iPhoneRoot.com
News from category ‘rumors’
Rumor: LG Display, AU Optronics have passed certification for 'iPad mini' LCD panels
Taiwan's The Liberty Times has recently reported that display makers LG Display and AU Optronics have passed certification tests for LCD panels bound for a rumored "iPad mini" and are now preparing shipments of the panels to Apple. The report also said that Radiant will supply the backlight module.
Author Chen Meiying said that, according to market rumors, the so-called "iPad mini" is expected to come out at the end of the third quarter or into the fourth quarter of this year. 2012 shipment targets were said to be six million units.
Retina-displays Will Add Up To 100$ To MacBook Pro Costs
According to CNET’s , "Retina" or "HiDPI" displays widely rumored to be used in MacBook Pro models are now available in the supply chain and they costs up to 100$ more than existing non-Retina displays.
Senior Analyst in DisplaySearch Richard Shim said that a 15.4-inch Retina display with 2880x1800 resolution and 220 ppi density currently costs about $160, compared to the 68$ Apple spends on displays in current 15-inch MacBook Pro models.
Next MacBook Air Update to Focus on Retina Displays
9to5Mac has reported that Apple is indeed planning to bring Retina displays to the MacBook Air alongside the next-generation MacBook Pros and iMac family. Retina display will be the most significant change for the next-generation MacBook Airs line.
Apple’s new MacBook Air will not see major changes across the entire computer like the next-generation MacBook Pro, but this update will truly be all about the Retina Display. [...]
Mockup: What a Tall 'iPhone 5' with 4-Inch Display Looks Like
Earlier this month, iLounge reported that Apple indeed plans to launch the next-generation iPhone with a 4-inch display. The company could increase the height of the screen not changing its width. The report also included the measurements of the rumoured device that allow Ciccarese Design to produce some higher quality mockups of what such a device might look like
As had been proposed in earlier speculation, a taller display could allow Apple to add one more row of icons to the iPhone's home screen, moving to five rows per page plus the row of pinned icons in the dock at the bottom of the screen.
Retina Displays Also Coming to Next-Generation iMac
Joanna Stern from ABC News claims that not only the MacBook Pro family but also the iMac line is set to gain ultra high-resolution "Retina" displays.
The laptop will see the introduction of the “Mac Retina Display,” which is said to have a very high resolution. ABC News has similarly heard from its own sources that both the next MacBook Pro and the iMac would be getting very, very high-resolution displays. Apple refreshed its new iPad with a Retina Display in March.
It seems natural that Apple wants to move all its displays to the retina standard. But, it’s unclear, how Apple will implement the increased resolution given that most Macs already approach Retina resolution at typical viewing distances.
Thinner 15-Inch MacBook Pro Coming with Retina Display and USB 3.0
Apple's much-rumored 15-inch MacBook Pro will reportedly receive a new design that will be considerably thinner than the existing MacBook Pro due to the removal of the optical drive.
While many have speculated that the new 15-inch MacBook Pro will pickup the design from the late-2010/mid-2011 MacBook Air, sources familiar with the prototype units say that this is untrue. Instead, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro is described as being an ultra-thin version of the current MacBook Pro. Basically, the prototype design is a thinner, yet more robust, version of the late-2008 design. It has no tapering like the MacBook Airs.
Apple To Update iCloud With New Photo Sharing Feature
The Wall Street Journal, Apple plans to announce an upgrade to its iCloud service at Worldwide Developers Conference next months. The refreshed service will allow iCloud users to share photos with each other and comment on them. Now, users can only store photos via a Photo Stream feature that is capable to sync photos with other Apple devices, but not to share them.
Apple rumored to be in talks to acquire German HDTV maker Loewe
AppleInsider’s source claims that Apple is said to be negotiating to acquire Loewe AG, a manufacturer and distributor of televisions, audio components and integrated entertainment systems. Loewe "has been advised by its financial advisor to accept the offer and a final decision is scheduled to be announced internally before 18 May 2012."
This person said Apple is confidentially offering 87.3 million euros (about $112 million U.S.), a slight premium over the firm's last closing share price of 4.519 euros (giving it a market cap of 58.79 million euros or $76 million U.S.). Loewe's primary shareholders currently include Sharp (28.83 percent) and LaCie (11.17 percent).
Loewe entered the TV market in 1929, and now employs around 1,000 workers worldwide in 50 countries. The company has seen its sales fall by 11 percent over the last year, generating a loss of 10.5 million Euro ($13.57 million USD) in 2011.
'iPhone 5' Headphone Jack and Earpiece Component Surfaces
The website of parts supplier SW-Box posted photos of the parts claimed to be from Apple's sixth-generation iPhone. The components are said to be a headphone jack, earpiece and Wi-Fi cable. The purported iPhone parts suggest the device will have a significantly different internal design, as the headphone jack is attached to the earpiece and Wi-Fi components.
That's a major departure from the current design of the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, in which the headphone jack is included on a component with the handset's volume buttons and mute switch, all of which are located in the upper left corner of the device.
Apple Will Use In-House Mapping Service In iOS 6
Google Maps (left) and mockup of Apple's 3D mapping mode (right)
9to5Mac, Apple is going to move away from Google Maps in iOS 6 by implementing an in-house mapping service with 3D views. The report notes that Apple’s purchases of mapping companies Poly9 and Placebase are ready to pay off, with the recent acquisition of 3D mapping company C3 Technologies complementing the suite of services.
Leave a comment, read comments [2]
Apple accidentally reveals iCloud.com banner notifications
Users who visited the iCloud.com website on Tuesday could find a test of a new banner notification feature that was mistakenly made public, revealing a forthcoming feature for the service. An iOS-style notification was at the top of a browser and looked like:
"Default Title for English," the title read, followed by "English - This is test message description."
To the right of the notification was an 'X,' allowing users to close the message from their browser. The test message could not be selected and it did not link anywhere.
Apple, Samsung drop 'impressive' number of patent claims against each other
Apple and Samsung have greatly reduced the number of patent infringement claims against one another in their California lawsuit. Late on Monday, Apple made a filing in the suit that roughly cut the number of patent infringement, and five hours after Apple reduced the scope of its complaint, Samsung responded in kind, and offered to drop five of its 12 asserted patents.
But these actions were caused by the court order. The Judge Lucy Koh last week ordered the companies to cut down the number of claims they are making against each other. "I think that's cruel and unusual punishment to a jury, so I'm not willing to do it," Koh said of the multitude of patents and products included in the case. "If you're going to trial in July, this is not going to be acceptable”.
Apple planning to launch $799 MacBook Air in Q3 2012
Apple is rumored to launch a $799 MacBook Air model in the third quarter of 2012 to compete with new "Ultrabook" laptops. Last month, it was said that Intel hopes to see shipments of as many as 30 million Ultrabooks this year. The company designed the Ultrabook specification after Apple found great success with its new MacBook Air.
Apple's plans are reportedly to counter second-generation Ultrabooks, based on Intel's specifications for thin and light notebooks, which PC makers hope to price around $699. If PC makers are unable to reach the $699 price point with their second-generation Ultrabooks, Apple could have a significant competitive advantage with an aggressive $799 price point for a new MacBook Air, the report claims.
Currently the cheapest Apple’s laptop is the 11.6-inch MacBook Air, which is priced at $999. The company is expected to begin revamping its Mac lineup in the coming weeks with Intel's latest-generation Ivy Bridge processors. The product is expected to begin with new MacBook Pros, starting with a 15-inch model.
Apple TV Set To Have Face-Tracking Camera And Siri For Face Time Calls
Mockup of Apple TV set
Cult of Mac on information received from the “well-placed” source who has seen a prototype of the future Apple TV set. The source claims the device is similar to the current 27-inch Thunderbold display, but it is “much larger”.
iPad tablet market share will dip to 50% by 2017
NPD, market research firm, suggests that Apple’s tablet market share will drop to just over 50 percent by 2017. Android and Windows-based devices will, obviously, have a hand in it, and, as NPD expects, will begin continue to eat into the iPad's overwhelming lead by 2014.
The overall tablet market will swell from 81.6 million units in 2011 to 424.9 million units by 2017, and tablet shipments will surpass those of notebooks by 2016.