No Retina Display in the Next iMac?

Earlier today, Instapaper developer Marco Arment published his thoughts on a potential timeline for upgrades to Apple's iMac and Mac Pro lines, initially suggesting that the need for an ultra-high resolution 5120x2880 Retina display (either inside the 27-inch iMac or as a standalone display) is likely the most significant hurdle to major updates for those lines. 

With ABC News having reported in May that Apple was planning to bring Retina displays to its next-generation iMac line and suggestions of updated models potentially being right around the corner, anticipation has been high for new Retina iMacs. But shortly after publishing his speculation, Arment is now hearing that while the next iMac update will come later this year, it will not include Retina displays.


"I've now heard from multiple sources that while an iMac update is indeed coming this fall, it will not have Retina displays."


Arment describes some of the issues surrounding Retina displays at the size needed for the 27-inch iMac, including production yield and insufficient bandwidth, but it is unclear why Apple would wait until the fall to update the iMac if those issues will prevent Retina displays from being included in that revision. Even without a Retina display, updated iMac models could take advantage of Ivy Bridge processors, improved graphics chips, and USB 3.0, and those upgrades could be included in a new model any time now. 

As we noted earlier today, vacation blackouts at a third-party technical support firm are hinting at a release of OS X Mountain Lion in late July, and it seems possible that Apple could follow last year's trend of a simultaneous hardware/software launch by introducing new Ivy Bridge iMacs and perhaps Mac minis alongside Mountain Lion. That speculation is, however, yet to be supported by any specific rumors or evidence. 

Following the keynote at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, company representatives were initially quoted as saying that updated Mac Pro and iMac designs were due "later next year", but the company moved to clarify those remarks as applying only to the Mac Pro, suggesting that iMac updates will come ahead of that timeframe.

Apple Planning 'Media-Related' Announcement in New York This Month?

AllThingsD reports that Apple is said to be planning a special event in New York for the end of this month. The event is reported to be for a "media-related announcement" and not for the iPad 3 or an Apple television set.

"According to sources close to the situation, Apple is planning an important — but not large-scale — event to be held in New York at the end of this month that will focus on a media-related announcement. 

Per the usual caveat, the tech giant is well known for moving around their public show-and-tells, so this could certainly change at any moment."


As the report notes, the New York location makes it likely that the announcement has something to do with advertising or publishing. Several of Apple's media and advertising units under senior vice president Eddy Cue have significant presences in New York City, and Cue is also said to be set to play a role in the event. 


Apple participated in a pair of New York-based media events last year, although both of those were primarily hosted by other companies: the Verizon iPhone introduction and the launch of The Daily. The company had previously been a participant in Macworld Expo events held in New York, but that event ceased to exist a number of years ago and Apple has now pulled out of trade shows entirely. 

Apple's Internal 'GameStore' Testing App Accidentally Appears in App Store [Update: Pulled]

As noted by German sites Flo's Weblog [Google translation] and iFun.de [Google translation], a curious new iOS application that seems to be from Apple has appeared in the App Store. The new app, known as GameStore [App Store], debuted on December 31st and seems to be a test app of some sort, offering several racing-themed in-app purchases but without any actual functionality. 

 
GameStore product listings and in-app purchase confirmation for "Nitrous"
The app is priced at $0.99, with the three in-app purchases currently available through the app priced between $0.99 and $2.99. Additional in-app purchases shown in the single screenshot shown on the App Store page for GameStore show items as high as $26.99, but these other items are not currently visible in the app itself. 

In-app purchases made through the app do go through and users' accounts are charged for them, but with no actual game supporting the content available, they have no functionality. 

 
App Store page for GameStore app and Settings pane from within app
When the app's listing is viewed in the App Store from an iOS device, the posting date is listed as June 9, 2009, which was during Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference just ahead of the public launch of iPhone OS 3.0 and the debut of in-app purchasing. Consequently, GameStore may simply be an internal testing app for the feature that was somehow accidentally published to the public App Store over the weekend. 

Update: GameStore has now been removed from the App Store. 

Mac Pro Build-to-Order Ship Dates Slip as Future Remains Uncertain

Just before Christmas, shipping estimates for Apple's 12-core Mac Pro model increased to 1-3 weeks, and while that specific model does tend to occasionally see some extra lead time, the shipping delays were later noticed to have extended to nearly any customized Mac Pro order. Even as simple a customization as increasing the RAM on an "In Stock" standard Mac Pro configuration increases its shipping estimate to 1-3 weeks. 

 
Quad-core Mac Pro shipping estimate bumped to 1-3 weeks by upgrading RAM
Increases in shipping estimates in Apple's online store can sometimes be indicative of an upcoming product refresh as the company draws down supplies ahead of launching the updated models. The Mac Pro is most certainly due for an update, and there are several indications that components may be coming together for a significant upgrade to the line. 
Most importantly, Intel's Sandy Bridge E Xeon processors are due for launch during the first quarter of this year after having been delayed from a late 2011 debut. Rumors have suggested, however, that continued issues with the chipset portion of the "Romley" platform utilizing the Sandy Bridge E Xeon processors may see a release being held back until the beginning of March, still several months from now. 

On the graphics front, evidence of support for AMD's "Tahiti" line of graphics cards has been showing up in developer builds of OS X 10.7.3, and just a week and half ago AMD officially unveiled the first Tahiti graphics card for a January launch. 

But while the pieces seem to be coming together at the right time for a substantial Mac Pro upgrade, a bigger question is whether the line will even continue to survive long enough to see another update. A late October report claimed that Apple is "questioning" the future of the Mac Pro given declining sales as customers have continued a trend of shifting toward portable computers, and we've heard similar rumblings that even pinpointed a discontinuation date in January. 

Consequently, it is difficult to speculate on whether increased shipping estimates for custom configurations might be due to Apple tightening supplies ahead of a refresh or if the company could be drawing down production entirely ahead of a discontinuation of the line.

Apple TV Hacked to Run iOS Apps at Full Screen

Safari running on Apple TV


Over the past few days, iOS developers Steven Troughton-Smith and TheMudKip have managed to hack the 2nd generation Apple TV to run iOS apps at full resolution. The feat was accomplished using a custom Springboard (Home Screen) written by TheMudKip on a jailbroken Apple TV. Troughton-Smith has since been making progress running iPhone and iPad apps at full resolution. 

Many existing apps seem to run well on the Apple TV, which is known to be an iOS device using an A4 processor. When this generation of the Apple TV was released, we noted that Apple may have had plans to incorporate native applications all along. In fact, Jobs said that an Apple TV App Store could launch when the time is right. 

This video shows the Apple TV in action, running apps under the custom springboard: 






The hack isn't available publicly yet, and remains more of a proof of concept at this time. It's feasible that such a hack could be released to the public at some point to encourage Apple TV specific apps that might be designed to work with the remote interface in mind. 

Readers should note that the original iPhone jailbreaks enabled native iOS apps well ahead of Apple's official App Store launch. Lights Off was the first native iOS game, released for jailbroken iPhones in August 2007. The official App Store wouldn't launch for another 10 months

Apple reportedly interested in NAND flash memory company Anobit

Anobit, a company that makes NAND flash memory — the kind used extensively in everything from iPhones to iPads to MacBook Airs — is apparently in Apple’s acquisition radar of Apple. According to TechCrunch, the price could even be in the $400 – 500 million range.

What makes Anobit stand out from the crowd is their highly innovative, efficient solution based on its proprietary MSP (Memory Signal Processing) technology and which aim sto improve the speed, endurance and performance of the drives. Purchases of non-software related companies are usually pretty rare, and only two have been documented by Apple, so we will wait to see if this all plays out.

Apple leaks "iPhone 4S" product name in latest iTunes beta

With just days to go before the company is expected to detail its latest iPhone offerings, Apple has let slip references to an Phone 4S in its latest iTunes beta.

References to the much-used iPhone 4S moniker could be found in the Info.plist file of the MobileDevices bundle that was included with the ninth beta of iTune 10.5 released Friday. .

Specifically, device preferences for Item 7 and Item 8 in the Info.plist file describe a black and white iPhone 4S whose display icons (below) depict models that look identical to the existing black and white CDMA iPhone 4 introduced earlier this year.

The discovery can be seen as further evidence that Apple is gearing up to introduce iPhones next Tuesday, Oct. 4th that bundle an 8MP camera, 512MB of RAM, support for HSPA+ and the iPad 2's A5 processor and dual graphics, but do so in a the current CMDA iPhone 4 design.

However, the new iPhone 4S is expected to be a dual-mode phone, meaning the same iPhone 4S can be used on either CDMA or GSM networks. Currently, Apple markets separate iPhone 4 models for CDMA and GSM networks.

 
Click Image to See Larger more Readable View

Talk of Apple taking a dual-route strategy this year by releasing both an iPhone 4S and a more advanced iPhone 5 began to cool off this week, withleaked parts and casings all pointing to a product dubbed iPhone 4S.

In addition, insider Ming-Chi Kuo reported that his industry checks turned up no sign of a redesigned iPhone 5 in the pipeline. Instead, he toldAppleInsider that Apple was manufacturing a model that looks largely the same as the current iPhone 4, only with an improved antenna design.

Dubbed "N94," the new iPhone model will reportedly also use the same Gorilla glass for its back panel. Kuo also said it will be available in both black and white models at launch, and 60 percent of units assembled so far have been of the black variety.

 

Echoing a report from earlier this month, he also said that Foxconn will be responsible for manufacturing 85 percent of Apple's fifth-generation iPhone units. The other 15 percent will reportedly be assembled by Pegatron.

Each will run iOS 5, which is rumored to bundle new voice recognition technology in the form of a new application dubbed Assistant, which will allow users to speak to their iPhone and accomplish a number of tasks through natural language, like sending text messages, looking up information, or scheduling an appointment.

The functionality is believed to stem from Siri, a "personal assistant" application for the iPhone that Apple purchased in April of 2010.

In all Apple is said to be building 30 million fifth-generation iPhone units by the end of calendar 2011. If Apple were to meet that goal and sell all of the handsets in the holiday quarter, it would easily best the record 20.34 million iPhones Apple sold in its June 2011 quarter.

T-Mobile: Sorry, but we're not getting the iPhone

If there was any lingering hope that T-Mobile USA would start offering the iPhone soon, the carrier's marketing chief just killed it.

T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman posted a letter to customers on the company's blog yesterday, saying that while he would love to carry the iPhone, the company is currently focusing on "the best that Android has to offer." Translation: T-Mobile is definitely not getting the iPhone in the near future.

T-Mobile now stands as the only national carrier left out of the iPhone game, with all indications pointing to Sprint Nextel joining AT&T and Verizon Wireless as an Apple partner. That's a significant disadvantage for the company, which is already struggling to return to growth and stem customer defection.

"We've heard from many customers who love their T-Mobile service but are disappointed that we don't carry the iPhone," he said in his letter. "To these customers, first, thank you for your business."

He did note that more than 1 million T-Mobile customers use an unlocked iPhone on its network. The GSM version of the iPhone--which is what AT&T uses--can be moved on to T-Mobile's network but can only access the slower 2G network. Brodman reiterated his interest in a "no compromise" iPhone experience on its network.

Brodman also talked up the growing popularity of Android and touted the company's recently unveiled devices, the Samsung Galaxy S II and the HTC Amaze.

"We're very confident that these Android smartphones rival or beat any smartphone out there, in terms of functionality, speed, overall experience, and features--including the iPhone," he said.

Still, that's small comfort for customers who were looking for the iPhone to hit every carrier.

How To Jailbreak iOS 5, 4.3.5, 4.3.3, 4.2.10 On iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad With RedSn0w 0.9.9b1 for Mac OSX

A couple of days ago, as promised by MuscleNerd, the iPhone Dev-Team have released a new version of RedSn0w with some new and exciting features. Which range from auto ipsw detection to having the ability to save your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad’s SHSH blobs. As this new version of RedSn0w significantly changed the Jailbreaking process, we have decided to create a how to guide on Jailbreaking your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad running the iOS 4.3.5, 4.3.3, 4.2.10 and iOS 5 beta series firmwares on the Mac OS X operating system.

Note #1: RedSn0w 0.9.9b1 supports all iDevices except iPad 2 

Step 1) - Download RedSn0w 0.9.9b1 for Mac OS X using the download mirror below.

Download RedSn0w 0.9.9b1 (Mac OS X)

Step 2) - Once you have downloaded RedSn0w 0.9.9b1 you will need to simply launch it by double clicking on the redsn0w app.

Step 3) - With RedSn0w 0.9.9b1 up and running you will need to click the Jailbreak button if you are trying to Jailbreak the iOS 4 firmware generation.

If you are trying to Jailbreak any of the iOS 5 beta firmwares you will need to manually select it by going to click the Extras button > Followed by clicking the Select IPSW button. Upon clicking the Select IPSW button another window will appear where you will need to select your iOS 5 beta firmware.

Step 4) - Upon clicking the Jailbreak button or selecting your custom IPSW (depending on which iOS firmware you are trying to Jailbreak) you will come to a screen where you will need to put your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into DFU mode. Read through and follow the instructions presented to you which is to plug in and power off your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad and click the next button.

Step 5) -When you click the next button you will need to follow the instructions presented to you to put your to put your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into DFU mode.

• Hold down Power (corner) button for 5 seconds.
• Without releasing the Power button, also hold down the Home (bottom center) button along with the Power button for 10 seconds.
• Without releasing the home button, stop holding down the power button for up to 15 seconds.

Step 6) – After you successfully enter DFU mode on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad RedSn0w 0.9.9b1 will begin Jailbreaking your iDevice. DO NOT interrupt or use your computer during this time. When your iDevice is finished being Jailbroken it will reboot into a Jailbroken state. Congratulations.

Optional: Booting Tethered - If you are Jailbreaking any firmware version above the iOS 4.3.3 firmware (iOS 4.3.4, iOS 4.3.5, iOS 5 betas, Verizon iOS 4.2.9-4.2.10) you will have a tethered Jailbreak. Meaning in order for your iDevice to turn back on you will need to boot it using RedSn0w (this applies every time your iDevice looses power). To do this launch RedSn0w again and click theExtras Button > then click the Just boot button and you will simply need to put your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into DFU mode again.

Note: Yes, you need to do this every time your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad looses power.

Upon following our how to guide you should now have a Jailbroken iPhone 4, 3GS, iPod Touch, iPad running the iOS 5, 4.3.5, 4.3.3, 4.2.10 firmware with RedSn0w 0.9.9b1.

App Review: Tap Tap Revenge 4

With a similar design to the Guitar Hero franchise, Tap Tap Revenge 4 is a game in which the player taps the approaching bubbles on the screen of their chosen iDevice in rhythm to the song of their choice.

It’s a simple game which kills time, makes your finger’s ache and offers the chance to discover some new bands from dance to death metal with the opportunity to download more as the player progresses. Through a few screen taps, the player can be taken to a
song store where they can download featured free songs, song packs and singles of their choice through a wifi or 3G connection. As far as I’m aware songs can’t be imported from the iPod.

Through my time of playing Tap Tap, I’ve discovered a number of excellent bands and songs from various genres of dance, alternative, rock and metal.

Each song has four difficulty options: Easy, Medium, Hard and Extreme, some which can only be unlocked as the player completes more songs. As the name suggests, Easy is easy and can be played with one hand without fail. Extreme mode, however, requires extremely fast finger’s, a good sense of rhythm and the ability to not sweat a river.

As the player completes a song they are given ‘Experience Points’ and virtual coins/money which can be used to ‘buy’ clothing and accessories for their avatar but, disappointingly, not songs which, if they’re not available in the free sections, have to be purchased with real money (if anyone knows otherwise, please let me know).

Although this is a fantastic game which costs absolutely nothing and looks great on both the iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone there are some disadvantages such as the odd rubbish tune and the aforementioned paying for songs. The only way to pause it is by pressing the main centre button but ignoring those minor inconveniences, the whole game is one of the best.

So, the conclusion. What can be said other than “Get this game!”? Well, it’s one for any and every music lover and someone who likes to tap on things. Or maybe you’re bored of your current music collection and want something new.

Pros
- Downloadable/free songs given as player progresses
- Free
- Exercises one’s finger’s
- Introduces user to new bands and songs
- Constantly updated with new versions and features

Cons
- Some songs have to be paid for
- Not all included songs are good
- Songs can’t be bought with coins paid out

Rating: 4.5/5

More than One iPhone will be Released in October 2011 Says Al Gore

Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States and current Apple board member stated that new Apple iPhones will be released next month. This was said during a speech he gave at the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit. We aren’t sure whether he is referring to one new iPhone model on multiple carriers, or two new iPhone models. Either way this is more good news that further backs up the October iPhone 5 release rumors.

We’re expecting Apple to hold an event on Tuesday, October 4th to announce the next generation iPhone. Sales are expected to start almost immediately after the phone is announced, with the most likely date being Friday, October 14th.

Since we have still yet to hear any Official news from Apple, nobody knows exactly what they are planning. There are too many rumors and reports contradicting each other, but as of now we aren’t expecting the iPhone 5 to have much more then an upgraded camera and A5 chip. We are still completely in the dark in reference to it’s physical appearance, but we think it’s very unlikely they will keep it the same as the iPhone 4.

Apple Ready to Deliver 30 Million iPhone 5 Handsets with an Upgraded Antenna + Minor Changes

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is set to build and ship more than 30 million of its next-generation iPhone 5 handsets by the end of the year. Kuo believes that Apple is capable of reaching this target due to the anticipation and hype that’s building around the iPhone 5, which has yet to be announced or confirmed by Apple, but is largely expected to be shipping in October.

Kuo believes that the iPhone 5 will ship with the same amount of RAM memory as the iPhone 4 – 512 MB – and that the design, which features a glass front and back, will remain largely the same. It’s also rumored that the iPhone 5 will ship with a completely redesigned antenna system, which caused a huge PR nightmare for Apple during the launch of the iPhone 4. It was discovered by users and media outlets that the cellular reception of the iPhone 4 could be drastically reduced by covering the bottom left and right corners of the iPhone 4 with a hand. Apple ended up giving users a free ‘bumper’ case to offset the antenna issues, but with a new phone comes the opportunity to fix the issue.

The iPhone 5, which has been dubbed the ‘N94’ handset, will apparently also make use of Corning’s Gorilla Glass for its front and back panels. Kuo is confident that the iPhone 5 will come in both white and black, and that both colors will ship at launch. According to his sources, Kuo indicates that about sixty percent of the iPhone 5 handsets built so far have been black, with the remaining designed in white. It’s widely known that China-based manufacturer Foxconn is handling almost all of the iPhone 5 assembly duties, with Pegatron picking up the remaining fifteen percent to help boost Apple’s launch and delivery capacity.

If Kuo is correct and Apple somehow does manage to deliver 30 million iPhone 5 handsets to users around the world before the end of the 2011 calendar year, they will be smashing their own iPhone sales records. To date, the best quarter that Apple has had was the second quarter of 2011, which saw Apple shipping just over 20 million handsets through the end of June.

The report also alluded to an improved rear camera coming with the iPhone 5. Rumors have speculated that the camera will be an 8 megapixel module built by Sony, and may or may not feature an LED flash on the opposite side of the handset from the lens which is meant to reduce red-eye artifacts in photos. Kuo believes that the size of the rear camera lens and circuitry is one of the major reasons that the iPhone 5 will have a similar design to its predecessor, but with the rumor mill working furiously to try to determine what the iPhone 5 is all about, this could change.

One thing is certain: the launch of the iPhone 5 is getting closer by the day. Stay tuned for further information and expect an official announcement from Apple any day now.

App Review: Fruit Ninja

“All Ninjas hate fruit. Swipe them with your finger to end their journey.” With those introductory words from Halfbrick Studios, I knew that Fruit Ninja was everything I expected, feared, and hoped it would be. Refreshingly simple and oddly addictive, Fruit Ninja is a bargain at $.99 and a must-have for every iPhone and iPod Touch gamer. Who knew avenging yourself against produce could be so much fun?

In Fruit Ninja, you get to slice a diverse array of delicious fruit flying across your screen. This is no cooking game. This is a Kill Bill-style pulpy fruit massacre. Simply slide your finger across a fruit mid-flight and HI-YA! Fruit slices and a juicy splatter indicate that your fruit foe has been vanquished. While the graphics are fairly cartoony 3-D renderings, they're fun and fit with the overall feel of the game.

The game has two modes. In classic mode, you slice everything from coconuts to kiwis to watermelon while avoiding sizzling bombs. Combinations of fruit in one fell slash can bag you extra points. Watch out, though. You only have 3 lives, and once you let three uncut fruit drop off the screen, the game is over. In zen mode, there are no bombs and no penalties for dropping uncut fruit: you can just concentrate on slicing major fruit combos with samurai steel. Both modes allow you to post high scores on OpenFeint, a popular gaming network.

With beautifully rendered graphics, some pretty sweet sword options, and innovatively simple gameplay, Fruit Ninja is a great game for all ages and all types of users.

Now stop bothering me. I have some fruit to cut.


Rating: 4/5