MacRumors

According to 9to5Mac, Apple has seeded certain mobile carriers with a "near-final" build of iOS 5. Most notably, these builds are different from the developer seeds we have seen so far, with the enabling of Nuance's Speech to Text as a system-wide service:

According to a source testing the feature, it works almost identically (video above) to the Android operating system’s speech-to-text feature. It’s also very polished, quick, and accurate said the source – which is obvious for being an Apple product but also is indicative of the product being nearly complete.

We'd previously reported on the microphone button that appears next to the spacebar hidden in the depths of iOS 5. This presumably allows users to dictate rather than type. Android has a similar system already implemented, as seen in the video above.

Reports of Apple's ongoing negotiations with Nuance date as far back as May, with some claiming it was still coming in iOS 5. iOS 5 is due for public release "this fall".

If all true, Apple must be planning on launching their Nuance dictation system alongside the public release of iOS 5. Apple is widely expected to hold a media event sometime this month.

MacRumors has learned that Apple is beginning to ship the new 27" Thunderbolt Display to stores and resellers this week. This means that customers should be able to see and buy the devices very soon. We haven't yet heard any news about early customer orders shipping, but expect those to follow closely.

The new 27" Display adds Thunderbolt compatibility, allowing the displays to act as a docking station using a single Thunderbolt cable. The new display includes a built-in FaceTime HD camera, 2.1 speaker system, three USB ports, one Firewire 800 port, one Gigabit Ethernet port, and a second Thunderbolt port to enable daisy chaining.

The new display also allows the ability to run two displays off of a single Thunderbolt port on Macs offering enough graphics horsepower to support the pixel load.

Apple introduced the new display back in July. It is presently available for pre-order for $999.

Taiwan Economic News reports (via BGR) that Apple has contracted with suppliers Simplo and Dynapack for a thinner and lighter battery for the iPad 3, either opening the door for a thinner design or making room for a potentially thicker high-resolution Retina display.

According to the report, the new batteries will cost Apple 20-30% more than the current iPad batteries and are said to offer a greater service life and increased safety.

With the upcoming iPad 3 to feature a thinner, lighter battery module that is widely believed to be priced 20-30% higher than iPad 2’s, Simplo Technology Co. and Dynapack International Technology Corp., both Apple Inc.’s contract suppliers of iPad and Macbook battery packs, will hence secure a surefire profit drive for the near future.

Institutional investors pointed out that the battery pack for iPad 3, scheduled to be massively produced in the first quarter of next year, has been redesigned to be thinner and lighter with a longer service life than iPad 2 edition’s.

Initial deliveries of the new batteries are said to be set for the fourth quarter of this year, with mass production beginning in the first quarter of next year.

A number of rumors had suggested that Apple might be trying to release the iPad 3 before the end of this year, but recent reports have claimed that Apple and its partners are continuing to refine the Retina display rumored for inclusion in the device, pushing the iPad 3's launch to early next year.

Less than a week after the U.S. government moved to block the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile USA, Sprint today announced that it too has filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the merger on antitrust grounds.

The lawsuit names AT&T, AT&T Mobility, Deutsche Telekom, and T-Mobile, and has been filed as a related case to the U.S. government's own complaint filed last week.

“Sprint opposes AT&T’s proposed takeover of T-Mobile,” said Susan Z. Haller, vice president-Litigation, Sprint. “With today’s legal action, we are continuing that advocacy on behalf of consumers and competition, and expect to contribute our expertise and resources in proving that the proposed transaction is illegal.”

Sprint’s lawsuit focuses on the competitive and consumer harms which would result from a takeover of T-Mobile by AT&T. The proposed takeover would:

- Harm retail consumers and corporate customers by causing higher prices and less innovation.

- Entrench the duopoly control of AT&T and Verizon, the two "Ma Bell" descendants, of the almost one-quarter of a trillion dollar wireless market. As a result of the transaction, AT&T and Verizon would control more than three-quarters of that market and 90 percent of the profits.

- Harm Sprint and the other independent wireless carriers. If the transaction were to be allowed, a combined AT&T and T-Mobile would have the ability to use its control over backhaul, roaming and spectrum, and its increased market position to exclude competitors, raise their costs, restrict their access to handsets, damage their businesses and ultimately to lessen competition.

AT&T has touted the proposed merger as a way to provide 4G LTE service to a greater number of customers than possible under current arrangements, utilizing T-Mobile's wireless spectrum to help deploy the new technology. The company has also argued that the merger would result in lower prices and better service while also committing to bring thousands of call center jobs back to the United States and divesting of any portions of T-Mobile USA required in order to satisfy concerns over the deal.

Apple's redesigned MacBook Air has proven popular with consumers, with the company reportedly pushing out up to 500,000 units per month to satisfy demand. The product's success has drawn the interest of Intel and Windows PC manufacturers, who are beginning to roll out their own "Ultrabook" models to compete with the MacBook Air. But a new report from Digitimes claims that those manufacturers are merely testing the waters, limiting initial shipments to a combined 50,000 units.

First-tier notebook brand vendors Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba and Asustek Computer, understanding that demand for notebooks is unlikely to recover in the fourth quarter, while Apple's products are taking up all the glory in the market, will limit their initial Ultrabook shipment volume to below 50,000 units for testing the water, according to sources from notebook makers.

Intel has been pushing the Ultrabook concept as the future of notebook computers, but manufacturers have been having difficulties bringing costs to the point where they can compete with the MacBook Air. Intel has been pushing for Ultrabook pricing to begin at under $1000, and while some models may reach that goal, manufacturers and Intel have been at odds over how to cut costs to reach that target.

The wide-ranging intellectual property battle between Apple and Samsung has continued in recent days, with one of the more notable events taking place in Germany, where Apple won a new preliminary injunction against Samsung requiring the company to remove its new Galaxy Tab 7.7 from the expo floor at the IFA show in Berlin as part of a broader ban against sale and promotion of the device.

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's second-biggest handset maker, unveiled the Galaxy Tab 7.7 for the first time at the annual trade fair, known as the IFA, which kicked off on Friday for a six-day run in Berlin.

But Samsung pulled the tablet computer out of the show after a Dusseldorf court accepted on Friday Apple's request to ban sales and marketing of the product in Germany, the company said.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg is reporting that Apple is being pressured to reveal specific iPad sales numbers in the United States and United Kingdom as part of its case against Samsung in Australia. The judge in that case is requesting that sales data from markets where Samsung has launched its Galaxy Tab products in order to ascertain whether Apple's sales have been hampered by the Galaxy Tab's introduction.

Apple’s claim that the Samsung tablet’s release in Australia will hurt iPad sales may carry little weight if it doesn’t provide the numbers, Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett said in Sydney Federal Court today.

“Unless Apple puts on evidence showing the impact in the U.S. or U.K., I can’t draw any positive assumptions,” Bennett said.

Despite a request by Samsung, Bennett is not requiring Apple to disclose such figures, but failure to do so would seem to substantially harm Apple's case.

Specific disclosure of iPad and iPad 2 sales in the United States and United Kingdom would be an interesting look into Apple's performance, as the company typically provides little detail on its iOS device sales, only reporting the total number of units sold each quarter on a worldwide basis. Such numbers are considered key competitive information, so much so that Samsung has decided to stop reporting mobile phone sales entirely.

About six weeks ago, it was revealed that Apple had passed Nokia and held off Samsung to become the world's largest smartphone vendor as measured by shipments during the second quarter of 2011, even if Nokia reportedly held off Apple in sales to end users.

Digitimes Research now reports that it is projecting Apple to take the top spot among global smartphone vendors for the entire calendar year of 2011, leading the way with nearly 19% of the market at 86.4 million units. Apple is projected to easily top Nokia, whose shipments appear set to drop 25% to under 75 million.

Apple is expected to overtake Nokia as the top ranking vendor in terms of shipment volume in 2011, while Huawei Technologies will enjoy robust growth in shipments enabling the China-based company to close its gap with Sony Ericsson and Motorola.

Apple's smartphone shipments are projected to top 86.4 million units in 2011, up 82% from 47.5 million units in 2010. In contrast, Nokia's smartphone shipments in 2011 will decline to 74.4 million units from over 100 million in 2010, said Luke Lin, analyst for Digitimes Research.

Samsung's strong growth on the popularity of several of its Android-based handsets should see it leap over both HTC and Research in Motion, but will not yet be enough to catch either Nokia or Apple in full-year shipments.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has received certification to sell the 3G iPad 2 in mainland China. Up until now, Apple has only been allowed to sell the Wi-Fi models of the iPad 2 in China.

According to China's Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, a device by Apple with third-generation high-speed wireless data capabilities was issued the network access license needed for the company to begin official sales in China. The device, listed under model number "A1396," is compatible with the 3G standard WCDMA, and would work with the cellular network operated by Apple's local iPhone partner, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.

Model number A1396 is Apple's model number for the 3G iPad 2 that was released in the U.S. in March.

Separately, Penn Olson reported that Apple's official China site had listed 3G iPad 2s for sale for the first time yesterday (now removed). Shipping was listed as within 2 or 3 weeks. The site explains that Apple's 3G products are always slower to enter the Chinese market.

In related news, Apple officially confirmed that Apple's first Hong Kong retail store would be opening this quarter in the International Finance Center's IFC mall. Photos of the beginnings of the store have been sent in to us and other sites. Engadget China reports the store will open on September 24th.

Apple's rapid expansion in its Greater China market of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan has been well documented with 6x year over year growth reported in July. At the time, now Apple CEO Tim Cook said they believe that Greater China is "a substantial opportunity for Apple and we're just scratching the surface."

Thanks Rickin

Several days ago, German site iPhoneBlog.de reported [Google translation] that Deutsche Telekom would begin offering "Premieren Tickets" for the iPhone 5 today, essentially first-come, first-served reservations for the new device whenever it debuts.

The company confirmed to Bloomberg earlier today that the program is now in effect.

Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE) will allow customers to reserve the next generation of Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone as of today in anticipation of supply bottlenecks for the device, spokesman Alexander von Schmettow said by phone.

The operator will hand out coupons to people who expressly request the successor model to the iPhone 4, without providing the name or release details of the device, he said.

The development comes as other retailers and carriers are also working to prepare for the launch, which has been rumored for early next month. Apple generally keeps its carrier partners in the dark about its specific release plans until it is ready to make a public announcement, so it certainly appears that retailers and carriers are simply working based on circulating rumors rather than any official information.

Nevertheless, excitement for the iPhone 5 continues to build as Apple has pushed the update interval on the device well beyond its usual 12-month cycle. Confusion remains about just what Apple is planning to introduce for this next iPhone revamp, with a number of part leaks hinting at a so-called "iPhone 4S" appearing nearly identical to the existing iPhone 4 seeing the widest publicity. But persistent rumors of a full iPhone 5 revamp also continue, with third-party cases based on a purported leaked design document pointing toward a significantly thinner but taller and wider device with a display in the neighborhood of 4 inches.

Though this could likely be Best Buy reading the same rumors as the rest of us, the company is anticipating that the iPhone 5 will be available for pre-order during the first week of October. BGR points to an internal memo:

Thanks to a leaked document from a Best Buy source, we have discovered that Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores are anticipating taking preorders for the iPhone 5 starting in the first week of October. What’s a tad bit more interesting, however, is the mention (and further anticipation) that Sprint will be carrying the iPhone 5 at launch.

Best Buy warns, of course, that dates may change. A report that Sprint will also be carrying the iPhone 5 was recently revealed by the Wall Street Journal.

Meanwhile, ThisIsMyNext reports that Best Buy is also expecting a new "Apple Fixture Installation" on Friday, October 21st.

To be clear, this isn’t a run-of-the-mill installation for the big box — our tipster tells us that the request that a manager be on-hand at 6AM is out of the ordinary (they usually show up at 7AM for inventory), and that a similar arrangement was scheduled for the iPhone 4 launch.

The new fixture could represent signs and displays for the iPhone 5 which has been rumored to launch at some point in October.

As reported by both 9to5Mac and AppleInsider, some additional evidence of Apple's work on a "Find My Friends" service has been discovered in relation to Apple's MobileMe website.

"Find My Friends" was originally discovered as a reference back in iOS 4.3. At the time we suspected that it represented a location-based friend-finding service like Loopt and Google Latitude. The strings (embedded above) seem to confirm those suspicions:

It includes references to standard social networking functions, like a list of people a user is "following," as well as "pending" and "accepted" follower requests. The code also mentions user statuses, updates, blocking of users and removing followers.

These types of services allow you to find your friends who near you at any given time by leveraging your mobile phone's GPS signal. The constant updates can broadcast your location to your friends to know who is nearby.

Apple's implementation seems very similar, and allows you to "follow" or be followed by others. This would presumably allow you to locate those you follow in real time.

Apple has yet to announce any plans to launch such a service, and given the fact that it first appeared back in iOS 4.3 could mean that Apple ultimately decided to scrap the project. Apple's patent applications have previously revealed that Apple is actively researching these type of location based mobile services.