World of Apple

Peter Misek, analyst with Canaccord Adams speculated this week that Apple will announce during its special event on January 27 that the iPhone will be coming to Verizon during the summer.

Alongside this prediction Misek also expects Apple to announce iPhone OS 4.0. In Misek’s note he runs down what he expects to see in iPhone OS 4.0 with his predictions running along the same lines as those rumoured by Boy Genius Report earlier in the week including, multitasking, a simpler user interface, and a new way to sync contacts and calendar apps.

Misek goes onto suggest that although many U.S. carriers will adopt tiered data plans, the iPhone on Verizon will still carry an unlimited data plan according to his “industry sources”.

“Together with our semi-conductor partners, we have ascertained that there is a reasonable chance the Asian supply chain is prepping for mass production of a new iPhone in March, for availability in late Q2, likely June,” Misek said. The new iPhone according to Misek will be capable of running on both CDMA and GSM networks.

Misek also looks forward to 2011 iPhone models speculating that Apple will release an LTE-capable “4GS” iPhone.

AppleInsider publishes details of what its sources believe the upcoming and long-rumoured Apple tablet will look like. The tablet is expected to be announced this coming Wednesday when Apple is due to hold a special media event.

AppleInsiders sources suggest that the tablet will take design details from the original iPhone stating that the tablet is “largely redolent of a first-generation iPhone that’s met its match with a rolling pin.” AppleInsider also republishes a mockup they found on Flickr from user Fotoboer.nl which is according to their sources “strikingly close to the real deal”.

The tablet is said to have also the same function buttons as the original iPhone including the “home button” the tablet will also have the same inputs and outputs as the current iPhone “including a 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack, built-in speaker grills, a microphone, GPS, 3G connectivity and a 30-pin dock connector.”

Following suggestions that Apple had bought up almost all supplies of 10.1-inch LCD, OLED displays Ars Technica has busted the rumour concluding that Active Matrix-OLED displays are highly unlikely to be a part of Apple’s rumoured touchscreen tablet.

Ars spoke to Barry Young, managing director of the OLED Association who said that there is “no real production of 10.1-inch panels.”

Whilst the inclusion of LCD will most likely prove true the chances of AMOLED seem unlikely in 2010. Young told Ars that at most Apple would be able to secure 150,000 AMOLED display panels per month.

BusinessWeek reports that Apple and Microsoft are in talks and have been for several weeks to bring Bing to the iPhone as the default search engine, replacing Google.

According to BusinessWeek Apple and Google now consider each other primary enemies and that “Microsoft is now a pawn in that battle.”

BusinessWeek is bolstered by an additional report from the Wall Street Journal who states that “Apple was in serious discussions with Microsoft Corp. to incorporate its Bing search engine into the iPhone as the default search and map technologies.”

More interestingly the Wall Street Journal includes the following in its last paragraph:

Even if it’s consummated, an Apple-Bing deal may prove short-lived. The person familiar with Apple’s thinking says Apple has a “skunk works” looking at a search offering of its own, and believes that “if Apple does do a search deal with Microsoft, it’s about buying itself time.” Given the importance of search and its tie to mobile advertising — and the iPhone maker’s desire to slow Google — “Apple isn’t going to outsource the future.”

Towards the end of last year Apple also acquired mapping company PlaceBase.

Despite not yet even existing in the publics eyes one analyst writes that the tablet will have a similar launch pattern to its sibling, the iPhone.

Shaw Wu analyst for Kaufman Brothers writes that “the product would most likely not ship in volume until the June timeframe, as there may [be] minor issues that need more work including battery life and durability. We believe the timeline could be similar to the original iPhone, where it was announced in January 2007, but didn’t ship until six months later.”

In addition Wu goes onto discuss some of the rumours he’s heard about the speculated Apple tablet.

• Act as an intermediary between the iPod touch/iPhone and Mac. “it is not intended to replace a Mac but to be somewhat of a ’super’ iPod touch where video, gaming, web browsing, e-books, and the ability to run multiple apps, would be enhanced with the much larger screen.”
• Believes that Wi-Fi would be the “most likely option” for internet access making no clear ruling out of 3G network access
• Estimates price point close to $999 but says that carrier subsidies could reduce cost
• Supply chain sources suggest Apple is looking to sell 5 million tablets in first year.

A new batch of rumours concerning iPhone OS 4.0 have circulated the internet today in particular the rumours point towards “multitasking” and a new method of syncing contacts and calendars.

The rumours which come from a “trusty” source are published by Boy Genius Report and go as follows:

• There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)
  “A few new ways” to run applications in the background — multitasking.

• Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.
• The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”
• The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.

Apple is holding a media event on Wednesday, January 27 in San Francisco and is widely expected to announce its long-rumoured tablet computer alongside discussions of iPhone OS 4.0 and accompanying SDK.

Following yesterdays supposed slip-up by Intel in a marketing email the company has now confirmed that it was an error.

The email which was sent to members of Intel’s Retail Edge program stated that two MacBook Pros with Core i5 processors could be won. Intel now blames a marketing error for the incorrect promotional email.

Intel has apologized for the mistake and the confusion they have created with this slip, which it blamed on a lack of communication from their central marketing agency.

Intel has modified the artwork for the promotion, which was available in several countries, to reflect the “new” laptop model available for the drawing.

The MacBook Pro line of notebooks which currently features Core 2 Duo processors is expected to move up to Intel Core i5/i7 processors in the future but it is unknown when.

Boy Genius Report who has in the past published rumours that have come to fruition has today published some further details about the long-rumoured Apple tablet.

Boy Genius Report writes that the internal name for the tablet is K48AP and is said to be an “iPhone on steroids” as well as the following details:

• The tablet’s multi-touch gestures are “out of control.”
• It’s powered by an incredibly fast ARM CPU
• It runs on the iPhone kernel.
• There hasn’t been an updated iPhone OS build because there’s too much tablet-related code/references in the OS and Apple obviously didn’t want that to leak. Oops.

Mac Rumors notes that a commentor on Reddit has also referred to the tablet by its internal name and the next iPhone is referred to as N90AP.

In an email sent to members of its Retail Edge program, Intel has seemingly revealed that Apple will release MacBook Pro models with Intel Core i5 processors in the near future.

Apple’s current line of MacBook Pro’s incorporate Intel Core 2 Duo processors but in the competition being run by Intel the company states that winners could win “one of 2 MacBook Pro laptops with the accelerated response of a new Intel Core i5 processor.”

Intel’s Retail Edge program aims to educate staff of retail stores about Intel products as well as pass on knowledge of contests and discounts.

Apple is rumoured to be hosting a special event on January 27th where the company is expected to announce its long-rumoured tablet computer. The company could also use the stage to announce refreshed notebooks.

TG Daily is reporting that Asian suppliers of 10.1-inch multi-touch LCD and OLED components have said that displays are in short supply due to Apple purchasing up huge amounts of stock.

“We were designing a product for a customer and we needed 10 inch screens, but we’ve been trying for months and can’t get one from any of the Asian suppliers,” an anonymous designer for a firm wishing to remain nameless told TG Daily.

TG Daily’s source also stated that the displays Apple had bought were headed for a tablet.

TG Daily refers to the poor supply of “10.1-inch multi-touch display LCD and OLED screens”, it should be noted that the multi-touch panel, LCD display and OLED display are all separate components and in the case of the iPhone supplied by separate suppliers (minus OLED of course).