MacRumors

Adobe today announced the upcoming launch of Flash Player 11 and AIR 3, promising "console-quality 2D and 3D games" delivered over the Internet to a full range of computers, mobile devices, and other connected appliances.

Dozens of new features in Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 allow developers to deliver a new class of gaming and premium video experiences, as well as sophisticated, data-driven applications with back-end systems integration across devices, including the iPhone and iPad via AIR. AIR native extensions add support for unique device features and native code libraries, empowering developers to freely choose the right mix of Flash, HTML5 and native code to provide powerful user experiences across PCs and devices.

AIR 3 is also bringing improvements to video streaming, offering the ability to stream full frame rate HD video within AIR applications for iOS via H.264 encoding.

Public release versions of Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 will debut early next month.

With Apple set to broaden access to digital subscription content with the debut of its prominent Newsstand feature in iOS 5, Reuters reports that a group of major French newspapers are banding together to strengthen their positions in negotiating with Apple over digital distribution.

The bid by eight publications, including newspaper Le Figaro and sports daily L'Equipe, is the latest sign of growing disillusionment among some global publishers over what they consider Apple's rigid terms and high commission of 30 percent.

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They are also negotiating with Apple as a collective, and will not sell their products on Apple's own kiosk, dubbed the Newsstand, set to launch next month, without key concessions.

The report notes that media companies have already made some headway in resisting Apple's demands, with Apple backing off on its pricing demands for in-app purchases and subscriptions earlier this year. Prominent business newspaper Financial Times has also made a stand by pulling its iOS application and utilizing a well-regarded web app to offer its content without being subject to Apple's rules.

Le Figaro executive Pascale Pouquet said the French publications were still in talks with Apple over whether it would accept the changes to the kiosk, but insisted that the papers would not fold on their key demands such as a reduction in the 30 percent commission and access to the customer data.

"We'll have to be ready to accept to lose some sales if we cannot come to terms with Apple," he said. "But sometimes it's better to cut off a finger than to sever the whole arm."

The publications have come to terms with Google to sell their content for Android, with Google charging only a 10% commission on sales and allowing publishers to have control over pricing and customer data collection.

Apple has been firm in its stance regarding a 30% commission as has become standard for many types of content on the iOS platform, and has insisted on users retaining control over whether their personal information is shared with the publications.

AllThingsD reports that Apple will be holding its highly-anticipated iPhone 5 media event on October 4th.

While Apple could certainly change its plans anytime, sources said that the October 4 date has been selected by the company to showcase the iPhone 5. Sources added that the plan is now to make the new device available for purchase within a few weeks after the announcement.

According to the report, new Apple CEO Tim Cook should play a prominent role in the event in order to assert himself as the new leader of the company, although it will almost certainly be a team presentation with other executives such as Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall, and Eddy Cue leading portions of the event. It is unclear whether Steve Jobs will make an appearance at the event, with the report suggesting that a decision on whether or not he appears would be a last-minute one based on his health.

MacRumors noted yesterday that Apple is expected to also be introducing minor updates to its iPod line, and had pinpointed the first week in October for that introduction, with availability set for the middle of the month. Apple generally issues invitations to its media events about a week ahead of time, so we can expect official notice of the event to appear sometime around early next week.

Update: The Loop's Jim Dalrymple confirms with a simple "Yep" that October 4th is the date of the event.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) today released its latest results on U.S. consumer satisfaction in the personal computer industry, with Apple topping the charts for the eighth consecutive year and setting a new company high for ratings.

Apple’s record of customer satisfaction preeminence in the personal computer industry continues unabated in 2011, as the company adds another point to its already exceptional score. At 87 (+1%), Apple outdistances its nearest competitor by 9 points.

“In the eight years that Apple has led the PC industry in customer satisfaction, its stock price has increased by 2,300%,” remarks Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI and author of The Satisfied Customer: Winners and Losers in the Battle for Buyer Preference. “Apple’s winning combination of innovation and product diversification—including spinning off technologies into entirely new directions—has kept the company consistently at the leading edge.”

Apple's score of 87 rose by one point over last year's score of 86 that had been its previous record high in the survey. This marks the third straight year that Apple has held a nine-point lead over its nearest competitor in the industry.

As reported by CNET and Macworld, Apple has released a major update to its Final Cut Pro X software, making a number of improvements and addressing some of the strong criticism that has been levied against the revamped video production software.

One of the major features included in the update is support for XML, an addition that had been promised in an Apple FAQ posted to address the backlash against the software. CNET notes:

Among the biggest new feature to be added as part of a software update that will go out to users this morning is support for XML. This adds the option to both import and export projects and events in the XML format, meaning users can take XML formatted projects and work on them in Final Cut Pro X.

That addition addresses one of the potential sticking points for upgraders, who were left unable to open old Final Cut Pro projects in the newer version of the software. XML support brings that indirectly, as users can export Final Cut Pro 7 projects in XML, then import them into Final Cut Pro X via a third-party tool like CatDV from Square Box.

Other additions in Final Cut Pro X 10.0.1 include support for events and projects through Xsan, support for media stems, custom starting time codes, full-screen view for OS X Lion, and GPU-accelerated export. Apple has also released a new software development kit in order to help camera manufacturers create plug-ins to make their latest cameras compatible with Final Cut Pro X.

Media stems export in Final Cut Pro X 10.0.1

One other important change for Final Cut Pro X is the addition of a new 30-day free trial for the software, giving users the opportunity to test out the software before committing to a $299.99 purchase. Apple did issue refunds for unhappy early purchasers of Final Cut Pro X, and thus it appears that the company has launched the free trial in order to cut down on those refund requests.

Update: Apple has also released a 4.0.1 update for Compressor.

This update improves overall stability and performance including:

- Updates the bitrates in Cellular settings for HTTP Live Streaming.
- Fixes an issue with accessing QuickTime Export Component settings in Final Cut Pro X.
- Fixes an issue in which This Computer cluster does not appear when system is configured in Chinese.
- Resolves stability issues when launching Soundtrack Pro after Compressor 4 is installed.

Motion has also received an update to version 5.0.1.

This update improves overall stability and performance including:

- Adds support for dual displays.
- Fixes an issue with the import and playback of multichannel audio.
- Resolves a stability issue when navigating to keyframes at a negative time.
- Fixes an issue with incorrect text positioning when the Inspector is open.
- Provides for correct kerning between characters when applying adjustments.
- Resolves stability issues when entering an empty string in a title while in Draft Mode.

Finally, Apple has released an updated version of its ProApps QuickTime Codecs to support the new releases.

TmoNews reports that it has received an image of an internal news posting from T-Mobile USA sharing word from Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman that the carrier will not be offering the iPhone 5 this year. Brodman's comment apparently came as part of a September 15th company town hall meeting.

"Our business is working very hard to improve performance over the last couple of years and we've had some great success," said Brodman. New products and value plans are fueling customer response, he added, and Brodman expects the excitement to continue into the holiday season as T-Mobile introduces two new smartphones. Note: "We are not going to get the iPhone 5 this year," Brodman said.

Brodman's comment does not eliminate the possibility of T-Mobile offering the iPhone 5 at some point in the future, but it seems that the carrier will not be a launch partner for the device.

Several mainstream media reports have claimed that Sprint will become the third major U.S. carrier to offer the iPhone with the debut of the iPhone 5 next month, but the fate of the iPhone on T-Mobile USA has been less clear. Despite a few claims of a T-Mobile iPhone coming this year and evidence of prototypes for testing on the carrier's network, there had yet to be any solid reports of an launch from mainstream sources.

T-Mobile's status is of course complicated by AT&T's efforts to acquire the carrier, and effort that is being opposed by the U.S. government, Sprint, and a number of other groups.

As noted by Joystiq, Epic Games yesterday announced that its Unreal Engine 3 development kit (UDK) beta has now been updated to include Mac support. The development means that all games developed using the UDK can now be ported over to OS X.

UDK games can now run on Mac OS

- Every UDK game's potential user base has increased dramatically yet again
- September 2011 UDK contains a preview of our Mac OS support

Unreal Engine 3 was brought to iOS nearly two years ago, where it has seen some success with the likes of Infinity Blade. On a broader level, Unreal Engine 3 has been used by Epic for its own games such as its Gears of War series and Unreal Tournament 3, but has also been adopted by a number of other major gaming companies for use in their own offerings.

Apple is expected to hold a press conference in the coming weeks to introduce its fall lineup for the iPhone and iPod touch. Most of the rumors have been focused on the next iPhone revision, and there has been very little information about the next-generation iPod touch.

MacRumors has received information indicating that the next iPod touch revision will be a very minor change, with the primary addition being the introduction of a new white model. Only minor changes are expected for the existing hardware, with the addition of an oleophobic coating for the display and a revised ambient light sensor seemingly being the main differences. Otherwise, we expect the models to be nearly identical to the current fourth-generation iPod touch model.

Our information confirms previous reports by Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who had indicated that there would be few, if any, distinguishable changes from last year's iPod touch model.

Leaked white iPod touch screen installed on black fourth-gen iPod touch, courtesy of iPatch iPods. Production model expected to have white home button.

This news would conflict with ambitious reports of 3G-enabled iPod touches this year, and also extinguish speculation that the tapered iPhone 5 case design might actually have represented the fifth-generation iPod touch.

The new models are expected to be announced alongside the iPhone in the first week of October with availability in the middle of the month. The iPod nano is also expected to get a minor revision at the same time.

Other reports have pinpointed dates in the first or second week of October for the actual announcement date. We've heard similar whispers, but suspect the date has been a moving target. Finally, we have also heard independently that the Golden Master of iOS 5 is targeted for September 23rd, lining up with the iCloud data reset.

Intel offers another bit of hope in our ongoing quest for ultra-high resolution retina displays. The graphics capabilities of their upcoming Ivy Bridge processors will provide support for 4096x4096 pixel displays.

VR-Zone notes that Intel revealed last week that they will be able to support 4K resolutions and process video at that resolution:

Not only can the MFX engine display up to 4096 x 4096 pixels on a single monitor, but it can also handle video processing for 4K QuadHD video as well. Remember when, two years ago, Jen Hsun Huang at Nvidia for the first time encouraged 4K resolution - at that time 3840x2400 or as he called it XHD2, for ultra realistic gaming too, to use the extra pixels to justify the high end card need? Now, what a fate, Intel is making it real on the - integrated graphics platform, of all. Now, can we have back those 16:10 3840x2400 or, better, 4096x2560 monitors?

Ivy Bridge is Intel's next generation processor that also integrates a much improved graphics processing unit (GPU). Generally, high end computers aren't constrained by the capabilities of the integrated graphics processor. MacBook Pros and iMacs tend to integrate more powerful 3rd party GPUs. Slimmer models, however, such as the MacBook Air and Mac mini are dependent on the integrated graphics that Intel provides. So the 2012-era MacBook Airs should be able to support these ultra high resolutions that we've been dreaming about.

OS X Lion has built in support for such displays and it seems Microsoft is also preparing for them.