Meter™ 4/5
• Pricing: “The new iPad will be more expensive!” — “No it won’t be!” A price hike of $ 80 for all new models? On the one hand this would be understandable if most of the rumors come true and the next iPad will feature heavily upgraded innards, but Apple’s modus operandi has always been to keep the price steady, improving the hardware and discounting past models. Grain of Salt Meter™ 4/5
• OMG! iOS 6: There are reports of devices at Apple already running iOS 6, which leads some to believe that we’ll see some news about the next major OS today? Of course Apple is already testing iOS 6 internally. Does this mean we’ll get an early preview today? Difficult to say. OSs are usually presented at WWDC in summer, but with Apple taking OS X to a yearly release cycle (which iOS is already at), a preliminary glimpse might not be out of the question. Then again, Apple’s events are usually very focused and too many smaller announcements could divert attention from the star of today’s event. Grain of Salt Meter™ 4/5
• Storage: Apple will add an 8 GB iPad and will drop the 64 GB iPad. The 8 GB model will supposedly be aimed at the education market and according to sources in the supply chain (how we love those, not), Apple doesn’t deem the 64 GB version necessary. Oh boy. 8 GB of storage is too small to accommodate many apps, especially good, interactive educational apps and a maximum of 32 GB is just great if you want to take a few 1080p movies with you. Oh wait, no it isn’t. Grain of Salt Meter™ 5/5
• 7-inch iPad: Everybody’s doing 7-inch tablets so Apple simply has to, right? RIGHT? No. A smaller iPad has surely been built by Apple and tried extensively, but the 10-inch form factor seems to work just fine. A smaller iPad with the same resolution of 1024px by 768 px would require significant changes to the UI of applications to account for the smaller tappable area on the device, which would only promote fragmentation and confusion (Hi there, Android!). Grain of Salt Meter™ 5/5

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Strafach also goes on to point out on his blog that iOS 5.1 has Japanese language support for Siri and an “easier method of accessing the camera from the lock screen, and at least two other new features that have not been publicly leaked.”

With the big iPad 3 announcement less than 24 hours away, many are expecting Apple to announce iOS 5.1 tomorrow and even potentially release the software to the wild. We’re pretty interested to know what those two previously unleaked features may be in iOS 5.1. At this point we have absolutely no idea.

By the way, we’re live streaming during the iPad 3 event tomorrow. Check out the details.

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The newest nugget in the series of rumors over the last couple of days comes courtesy of Chris Taylor at Mashable. According to Taylor, the next iPad will actually be named the iPad HD. His sources include a Gizmodo tipster, a Romanian web forum, CNET and VentureBeat.

Chris Taylor of Mashable fame:

The HD moniker lends itself well to the idea of a Retina display iPad, or at the least, an iPad capable of playing back 1080p (1920×1080) video content. We all understand what a Retina display is at this point, but the general population may not. The HD name though, now that’s something everyone understands at this point. However, there’s really only one thing we can deduce from an HD rumor. Should it be true, it could be an indicator that we’ll be seeing a spec update for the new iPad. At this point, given the enormous number of rumors and pictures showing off next-generation iPad parts, it’s looking pretty likely that the iPad will look almost exactly like the previous two that came before it. We’re okay with that. The iPad is pretty much perfection at this point.

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Ugg. The iPad Mini, one of the most persistent and obnoxious rumors around, just keeps on getting fueled. Today, a report from Taiwanese newspaper UDN is stoking the flame about 8-inch screen manufactoring.

Steve Shen over at DigiTimes had this to say:

Many of us in the Apple community see these reports as substantial evidence that Apple will be releasing an iPad with a smaller screen this year. The big issue is that no one has come up with a solution for the problems a new screen size would introduce. Would Apple fragment the development of apps into three different sizes? That seems less than optimal. If they’re just scaling up iPhone apps, they’re going to look bad, and function even worse. Scaling down iPad apps would be an even bigger disaster when the touch targets become impossible to hit. Unless Apple has developed a solution that will blow us all away, this just doesn’t seem to hold water. Suboptimal user experiences for a quick cash in isn’t Apple’s MO.

What do you think? Is Apple really going to make a smaller iPad? Wanna make bets in Vegas? Sound off in the comment section below this post.

Source: UDN (Translation)
Image Credit: Travis Hornung

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Rumor has it that Intel’s Xeon E5 chip is already in the channel, despite not being publicly announced, and ModMyi suggests that Apple “is likely to take advantage of the 6-core and 8-coore E5 2600 series chips for its dual-processor Mac Pro configurations while focusing on the quad-core and 6-core E5-1600 chips for its lower-end single-processor models.”

The article is based on news from the Inquirer, who was able to have a first-hand look at the new 2011 Xeon E5 chips, also known as Sandy Bridge E, in a Boston lab.

If you’re holding out, this may be just the news you need to keep your finger off the trigger and avoid purchasing a suped up iMac with Thunderbolt. Something tells us there may be just a little bit of life left in the awesome Mac Pro, even if it’s only for a couple more years. Just a hunch.

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The rumor has been around since the iPad 2 was announced, and many speculated that the original iPad would still be on the market to do the same thing that Abramsky is suggesting Apple would like to do with the iPad 2 this time around. It didn’t happen last time, and it may not happen this time either.

People are buying the iPad at its current price, so there’s not really any indication that Apple needs to offer up a cheaper iPad. That being said, surveys have been showing that iPad owners typically fall in the higher income brackets. A report from the NPD group has found that iPad owners tend to be older and more wealthy than other tablet owners, finding that 40 percent of iPad owners have a household income of $100,000 or more compared to just 26 percent of non-iPad owners.

There’s clearly a market for cheaper tablets, but the question is whether or not Apple sees a need to address the lower end tablet market. If there’s one saving grace for the rumor it’s that Apple is taking the education sector very seriously moving forward. Apple has released tools for education professionals to get content directly in front of students. A cheaper iPad option, like a discounted iPad 2 after the iPad 3 ships, would certainly go a very long way in getting iPads in more students hands.

Via: Barrons

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Digitimes on the 14-inch MacBook Air:

What’s not certain from the report is whether a 14-inch MacBook Air would be released in both China and globally at the same time, or whether the 14-inch Air would just be available in the Asian PC market. 14-inches seems like a weird number, given that Apple has worked with 11, 13, 15, and 17-inch versions of its laptop computers in the past. Does one inch really matter all that much? I mean, if you were heading out to buy a laptop, would the difference between a 13-inch computer or a 14-inch computer really sway your decision all that much? I don’t think it would.

My gut tells me this is a load, but then again, I’ve never been to China.

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According to 9to5Mac:

1080p video streaming would be huge, and that would likely be the reason for the A5/A5X chip increase in the device since streaming HD video playback at that resolution requires quite a bit of power. If the Apple TV stays at the same price, I’ll easily buy a new one. The Apple TV may be the best Apple purchase I’ve made in the last two years. I use it on a daily basis.

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A report in the Guardian has indicated that the new system would be built directly into the iTunes Match system, and it would let users upgrade their libraries to HD audio rather than the AAC format they are currently getting from Apple:

Like we mentioned above, a number of web technologies already provide similar experiences in the video world. Netflix scales your video quality based on available bandwidth, and the NHL Center Ice package allows customers to select multiple streaming qualities for games being streamed across the web. In both cases, it makes for optimal viewing based on a customer’s Internet bandwidth.

I personally pay for the best Internet I can get access to from ISP, and in most cases I get fantastic streams from video services. Having HD audio streams from iTunes would be fantastic, but having the audio scale based on my bandwidth would be even better, making it less costly to stream content to my iPhone while I’m on the 3G network.

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So as you may know, the iPad 3 should be announced as early as next week. Details surrounding its back panel weight gain, Retina display, and other spec changes have been rumored. But what about the pricing? What about it, you might ask. After all, iOS devices are known to come in at the same prices, but a recent post by MacRumors shows an image that suggests otherwise. A Sina Weibo user posted what is said to be the iPad 3 cost premiums over the iPad 2. The first column shows the current prices of the iPad 2, the second column shows the supposed prices of the iPad 3, and the third is calculated on the exchange rate. Basically, you’d be adding $80 to each Wi-Fi only model and $70 to the Wi-Fi plus 3G models. If there’s any truth to this, it will be a shocker to the millions preparing to withdraw $500 from their bank accounts. They just might have to pull an extra $100 out, give or take. However, the idea of China being in possession of U.S. prices just doesn’t seem normal.

Such a claim doesn’t sound too far-fetched considering the talk going around that Apple might keep the iPad 2 in circulation at a lower price. This would create a whole new level of products. Something like the “higher-end” tablet versus the “lower end.” I personally believe that Apple has no reason to raise the prices, so hold that extra $80 for accessories.What do you think? Any truth to this? Or is this just another one of those rumors that tend to surface days before announcements are made. Leave your thoughts below.

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If true, the shipments could mean that the iPad 3 will be available almost immediately after its announcement in the US.

There haven’t been any invites sent out for a March 7th keynote from Apple, yet. So, as it stands, the dates tossed around the Internet could easily be wrong, despite what journalists are speculating and ‘confirming’ over the last couple of weeks. We’ll keep you posted when we hear more on the announcement date.

Photo Credit: Michael Batfish

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Apple turned some heads when they announced that OS X 10.7 Lion was going to be sold through the Mac App Store. To assuage fears of the Internet-wary, Apple also sold the operating system at their retail outlets on USB sticks. Pocket-lint, an Apple blog in the UK, is claiming that they have a source at Apple that says Mountain Lion won’t be sold via USB stick. Instead, it will be App Store only.

It’s tough to judge how true this is. We’re not particularly trusting of the wording that Pocket-lint has used around Apple supposedly confirming this. That said, that complaint is more of a nitpick on style and sensationalism than it is a tick against the rumor itself. Apple is clearly on the vanguard of digital distribution with their incredibly popular App Stores, and this could be their move to further cement their dominance. Apple Geniuses will almost certainly have a way of side-loading Mountain Lion onto Macs that customers bring in, but making USB sticks with 10.8 on them available for purchase seems pretty convoluted at this point. Everyone not living under a rock is well aware that Apple prefers streamlined implementations if at all possible.

Getting rid of physical packaging and shipping of software not only makes for a better, faster experience for users, but it also means a better profit margin for Apple. This is where the industry is going, and Apple sees that clearly.

Source: Pocket-lint
Image Credit: Wesley Fryer

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Recent rumors have Apple working on doubling (Retina) the resolution of its MacBooks and Cinema Displays in 2012. We should also take a moment and point out that the increased resolution wouldn’t mean more screen real estate. Instead of making everything “smaller,” Retina displays would actually make things crisper, while still keeping things relatively similar to the screen resolutions that we see now, just like Retina iOS displays versus the non-Retina variety in the iPhone 3 and iPhone 3G. This move would be about making OS X crisper, and not about making it smaller, like a ton of people seem to be suggesting around the web.

Via: MacRumors

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In addition, this rumor has the total number of cores per processor going up from six to eight. That’s right, folks. We could be seeing a dual processor, sixteen core Mac Pro this year. At this point, our old days of non-parallel processing seem incredibly quaint. How long until we can buy a machine with a three-digit number of cores? Thanks to Moore’s law, it might be sooner than you think.

As it stands, all Macs now ship with either AMD graphics or Intel’s integrated graphics. Over the past few years, Apple has gone back and forth between ATI/AMD and NVIDIA. Tim Cook is highly skilled at supply chain management, so rest assured any switch is going to be for the betterment of Apple and its unit production.

Are you excited to see a new Mac Pro in Apple’s line up? Are you aching for a refresh? Hit us up on Twitter so we can hear what you think about this rumor. Our username is @macgasm, and we love to talk to readers.

Source: M.I.C. Gadget

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Last night, while we were drinking sleeping, there were a couple of rumors circulating the Internet that the iPad 3 would be announced on March 7, contain Retina displays, a quad-core chipset, and carry 4G LTE. It wasn’t long after those posts that the WSJ article ran online.

So there you have it:,three rumors rolled into one post.

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From the Verge:

Originally it was being reported that ITV’s CEO Adam Crozier had sent off a letter to Apple warning them about using his company’s trademarks. Turns out that wasn’t true. Go figure.

We’re taking ITV’s word for it.

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Gregg Keizer over at Computerworld is reporting that Ezra Gottheil, an analyst at Technology Business Research, thinks that Apple is going to release a 7-inch iPad.

Just like the larger iPhone screen rumor, this 7-inch iPad rumor smells awful, but won’t go away. The iPad is selling in phenomenal numbers. Apple is on record stating that 7-inch tablets aren’t good. There is no good reason for Apple to do this any time in the near future. Why do the bumbling analysts think Apple is making one? Because other people are doing it. Sigh.

Just so we’re clear, we at Macgasm think this rumor is complete and total bullshit, and I would like to reiterate that my hat will be consumed if we see a 4+ inch iPhone or a 7-inch iPad in the next year. It’s not going to happen, and we’ll happily eat humble pie if we’re wrong here. We’re that sure.

Source: Computerworld
Image Credit: Leigh Hamilton

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According to The Next Web, “sources with knowledge of the matter” have approached the news site with information that suggests that Apple is in “crunch mode” trying to get illustrative applications ready for the big day.

From The Next Web:

We’re sure that this type of thing is a normal occurrence at Apple before every new product launch keynote. After reading a little bit about Apple’s extreme attention to detail heading into these keynotes, just to ensure that they go off as planned, we’re not really surprised that the company might be working hard to push these third party developers to get the applications where they need to be before the big day.

Via: The Next Web

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By snooping around a bit, the folks at Your Daily Mac have found some evidence that March 9th might be the planned launch for iOS 5.1.

While this is far from definitive, iOS 5.1 has been in development for quite some time, so a March 9th target isn’t exactly controversial or hard to believe. However, the proposed timing of this release coincides with the assumed iPad 3 launch in early March. It isn’t proof, but the facts fit the theory. Keep in mind, all of this is just conjecture. For all we know, the iPad 3 won’t come until later in the year, and iOS 5.1 will be delayed. This is worth keeping an eye on, but we won’t be placing any bets.

What do you think? Are we going to see iOS 5.1 right alongside the next iPad? Are we going to see any surprises in the OS that isn’t in the beta similar to Siri in iOS 5? Sound off in the comment section with your thoughts and theories. Better yet, hit us up on Twitter. Our username is @macgasm. We’re open to alternate timelines, so don’t hesitate to provide some new evidence.

Source: Your Daily Mac

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RepairLabs has published images of the inside rear shell of what is claimed to be the upcoming iPad 3. It looks like the logic board may be getting streamlined to free up some space. MacRumors is speculating that it could be room for some extra battery juice.

This brings us to new leaks today that actually show the backside of the alleged iPad 3. As you can see from the attached image below, the iPad 3 is pretty much going to look exactly like the iPad 2. Cult of Mac has a giant gallery of parts that are apparently from the upcoming iPad.

Looks a lot like the current iPad, doesn’t it. That being said, a Retina display, more power under the hood, and extra battery life are all reason enough for me to sell my current iPad 2, and buy a new one. So, who’s in the market for an iPad 2?

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From All Things D:

A lot of people are really hoping that this version of the iPad would be a complete redesign based on Apple’s approach to iPhone releases. It sounds a lot like that won’t be happening this time around, and we don’t mind one bit. Recent case leaks have emerged today, and they look almost identical to the current iPad 2. We’re not sure how legitimate those case pictures are, but they look exactly how we expect them to moving forward.

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The Internet is abuzz with a rumor of Apple having a strange and unusual event this month. Well, there is another rumor going around calling the first rumor complete and total horseshit.

Jim Dalrymple, The Loop:

So, Jim says that there is no event. Given his experience and reputation as opposed to the questionable Macotakara, we’re going to believe Jim.

Everyday we see more and more spaghetti being thrown at the wall in our community. Here at Macgasm, we strive to keep our heads on straight with all of these crazy rumors flying around. When something seems strange or hard to believe, it is probably bogus. Heck, most believable rumors are bogus. Until you hear something directly from Apple, don’t place any bets — just a word to the wise.

Source: The Loop
Image Credit: Polina Sergeeva

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This Apple Television rumor just won’t die. Steven Musil at CNET is reporting that the oft-quoted Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says that Apple is in talks with screen manufacturers.

Firstly, analysts are rarely, if ever, to be trusted. They are notoriously terrible at guessing what Apple is up to. Secondly, even if Apple is approaching manufacturers about screens, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see an Apple Television — let alone an Apple Television any time soon. If true, these discussions could simply be Apple doing research on the market. That said, let’s hope that they really are working on making an Apple Television.

I have regular dumb displays in my home. They are simply receptacles for HDMI devices. If Apple can do something different and make a television that offers more than the Apple TV plus dumb screen set up, I know I’d consider buying it. Many of you are in the same boat, and so you’re looking for evidence that it will become a reality. It’s just too early to know if the Apple Television is real, though. Just remember to take what analysts say with a grain of salt.

Source: CNET

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