MacRumors

Last year, Apple provided the public with a sneak peak and the next major version of Mac OS X (Lion). Steve Jobs showed off only a few of the new features that were inspired by iOS:

"Lion brings many of the best ideas from iPad back to the Mac, plus some fresh new ones like Mission Control that Mac users will really like," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Lion has a ton of new features, and we hope the few we had time to preview today will give users a good idea of where we are headed."

Apple promised that Mac OS X Lion would ship in the summer of 2011, but we've haven't heard any updates since that initial preview.

Today, TechCrunch offers a rather vague piece indicating that they've heard that Mac OS X Lion developer beta seeding should begin soon. They also suggest that there will be a user interface change amongst other surprises:

And while we already know some of the new features thanks to Apples preview, there are still a few surprises, apparently. One of these is a much-anticipated UI overhaul. But that means that developers are going to need to be ready when it rolls out. And along those lines, were hearing that a developer beta should begin soon.

While we might normally dismiss such a vague claim, we've also heard whispers that Lion may begin seeding soon. The additional claim that Lion will have an overhauled user interface is also easy to accept. Early analysis of the Lion preview showed several early user interface changes with scrollbars and the dock. Apple also said that there would be a "ton of new features" in Lion that they haven't yet revealed. Mac OS X Lion is expected to launch in this summer.

CNet reports that Intel is launching Light Peak on Thursday, February 24th,

Intel released a statement to the media today stating that on Thursday in San Francisco it will "host a...press briefing to discuss a new technology that is about to appear on the market."

The date happens to coincide with Apple's expected release of new MacBook Pros.

We don't expect this to be a coincidence and perhaps explains why Apple choose to launch the new MacBook Pros on a Thursday rather than Tuesday.

MacGeneration (French) claims that a trusted source has leaked the specs of the new MacBook Pros. As summary of the new specs are provided:

- no more white MacBook (Apple goes back to two lines of 13" inchers)
- 16 GB SSD mSATA drives on all models to store the system
- Core i3 and third USB port on the 13" model
- Matte screen option on the higher-end 13"
- Option to replace the SuperDrive with a SSD on the 15 and 17" models
- HD screens on all models : 1440x900 on the 13", 1680x1050 on the 15"
- 200 to 300 grams lighter : 1.8 kg for the 13", 2.3 kg for the 15", 2.65 kg for the 17"
- Better battery life : 12 hours on the 13", 10 hours on the 15"
- 8 GB of RAM on the 17"

In addition to all these changes, MacGeneration cites another source who claims a "new technology" will make its way into the MacBook Pros. At this point, it seems likely that Light Peak will be introduced. Intel is reportedly holding an event on the same day (Thursday) to officially launch Light Peak.

BGR reports that Apple's "secret" meeting for retail store employees scheduled for this coming Sunday is regarding a new service known as "Joint Venture" that will bring Genius Bar services to small businesses and professional-level consumers in the form of telephone consultations and on-site visits.

First rumored back in March of last year, Joint Venture is an extension of Apple's current Genius Bar services that is aimed at small businesses and prosumers. Subscribers of the new service will be able to speak with a store-based Apple technician - lovingly referred to as Geniuses - over the phone for one-on-one consultation and troubleshooting, or they can request an on-site visit. Currently, Apple's Geniuses are not allowed to provide support remotely via the phone or in-person outside of Apple's retail locations.

The retail staff meeting is reportedly being held to brief employees on how to position and sell the forthcoming premium-priced service.

Just five days after the previous seed, MacRumors has received word that Apple has seeded a new version of Mac OS X 10.6.7, termed Build 10J860, to a select set of developers.

As with the previous build, Apple lists no known issues and asks developers to focus their testing on Safari, Mac App Store, AirPort, Bonjour, SMB, and Graphics Drivers.

Apple's software development cycles are of course highly variable, making it difficult to predict a public release date for Mac OS X 10.6.7, but the quick turnaround and increment of only two build numbers since the previous seed suggests that Apple may be wrapping up development on the update.

AppleInsider reports on a new research note from Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster relating data from NPD regarding January sales of Apple's Mac computers. According to the report, Apple's Mac sales were up 20% year-over-year in the month, performance Munster believes puts Apple on track to at least meet analyst expectations of 3.6 million Mac sales during the current quarter.

Currently, investors expect to see about 22 percent year over year growth in the March quarter, resulting in 3.6 million units. Though U.S. sales were up less -- 20 percent -- in January, Munster noted that Apple has seen faster international growth of the Mac platform.

The company sold 2.94 million Macs in the year-ago quarter, which itself was up 33% over the first calendar quarter of 2009.

January's strong results were presumably driven in large part by strong sales of the revamped MacBook Air introduced last October, and Apple's sales should see another significant bump with the expected release of new MacBook Pros just two days from now.

NPD's data also reveals a year-over-year decline in U.S. iPod unit sales of about 10%, although continuing declines in iPod unit sales have been offset in recent years by the increasing popularity of the iPod touch, which has worked to keep Apple's iPod revenue relatively steady from year to year.

Branding website Brandchannel today announced the results of its annual Brandcameo Product Placement Awards, offering a look at the brands and products featured in the films that topped the U.S. box office in 2010. According to the survey, Apple topped the overall charts with its products appearing in 30% of the top films for the year.

Apple products appeared in 30% of all films that were number one at the US box office in 2010, outstripping product placements by any other single brand. Nike, Chevrolet and Ford all tied for second most, each appearing in 24% of top films. Sony, Dell, Land Rover, and Glock appeared in at least 15% of top films.

Apple-branded products appeared in more than one-third of all number one films at the US box office between 2001 to 2010 (making 112 of the 334 #1 films in America since 2001). That is second only to Ford (144 of 334) and well ahead of third place Coca-Cola (96 of 334).

But while Apple did manage to top the list in 2010, its performance has actually declined over the past few years from a high of nearly 50% in 2008 to 44% in 2009 to 30% in 2010. The report claims that the decline is a result of other computer and electronic brands stepping up their product placement efforts in emulation of Apple's success, with Sony's film studios even going as far as to virtually eliminate Apple products from its films, instead inserting Sony VAIO products whenever possible.

Apple also fared well in Brandchannel's reader survey of the most memorable product placements of 2010, topping the rankings with 25% of respondents citing Apple or one of its products.

All Things Digital reports that Apple has scheduled a media event for March 2nd where the company is expected to introduce the next-generation iPad.

To those who intensely cares about this kind of stuff - which would be pretty much everyone in the tech ecosystem - Apple will hold its much-anticipated event on March 2, where the tech giant seems poised to unveil a new version of its hugely successful iPad.

As in, iPad 2! Or, as BoomTown is now officially nicknaming it: iPad Too!

According to the report's sources, the scheduled date is firm, and the event will take place in San Francisco. Apple has generally held its San Francisco media events at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

It's not clear when Apple will begin sending out its famous invites for gathering, but I am guessing soon, in order to get the Apple faithful to the proper level of froth.

Late yesterday, a rumor surfaced claiming that the second-generation iPad would not launch until June, but multiple sources have refuted that claim today.

Update: Reuters has also updated its earlier story refuting claims of iPad delays to note that it is also hearing that Apple will introduce the next-generation iPad on March 2nd.

One person familiar with the matter said recent speculation about a delay until June was "simply not true" as Apple is planning a launch in the same seasonal schedule as the first iPad, which went on sale in April 2010.

Apple will host an event on March 2, where the company is expected to take the wraps off the newest iPad model, an individual with knowledge of the situation said. Apple declined to comment.

Update 2: The New York Times is also pointing to a March 2nd date for Apple's iPad introduction.

Over the past day, a pair of analyst reports have suggested that Apple's second-generation iPad and fifth-generation iPhone will see their launches delayed beyond their previously-planned windows, due in part to design changes and other "issues" with production.

But according to The Loop's Jim Dalrymple, these claims are simply untrue. While Dalrymple is careful to note that he doesn't know when the next-generation versions of Apple's popular iOS devices will ship, he says that any claims that Apple is experiencing internal "delays" are false and that everything is on time according to Apple's schedule.

From what I've heard this morning both products are on schedule and will ship when they are supposed to. Only Apple knows exactly when that will be, but the products are not delayed.

Reuters is also reporting that claims of iPad delays are "not true".

In his report, Dalrymple goes on to note the phenomenon of "delays" for products that haven't even been announced. Consequently, it is important to differentiate between the expectations of the media and customers, which are widely discussed, and those of Apple's internal plans, which are much less well-known.

It seems amazing that rumors of Apple missing product deadlines are running rampant when Apple hasn't even announced the product yet. The only deadlines that have been set are by the media, not Apple.

Having said that, the iPhone 5 and iPad 2 are not delayed.

Many observers have been looking forward to an iPad release in the same March-April timeframe seen last year, with the next-generation iPhone set to follow in its usual June-July launch window, and it appears that Apple may yet meet those external targets.

Update: Reuters has now published a brief article refuting the delay claims, and Barron's has added its voice to the growing chorus of denials.

AppleInsider reports that Apple has requested that its retail store employees sign non-disclosure agreements in advance of an "all-hands" meeting that the report claims could come in advance of a media event.

People familiar with the company's retail plans revealed that Apple employees on Monday were asked to sign non-disclosure forms. Those who did not sign are said to be excluded from the next employee meeting, expected to be held in the next week.

Those privy to Apple's brick-and-mortar businesses indicated the meeting was originally scheduled for last week. But the meeting was apparently pushed back for one week, for reasons unknown.

Exactly what the meeting would be about seems to be in question, as the report seems to expect that the meeting would occur on Sunday night after store closing as has happened in the past, timing that would place it after the debut of new MacBook Pros widely expected for this Thursday.

The timing of the meeting could suggest that Apple plans to hold a media event to unveil new products, and could send out invitations to such an event as soon as this week. Lending support to this, Robert X. Cringely confidently began his latest column on Monday with: "Next week Apple will have a product event." Cringely presumes the event will be used to introduce new MacBook Pro models with Intel's high-speed Light Peak technology.

Cringely's report also suggests that we could see Light Peak-equipped Mac minis, although it is unclear what the basis of his speculation might be.

Today's report does not, however, appear to definitively state that the all-hands meeting will occur on Sunday, meaning that it could potentially occur within the next day or two and relate to preparations for Thursday's expected MacBook Pro launch.

But if the meeting truly isn't until Sunday and the MacBook Pros appear on Thursday as expected, AppleInsider suggests that the forthcoming media event could see the introduction of the second-generation iPad, a move would that would seem to require a product release in line with the majority of rumors that have been pinpointing a first quarter launch. It would also seemingly rule out recent claims that the next-generation iPad will not debut until June.

Apple has also just been rumored to be releasing updated iMacs sometime in the near future, although it is unclear why the company would host a media event to introduce only the iMacs and not the MacBook Pros if the company wanted to highlight its Mac lines with another event.

Update: We've received word from several sources that the meeting is simply a standard quarterly meeting for retail employees and should not entail any specific disclosures related to new products.

Update 2: We're hearing from other sources that Apple is indeed requiring employees to sign specific non-disclosure agreements for this meeting, a step that is not generally employed for such quarterly meetings, suggesting that something out of the ordinary may in fact be discussed at the meeting.

In a report touching on Apple's imminent MacBook Pro refresh widely expected to occur this Thursday, DigiTimes briefly suggests that Apple may also update its iMac line either alongside or soon after the notebook line's update. In addition, the iMac update may see a change in screen size offerings from the current 21.5- and 27-inch models.

In addition to notebooks, the supply chain sources also pointed out that Apple may also launch its new iMac along with its MacBook, and the company may also make some changes over the screen size to allow panel cutting to reach its optimization.

While Apple's MacBook Pro line is significantly overdue for an update based on past release intervals, the iMac line is just now approaching the end of its usual lifecycle, meaning that an update in the near future would not be out of line.

Apple's online stores are not, however, showing the same slippage of shipping estimates that have been popping up for the MacBook Pro line, suggesting that Apple either simply still has ample supply of the existing models even with an update coming in just a few days or will be scheduling the iMac update for a different date a bit further down the road.

Today's report also suggests that while the MacBook Pro update does appear likely to occur before the end of the month, significant volume production will not pick up until March. It is unclear whether such a production ramp will result in tight supplies in the first few weeks as pent-up demand for Apple's popular notebook line soaks up available supply.

Following close on the heels of analyst claims that Apple made last-minute design changes to the second-generation iPad that will see the device not launch until June, Business Insider now reports that FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger is similarly predicting that the fifth-generation iPhone may not make an appearance until September.

Berger writes, "For the iPhone 5, we continue to hear that a July launch is unlikely, with various casing suppliers and touch suppliers still ramping up, with some chip vendors not having yet received firm iPhone 5 orders, and with other sockets like the image sensor (most likely going to Omnivision exclusively, but with some potential for Sony to split that socket) still in flux. Given these factors, we think a September launch is more likely, off from Apple's traditional iPhone launch schedule, but giving the firm more time to enhance its next-generation instant communications on the phone."

Apple has released new iPhone models nearly like clockwork each year in June or July since the device's debut in 2007. Consequently, a September launch for the next-generation model would be a significant deviation from that trend, which Apple executives have acknowledged is part of an annual cycle of product releases.

One thing that is different during this year's cycle is mid-year product introductions, with the iPhone 4 making its way to Verizon earlier this month, and potentially offering a way for Apple to milk more life out of the device. But at least for the time being, that effect would only apply in the United States, as the CDMA device has not yet launched in other markets and many countries do not even offer significant CDMA-based networks on which the device could run. In a similar vein, Apple has said that it will be releasing the white iPhone 4 sometime this "spring", which could provide another boost to the line, although Apple has of course already delayed the device's launch several times and some observers are skeptical that it will ever see a release.

Still, we tend to take most research analyst claims with a grain of salt, as they tend to be wrong more often than right. But they do occasionally offer up accurate information from Apple's supply chain, and thus it bears watching to see if more independent claims of this nature begin to surface.

CNN reports that Apple is in talks with record labels to increase the quality of music sold through the iTunes Store, boosting the music from a 16-bit format to a 24-bit format.

Professional music producers generally capture studio recordings in a 24-bit, high-fidelity audio format. Before the originals, or "masters" in industry parlance, are pressed onto CDs or distributed to digital sellers like Apple's iTunes, they're downgraded to 16-bit files.

From there, the audio can be compressed further in order to minimize the time the music will take to download or to allow it to be streamed on-the-fly over the internet.

The report suggests that the high-quality files could eventually appear as premium-priced options next to existing formats. Users may also have to invest in new hardware to support the 24-bit files.

Many models of Mac computers can play 24-bit sound, and the iTunes program is capable of handling such files. But most portable electronics, and many computers, don't support 24-bit audio.

To make the jump to higher-quality music attractive for Apple, the Cupertino, California, company would have to retool future versions of iPods and iPhones so they can play higher-quality files.

Apple's iTunes Store initially offered 16-bit tracks at 128 kbps with digital rights management (DRM) technology included. But over time, the company was able to introduce "iTunes Plus" tracks encoded at 256 kbps and lacking any DRM restrictions, eventually shifting the store's entire catalog over to iTunes Plus tracks. A further shift to offering true, uncompressed 24-bit tracks would have the potential to reinvigorate music sales by catering to audiophiles unhappy with the current quality of music downloads.

Apple's announcement last week introducing App Store Subscriptions has generated a lot of controversy across the web. At issue is Apple's policy requiring publishers to also offer all subscriptions through Apple's In-App purchase system which gives Apple a 30% cut. Meanwhile, publishers are still allowed to sell subscriptions outside of the App Store (and keep 100%) but they can't undercut the App Store price. From the original announcement:

"Our philosophy is simple - when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30 percent share; when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100 percent and Apple earns nothing," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app, so that customers can easily subscribe with one-click right in the app.

While the wording of the original announcement was aimed specifically at content publishers, there has been growing concern that the terms don't allow for "software as a service" (SaaS) apps as well. These are apps such as DropBox and SalesForce that provide specific services to users for recurring subscription fee.

The issue was brought to the headlines yesterday morning when Readability announced that their app had been rejected due to the new subscription terms. Readability offers a subscription service priced at $5 per month which offers the users to view clutter- and ad-free versions of online content for easy reading. They believe they were rejected due to Apple targeting software service apps and not just ones serving up content.

DaringFireball's John Gruber, however, interprets this rejection differently, and believes that Readability is simply a publisher model, and thus subject to Apple's new terms:

Maybe I'm missing something, but these guys claiming to be surprised and disappointed by Apple's insistence on a 30 percent cut of subscriptions when their own business model is to take a 30 percent cut of subscriptions strikes me as rich. And how can they claim that Readability isn't "serving up content"? That's exactly what Readability does.

But Readability is not alone in their interpretation. TinyGrab, a screenshot sharing service, announced today that they won't be pursuing their iOS app due to the restrictions surrounding the new subscription system. TinyGrab offers premium subscriptions which gives paying customers additional storage and capabilities.

We really want to be part of the app revolution on OS X and iOS but it looks as though that may no longer be able to happen, until Apple fix these issues and welcome us in again.

Finally, Marco Arment, the developer of Instapaper, also seems to interpret Apple's new policies as affecting software as a service. He asks if apps that support Evernote, DropBox, Salesforce, LinkedIn, and 37signals will have to be removed for not offering subscriptions as in app purchases.

One MacRumors reader also had these questions and emailed Apple CEO Steve Jobs with these same concerns. He wrote:

Hello Steve,

As a full time iOS developer, I am concerned (and confused) withe the new App Store guideline regarding "Apps offering subscriptions" (section 11.12).

Most of the iOS apps I have developed, as a contractor for other businesses, have been free apps that had login screens to allow the user access to some amount of private data. and/or service. These businesses have all been well established companies that sell some kind of service to their customers (Software As a Service companies) and the iOS app was merely another "portal" for their users to access their data/services (in many times, in a limited i.e. "mobile" fashion).... for example; SalesForce. I am concerned that most of these businesses will choose to not develop an iOS app for their customers if the IAP & subscription policy was in place.

Would these type's of free apps be still be allowed in the App Store or will they now be expected to use IAP?

To this, Steve Jobs replied in his typically short and, unfortunately, somewhat vague response:

We created subscriptions for publishing apps, not SaaS apps.

Sent from my iPhone

On the surface, our interpretation of this response is that the new in-app subscription rules simply don't apply to Software-as-a-Service. And, if you review the new guidelines and press materials that Apple has released, all the context is specifically related to publishers of content.

Based on that interpretation, apps such as DropBox and even TinyGrab may not be subject to the new rules. Readability's rejection, however, shows there are some borderline cases where the line between publisher and service provider is a bit blurry. Hopefully, Apple will provide more clarity on this issue.

Bloomberg cites a Yuanta Securities Co. research note claiming that the new iPad may be delayed from April to June.

The report by Vincent Chen and Alison Chen, analysts at Yuanta, cited production bottlenecks at Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. after Apple made design changes before the Lunar New year.

We've never heard any predictions coming from Yuanta Securities before so we have no idea of their reliability.

All previous reports have pointed to a Q1 launch, possibly in April for the iPad 2.

Update: Bloomberg has expanded its article to include additional detail from the analyst report.

"Our checks suggest new issues are being encountered with the new production and it is taking time to resolve them," said Chen in the report.

CNet reports that Intel has updated their price list to include the new dual-core Sandy Bridge CPUs for laptops.

On top of the bevy of Core i5 and Core i7 Sandy Bridge chips already listed in Intel's database, the chipmaker yesterday added dual-core mobile i3, mobile i5, and mobile Core i7 chips to the Sandy Bridge family.

Intel previously announced it would begin shipping the mobile chips starting on February 20th. The chips are expected to be used in the MacBook Pros are said to be released on Thursday, February 24th.

The three most likely CPUs to be used in the new MacBook Pros include:

Core i7-2620M (4M cache, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 2.70 GHz 32nm)
Core i5-2540M (3M cache, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 2.60 GHz 32nm)
Core i5-2520M (3M cache, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 2.50 GHz 32nm)

While they share the same "i5" and "i7" names of last year's chips, the Sandy Bridge is marketed as the "second generation" of the Core i chips with several architectural improvements. A couple of other chips that were considered possible candidates weren't on the price list. CPU world suggests that some of those CPUs may have been launched but won't know for sure until Intel updates the product specification pages on its website.