World of Apple

In a filing made way back in August 2004 Apple employees describe in detail a wide touchpad and keyboard.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional portable computer.

Within the patent the wide touchpad is described as “The wide touchpad and keyboard disposed on the base assembly allow a user to interact with the display screen (e.g., enter data). In one embodiment, the wide touchpad may be a cursor control device having the capabilities of conventional computer mouse devices, such as the ability to point, drag, tap, and double tap objects on a graphical user interface, as well as more general purposes such as scrolling, panning, zooming, and rotating images on display screen. The wide touchpad extends into the areas on the surface of the base assembly that are normally reserved for palm rest areas (e.g., flat areas on the surface of the base assembly that support a user’s palms and/or wrists while typing). “

“FIGS. 4-5. FIG. 4 illustrates a conventional typing position with the palms of both hands resting on touchpad 224 and fingers extending over keyboard 222. The contact patches made on left sensor region 242 and right sensor region 246 would be rejected. The relatively large sizes of the contact patches made by the palms in connection with the detection of hand location would be interpreted as unintentional or accidental contact. In this position, touchpad 224 operates only as a palm rest. FIG. 5 illustrates a dual mode position in which the left hand 280 is in a typing position and right hand 282 is in a touchpad position. The contact patch from left hand 280 (e.g., the palm) would be rejected because the location of left hand 280 would be detected by sensor 240. Accordingly, either the entire left sensor region 242, which is associated with the location of left hand 280 and the contact patch, or the particular contact patch made by left hand 280 on left sensor region 242 would be rendered inactive for touchpad commands, and operate only as a palm rest. The contact patch made by the finger of right hand 282 would be accepted as an intentional contact. The sensor would not detect any hand presence associated with right sensor region 246. As described above, the calculations performed by operation 400 include measuring the size and trajectory of the contact patch made by right hand 282. A comparison with the contact patch from left hand 280 may also be performed to establish the accept/reject criteria.”

“”The surface of the touchpad may include a grid of conductive metal wires covered by an insulator. When two electrically conductive objects come near each other without touching, their electric fields interact to form capacitance. Also, when another conductive material, such as a human finger, comes in contact with the touchpad surface, a capacitance forms.”

The time has come again, World of Apple have rounded up the hottest rumours, and dissected them and then regurgitated the results for joyous reading. If you’re wondering what we’re rounding up for then lets remind you, this Tuesday Apple will be hosting a Special Event, invites were sent out to select members of the media and seating is said to be limited. The Special Event will take place at 4 Infinite Loop in the Apple Town Hall, registration begins at 9.00am PT and the Event begins an hour later. Be sure to catch our coverage!

Now lets get into what we know.

Intel iBook

WOA Rumour Rating 5/10

Ever since the release of the MacBook Pro at MacWorld its been a hot topic that the iBook will follow suit, anybody with sense can guess that the new iBooks will indeed be called the MacBook. This naming scheme puts Apple in a great position for further extending its product lines.

AppleInsider has been leading the rumours of the upcoming MacBook but appears unable to confirm whether it will make an appearance on Tuesday. Over the past few months many details have appeared in reference to the MacBook in particular the rumour of a 13.3-inch widescreen model. it also seems natural that the systems would use Intel Core Solo chip which is rated at 1.67GHz. This would once again bring a good distinction between the two lines of laptop computers with the MacBook Pro rated at 1.83GHz and 2.16GHz.

AppleInsider has also mentioned that it expects the new MacBook to be the most redesigned Macintosh to come out of Apple for years.

But it looks slim that the new MacBook will make an impression at this Tuesday’s Special Event.

Intel Mac mini – Media Centre

WOA Rumour Rating 8/10

This one has been hot on the cards and was widely expected at MacWorld this year but rumour has it that it was axed at the last minute. With all the rumour sites making guesses at the future of the Mac mini it is uncertain when the Intel Mac mini will makes its debut or even what it will pack.

Although rumour sites have very vaguely covered the subject it is expected that the Mac mini will make a further move in the Living Room bundling DVR functions.

Recently it became clear that Apple were no longer expected bulk orders of current Mac minis although shipping times on the online store have not been effected. Sources close to World of Apple have been able to confirm that this is the case and that a new Mac mini is in manufacturing. None of these sources were unable to confirm the presence of DVR features or when the product would be official launched.

iPod Boombox

WOA Rumour Rating 4/10

This is something AppleInsider has raved about for many months yet no solid information has been able to point towards the release of such a product, this would suggest that either the product was being kept very much under wraps because it is more than a speaker system or that the product does in fact not exist.

AppleInsider describes the device as a Boombox audio system or iPod Hi-Fi and notes that Apple trademarked the term BoomBox back in September. AppleInsider expects the iPod Hi-Fi to launch at a price “in excess of $300″. The system is described as “an oversized iPod with boombox type speakers”, possibly pointing to that 8-pound iPod Steve recently referred to.

World of Apple are unable to confirm anything related to the launch of such a product but we do realise the accuracy of AppleInsider reports so we cannot discount this rumour.

iPod Video

WOA Rumour Rating 6/10

Since the release of the Special Event Invitation earlier this week the iPod Video has been a hot topic with the leaking of a fake image purporting to be the new video iPod it became the topic of discussion, adding to the mix is the recent flurry of patent filings relating to touch screen devices and the fact that many of these patents contain imagery with the familiar iPod wheel in, it is expected that such a device could be released.

Think Secret recently pointed out that it expects Apple to release what it describes as a “true iPod Video” with a 3.5-inch widescreen display and the possibility of a touch screen display.

Although many little things point towards the existence of an iPod Video with touch screen display it looks unlikely that it’s ready for the prime time.

iTunes Movie Store

WOA Rumour Rating 3/10

First of all if this was to ever see light of day it would not be called iTunes Movie Store as that is a clear contradiction. Nor do we think it should be called the iMovie Store but that’s not important.

This week analysts came out of their shells and came out with some truly silly predictions but one that has particular taken hold is the rumour that Apple would begin selling feature length films. Although nothing strongly goes against the idea there is nothing available that works with the idea just yet, if Apple were to make a big move into the living room then making ventures into such an area wouldn’t seem out of the question, but as of this point no infrastructure is in place and it would be incredibly costly to deliver full length movies via the internet.

We do realise we’re really going out on a limb ourselves by truly knocking the idea, lets hope Apple have come up trumps and can deliver such a product.

Other Notable Mentions

Mac Tablet – WOA Rumour Rating 2/10
Shift in iPod nano Capacities – WOA Rumour Rating 1/10

This article will be updated as more information emerges, be sure to join World of Apple for our coverage of the Special Event on Tuesday.

As you’ve almost certainly read an image of the iPod Video has apparently been leaked. We’ve contacted some “sources” and we’ve analysed it through Photoshop and our conclusion is…This is the greatest fake we’ve ever seen. In fact it’s so good that we can’t make a call on this one.

We’ve been informed that the Chinese writing on the what looks like iPod Dock connector reads “This side up”.

The problem we’re suffering here is that we have no sense of scale, some have pointed out that this could be an (old) iMac Display. We will therefore leave the decision up too you.

[Update 1] We’re receiving so many contradictory reports on this, its incredible, we’ve had everything from colour bars to the shape and size of barcode. So we’re going to further discuss the points related to this very intriguing image. In the next few days we’ll be writing up a rumour roundup for next Tuesday’s Special Event, be sure to read it to get the latest scoop.

Firstly cast your mind back to October, the image below was leaked a matter of hours before the release of the 5G iPod, at the time it was said to be ugly, unsuitable for watching videos on or the most popular one, Photoshopped. Most notable about this image is the similar environment the image appears to have been taken in. On the fake point of view, the barcode types do not match between the images but its by no means a point to sway us.

A second image has also appeared which is supposedly the rear of the unit, we quite simply do not believe this.

This is not something we would of immediately looked at but it sure is an interesting point, the colour bars used on the units display appear not be any kind of standard displays. The standard type of colour bar is described as SMPTE bars showing RGB colours on a LCD display (pictured below). The fact that the purported image uses what appears to be non standard bars is by no means a big thing but is certainly something to take into consideration.

Finally we took the image into Photoshop and gave it a good once over first of all we can confirm that this image has been deliberately reduced in quality, if you take a look at the image below and look at the black squiggle in the bottom right you’ll serious artefacts around the black. In the original this is clearly been put there to rub out a web address and is not part of the original photo, suggesting severe reduction in picture quality (possibly deliberately).

Looking at the image you’ll noticed a border coming from the top of the unit, very similar to that of current iPods but it suddenly stops as it reaches the bottom of the unit, this could be the angle we’re viewing it at but at a closer look there is some evident airbrushing to help conceal a join of some type. Also note the sticker on the unit, it looks very much superimposed at such a zoom level, but its true that the glow of the colour bars below does show through slightly on the label.

We’ll keep you updated on everything we hear.

Several tipsters have reported that Apple has begun testing Mac OS X 10.4.6 internally, the development notes are said to show that Apple has released a build for both the PowerPC and Intel platforms.

The build number for PowerPC is 8I109 and for Intel 8I1102.

Testers have been asked to be especially vigilant with the following features; Automator, Bluetooth, Cocoa, Carbon, Core Graphics, graphic drivers, hard and optical drives, .Mac, printing, Safari and for Intel machines Rosetta Performance.

The builds are currently weighing in at 131MB and 166MB.

Speculation has begun on whether the majority of the bug fixes were going to be included with 10.4.5, released just last week but recent issues with the Intel iMac and hacking attempts forced Apple to release it early, for this reason sources expect the development time of 10.4.6 to be relatively short.

Yesterday World of Apple reported on a set of images that appeared on Flickr showing the new 15″ MacBook Pro in all it’s glory. Sure it was a nice set of photos, seemingly taken within the Apple campus with attention being drawn to the stick on the bottom of the unit saying “Apple Development Unit”.

After looking at the images for a second time I noticed the stick above, I couldn’t quite make it out upside down so I flipped it and sharpened it up slightly in PhotoShop and revealed the words MediMac with what looks like the number ‘404 976 9933′.

If anyone can cast any info on this then we’ll be grateful but as far as we’re concerned right now this is something new.

[Update 1] One of our loveable readers has informed us that this is an internal support system at Apple, can anyone back that thought up?

ThinkSecret has posted an article backing up its previous claims that Apple will release a new ProCare product. The service dubbed ProCare 2.0 is expected to arrive this week and will remain priced at $99 (£79).

The new package will include Personal Training, Fast Track, Advanced Reservations, a Yearly Tune-Up and Complete Set up.

Personal Training will allow ProCare members to schedule a free one hour training session up to once per week, the training can cover hardware, software and Pro Apps in limited locations. Naturally Fast Track offers ProCare members a quick and efficient service at the Genius Bar.

A yearly Tune-Up is also offered in which a Mac Genius running anti-virus and disk repair utilities on the system.

AppleInsider has recently reported that it expects the MacBook Pro to be announced in a 17″ version around the time of WWDC, World of Apple can today confirm that reports from particular sources have confirmed that the MacBook Pro will begin shipping around the time of WWDC in June.

It is unknown why the model has been delayed but speculation has pointed towards the size of 8x SuperDrives, the 15″ MacBook Pro only packs a 4x SuperDrive due to its thin enclosure but the higher end model should be expected to ship with an 8x model, so its possible Apple are waiting for some developments in this area.

Further patent findings have popped up on the internet, although considerably older (September 2005), the patent clearly shows OS X with one of the diagrams.

Below are some interesting extracts from the filing;

“A computer-implemented method of generating a display on a touch screen of a computer, the display including an application display, associated with an application executing on the computer, and a virtual input device display for a user to provide input to the application executing on the computer via the touch screen, the method comprising: in response to a virtual input device initiation event, determining initial characteristics of the virtual input device display; based on characteristics of the application display and the characteristics of the virtual input device display, determining initial characteristics of a composite display image including the application display and the virtual input device display; and causing the composite display to be displayed on the touch screen.”

Here’s how Apple has described the patent filing;

“The present patent application relates to touch screen user interfaces and, in particular, relates to placement of a virtual input device, such as a virtual keyboard or other virtual input device, on a touch screen user interface.”

“A touch screen is a type of display screen that has a touch-sensitive transparent panel covering the screen, or can otherwise recognize touch input on the screen. Typically, the touch screen display is housed within the same housing as computer circuitry including processing circuitry operating under program control. When using a touch screen to provide input to an application executing on a computer, a user makes a selection on the display screen by pointing directly to graphical user interface (GUI) objects displayed on the screen (usually with a stylus or a finger).”

Some of the pictures from the patent with explanations;

“illustrates an example touch screen displays where the spatial aspect of the application display is modified in accommodation of a virtual input device display.”

“illustrates an example touch screen display in which an indication of the input appears in a portion of the display associated with a virtual input device.”

“illustrate a virtual input device display in various states of having been scrolled.

Looks like Apple is gaining a plethora of past and recent patents, from the looks of things it looks like Apple is planning to release a touch-screen tablet computer but will make use of some very modern technologies to try and out do the competition. Tablet computers have always received scepticism due to the poor touch-screen systems but Apple’s use of multi-touchscreen displays could make using a tablet computer a common part of the future.

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple is preparing the new Mac mini featuring an Intel chip. The site also goes back on its previous rumour about the Mac mini featuring an iPod Dock.

The rumour had appeared before when an astute mac head dissected a Mac mini to discover an unused connector similar to that of an iPod Dock connector, this had pretty much confirmed that Apple planned to include this feature in the original batch of minis but scrapped the feature for unknown reasons it is still unknown why Apple keeps pushing this feature back.

The machines will feature the 1.67GHz Intel Core Solo processor and come with a standard of 512MB of DDR2 RAM, of note AppleInsider is unable to confirm Think Secrets reports of the Mac minis as DVR units.

The machines are said to be entering manufacturing soon with a possible appearance within the next couple of months.

Apologies on the confusion, it appears the article was misread

Think Secret has once again put itself on the line and predicted a “more video” orientated iPod from Apple.

Think Secret claims that the 5G iPod was “not the video iPod” rather a 4G iPod with video playback features.

The new device is reportedly have a 3.5″ diagonal display and scrap the current touch wheel and be replaced with a completely touch screen based control system. No further details were offered concerning capacity or price but a release has been pinned for as early as late March.