Sony could spin off entertainment biz to better compete against Apple and Samsung

By Christian Zibreg on May 22, 2013

The ailing Japanese giant Sony could spin off its entertainment business amid heightened competition from the consumer electronics giant Apple and the South Korea-based conglomerate Samsung, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The news gathering organization writes the CEO Kazuo Hirai confirmed Sony’s board will discuss a proposal by U.S. hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb to spin off up to twenty percent of its movie, TV and music division because Sony has “fallen behind powerful rivals” such as Apple and Samsung in terms of both profitability and innovation… Read More

 

DigiTimes: 33 percent lighter iPad 5 on track for September release

By Christian Zibreg on May 20, 2013

DigiTimes, the-sometimes-reliable Taiwanese trade publication, on Monday ran a report which quotes sources with Taiwan’s supply chain who claim that a fifth revision to Apple’s full-size 9.7-inch iPad will be 25-33 percent lighter than its previous generation.

The fifth-generation iPad is believed to be entering trial production next month, meaning the device should be on track for a rumored September launch. Initial output is pegged at up to three million units until Apple and its manufacturing partners reach yield levels necessary to ramp up production… Read More

 

Apple ostensibly sampling 1.5-inch iWatch screens

By Christian Zibreg on May 20, 2013

The pretty accurate Japanese blog Macotakara passes along a pair of Taiwanese reports claiming that Apple is now evaluating and sampling tiny screens for its rumored smartwatch, affectionately dubbed by the media as iWatch. Apple’s technologies chief Bob Mansfield, who is believed to have taken particular interest in wearable technology, along with a team of 100+ engineers are reportedly evaluating 1.5-inch screens based on OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode).

OLED is important because it doesn’t require a backlight so it’s more batter-friendly than a liquid crystal display (LCD). Additionally, OLED screens render deeper black levels and are thinner and lighter than LCDs, which are major feats for small form-factor wearable gadgets like smartwatches… Read More

 

Apple reportedly cuts back on iPad mini screens ahead of next-gen model

By Christian Zibreg on May 17, 2013

The hit-and-miss DigiTimes, a Taiwanese trade publication, Friday reported that Apple is expected to cut back on iPad mini display orders in the third quarter of 2013 as it gears up to manufacture a second-generation iPad mini.

According to the publication’s supply chain sources, AU Optronics’ (AUO) shipments of panels for the iPad mini are expected to decrease from four million units in the first quarter of 2013 to 2.5-2.8 million units in the second.

AUO is also expected to see more order cuts going into the third quarter – not due to weak demand, but because it’s facing manufacturing issues so Apple is now expected to buy its iPad mini panels mainly from rival LG Display, which is also a rumored supplier of Retina-grade screens for the second-generation iPad mini… Read More

 

iPhone 5S may sport sapphire crystal capacitive Home button with fingerprint sensor

By Christian Zibreg on May 14, 2013

The Home button has got to be one of the defining features of the iPhone’s clean rounded rectangular design. Whereas some other manufacturers add a bunch of physical buttons to their gadgets, Apple instead has moved all controls to the iOS software, leaving only the Home button on the iPhone’s face.

That could change with the iPhone 5S, the next iPhone refresh expected later this year. If a new rumor is to be believed, Apple will for the first time replace the iPhone’s Home button – prone to failure after long periods of use – with its capacitive counterpart.

This isn’t new: many Android handsets have touch-enabled “buttons” like Samsung’s Galaxy S series, for example. Apple’s innovation, the story goes, involves using sapphire crystal to prevent scratches and dings and protect the integrated fingerprint sensor… Read More

 

Pegatron CEO: Bloomberg is lying about ‘falling iPad mini demand’

By Christian Zibreg on May 9, 2013

The credulous Bloomberg yesterday covered Pegatron’s investor conference where the contract manufacturer announced a whopping 80 percent year-over-year growth in first-quarter profits.

Pegatron also cautioned investors that second-quarter revenue may drop between 20 and 30 percent amid the broader decline in consumer electronics demand.

However, writer Tim Culpan decided the story wasn’t newsworthy enough in and of itself. And in his quest for pageviews, the reporter reckoned he better run the piece under the more Apple’s doomsday headline, “Falling iPad mini demand to push Pegatron electronics sales down.”

Well, guess what? 24 hours later, Pegatron CEO steps forward and tells the media that Culpan put those words in his mouth and completely fabricated the ‘falling iPad mini demand’ part. And there goes Bloomberg’s credibility right down the drain… Read More

 

Apple close to striking landmark iPhone deal with China Mobile

By Christian Zibreg on May 9, 2013

Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty was visiting Hong Kong and Taiwan recently. She is now back from China with some interesting Apple news. Tim Cook & Co., she wrote in her note to clients, may be close to striking an iPhone distribution agreement with China Mobile, the world’s top wireless carrier by revenue and subscribers.

Specifically, Huberty wrote that “TD-LTE licenses, and related phone launches, are expected by year-end,” in her note to clients. China Mobile debuted small-scale TD-LTE network in 2010 and last year expanded coverage to select large cities. In case you were wondering, TD-LTE is a variant of the fourth-generation Long Term Evolution radio technology, also known as LTE… Read More

 

Pegatron ramping up hiring for budget iPhone production?

By Christian Zibreg on May 9, 2013

Just a day after contract manufacturer Pegatron warned investors its second-quarter earnings could drop up to 30 percent due to softening demand for iPad mini, other tablets, e-books and games consoles comes word that the company has ramped up hiring as it needs an additional 40,000 workers on top of its existing 100,000 employees.

The 40,000 additional workers are needed to presumably assemble a rumored less-price iPhone model for Apple, Reuters speculated Thursday, reiterating it heard from suppliers that Apple is indeed “developing a cheaper model of the phone” in order to broaden its sales base to lower-income buyers in growth markets such as China and India… Read More

 

‘iPhone 6′ allegedly listed in Vodafone retail system

By Christian Zibreg on May 9, 2013

These things are easily fabricated (as is any Apple rumor, for that matter) so it pays to take this one with a few pinches of salt.

A new report Thursday by Stuff.tv suggests Apple this year could abandon iPhone S-upgrades, based on an alleged listing in Vodafone UK’s retail system which mentions a product listed as a ’4G iPhone 6’.

Evidence backing the report: a blurry image of a retail system listing purportedly taken by a Vodafone employee. Now, we’ve heard crazy stories of Apple potentially releasing not one, but a few new iPhones this year. However, the most credible sources point to an iPhone 5S upgrade and the rumored budget iPhone model in 2012, eventually followed by an iPhone 6 in 2013… Read More

 

iOS 7 spikes in web traffic logs ahead of WWDC

By Christian Zibreg on May 8, 2013

With a little over a month until Apple’s summer conference for developers, web site owners are now beginning to see a noticeable spike in traffic from devices that run iOS 7 beta code. Analysis of traffic logs and IP addresses reveals some of that traffic originating from Apple’s Cupertino campus, which is usually a tell-tale sign that Apple is seeding the work-in-progress code internally to select engineers.

However, the mobile site conversion firm Onswipe over the past week or so started seeing iOS 7 traffic spikes across a bunch of web sites that incorporate its solutions… Read More

 

Apple to begin producing multiple new iPhones next month, per Morgan Stanley

By Ed Sutherland on May 8, 2013

A well-known Wall Street Apple observer expects Apple’s manufacturing partners to start producing multiple new iPhone models in June or July, with the new smartphones introduced around September.

While the analyst note meshes with today’s report of Sharp gearing up to begin mass production of the iPhone 5S screens next month and other reports mentioning multiple iPhones on Apple’s roadmap, what’s perhaps most interesting is word that any drop-off in iPhone demand seems to be over.

And in her additional remarks bolstered by others, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty tells investors Wednesday that Apple could sell many iPhones in China even if the device were not priced cheaply… Read More

 

iPad mini 2 Retina screens reportedly entering mass-production next month

By Christian Zibreg on May 7, 2013

NPD DisplaySearch is on a roll. After reporting yesterday that Apple could release two Retina-enabled iPad mini models – one in the second half of this year and another in the first quarter of 2014 with an updated processor, the display market researcher tell CNET today they think those high-resolution Retina panels for the second-generation iPad mini could go into mass-production soon, as early as June or July of this year.

If true, and assuming satisfactory yield rates, Apple should be able to ready its first Retina iPad mini for a Fall introduction, a time frame KGI Securities’ well-informed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently outlined based on his own sources… Read More

 

Your fresh batch of attractive iWatch renders

By Christian Zibreg on May 6, 2013

I’m a big fan of 3D artist Martin Hajek and his work. In case you’re unfamiliar with Hajek, he’s the brains behind the often gorgeous renderings of rumored Apple products and is renowned for his 3D modeling skills, as evident in his exquisite renderings. Back in March, Hajek created a more traditional concept of the rumored iWatch for the MacUser magazine.

He’s back at it again, having created a fresh batch of alleged Apple smartphone mockups for the April 2013 issue of the magazine… Read More

 

Reliable parts supplier confirms budget iPhone

By Christian Zibreg on May 6, 2013

We usually don’t put our faith in Apple rumors originating from Asian part suppliers who often just make stuff up in the hope of banking on free press to promote their business. But ETrade Supply is different. The parts and repair shop last year leaked accurate photos of the iPad mini display panel, as well as the iPhone 5 front and back panel, to name just a few.

This points to ETrade Supply having some solid sources in the Apple supply chain and probably inside Foxconn, Apple’s favorite contract manufacturer. In a blog post published Monday, the supplier claimed its was able to confirm with its sources that Apple indeed will be releasing lower-end iPhone models this year… Read More

 

NPD DisplaySearch sees two Retina iPad minis

By Christian Zibreg on May 6, 2013

NPD DisplaySearch knows its display supply chain inside out and while they may not be the most accurate source of Apple rumors, more often than not their predictions have proved pretty accurate. In a report filed yesterday, DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim was quoted as saying that Apple is readying not one, but two Retina-capable iPad mini models, “one in the second half of this year, then one in the first quarter of 2014″… Read More

 

Google readying iPhone navigation and SMS support for Glass eyewear

By Christian Zibreg on May 3, 2013

Google’s Glass project, the head-turning augmented reality-enabled glasses that run apps, continues to get largely positive reviews across the board. The pricey $1,500 eyewear currently requires a companion Glass app running on an Android handset in order to present information, such as upcoming meetings and missed calls, rendered as a futuristic overlay in front of your field of vision.

According to a new report, the Internet giant is working on a simplified system that will allow Glass to work with any iPhone or other mobile device, over Bluetooth, and use your smartphone for turn-by-turn navigation and text messages… Read More

 

Budget iPhone could be $350 mid-range device

By Ed Sutherland on May 3, 2013

Android is gaining ground largely by offering a cheaper alternative to Apple’s higher-priced iPhone and iPad. Case in point: Acer’s just announced $169 Iconia A1 Jelly Bean tablet. Now, for some time there’s been a drumbeat for Apple to respond with a cheap smartphone of its own, one sold unsubsidized and off-contract to cash-strapped buyers in emerging markets.

However, now comes a voice suggesting Apple doesn’t have to slash prices to improve its market standing. Instead, it could offer a mid-priced iPhone and in the process could cut rival Samsung’s U.S. operations off at the knees.

There’s no need for hokey plastic fake prototypes or leaks from “insiders.” Apple needs only to repeat what its done numerous times in the past, opine two Wall Street Apple observers at J.P. Morgan… Read More

 

Initial budget iPhone volumes could be modest

By Christian Zibreg on May 3, 2013

Look, DigiTimes is far from being accurate, but this Asian trade publication is nevertheless well-connected and occasionally accurate. According to its Friday report, Apple could initially launch a rumored less-pricey iPhone in small volumes, pegged at no more than three million units during its first quarter of availability. The publication speculates Apple could release the budget iPhone in small volumes in order to “test market response”… Read More

 

iOS 7 said to feature optimized in-car Maps and Siri integration

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 30, 2013

Hot on the heels of a pair of yesterday’s reports which asserted that Apple’s upcoming iOS 7 will have a “very flat” user interface akin to Windows Phone’s ‘Metro’ visual style – along with Mac OS X 10.9 borrowing core multitasking features from iOS 7 – 9to5Mac writer Mark Gurman is back at it again with another exclusive. Today’s story details an alleged integration of Apple’s Siri digital personal assistant and in-house built Maps service in iOS 7 with your car’s dashboard… Read More

 

OS X 10.9 said to feature tabbed Finder with tags, iOS style multitasking and more

By Christian Zibreg on Apr 29, 2013

OS X 10.9, the next major revision to Apple’s operating system for Macs internally codenamed ‘Cabernet’, is up for introduction later this year, according to a well-informed writer. Specifically, Apple is apparently bringing more of core iOS features to its desktop operating system.

This entails stuff like iOS style multitasking that should prove functional by allowing background tasks to pause like on the iPhone and iPad. Finder, the Mac’s long-standing default file manager, is understood to gain power features such as tabbed browsing modes and tags.

An enhanced Safari browser is thought to include a redesigned backend for improved page loading, speed and efficiency, which reminds us a lot of Turbo browsing mode from the Opera mini browser… Read More

 
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