MacRumors

Earlier this week, we noted that Apple's Retina MacBook Pro and newest MacBook Air models had been among a number of ultrathin notebooks whose eligibility for inclusion on the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) registry had been verified. The approval came with some clarifications of the EPEAT standards that were criticized by some, including iFixit's Kyle Wiens, as watering down the requirements for inclusion.

EPEAT has now posted a defense of its actions, noting that its review committee was simply following the guidelines as they are written. The group acknowledges some of the concerns, but notes that those issues should be raised in the forthcoming update to the standards and not as criticism of the application of the standards as they are currently written.

Regarding upgrade capability, the criteria specifically state that products may be upgraded or extended “by a high performance serial bus (IEEE Std 1394™ [B4]) or Universal Serial Bus (USB)”. Regardless of opinions about whether or not that is appropriate or acceptable language, the hard fact is that EPEAT has no authority to ‘flunk’ products if they meet the explicit terms of the standard.

Regarding disassembly: The criteria under discussion are located in the section of the standard that addresses Design for End of Life – that is, design for effective recycling. The criteria investigated are not in any way aimed at refurbishment or repair. Again, people may think that there should be more in the standard about disassembly for repair and refurbishment – and we welcome their views – but these criteria do not apply to that topic.

The group goes on to note that EPEAT standards are developed through an open process that involves stakeholders from a number of sides, although Wiens had previously noted that the voting group for the last standards update was heavily weighted toward computer industry companies. EPEAT also notes that at the time of the registry's implementation, no products qualified for the Gold standard, indicating that the registry's overall purpose in defining reachable goals has been a success.

The EPEAT system was structured to encourage continual improvement by providing progressive ratings and by regularly updating the environmental performance criteria products must meet. It took a year for any products to meet the Gold rating requirements after the registry launched, because it was extremely challenging to do so. Over time, the EPEAT PC/Display criteria have become more familiar and companies have designed them into their products and supply chain requirements. That’s a good thing. In fact the whole point of the EPEAT system is to drive change… Our goal is to create a new bottom line for environmental innovation that affects the whole global industry for the better.

EPEAT is moving forward with its next update to its PC/Display standards, hoping draw upon recently-updated standards for imaging equipment and televisions in certain aspects. Consequently, it seems that the time for those interested in tightening the criteria for such aspects as upgradeability and recyclability and to add criteria for repairability is approaching.

Late yesterday, The Next Web reported that Apple was finalizing a deal to acquire Color Labs, the video streaming service and app founded by Lala Media veteran Bill Nguyen. The report came at the end of a confusing day in which an internal memo indicated that the company was being shut down, only to have the company deny those claims.

AllThingsD now provides significantly more clarity to situation, revealing that Apple is only acquiring Color's 20-member engineering team for a relatively small sum.

What’s really happening is that Color’s engineering team — about 20 people, comprising almost the entire company — is being “acqhired” by Apple at what’s being called a “nominal” price of something like $2 million to $5 million, according to multiple sources familiar with both sides of the situation. To repeat, there are no “double-digit” millions involved, according to many people familiar with the deal.

Apple is not buying Color’s technology, intellectual property, domain names or liabilities. Those are being left with the company, which still has considerable cash in the bank — something like $25 million — and is going to be wound down.

Apple is reportedly bringing Color's engineers on board to work on cloud-related projects.

The report notes that there is a significant amount of bad blood between the various parties involved at Color and even Apple, contributing to the mass confusion yesterday about what exactly is happening with Color. Apple and Color have yet to comment on the deal.

9to5Mac reports that prices for Apple's new iMac and Mac mini coming next week will be in line with current pricing, almost certainly confirming that the new iMac models will not carry more-expensive Retina displays.

The three Mac mini models will likely be priced at the same $599, $799, and $999 for the two standard models and single server model, respectively.

The new iMacs will also feature similar or same pricing as the current iMacs, but the top 27-inch and 21.5-inch models may feature slightly cheaper pricing in some countries. The current iMacs come in at $1199, $1499, $1699, and $1999 U.S. price points.

The news conflicts with a report from earlier this month claiming that the iMac would be seeing a price increase alongside a thinner form factor.

In a separate post, 9to5Mac also reports that Apple will for the first time offer 8 GB RAM module options for the iMac and Mac mini. While third-party RAM vendors have long offered 8 GB modules for Apple's machines, Apple itself has sold only 4 GB modules and thus only listed official support for 16 GB of RAM in the iMac and 8 GB in the Mac mini.

The higher-density modules will allow users to configure Mac mini orders with up to a total 16 GB of RAM in the machine's two RAM slots. The iMac could potentially see up to 32 GB of RAM, although that assumes the machine will continue to offer four slots as on the current models. Considering rumors of a thinner profile, this may or may not be the case.

Apple is preparing to open its third retail store in Beijing this weekend, with the massive new Wangfujung store representing yet another high-profile entry for the company.

The Next Web was on hand for the media preview today, gaining an early look at the new store and hearing from Apple retail chief John Browett, who also acknowledged that Apple is working to open a new store in Shenzhen, China.

Browett went so far as to say that, in his opinion, the new location is the best store Apple has built in Asia so far. That would presumably take the unofficial title from the IFC Hong Kong store, which was Apple’s most expensive store to date when it opened last year. [...]

Apple Store aficionados (hey, I’m sure some of you are out there) should take note that the Wangfujing location has one of Apple’s three triple-height glass staircases, the first in Asia. Also a first in Asia, the location has two 360-degree Genius Bars, allowing customers to stand next to their technicians rather than across from them.

M.I.C. gadget shares more photos from the new store, noting that the ground floor is dedicated to product displays while the second floor offers support functions such as the Genius Bars and training tables and the basement houses additional training tables, a kids' table, and the largest range of accessories available at any store.

Back in early July, a UK court ruled that Samsung had not infringed upon the design of the iPad with its own Galaxy Tab device, with judge Colin Birss ruling that the Galaxy Tab was simply "not as cool" as the iPad. Roughly a week later, Birss ruled that Apple must publish advertisements on its website and in newspapers acknowledging that Samsung did not copy the iPad's design.

Apple quickly appealed the ruling and was granted a stay until that appeal could be heard.

BBC News now reports that Apple has lost its appeal and is now required to follow through on publishing its acknowledgments.

The US firm had previously been ordered to place a notice to that effect - with a link to the original judgement - on its website and place other adverts in the Daily Mail, Financial Times, T3 Magazine and other publications to "correct the damaging impression" that Samsung was a copycat.

The appeal judges decided not to overturn the decision on the basis that a related Apple design-rights battle in the German courts risked causing confusion in consumers' minds.

"The acknowledgment must come from the horse's mouth," they said. "Nothing short of that will be sure to do the job completely."

The appeals judges ruled that Apple could satisfy the posting requirement for its own website by including a small link entitled "Samsung/Apple judgement" on the site for a period of one month.

Apple can still appeal to the UK Supreme Court in an effort to have the publishing requirement overturned, but Reuters notes that Apple has given no indication of planning such an appeal.

Verizon today became the first major U.S. iPhone carrier to report earnings for the third quarter of 2012, giving some insight into iPhone sales one week before Apple reports its numbers.

In a conference call following the earnings release, Verizon revealed that it activated 3.1 million iPhones during the quarter, representing approximately 46% of its total smartphone activations of 6.8 million. The iPhone activation number was up from 2.7 million in the previous quarter that saw Apple garnering a similar 45% share of Verizon's smartphone activations.

Addressing the iPhone 5, Verizon noted that 21% of its iPhone activations were for devices running on the carrier's LTE network, translating to about 650,000 iPhone 5 activations in the last few days of the quarter.

AT&T and Sprint will also be reporting their financial results next week, ahead of Apple's announcement and conference call following the close of trading on Thursday, October 25.

Just after the revelation that Apple has acquired Web app startup Particle, The Next Web reports that Apple is also in the process of acquiring Color Labs. Color, which raised a substantial $41 million round of financing even before launching last year, arrived as a photo sharing service that has since morphed into a streaming video service.

We’ve heard through trusted sources that the startup was nabbed for a price that is in the ‘high double digits’, as in millions, and that the deal is ‘done’, though papers have yet to be signed.

VentureBeat reported earlier today on an email sent to at least one employee of the company stating that the company leaders had "voted to wind down the company", but Color quickly issued a brief statement claiming that it was not in the process of shutting down.

Color was founded by Bill Nguyen, who was also behind Lala Media, the streaming music service that was acquired by Apple in late 2009. The Next Web speculates on why Apple may also have been interested in Color:

As to why they’d want Color Labs? We would look to Color’s patents, which may include ones for a file format that they were working on to record HD video. Or it’s software engineering team, if Apple was impressed by their work.

Apple and Color have not yet responded to requests for comment on the situation.

Next month, Apple will meet with accessory makers in Shenzhen, China to discuss integration of the new Lightning connector in third party products, according to a report from TechCrunch. The MFi Program allows manufacturers to obtain the hardware components necessary to connect iPhones, iPods and iPads to third party docks, cars, and other such devices.

However, in a change from the previous dock connector, TechCrunch says Apple will be keeping very tight control of the new Lightning connector:

One of those new rules, according to one of our sources close to the program, is that Apple’s Lightning pin supply is controlled by the company itself, and it supplies approved MFI partners with production quantities of the pin once their product is determined to have met its standards and specifications. It sells them in volume, and our source says the pricing is actually very fair when you consider the advanced technology involved in the connector’s construction.

An earlier teardown of the Lightning connector showed some specialized hardware inside the connector itself, including chips that could be used for security.

That said, Chinese companies are said to have cracked the security protocols already, and are in the process of ramping up Lightning component production. The meeting, reportedly scheduled for November 7 and 8, is a first step towards development of new Lightning-compatible products.

Apple did say during the iPhone 5 launch event that some companies including Bose, JBL, B&W and B&O were already working on devices compatible with the new connector. However, we haven't heard any concrete availability dates for new Lightning-compatible devices.

CNET reports that Apple has acquired Particle, a small San Francisco-based startup firm specializing in HTML5 Web and Web app work. The acquisition is said to have been for the company's talent rather than any specific project it was working on.

The company has done HTML5 work for Google, Motorola, Amazon, Yahoo, Sony, and Apple. The group has also created some "labs" projects including Intervue.me, an asynchronous video interviewing project. [...]

The deal went through late last month, though not all its less than a dozen employees stayed on to work at Apple. Those who did are listed as "creative technologists" as well as one "user interface engineer," according to their public LinkedIn profiles.

The report speculates that Particle's Web expertise makes it likely that the new Apple employees will be working on such projects as Apple's website, iAd, and iCloud.com. Particle's About page outlines some of its work with Apple prior to the acquisition:

Particle brings positive and energetic relationships with Google and the Chrome team specifically, as well as great Apple relationships and execution experience around iAds, iTunes Extras, and Apple.com. We have participated in and piloted much of the technology which will display the next generation of advertising and deliver media content for the next decade.

TechCrunch has documented five of Particle's former employees who are now listing Apple as their employer on LinkedIn, with all of the transitions listed as having taken place in September.

Earlier today, Geeky Gadgets reported that it has received word from a retailer in the United Kingdom indicating that the "iPad mini" will be launching on November 2 in at least the United States and UK, with pre-orders reportedly set to begin on October 26. 9to5Mac also issued a Tweet today stating that it has "heard whispers" of a November 2 launch.

As we noted earlier this week, November 2 is the most obvious date for a launch given Apple's past history and the October 23 date for its media event, making it difficult to assess which rumors might be based on actual information and which might simply be speculation based on the most likely scenario.

Apple typically releases its new mobile devices on Fridays, generally making them available roughly a week and a half after their introduction. This pattern was seen with the iPhone 5 last month and with the third-generation iPad earlier this year, among other past releases. Pre-orders, if they are offered, are a bit less consistent, with iPhone 5 pre-orders going live one week before launch while pre-orders for the third-generation iPad began immediately following Apple's media event nine days before launch.

One wrinkle that could derail Apple's usual schedule is the possibility that the iPad mini may be considered a new product line, and these products such as the original iPhone and full-size iPad had longer gaps between introduction and launch. We do believe, however, that the iPad mini is likely to be a rather straightforward expansion of Apple's existing product line, meaning that a November 2 launch is indeed likely.

Following word that increased quality control standards for the iPhone 5 assembly process have slowed Foxconn's production and increased stress on workers, The Wall Street Journal shares comments from an unnamed Foxconn executive explaining the difficulty in assembling the device.

“The iPhone 5 is the most difficult device that Foxconn has ever assembled. To make it light and thin, the design is very complicated,” said an official at the company who declined to be named. “It takes time to learn how to make this new device. Practice makes perfect. Our productivity has been improving day by day.”

The executive also addressed the scratching issues that have reportedly been the cause of the increased quality control standards, noting that it is "always hard to satisfy both aesthetic needs and practical needs."

The executive also acknowledged tensions between production line staff and quality control inspectors, but declined to offer additional information on the situation that was initially reported as a strike by several thousand workers but later denied by Foxconn.

Parts firm ETrade Supply posts several photos of what it believes to be a legitimate display from Apple's forthcoming "iPad mini" set for introduction at next Tuesday's media event. The display is said to be of the same 4:3 aspect ratio of the full-size iPad and measures 162 mm x 124 mm.

Text on the back of the display suggests that the part was manufactured by LG Display, and text on the ribbon cable extending from the display is also consistent with labeling on genuine Apple parts.

ETrade Supply has also posted several photos of an iPad mini battery, which appears to be identical to the part shared by MacRumors earlier this week with the exception of the Apple part number. ETrade Supply's battery carries an APN of 616-0627, while the battery in our photo carried an APN of 616-0641. Any differences between the two parts are not immediately obvious.

Following ETrade Supply's posting of the iPad mini display photos, French site Nowhereelse.fr posted its own photo [Google translation] of what has been claimed to be the iPad mini display in quality testing. The site received the photo last week and was unable to verify with any degree of confidence that the part was indeed an iPad mini display, but with the actual part now having been shared by ETrade Supply, similarities in the mounting points for the two displays suggest that the display being tested may indeed be for the iPad mini.

According to a study by ABI Research, the average size of an iOS app increased by 16% from March to September 2012; iOS games have grown even faster, jumping 42% over that same time period.

The increase is thought to be partly the result of the iPad's new retina display, as well as a March increase in the over-the-air App Store download limit from 20MB to 50MB.

Universal apps include all the resources needed for the iPad and iPhone, regardless of which device the app is downloaded onto. These factors, combined with the new high-resolution graphics needed for the new iPad Retina display have ballooned app sizes.

The flipside of the increasing file-sizes is that the internal storage of smartphones and tablets is becoming a scarcer resource, as the device capabilities struggle to keep up with the requirements of apps and mobile content. Markkanen predicts, "Especially the consumers with 16GB devices are likely to become more conscious about what apps to keep and what to uninstall, so the developers’ bar to impress will be getting even higher than it is now. This could also speed up the adoption of the mobile cloud as a storage remedy quite significantly."

Some have speculated that Apple could hold down the entry-level pricing on the iPad mini by offering an 8 GB model, but as universal apps with Retina iPad support push app download sizes ever higher, Apple is likely to maintain 16 GB as the floor for its tablet devices.

Even the iPhone has trended toward larger capacities, with Apple adding a 64 GB option for the iPhone 4S and now offering only the free iPhone 4 as an 8 GB device. Though it doesn't support downloadable apps, the new iPod Nano is also only offered in an 16GB capacity, dropping the 8GB capacity that the prior Nano was offered in.

Last month, Apple stopped selling any iPod Touch model in an 8GB capacity -- the smallest iPod touch nowadays is the 16GB 4th generation model, available for $199. The new 5th generation model starts at 32GB.

The teardown experts at iFixit have taken apart the new Seventh-Generation iPod Nano, noting how much work Apple's engineers put into making the device as thin as possible. The teardown notes that the battery has a rating of 0.8Wh, more than twice the rating of the prior generation Nano.

The battery, Lightning connector and volume controls are all soldered directly to the logic board. The button cable and headphone jack are attached as well. The site does note that the LCD and digitizer glass are not fused together, allowing replacement of either component individually.

iFixit found components from Apple, Broadcom (Bluetooth + FM Radio), NXP Semiconductors, Toshiba (NAND flash), and Texas Instruments (touchscreen controller) inside the Nano.

Overall, iFixit found the new iPod nano to be fairly difficult to repair as many components are soldered directly to the logic board. The battery appears to be particularly difficult to replace. The revelation is not a surprise, as Apple does not intend its mobile products to be user-serviceable and the company's efforts to push the limits of design and size reduction have led it to sacrifice accessibility.

iFixit has also taken apart the Fifth-Generation iPod Touch, as well as the iPhone 5.