MacRumors

Ferrari and Apple are in talks to expand their partnership on in-car entertainment, reports Bloomberg. Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero Di Montezemolo said the company would be "more precise" over the next few months, though its unclear what exactly Di Montezemolo meant.

Ferrari's new 963 horsepower 'LaFerrari' hybrid hypercar was introduced this week at the Geneva Motor Show, and Ferrari also announced that its four-seater FF coupe will now incorporate a pair of iPad minis into the seats for use by the rear passengers.

Ferrari's 12-cylinder GT sports car prowess is represented at Geneva by the FF, the very first four-seater and four-wheel drive in Prancing Horse history. It will be sporting a Grigio Ingrid livery with an elegant glass roof and Iroko interior. The FF is also now seamlessly integrated with Apple technologies, thanks to direct access to the infotainment system via SIRI voice commands and the adoption of two iPad Minis as the entertainment system of choice for the rear seat passengers.

(Image of the LaFerrari courtesy Máté Petrany/Jalopnik)

Just days after experiencing a dramatic improvement in shipping times for new orders through Apple's online stores in North America, the iMac has seen its availability improve once again with stock configurations now shipping "within 24 hours". The rapid improvement in availability indicates that Apple is quickly reaching supply-demand balance for the new iMac some three months after its debut.

Apple's online stores in other countries still show some lag in availability, with Australia seeing quotes of 3-5 business days for all models while Europe is generally seeing 5-7 business days for 21.5-inch models and 1-2 weeks for 27-inch models.

Even in the countries such as the United States and Canada where stock configurations are being quoted nearly immediate availability, build-to-order configurations are still seeing rather lengthy build times with quotes of 7-10 business days. The disparity suggests that Apple has been prioritizing the building of stock configurations in an effort to fill distribution channels, with custom orders holding lower priority.

Simple build-to-order customizations such as the addition of RAM or a different hard drive typically only add a few days to shipping estimates, so the current quoted timeframes should drop as availability continues to improve. Likewise, Apple's international online stores should also see their availability improve as increased stock filters throughout the company's distribution channels.

Google today updated its Google Maps for iOS to version 1.1, marking the first update since the company launched its standalone app in mid-December after Apple replaced Google with its own default mapping app in iOS 6.

The new update brings a few enhancements to Google Maps, including integration with Google Contacts addresses and easier searching of local businesses by category.

What's New in Version 1.1

- Search your Google Contacts; sign in to have your saved addresses show up when you search for friends and family by name.
- Quickly search for local places by selecting popular categories such as restaurants, bars, cafes, gas stations, etc.
- Choose between Kilometers or Miles for your preferred distance units.
- Note that some features may not be available in all countries.

Google Maps is a free download from the App Store. [Direct Link]

(Thanks, Arthur!)

Apple was today granted a 2009 patent application to allow users to control a device by pressing on, or squeezing, parts of the casing. An illustration in the patent shows potential touch-sensitive areas across a whole range of different devices:

The patent, discovered by AppleInsider, combines two different methods of detecting and measuring the amount of pressure applied: one physical, the other electrical. The capacitance test, which works in a similar way to touchscreens, would enable the device to tell human touch apart from accidental pressure applied while the device was carried in a pocket or bag.

Sensors disposed within the housing, in some embodiments directly beneath the surface, can detect when deflection occurs, which in turn denotes stress or pressure. In some embodiments, the sensors are connected to a printed circuit board that can in turn illuminate a light or other indicator when a minimum amount of readable stress is applied … A processor can take the measurements with their corresponding deflection rates, and translate them into device actions. For example, a threshold stress level is reached when a user presses down on a certain area of a device's housing. The processor determines that the capacitance change is outside the bounds of normal readings and can trigger a UI event or other device feature in response. The system can be customized to detect patterns and varied sensitivities to support a broad range of tasks.

Apple patents a great many technologies it never uses, either as potential solutions that are later rejected or to protect against competitor use, although the metal casing of the iPhone 5 could make the system practical on any future iPhone models with a similar casing.

Following today's research report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggesting that the iPhone 5S could launch in July with a fingerprint sensor, Rene Ritchie at iMore confirms that the iPhone 5S will be unveiled during the summer, but targets an August release date.

Apple has previously launched phones in June through October, with the iPhone 4S released in October and the iPhone 5 released in September.

According to Ritchie, the upcoming iPhone 5S will be similar to the iPhone 4S, improving the internals of the phone while leaving the outer casing untouched.

Sources familiar with the plans have told iMore that the iPhone 5S does indeed have the same basic design as the iPhone 5, with a more advanced processor and an improved camera. With the iPhone 5, Apple reduced the thinness of the casing but managed to keep essentially the same, if not slightly better, overall quality.

Given the dimensions, or lack-thereof, that in-and-of itself was a feat of engineering. With the iPhone 5S, the aim is to once again raise the bar in terms of iPhone optics, including a much better camera in essentially the same casing. No huge surprises there, given the past history of S-class iPhones.

iMore is also predicting a possible April launch date for the fifth generation iPad and the second generation iPad mini, which would be in line with the previous spring launch dates for the original iPad, the iPad 2, and the third generation iPad. According to iMore, a casing redesign is expected for the fifth generation iPad, but it remains unclear if the iPad mini will feature Retina.

Apple is not going to release iPads that costs more or don't get as good battery life as the current models. So, if the next iPad mini does end up getting slated for April, it could be a spec bump, or have something other than Retina as a differentiator. Hopefully we'll know more soon.

Previous Retina iPad mini speculation has suggested a fall release date, which could fit in with iMore's predicted April launch if Apple moves to a bi-annual release schedule for its tablets. The Cupertino-based company could potentially release an iPad mini with a minor spec bump in April, and another with a Retina display in the fall.

iMore has been spot on with recent Apple releases, reporting the Lightning connector several months before it was released and predicting both the iPad mini launch date and the announcement date of the iPhone 5.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a new research report claiming that Apple is expected to unveil its iPhone 5S and lower-cost iPhone alongside iOS 7 this June, with the devices coming available in July. Versions supporting the time-division duplexing (TDD) standard used by China Mobile are said to follow in September.

We expect Apple will introduce its new iPhones and iOS7 in June, and start shipping the new iPhones (5S and low-cost model) in the FDD version in July. Both dates are earlier than last year’s roadmap. We attribute this to: (1) an effort to avoid repeating the fatal mistake of last year of the delayed iPhone 5 launch, which gave competitors room to grab market share; and (2) the new iPhones this year are mainly designed on the basis of the current iPhone 5, which suggests development time could be reduced.

Kuo says that all of the new iPhone models, including the lower-cost iPhone, will support LTE, with differentiation coming in other specs.

[W]e expect the product differentiation between iPhone 5S and iPhone 5 will be: (1) computing power, with iPhone 5S to run on the faster A7 application processor; (2) the camera, with iPhone 5S being equipped with Smart Flash, ensuring photo quality using white or yellow flash according to lighting conditions; (3) iPhone 5S will have a fingerprint chip under the Home button, improving security and usability; and (4) the low-cost iPhone 5 hybrid casing of fiberglass and plastic will make it lighter and slimmer than general plastic casing and easier to make in various colors. However, we still think it will be heavier than iPhone 5S, which will have an aluminum casing. Thus, even form factor will be an area of differentiation.

Kuo's iPhone claims are very similar to ones he laid out in his 2013 Apple product roadmap back in mid-January, but the fresh report suggests that Apple is still on track and his fresh comments on a TDD iPhone suggest that Apple may indeed be very close to bringing the iPhone to China Mobile, the world's largest carrier.

Kuo has a rather solid track record, having accurately predicted a number of Apple product announcements in recent years. As a result, his research reports have been followed with increasing interest.

Apple may be developing a two terabyte solid state drive for inclusion in the next Mac Pro according to an unconfirmed report by Bright Side Of News.

Apple has said a new Mac Pro should arrive sometime in 2013, though it's unknown exactly when Intel's new processors will arrive, leaving the actual launch timeframe somewhat in question. Intel's next-generation Xeon chips are expected to arrive in late 2013.

But seeing a 2TB Solid State Drive with an Apple logo on it opens very large ground for speculation. Given that we were not able to learn more about the parts in question, we have to leave it at that. But from the looks of it, the 2TB drives used industry standard 3.5” form factor, full height (just like your regular 3.5” spinning drive) and a SATA connector (not SAS or some proprietary port).

The site notes that if the new Mac Pro has a design similar to the current model, it would be capable of holding 8TB of solid state storage per workstation.

Bloomberg today published a story on the much rumored Apple smart watch, offering information on potential functionality and profitability. The article also hinted at possible design cues for the iWatch, highlighting Apple designer Jony Ive's intense interest in watches, specifically those manufactured by Nike in the mid-2000s.

Apple design chief Jony Ive has long had an interest in watches. Besides owning many high-end models himself, he had his team visit watch factories and ordered boxes of a sports watch made by Nike Inc. in the mid-2000s, said Wilson, who was then Nike's creative director.

New information from Business Insider reveals that Scott Wilson sent Jony Ive the Nike Presto Digital Bracelets and the Oregon Series Alti-Compass watches, which were manufactured in 2002–2004.

Both of these watches feature clean, simple designs. The Presto Digital Bracelet is a cuff-style wraparound watch with a translucent plastic body, while the Oregon Series Alti-Compass has an aluminum face.

Well, he didn't buy them. We just gave them to them as designer bro deals. He and others in the design group just requested them and we sent them a ton of Nike Presto Digital Bracelets and the aluminum Oregon Series Alti-Compass watches. Was flattered that they were requesting them.

Wilson goes on to say that after receiving the watches, Apple asked questions about materials and processes.

This meshes up with their research in watch manufacturing during that timeframe which has been documented in previous stories. They definitely drew upon watch industry techniques and manufacturing in their products since the first iPhone. Interesting that it may come full circle to an actual iWatch at some point.

A patent application found last week suggested that Apple might be looking at a watch with a wraparound design, a touchscreen, and a flexible glass display, but it remains unclear what the actual watch might look like.

Apple is said to have a team of 100 product designers working on the watch. The watch is rumored to run the full version of iOS and though a release date remains unclear, Bloomberg has suggested that it could launch as early as 2013.