MacRumors

SiliconRumors (formerly MacScoop) reports that Apple is preparing an update to the MacBook Air that could finally include built-in 3G wireless networking.

The most notable feature our sources expect to be added to the new MacBook Air is a built-in 3G modem allowing connectivity to high-speed cellular networks.

The rumor site also suggests that the entry level MacBook Air could find a lower pricepoint between $1300-$1500. The possibility of 3G in future Apple laptops has been suggested before through both job descriptions and evidence in Snow Leopard.

Apple has already released a minor update to the white MacBook today and there have been rumors that they be readying more update for WWDC. SiliconRumors was formerly known as MacScoop which has had some reliable information in the past.

Alongside today's minor update to its white MacBook, Apple announced the launch of its annual Back to School promo for U.S. education customers. This year's program offers rebates of up to $229 on the full line of iPods when purchased with a qualifying new Apple computer, which includes all Macs except the Mac mini.

Both the Mac and iPod must be purchased at the same time on the same receipt, and purchases must be made either directly from Apple or at an Apple Authorized Campus Store. This year's program runs through September 8th, 2009.

This year's promotion had been rumored to extend to the 8 GB iPhone this year, but the claim did not come to fruition.

Apple is currently running a similar promotion in Canada, and typically offers such programs in a number of other countries later in the year.

Apple today quietly bumped the specs on the white MacBook. Changes to the base specs include:

- Processsor speed bumped from 2.0 GHz to 2.13 GHz.
- RAM speed bumped from 667 MHz to 800 MHz.
- Hard drive capacity increased from 120 GB to 160 GB. Build-to-order options up to 500 GB are now available, up from a previous maximum of 320 GB. Notably, the aluminum MacBook and MacBook Pro continue to offer maximum hard drive capacities of 320 GB.

In addition, Apple now advertises battery life of "up to 5 hrs wireless productivity", an increase over the previous advertised battery life of 4.5 hours. Finally, the new MacBook is advertised to meet new Energy Star Version 5.0 requirements and is rated EPEAT Gold, compared to a Silver rating on the previous model.

Base pricing remains at $999.

Notably, the unidentified "Mobile Computing" device that appeared in Best Buy's inventory system earlier this week was in fact this updated white MacBook.

In February, the first images depicting the back casing of an unreleased iPhone began circulating around the Internet. The images showed a matte finish to the casing, but looked otherwise identical to the current iPhone enclosure. Recently-posted rumors now suggest that we could indeed see a matte casing for the next generation iPhone.

A new image we obtained is embedded above and shows the same matte case beside the current iPhone 3G, which is housed in a shinier plastic casing. The side-by-side image shows the clear difference between the two finishes. We have no further evidence that this case necessarily represents what the next iPhone will look like, but it does seem to be consistent with circulating rumors.

Apple is expected to launch a new iPhone this summer and may announce details at WWDC in early June.

Microsoft confirmed today that the rumored "Zune HD" was, in fact, real and that they are planning on launching it this fall. The new touch-screen device will surf the web, play high definition movies and tune in digital radio.

"This device is created to go head to head with the iPod Touch," Chris Stephenson, general manager of global marketing for Microsoft Zune, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. Zune buyers will also be able to play HD content on their TVs via a dock, Microsoft said.

Other notable features in the new media device include a 3.3" multi-touch OLED screen, HD radio, HD video out, Wi-Fi, and integration with Xbox. The device is said to be based on the Windows CE operating system and will include a mobile version of Internet Explorer customized for the touch screen. No word of storage capacities or pricing at this time.

Rumors and photos of such a device were leaked back in April, though there was some debate about its authenticity. Apple has seen tremendous success with the iPod Touch since its introduction with 13 million units sold up until December 2008.

The Mac Observer reports that Psystar, the manufacturer of unauthorized Mac clones currently embroiled in a legal battle with Apple, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The move is likely to delay the proceedings in Apple's case, which is currently still in the discovery phase, although it also signals that Psystar may be unable to finance its continuing defense against Apple.

Unauthorized Mac clone maker Psystar has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Florida, temporarily slowing down Apple's legal case against it. The filing may be an indication that the company's financial backers have pulled out, signaling they see Apple as the clear winner in court.

The bankruptcy documents were filed with the Federal Courts in Florida on Thursday, and Apple's legal team was most likely made aware of the situation over the Memorial Day weekend.

Significantly, the bankruptcy hearing scheduled for June 5th should reveal the identities of any investors that have backed Psystar in its defiance of Apple. Apple suggested in court documents last December that there may be such unnamed individuals or corporations, given Psystar's apparent resources to engage in the production of Mac clone systems and willingness to engage in a lengthy and costly legal battle with Apple over the products.

Alongside the artist rendition of the upcoming 5G iPod Nano, iLounge also weighed in on the rumors surrounding the next generation iPhone.

They've been told that the next-generation iPhone will come in two different storage capacities across 3 distinct models depending on your local mobile carrier. The models are described as "3G, enhanced 3G ("3.5G/3.75G"), and mainland China versions". The case is said to be the same general design as the current model but with a "less scratchable matte plastic body". A previously leaked case image is included above which matches this description.

iLounge reports that only one version, however, will be made available to specific countries. China will obviously only get the Chinese version, while other customers will only get either the 3G or 3.5G models depending on their local carrier support. We would expect that U.S. AT&T customers would be given the 3.5G model which is likely to support the new 7.2 Mbps data network being deployed by AT&T.

iLounge posts an artist rendition of what it believes the next-generation iPod nano will look like. According to the site, the new iPod nano will see a wider screen (1:5:1 ratio), smaller click wheel, and built-in camera.

Finally, theres a camera on the back in an unusual location, one which conceivably might be blocked by hands except when the iPod nano is corner-gripped for photography. It will debut at the same time as the new iPod touch, between July and September. Our gut feeling is September.

The report seems to confirm a recent claim from HardMac that the new iPod Nano will contain a camera. Of interest, HardMac also said in the same report that the next iPod Touch would also include a camera. Both models are expected to be refreshed around September of this year.

iLounge has been accurate in the past with their artist renditions.

A MacTalk.com.au forum thread reveals that the unreleased "iPhone2,1" model that has been previously referenced actually includes its own icon within the iPhone 3.0 SDK. The icon, however, appears identical to the iPhone1,2 model which represents the current iPhone 3G.

While some may dismiss the fact that very few details can seen in such a small icon, the iPhone1,1 (1st Generation) icon does appear distinct and physically accurate in the images. Readers may also remember that the iPhone 3G's icon was also spotted before its release with only slight differences. In retrospect, an argument can be made that it was an accurate (though low resolution) rendition of the iPhone 3G.

While not a groundbreaking finding, it is consistent with rumors that next generation iPhone would keep a similar form factor to the current model.

Last week Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster claimed that an Apple tablet computer was in the works though it would not arrive until the first half of 2010 due to the complexity surrounding the operating system.

"We expect the development of such an OS to be underway currently, but its complexity, along with our conversations with a key company in the mobile space, leads us to believe it will not launch until CY10," Munster says.

Apple Tablet rumors have been circulating for years, so weren't entirely sure what to make of this particular analyst report. One reader has since pointed out, however, that Businessweek's Peter Burrows was also able to get "confirmation" of this Apple tablet from another source said to be familiar with Apple's product plans. If this source is to be believed, we may finally see an Apple Tablet as early as next year.

Rumors of an Apple Tablet have been a recurring theme here at MacRumors. In 2003, the rumors accelerated to a point where multiple credible source were pointing to the imminent release of a Mac tablet. We believe that such a project had clearly been in the works and may have even evolved into today's iPhone. Now, in the past few months, there has been an increasing number of reports that Apple is working on a device that fits somewhere between their laptops and iPhones.

A couple of reports have indicated that Apple may be launching their Back to School promotion as soon as this Tuesday. Apple's Back to School promotion is traditionally offered throughout the summer and has offered students and faculty free or discounted iPods when purchasing a new Mac. Last year's promotion kicked off on June 3rd.

According to one unconfirmed report, Apple will again be offering a free 8GB iPod Nano or 8GB iPod Touch to eligible customers who purchase a qualifying Mac. In addition, however, Apple is said to be extending the offer to the 8GB iPhone as well. These iPhone customers, however, are still obligated to also sign up for the 2 year contract with AT&T, though would get the handset itself for free.

The Charlotte Observer reports that North Carolina lawmakers are working on special legislation to give Apple, Inc a multi-million dollar tax break in order to entice the company to build an East Coast server farm to the state.

The tax breaks could be worth about $46 million in the next decade, assuming the company reaches its $1 billion investment target within nine years of starting, according to a memo by legislative fiscal staffers that does not identify the company. The memo said no current company meets the criteria to receive the tax break and the Commerce Department knows of just one with the potential to qualify.

Apple is identified as the company in question by a state official with knowledge of the recruitment efforts. The plan would target $1 billion in investments over the next 9 years which could be easily covered by Apple's nearly $29 billion in cash reserves.

While Apple makes the bulk of its income through hardware sales, the company has increasingly been positioning itself as a services company that require large server farms to support. Apple's iTunes service, of course, is likely the most demanding, but Apple has also worked to expand their MobileMe web services over this past year. The MobileMe launch was marred by outages and poor performance during the initial launch demonstrating the importance of the underlying infrastructure.

There have been reports that Apple may further expand their online services in the future with the possibility of web versions of some of their existing applications.

The latest computing survey results from the University of Virginia's freshman class show evidence of continued Apple marketshare growth in the higher education market (via Daring Fireball). The chart above shows that Apple has made steady gains since 2003 in the percentage of incoming UVA freshman who own a Mac. The latest year (2008) shows that 37% of incoming students owned a Mac while the percentage owning a Windows computer had shrunk to 62% from a peak of 96% in 2001. The growth tracks closely with the trend towards laptop ownership amongst the Virginia freshman. In 2008, 99% of the incoming students owned a laptop.

The data adds to a number of anecdotal reports that Apple has been making major strides in higher educational marketshare. Last year, Tim Cook confirmed that Apple had become the #1 laptop supplier in higher education for 2007.