MacRumors

Over the weekend, AllThingsD reported that Apple will hold an iPhone-focused media event on September 10, introducing its next-generation iPhone 5S and perhaps a lower-cost "iPhone 5C".

AllThingsD has an excellent track record with such reports, suggesting that the event will indeed take place on that date, but in case there was any doubt, The Loop's Jim Dalrymple is now confirming the report with a simple "Yep" post.

Dalrymple is well connected at Apple and has on many occasions either confirmed or refuted other reports and rumors in simple one-word posts with 100% accuracy. Such reports are generally taken as coming directly from Apple but delivered through an unofficial channel.

Official media invitations for the introduction should appear roughly a week before the event.

Following a report from last week that showed a clear photo of an alleged camera module, French website Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translation] has reposted photos of parts that appear to be the top and bottom strips for the back of the iPhone 5S. The photos were originally posted by a user on Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo who regularly pulls together photos and other leaks from various sources.

Notably, the space for the flash modules on the top strip appear to have spacing for a dual-LED flash, which is consistent with a December 2012 prototype iPhone 5S that leaked back in June. A dual-LED flash would improve the performance of the iPhone's flash, creating better lit, less harsh flash photos in low light conditions.

Yesterday, a report surfaced claiming that the rear camera on the iPhone 5S would retain the same 8-megapixel resolution found in its predecessor, but will feature a wider f/2.0 aperture to capture more light while taking photos. Apple will reportedly unveil the next-generation iPhone on September 10, but it is still unclear whether the event will focus singularly on the iPhone 5S or include the announcement of the lower-cost iPhone as well.

Apple's suppliers are preparing the next-generation iPad for mass production and will reportedly use the same touch panel technology as the iPad mini in order to make reductions in weight and size, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The same touch-panel technology that made the iPad mini thin and light will likely feature in the next iPad, which is currently being produced by Apple Inc.'s Asian suppliers, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

What many consumers generally call a “screen” consists of multiple layers, and the “touch panel” specifically refers to the layer equipped with touch sensors, between the liquid-crystal display and the outermost cover glass. The iPad mini, according to a teardown report by research firm IHS iSuppli, uses a film-based touch panel, which is thinner and lighter than the glass-based touch panel that the current full-size model uses. Following the iPad mini’s success, Apple plans to use the film-based touch panel in its next regular-size iPad, the people said.

Earlier this month, a number of photos from a parts listing claimed to be of a genuine front panel and digitizer from the fifth-generation iPad, and followed the release of a video that also allegedly showed the front panel and back shell of the fifth-generation iPad for the first time.

Both postings appeared to show a full-sized iPad that was notably reduced in size when compared to Apple's current generation iPad, and would fall in line with this new report. A number other rumors and leaks of parts and cases dating back many months have similarly indicated that the next-generation iPad will indeed be significantly smaller and thinner than the current design.

Apple is expected to introduce the fifth-generation iPad as soon as next month, with an updated iPad mini rumored to be following fairly soon after.

Following a report late last month that appeared to show plastic retail packaging representing the rumored low-cost iPhone, Japanese blog Mac Otakara is reporting that "iPhone 5C" will indeed be the name of the device. The "C" designation would presumably refer to the various color options available on the rumored lower-cost device.

The blog is also reporting more details on the iPhone 5S, including claims that the phone will be available in a gold color option, and that the camera on the phone will remain at 8 megapixels, but will feature a wider f/2.0 aperture to capture more light while taking photos.

Several photo leaks have previously shown alleged iPhone 5S parts in a color variously described as "gold", "bronze", or "champagne", although the legitimacy of those parts has not been confirmed.

Also, the report says that the iPhone 5S will run on Apple's custom A7 processor, and that the rectangular mark on the home button of the phone will be removed, something that may be consistent with a report earlier from yesterday saying that the device would feature a new sapphire-covered convex home button housing a fingerprint sensor.

According to my asian source, rumored coming iPhone powered by A7 processor will be released as “iPhone 5S”. This source told that KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s guesses may be true. Ming-Chi guessed several points, the resolution of iSight camera will be stayed on 8M pixels but F-stop will be brighter up to 2.0. The gold color which is rumored as 3rd color of iPhone 5S will be optional, and rectangle mark of home button will be removed.

Additionally, that source told about coming low-cost iPhone, which is covered by plastic case made from polycarbonate and glass-fibre, it will be released with expected name, "iPhone 5C".

Apple will reportedly unveil the next-generation iPhone on September 10, but it is still unclear whether the event will focus singularly on the iPhone 5S or include the announcement of the lower-cost iPhone as well.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has on a number of occasions offered accurate information on Apple's product plans, has issued a new research note indicating that the iPhone 5S may include a sapphire-covered convex home button housing a fingerprint sensor.

The iPhone's home button has had a concave shape since its introduction in 2007, but Kuo believes that moving to a convex shape would give Apple more space in which to fit the fingerprint sensor expected to be a differentiating feature for the iPhone 5S.

Convex home button creates space for fingerprint sensor; yield to improve. We think that a fingerprint sensor will be placed under the home button of iPhone 5S. However, assembling it could be difficult as the space under home button is limited as it already has to accommodate the Lightning connector, speaker and microphone. Thus, we think the shape of the home button could be changed from concave to convex to create more space for a fingerprint sensor.

Sapphire prevents home button from being scratched. A convex home button could be more easily scratched, so a harder material is required. We believe Apple will switch from plastic to sapphire, whose hardness is second only to diamond. Sapphire would protect the home button from being scratched and the fingerprint sensor from being damaged.

Kuo goes on to note that Apple may have some advantages over its competitors as fingerprint sensors make their way into mobile devices, as Apple will utilize RF and capacitive technology from AuthenTec rather than the common optical recognition used in many other sensors, making for a more robust system unaffected by dust and other contaminants. The iPhone's iconic single home button also provides a natural location for a fingerprint sensor.

Rumors of a sapphire-covered capacitive home button with fingerprint sensor surfaced in May, but the source for that report had essentially no track record upon which to gauge reliability.

Apple will reportedly unveil the iPhone 5S at a media event on September 10. Based on previous iPhone introductions, the iPhone 5S may launch within just a few weeks after that announcement. Apple is also rumored to be working on a lower-cost iPhone with a plastic shell, with that device perhaps also making an appearance at the September 10 event.

Apple will unveil its next iPhone on September 10, reports AllThingsD, citing sources with knowledge of the event. Though the date of the announcement has been revealed, it is unclear whether the event will focus singularly on the upcoming iPhone 5S or if it will include Apple's rumored low-cost iPhone, possibly dubbed the iPhone "5C".

The iPhone 5C, which is aimed at emerging markets, shares quite a few similarities with the iPhone 5. Prototype photos and leaked parts have depicted a similar shape and size, though the iPhone 5C has rounded edges, a slightly thicker form factor, and a polycarbonate shell that is offered in a range of colors.

The most recent rumors have suggested a price tag of $490 for the device, which is in line with iPhone 4 pricing when carrier subsidies are taken into account.

Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S is expected to feature a design that is similar to the iPhone 5, but with a number of improvements. It is rumored to include a fingerprint sensor, an upgraded 12-megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash, and iOS 7. It is likely that iOS 7 will become publicly available after the announcement or when the phone debuts.

Though OS X Mavericks is also scheduled to be released in the fall, AllThingsD does not expect the software to be debuted at the September 10 iPhone event.

Update: iMore's Rene Ritchie reports that his sources are also indicating a September 10 media event.

After over three weeks of at least partial downtime, Apple has informed developers that all of their developer services are now online. Apple is giving all developers an extension to their developer memberships by one month to account for the downtime. From the email to developers:

We are pleased to let you know that all our developer program services are now online. Your patience during this time was sincerely appreciated.

We understand that the downtime was significant and apologize for any issues it may have caused in your app development. To help offset this disruption, we are extending the membership of all developer teams by one month. If you need any further assistance, please contact us.

Apple's developer center originally went offline abruptly on July 18th. It was later revealed that the developer website had been hacked and that Apple could not rule out some developer information may have been leaked. Apple has been slowly restoring services since that time.

Ken Segall, the creative director behind the Think Different campaign and author of Insanely Simple, a book about his experiences creating advertising for Apple, writes in a blog post about Apple's "evolving view of 'Pro'" that Steve Jobs once considered killing Apple's entire line of Pro products.

Would Apple ever even think about saying goodbye to the pro market?

I hope you’re sitting down for this, but Steve Jobs did in fact once consider that very option.

This was back in the days when iMac had established itself as a global bestseller. During one of the agency’s regular meetings with Steve, he shared that he was considering killing the pro products.

His rationale was as you might expect: consumer products have an unlimited upside, while pro products are aimed at a niche market that eats up major resources.

Jobs eventually decided to keep the pro products around, but in recent years Apple has been shifting its pro products. For example, the company completely revamped its Final Cut video editing suite, slashing the price and making it significantly simpler to use pro features -- though a vocal group of Final Cut Pro users were unhappy with the changes.

The Mac Pro has gone three years without a significant update, though Apple will, as promised, release a completely redesigned Mac Pro later this year that is unlike any professional machine Apple has made before.

Segall goes on to argue that Apple is pushing 'pros' in a new direction, saying that making software powerful and easy-to-use for more customers is more important than making software that is simply powerful. He says that "Apple is walking to a place that’s entirely new" with its new products, while "asking the pros to walk with them."

The U.S. International Trade Commission today ordered an import ban against some Samsung products after finding that the company did infringe on two key Apple patents. The patents include the "Steve Jobs patent" that pertains to touchscreen technology and a patent that detects when a headset is plugged into a device.

Like the import ban that was levied against Apple and later vetoed, Samsung's import ban will take place after a 60-day Presidential review period. It is unlikely that Samsung will get the same presidential intervention, however, as Samsung's patent violations do not involve standard-essential patents. According to AllThingsD, Apple praised the court's decision.

"With today's decision, the ITC has joined courts around the world in Japan, Korea, Germany, Netherlands and California by standing up for innovation and rejecting Samsung's blatant copying of Apple's products," Apple said. "Protecting real innovation is what the patent system should be about."

This particular Apple vs. Samsung case began back in mid–2011, after Apple asked the ITC to investigate whether the South Korean company had infringed on a number of different patents. In addition to taking their case to the ITC, Samsung and Apple have fought in numerous courtrooms around the world since their dispute began.

The two have a number of other court battles coming in the months ahead, including an upcoming trial in November that will redetermine a portion of the damages that Samsung must pay Apple.

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Back in May, Korean site ETNews.com reported that Apple was looking at the possibility of launching a 12.9-inch iPad in early 2014 as a larger sibling to the original 9.7-inch iPad and the 7.9-inch iPad mini. The rumor, which included a claim that the device would be called the "iPad Maxi", was quickly brushed aside as a likely inaccurate claim, but late last month The Wall Street Journal brought fresh attention to the rumor with its own claims about Apple testing an iPad with a display "slightly less than 13 inches diagonally".

With the rumors sparking interest in what Apple might be able to do with a significantly larger iPad display, we commissioned CiccareseDesign to create renderings of what such a device might look like compared to the current iPad mini and iPad models, as well as the rumored fifth-generation iPad, which has been claimed to be adopting some of the iPad mini's styling with narrower side bezels.

Increasing the diagonal measurement of the iPad's display from 9.7 inches to 12.9 inches while maintaining the same 4:3 aspect ratio yields a substantial increase in display area of about 40%, leading us to believe that Apple will not simply scale up the existing iPad resolution to the larger screen size. Doing so would reduce pixel density from the 132 pixels per inch (ppi) or 264 ppi Retina on the current iPad to approximately 99 ppi (198 ppi Retina), making icons and other interface elements extremely large.

If Apple were, however, to maintain the same 132/264 ppi of the current 9.7-inch iPad, this 12.9-inch iPad could conveniently carry an increased resolution of approximately 1366 x 1024 (2712 x 2048 Retina), matching the "HD" display standard in width and exceeding it in height.

Speculating that Apple could take this approach with a larger iPad, even though it would necessitate additional work by developers to support the new resolution, we have rendered our 12.9-inch iPad at this higher resolution that maintains the pixel density of the current iPad. Doing so would allow the home screen to display at least one additional row of app icons with some increased spacing, and perhaps even more if spacing were reduced slightly.

Taking things even further, if Apple were to approach the pixel density of the iPad mini's display on this larger iPad, it could offer an even higher resolution of 1600 x 1200 (3200 x 2400 Retina) or 1680 x 1260 (3360 x 2520 Retina) on a display offering twice the area of the iPad mini's display.

For comparison purposes, we've also rendered this 12.9-inch iPad next to a 13-inch MacBook Air, illustrating how the two devices with nearly identical screen sizes would compare physically. With a higher resolution than the current full-size iPad, the 12.9-inch iPad could be positioned as an even more feasible option to Apple's Mac notebooks for some users.

Apple is expected to launch the fifth-generation iPad within in the September-October timeframe, with an updated iPad mini reportedly carrying a Retina display and following relatively shortly thereafter. The original Korean report suggested that Apple's 12.9-inch iPad could launch early next year, but The Wall Street Journal's more recent report did not include a timeframe and in fact simply noted that Apple has been testing prototypes of the device and that it may ultimately never make it to market.