MacRumors

Ars Technica reports on growing complaints from users of Apple's Nehalem ("Early 2009") Mac Pro models regarding heat and performance issues when performing audio processing tasks.

The problem manifests as what has been described as excessive increases in power use and processor core heat when playing songs in iTunes, watching videos via Quicktime, or even when keeping USB or FireWire-based audio interfaces plugged in and active. While hardware monitors only report a small percentage of processor use, it can still cause performance decreases of up to 20 percent for other tasks.

The complaints had originated in our own forums last October and have grown to well over 1,000 posts in a single thread serving as a centralized discussion on the topic.

According to reports, the symptoms are present when running under either Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.6, but absent when booted under Windows via Boot Camp. The glitch, which is reportedly highly reproducible, has been claimed to boost internal CPU temperatures by in excess of 30 degrees Celsius, while also dramatically increasing power consumption for what should be a relatively minor task.

Despite the thorough investigations by users into the situation, AppleCare representatives have been unwilling acknowledge that any issues exist, calling such temperature spikes normal and within design parameters for the machines. Users continue to be frustrated, however, by the performance hits their machines are experiencing and Apple's refusal to address the situation. Apple has yet to issue any statements regarding the issue.

Earlier this week, a report briefly mentioned that Clayton Morris of FOXNews.com, who offered several reports about the iPad coming to Verizon in the weeks leading up to the device's introduction, had spoken to a Verizon source who claimed that Apple and Verizon are continuing to work on an iPad deal despite AT&T having been the only announced partner at Apple's media event. Morris has finally filed his full report on the events, noting that according to his source, the companies are "still talking", although Morris acknowledges that the statement does not necessarily mean much.

Of course "still talking" doesn't mean anything. It would be ridiculous to think these companies aren't still talking: that's what big companies do. To be fair, these talks are very much in keeping with reports from Wall Street analysts who expect some Apple/Verizon partnership announcement this year. But I'll believe it when I see it.

Despite all the attention focused on the iPad at the moment, the report also claims that Verizon is much more interested in the iPhone due to its more lucrative revenue stream of contracted voice and data service. While sources are optimistic that a deal is in the works for later this year when AT&T's exclusivity agreement for the iPhone is reported to expire, other observers remain skeptical of the benefits of rolling out new iPhone or iPad hardware compatible with Verizon's CDMA-based network just as the company is preparing to transition to the next-generation LTE (4G) standard that will offer global hardware compatibility.

Another interesting tidbit claimed in the story is that AT&T won the battle among GSM-based service providers with its willingness to "outbid" its competitors in pricing.

"I think the pricing speaks for itself," said AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel. "Apple sets the price for these plans and the $29.99 unlimited plan is comparable to our data plans for other devices."

Comparable? Actually AT&T brought its A game, offering much cheaper options for consumers than currently exist for netbooks.

It remains unclear exactly why a Verizon-Apple deal for the iPhone didn't get done as many expected, although it seems possible that AT&T may have set the bar with its pricing structure and Verizon was unwilling to match it. Alternatively, Apple may have decided that it was unable or unwilling to offer hardware compatible with Verizon's CDMA network at this time.

Google yesterday announced that it had begun to deliver over-the-air software updates to users of its Android-based Nexus One smartphone, offering a number of enhancements. Most notably, the update enables pinch-to-zoom multi-touch functionality in several core applications.

Pinch-to-zoom functionality: devices will now include a new pinch-to-zoom mechanism in the phone's Browser, Gallery and Maps applications

Google's Android operating system previously did not support pinch-to-zoom in the U.S., with sources indicating that it had agreed not to include the functionality at the request of Apple. The functionality has, however, been available in European versions of Android smartphones. As the relationship between the Apple and Google, has soured amidst increasingly direct competition, speculation of course centers around the possibility that Google now considers full multi-touch capabilities to be fair game in the U.S.

For its part, Google offered a weak explanation to ReadWriteWeb, claiming that until this point, the hardware was not sufficient to deliver adequate pinch-to-zoom capabilities in Android.

Looking around the mobile industry, from Apple to Palm to HTC and Motorola - it's clear that pinch-to-zoom technology has become a standard and popular way for users to interact with their mobile phones. Likewise, Android users can now truly benefit from this capability with the availability of Android 2.1, which powers a new class of devices with larger touchscreens and more interactive features. Unlike past devices, these phones have the processing power to deliver pinch-to-zoom, while still providing a great user experience. Based on these new capabilities and numerous requests from Android users, we decided to provide pinch-to-zoom capabilities with this new over-the-air software update for Nexus One devices.

Engadget has posted a video of the Nexus One's pinch-to-zoom functionality in action.

Patently Apple reported yesterday that Apple has been granted a patent regarding the use of touch-sensitive bezels in electronic devices, primarily focused on portable devices. While the content of the patent is not new, having been previously disclosed with the publication of the initial patent application in October 2006, the technology has gained renewed interest as the granting of the patent and the introduction of Apple's new iPad tablet device have provided additional perspective not available at the earlier time.

According to the patent documentation, the invention describes the use of a touch-sensitive bezel, offering discrete areas on the bezel for controlling the device. Visual cues displayed on the screen next to the touch-sensitive areas would instruct the user on each area's function. In addition, the patent describes the integration of an orientation sensor such as an accelerometer that would allow the device to adjust both the locations of touch sensitivity for certain functions and the corresponding visual cues.

At the time of the original patent application's publication, neither the iPhone nor the iPod touch had been introduced, and the application's included images offered an intriguing glance at what a "Video iPod" might look like. With last week's introduction of the iPad, which offers a relatively substantial bezel around all four sides of the display, additional opportunities for deployment of the technology have become possible.

It remains unclear, however, exactly what benefit a touch-sensitive bezel would offer to an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad user given the multi-touch capabilities of those devices' screens. The ability to control certain functions of the device without obscuring the device's screen would appear to be a benefit at first glance, but the need for visual cues on the display to identify the controls would appear to mitigate that benefit.

The bezel is not the only component of the iPhone that has been rumored for touch sensitivity. A report several weeks ago suggested that Apple may be planning to offer a touch-sensitive casing in the next-generation iPhone that would allow users to control the device by touching the rear of the iPhone. While little evidence for the claim beyond an anonymous source was offered, previous patent applications from Apple have also pointed to its interest in "back-side touch".

DigiTimes today offers a series of reports involving Apple, revealing a number of claims from industry sources in Taiwan regarding the next-generation iPhone, Apple's possible plans for USB 3.0, and iPad component suppliers.

One report claims that Taiwanese firm Pegatron Technology, a two-year old company created as part of a restructuring of ASUS, has landed a contract with Apple to manufacture the next-generation iPhone. Pegatron reportedly will join existing iPhone manufacturer Foxconn in production of the new models due for introduction later this year.

Another report notes that Genesys Logic has denied that recent sampling quantities of USB 3.0 device controllers are destined for Apple, refuting claims from industry sources that Apple is company behind the design request. USB 3.0, which finally began to make an industry splash with numerous product introductions at CES earlier this year, theoretically offers a 10x improvement in transfer speed over USB 2.0 as well as increased power capabilities for powering attached devices.

The same report offers a look at major component winners for Apple's iPad, with Broadcom reportedly supplying Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and touchscreen controller chips, while Infineon is handling the RF and baseband chips. Novatek (LCD driver), Linear (battery power management) and NXP (system power management) are also named as suppliers for the iPad. A separate report claims that Radiant Opto-Electronics will have provided 300,000 LED backlights to Apple for the iPad during the month of January. And finally, Yageo, Cyntec and Mag.Layers Scientific-Technics, manufacturers of passive components such as resistors and diodes, are all also reportedly providing components to Apple for the iPad.

The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that major textbook publishers have struck deals with Apple to bring their content to the iPad. According to the report, textbook publishers will rely on the technology of ScrollMotion, which already has experience developing such content for the iPhone.

Though Apple didn't outline its strategy to target the educational sector with its iPad last week, people familiar with Apple's thinking have said that the iPad's use in schools was one of the focal points of discussions in developing the product. In its exploration of electronic book technology, it thought particularly about how it could re-invent textbooks, these people said.

Rumors of talks between Apple and textbook publishers prior to the iPad's launch sparked interest in the offerings, and they gained additional publicity when McGraw-Hill CEO Terry McGraw appeared to tip Apple's hand regarding the iPad the day before its official introduction. Apple chose not to discuss McGraw-Hill's offerings or any other e-textbook offerings at the media event, leading to conflicting claims about whether McGraw-Hill had been tossed from the event at the last minute over its CEO's comments.

Today's report notes that McGraw-Hill Education, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt K-12, Pearson Education, and Kaplan have all reached deals with Apple for the iPad.

Engadget reports that an internal model number for Apple's next-generation iPhone ("N89") has apparently surfaced in the the new iPhone SDK 3.2 that was released alongside the introduction of the company's iPad tablet device.

Buried way inside the platform simulator lies a set of folders dedicated to specific models of iPhone OS-ready devices, including the iPhone 3GS, second generation iPod touch, something called the "K48" (yep, the codename we were told was the internal name for the iPad), and... the "N89." Sure, it sounds like a Nokia phone just waiting to happen, but this is -- according to our extremely knowledgeable and trusted sources -- likely the codename of the next iPhone (previous versions were called the M68, N82, and N88).

In addition, a similar entry entitled "N80" has also appeared in Apple's just-released iPhone OS 3.1.3 and reportedly corresponds to the next-generation iPod touch.

Interestingly, Apple's just released firmware (3.1.3) also includes another new model, the "N80," which we're told will most likely be the next version of the iPod touch.

Several previous reports had claimed that the iPad was carrying the internal model number "K48", which appears to have been the case. One of those earlier reports had also claimed, however, that the next-generation iPhone carries internal model number N90 instead of the N89 discovered in the iPhone SDK 3.2.

In a statement to The Wall Street Journal regarding ongoing shipment delays for the company's 27-inch iMac models, an Apple spokesman has apparently refuted earlier claims that the company had halted production of the 27-inch iMacs as it has worked to address several issues related to flickering and yellow tints in its displays.

An Apple spokesman said again this week that "the 27-inch iMac has been a huge hit with customers and we are working to increase supply to meet up with strong demand." He added that production has continued while the company fixed the problems with flickering screens and yellow-tinted displays.

Apple just yesterday issued a second firmware update for current owners of the affected machines, designed to address the ongoing flickering issues that have troubled the machines since their introduction late last year.

On a related note, shipping lead times for the 27-inch models improved today to two weeks from the three-week estimates that had recently been seen for those looking to order through the company's U.S. online store.

Apple today released iPhone OS 3.1.3 for all iPhone and iPod touch models, addressing several specific bugs as well as offering fixes for a handful of security issues.

This update for the iPhone and iPod touch contains bug fixes and improvements, including the following:

- Improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
- Resolves issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances
- Fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard

Full details on the security updates included in iPhone OS 3.1.3 are available in the associated support document.

Just prior to Apple's media event introducing the iPad last week, Engadget posted several photos of what did turn out to be the iPad, bolted down to a table and covered with a black cloth as Apple has been rumored to do with tightly-guarded pre-release products. One of the images shows an iPhone sitting on top of the iPad, offering a size comparison between the two devices.

AppleInsider reports today that it has received information from a source claiming that the iPhone shown in the photo is in fact an unreleased prototype of Apple's next-generation iPhone model.

People with an impeccable track record in matters such as these say the iPhone in below photo, published by gadget blog Engadget in the hours leading up to Apple's iPad announcement last Wednesday, is a prototype of one of the handsets due to hit the market in roughly five months.

Unfortunately, the quality of the photo leaves much to be desired, and few details on the purported prototype can be determined beyond a very similar likeness to the current iPhone 3G and 3GS casings. The report offers, however, a couple of possible visual difference between the pictured iPhone and current models.

Most obviously, the photographed iPhone appears to lack the iPhone's traditional aluminum bezel around its front edge, instead appearing to reveal an all-black bezel, although it appears possible that the iPhone is covered by some sort of skin or cover or even that reflections could make the aluminum bezel appear black in this image.

Second, a "whitish blotch" appears to the left of the iPhone's earpiece in the image, although it is again unclear whether this is an actual feature of the next-generation iPhone or merely a reflection shown in the iPhone's glass surface. Speculation regarding a hardware feature in that location obviously centers on the possibility of a forward-facing camera.

Evidence of the next-generation iPhone hardware being tested surfaced in late November.

Hardmac reports that Intel's new 6-core Core i7-980X is due to become widely available in March, leading to speculation that Apple may once again be able to gain early access to the new processors and release updated Mac Pro models as early as later this month.

The name of this hexacore CPU is now know, Core i7-980X, another cheaper (and slower) model should also be available, Core i7-970. According to difference sources, this new CPU should become available in March. So, if Apple and Intel are still engaged in a tight partnership, Apple might have the exclusivity of such CPU (as for the Nehalem Xeon) for a couple of days or weeks.

Hardmac has been keeping a close eye on upcoming Mac Pro revisions using the new processors, reporting in mid-October that Apple was likely to gain temporary exclusive access to the six-core processors as it did last year for the Nehalem Xeon processors. Preliminary performance numbers for the new high-end processor surfaced in late November, with additional technical details appearing soon after.

Update: Doubts have arisen as to whether Apple would utilize the upcoming Core i7 processors in its Mac Pro models when Intel is set to release new server-class 5600-series Xeon processors at the same time. The Xeon processors will similarly be available in six-core configurations and are part of the same Gulftown family. Regardless of which chips do appear in the next-generation Mac Pro, however, the similar release timelines and Apple's history of temporary exclusivity for the processors used in its Mac Pros likely mean that an update is due in the near future.

Apple has issued a new firmware update today to address issues that may cause intermittent display flickering. Earlier today reports had indicated that Apple may have even stopped production of the 27" iMac due to this persistent issue.

Updates the display firmware on 27-inch iMac systems to address issues that may cause intermittent display flickering.

The 27-inch iMac Display Update will update the display firmware on your iMac. Do not disturb or shut off the power on your iMac during this update.

Apple had previously issued a graphics firmware update in December with little success. Today's firmware update appears to address the Display hardware itself. The 27-inch iMac Display Update Firmware is 294KB in size and can be downloaded from Apple's site. Installation instructions are provided here.

After just five days free of Apple tablet rumors, it has begun again. TechCrunch claims that they have heard that Apple is working on a second larger tablet that will be "much more like a Mac than an iPhone."

But the information were hearing is that Apple is thinking much larger for another version of the product, maybe all the way up to the 15.4″ size that it currently uses for one version of the MacBook Pro. If you think that would be way too big for an iPad, were also hearing that this other tablet would be quite a bit different from the one revealed last week. Namely, it could run a version of OS X much closer to the traditional version that runs on Macs.

In the wake of the iPad launch, the possibility of Apple also pursuing a Mac OS X-based tablet seems strange. While some iPad detractors have been hoping for a Desktop-OS-on-Tablet experience, variations these products have existed and have simply not gained traction.

TechCrunch claims such a device would be launched within the next year. If true, we'd expect Apple to introduce more multi-touch friendly changes to Mac OS X itself. The rumors of a 22-Inch Touch Screen iMac could well tie in with these rumors.

Repair company Mission Repair has posted images of what is supposedly the iPad outer frame. While the iPad is not yet shipping, the company seems to have gotten a supply of iPad parts through unofficial channels. Identical photos have been circulating on other websites. Assuming these are actual iPad parts, it appears that Apple did build in a space for a camera at the top of the device.

The photo above is particularly convincing as the iPad frame is compared to a MacBook frame which does house a camera. The holes seem identical. Even if this is all true, Apple ultimately chose not to include a camera from the first version of the iPad. The iPad will begin shipping in late March.

Betanews reports on data from market research firm NPD showing that, of computers priced at $1,000 or more sold in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2009, 90% were Macs. The data demonstrates Apple's continued strong performance among the high-end personal computer market as average selling prices for Windows computers continue to decline. In addition, Apple doubled its share of the $500-$1,000 computer market year-over-year from 5% to 10% based on sales of the Mac mini and MacBook.

The data is startling confirmation -- at least for the United States -- about Apple's success establishing the Mac as a premium brand. More significantly, the data shows how discounting has lowered consumer expectations about Windows PCs and brand equity for companies like Dell or HP. Additionally, gains below $1,000 indicate there is demand for lower-priced Macs, which during 2009 Apple satisfied with the $999 white MacBook and $599 Mac mini.

The data should be considered with several caveats, with the most significant likely being that NPD's data does not cover all sales channels, primarily focusing on brick-and-mortar and major online retailers while not addressing the direct-to-business sales channels responsible for a significant portion of Windows PC sales. Apple's growth in the $500-$1,000 segment was also obviously enhanced by continued declines in average Windows PC selling prices, which slipped to $475, down almost $100 year-over-year. Apple's prices did decline slightly from $1,499 to $1,361 as the company cut some prices on the high end of several of its computer lines, but still remained well above Windows PC levels.

Betanews reported last July that Apple had surged to claim over 90% of the revenue of the $1,000+ computer market, but today's report focusing on unit sales instead of revenue offers a clearer picture of Apple's performance in the segment. As has been raised in similar reports in the past, however, the question remains about how much growth space is left in the $1,000+ market as overall selling prices continue to decline and the $500-$1,000 price range becomes the new "premium" market. Apple observers can of course point to the company's record revenue, profit, and Mac sales last quarter as evidence that its business model continues to succeed, but doubts will certainly continue to surface.