Apple has made small changes to some of their international websites hinting at the launch of the iPhone in Brazil, Canada and Mexico. In the HTML source code for Apple's websites for Canada, Brazil, and Mexico, one reader found the following placeholder code:
This represents HTML code for an "iPhone" navigation tab wrapped in HTML comment tags so Web browsers will ignore it. When Apple removes the surrounding comment code, it will reveal an "iPhone" tab (see above) on these country's webpages. iPhone navigation tabs only appear on country websites with official iPhone support. At present, the iPhone has an official presence in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Ireland and Austria.
Rogers previously announced that they would be delivering the iPhone to Canadian customers while America Movil has announced iPhone support for Mexico and Brazil.
Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference kicks off on Monday, June 9th, 2008 where Apple is expected to launch the next generation (3G capable) iPhone.
Update: The Canadian webpage apparently has had this code since August 2007, as first noted by Gene Rayburn. Mexico is also noted to have had it since August.
FinancialTimes reports that the next Apple iPhone will be sold at "significantly lower prices" than the current one. According to the author, Apple has agreed to allow mobile carriers to subsidize the iPhone:
Apple has bowed to pressure from mobile phone operators and agreed they can subsidise the latest iPhone, expected to be unveiled by Steve Jobs, Apples chief executive, on Monday.
The article does not cite specific sources and reports this information as if it were fact. Historically, the Financial Times has been a reliable source of information of Apple rumors. They were the first to report on Apple's movie rental service that debuted at Macworld 2008.
This report may confirm earlier reports that the 3G iPhone would start around $200 after subsidies. It is believed that the iPhone would still cost $399 at Apple Retail stores, but when activated with a 2 year contract at AT&T, the customer would receive a $200 credit or rebate.
The source, who claimed to get a hold of the 10.6 seed, indicated that work has been done on PowerPC drivers which indicates to them that support for the architecture is unlikely to be dropped this time around.
While this rumor may inspire a bit of hope to those who have late-model PowerPC Macs (including this editor), it should be noted that it runs contrary to running consensus that OS 10.6 "Snow Leopard" would only support Intel chips. In addition, the circumstances of the report are very unlikely, which appears to have been sent in by an anonymous tipster. Meanwhile, the reports of the Intel-only rumor have come from known insiders.
Apple is expected to introduce 10.6 at WWDC, for which we will be providing live keynote coverage at MacRumorsLive.com as well as SMS, Twitter and iPhone updates.
With the 2008 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) beginning next week, MacRumors provides this Rumor Roundup as a summary of major rumors circulating around the Mac Web before the big event (previous roundups: 2007, 2006).
The 3G iPhone
The 3G iPhone will be announced at WWDC 2008. There really can be no doubt. It's certainly been no secret that the iPhone will eventually adopt 3G technology. When Steve Jobs first introduced the iPhone in January 2007, he specifically said (video clip) that Apple plans on making "3G phones and all sorts of amazing things in the future". Fast forward to the today (aka "the future") and there's been a growing mountain of evidence that we will see the 3G iPhone on Monday. In fact, as early as March we felt there was enough evidence to recommend people wait to buy an iPhone because of the likely June release.
Since March, we've heard "confirmation" from multiple sites (Gizmodo, GeekSugar) that June 9th is launch day. Add to that the fact that the Apple Store has been out of iPhones for a month as additional evidence that the iPhone revision is on its way. Apple has also been adding 3G preferences to their latest iPhone 2.0 beta software.
Meanwhile, AT&T has been kind enough to complete their 3G rollout by June and prohibit their staff from taking vacation between June 15th and July 12th in preparation for an "exciting Summer Promotional Launch".
Apple has also lined up carriers from around the globe, including Japan, Spain, Hong Kong, Australia and many more -- with some of the countries only having 3G networking support.GPS, Video Conferencing, Price, and Case
The remainder of the specifications of the next generation iPhone are, of course, harder to pin down. In fact, we dedicated an entire story to sorting out the conflicting rumors about the 3G iPhone. In the end, the presence of two or more distinct models of iPhone would help resolve all the apparent contradictions between the rumor sets.
The most consistent rumor regarding the 3G iPhone, however, has been of the inclusion of GPS. First word of this rumor actually came from a Kevin Rose tweet in late March. Engadget's Ryan Block added more credibility to the rumor by citing a "trusted source" describing a 3G capable iPhone that incorporates GPS and is "only slightly thicker". Since that time there have been other sources (Fortune/Mortiz, Cult of Mac/Kahney) also describing the inclusion of GPS. In fact, the only dissenting opinion about the inclusion of GPS comes from MacScoop who specifically claimed this week that the 3G iPhone would not have GPS capabilities... unless "there is a second super-secret higher-end model," again invoking the multiple iPhone theory.
The feature with the least evidence to support it is the one of Video Conferencing. Curiously, Kevin Rose was again the first source of this rumor, with a mention on Diggnation (Youtube Clip) that the iPhone would come with a front-mounted video camera specifically for video chat. A French newspaper later also listed "video conferencing" along with GPS and Mobile TV functionality in the upcoming phone, but the accuracy of their sources is unknown. Adding the most fuel to this rumor was iLounge's leaked case specs reportedly provided to 3rd party iPhone case manufacturers for the fabrication of 3G iPhone cases. The description of a 3rd sensor beyond the current ambient light and proximity sensor was enough to keep the dream alive. Tonight, however, Engadget's Ryan Block claims that his source with first-hand knowledge of the 3G iPhone explicity said "no front-facing videoconferencing camera".
Photo from iPodObserver
Regarding the rumored price of the iPhone, this time Kevin Rose was only the second person to claim there would be a $200 iPhone. He was preceded by Fortune/Mortiz and followed by Cult of Mac/Kahney. There has been ongoing speculation that Apple and their carrier partners may start offering subsidies for the iPhone. There have been few other reports that have addressed price specifically, except a Page 2 rumor pointing to much higher pricing ($499, $699).
Finally, on case design. Case design rumors have been remarkably consistent over time, though this could be a self fulfilling phenomenon. iPodObserver posted an early black-backed plastic case which generated a lengthy debate. As it turns out, the case closely resembled a 3rd party case cover casting doubts on its authenticity. The basic design, however, was revisited when Engadget also claimed the 3G iPhone would indeed sport a glossy black back. This was later corroborated by iLounge in their claimed case design specifications. Naturally, the case design descriptions spawned a number of potential 3G iPhone case designs that were "leaked" on the internet. Random leaks of case designs on the internet (1, 2, 3), however, are rarely authentic, and typically represent fan-inspired designs. Though, during this round, there did appear to be a couple of possible case designs (XSKN, Griffin) that were remarkably consistent with leaked specs.
iPhone, iPod Touch Firmware 2.0
Apple first announced the upcoming 2.0 firmware at their iPhone Software Roadmap event in March. iPhone 2.0 Firmware and the iTunes App Store are expected to be the focal points of the keynote presentation at this developer's conference. Immediate availability of the software and the launch of 3rd party applications has been rumored despite Apple's promise for delivery by the end of the month.
Lately there have been strong hints of a .Mac revamp to be announced at WWDC, perhaps inclusive of a name change. TUAW was first to claim that Apple's .Mac service would see a "complete revamp" with over the air syncing enhancements, .Mac syncing with Windows and the addition of "push email". Apple themselves revealed that they were planning on changing the name of .Mac in strings hidden within their operating system. References to "MobileMe" found in the iPhone SDK and some internet investigation revealed that Apple has likely purchased Me.com as the new name of their .Mac service.
Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard'
TUAW first reported that Mac OS 10.6 would be introduced at WWDC with a focus on security, stability, and performance. Arstechnica later revealed that 10.6 is code-named "Snow Leopard" and also expects the software to be Intel-only and released in January 2009. Despite some early doubts about the validity of this rumor, it appears that multiple sources have confirmed these rumors. The timeframe also falls in line with comments by Steve Jobs regarding their plan to continue Mac OS X updates every 12-18 months.
Other Possibilities
Despite persistent rumors about a tablet device from Apple, there have been few credible rumors that have pinpointed an Apple tablet release at WWDC. Rumors of the mini-tablet were revived by Appleinsider in September of 2007 and the most recent rumors from Jason O'Grady point to a fall release.
Coverage
The WWDC 2008 keynote begins at 10am Pacific on Monday, June 9th, 2008.
MacRumors will be providing live keynote coverage at MacRumorsLive.com as well as SMS, Twitter and iPhone updates. We also offer a Spoiler Free option for those who wish to wait until the video is posted to watch the keynote themselves.
A tipster has broadcast claimed 3G iPhone images to a number of rumor and tech sites in the hope of getting their images published:
MacRumors, AppleinsiderCrunchGear and Engadget have all received these photos. The entire set is published in the comment thread. We've moved these images from Page 2 to the front page due to the level of interest it is generating. Anonymously submitted images about unreleased products are rarely legitimate, and we do not necessarily believe these images are accurate, but are posted for interest sake.
CNet interviewed Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang and found that Apple may have an interest in Nvidia's CUDA technology:
CUDA is a programming technology that allows software developers to take advantage of the unique parallel processing characteristics of graphics processors such as Nvidia's GeForce 8600M, found in the MacBook Pro.
According to Huang, "Apple knows a lot about CUDA" and may announce support for the technology at next week's' Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
During a demo for CNet, Nvidia engineers demonstrated how a CUDA-enabled version of a program could dramatically speed up converting video from one format to another. Transcoding video can be useful to convert existing video to be played on another device (such as the iPhone).
iCall announced their native VOIP (Voice Over IP) application for the iPhone. VOIP technology allows you to speak over an internet connection rather than using your mobile minutes. In this case, you are only allowed to make phone calls over a Wi-Fi network rather than over EDGE or 3G. Apple specifically restricted such use presumably due to agreements with AT&T.
iCall for iPhone provides the following features:
- Make and receive calls over WiFi - Transfer inbound calls from a regular cell call to WiFi instantly and seamlessly - save your expensive minutes - Access your same address book - Customize your voicemail options
The following video demo shows how the app seamlessly transfers a regular call onto Wi-Fi:
According to an unverified submission, Apple sent out the following casting call through a major talent agency this week to star in an ad for a "new product":
"Apple is look[ing] for a man and woman in their mid-20's to film a demo of a new Apple product. They are not looking for recognizable faces or names, and ideally the person would be "average to mildly attractive with nice hands". They must also have the ability to play the guitar or piano at an intermediate level.
The shoot will take place in Hollywood sometime in the next 6 to 8 weeks. Please let me know if you have any clients interested in this unique opportunity.
Again, Apple is not interested in recognizable talent. The focus will be on the new product and not the person."
Apple recently shut down their 5th Avenue store to shoot a television ad for what was believed to be the 3G-capable iPhone.
Engadget claims to have heard from a "reliable source" that a private version of the 3G iPhone's firmware has been dissected revealing the following hardware support:
- Infineon PMB6952 / S-GOLD3 six-band UMTS / HSDPA transceiver - Murata LMRX3JCA-479 tri-band amplifier (we're assuming for the 3G) - Sony SP9T - antenna Switch for GSM / UMTS dual mode - ARM 1176JZF-S - Main CPU (same as in 1st gen iPhone) - Skyworks 77427 - UMTS / HSDPA tx 1900, rx 2100MHz - Skyworks 77414 - UMTS / HSDPA 1900 - Skyworks 77413 - UMTS / HSDPA 850MHz - Internal build model number: n82ap (1st gen iPhone was model m68ap) - UMTS Power Saving - on or off - Hooks for Global Locate Library (GLL), software that handles GPS related commands for the host processor
Engadget suggests that this is evidence for GPS support as well as Tri-band HSDPA (3G) support making it compatible with international carriers. Engadgetpreviously reported the new iPhone would offer 3G, GPS and be "only slightly thicker." Meanwhile, GigaOM also recently "confirmed" GPS support was present with the contract going to Broadcom. Also, if these specs are true, the the main processor for the next iPhone would be the same as the existing iPhone.
The 3G-capable iPhone is expected to be announced during Apple's WWDC keynote speech on Monday, June 9th at 10am Pacific.
Google has announced the availability of Google Maps for mobile version 2.2. The software, a version of which runs on the iPhone and iPod Touch, includes integration with public transportation systems for retrieving directions using public transit. A video demonstration is available:
Version 2.2 is available for BlackBerry and other Java-enabled phones, however Google says they're "working to bring public transit directions to Google Maps on other devices, so stay tuned!" Giving the timing, it seems to be a reasonable possibility that such capability could be included with iPhone/iPod Touch software 2.0, expected on Monday.
As we approach WWDC, one big question looming with both developers and customers is how much the apps will cost. Inventive'sJohn Casasanta has said that he wants to "get a feel for the market" and "one of the issues I have is pricing because there is no precedent set."
Apple is reportedly assigning development partners to official iPhone developers to guide them in application plans and is gently suggesting that developers consider placing a price tag on their software "at some point". Developers will be able to create multiple versions of their applications for inclusion, such as a Lite and Pro versions.
Meanwhile, in an interview with PocketGamer.biz Spanish developer LemonQuest believes that the iTunes App Store will tolerate higher prices:
Cavero accepts that developing games for the iPhone and other new mobile platforms will be more costly and time-consuming, but says that higher prices will balance out these costs.
Anandtech managed to get access to some early versions of Intel's Nehalem processors that are due for release in Q4 2008. We've previously described Nehalem which is expected to be a major jump forward from Intel's current Penryn processors. The key new features in Nehalem are Simultaneous multithreading, QuickConnect, and tri-channel DDR3.
Despite only having access to early chips and early motherboards, Anandtech was impressed:
First keep in mind that these performance numbers are early, and they were run on a partly crippled, very early platform. With that preface, the fact that Nehalem is still able to post these 20 - 50% performance gains says only one thing about Intel's tick-tock cadence: they did it.
Anandtech had access to a 2.66GHz Nehalem processor which they pitted against a 2.66GHz Penryn processor. Performance improvements ranged from 20-50% faster for the Nehalem chip. h.264 video encoding was tested and saw a 44% speed boost on Nehalem vs Penryn on the equally clocked processors. They claim that the 2.66GHz Nehalem outpaces the current top-of-the-line 3.2GHz Penryn. The speed increase comes at a cost of only a 10% increase in total system power consumption.
Apple will certainly adopt the Nehalem processors after they become available. While the first server-grade Nehalem processors are expected in Q4 of 2008, desktop and laptop models won't be available until sometime in 2009.
TheAppleBlog raises a question that has been on the minds of many this evening regarding the notable lack of "Mac" branding on WWDC banners. Their conclusion? Is Apple planning on distributing OS X to computers other than Macs?
At MacRumors, we try to avoid purely speculative conclusions, but in so much as it's been on the minds of readers, we'll post this as a discussion piece. A few rumored changes could be positioning Apple for a transition to sell OS X for generic PCs:
- Changing .Mac to Me.com (platform neutral) - OS X Leopard (not Mac OS X Leopard) - 10.6 to be Intel only (dropping PowerPC would be necessary) - "No new features" in 10.6 could be due to resources devoted to just making 10.6 "PC compatible"
Again, this should not even be considered a rumor. Only speculation, and it assumes that the above rumors are, in fact, true. Others also believe that Apple's lack of action against Psystar is also suggestive of these future plans.
MacTalk.com.au posts a photo of a box that was reportedly sent to Australian resellers yesterday. The boxes are sealed with a warning:
SUBJECT TO TERMS OF NDA DO NOT OPEN UNTIL TUESDAY JUNE 10TH, 2008
June 10th (in Australia) is the day of the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote speech where Steve Jobs is expected to announce the 3G capable iPhone. MacTalk speculates that the box may actually contain a demo model of the 3G iPhone.
Our source believes that the iPhone contained within is for promotional purposes, ie. after it's official unveiling at WWDC next week, the iPhone will go on display with a sign saying 'look how cool I am - you can buy me on this date'.
Vodafone and SingTel both announced that they would be bringing the iPhone to Australia later this year.
Forbes takes rumor mongering to a new level by sending a reporter out to the West Coast Distribution center of Quanta Computers -- Apple's contract manufacturer.
Inspired by an earlier report from ImportGenius that quantities of new Apple products have been arriving at Quanta, Brian Caulfield set out to find out first hand. The end result was somewhat disappointing. Caulfield did see stacks of iMacs sitting in one parking lot at the facility, as well as stacks of plain brown boxes. These boxes may or may not have anything to do with Apple, of course:
When Caulfield asked about the iPhone, he was unable to get much of a response:
Are the new iPhones inside? "No, no," he said, before flashing a grin and heading back into the building. "If so, I'm not at liberty to discuss it."
CrunchGear has posted the first banners at WWDC which promote both "OS X Leopard" and "OS X iPhone". The "OS X Leopard" banner reads "The world's most advanced operating system," while the "OS X iPhone" banner reads "The world's most advanced mobile platform."
Additional photos from the Flickr photo set from Gernot Poetsch. Another photo posted on Flickr shows a large Apple logo in Moscone as viewed from the W Hotel.
As reported by AppleInsider, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu informed clients that he believed there is a 50-50 chance that Apple would introduce new form factor multi-touch devices at WWDC next week.
Our sources indicate 4-inch and 7-inch touchscreen devices beyond prototype stage that are a cross between a Mac and iPod touch.
Of course, Wu says the exact timing may change. This simply adds to existing rumors that Apple is working on a mini-tablet or Newton-like device. Of note, Intel did officially introduce its low-power Atom processor this week. The Atom processor has been rumored to be under consideration by Apple for use in an upcoming mini-tablet device.
Meanwhile, TUAW claims that Apple will release Mac OS X 10.5.4 in mid June, only weeks behind 10.5.3 in order to support Mobile Me as well as a new piece of Apple hardware. Such a quick release for another version of Mac OS X would be unprecedented, though TUAW claims the news came from a "reliable" source. Of course, Apple has already started seeding versions of Mac OS X 10.5.4 as of yesterday.
Finally, iLounge publishes photos of what is claimed to be photos of new 3.2" and 2.8" screens to be used in future iPhones.
the first pictures and diagrams of a touchscreen display that a Taiwanese company claims is being used in an upcoming iPhone. Its a 2.8 displayshown here alongside a newer 3.2 versiontwo sizes that would enable Apple to start shrinking both iPhones and touchscreen iPods from the current 3.5 screen size found in its first-generation models.
Despite the photos, iLounge believes there is "zero chance" that the smaller 2.8" screen would be used in the 3G iPhone expected next week, but considers the possibility that Apple may introduce new form factors in the future.
WWDC kicks off on Monday, June 9th. MacRumors.com will be providing live coverage of the keynote speech.
Only one week after the release of Mac OS X 10.5.3, Apple has already started seeding developers with the first version of Mac OS X 10.5.4 (build 9E6). The latest developer seed lists no known issues and details only a handful of fixes to Mac OS X. Apple appears to be aggressively seeding developers with the latest builds of Mac OS X and waiting only days between builds.
This release comes only days head of Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference which is rumored to introduce us to Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), Apple's next major Mac OS X version. As typical, Apple will continue to work on bug fixes on the current version of Mac OS X while the new version is readied. There is no known timeframe for the 10.5.4 release but Apple can wait months between these maintenance releases.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more.
