World of Apple

French website Nowhere Else is reporting that Apple will release new MacBook Pro models tomorrow, a rumour that comes hot on the heels of a purported leak of a new MacBook Pro model on a benchmarking site.

Steve Hemmerstoffer for Nowhere Else writes that, “An anonymous source who works for Apple just tell me that the new MacBook Pro line will be launched tomorrow”.

A release tomorrow would coincide with the start of the first Apple-less Macworld Expo in San Francisco.

Over the weekend it was revealed that a GeekBench post could potentially refer to an unreleased MacBook Pro model, assuming it hasn’t been intentionally faked. The report posted on February 4, 2010 shows a MacBook Pro with a Core i7 M 620 clocked at 2.66GHz running an unreleased build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 scoring an impressive 5260.

Apple's A4 Processor inside iPad

In an interview with The Guardian, chief executive of ARM Warren East has given the “strongest hint yet” that the company’s technology is inside the iPad.

The iPad officially—according to Apple’s spec sheets—uses an in-house Apple A4 SoC (system on chip) processor, but speculation has suggested that the chip incorporates ARM’s Cortex-A9 MPCore processor, more commonly known as the Snapdragon chip.

In the interview with the UK newspaper the chief executive hinted that the mystery would soon be over saying, “I would doubt whether anybody other than Apple has taken the iPad to bits yet,” adding, “But in a month or so it will be available and somebody other than Apple will take it to bits – and then we will know.”

Speculation has risen from the ability to run iPhone and iPod touch applications directly on the iPad, the apps on the App Store are designed for ARM processors.

East reportedly teased, “But I cannot possibly confirm anything,”

Apple iPad

Rumours of a Verizon attached iPad have been circulating since before the device was even announced. Last week when Apple announced a partnership with AT&T it looked like the rumours were simply untrue but the originator of the rumours Clayton Morris of FOXNews.com has spoken to his Verizon source who claims that Apple and Verizon are continuing to work towards a deal.

According to Clayton, Verizon is “more interested in the lucrative iPhone contracts” but the Apple and the carrier are “very much talking and plan to bring an iPhone and an iPad” to Verizon in 2010. AT&T’s exclusivity over the iPhone is expected to expire in June this year.

The report also adds some insight into the pricing of the data for the iPad stating that, “AT&T was able to outbid every other GSM carrier with a $14.99 or $29.99 plan that gives customers 250MB or unlimited data, respectively.”

Of course Verizon does not operate a GSM network and would require Apple to build compatible hardware to work on Verizon’s CDMA network.

A report from DigiTimes today shows that Apple will add to its manufacturing partnership with Foxconn and use an arm of Asus to manufacture the upcoming iPhone.

The report states that Pegatron Technology has been selected by Apple and will manufacture the next-generation iPhone alongside Foxconn.

The next iPhone is expected to be released along Apple’s normal timeframe around June time and the addition of another manufacturer could suggest that Apple is looking to increase output. Along the same lines Pegatron expects handset shipments to “grow substantially in 2010″.

In separate news with the release of a new iPhone SDK yesterday alongside the iPhone OS update revealed that Apple has begun referring to the next iPhone as “N89″. A contrast to a report that suggested the iPhone was referred to as “N90″.

With less than an hour to go before Apple begins its special event today images have been unveiled that reportedly show the rear exterior of the tablet.

Following images from Engadget earlier that showed the front of the tablet, Gizmodo now republishes photos of the rear. The photos were originally sourced from Chinese website WeiPhone.

The photos are reportedly from an RF testing facility and clearly show port holes in the unibody enclosure.

Images below.

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Engadget has published four images which it claims are of the Apple tablet. The images depict a device significantly larger than an iPhone running what looks like iPhone OS with WiFi and service indicators in the top left.

Engadget also publishes some specs claiming that the tablet will have “a 10-inch screen and look like a larger iPhone with a MacBook-like aluminum back, and that pricing will run $800 on contract with Verizon and $1000 without when it arrives in March.”

Additionally Engadget’s source claims that the iPhone will be “coming to Verizon” and there will be a demo of iLife ‘10.

Images inserted below.

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Jason Calcanis famed for being founder of Weblogs Inc. has revealed purported details of Apple’s tablet before the special event later today. The details come via Calcanis’ Twitter feed in which he claims that he already has an Apple tablet.

In the first of a series of tweets Calcanis starts by saying “Yes, it’s true… I’ve been beta testing the Apple tablet for the past two weeks and it’s amazing.”

Then Calcanis goes onto reveal multiple details about the tablet.

The best part ofthe apple tablet as beta user has been the built in HDTV tuner and pvr, and the chess game.

Also, the apple tablet is really amazing for newspapers. Video conferencing is super stable, but nothing new.

The price will be 599, 699 and 799 depending on size and memory in apple tablet. Also, wireless keyboard + monitor connection for tv

Yes @HappyDrew, the apple tablet is running an iphone os flavor with ability to have multiple apps running at same time (ie pandora, browser

Well @joshgrenon, I can tell u the battery life is great in ebook reading mode but not great when on wifi or playing games. 2-3hrs

Yes, there are 2cameras: one in front and one in back (or it may be one with some double lens) so you record yourself and in front of u.

Apple Tablet has thumbpads on each side for mouse guestures, reads fingerprint for security. Up to 5 profiles by finerprint for family.

Yes, apple tablet is oled + back has solar pad for recharging, but it really doesn’t work quickly. More a gimmic. Verizon+att,wifi yes!

Apple tablet’s 2 cameras is sick feature for video conferencing: u shoot what’s in front of you + yourself. Augmented video conferncing!

Ok, I’m going to bed (with apple tablet after reading nytimes+Vanity Fair on it!), steve jobs outdid himself, its greatest device ever!!!

Apple tablet games are sick. Basically nintendo wii-level innovation. Custom farmville app is insane. Mark pincus is demoing with steve tmmr

apple tablet connects to other tablets over wifi for gaming. There will be LAN parties with these things, people playingFirst personshooters

Off to bed, but I assure you I’m not joking and the specs are real…. Most of all that this is best gadget ever made and NOT overhyped.

Talking on CNBC Tuesday afternoon the CEO of McGraw-Hill said that Apple will announce its tablet this Wednesday and that it will run the iPhone OS.

During the interview on the “Street Signs,” show Terry McGraw was quizzed about Apple’s tablet and whether textbooks would be available on the device, McGraw answered yes adding that it was “very exciting”.

“You know, they will make their announcement tomorrow on this one. We have worked with Apple for quite awhile, and the tablet is going to be based on the iPhone operating system, and so it will be transferable.

“So what you’re going to be able to do now — we have a consortium of e-books, you know, and we have 95 percent of all of our materials that are in e-book formats on that one. So now, with the tablet, you’re going to open up the higher education market, the professional market. The tablet is going to be just really terrific.”

McGraw interview embedded below.

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FT.com is reporting that Apple is pushing US TV networks to reduce the price of their TV shows to help “spur demand” on the iTunes store. Apple has suggested during meetings to much resistance that TV show prices be reduced from $1.99 to $1.

Financial Times associates TV shows as an integral part of Apple’s tablet strategy which the publication expects to be unveiled tomorrow.

According to a person familiar with the talks Apple “is looking to change pricing dynamics” adding, “That’s what they did to the music industry. The difference between the TV industry and music is this one has good economics.”

Financial Times goes onto state that Apple has primarily focused on ” courting book and newspaper publishers ahead of the tablet’s launch” suggesting that Apple has been in talks with News Corporation’s HarperCollins and the New York Times. Apple has also rumoured to have “approached Conde Nast, Hearst, McGraw-Hill and the Hachette book group, according to the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.”

Finally, Financial Times reports that Apple has “floated the idea” of a low-cost video subscription service with “News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom, Disney and CBSwhich would combine the “best of television” and would cost $30 per month.”

Images have emerged that are the most convincing mockups of the Apple tablet so far. It is unknown whether they are real and any issues with the photos are backed up with this statement from the original poster “the person who took/released them purposefully manipulated the reflections to add doubt about their authenticity.”

The images have been posted on a Posterous blog belonging to Dan Curtis a self-confessed user-interface designer.

Apple is scheduled to hold a special event at 10am PST (6PM GMT) tomorrow to unveil the long-rumoured Apple tablet. During yesterdays fiscal results Steve Jobs hinted at a “major new product” this week.