MacRumors

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.

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.

Readability for iPad

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.

SalesForce, Evernote, Dropbox icons

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.

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.

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.

The first tidbit of information claims that the new MacBook Pros will offer larger trackpads than those found on current models, opening the door for greater flexibility for users and perhaps options for more complex gestures.

The report also claims that the updated machines will offer a dedicated solid-state drive of 8-16 GB to house Mac OS X system files that would allow for fast system boot-up and performance. Additional machine storage would be made available in either traditional hard drives or with solid-state drive upgrades.

The next bit of information doesn't quite make sense to us, but we have been told the OS on the laptops will be loaded to a separate (internal) 8-16GB SSD while everything else will remain on the regular hard drive. There will be options for just SSD drives but the base models will feature regular hard disks with the SSD combo for the OS.

The idea of separate flash-based storage for system files is not a new one, as reports dating back to early 2006 suggested that Apple might adopt Intel's "Turbo Memory" feature that offered similar functionality. At the time the advantages of using an SSD/Hard Drive hybrid were improved performance and longer battery life:

[Turbo Memory] utilizes NAND flash memory instead of the hard disk for computer startup and launching frequently used applications. The use of this technology would allow for faster boot up times and improved battery life in portables utilizing the technology.

Finally, the report's source indicates that Apple has shaved approximately half a pound off of the weight of each of the MacBook Pro models.

We're obviously disappointed by this decision, and surprised by the broad language. By including "functionality, or services," it's clear that you intend to pursue any subscription-based apps, not merely those of services serving up content. Readability's model is unique in that 70% of our service fees go directly to writers and publishers. If we implemented In App purchasing, your 30% cut drastically undermines a key premise of how Readability works.

Readability's argument lies in the fact that the service does not in fact offer content subscriptions, but instead utilizes subscriptions to support writers and publishers whose work is already freely-available on the Internet. Apple's policies are of course broad enough to include such functionalities within its in-app subscription requirements, but Readability argues that the move threatens small independent developers trying to make a go of something akin to "software as a service" (SaaS) as differentiated from the true content providers that have received most of the publicity with regards to Apple's subscription policies.

Apple of course has cast its subscription policy net as widely as possible, and many developers will find reasons why their offerings shouldn't be subject to the requirements. But Readbility's situation is somewhat unique if only for the fact that Apple worked closely with Readability to include the service's functionality as a feature of Safari 5, released last June. As a result of the collaboration, Readability's functionality appears as a built-in "Reader" functionality in Safari that strips away extraneous content of web pages to focus on the page's primary article content.

Update: As has been noted by several readers, Apple and Readability didn't actually work together on Safari 5's "Reader" functionality. Apple utilized open source aspects of Readability's work to create the Safari functionality.

Orange is now selling the iPad for £99 on its 24-month contracts and T-Mobile is offering the same to existing customers.

Previously, Orange was offering the iPad WiFi + 3G at £199.99 upfront on a £25 per month contract to existing customers and at £229.99 for new customers on a £27 per month contract - so the new pricing offers a saving of at least £100 on each.

T-Mobile, meanwhile, is only offering the discount to existing customers on a 24-month £25 tariff.

Orange, T-Mobile, and Three all launched subsidized iPad pricing back in December for customers willing to commit to two-year data contracts.

While we've already reported that new MacBook Pros are expected to launch on Thursday and reports have even surfaced claiming that sealed shipments are already on their way to retailers, it's worth noting that Apple's top-priority U.S. online store has now gotten in on the act by pushing shipment estimates for all new MacBook Pro orders out to 3-5 business days.

Some observers have questioned why Apple would release new MacBook Pros on a Thursday, as opposed to its traditional Tuesday release date. The most likely reason is related to the federal Presidents' Day holiday in the United States today. Apple generally prefers not to launch new products straight out of a weekend, in part due to ensure that media coverage is not diminished as some reporters may still be making their way back from the long weekend. Consequently, Apple has been known to deviate from its usual Tuesday and Wednesday releases in weeks with major U.S. holidays.

Others have noted that Thursday is Apple CEO Steve Jobs' 56th birthday (as well as MacRumors' own 11th birthday), which almost certainly simply makes for a nice coincidence.

Update: Some of Apple's online stores for other major markets such as the United Kingdom were not showing the uniform extended shipping estimates at the time of initial publication, but those stores have since seen their estimates similarly pushed out to 3-5 business days.

Early iPad 2 case from Orange-Byte

First, is the presence of a "mystery port" on early iPad 2 case designs from third-party manufacturers. The case designs have been remarkably consistent and seem to be clearly sourced from the same design document. These early design documents aren't perfect (third-generation iPod touch camera being a notable example), but early case designs have generally done a good job predicting upcoming Apple hardware. Some have tried to identify the additional port as a Mini DisplayPort connector.

Others, however, felt it may represent the rumored iPad USB port that has been predicted a couple of times (1, 2) over the past few months.

Prototype Light Peak connector photo from PCPro.co.uk

We should note that this is entirely speculative, but thought it could help explain some of the loose ends we've been seeing in the iPad 2 rumors to date. The addition of a new Light Peak port alongside the existing dock connector on the iPad seems like an inelegant solution for Apple, though it's certainly no stranger than Apple adding a standard USB port to the iPad.

Old photo of sealed "Apple Confidential" palette from 2005

AppleInsider now reports that resellers are being notified that they will start receiving sealed packages with the new hardware early next week. Resellers are prohibited from opening the packages until further instruction:

More specifically, the Mac maker this weekend began informing some of its larger European resellers that they could expect delivery of sealed product palettes to their brick-and-mortar stores as early as Monday, which coincides with one of ten federal holidays (President's Day) in the United States.

Both OS X Daily and Engadget are reporting that Best Buy's website inadvertently slipped the part numbers into their inventory this weekend:

The other wildcard for next week is whether or not Apple plans on unveiling their Light Peak implementation. CNet believes it could happen soon, but isn't certain if it will be implemented in the new MacBook Pros.

Photo from @reeldigitalpro

While AT&T hasn't publicly committed yet to providing the same wireless hotspot functionality to iOS users, we've known that iOS 4.3 (currently in beta) adds this functionality to the OS. It's simply up to each individual carrier to decide to support it. AT&T did announce support for such a mobile hotspot for other smartphones starting on February 13th, opening the door for iOS support soon behind.

One report today claimed that AT&T was just starting to offer this specifically, but many iOS 4.3 beta users have reported that the mobile wireless hotspot simply works with their existing AT&T tethering plans. The fees for AT&T's mobile hotspot service are identical to the tethering plans ($20/month, 2GB additional data).

iOS 4.3 hasn't yet been released to the public. It was originally expected to be released already, but now most signs point to late February. It seems mobile hotspot access will be available for those interested on AT&T.

Prototype Light Peak connector image from PCPro.co.uk

Apple is expected to adopt this Intel technology in the near future--but likely use a name other than Light Peak, a source familiar with this aspect of Apple's plans said. Intel has said in the past that the first products using Light Peak should appear in the first half of 2011.

While Intel has used the name "Light Peak", Apple will apparently brand the connection under another name.

Light Peak is significantly faster than USB 3.0, which may explain Apple's reluctance to adopt that standard if Light Peak is just around the corner. It's not clear if next week's MacBook Pro announcements will be related, but there were vague hints that the MacBook Pros would have additional enhancements beyond the upgraded Sandy Bridge processors.

It appears the GigaWire trademark Apple filed back in 2001 has been abandoned, so that's not going to be it.

Apple's patent is about a safe deposit box for securing important user files. In one aspect, when a user drags-and-drops a file representation onto a safe deposit box icon, the file is secured. In another aspect, when a user selects the safe deposit box icon and verifies his or her identity, the user could access secured files through a safe deposit box window.

By dragging your important files into the "Safe Deposit Box", files could be automatically encrypted and hidden from access. Original copies would be securely deleted and even copied into the cloud for backup.

One of the key attributes or selling points of Apple's Safe Deposit Box Application or OS X feature is that your digital valuables could be stored "off site" or beyond the home computer to safeguard your digital valuables which could be something like a Will or Living Will, agreements, life insurance policies, home insurance policies, a simple home inventory list or video or perhaps something that's really valuable to most every iTunes fan: a copy of your iTunes Library.

Kuo now claims that iPad 3 will deliver a Retina Display-like quality and resolution doubling to 2048x1536, an enhancement originally thought to make it into the more immediate release of iPad 2.

The iPad 2 has not even shipped yet, but The Wall Street Journal has said the 2nd generation iPad will not get a retina display. Instead, it's believed the iPad 2 will offer a thinner and anti-reflective screen for better viewing in sunlight.

Depending on who you believe, the iPad 3 may arrive as early as this September, accelerating Apple's iPad release timeframe from a 1 year to 6 month delivery schedule. Another analyst has also predicted a true Retina Display for the 3rd generation iPad, but he pegged its release in 2012.

Meanwhile, the iPad 2 is widely expected to be released by April.