NoWhereElse.fr originally posted these images which are being mirrored by Engadget that claim to be photos of the next generation iPhone. The photos appear to depict a front-facing camera which has been on everyone's wishlist since the first iPhone came out.
Given the increasing reports that Apple will be pushing "video" as a killer feature of the new iPhone, it seems feasible that Apple could introduce video-chat. But, it's best to remind everyone that no even semi-credible source has actually suggested that the next iPhone will have a front facing camera. It's mostly been a common theme amongst these widely-circulated mockups. Some have even gone on to depict (created by a MacRumors forum member) what making a video phone call might look like.
In our mind, the most credible photo of the next generation iPhone was the matte photos that leaked a number of months ago. Unfortunately, those did not reveal what the front of the iPhone casing would look like.
Update: Direct video link: Click here (no spoilers)
Apple will kick off WWDC 2009 with a keynote address on June 8th, 2009. News sites across the web will cover every announcement in detail, while Apple's site will be updated with any new products announced.
Some readers prefer watching the keynote themselves without knowing the outcome. Unfortunately, there is no live video feed for the keynote. Instead, Apple will likely post a recorded QuickTime stream a few hours after the keynote ends.
For those individuals, we've posted this news story, which will be updated with the link to the Macworld Keynote once it becomes available from Apple. No other news stories or announcements will be displayed alongside this story.
You can also subscribe to our notification list which will send out an email when the keynote is posted online. The mailing list will only be used for notifications for these spoiler free announcements and you may unsubscribe at any time.
Notify me of Keynote Stream
Apple can take several hours to post the feed. The mailing list can also take up to a couple of hours to send out all the emails. Be patient. Or keep checking this page. Update: Direct video link: Click here (no spoilers)
Here are a collection of news and rumors in the last days leading up to WWDC:
- For those who were worried, here is a photo (above) of a banner for Snow Leopard "The World's Most Advanced Operating System" in Moscone West. Adam Jackson also posted a video of the entrance of Moscone West which is now covered in iPhone App icons. - We've heard that Build 10A380 is likely to be the Snow Leopard build given to developers on Monday. The last build provided to developers was 10A354. - Tweakers.net reports that the Dutch T-Mobile System lists 5 new iPhone models labeled as "iPhone 2009". These include: 16GB and 32GB models in black and white as well as one with no size given.
- MacTalk.com.au was issued a cease and desist for their Vodafone End-of-Life's iPhone story. - Gear Live believes that the new iphone will be called "iPhone Video" and availability will be limited at first. - DoubleTwist has managed to place an ad right under the San Francisco Apple store by renting the window from the BART transit system. Another picture showing where the subway opens to ground.
WWDC kicks off with a keynote speech by Phil Schiller on Monday, June 8th, 2009. MacRumors will have live coverage on MacRumorsLive of the keynote along with photos. We also have a Spoiler Free notification system in place to watch the video later.
As most readers are no doubt aware, the Palm Pre will go on sale to the general public tomorrow, just two days before Apple is expected to provide further details on the next generation of iPhone software, and possibly hardware. Early reviews of the Pre describe a promising product with a few shortcomings.
Last week, news broke that the Palm Pre is able to sync with iTunes, allowing for easy loading of DRM-free media. At the time, Apple DRM expert Jon Johansen surmised that the Pre must be emulating an iPod by transmitting Apple-specific vendor and product IDs to iTunes. In a follow-up post, Johansen reveals confirmation of the Pre's use of the emulation method, also noting that Palm's implementation of the technique would allow Apple to easily block iTunes syncing with the Pre in the future should it choose to do so.
With the release of iTunes 8.2 earlier this week, many users wondered if the Pre would continue to sync with iTunes. While it does in fact continue to do so, Johansen cautions against reading too much into the lack of action on Apple's part. Johansen notes that Apple certainly would have had to finalize the iTunes 8.2 release prior to the news breaking about the Pre's ability to sync with iTunes.
Campaign reports (via Engadget) that CBS Outdoor, the outdoor advertising arm of CBS, is launching a new advertising platform that will allow iPhone users to interact with and manipulate digital advertising signage. The platform will be launched on LCD advertising screens such as those commonly seen in malls and other shopping centers.
By swiping in either direction on the iPhone's touchscreen, users can make the object in the digital poster spin to the left or right, and users can also make the display change colour.
Also by using the "pinch" and "stretch" finger gestures on the iPhone, consumers will be able to zoom in or out of the object displayed on the screen.
Users will be able to connect to the digital signage via Wi-Fi or 3G and then interact with the displayed images.
A Chromium blog post yesterday has announced the availability of developer builds of Google's Chrome browser for both OS X and Linux. The news comes several weeks after the release of initial OS X builds of Chromium, the open source project behind Chrome. The announcement, however, warns that most users should not install the new builds, as they are buggy, unstable, and feature-incomplete.
How incomplete? So incomplete that, among other things , you won't yet be able to view YouTube videos, change your privacy settings, set your default search provider, or even print.
While the release indicates that Google is making progress on the OS X version of Chrome, it does appear that Google has significant work ahead in order to meet its previously-announced plan for launch in the first half of this year. Google Chrome offers three release channels ranging from developer previews to stable releases, indicating that the OS X version of Chrome has several thresholds to pass before it is ready for public launch.
Many Mac users have been looking forward to the public launch of Chrome for OS X and some have expressed frustration with the length of time it is taking to complete development of the Mac version. Google co-founder Sergey Brin even went so far as to call the lack of a Mac version alongside the Windows beta launch last year "embarrassing". But as Google developer Mike Pinkerton, who has been working on the OS X version of Chrome, notes with some frustration, deploying Chrome for OS X is more difficult than many think.
We're lucky in Chromium that we can leverage a lot of shared code from the windows side, but we do have to write a bunch of UI code (unless you want the UI to just look and behave exactly like windows...I didn't think so). We're also not just embedding WebKit and dragging in a couple buttons and a text field. The team has made significant changes to how WebCore works (resource loading, sandboxing, multi-process, etc) and those take time to get right on other platforms.
Financial Times confidently reports that Apple is planning on launching a "cut-price" version of the iPhone on Monday.
Apple plans to introduce a cheaper version of its popular iPhone as soon as Monday, in a move that could dramatically increase the companys share of the market for web-surfing devices, people familiar with the initiative said on Thursday.
Analysts are predicting the cut would be either $50 or $100. If true, the drop would significantly stimulate sales of Apple's iPhone by up to 100%. The new phone is expected to start production in July.
Financial Times has been reasonably accurate in the past, though most their previous information had been surrounding Apple's negotiations with record labels.
The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that Steve Jobs is on track to return from his six-month medical leave of absence later this month.
While Mr. Jobs has been on sick leave, some Apple directors have gotten weekly updates about his medical condition from the CEO's physician, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Jobs's recovery "is coming along" and he is on schedule to return to work later this month, said this person, who has seen Mr. Jobs in recent weeks.
"He was one real sick guy," added this person. "Fundamentally he was starving to death over a nine-month period. He couldn't digest protein. [But] he took corrective action."
While there has been much speculation about whether Jobs will make an appearance at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple has continued to officially claim that he will not return until the end of the month. The Wall Street Journal's sources claim that, true to Jobs' style of showmanship, Apple is preparing for his return to coincide with a media event of some sort.
Much of the buzz appears to be conjecture of the type that has swirled around Apple and Mr. Jobs for years. But two people who do business with Apple said senior Apple managers have told them the company is now trying to coordinate Mr. Jobs's return with a product launch or public event.
The report also cites a source who claims that the next-generation iPhone is ready to be introduced at WWDC, with a launch to possibly occur by early July in order to accommodate owners of the original iPhone whose two-year contracts will begin expiring. The source, who has seen the iPhone, reports that the iPhone will be similar in appearance to the iPhone 3G but will possess more processing power and have additional features such as video editing, claims which are consistent with previous reports.
In the days leading up to any major Apple event, the rumors tend to reach a frenzy with an avalanche of reports and images claiming to be real. The most common "fake" images that begin circulating are mockups that claim to be screenshots from Apple's site. Unless these "leaks" were actually witnessed by a large audience of people, they have historically always been fake.
The latest of these images come from italian site SpazioCellulare who posted an image yesterday and a more convincing set today (embedded above) that seems one of the more believable images that have been posted. The image appears to reflect many of the circulating rumors that have been released about the iPhone and as such may simply be an ambitious mockup. TUAW notes there are some unique findings to the images, however. There appears to be an extra button on the lower-side of the case (camera shutter?) and the headphone jack for the iPhone appears to have moved down to the bottom of the unit. We certainly aren't confident that these images are real, but do serve as interesting speculation.
Some other rumors with even less evidence surrounding them include claims of iPhone Video and a German launch (iFun.de) of the next iPhone set for June 19th.
We're only 4 days away from the WWDC keynote. Stay tuned.
Apple today released a number of software updates targeting its iLife suite of applications and adding RAW image support for several digital camera models.
- iLife Support 9.0.3 (55.1 MB) addresses several minor issues and offers several general improvements to the entire iLife suite of applications.
This update addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability for the Media Browser, and fixes a number of other minor issues. The issues addressed include:
- Resolved memory leaks for improved performance of the Media Browser - Corrected issues to display custom folders when added to the Media Browser - Maintained correct image dates when importing from iPhoto to Aperture
The update is recommended for all users of Aperture 2, iLife '09 and iWork '09, and requires OS X 10.5.6 or later.
- iDVD 7.0.4 (27.5 MB) "addresses general compatibility issues and fixes an issue where iDVD is unable to add title/comment to an image in the image details list." The update is recommended for all users of iDVD 7 and requires OS X 10.5.6 or later.
- iMovie 8.0.3 (35.56 MB) addresses several minor issues and improves general compatibility and stability.
This update addresses general compatibility issues, improved overall stability and fixes a number of other minor issues. The issues addressed include:
- Support for 720p AVCHD Lite cameras and camcorders - Deleting a beat marker no longer modifies the project duration - Video Effects palette now uses the correct thumbnail for still images
The update is recommended for all users of iMovie '09 and requires OS X 10.5.6 or later.
- iPhoto 8.0.3 Update (96 MB) also addresses several minor issues and improves general compatibility and stability.
This update addresses general compatibility, improves overall stability and fixes a number of issues in the following areas of the application:
- Publishing to MobileMe, Facebook, and Flickr - Slideshow playback - Location (GPS) info embedded in emailed photos and exported JPEGs
The update is recommended for all users of iPhoto 8 and requires OS X 10.5.6 or later. Additional information on the contents of the update can be found in Apple's support document.
- Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.6 (3.9 MB) adds RAW image support to Aperture and iPhoto for the following digital cameras: Canon EOS 500D, Canon Rebel T1i, Canon EOS Kiss Digital X3, Nikon D5000, and Olympus E-30.
AppleInsider reports that UK authorized iPhone distributor Carphone Warehouse has added four new iPhone "V3" entries to its inventory system covering 16 GB and 32 GB models in both black and white.
Entries in resellers' inventory systems should typically taken with some skepticism, as such additions are frequently made on a "best guess" basis without any inside knowledge of future product releases. In some cases, however, as in last week's case of an entry in Best Buy's system preceding the release of the updated white MacBook, such changes to inventory systems can not be entirely discounted.
Increasing reports of iPhone 3G shortages and rumors of third-party manufacturers already shipping parts for the next-generation iPhone certainly point toward the release of new iPhone models in the near future. Previous reports from Boy Genius Report and Engadget have pointed to iPhone capacities as low as 4 GB, ostensibly in an effort to offer lower-priced models, while others such as this most recent report have suggested that Apple may continue offering only two different capacities.
While the iPhone has dominated the rumor scene in the weeks leading up to WWDC, we've heard little about the status of Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system. Snow Leopard was first announced last summer at the 2008 WWDC. At the time, Apple had announced that Snow Leopard would be delivered in "about a year".
While Apple has been making steady progress, some reports pushed the release date of Snow Leopard back to September. We've since heard, however, that Snow Leopard may be further along than we thought. Apple is reportedly referring to internal builds of Snow Leopard as Gold Master candidates, suggesting that the operating system could be feature complete and mostly bug free. We've heard no further evidence, however, of the rumored "Marble" interface that was said to be part of the final Snow Leopard release.
Apple will likely detail its launch plans for Snow Leopard at WWDC next week.
A number of patent applications from Apple were released by the United States Patent and Trademark Office this morning, and two of them have received a fair bit of attention, having been first brought to light in a pair of reports (#1, #2) from AppleInsider.
The first application, entitled "Multi-dimensional scroll wheel", was filed in September 2008. It describes a scroll wheel, such as that used in the iPod classic and iPod nano, that is capable of sensing user input in multiple ways, as well as sensing multiple simultaneous inputs, essentially bringing multi-touch capabilities to the iconic iPod scroll wheel.
To improve the effectiveness of a touch-based scroll wheel, the present disclosure provides multi-touch scroll wheel circuitry capable of sensing input in multiple ways. For example, scroll wheel circuitry can sense a moving object, such as a finger, as it is moved not only in a rotational manner but also in a linear manner across the center of the scroll wheel. The scroll wheel circuitry can also sense more than one object at a time, such as multi-finger touch or motion. In this manner, the scroll wheel circuitry can enable a device to recognize a wider range of input. To be clear, a wheel can be circular, but can also have any shape that enables a closed loop type input.
The patent application also cites potential implementations of a multi-touch click wheel as part of a notebook computer, a peripheral input device similar to a mouse, or a wireless input device capable of communicating either directly with a media player or with a media player docking station.
The second application, entitled "Methods and systems for mixing media with communications", was filed in November 2007 and describes methods for sharing digital media files such as music, videos, and images as part of an audio, video, or data communications connection without terminating the original connection.
The present invention permits a user to initiate a communications operation with a recipient, or to receive a communications operation initiated by another individual, and to transmit a selected media item over the same communication path used for the communications operation without terminating the communications operation. This combined transmission can occur regardless of the type of media selected by the user to be added to the communications operation.
Notably, while Apple's drawings accompanying the patent application point to implementations related to the iPhone, Apple also makes numerous references to the sharing of media while users are engaged in video conferences, something not possible in the current models of the iPhone. The addition of video calling, which would require a front-facing camera, to the iPhone has been a popular target of speculation, with rumors appearing as recently as this week pointing to the possibility of its appearance in an upcoming iPhone hardware update.
Over the past few days, a number of items regarding Apple's retail stores have popped up, and we've collected some of them here for visibility and discussion.
- USA Today reported last week about Apple's plans for its retail stores, revealing that Apple is planning to remodel 100 of its existing stores this year, in addition to the 25 new stores under development. Renovated stores will offer 50% more Genius Bar space and twice as much room for displaying products.
- The New York Post reported in a piece on New York City's Fifth Avenue shopping district that Apple's flagship store on the street was promoted by the building's owner as recording a staggering $440 million per year in sales. As Daring Fireball's John Gruber points out, the number is approximately one-third that of Palm's 2008 revenue for the entire company.
- ifoAppleStore points to the online portfolio of architect Ben Wood, which features a dramatic design for what is reported to be a new Apple retail store for Beijing, China. ifoAppleStore's sources report that construction is already underway at an unspecified location on Qianmen Street with a grand opening scheduled for later this year.
- Apple will be holding a grand opening this Saturday for a new retail store in Roseville, California, a major shopping hub in the Sacramento area. The new store will be located in the Westfield Galleria at Roseville, which is in the midst of a major expansion project.
Engadget points to comments by technology reporter Walt Mossberg as evidence that the new iPhone is indeed imminent. Mossberg posted a new review for the Palm Pre in which he acknowledges that Apple is poised to announce a new iPhone at WWDC. In fact, he's very specific about what he expects next week:
Apple already has announced its adding MMS, universal search, and copy and paste. And, although Apple hasnt announced any new hardware features, I expect to see an iPhone with up to 32 gigabytes of memory, video recording, a higher-resolution camera, a compass, and greater operating speed.
While these comments from anyone else would be dismissed as idle speculation, Mossberg is a long established technology reporter who either seems to believe all the circulating iPhone rumors or knows it for certain. Regardless, we'll all find out next week at WWDC.
Apple today released AirPort Utility 5.4.2 for both Mac (16.86 MB) and Windows (10.92 MB). The update offers several fixes to Apple's software for managing the AirPort Express Base Station, the AirPort Extreme Base Station, and Time Capsule. Issues addressed include:
- An issue causing AirPort Utility to be unable to read certain AirPort wireless device configurations.
- An issue causing AirPort Utility to sometimes be unable to discover an AirPort wireless device when Back To My Mac is enabled.
- An issue causing AirPort Utility to sometimes be unable to download firmware.
- An issue causing AirPort Utility to not correctly import Access Control Lists created in AirPort Admin Utility 4.x
- Added the ability in AirPort Utility to show all wireless passwords in the "Equivalent Network Password" sheet.
The Mac version requires OS X 10.4 or later, while the Windows version requires Vista or XP Pro SP2 or better.
North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue officially announced today that Apple has selected the state as the location of a new data center, which will see the company invest more than $1 billion over a nine-year period.
Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Apple has selected North Carolina as the location for a new data center. The company is expected to invest more than $1 billion in the project over nine years.
"North Carolina continues to be a prime location for growing and expanding global technology companies," said Perdue. "We welcome Apple to North Carolina and look forward to working with the company as it begins providing a significant economic boost to local communities and the state."
The announcement comes on the heels of efforts by North Carolina's General Assembly to offer tax breaks in order to draw the company to the state. No location for the new center has been announced, although recent reports have pointed to Catawba County winning out over nearby Cleveland County.
BusinessWeek reports that Apple has included features in its upcoming iPhone OS 3.0 that would allow users to share apps with other iPhone users, although whether Apple decides to activate those features remains to be seen.
Apple's new iPhone 3.0 software includes features that, if activated by Apple, may let users share software with one another, according to a person familiar with the technology. Eventually, iPhone users may even get a commission when they've induced someone else to make a purchase, says Richard Doherty, director at consultant Envisioneering Group. Apple spokeswoman Jennifer Bowcock wouldn't discuss features that might be available in the future, saying only, "We've made no announcements at this time."
The report discusses the role users might play in promoting applications to other users, pointing to the existing "Top 10" lists in most mobile app stores and "Tell a Friend" features built into some apps as useful but incomplete means of drawing attention to standout applications. Apple could take advantage of the "peer-to-peer connectivity" described at Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 preview event in March to allow users to "invite" nearby users to download applications.
One example of P2P connectivity will be available in the new iPhone 3.0 software, due this summer. Users will be able to play multiplayer games with one another using Bluetooth connectivity, rather than needing to be on a carrier's network. A player's phone will automatically detect nearby iPhones and iPod touches that run the same app and send them an invitation to join the game. Initially, the feature will work only when both parties already have a particular app. "Now you can sell copies of your app to two players instead of one," says Dave Howell, a former Apple engineer who now runs peer-to-peer file-sharing apps maker Avatron Software. In the future, a player may be able to invite another to a game when the second person does not yet own a particular app. Such invitations could trigger additional purchases.
iPhone OS 3.0 will be a major topic of discussion at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.