Following a rumor from late March claiming that Apple will be adding Baidu as a search engine option on the iPhone in China, Bloomberg reports that Apple will indeed be taking that step, perhaps announcing the addition at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference.
While customers will have the option to select Baidu as their main vehicle for searching the Web, Google’s product will probably remain the default choice, one person said. At present, users of iPhones and iPads in China can access Baidu search by downloading it separately as an application.
Baidu maintains an 80% share of the search market in China, making it a natural addition for Apple as it seeks to drive overall growth with a focus on the booming consumer market there.
Bloomberg also reiterates claims that Apple will announce next week that it is abandoning Google Maps on iOS in favor of its own mapping solution, but the report offers no other details on the company's plans for the transition.
In line with rumors from earlier this week, Virgin Mobile USA today announced that it will begin offering the iPhone on June 29. Virgin Mobile USA is a prepaid brand operated by Sprint.
Notably, Virgin Mobile will be offering service plans for as low as $30 per month with no commitment when customers sign up for automatic payments.
Virgin Mobile's Beyond Talk unlimited data and messaging plans for iPhone start at $35 per month for access to Sprint's Nationwide Network, and customers can receive a $5 per-month plan discount when they register for automatic monthly payments with a credit card, debit card or PayPal account, making iPhone available for as low as $30 per month. Customers can also use their iPhone as a mobile hotspot through Virgin Mobile for an additional $15 per month.
Unlike Cricket, which announced last week that it will begin offering the iPhone on a prepaid basis on June 22, Virgin is not offering any subsidy on iPhone hardware, with the 8 GB iPhone 4 being priced at $549 and the 16 GB iPhone 4S coming in a $649.
Cricket is offering the iPhone for $150 less, but its service plan consists solely of a $55/month offering with unlimited talk, text, and data. With Virgin Mobile offering plans for as low as $30, low-use customers can make up that hardware price differential in six months of service.
All three of Virgin Mobile's plans include unlimited texting and data (throttled after 2.5 GB), with voice minutes being the differentiating factor. With the $5 discount for automatic payments, Virgin Mobile's plans are priced at $30 (300 minutes), $40 (1200 minutes), and $50 (unlimited minutes).
Virgin Mobile will offer the iPhone through its website and at RadioShack, Best Buy, and other select retailers.
Algoriddim has released vjay their realtime video mixing app for iPad. We previewed the app earlier this week.
Similar to how djay works, vjay allows you to mix/fade between two video clips and apply real time effects to the output. Due to the heavy processing required to decode and mix two video streams, the app only works on the iPad 2 or the new iPad.
Video clips can be full music videos, such as those downloaded from the iTunes store, or they can be your own personal video clips. Audio can either be the original video audio or intermingled with songs your own music library. Both video and audio tracks can be swapped out independently at any time.
A new video shows off some of the features:
The focus of the app is on these real time performances and mixes which can be saved and shared. vjay is available for a limited time price of $9.99 and requires an iPad 2 or the new iPad. [Direct Link]
Cydiablog points to a new hands on video with the same "iPhone 5" parts that have been circulating. The new video was posted by part supply company eTradeSupply.
The new video is not especially more revealing, but does show the backplate in a number of different angles. The narrator also compares it directly to the iPhone 4, showing the relative size. Other features noted:
- Smaller dock port - Bottom headphone jack - SIM card slot smaller - iPhone 5 is thinner than iPhone 4S (though no screen on the iPhone 5)
A few times a year, MacRumors partners with MacUpdate to promote their Mac application bundle deal.
Their latest bundle delivers at 11 Mac applications for $49.99 (a $457 value if all purchased separately). Notably, it includes Parallels Desktop 7, a popular virtualization tool that allows users to run Windows on their Mac.
The full bundle includes (retail value in parenthesis):
- Parallels Desktop 7 ($79.99) - Run Windows and Linux apps alongside Mac OS X. - ScreenFlow 3 ($99.99) - Screencasting software allowing you to record your screen. - Civilization V ($39.99) - A turn-based game to lead a civilization through time. - Jaksta ($49.99) - Record virtually any audio or video stream from the Web. - Espionage 3 ($19.99) - Easily encrypt and password protect individual files or folders - Speed Download 5 ($25.00) - Boost your file transfers so they take full advantage of your Internet connection. - Attachment Tamer 3 ($14.99) - Apple Mail add-on that gives you enhanced control over email attachments. - KeyCue 6 ($28.00) - Learn and discover keyboard shortcuts - A Better Finder Rename 9 ($19.95) - Batch rename dozens, hundreds, or thousands of files. - My Living Desktop 5 ($29.95) - Turn your Mac's desktop picture into a high-definition video.
The first 10,000 buyers also get BusyCal ($49.99 value).
All apps together are being sold for $49.99 until June 20th. MacRumors is a promotional partner with MacUpdate. Bundle sales through these links benefit MacRumors financially, and provide a way for readers to directly support this site.
In a last minute press conference, Google today shared "the next dimension" of Google Maps. The presentation, which some felt was underwhelming from a product perspective, included a lot of history around the Google Earth, Maps and Street View products, as well as a peek at what's to come.
The announcements are particularly significant with credible rumors that Apple will be dropping Google Maps as the native maps application in iOS, in favor of its own solution at WWDC next week.
Image courtesy The Verge
The first big announcement was related to the display of 3D buildings in Google Earth. Google is using airplanes along with a Google-designed system to photograph cities and make a 3D map of buildings. It appears to be a very similar process to the one used by C3 Technologies, a company that Apple purchased last year. The Verge offers more details on how it works:
To make the images, Google uses planes to take images at 45-degrees from four different angles — flying them in a tightly-controlled pattern with plenty of overlap. Google builds the 3D model off of these many images, using algorithms to create the shape and color of buildings. The process is "fully automated," building the 3D images without any human interactions. The system is intelligent enough to know when a certain image is blocked or shadowed, for example. The company hopes to combine the 2D mapping and vector data with the 3D images to perhaps someday provide vertical location information.
Aside from the Google Earth developments -- which will be coming to the iOS version of Google Earth in the coming weeks -- Google also unveiled new technologies for Street View and offline viewing for Google Maps on Android.
Google executives also took questions from the audience. Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering for Google Maps, said Google was "really proud of Google Maps" and that the company was "committed to offering those services on all platforms". Based on these statements, it seems likely Google will offer a standalone iOS app for Google Maps even if Apple chooses to implement its own mapping solution in the native iOS Maps app, much like it does for the existing Google Earth app.
Sparrow, the popular alternative email client, is coming to the iPad. The company has posted a teaser page where interested users can sign up to be notified when the client is closer to public release, as noted byThe Next Web.
The iPhone version of Sparrow was missing a huge feature -- push notifications -- some would think necessary to an email program. The developers behind Sparrow have announced that they're working on an alternative method to enable push because Apple has refused to allow Sparrow to use the APIs necessary to make push work natively.
The Next Web thinks Sparrow's push notification service might be announced at the same time as the iPad app, speculating that next week's WWDC conference would be an excellent time for both announcements.
Six months ago, cloud gaming company OnLive announced the release of a playable client for the iPad and the iPhone. At the time, the release of the iOS app was reported to be imminent, but it has yet to materialize.
Our sister site TouchArcadereports from E3 that OnLive is "hard at work on getting the app approved", but doesn't have any estimate for when the app will be approved, nor what the holdup is.
It's not much of a surprise that Apple might have issues with the OnLive app, as it's offering a complete platform that Apple doesn't have control over, promotes a gamepad, and provides content purchased outside of the App Store ecosystem. So, here's to keeping our fingers crossed to OnLive and Apple coming to some sort of middle ground to get the app out.
In a new research note, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Apple will be making significant improvements to both front and rear cameras on the next-generation iPhone, advances driven by a desire to decrease the thickness of the device and to improve compatibility with a new 16:9 display.
According to Kuo, the rear camera on the iPhone will remain at 8 megapixels, but the aperture will be increased from f/2.4 to f/2.2 in order to reduce camera module height by nearly 0.5 mm.
[A] number of components have required a slim-down. The component that will undergo the most dramatic make-over is the rear camera. Our research shows that iPhone 5 will feature the first-ever slimmed rear camera of all iPhones, in an effort to deliver an ultra-slim iPhone 5.
Meanwhile, to enhance photography effects, iPhone 5’s rear camera will feature a larger f/2.2 aperture than iPhone 4S’s f/2.4. However, larger aperture means more noises. In addition, the reduced thickness means even greater challenges for lens design and assembly, as not only the lens, but also the voice coil motor (VCM) and CMOS image sensor (CIS) need to be slimmer. Finally, the compact camera module (CCM) suppler, responsible for the terminal assembly, will be confronted by assembly yield.
As for the front-facing camera, Kuo argues that Apple's move to a 16:9 display will drive a significant boost to HD quality for the front camera. HD offers the same 16:9 aspect ratio as the new display, as opposed to the 4:3 aspect ratio of the current VGA-quality FaceTime camera, and Apple will likely want to take full advantage of the device's new screen. In addition, moving the FaceTime camera to above the earpiece will allow for more centered images, improving the user experience.
The report also indicates that Apple is adopting flip-chip packing for the new front-facing camera, a process that will result in a thinner assembly and simplify lens production by moving the blue glass filter to the camera module itself.
Kuo has offered accurate information on a number of occasions in the past, relying on sources within Apple's supply chain to piece together Apple's product plans.
Following yesterday's leak of Mac Pro part numbers, AppleInsider now posts a full list of 27 new part numbers said to be on their way to resellers in Australia. A total of 13 of the part numbers are listed as "standalone kits", indicating that they are accessories, which leaves as many as 14 Mac models included in the launch.
Based on hints included in the leaked image and some additional information, guesses can be made at the identities of some of the remaining products.
The first product on the list, part number MC414, is described as "K31 Best" and appears to have a price under AU$1000. The K31 part number initially appeared a year ago to describe what is now the current generation of Apple's Time Capsule base station. Consequently, this new listing may represent a capacity upgrade to the existing line.
The next group of part numbers includes a pair of "D2" machines with prices above AU$2000 and AU$3000 respectively, and these parts could represent new 15-inch MacBook Pro models. The current stock 15-inch models come in at AU$2099 and AU$2499, and the higher price on at least the new high-end model could be a result of a shift to solid-state storage. The identification of these part numbers as MacBook Pros is mere speculation, however, based only on the best fitting price points of current machines.
Two pairs of model numbers at J30 and J31 could represent updated iMacs, with the three lowest models being priced in the AU$1000-AU$1999 range and the top end model coming in above AU$2000. This fits with the existing iMac pricing, which is AU$1399/AU$1698 for the 21.5-inch size and AU$1949/AU$2299 for the 27-inch size.
The next two pairs of model numbers, J11 and J13, may also be linked and could represent new MacBook Air models. Only the first digit of the low-end J11 price can be seen, and it indicates that pricing begins above AU$1000, in line with the current AU$1099 entry-level price on the 11-inch model.
Following a list of 12 accessory part numbers comes the three Mac Pro models detailed yesterday, and the list concludes with a "PD454" part number that interestingly represents a personalized or engraved version of the B67(A) accessory that appears earlier in the list.
Notably, our speculation on the identities of the various part number does not include a 13-inch MacBook Pro, for which a claimed spec label leaked yesterday. It is possible that one of the model numbers such as J11 could represent two stock configurations of a 13-inch MacBook Pro, but that would leave Apple's set of four MacBook Air models incompletely accounted for in the part numbers.
We caution our readers that these guesses at identifying the various part numbers are indeed speculation based on best fits with Apple's current pricing structure and number of models offered in each of its Mac lines. We do not have specific knowledge of the identities of these models beyond what is shown in the leaked image.
Update: 9to5Mac posts a full matrix of parts and prices along with their speculation on models matching up with those parts. Their guesses are identical to ours with the exception of the K31 part, which with a price of AU$119 would represent a new AirPort Express rather than a Time Capsule upgrade.
The addition of prices for the accessories also indicates that the B67 product is a new iPod shuffle available in five colors and with personalization. Other likely accessories include an external SuperDrive and a USB 3.0 Ethernet adapter.
Apple has already started decorating Moscone with banners in preparation for WWDC 2012. The first banners show a collage of app icons and the wording: "WWDC2012: Where great ideas go on to do great things."
The annual developer's conference kicks off on Monday with a Keynote Address. Apple is expected to introduce a number of new products and likely preview iOS 6.
Shortly after word that Apple had pulled Mac Pro stock from their retail stores, 9to5Mac has been able to track down new retail part numbers for Mac Pro updates that they believe to be due next week.
Pricing is said to be "similar to current Mac Pro models". The new models come in three configurations: two standard versions and a third with OS X Server.
We had long been tracking the possible Intel chips that could find their way into the new Mac Pros. It wasn't until March, 2012 that Intel had released new Xeon E5 chips that Apple could use to upgrade their long-stagnant professional tower. The Mac Pro was last updated almost two years ago in July 2010. Apple had been said to be questioning the future of the Mac Pro line, given diminishing market appeal for the processional tower.
Apple will be holding the Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) next week and is rumored to be making other Mac hardware introductions.
Earlier today, a Chinese forum post on Weiphone claimed to have the specs for the new 13" MacBook Pro revision. Disappointingly, the changes were minor with no evidence of a new design or the use of any high resolution Retina display.
The original poster has since edited his post with additional claims for the 15" MacBook Pro update. The specs listed include:
New Macbook Pro 15 inch: i7 2820 2.3GHZ/2x2GB/500GB i7 2860 2.5GHZ/2x4GB/750GB Custom 2.7GHZ/2x4GB/1TB Card is NV GT650M 1G
What's questionable about these specs is that the processors listed are previous generation Intel processors and not the new Ivy Bridge ones that we have been expecting. While representing a slight upgrade to the existing 15" MacBook Pro models, it's hard to believe that Apple would use last year's processors in their upgrade.
Apple today released MainStage 2.2.2 [Mac App Store], an update to the company's software for bringing virtual instruments and effects to live performances. According to the full release notes, the update addresses 14 different issues, with the company highlighting the following:
The MainStage 2.2.2 update addresses overall stability and performance issues including:
• Addresses a stability issue that could cause MainStage to quit unexpectedly on OS X 10.7.4 • Fixes an issue that prevented the I/O plug-in from outputting audio • Resolves an issue related to the download and installation of basic and additional content
MainStage is a 302 MB download from the Mac App Store and is priced at $29.99, although the 2.2.2 update is of course free for current MainStage 2.2 users. Formerly a component of the Logic Studio suite, Apple moved MainStage (and Logic Pro) to the Mac App Store last December.
In-store availability for the Mac Pro has long been spotty at Apple's retail locations, making it difficult to read too much into any apparent shortages as hints of future updates. But MacRumors has learned that Apple began recalling Mac Pro stocks from its retail stores several weeks ago, with retail store staff having been instructed to inform customers that they may still order the machines online.
A quick survey of roughly 100 U.S. Apple retail stores for availability of the entry-level stock Mac Pro model shows that nearly all of them are indeed out of stock for in-store pickup, although we did find four California stores and one Texas store with machines available for immediate pickup.
Projected availability dates for orders placed online today vary significantly, with some stores citing availability on June 8 or 9 while others would not be able to offer a Mac Pro for pickup until June 12 or 13. Apple's keynote address at its Worldwide Developers Conference takes place next Monday, June 11.
Apple has been rumored to be updating nearly all of its Mac products next week, although it remains unclear whether the Mac Pro will be included in the mass rollout. The Mac Pro was last updated in July 2010, and new Xeon E5 processor options to provide a substantial upgrade to the line are now available.
Separately, we've heard that Apple is holding a secret "overnight" for staff at its retail stores on June 12, with employees being kept in the dark about the focus of the session. A separate overnight session to be held tonight was highlighted last week, but we've heard that tonight's session is simply a routine rearranging of sales floor content.
Apple has released Apple TV Software Update 5.0.2 for 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV models. The release has build number 9B830. Apple has yet to update the Apple TV Software Update webpage with details about the update.
The Apple TV can be updated directly on the unit by going to the Settings menu, then General, then selecting Update Software.
On-the-go football fans looking to keep track of the action during the 14th UEFA European Football Championship should check out the Official UEFA EURO 2012 app, released recently ahead of the start of the monthlong tournament June 8th.
The app offers news, scores, lineups and more from EURO 2012.
The official UEFA EURO 2012 app keeps you close to all the action during the 14th UEFA European Football Championship (from 8 June to 1 July 2012 in Poland and Ukraine).
Wherever you are, stay tuned to the tournament, follow your favourite team and share the excitement with your friends on Facebook and Twitter .
- Read and share the latest articles on the UEFA EURO 2012 tournament - Set up personalised alerts for the latest news about your favourite team, including match events - A full UEFA EURO 2012 experience: calendar, standings, lineups, players profiles, detailed statistics and photo gallery - Watch players and coaches give free video interviews - Watch match highlights (available for purchase after midnight)
The Official UEFA EURO 2012 app is available free on the App Store. [Direct Link]
iPhone accessory maker Mophie has added a new iPhone case to its Juice Pack lineup. The $130 Mophie Juice Pack Pro bundles a 2,500 mAh supplementary battery with an OtterBox Defender-style protective case.
Mophie says the case is dust-proof and water-resistant, as well as providing impact and drop protection.
The juice pack PRO provides you with the confidence that your iPhone can lead you through the most demanding conditions. With the largest battery ever built into a juice pack case, complimented by a belt clip and rugged good looks, the juice pack PRO is the perfect adventure companion. Stay off the grid all weekend.
Mophie's Juice Pack line of cases are available at Apple Retail Stores and at Mophie.com.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Algoriddim has 
A few times a year, MacRumors partners with 
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In-store availability for the Mac Pro has long been spotty at Apple's retail locations, making it difficult to read too much into any apparent shortages as hints of future updates. But MacRumors has learned that Apple began recalling Mac Pro stocks from its retail stores several weeks ago, with retail store staff having been instructed to inform customers that they may still order the machines online.
On-the-go football fans looking to keep track of the action during the 14th UEFA European Football Championship should check out the 
