MacRumors

While Apple is set to hold a March 2nd media event. apparently to introduce the second-generation iPad, we don't yet know when the device will actually go on sale. But regardless of the on-sale date, Apple may be reducing its initial production target in the face of low touch panel yields and last-minute design changes that have cut into the company's ability to pump out the new version at the levels originally anticipated.

The sources pointed out that Apple still maintains its plans to mass produce the iPad 2 by the end of February; however, affected by low touch panel yields and an adjustment in specifications, Apple's production volume forecast for the first quarter is expected to drop from 400,000-600,000 units originally to only 300,000-400,000 units.

The report suggests, however, that there are no indications of any delays in Apple's internal plans for a launch date.

An analyst report earlier this week similarly pointed to "production bottlenecks" and "design changes" as affecting iPad production, but claimed that the issues would result in Apple delaying the device's launch until June. The "delay" claim was quickly refuted by multiple sources, and claims of the March 2nd media event followed soon after with the official announcement coming today.

New mockups of the second-generation iPad have surfaced on the blog of Japanese parts vendor iLab.cc (via 9 to 5 Mac), showing what could be considered the most realistic-looking physical mockup of the second-generation iPad yet published. The mockup seems to be based on information from parts and case vendors near Apple's manufacturing partners' facilities in Shenzhen, China.

The mockup appears to demonstrate a much thinner design than the current iPad, and shows a realistic-looking mesh cover over what has been claimed to be a revamped speaker design.

As for when we can expect to see the second-generation iPad on sale, 9 to 5 Mac reported yesterday that its sources have claimed that the device will launch "towards the end of March". In addition, we have received word of a vacation blackout for Apple's retail store employees set for the end of March, but we have yet to obtain confirmation of that claim.

The Loop reports that Apple has officially issued invitations to a media event scheduled for next Wednesday, March 2nd, with the graphics suggesting that Apple will indeed introduce the next-generation iPad at the event. The invitation comes with the tagline "Come see what 2011 will be the year of."

Apple on Wednesday sent an invitation to media inviting them to a special event on March 2 in San Francisco, Calif.

According to the invitation received by The Loop, the event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts at 10:00 am. This is the same venue Apple has used to introduce a number of products in recent years.

Claims of the March 2nd media event surfaced just yesterday, putting the quash on recent rumors that the device's debut may be delayed until June.

All Things Digital reports that Apple has cut in half the minimum commitment for advertisers to participate in its iAd program. The minimum buy-in set for the program's launch last July was $1 million, but Apple has apparently reduced that number to $500,000 in order to entice new advertisers unwilling to spend a full $1 million to come on board.

The new entry point is $500,000, a significantly smaller commitment, particularly for smaller brands and agencies that are creating and producing their own iAds.

"This new minimum buy is a great step forward and a necessary one, I think," Mark Read, CEO of WPP Digital, the digital arm of global ad giant WPP, told me. "Lowering the minimum buy to $500,000 from $1 million will certainly make the platform more appealing."

A report earlier this month indicated that Apple is struggling to fill ad slots and renew existing advertisers for its iAd program as the number of iOS devices capable of displaying the ads continues to soar. While Apple has offered a low-cost iAd program targeted at App Store developers since the early days of the service, the lowered buy-in level for mainstream advertisers could easily spur new interest from advertisers who would still spend significant sums of money.

Early this morning, a couple of sites posted specs from the upcoming low end 13" MacBook Pro and revealed that Apple will be incorporating Light Peak into the new machines under the name "Thunderbolt". We've confirmed that these specs and photos are legitimate, but only for the low end 13" MacBook Pro model. We still haven't seen the specs for the mid-range and high-end model.

Mac4Ever has posted a followup close-up image of the new Thunderbolt/DisplayPort hybrid port found on the new 13" MacBook Pro.

Intel is expected to officially launch Light Peak/Thunderbolt on Thursday alongside Apple's new MacBook Pros.

Fscklog posts a photo of what is believed to be from the box of the new 13" MacBook Pro that Apple is planning to release on Thursday. Amongst the features, the name of Apple's Light Peak implementation: Thunderbolt.

Translation of the specs by devilcm3:

Core i5 two cores at 2.3 GHz 3 MB cache
4 GB of DDR3 1333 MHz
Hard Drive 320 GB 5400 rpm
Screen 13.33 "glossy 1280x800
Intel Graphics GPU HD 3000 with 384MB of RAM shared with main memory
Camera HD FaceTime
Superdrive 8x
Thunderbolt yet compatible with the I / O devices and high speed MiniDisplayport
SDXC Card slot, Firewire 800 and two USB 2.0
Digital Audio Output
Integrated Ethernet
Backlit keyboard
Size and weight 32.5 x22, 7x2, 41 cm, 2.04 kg

Mac4Ever posts these photos that appear to be marketing materials for the new MacBook Pros, with a partial image of the notebook itself:

Finally, this image claiming to show a Thunderbolt port, which looks a lot like a DisplayPort. We're not sure of the original source of this image:

Update: We've confirmed that these images are legitimate. This is of the low-end 13" MacBook Pro, so it's possible that the higher-end model will have different features.

In English:

TechCrunch claims to have heard that the next version of Final Cut Pro is due soon and it's supposed to be a big one:

According our very own people familiar with the matter, a small group of video editors were on the Apple campus recently in order to preview the new version of video editing software, which is in the same space as Avid and Adobe Premier. Apparently Apple is still putting the finishing touches on the biggest overhaul to Final Cut Pro since the original version was created over 10 years ago and wanted pro user feedback. Emphasis on pro.

One of their sources described a complete redesign of the user interface as well as low level architectural changes. Overall the changes are described as "dramatic and ambitious".

Final Cut Pro has lagged a bit with reported layoffs in 2007. Apple reportedly reorganized the team under the lead of Randy Ubillos, the developer behind the completely redesigned iMovie in 2008. In 2010, Steve Jobs responded to an email from a concerned Final Cut Pro user about the software's future. Jobs promised that the "next release [of Final Cut Pro] will be awesome".

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.