MacRumors

Late last month, Intel announced that it will acquire the wireless unit of Infineon, Apple's longtime supplier for the iPhone's baseband controller for supporting cellular connectivity. At the time, Intel CEO Paul Otellini noted that Apple CEO Steve Jobs was "very happy" about the pending acquisition.

Unwired View reports on an article [Google translation] in the China Times claiming that Apple is planning to ditch Infineon's solutions in favor of ones from Qualcomm for use in the fifth-generation iPhone.

Up until now, the baseband chip supplier for the iPhones and the iPad 3G has been Infineon, a company recently acquired by Intel for a boatload of cash. And the fact that they were Apple's supplier has to have had some impact on the size of that pile of cash.

Well, that may have been money better spent on something else, since it seems that the baseband chips for the iPhone 5 will come from Qualcomm, not Infineon. Apple will continue to design the application processor themselves (like they did with the A4 inside the iPad, iPhone 4 and the newest iPod Touch).

Qualcomm is most-widely known for its development of CDMA technology such as that used by Verizon and Sprint for their cellular networks. A Verizon-compatible iPhone has been the subject of long-standing rumors, with Apple reportedly having contracted with Qualcomm for CDMA chips for use in a Verizon iPhone set for launch early next year.

Consequently, speculation is naturally drifting toward Apple making the full changeover to Qualcomm if that company can also supply acceptable GSM chips, or perhaps even a single hybrid chip capable of supporting both standards.

Yesterday, we noted that the popular open source media player VLC has been ported to the iPad and that the application has been submitted to Apple for review.

AppAdvice has been able to get its hands on the application and has posted an overview and a brief video showing it in action.

It performs very well, and all your DivX and Xvid files will play smoothly and normally, displaying all their original quality. It also supports a bunch of other formats, and it's extremely simple to use. As for the interface, it's nice and polished.

However, there are certain limitations, as less popular formats and high definition videos don't play as well. I'm confident there is still some room to improve the codecs, but since your videos are decoded at the software level, we're probably limited by the iPad's raw power. Also, it won't read Windows media files if anybody still uses them.

File management is handled directly via iTunes, and video libraries are displayed as thumbnails sitting on "shelves", offering a smooth browsing experience. The app's developers are hopeful that it could appear in the App Store as soon as next week, although it is of course subject to Apple's sometimes-unpredictable review process.

Update: Wired's Charlie Sorrel has also posted a hands-on review of VLC for iPad, noting a few performance and compatibility issues but overall finding it to be "way more polished than any other video app [he has] yet seen on the tablet".

French site Mac4Ever briefly reports [Google translation] that iLife '11 may finally be nearing a launch and that Apple's FaceTime video calling feature currently available on the iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch may be set to come to both Mac and Windows platforms, a move which would provide a significant boost to the feature's appeal. FaceTime is said to be integrated into iChat on Mac OS X, although there is no word on how it would be offered on Windows.

To begin with, iLife '11, which was announced this summer (along with the disappearance of iDVD), might finally come out very very soon. Moreover, it's rumored that Apple is getting ready to release Facetime for Mac and PC, with the Mac version being integrated into the iChat software.

Mac4Ever offered remarkably accurate predictions well in advance of Apple's October 2009 iMac refresh, correctly pinpointing the inclusion of an SD card slot and quad-core processor options, as well as the Magic Mouse and the revamped aluminum Apple Remote.

The site's recent predictions regarding iLife '11 have yet to come to fruition, however, as the release missed the claimed release date of August 17th. Details of the next-generation iLife suite such as 64-bit applications, significant iWeb revamp, iDVD discontinuation, and a new "mystery" app have of course yet to be confirmed either way, and we'll have to wait for the release to drop to judge these claims.

Thank you to user iKenny for an improved translation.

Responding to Apple's announcement that it is easing a number of restrictions on App Store app development including the use of third-party development tools, Adobe has indicated that it will resume work on its Packager for iPhone tool in Flash Professional CS5 that allows developers to export their Flash projects in native iOS format.

Apple's announcement today that it has lifted restrictions on its third-party developer guidelines has direct implications for Adobe's Packager for iPhone, a feature in the Flash Professional CS5 authoring tool. This feature was created to enable Flash developers to quickly and easily deliver applications for iOS devices. The feature is available for developers to use today in Flash Professional CS5, and we will now resume development work on this feature for future releases.

While Packager for iPhone is already included in Flash Professional CS5, Adobe had previously announced that it would cease work on the project in the face of Apple's prohibition against its usage in creating applications for submission to the App Store.

Adobe also notes that developers who have used Packager for iPhone to create native iOS applications from Flash projects are already seeing their applications being approved by Apple for inclusion in the App Store.

Engadget reports that rolling out AirPlay support for some home stereo equipment vendors may be as simple as deploying a firmware update for compatible equipment already on the market. The music portion of AirPlay allows users to wirelessly stream music, including details such as song titles, artists, album names, elapsed and remaining time, and album artwork, to compatible devices around the home. The technology will also be utilized in iOS 4.2 to allow users to push video and photo content from their iOS devices to other compatible devices such as the Apple TV.

Denon's admittedly pricey AVR-4311CI -- which was introduced in late April -- may very well end up being the first major product to gain iTunes AirPlay compatibility retroactively. Yeah, retroactively. According to an updated product listing, the AVR will see a "planned upgrade" in the fall of 2010 that will "provide Apple iTunes AirPlay compatibility [that will let you] stream your favorite music to the AVR-4311CI."

The Denon AVR-4311CI receiver retails for $1999 and offers an array of features including existing networking support for Rhapsody, Napster, and Pandora streaming, as well as access to PC-based photo, video, and music content. From the updated information on Denon's site, it seems that the hardware is already in place to support Apple's AirPlay streaming, with only a firmware update of some sort required to flip the switch on it.

A few times a year, MacRumors partners with MacUpdate to promote their Mac application bundle deal. Their latest bundle delivers at least 12 Mac applications for $49.99 (a $443 value if all purchased separately) including:

Toast 10 Titanium ($99.99) - popular disc burning utility and media to iOS-friendly conversion
Live Interior 3D Standard ($49.95) - powerful interior design app
My Living Desktop ($34.95) - add a video desktop and screensaver to your Mac
Espionage 2 ($34.95) - encrypt and password protect individual folders, and interact with them straight from the Finder
ShareTool 2 ($25) - ShareTool enables Macs on different networks connect with each other as if they were on the same network, even if they're on different continents.
Get Backup Pro ($39.95) - backup and disk cloning utility with a file/folder synchronization capability
Cashculator ($29.95) - personal finance application that focuses on future by forecasting your financial situation.
MindNode Pro ($24.95) - a mind-mapping application that helps to visually collect, classify and structure ideas
Concentrate ($29.00) - eliminate distractions by launching the apps you need to accomplish a task, quit the ones you don't, block you from visiting distracting sites like YouTube or social networking
Voila 3 ($29.95) - a professional/creativity tool that lets you record or capture your screen, then annotate, organize and share those videos and images.

As an early adopter incentive, MacUpdate is offering two additional applications (Compartments, Vitamin-R) for the first 20,000 bundle purchases.

MacRumors is a promotional partner with MacUpdate. Bundle sales through these links benefit MacRumors financially, and provide a way for readers to directly support this site.

Parallels today announced that its next-generation Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac virtualization software will launch on September 14th, bringing speed enhancements and a host of new features. Retail boxes of the new software prematurely appeared on store shelves earlier this week.

In product benchmark testing, results show Parallels Desktop 6 remains atop the performance rankings that people consider most important. 3D graphics run nearly 40 percent better than before. Boot time for Windows is 41 percent faster than before. Parallels Desktop 6 also boosts speed for working with files on USB drives, networks and in shared folders.

Among the over 80 new and improved features of Parallels Desktop 6 are a full 64-bit engine, support for 5.1 surround sound, enhanced 3D graphics, parental controls, VM encryption, Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts for Windows applications, data migration, and anti-virus support.

Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac will carry a suggested retail price of $79.99, with a student edition available for $39.99. A "Switch to Mac" edition that offers additional tools to assist PC users making the move to the Mac platform will be available for $99.99. Existing Parallels Desktop for Mac users can take advantage of upgrade pricing of $49.99, and those who purchased Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac on or after August 15th can receive the new version free of charge.

After the flurry of news yesterday about the iPod touch, we're now turning our attention to the new sixth-generation iPod nano, which has seen a number of minor tidbits revealed since it began making its way into the hands of consumers.

- iFixit has completed the trifecta with a teardown of the new iPod nano, following up on its iPod touch and iPod shuffle teardowns. The iPod nano offers a similar layout to the iPod shuffle, but packs in a battery carrying over twice the capacity of the iPod shuffle's, a necessity for powering the iPod nano's screen.

The teardown also looks at the iPod nano's 1.54-inch, 240 x 240 pixel display, which offers a pixel density of a hefty 220 pixels per inch, not quite as high as the "Retina" display found in the iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch, but quite respectable. The report also notes that the "multi-touch" screen fails to deliver true multi-touch functionality in that it supports only two points of contact, with the only feature utilizing that class of touch event being the display rotation. Sources have indicated, however, that Apple also planned to offer pinch-to-zoom on the iPod nano, but the feature is not present in the shipping device.

- TUAW reports that while the iPod nano supports photo slideshows, an internal settings file also contains hints of potential video playback capabilities, with entries for TV captions, subtitles, and alternate audio.

- The aforementioned photo slideshows can be pushed to a TV using Apple's cable kits for component or composite connections.

- The new iPod nano can record voice memos when used with Apple's earphones containing remote and mic capabilities, sold separately.

Just a short time ago, Apple announced that it is making some changes to the App Store review process, and among the changes is publication of the company's App Store Review Guidelines, offering developers a more transparent look at how their app submissions are examined by Apple's team of reviewers.

Engadget has re-published the guidelines, in which Apple utilizes a remarkably direct and candid tone in the introduction in an attempt to connect with developers.

Okay, so while Apple's tone throughout the guidelines is extremely direct, the highlights definitely come from the introduction, where the company basically lays it down:

- "We have lots of kids downloading lots of apps, and parental controls don't work unless the parents set them up (many don't). So know that we're keeping an eye out for the kids."
- "We have over 250,000 apps in the App Store. We don't need any more Fart apps."
- "We have lots of serious developers who don't want their quality Apps to be surrounded by amateur hour."
- "If your app is rejected, we have a Review Board that you can appeal to. If you run to the press and trash us, it never helps."
- "This is a living document, and new apps presenting new questions may result in new rules at any time. Perhaps your app will trigger this."
- "If it sounds like we're control freaks, well, maybe it's because we're so committed to our users and making sure they have a quality experience with our products."

The meat of the document consists of a multi-page list of well over 100 brief, to-the-point guidelines broken down into sections that primarily provide developers with concrete reasons why their apps might be rejected, but also offer a few tips about specific situations to define what may be permitted.

Apple today announced that it is making several changes to its App Store developer policies and procedures, with one of the most significant changes being an easing of its earlier move to ban third-party compilers such as Adobe's Flash-to-iPhone compiler it had built into Flash Professional CS5. Under the new policies, such third-party tools will be permitted as long as the apps generated by them do not download any code.

We are continually trying to make the App Store even better. We have listened to our developers and taken much of their feedback to heart. Based on their input, today we are making some important changes to our iOS Developer Program license in sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9 to relax some restrictions we put in place earlier this year.

In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.

Apple has been the target of scrutiny by several regulatory agencies for its exclusionary policies.

In addition, Apple is also publishing its App Store Review Guidelines in order to provide developers with more transparency about the review process. Apple has been criticized for its closed process that has been seemingly arbitrary and inconsistent at times. While there will almost certainly continue to be some inconsistencies as long as humans are involved in the review process, publication of the review guidelines should make it easier for all parties to be on the same page from the outset of the app creation and review processes.

Update: One of the other changes made today was the lifting of a restriction on analytics data collection that appeared to essentially shut out Google-owned AdMob from the iOS platform. While Apple apparently never enforced the clause in its developer terms, AdMob chief Omar Hamoui today thanked Apple for revising its official terms to be more inclusive of third-party advertising platforms.

As first reported by Mac4Ever, VLC has been ported to the iPad by Applidium with the blessing of the VideoLan team. The app is currently in submission with Apple and is awaiting approval.

After several month of porting, we are proud to announce the release of VLC for the iPad! This application stands out for two reasons. First, it will be available for free on the AppStore. But that's not all. VLC is an OpenSource project. We are currently preparing our patches for submission to the main VLC tree. And obviously, we will release our current working tree when the app will hit the AppStore. If everything goes well, VLC for the iPad should be available next week.

VLC (Video Lan Client) is a very popular open source media player for the Mac and other platforms. One of its strengths is the ability to play a wide variety of video formats (chart) and streaming support. We should expect the iPad release as early as next week.

As a followup to their iPad is Delicious and What is iPad commercials, Apple introduced a new iPad commercial last night.

The ad features the iPad in a variety of scenes, each captioned with text including "medical, live, musical, work, play, memories, social, magazines, and historic"

A forum thread on TouchArcade is maintaining a list of current and expected Game Center enabled games. Game Center offers a centralized achievement and leaderboard system for the iOS platform. In addition, Game Center provides matchmaking capabilities for multi-player games.

Here are some notable games that have been updated to support leaderboards and achievements: Ms. Pac Man, Real Racing, Flight Control. Pangea Software appears to be the first to include online multi-player support in Enigmo, Cro Mag Rally, and Nanosaur 2. For a full list, see TouchArcade.

Update: Apple now has a featured Game Center section on the App Store

Gizmodo reports that iOS 4.1 has reincluded the Field Test mode to iOS. Field Test mode allows you to get a numerical figure for your antenna strength rather than the traditional bar measure. To get to Field Mode:

- First, upgrade your iPhone 4 -- or any iPhone -- to iOS 4.1.
- Dial *3001#12345#* into your phone [and press Call].

Pressing Home will exit you from the Field Test mode. For reference, Anandtech provides a good discussion about bar strength and signal values. Since that article was published, Apple has remapped the signal strength to # of bar ratio. More negative numbers are worse, and Anandtech reports they were surprised they were able to hold calls with signals as low as -113db.

Most customers won't care about their numerical signal strengths, but the antenna strength changes generated a lot of publicity surrounding the iPhone 4 launch due to issues with new antenna system.