MacRumors

Early last year, Apple launched a new initiative to more openly share information on worker rights and safety throughout its supply chain with working hours and mandatory overtime being a major focus of the effort. Apple's code of conduct specifies that workers may generally work no more than 60 hours per week, although the company does permit limited exceptions during periods of high demand.

That pattern was observed over the course of 2012, with Apple's efforts to track over one million employees showing peak compliance with the standard at 97% in July and August before dropping in the September-Novemeber timeframe as Apple launched a number of new products including the iPhone 5 and iPad mini. Compliance rebounded in December, and Apple today updated its supplier responsibility pages to note that its supply chain achieved record 99% compliance in the month of January.

The number of workers we track has increased from over 500,000 in January 2012 to over 1 million in January 2013. In January 2013, we achieved 99% compliance to the 60-hour workweek across all employees we track.

The improvement in compliance comes as Apple appears to be reaching supply-demand balance for a number of its latest products, including the iPad mini and iMac.

Reports have indicated that Apple's major assembly partner Foxconn has reduced its hiring due to a higher-than-usual number of employees returning to the company after the recent Chinese New Year break. Some have suggested that changes to working conditions spurred by Apple may be at least partly responsible for increased worker satisfaction and thus higher retention, although in some cases workers seeking to maximize their income have expressed concern over limits on their working hours.

Swatch CEO Nick Hayek does not believe that the a potential iWatch could replace the iPhone, reports Bloomberg. At a press conference in Grenchen, Switzerland, Hayek implied that an Apple smart watch would be a flop because of its small display size.

"Personally, I don't believe it's the next revolution," the chief of the largest Swiss watchmaker said at a press conference on annual results in Grenchen, Switzerland. "Replacing an iPhone with an interactive terminal on your wrist is difficult. You can't have an immense display."

Hayek also mentioned that consumers buy watches as a fashion item and prefer versatility, a statement that may be off base considering the current popularity of smart watches like the Pebble.

Swatch used to sell its own version of a smart watch through a partnership with Microsoft. The Swatch Paparazzi offered users news headlines, sports, weather, horoscopes, and stock quotes.

The company has been in contact with Apple for several years, said Hayek, speaking about "materials for products and so-called energy harvesting technology that would generate energy from physical movement."

There are no concrete hints on what Apple's iWatch might look like, but a patent application suggests that Apple might be considering a wraparound design with a touchscreen and a flexible glass display. The watch is rumored to run the full version of iOS, but a release date remains unclear.

Apple has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Apple has an illegal monopoly because the iPhone does not allow users to use alternative app stores by default, reports Bloomberg.

Attorneys who filed the suit in 2011 claim that a monopoly exists because an iPhone user who doesn’t want to pay what developers charge for applications available through Apple’s App Store can’t go anywhere else to buy them. Apple requires iPhone software developers to turn over 30 percent of what they charge for an application, increasing prices and excluding competitors from the iPhone “aftermarket” of applications, they claim.

Apple doesn’t set the price for paid applications, and charging a price for distribution of a product on a new and unique platform doesn’t violate any antitrust laws, said Dan Wall, Apple’s attorney, at yesterday’s court hearing in Oakland, California.

The plaintiffs argue that because a consumer can't buy Angry Birds for the iPhone from an alternative app store, Apple has an illegal monopoly and is reducing consumer choice.

This isn't the first time Apple has been accused of running an illegal monopoly. The iTunes Store and iBookstore have previously been the subject of lawsuits. This lawsuit was originally filed in 2011, in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (Oakland).

Apple will miss the lower end of its own revenue guidance figures of $41-43 billion for the current quarter by more than half a billion dollars, claim Citigroup analysts cited by Business Insider.

CNET has more on the research note, which says that reduced orders in Apple's supply chain suggest softening demand for both iPhone and iPad, and claims that there is "limited evidence" of an imminent low-cost iPhone.

In conducting our regular field work with the hardware supply chain, we again find evidence of reduced demand to Apple's suppliers for iPhone 5 related components. While production does not directly translate to sales (for example, we estimate Apple finished 1Q13 (Dec) with [around] 10M iPhone units in inventory), we suspect this is an indication of softer demand for iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S.

Citi's Glen Yeung predicts total iPhone sales of 59 million units in the first half of 2013, while the general Wall Street expectation is for around 69 million. He has also slightly downgraded his forecast Q2 iPad sales by 0.6 million to 19 million.

Yeung's team also warns against expecting revenue to flow from the low-cost iPhone rumored to be coming in August or September.

Despite much speculation amongst investors and third-party research, we find limited evidence of a low-end iPhone at this stage … We continue to expect iPhone 5S to be launched (albeit in early C3Q13 vs. late C2Q13) and anticipate a large-screen iPhone in late 2013/early 2014. But clear indications of a low-end iPhone remain elusive.

But while Citi is pointing to supply chain reports as the basis for its claims, Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously cautioned against reading too much into supply-chain rumors:

Months of rumors about order cuts and so forth, so let me take a moment to comment on these. No comment on any particular rumor as I'd spend my life doing that. I suggest its good to question the accuracy of any kind of rumor about build plans. Even if a particular data point were factual, it would be impossible to interpret that data point as to what it meant to our business. The supply chain is very complex and we have multiple sources for things. Yields can vary, supplier performance can vary. There is an inordinate long list of things that can make any single data point not a great proxy for what is going on.

However, Citi has been among the more accurate analyst firms in following the recent slowing of Apple's growth, and its statements are in line with previous observations by other analysts and commentators.

Apple has fallen short of analyst expectations several times in recent quarters, but has always met its own guidance, although that guidance has long consisted of low-ball figures that Apple felt it could easily meet. Starting with this quarter, Apple is now issuing a range of guidance numbers that it believes it will fall within, significantly altering the landscape for analysts seeking to predict Apple's performance.

Samsung has paid $112 million for a 3% stake in LCD screen manufacturer Sharp, a key supplier of LCD screens to both Samsung and Apple, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Sharp currently holds the technical lead in the manufacture of large-screen LCD panels, enabling it to produce TV screens bigger than 60 inches at a lower cost than other manufacturers. Despite this advantage, the company has been struggling financially over the last 18 months, laying off 11,000 staff and mortgaging key assets.

Sharp has been desperately seeking external financing to keep itself afloat, having received bank bailouts and receiving a $120 million investment from Qualcomm late last year. Foxconn was also set to make an investment in Sharp, but that deal has fallen apart as Sharp's financial picture has continued to deteriorate.

Sharp supplies LCD panels to both Apple and Samsung, including both iPhone and iPad screens, and a WSJ blog suggests that Samsung may gain priority in future supply deals.

Monex market analyst Toshiyuki Kanayama said a Samsung-Sharp tie-up could "help Sharp to at least raise the efficiency of its panel-producing plant, as it will ship products to Samsung, whereas it had prioritized supplying components for Apple."

Samsung’s bid to turn Sharp, once a major competitor, into an ally, shows how serious it is in winning a global battle with Apple for dominance in the lucrative market for mobile devices.

Samsung has been focusing its own screen manufacturing efforts on OLED technology, with analysts observing that closer ties with Sharp would help the company outsource more of its LCD production.

A few times a year, MacRumors partners with MacUpdate and MacLegion to promote their Mac application bundle deals. Today, both sites have launched their latest deals which each bundle 10 Mac Apps for a discounted price for $49.99.

MacUpdate

MacUpdate's latest bundle delivers 10 Mac applications for $49.99 (a $618 value if all purchased separately). Notably, it includes Parallels Desktop 8, virtualization software that lets you run Windows side-by-side with Mac OS X.

The full bundle includes (retail value in parenthesis):

- Parallels Desktop 8 ($79.99) - Run Windows on your Mac.
- DEVONthink Pro ($79.95) - Information manager.
- Prizmo ($49.95) - Scan any file to create editable documents.
- MacUpdate Desktop ($10.00) - Keep your Mac software updated.
- MotionComposer ($149.00) - Design animated and interactive Web content.
- 1000 OpenType fonts Collection ($99.00) - OpenType Fonts.
- iStat Menus ($16.00) - Monitor your Mac from the menubar.
- PhotoStyler 6 ($29.99) - Stylize your photos with filters, presets, more.
- DiskAid 6 ($29.90) - Flexible file transfer tool for iOS.
- Mac Internet Security 2013 ($29.99) - Macware and anti-virus utility.

MacUpdate Total: $49.99

MacLegion

MacLegion's latest bundle delivers 10 different Mac applications for $49.99 (a $393 value if all purchased separately).

- Toast ($99.99) - Burn CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray.
- Set for iWork ($69.00) - Designs/Templates for Pages, Numbers and Keynote.
- Launchbar ($35.00) - Keyboard driven utility to control your Mac.
- TasksBox ($24.99) - Task manager.
- Animationist ($29.99) - Title art animations for your videos.
- iFinance ($29.99) - Manange your finances.
- Habits ($19.99) - Create new habits and resolutions.
- MainMenu Pro ($9.99) - Maintenance tool for your Mac.
- Corel Paint it! ($39.99) - Transform photos into paintings.
- Stationery Pack 2 ($24.99) - Turn photos into greeting cards.

MacLegion Total: $49.99

MacRumors is a promotional partner with MacUpdate and MacLegion. Bundle sales through these links benefit MacRumors financially, and provide a way for readers to directly support this site.

Apple executives met with Beats Electronics CEO Jimmy Iovine in January to discuss a potential partnership with Beats' announced music subscription service called "Project Daisy". CEO Tim Cook and SVP of Internet Services Eddy Cue reportedly expressed interest in the service's "business model and its rollout plans" according to Reuters.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook met with Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine during a visit to Los Angeles in late February to find out more about Beats' "Project Daisy", a music subscription service the company announced in January but with scant detail, the sources said.

Apple's Internet products chief Eddy Cue, a key player in setting up its iTunes Music Store, also joined the meeting, at which Cook expressed interest in Daisy's business model and its rollout plans, although the two did not discuss specifics of a deal, the sources said.

Iovine pitched Steve Jobs on a subscription music service a decade ago, but Jobs felt the prices record companies were charging were too steep and would eventually come down.

There have been rumors for nearly five years about Apple developing a subscription music service, though more recent reports have suggested that Apple is aiming to release its service sometime in 2013.

Bloomberg reported in October that Apple was aiming for a first quarter launch, but record labels have suggested that negotiations were hung up over licensing fees.

Japanese blog Mac Otakara reports (via AppleInsider) that Foxconn is ready to ramp up production on iPhone 5S and that it would be built on the same production lines that currently build the iPhone 5.

Mac Otakara is also reporting that Japan's number one cellular provider, NTT DoCoMo, which doesn't currently carry iPhones, is reducing orders for Android phones for the Fall 2013 season. This move has caused rival carriers to speculate that DoCoMo is preparing to carry the iPhone.

Earlier today, iMore's Rene Ritchie confirmed that iPhone 5S would likely arrive this summer in August. The iPhone 5 geared up production in the summer for a fall release, which would mean a spring production for a summer iPhone 5S makes sense. Previously, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek reported that the 5S would enter production in March.

The iPhone 5S  is reportedly going to have improved internals while having the outside shell unchanged, which matches the design for previous "S version" iPhones. It's also rumored to have a fingerprint sensor on the home button and improved flash for the rear camera.

Mac Otakara has been accurate in the past, like details on the redesigns of the iPod nano and iPod touch. They've also had some misses, however, like a rumor about how the iPod nano would include Wi-Fi capabilities to support iTunes in the Cloud.

Apple appears to have quietly introduced an updated version of its low-end 21.5-inch iMac for educational institutions, taking advantage of a cheaper dual-core Intel Core i3 processor and integrated graphics to offer pricing of $1099, $200 cheaper than the entry-level pricing for consumer models. The education-only iMac, which carries a model number of ME699LL/A, also includes just 4GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive, while the low-end consumer model doubles both of those figures.

iMac 21.5-inch: 3.3GHz Dual-core Intel Core i3 (Education only model)
Product Number : ME699LL/A

- 3.3GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i3
- 1920 x 1080 resolution
- 4GB (two 2GB) memory
- 500GB hard drive
- Intel HD Graphics 4000

It is unclear exactly when Apple began offering the new iMac for educational institutions, but it appears to be a very recent addition to Apple's lineup. The machine replaces the previous $999 iMac for educational institutions introduced over 18 months ago and is positioned to appeal to budget-conscious schools.

Potential customers should note that the $1099 iMac is only available for purchase by educational institutions and is not available to individuals making purchases through Apple's educational discount program. Orders are currently quoted as shipping in 5-7 business days, slightly longer than the 3-5 day estimates for other models through the Apple Store for Educational Institutions.

Consumer models of the iMac ordered through the regular online store in North America just saw their shipping estimates improve to "within 24 hours" earlier today. Apple has also lowered pricing on the 768 GB flash storage upgrade on the 27-inch Mac, dropping the upgrade charge from $1300 to $900.

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!)