MacRumors

Several MacRumors readers have reported that shipping lead times for Apple's 27-inch iMac models have returned to "Within 24hrs" in Apple's online stores in the U.S. and Canada, the minimum possible shipping window in Apple's stores. Shipping times had ballooned to as much as three weeks in the U.S. and Canada in January as the company struggled to deal with high demand and several issues related to flickering and yellow-tinting of the machines' displays, issues the company claimed last week to have been addressed.

Not all locations around the world are seeing such prompt shipment of 27-inch iMac models, however, as Apple's online stores in Australia and New Zealand are seeing 5-7 business day windows and European stores are showing as much as two-week delays in availability. Apple's 21.5-inch iMac models and other machines are shipping within 24 hours in those countries, and availability of the 27-inch iMac should continue to improve as Apple is able to push more machines into its international sales channels.

Apple today announced that it has filed suit against handset manufacturer HTC regarding alleged infringement of 20 iPhone-related patents. The patents cover such aspects as the user interface, architecture, and hardware.

Apple today filed a lawsuit against HTC for infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. The lawsuit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

"We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."

HTC has become a prominent player in the rapidly-growing Android handset market, and is Google's manufacturing partner for the Nexus One released earlier this year.

Apple is currently involved in a number of high-profile patent lawsuits primarily stemming from the iPhone, but also extending into other aspects of the company's business. Apple and Nokia have filed suits against each other citing infringement of each other's patents, while Kodak recently filed complaints against Apple and Research in Motion related to digital camera patents.

HackingNetflix reports (via TechCrunch) that DVD rental and streaming service Netflix has issued a survey to some of its users including a question asking about their interest in using a Netflix iPhone application to watch streamed video offerings via Wi-Fi. The survey question reads:

Imagine that Netflix offers its subscribers the ability to instantly watch movies & TV episodes on their iPhone. The selection availability to instantly watch includes some new releases, lots of classics and TV episodes. There are no advertisements or trailers, and movies start in as little as 30 seconds. You can fast-forward, rewind, and pause or watch again. The movies & TV episodes you instantly watch are included in your Netflix membership for no additional fee.

Whenever you want to instantly watch content on your iPhone, your iPhone must be connected to a Wi-Fi network (such as one you might have at home or at work, or in public places like coffee shops, book stores, hotels, airports, etc.)

If this functionality were available, how likely would you or someone in your household be to instantly watch movies & TV episodes on your iPhone via a Wi-Fi network?

Despite a report last August that Netflix would soon be adding access for the iPhone, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings noted the following month that such a service was likely but would not be deployed in the "short term". Today's report notes, however, that earlier surveys asking users about interest in streaming to gaming systems such as the PlayStation 3 and Wii did precede introduction of those services, suggesting that the company may be moving forward with plans for the iPhone.

Media Memo reports that popular ringtone site Thumbplay has launched a new subscription music service, offering consumers unlimited streaming for $10/month with the option to purchase songs from a catalog of 8 million tracks at the same $0.69-$1.29 price points found on Apple's iTunes Store.

While the launch of yet another music service is not terribly newsworthy by itself, Thumbplay has also announced the hiring of former Apple executive Pablo Calamera as Chief Technology Officer. Calamera has held several positions at Apple, most recently a Director in Apple's Engineering division, overseeing development of MobileMe since 2006. He also spent time with Microsoft acquisitions Danger and WebTV.

Commented Schwartz: "We are thrilled to have Pablo join our team. He has unique experience with Apple, Danger and WebTV in delivering and syncing content across multiple platforms for a scaled customer base. He has also managed major integrations with U.S. and international carriers; an area of ongoing strategic importance for us. Over the course of his career, he has done an extraordinary job of building state-of-the-art consumer products and services from concept to completion. Technological innovation is paramount to Thumbplay, and Pablo's talent, experience and commitment to excellence will play a vital role in keeping us at the forefront of mobile entertainment offerings."

Building on its ringtone roots, Thumbplay is positioning its new music service as focused on mobile device streaming, with Research in Motion's BlackBerry line being the initial target. The company is reportedly also planning to offer a desktop app and will deploy iPhone and Android apps later this year.

AppleInsider reports that Apple is preparing to introduce HDMI connectivity into some its new Macs later this year, bringing increased compatibility with home theater systems as well as the ability to deliver both video and audio over a single cable.

More specifically, prototypes of a new Mac mini -- Apple's smallest and most affordable system, commonly employed by tech savvy Mac users as an ad-hoc living room media server, has been making the rounds with an HDMI port in place of its legacy DVI connector, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The Mac mini prototypes are claimed to look otherwise identical to existing models and continue to offer a mini DisplayPort alongside the HDMI port.

As the report notes, HDMI is electrically compatible with the DVI standard, allowing conversions from one connector to the other with a simple dongle. Unlike DVI, however, HDMI also offers support for audio, which would allow purchasers of future Mac mini models to connect their machines to their televisions or home theater systems with a single HDMI cable, as the Apple TV does today.

The report's sources claim that the Mac mini prototypes include NVIDIA's MCP89 chipset, although a licensing dispute between Intel and NVIDIA over chipsets for Intel's Nehalem platform suggests that Apple may have to continue using Intel Core 2 Duo processors in the next-generation Mac mini models if it is planning to use NVIDIA's chipset. Alternatively, Apple may choose to utilize an Intel chipset that would allow it to take advantage of Nehalem processors.

As for Apple's other Mac lines, the report claims that Apple has also prepared a mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter capable of carrying both video and audio. The adapter reportedly had been scheduled to ship with Apple's most recent iMac revision alongside Blu-ray drives, but was scrapped as part of the decision to not include Blu-ray compatibility.

Digital Daily reports on a new research note from analyst Peter Misek at Canaccord Adams claiming that availability of Apple's iPad tablet device may be limited at its launch later this month, citing a "manufacturing bottleneck" at partner Hon Hai Precision that may result in initial distribution being limited to the U.S. or even delayed entirely.

"We have ... heard that the upcoming iPad launch may be somewhat limited as a manufacturing bottleneck has impacted production of Apple's newest device," Misek writes. "An unspecified production problem at the iPad's manufacturer, Hon Hai Precision, will likely limit the launch region to the US and the number of units available to roughly 300K in the month of March, far lower than the company's initial estimate of 1,000K units. The delay in production ramp will likely impact Apple's April unit estimate of 800K as well. It is also possible that, given the limited number of units available in March, the launch will be delayed for a month."

The source and veracity of Misek's information is unknown, although it is perhaps wise to note that Misek predicted that Apple's January media event that saw the introduction of the iPad would also include the introduction of iPhone OS 4.0 and an announcement regarding a Verizon-compatible iPhone for mid-2010, neither of which came to fruition.

Update: According to Wired, an Apple spokeswoman has confirmed Apple's plans for late March availability of the iPad, but did not address any possible shortages or tightening of geographical distribution at launch.

Update, 11 a.m. PDT: An Apple spokeswoman told Wired.com on the phone that the "iPad will be available in late March."

The New York Times reports that magazine publisher Cond Nast is firming up plans to bring its content to Apple's iPad, rolling out dedicated versions of a number of its high-profile titles beginning in April.

The first magazines for which it will create iPad versions are Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Glamour, the company plans to announce in an internal memorandum on Monday.

GQ will have a tablet version of its April issue ready. Vanity Fair and Wired will follow with their June issues, and The New Yorker and Glamour will have issues in the summer (the company has not yet determined the exact timing for those).

The report notes that Cond Nast will be running a multi-month test with the titles, examining pricing, advertising, and technological implementations as it looks to to develop its platform strategy. The publisher will be making its content available through iTunes during the test phase, with Wired also being made available in a non-iTunes format, although it is unclear exactly what that distribution method entails.

Cond Nast has been relatively proactive about bringing its content to the iPad, having demoed a digital version of Wired for tablet devices as early as last November with no direct knowledge of Apple's iPad plans. The publisher also already offers an iPhone application that has seen relatively strong sales since it launched late last year.

Ars Technica reports on Apple's new A4 chip which was introduced alongside the iPad in January. Apple has released few details about their custom chip design, though many expected it to have adopted the latest Cortex A9 multi-core design.

Ars Technica's Jon Stokes counters this belief with multiple sources who indicate the new processor is actually based on the Cortex A8 -- the same design as the current iPhone and iPod Touch.

As I watched the videos and read the reports of the iPad in action at the launch event, I was thoroughly convinced that the device was built on the out-of-order Cortex A9, possibly even a dual-core version. But it turns out that the the A4 is a 1GHz custom SoC with a single Cortex A8 core and a PowerVR SGX GPU. The fact that A4 uses a single A8 core hasn't been made public, but I've heard from multiple sources who are certain for different reasons that this is indeed the case. (I wish I could be more specific, but I can't.)

We've heard similar whispers which make us believe this report is true. The iPad A4, of course, runs at a higher clock speed (1GHz) than the processors found in the iPhone (600Mhz) and iPod Touch. Stokes goes on to speculate that the PA Semi team could have added their expertise in lower power consumption, and the A4 could find its way in a future iPhone release.

A forum thread has been generating some buzz around the Mac web by suggesting that Valve will be porting their Steam platform to the Mac. Steam is a digital distribution system for PC games -- essentially an PC game App Store. A Mac version of the store would still require games to be ported over to the Mac platform before becoming available.

The screenshots (above) posted to the thread reveal Mac OS X menu components in the Steam file directory -- though some have suggested that these could simply be a Mac OS X-based theme. More convincing, perhaps, is the presence of Mac OS X-like menu definitions and strings that suggest support for multiple platforms:

"steam_welcomeaction_platformwrong" "%gamename% is not available on your current platform."

Even more suggestive of Valve's plans was a recent report that Valve Software's Chris Green has been recruiting for Mac engineers:

Chris Greens Summary

I work for Valve. You should work for Valve.

REALLY looking for senior Linux + Mac engineers.
Always hiring Senior Engineers, Artists, and Mappers

Steam is only available on Windows/PC at present.

The Associated Press today announced plans to create a new business unit known as "AP Gateway" that will focus on mobile platforms, with an application for Apple's iPad tablet device set to serve as the launch product from the division. AP Gateway will also seek to leverage the technology behind its iPad application to assist its local news affiliates with creating packages of their own content.

It appears likely that the application will require a paid subscription as the new organization continues its attempts to monetize mobile distribution of its content, although an AP executive suggested that it may appear as a free application at first.

The group already has drawn up plans to charge for an application designed for the iPad, a 1.5-pound tablet computer that Apple Inc. is scheduled to release at the end of March. The price of the application has yet to be determined, although it might start free, according to Jane Seagrave, a senior vice president who becomes the AP's chief revenue officer Monday.

Much like the AP Mobile news product, the iPad app will show custom packages of headlines, stories, photos and video from the AP and from newspapers and broadcasters that choose to contribute their content and share the revenue. AP members also could use the same system to offer their own iPad apps that show their own content.

Attempts to bring newspaper content to the iPad have hit a few hurdles as the device's launch approaches with internal units of The New York Times reportedly vying for control over the distribution and disagreeing over pricing for the newspaper's content. Newspaper and magazine publishers have also been expressing concern over revenue sharing with Apple and the company's unwillingness to share subscriber information that publishers depend on for marketing and tailoring their content.

Gizmodo reports that it has received official word from Apple that the company has addressed issues with flickering and yellow tinting on its 27-inch iMac models.

We've addressed the issues that caused display flickering and yellow tint. Customers concerned that their iMac is affected should contact AppleCare.

For its part, however, Gizmodo notes that it is still receiving reports of yellow-tinted displays from iMac purchasers, although it is encouraged by reports of at least some customers receiving machines free of the issue.

Early reports of flickering have been addressed through a pair of firmware updates that appear to have solved the problem for existing users. More recent complaints of yellow-tinting on the iMac's displays also surfaced, with a report claiming that Apple had at least internally acknowledged the issue and had halted production of the machines pending a fix.

Apple quickly refuted claims that production had been halted, and pointed to high demand as the cause of ongoing shipping delays for the machines. Apple had also reportedly been offering 15% rebates to purchasers of the troubled machines, but today's comments from Apple are the first official claim that both issues have been addressed.

Meanwhile, availability of the 27-inch iMac models has continued to improve, drifting down to 3-5 business days for shipping windows earlier this week from 5-7 business days earlier and as much as three weeks for orders placed through Apple's U.S. online store back in January.

The Wall Street Journal reports on strategies being employed by accessory manufacturers as they prepare for the launch of Apple's iPad next month. The companies, many of them already experienced with pushing out accessories for the iPhone, are taking a range of strategies, with some rushing certain products to market as quickly as possible to match the launch of the device itself, while others are holding back, waiting for customers to dictate what they want to be able to do with their iPads before engaging in product development.

The moves show how an entire ecosystem of new hardware is ready to spring up around new Apple products. While Apple in recent years has spawned cottage industries of new software businesses -- particularly around its iTunes App Store -- the accessory business around its gadgets has also thrived and driven the growth of many third-party manufacturers. According to Piper Jaffray & Co. estimates iPod and iPhone accessory sales -- including cases, headphones and chargers -- totaled about $3.7 billion world-wide in 2009.

The report points to several major case manufacturers, which have the advantage that their products will almost certainly be in demand by iPad customers. Consequently, Griffin's president notes that his company was reportedly drawing up case designs within hours of the iPad's introduction, while Targus had even been designing products before the iPad was revealed, relying on rumors to develop ideas that only needed slight tweaking once the iPad's true dimensions were known.

Companies developing more complex products such as external batteries and speaker docking stations, will take a bit longer to come to market, while others are planning to sit on the sidelines to make sure that a market for their products exists before committing their resources.

For its part, Apple has announced several accessories for the iPad, including charging stands with and without a keyboard, a case that doubles as a stand for the device, and docking adapters to allow users to connect their digital cameras to the iPad for photo transfers.

Fortune reports on a new research note from prominent Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty citing strong sales of Apple's iPad and the potential for increased growth in the iPhone segment from new models she predicts will carry lower total cost of ownership as drivers for Apple's stock price over the next several years.

In a report to clients issued Friday, Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty offered one of her patented risk-reward snapshots of Apple (AAPL), this one even more optimistic than the last, thanks to what she sees as two new catalysts:

- The iPad launch in March. Huberty is anticipating unit sales of 6 million in calendar 2010, considerably higher than the Street's consensus of 3-4 million
- New iPhones in June. She's expecting new models that offer "both a lower total cost of ownership and new functionality, potentially including gesture-based technology"

Huberty doesn't appear to have elaborated on the basis for her iPhone prediction or exactly what she means by "gesture-based technology", and it is unclear whether such cost of ownership savings would primarily come from the cost of the device itself or the much more significant monthly subscription pricing offered through Apple's partner carriers, as both have been cited as significant barriers to entry for customers.

As part of her analysis, Huberty offers three "bull scenarios" that see Apple's stock pricing surging to between $325 and $435 by fiscal year 2012 depending on the balance between subsidies paid to Apple by carriers and global market share. Huberty also offers tamer scenarios in which Apple's iPhone proves to show slower growth, and projecting stock prices in the $180-$250 range.

Patently Apple reports that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) today published a trademark application filed earlier this week by Apple covering the term "Magic Trackpad". The application requests registration in International Class 009 under a number of categories relating to computer hardware and software, as well as several types of peripheral devices.

International Class 009: Computers; computer software; computer operating system software; computer utility software; computer hardware; computer peripherals; scanners; touchscreens; keyboards; computer mice; trackballs; trackpads; touchpads; light pens; joysticks; game controllers; graphics tablets; digitizers; cables and connectors; flash memory drives; USB drives; solid state storage devices; barcode readers.

It is not entirely clear what technology the trademark is meant to apply to and whether it would be some aspect of existing trackpads using in Apple's notebook computers or if it would be some other device offering trackpad functionality.

There has been speculation about some sort of multi-touch "trackpad gadget" since John Gruber mentioned such a possibility ahead of an October product launch from Apple that saw the introduction of every one of his claimed products except the trackpad gadget. The speculation was further fed several months later with the revelation that Apple had filed for a trademark on the term "Magic Slate".

At the time, Apple had yet to introduce its much-rumored tablet device, and so speculation was consequently centered around that release. But with Apple filing this new trademark application a month after the tablet device was introduced as the iPad, it appears that Apple may yet have something more up its sleeve.

In a NYTimes' blog post, Nick Bilton describes how PCs aren't as easy to use as the iPhone, and explores why the iPhone OS simply can't be used in a future iteration of Mac OS X.

Bilton quotes a former senior Apple engineer who explains that implementing global multi-touch support onto the existing Mac OS X would be a hard task. While Apple has added multi-touch features into a few apps, the whole OS simply wasn't designed for touch input. However, Bilton's source then raises the interesting possibility of adding iPhone OS as a layer on top of Mac OS X -- much like how Front Row presently works.

Front Row is Apple's media center software for the Mac which adopts an Apple TV-like interface. When invoked, the entire Mac OS X desktop fades out, leaving a TV-friendly navigation system that looks nothing like Mac OS X. What's been suggested is that Apple could adopt a iPhone OS layer that would greatly simplify tasks for some users. Now, it's not clear if this was actually something Apple had been actively exploring or if it was just presented as speculative option by Bilton's source, but we felt it was an interesting topic of discussion.

Apple's iPad has been felt to represent this shift to an easier computing paradigm. The iPad is essentially the iPhone OS on a larger form factor, but it's that larger size that introduces new possibilities that encroach on the functionality of current desktop/notebooks.

Opera today announced the release of Opera 10.50 Beta for Mac, bringing several new features to the Web browser.

Highlights
- Cocoa
- Unified tool bar
- Growl notifications
- Multi-touch gestures
- Happy Easter! Well almost, but multi-touch users should look out for the egg

In addition, Opera 10.50 Beta offers stabilization improvements over earlier versions, support for HTML5 video tags, and support for widgets as standalone apps.

Computerworld had a chance to run some quick JavaScript benchmarks on the new version and found that Opera 10.50 is 10% faster than the latest version of Safari and also tops WebKit and Chrome browsers included in the study. According to Opera:

A completely new JavaScript engine makes Opera 10.50 run Web applications more smoothly. Up to 8x faster than its predecessor, the new Carakan engine speeds up even the most demanding Web sites.

Opera has been pressing forward on bringing its latest offerings to Apple's products, having just last week demoed running an iPhone version of Opera Mini. The application has not yet been submitted to Apple for approval, although Opera is hopeful that the speedy browser will be accepted for inclusion in the App Store.