World of Apple

AppleInsider reports that Apple is preparing to send the next major update to Mac OS X 10.5 to developers. The rumour site reports that developers could see the first build of Mac OS X 10.5.5 before the weekend.

No word at the moment on what exactly the update will include.

iLounge is today reporting that the next-generation iPod nano will feature a taller design. According to the iPod news and rumour site the screen will match the aspect ration of the iPhone and iPod touch which is 1.5:1 up from the current 1.33:1 found on the current nano.

To fit the screen and Click Wheel neatly together, the new nano will adopt a form factor that shifts away from the almost square dimensions of the 2007 third-generation nano back towards the general shape of the first- and second-generation models. As one of our sources noted, it’s a surprise that the new nano will be bigger than the prior model, but the goal appears to be preservation of all of the prior model’s usability while adding a bigger screen, and there aren’t many other ways to accomplish that goal.

The article also notes that a recent rumour by 9to5Mac that the iPod nanos will be multi-coloured is “most likely inaccurate”.

AppleInsider has recently reported that Apple will make a significant architectural change within Macs in the near future.

The rumour site explains that in 2006 when Apple announced its move to Intel processors the company abandoned the use of custom chipsets on its motherboards. Instead Apple began using the same chipsets as the rest of the of the PC industry.

AppleInsider goes on to reveal that Apple will forgo adopting the Intel Montevina chipset in its next generation of notebooks and that Apple could use a chipset not made by Intel at all.

Apple could use chipsets from NVidia, Via or AMD or alternatively the company could return to its PowerPC practices and manufacture a propriety chipset.

It is being rumoured that the next generation of MacBook will be thinner than the current MacBook and MacBook Pro designs and will also include a glass trackpad and support multi-touch and the use of gestures.

The MacBook is also said to be made of one single piece of aluminium and will bear some resemblance to the MacBook Air.

Finally Seth Weintraub of ComputerWorld writes that he expects the new MacBook to be released in September.

The iPhone/iPod touch OS 2.1 software which revealed some upcoming features may also have uncovered the existence of a new iPod touch.

According to iPhoneAtlas the firmware contains a reference to an iPod labelled “iPod2,1″ the current iPod touch is known as “iPod1,1″.

In contrast the first generation iPhone is labelled as “iPhone1,1″ and the iPhone 3G “iPhone1,2″, these denominations do not change for storage differences.

In the past couple of years Apple has refreshed the iPod product line in September, it is likely that Apple plains to do this again this year.

Gearlive reports that Apple has seed the latest version of the iPhone OS to iPhone developers who registered before July 11th 2008.

Version 2.1 (beta 1, build 5F90) of the iPhone OS is said to include new Core Location features suggesting that turn-by-turn GPS could be on the horizon. Core Location is said to be able to track your direction and speed.

Also included within the new OS is some early push notification APIs that allow applications to receive notifications in the background.

In addition to GearLive’s report MacNN is noting that some developers have found hints relating to copy and paste functionality.

One notes that in exploring the Localizable.strings entry under English.lproj in the current iPhone WebKit framework, there are entries for several commands the firmware does not currently support, including cutting, copying and pasting.

Apple’s own Greg Joswiak has recently stated that copy/paste functionality has not been high enough on the priority list so far, but suggested that there it could be coming in the future.

Apple also seeded a new version of the iPhone SDK to developers but the new SDK can not be used to submit Apps to the current App Store.

Electric Pig claims that the exclusive agreement between O2 and Apple in the UK is due to “time-out” by the end of the year. The site also claims that “credible sources” have said that Orange intends to step-in as a second carrier.

According to the site Orange could begin offering the iPhone 3G as soon as October.

Orange already sells the iPhone in France, Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and Africa.

Ever since Steve Jobs’ bout with cancer back in 2004 investors and fans alike have had concerns of the possible return of the very rare form of pancreatic cancer.

Speculation over Jobs’ health has hit fever pitch this week after Monday’s conference call in which a company executive responded to a question about Mr. Jobs’s condition by saying that it was “a private matter”. That added to the concerns over Jobs’ weight in June following his gaunt appearance at WWDC has caused some turbulence in the Apple stock this week.

But according to the New York Times, Jobs has confirmed to several people that he is doing well and that after his initial surgery is completely cancer free.

The publication adds that Mr. Jobs has stated to people close to him that he had a surgical procedure this year to address a problem that was contributing to a loss of weight.

MacDailyNews is going out on a limb and republishing a unconfirmed rumour sent to the site from the same source who tipped the site last year about the iTunes Wi-Fi store prior to its launch on the iPhone.

Think MacBook screen, possibly a bit smaller, in glass with iPhone-like, but fuller-featured Multi-Touch. Gesture library. Full Mac OS X. This is why they bought P.A. Semi. Possibly with Immersion’s haptic tech. Slot-loading SuperDrive. Accelerometer. GPS. Pretty expensive to produce initially, but sold at “low” price that will reduce margins. Apple wants to move these babies. And move they will. This is some sick ****. App Store-compatible, able to run Mac apps, too. By October at the latest.

MDN notes that this is a rumour, and none of the information has been independently confirmed at this time.

AppleInsider is today reporting on a note sent by investment firm Piper Jaffray to clients based on Apple’s outlook for the rest of 2008 and 2009.

During yesterdays financial conference call Apple stated that it expects gross margins to be down from 34.8% to 31.5% in the current quarter (Q408) with a further decline to 30% for fiscal 2009.

While Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray acknowledges that Apple is always conservative in its outlook, he also expects Apple to cut prices of existing products to maintain sales.

“We believe there is an 80% chance Apple will introduce redesigned MacBooks and possibly new MacBook Pros at lower price points,” the analyst wrote. “Specifically, Apple may re-enter the $999 price point (currently $1099) with the MacBook, or test the $1,799 price point with the MacBook Pro (currently $1999).”

Munster also spoke about iPods, he expects a “slightly redesigned iPods” that will include “lower-cost touch-based iPods” just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Piper Jaffray maintains a buy rating on Apple with a price target of $250.