MacRumors

Late last month, we reported that we had received word of tightening MacBook Pro supplies, suggesting that an update to Apple's popular notebook line might be coming in the near future.

Information has continued to flow in regarding tightening supplies, with Japanese blog Mac Otakara reporting today that supplies in Japan are now pushing out to 2-3 week shipping estimates. The site also reports that the following Sandy Bridge configurations are likely for update MacBook Pros:

Core i7-2620M(2.70GHz)
Core i5-2540M(2.60GHz)
Core i5-2520M(2.50GHz)
Core i5-2410M(2.30GHz)
Core i3-2310M(2.10GHz)

Also getting attention today is a Best Buy inventory screen pointing to a March 11th in-stock date for what may be a revised version of the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro. We received word of the same database entry about ten days ago, but have little faith in its accuracy, as the company did the exact same thing in early 2010, guessing at a March 14th date for new models. The update didn't actually occur until a month after the proposed date.

The other wildcard in the MacBook Pro update situation is Intel's "design error" that has forced the company to fix its manufacturing process for one of the chips in the chipset being used the Sandy Bridge processors presumably destined for the next-generation MacBook Pros and iMacs. A delay in availability of Sandy Bridge chipsets could easily push back MacBook Pro updates from Apple's original target date and result in an extended period of tight supplies of the current models.

Research firm IDC has released the results of its survey of worldwide smartphone sales for the fourth quarter of 2010, finding Apple holding onto the same second-place ranking it earned last quarter as the top manufacturers see their shares decline slightly as small vendors ride the Android wave to greater sales.

According to the results, Apple's 16.1% share of the smartphone market in the fourth quarter trailed only Nokia's 28.0% share and came in solidly ahead of Research in Motion and its 14.5% share. Apple's share dipped slightly from the 17.4% share it held in the previous quarter, and came in on par with the same 16.1% share the company held in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Apple's iPhone gained more ground in the worldwide smartphone market, with shipment volume growth coming from Asia/Pacific and Japan. In addition, Apple made further inroads into the enterprise market, with more companies adding Apple to their approved smartphone list and increased development of corporate-centered applications. Rumors of an iPhone 5 have begun to heat up the blogosphere, with many expecting a new design and perhaps a mobile wallet.

Consequently, Apple's 86.2% year-over-year growth essentially mirrored the smartphone industry's overall growth rate of 87.2%, with major players Nokia and Research in Motion checking in at only 36% growth while Android-focused manufacturers such as Samsung (438.9%) and HTC (258.3%) saw tremendous growth in market share, but not enough to overtake the three leaders. Total smartphone sales topped 100 million in the quarter for the first time in history.

In looking at full-year results for 2010, Research in Motion edged out Apple by a margin of 16.1% to 15.7%, although the gap was much smaller than the 5.4 percentage point difference seen in 2009.

While it appears that at least one lucky customer was able to obtain his Verizon iPhone over the weekend, the initial wave of pre-orders for existing Verizon customers is now making its way to their doorsteps in significant quantities.

BGR has already received its order and has put together a small gallery of photos showing the device, packaging, and included materials from Verizon.

Obviously the Verizon iPhone is extremely similar to the GSM iPhone used on AT&T and other carriers around the world, and some of the minor differences between the two versions have been covered in the early reviews, but we'll be keeping our eyes out for any significant observations about the new CDMA-based iPhone as more users begin to get their hands on it.

The Verizon iPhone marked the fastest debut in the carrier's history, despite launching in the middle of the night and being limited to existing Verizon customers. The carrier sold through its initial allotment of iPhones within 17 hours and stopped taking pre-orders at that point. Customers still looking to obtain a Verizon iPhone will need to wait until this Thursday, although Apple has announced that it will begin taking orders and reservations on Wednesday.

With the success of the iTunes App Store and the launch of the Mac App Store, it seems clear that the long term future of software sales is going to be digital distribution. Based on what we've heard from our sources, however, Apple is planning on making the move to all digital sooner than expected at their retail stores. Apple is working towards eliminating boxed software and presumably focusing sales through the Mac App Store.

Apple's recent plans to start offering Personal Setup for Mac seems to be in line with that goal.

When you purchase a Mac at an Apple Retail store an employee will help you setup your e-mail accounts, walk you through the Mac App Store, setup an iTunes account for you, and show you the basic pointers of owning a Mac. Some stores will even have dedicated Mac setup stations.

New Mac customers will be walked through how to use their Mac and also how to obtain new software through the Mac App store.

Boxed software also takes up retail space that could be used for higher profit items such as iPad or iPhone accessories. It's not clear how Apple will deal with prominent titles such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop which aren't yet available through the Mac App Store.

While the Mac App Store has been launched for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, it is also one of the key new components in Mac OS X Lion due out this summer. We expect to hear more about Lion during this year's Worldwide Developer's Conference.

Originally spotted by AppleBitch.com, the possible dates for WWDC this year appear to fall between June 5th and 9th. The Moscone events page shows a "Corporate Meeting" in Moscone West occupying those dates. In the past, such listings have predicted Apple's WWDC event, but not with complete accuracy. Last year, Apple's actual WWDC dates did not fall on the predicted dates.

What is interesting is that the dates do correspond with tentative leaked dates from a San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau PDF. Those dates included:

Tentative WWDC Dates:
2011: June 5th - June 10th
2012: June 10th - June 15th
2013: June 9th - June 14th
2014: June 1st - June 6th
2015: June 7th - June 12th

With the rise of iOS and Apple's withdrawal from Macworld Expo, WWDC has become a major event for Apple each year. This year, Apple is expected to feature Mac OS X Lion prominently.

It seems the first Verizon iPhone has been delivered to its customer. The video shows an individual picking up his iPhone 4 from a UPS center on Saturday. Meanwhile, many of our readers who have ordered expect their deliveries on Monday, February 7th.

Those with preorders are organizing in the shipping discussion thread and in our iPhone forums.

New customers looking to purchase a Verizon iPhone 4 will have to wait until February 9th for online orders and February 10th for in-store purchasing.

Mac Otakara claims that Apple is planning to conduct a short media event at the end of February to launch the next generation iPad. The site offers few other details, though seems to think the actual availability of the iPad 2 will be in March.

We're not sure about the accuracy of the information, but the timing seems reasonable. Apple is widely known to be prepping the next generation iPad. There have been reports of iPad 2 prototypes being spotted and there was also an unconfirmed tip that a television commercial for the iPad 2 had already been shot in LA last week.

AT&T released their first iPhone ad directly targeting the Verizon iPhone. It's appropriately titled "Answer" and shows a husband having forgotten to make dinner reservations for their anniversary. The man does a search for "fine dining" while on the phone with his wife. The commercial concludes with:

Only AT&T's network lets your iPhone talk and surf at the same time

Simultaneous voice and data is one of the differentiators between AT&T's GSM and Verizon's CDMA networks. On Verizon, 3G data service is not usable while you are on a voice call, though, of course, local Wi-Fi networking would still work.

iLounge reports that it has received a handful of details about what may be in store for the second-generation iPad. According to the report, the information comes from a source that has proven reliable in the past but that has cautioned that this information is preliminary and thus some caution should be exercised.

First, the source indicates that Apple is indeed building near field communications (NFC) capabilities into the next-generation iPad and that the company is working to develop accessories that can interface with the NFC/RFID chips included in the device.

In the most basic implementation, an accessory could announce its presence and potential functions to an iPad or iPhone without the need for a Bluetooth or similar connection; our source suggests that an otherwise simple case could include a radio chip so that an inserted iPhone or iPad could go into power-saving hibernation mode automatically. More complex accessories will go far beyond that.

Second, Apple may be shifting from the current aluminum shell for the iPad to one made of carbon fiber in order to reduce the weight of the device. While carbon fiber iPad shells have reportedly been spotted, it is unclear whether they will make their way into final production models.

Finally, iLounge's source indicates that Apple has not yet abandoned the idea of a smaller iPad carrying a 7-inch display, despite Steve Jobs having criticized similar tablets as "dead on arrival" due to what Apple feels is an inability to offer a satisfactory tablet experience with the smaller screen real estate. According to the source, one of Apple's suppliers has been asked to manufacture a component that would be used in a 7-inch iPad, but it is unknown whether Apple plans to bring the device to market.

MacStories reports that it has heard from a "reliable source" that Apple is planning to release iOS 4.3 to the public on February 14th at its typical iOS software update time of 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time.

According to several reports surfaced earlier this week, Apple is targeting a release of the next major iOS update, version 4.3, in two weeks. We just got word from a reliable source that iOS 4.3 should be available on February 14th at 10 AM PST.

A growing list of rumors and speculation have suggested that the iOS 4.3 launch, and possibly an introduction of the next-generation iPad, could occur within the next two weeks. Among the pieces of evidence are AT&T rolling out support for personal hotspot service with modified data plans for tethering as of February 13th and free access to The Daily running out in the middle of that week. iOS 4.3 includes support for personal hotspot functionality and the in-app subscriptions that will be required for The Daily once the free access period ends.

Apple vice president Eddy Cue noted during the introduction of The Daily earlier this week that Apple will make an announcement soon about bringing in-app subscriptions to other publishers. It would obviously be appropriate to make such an announcement right around the time of the iOS 4.3 launch given that those capabilities are included in the update. But it is unclear whether Apple will hold a dedicated media event to show off the new in-app subscriptions (and possibly offer a preview of the second-generation iPad) or simply issue a press release coinciding with the software release.

Apple made several tweaks to the iPad interface for the iOS App Store yesterday, enhancing users' abilities to filter app searches and to determine which apps they have already purchased but may not have installed on their devices.

As noted by MacStories, the new search filters appear as a toolbar at the top of search results pages. The filters allow users to limit their searches by category, release date, customer rating, price, and device compatibility. With the number of iOS applications now exceeding 300,000 and iPad-specific apps pushing past 60,000, users should find the new filters handy for weeding through listings.

The second change, also noted by MacStories, involves a tweak to the way previously-purchased applications are displayed in App Store searches on the iPad. Typically, results have been displayed with a button showing the price of the app, and the user simply taps the button to purchase and install the app. Results for apps already installed on the device have been displayed with an inactive button simply saying "installed".

But what was less than ideal was the handling of apps that had been previously purchased but not currently installed on the user's device. Apple allows such apps to be downloaded free of charge, but search results simply displayed the normal button with the purchase price displayed. Users were required to attempt the purchase the application before discovering that they were entitled to download it free of charge to their devices. With the new tweaks, these search results now display an active "install" button indicating to users that they may install the previously-purchased apps without being charged a second time. The feature applies to the iTunes Store account that the user is signed into on the iPad App Store at the time of searching.

Verizon today announced that yesterday's launch of the iPhone was the fastest-selling debut in the carrier's history, even with the premiere occurring the middle of the night and limited to existing Verizon customers.

"This was an exciting day," said Dan Mead, president and chief executive officer for Verizon Wireless. "In just our first two hours, we had already sold more phones than any first day launch in our history. And, when you consider these initial orders were placed between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., it is an incredible success story. It is gratifying to know that our customers responded so enthusiastically to this exclusive offer - designed to reward them for their loyalty."

The press release notes that Verizon halted pre-orders at 8:10 PM Eastern Time yesterday, just over 17 hours after they began. The carrier did not, however, indicate how many pre-orders were taken.

General availability for the Verizon iPhone begins on February 10th, with the device being available through Verizon, Apple, Best Buy, and select Wal-Mart stores. Apple will allow customers to place orders or make reservations one day ahead of that general availability date.

Verizon has started airing a new iPhone ad that seems to specifically target AT&T's reputation for poor voice quality.

It's beautiful. It's intelligent. Even genius. But does your network work? ... ring ... "Yes, I can hear you now." This is America's largest and most reliable network. Built so you can rule the air."

The early reviews seem to agree that Verizon's reception is better than AT&T's for voice calls.

Meanwhile, we've heard that AT&T has started offering some customers free Microcell devices that boost cell phone signals at your house. Several readers have noted that they had received email offers from AT&T for free microcells. It's not clear how widespread the practice is, or the selection criteria.

Both Apple and Verizon's online store show that they have run out of the initial stock of iPhone 4s for existing Verizon customers. The Verizon iPhone went on pre-order a little over 17 hours ago. We don't know what the initial stocks were, so it's hard to determine if it was a reflection of very high demand or poor initial supply.

Verizon does reveal that February 9th at 3am will be the time that non-Verizon customers can finally order the Verizon iPhone. Meanwhile, the iPhone will be available in retail stores starting on February 10th to all comers.

Apple is now allowing Mac developers to create promo codes for apps in the Mac App Store. Per MacStories:

You can now generate promo codes for your Mac apps in iTunes Connect. These promo codes can be redeemed in any Mac App Store worldwide. For each version of your app, you can request up to 50 promo codes.

Promo codes allows developers to give out free copies of their App Store apps for review and giveaway purposes. This feature has long been offered to iOS App Store developers.

Ad Age reports on the results of a recent survey commissioned by Apple and soup company Campbell's claiming that Apple's iAd mobile advertising program results in greater brand recognition among consumers at considerably less cost than traditional television advertising.

Those exposed to one of Campbell's iAds were more than twice as likely to recall it than those who had seen a TV ad. Indeed the five-week study, conducted by Nielsen, showed that consumers shown an iAd remembered the brand "Campbell's" five times more often than TV ad respondents and the ad messaging three times more often.

According to the survey, consumers who viewed the Campbell's iAd were four times more likely to purchase Campbell's products than consumers who viewed Campbell's television commercials.

Apple's interest in the study is obviously geared toward convincing companies to make the significant financial commitment (reported to be $1 million for the first wave of advertisers) to the iAd program. But while the initiative was a significant outlay of cash for Campbell's, it paled in comparison to the $25 million spent on traditional television advertising during a two-month period.

The study was put in place to validate mobile, a relatively new medium for the marketer. While Ms. Gordon would not share budgets for iAd, she said it was a "sizable investment" and Campbell's biggest play in mobile to date. Ms. Gordon says Campbell's is discussing further iAd campaigns and ways to optimize efforts.

By comparison, Campbell's spent $25 million on soup brands in network and cable TV in October and November, according to Kantar Media.

Data on the Campbell's iAd campaign reveal that the ad generated approximately 53 million impressions, with about 1% of users clicking through to explore the interactive content within the ad. In addition to a number of multimedia aspects, the ad also allowed customers to submit their email addresses to Campbell's to receive coupons good on the company's products.

But despite the broad reach of Apple's iOS ecosystem, television represents a significantly larger market with a broader range of demographics, meaning that television advertising will certainly remain a key component of companies' marketing efforts. But early evidence is showing that those companies willing to tap into the mobile advertising market via iAd could see significant benefits in terms of brand visibility and consumer attitudes.

Late last week, sister site AppShopper began tracking the Mac App Store for new apps, updates and price drops. Beyond those raw lists, the Popular view offers a look at the apps with the most activity amongst other AppShopper users. AppShopper has provided the same service for the iTunes App Store, allowing users to compile their own App wishlists to follow sales and app updates. Also tracked are the Top 200 Paid and Free Mac Apps for various categories.

The Mac App Store presently offers only 1638 apps, but is seeing daily new apps as well as constant pricing changes. A few notable price drops in recent days:

- Braid - $9.99 -> $1.99
- Delicious Library 2 - $39.99 -> $29.99
- Dr. Seuss's ABC - $24.99 -> $8.99

Apple launched the Mac App Store on January 6th alongside the Mac OS X 10.6.6 update. The Mac App Store will also be a large component of Mac OS X Lion which is due this summer.

As noted by MacStories, Apple has seeded the golden master version of Xcode 4 to both iOS and Mac OS X developers. The "golden master" designation indicates that this version of the software is intended to be the final version released to the public, barring any last-minute issues.

Xcode 4, which first debuted for developers at WWDC last June, offers a significant update to Apple's development environment for Mac OS X and iOS applications. Most visibly, Xcode 4 features a new single-window interface, but a number of other enhancements are also included.

A public release date for Xcode 4 remains unknown. Major Xcode releases have, however, traditionally accompanied Mac OS X software releases. Xcode 3.0 was released alongside Mac OS X Leopard in October 2007, while the Mac OS X Snow Leopard release in August 2009 saw the release of the tweaked Xcode 3.2 that serves as the current basis for the development environment.

MacStories notes that the release notes for Xcode 4 list Mac OS X Lion as a requirement, although this is almost certainly an error given that no Lion seeds have been made available to developers and the description on the download page indicates that Mac OS X Snow Leopard is required. Mac OS X Lion has been pegged for a release sometime this summer.

Update: The golden master build of Xcode 4 appears to have been pulled from Apple's site, with only the earlier Developer Preview 6 currently available for download.

Update 2: The golden master build is available once again and no longer makes reference to requiring Mac OS X Lion.