Refining existing products and continually experimenting with new materials has been an integral part of Apple’s new product development strategy. Securing long term deals for components that are used in iOS devices has become fairly common. From touch screens, flash storage to even bulk booking of courier services, Apple’s strategy has been to invest in long term healthy supply of components.

Apple uses Sapphire to protect the iPhone camera lens and now the iPhone 5s also uses it as a protective cover for Touch ID sensor. According to a new report published by AllThingsD, Apple is building a factory in Arizona to boost the manufacturing of sapphire. GT Advanced Technologies earlier this week announced that they have secured a multi-year deal with Apple to manufacture sapphire in the Arizona facility.

As a part of the deal between the two companies GT will supply and manage sapphire production and in return Apple will prepay approximately $570 million. The new facility will result in more than 2000 jobs in engineering, manufacturing and construction according to Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet. It was also revealed that the facility will run on 100 percent renewable energy from day one.

GT is expected to research and develop larger capacity furnaces to increase the production of sapphire and as a result reduce cost of the component. Apple’s increased interest in sapphire is certainly an indication of it becoming an integral part of future devices from the company.

Many are speculating that sapphire could possibly replace Corning Gorilla Glass, which has been used in more than 1.5 billion devices worldwide. This is based on the fact that sapphire is used in the high end watches. However, corning has come forward and published articles on why they don’t view sapphire as a threat.

Although sapphire is a leading product for the cover of watches and camera lenses, many of its features are not well suited for use in the consumer electronics industry.

According to tests performed by Corning, sapphire fails to provide the same durability when used at the same thinness as Gorilla Glass. However, the company agrees with the fact that sapphire is is harder to scratch.

It’s possible that Apple may use sapphire in the rumoured iWatch. Since watches are more prone to scratches the use of sapphire could make the product more resistant to scratches.

Apple is expected to introduce the new smart watch dubbed as “iWatch” in 2014. The watch is rumoured to provide a ‘connected’ experience. It will also feature sensors to track health related data. Samsung has already launched its own smart watch called Samsung Gear but the reviews haven’t been favourable. It will be interesting to see if Apple’s idea of a smart watch excites customers and if it manages to become a ubiquitous part of our lives.

Last week Apple Inc. (AAPL) announced that it would be offering a new iPad model with more storage. Today AAPL began offering the 128GB iPad on its online store with shipping estimate as 1-3 business days.

The higher capacity iPad is available in WiFi and WiFi + cellular models. The cellular models will be available with AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. 128GB WiFi costs $799 and WiFi+Cellular costs $929. Both versions carry $100 premium which is consistent with Apple’s existing pricing strategy for the iPad.

Apple announced the 128GB iPad on January 29, 2013 via a press release and highlighted the importance of offering twice the storage of the 64GB version. With more and more apps being available for the iPad, more flash storage would allow users to work with larger files and photos.

At a price of $929 for the WiFi + Cellular model the pricing is just $70 less than the entry level MacBook Air. With apps AutoCAD, iWork, iLife and many more available on the App Store users can create more content on their tablet. The new model would also help Apple push the profit margins.

Apple has been struggling with supply constraints, which affected both the new iMac and the iPad mini. During the earnings call Tim Cook noted that Apple could have pushed more iMac sales if the supply constraints would have not affected the launch. It will be interesting to see if Apple will be able to manage the supply for its new launches and push for higher sales figures.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) released a fifth beta of iOS 6.1 over the weekend, followed by the public release on Monday. However, before the final release could even be posted, reports began to suggest that code inside of the beta pointed to signs that AAPL may be looking to release an iOS device with up to 128GB of storage.

The day following the rumors, Apple officially confirmed the availability of a 128GB iPad, which will go on sale on February 5th. Until Tuesday, all of Apple’s iOS devices went up to a capacity of 64GB, including the iPhone 5 which would mean that the storage capacity would double on the iPad.

With more than 120 million iPads sold, it’s clear that customers around the world love their iPads, and everyday they are finding more great reasons to work, learn and play on their iPads rather than their old PCs,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With twice the storage capacity and an unparalleled selection of over 300,000 native iPad apps, enterprises, educators and artists have even more reasons to use iPad for all their business and personal needs.

As expected, the price for the 128GB iPad will cost more, with a extra $100 on top of current the top-end configuration, meaning that the Wi-Fi models will come in at $799 and the Wi-Fi + Cellular models will be up to $929 dollars. This price is very high for the avaerage consumer, but the 128GB iPad is targeted for users who use a lot of storage for photos, videos, and large apps such as photography applications.

Rumors that Apple was looking to release a 128GB iOS device spread quickly, after the code in an iOS 6.1 beta pointed to such a release. Soon after, the device began showing up in retail databases and is now confirmed by Apple. With every passing year, the cost of flash storage becomes cheaper so 128GB would even be possible on the iPhone in the next few years, if not sooner.

{Via MacRumors}

On Tuesday, alongside the announcement of the new iPad mini and the 4th generation iPad, Apple Inc. (AAPL) also went ahead to introduce a thinner, lighter 13 inch MacBook Pro with a Retina Display. The new MacBook Pro is only 0.75 inches and 3.57 pounds in weight, making nearly 20% thinner than its predecessor and about a pound lighter and also has a FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones, improved speakers, faster 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a MagSafe 2 charging port.

With the newest addition to the MacBook lineup, AAPL has made nearly all of its products into portable machines. The 13 inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display does not have an optical drive as with most of Apple’s Mac products, and instead sports a slimmer form factor with a Retina Display that has 227 pixels per inch and flash storage that is faster upon startup.

With the transition to flash storage, Apple can produce thinner and lighter machines that start up and run programs much faster than the last generation. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is now one of Apple’s base models, with a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage starting at only US$1,699. Users then have the option to configure their machines with 256GB of flash storage coming in at US$1,999.

The 13 inch and 15 inch MacBook Pros with Retina Display are on sale in Apple Stores and online with free shipping.

Are you planning to buy the MacBook Pro with Retina Display? Do you think it is worth the upgrade?

Apple’s next version of OS X, Mountain Lion came out early Wednesday, adding over 200 new user features including Messages, Notification Center, Notes, and iCloud. Alongside some of the iOS like features introduced in the update, Apple also released a new feature via a firmware update in OS X 10.8 called Power Nap. PowerNap was previously announced at Apple’s WWDC 2012 and allows any Mac running the feature to receive email, update software, and syncing the calendar while the computer is sleeping.

Apple released a support document, highlighting the full abilities of OS X Mountain Lion. Full features of the update include: Syncing Mail, Calendar, Contact and Reminders as well as downloading software updates and Time Capsule backups. The Power Nap feature is currently only available on Mid-2011 Macbook Air and beyond as well as the new 2012 Retina MacBook Pro, both of which operate on SSDs (Solid State Drive).

Flash storage is a requirement for the feature as it can operate faster and more efficiently, using less power. The update was brought to 2011 MacBook Air via a firmware update and is expected to appear on the Retina MacBook Pro, likely through another firmware update.

{via MacRumors}

On Monday, a report from Bloomberg suggested that Apple is expected to release a thinner Macbook Pro at this year’s upcoming WWDC 2012. Rumors that Apple would be discontinuing the 17” Macbook Pro and introducing a thinner model have been on the web for quite some time, but no credible sources have produced any solid information as to when the public would see the new Macbooks.

According to the report, the new thinner models of the Macbook Pro would be adopting a number of features from the current Macbook Air, including the flash storage in order to give it a faster startup time and help to extend the battery life. The Macbook Pro line has not had a redesign since 2008, but has received upgraded internals, including the new i5 and i7 chips from Intel.

Bloomberg also mentioned that Apple may announce the release date for the latest OS X Mountain Lion that the company issued a developer preview of earlier this year. Apple has focused its attention on making its products as portable as possible, first with the iPhone, followed by the iPad, and did the same with the Mac starting with the Macbook Air. Apple’s WWDC conference, when the thinner Macbook Pro is expected to be announced is going to be held from June 11-15 in San Francisco.

{via MacRumors}