DigiTimes

Taiwanese publication Digitimes, which gained some notice late last week for its claim that Apple is preparing the iPad 3 for a March release ahead of an "iPad 4" launch just six months later, is adding additional color to its rumors with a new report claiming that Pegatron is set to become Apple's primary manufacturing partner for the iPad. Pegatron, which was rumored as long as six months...

In an effort to continue throwing ideas at the wall to see what might stick, the only occasionally reliable Digitimes today reported that not only will Apple be releasing the iPad 3 with high-resolution "Retina" display in March as is widely expected, but that the company will follow that up with the release of the iPad 4 in October. On the topic of the iPad 3, Digitimes suggests that the...

Following up on yesterday's report claiming that Apple's supply chain is set to begin gearing up for the introduction of 32-inch and 37-inch television sets in 2012, Digitimes now claims to have received more information about companies likely to play roles in supplying components for the products. Among the highest-profile companies involved in the rumors is Apple's primary iOS device...

Earlier this month, leaked information suggested that Intel's next-generation mobile Ivy Bridge processors would debut in May, with a few models perhaps becoming available in April. The mobile Ivy Bridge processors are expected to be used in Apple's MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini lines. A new report from Digitimes indicates, however, that the first Ivy Bridge processors may launch as...

Digitimes reports that Apple's suppliers are set to begin preparing materials for the new Apple television set during the first quarter of 2012, with the company reportedly targeting a launch for the second or third quarter of the year. Apple is said to be initially working on 32-inch and 37-inch sizes.The supply chain of Apple will start preparing materials for iTV sets in the first quarter of...

In a report sure to excite our readers, DigiTimes is saying that Apple may be readying an ultra high-resolution MacBook Pro for as early as second quarter (Q2) 2012:Apple is likely to launch its new MacBook Pro lineup with a display resolution of 2880 by 1800 in the second quarter of 2012, setting a new round of competition for panel specifications in the notebook industry, according to sources...

While much has been made of Apple's strong iPhone sales this quarter with estimates now pushing toward 30 million units, what hasn't been known is the mix of iPhone models contributing to that number. The significant majority of sales are almost certainly from the current iPhone 4S, but the company continues to offer lower-end 8 GB iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS models in some markets. Higher-capacity ...

Digitimes reports that Apple is set to update its MacBook Air line early next year, with a new 15-inch model appearing alongside refreshed 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch models. The update will reportedly take place during the first quarter of 2012.Apple reportedly is set to launch its new MacBook Air series notebooks with panel sizes of 11.6-inch, 13.3-inch and 15-inch in the first quarter of 2012...

Following conflicting rumors about whether the iPhone 4S would include near field communication (NFC) technology (rumors that were eventually decided in the negative), Digitimes reports that Apple is indeed one of the vendors still expected to introduce NFC-enabled operating system software (and thus hardware) in 2012. Apple's inclusion of NFC in next year's iPhone would appear to come as part ...

Just yesterday, Digitimes noted that Apple had reduced its fourth-quarter orders for iPad 2 display components in order to accommodate production of iPad 3 parts. Apple's strategy has apparently involved boosting production of iPad 2 parts during the third quarter and stockpiling them as it begins the transition to the iPad 3 this quarter. Digitimes now expands upon that information in a new...

Digitimes reports that Apple has pulled back on its fourth-quarter orders for iPad 2 display panels, although the reduction appears to be part of an overall strategy to prepare for the launch of the iPad 3 early next year rather than a shortfall in customer demand. According to the report, Apple stockpiled components for an extra 4-5 million iPad 2 units during the third quarter, allowing it to...

Digitimes reports that Apple is currently evaluating a pair of options for addressing issues with LED backlighting on the iPad 3, noting that the current backlight bar design used in the iPad 2 is insufficient for the higher-resolution display reportedly set to debut in the next-generation tablet.One of the new LED light bar designs has proposed to keep the light bar in a single-bar form factor ...

Digitimes claims that Apple is going to "completely overhaul" its product lineups in 2012. The site specifically lists the iPad, iMac, iPhone and MacBook Air lines. It's not clear if this is an all inclusive list or not. Notably absent are the MacBook Pro, Mac mini, Mac Pro and iPod lines. Apple plans to completely overhaul its product lineups, including iPad, iMac, iPhone and MacBook Air,...

On-again, off-again, industry publication Digitimes is claiming that Apple's next iPad will enter mass production soon and will launch in March 2012. The catch is that according to their sources, this new iPad product is not seen by Apple as an iPad 3, but instead an upgraded iPad 2. Instead they say "the real iPad 3" won't be launched until the 3rd quarter of 2012 at the earliest. The...

Digitimes reports that Apple and other handheld device vendors are making plans to begin releasing devices featuring curved glass in the first half of next year.Suppliers of the non-Apple camp are working on products with curved cover glass in attempts to gain a competitive edge in the handheld device market dominated by Apple, sources in the glass industry said. But Apple reportedly also has...

Digitimes reports that iPhone touch panel supplier Wintek has apparently experienced some production issues that have caused minor defects in some of the panels being produced for the next-generation "iPhone 5".The defect, "delayed bubble", is difficult to avoid during panel production, particularly when the defect is not detected during the process of laminating touch panels, and only later...

Rumors dating back as far as March have suggested that Apple has been looking to work with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for production of Apple's series of custom system-on-a-chip packages used in its iOS devices. Those rumors have firmed up over time, with TSMC reportedly having begun trial production of Apple's next-generation A6 chip using a new 28-nm process, down from...

Last month, word surfaced that Apple had shifted orders for iPad 2 displays away from LG Display after the company experienced quality issues with its production. The issues were said to be related to an unacceptably high number of panels failing drop testing. Digitimes now reports that those issues have been resolved, and iPad 2 display panel shipments have returned to normal at LG...

Artist's rendition of iPhone 5 with 3.7" display DigiTimes reports that Apple's suppliers for the next-generation iPhone are ramping toward full production capacity, with manufacturing partner Foxconn already said to be producing 150,000 iPhone 5 units per day.Suppliers in the iPhone 5 supply chain in Taiwan have geared up production recently with volume shipments of the new Apple smartphones...

DigiTimes briefly reports that Foxconn is apparently set to produce 20 million iPad 2 units during the current quarter, a significant boost over the prior quarter and even over earlier estimates for this quarter.For the third quarter, Foxconn is expected to ship 20 million units of iPad 2 to Apple, a growth of 60% sequentially, and the orders should be the major growth driver for the company in ...