The camera in iPhone 5s might not have received a major update in terms of megapixels but Apple certainly made some fantastic improvements to its camera system. iPhone 5s camera now has larger sensor, pixels and an aperture of f/2.2.

These enhancements coupled with dual-led flashlight allow the iPhone 5s to collect more light for better looking shots. In addition to these hardware improvements Apple introduced new software features too.

Probably the most exciting feature is slow-motion video that enables you to record video in 720p and then select part of the video to show the video at 120 frames. Some of the videos shot in the new slo-mo mode show how dramatic scenes can be created using just your iPhone camera.

Rishi Kaneria {via Daring Fireball} has posted a video on Vimeo that highlights iPhone 5s slo-mo camera capability by shooting it in different scenarios. The results are amazing and while viewing the video it is hard to imagine that such quality was possible on a smartphone.

Apple often takes a feature and simplifies it to an extent where the user can simply concentrate on creating content and technology becomes invisible. The user shoots the video just like normally they would and iPhone does all the rendering and stabilisation in the background. Apart from selecting which part of the video you want to slow down there is no other setting. This simple approach makes the new feature in iPhone 5s appealing and something that users would love to use again and again.

Check out the video below.

Apple released the iPhone 5 several months ago, and already, reports are suggesting that a 2013 iPhone 5S / 6 and iOS 7 are beginning to appear in some developer logs. According to a report from TheNextWeb, some developers are seeing code that suggests that both a new iPhone and iOS 7 are being tested.

One developer showed us that Apple has been testing hardware relating to a new ‘iPhone6,1′ identifier, powered by a device running iOS 7, which is expected to be released by Apple in the middle part of this year.

Apple’s current flagship, the iPhone 5, bears the identifiers ‘iPhone5,1′ and ‘iPhone 5,2′ depending on the LTE model of the handset and the 4G bands on which it operates.

It is likely that the “2013 iPhone” that is referred to in the report is in fact, a resdesigned model. Apple is expected to release an “S” version of the current iPhone 5 as they have done with all other generations. However, over the past several months, the Cupertino company has been rumored to be working on a redesigned 7th generation iPhone. The report also mentioned that developers discovered that the new device found was running iOS 7.

Apple announced iOS 6 in June of 2012, and later released it to the public in October. This is likely the same timeframe that Apple will use for the new iPhone 5S and iOS 7 release, with a media event announcing both in June 2013, followed by a public release in the Fall. This would set up Apple for the holiday season of 2013, however, the device has also been rumored for release in mid-2013.

Many rumor sites are already speculating on features in iOS 7, and the next generation iPhone is expected to carry features such as Near Field Communication, updated cameras and possibly a new A7 chip. In the past, Apple has introduced an entirely new chip such as the A5 and A6 chips, followed by an A5X and A6X chips in new iPad generations. Other developers are beginning to see the next gen iPhone with iOS 7, suggesting that internal software testing has moved to advanced stage.

{Via MacRumors}

According to a filing with the SEC, Apple Inc. (AAPL) Senior Vice President of Technologies, Bob Mansfield has sold off 35,000 shares of AAPL stock for the price of $582.21 per share, which equates to about $20.4 million. Mansfield reportedly has 29,548 shares remaining with the company, and will be offered another stock option of 150,000 shares. These shares will be offered on June 2013 and also in March 2016.

Bob Mansfield announced retirement earlier this year when he held the position, SVP of Hardware Engineering. He later decided to stay as SVP of Technologies and now runs Apple’s wireless and semiconductor teams. This new position was given to Mansfield after SVP of iOS software, Scott Forstall was removed from the company following a string of issues with iOS Maps and Siri as well as Forstall’s strained relationship with other executives at the company.

Mansfield is receiving $2 million a month to stay at Apple and run these teams, which are still working through the management shakeup and fixing previous issues. With Mansfield still working at Apple, the company is retaining one of the original executives that is familiar with both the leadership of Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. Apple has had a major turnover with its retail chief, with the departure of Ron Johnson and John Browett and with the removal of Scott Forstall as iOS chief.

{Via AppleInsider}

Details of Apple’s next generation iPhone 5 appear to be spreading across the web, and now in Chinese newspapers as well. Earlier in the week, Apple.pro posted images of a story in Chinese-language newspaper Apple Daily. The newspaper reportedly obtained one of the many iPhone 5 enclosures floating around and measured the specs. In the report, the iPhone 5 was reported to be 7.6mm thick, down from the iPhone 4S’ current 9.3mm thickness.

This means that the next generation iPhone 5 could be 18% thinner than the iPhone 4S and drastically thinner than any other model in the past. Apple was likely able to achieve this new depth because of the change in screen size, moving up from 3.5 inches to 4 inches. However, the width of the next gen iPhone is expected to remain the same as the 4S.

Apple Daily also posted some higher quality images following its initial report which seem to show a great amount of change in the iPhone enclosure as well as the previously rumored, smaller dock connector, and altered speaker port and headphone jack. Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected to be announced September 12th, alongside a possible iPad Mini as well as the public release of iOS 6.

{via MacRumors}

Several days after releasing images of the next generation iPhone 5 mini dock connector, French site, Nowhereelse.fr reposted images from forum Weiphone of what appears to be the iPhone 5 logic board. The logic board, which houses the processor and chips for other functions appears to be built differently than the iPhone 4 and the current iPhone 4S. Leaked parts for the upcoming iPhone 5 have been coming out for several months now, and new parts have been appearing as the announcement date draws closer.

Nowhereelse noted in their report that this logic board likely belongs to the iPhone 5 because of how the screw holes line up with other logic board shells leaked prior to this one. Weiphone has a proven track record with photos of iPhone logic boards, accurately releasing images of the iPhone 4S logic board which turned out to house the A5 chip.

In recent months, a number of parts have surfaced for the next generation iPhone 5, including a 9 pin charger and even a fully assembled model. The iPhone 5 is expected to be announced as soon as September 12th and will likely be available for pre-order soon after, perhaps even the same day. The iPhone 5 is expected to have a larger 4 inch screen, likely a faster processor, mini dock connector, relocated FaceTime camera and headphone jack, and a thinner unibody design. Apple’s iOS 6 is also slated for release alongside the iPhone 5.

{via MacRumors}

Earlier this month, Apple Inc. (AAPL) withdrew its products from being certified by the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), which certifies over 95% of electronics in the U.S by a requirement by the government. AAPL’s 39 products under EPEAT’s were pulled without question, however, the company has now taken steps to address the media and the public on the parameters of its decision by issuing a letter.

In a letter from SVP of Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield, the company revealed that they are putting all eligible products back on EPEAT. Apple defended their decision to withdraw a few days ago, pointing out that withdrawing from EPEAT did not change the environmental credibility of their products. In a report from The Loop, Apple defended their decision and made their comments public.

Apple takes a comprehensive approach to measuring our environmental impact and all of our products meet the strictest energy efficiency standards backed by the US government, Energy Star 5.2. We also lead the industry by reporting each product’s greenhouse gas emissions on our website, and Apple products are superior in other important environmental areas not measured by EPEAT, such as removal of toxic materials.

In the letter, Mansfield addressed the company’s decision to withdraw from EPEAT certification and said that it “was a mistake” to do so. Mansfield also mentioned in the report that “all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT”.

We’ve recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT.

It’s important to know that our commitment to protecting the environment has never changed, and today it is as strong as ever. Apple makes the most environmentally responsible products in our industry. In fact, our engineering teams have worked incredibly hard over the years to make our products even more environmentally friendly, and much of our progress has come in areas not yet measured by EPEAT.

This means that products that meet a standard of disassembly can be certified by EPEAT, and as a result, Apple’s new Retina MacBook Pro might not qualify. It is interesting to note Apple’s approach in issuing a statement through Mansfield as opposed to one from CEO Tim Cook, likely to assure the public that the right steps were being taken to rectify the company’s products under EPEAT.

{via 9to5Mac}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) recently updated its ‘investor relations’ webpage to announce that the company will conduct a conference to discuss  Q3 FY12 Earnings on July 24. The live conference call will be held at 2 PM Pacific / 5 PM Eastern time. The call will later be available for streaming via QuickTime through Apple’s website.

AAPL has been reporting record quarters each year with sales of iPhone on the rise and outstanding sales figures of its tablet computer. During last quarter Apple Inc. reported revenue of $39.2 billion and quarterly net profit of $11.6 billion. The company sold 35.1 million iPhones, 11.8 million iPads, 4 million Macs, and 7.7 million iPods in the quarter representing 88% growth for iPhone sales and 151 percent increase for the iPad.

Apple’s CFO, Peter Oppenheimer, during the end of the conference call added,  “Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter, we expect revenue of about $34 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $8.68.”

The third quarter revenue hasn’t seen introduction of any new hardware while on the other hand iPhone sales are expected to slow down as users anticipate the launch of next gen iPhone 5. However, the new iPad 3 has been added to a number of new countries and the Cupertino based company is expected to report impressive sales figures for its tablet computer.

Moving forward Apple is expected to see higher growth in its Mac hardware products as with the introduction of MacBook Pro with Retina Display the company has shown its commitment to remain aggressive in the notebook business. The availability of MacBook Pro with retina display on Apple’s online store moved up to 3-4 weeks shipping time shortly after its release suggesting fast adoption rate among users. Although, Apple hasn’t released any public sales figures for the next gen MacBook Pro.

Apple’s upcoming software releases for OS X and iOS are also worth mentioning as the OS of both the platforms continue to merge. Mountain Lion for OS X will be made available to users later this month exclusively from Mac App Store and iOS 6 is expected to be made available later this fall.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) has been undergoing a number of changes in the past year, from Tim Cook taking over as CEO, the passing of Steve Jobs, and Ron Johnson leaving the company’s retail team. In a press release on Thursday, Apple announced that their SVP of Hardware Engineering, Bob Mansfield is retiring and will be leaving the company.

Bob has been an instrumental part of our executive team, leading the hardware engineering organization and overseeing the team that has delivered dozens of breakthrough products over the years,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are very sad to have him leave and hope he enjoys every day of his retirement.

Mansfield has helped Apple create some of its most successful products. He has worked with Mac hardware engineering since 2005, as well as hardware engineering for the iPhone and iPad since 2010. Mansfield’s dedication to the company began in 1999 when Apple acquired Raycer Graphics, where he held a VP position.

Mansfield will be replaced by Dan Riccio, who has worked with Mansfield in the past on iPad engineering and according to Apple “is very well respected within Apple and by the industry.” Riccio is currently Vice President of all iPad hardware engineering, and has been working on the device since the introduction of the first generation.

Apple will be losing one of the greats in hardware engineering, and like Jon Rubinstein and Tony Fadell, Mansfield will be looking at something new after his over 10 years of dedication to the company and enjoying his newfound retirement.

Just a year ago, the only carriers in the United States offering the iPhone were AT&T and Verizon. Since then, three major carriers have picked up the iPhone including Sprint, as well as a number of smaller regional carriers, such as C-Spire and Alaska Communications. On Thursday, Virgin Mobile announced that they will be offering the iPhone 4S, starting on June 29. Virgin Mobile is a prepaid brand operated under Sprint and offers a number of plans for a range of mobile phones. With the iPhone, Virgin Mobile is offering no contract service plans under $30 for customers that opt in for automatic payments.

Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk unlimited data and messaging plans for iPhone start at $35 per month for access to Sprint’s Nationwide Network, and customers can receive a $5 per-month plan discount when they register for automatic monthly payments with a credit card, debit card or PayPal account, making iPhone available for as low as $30 per month. Customers can also use their iPhone as a mobile hotspot through Virgin Mobile for an additional $15 per month.

Although Virgin Mobile is offering cheap plans and is not forcing a contract on customers, it is not subsidizing the iPhone and is offering it full price, at $549 for the 8GB model of the iPhone 4 and the 16GB iPhone 4S at $649.

Early last week, San Diego based carrier, Cricket announced its own prepaid plans for the iPhone and offered the hardware under subsidy, a $150 cheaper than Virgin Mobile’s current price. With Cricket charging less for hardware and more for service ($55 unlimited talk, text, web), the two carriers balance out in terms of price, when considering Virgin Mobile is charging far less for the service. Virgin Mobile is currently offering customers a variety of choices, $30 (300 minutes), $40 (1200 minutes), and $50 (unlimited minutes) and a data cap of 2.5GB.

Virgin Mobile will be selling the iPhone at Best Buy, Radio Shack, and other retailers around the country. Virgin Mobile’s adoption of the iPhone shows the popularity of the device, especially when considering that its parent company, Sprint also offers the iPhone with a contract. The iPhone is now offered on a range of different carriers, national, regional, and prepaid networks, Virgin being the latest to carry it.

{via MacRumors}

Apple has been rumored to release an updated line of MacBooks, most notably the new MacBook Pro, which is expected to take on the thin design of the MacBook Air. On Monday, Chinese forum Weiphone released an image of what appeared to be a specs sticker on the back of a 13.3 inch MacBook Pro box. The image revealed only minor additions to the MacBook Pro line, such as the new 2.5GHz Ivy Bridge processor as well as the new Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU. The specs also reveal that Apple is adding USB 3.0 for faster charging and data transfers as well as Bluetooth 4.0.

Although there were rumors that the MacBook Pro would be receiving the popular Retina Display, it appears that it will remain at the same 1280×800 resolution. Hard Drive and SuperDrive remain unchanged as well. It is likely that Apple is adding features very slowly so as not to cause any major changes to the operation of the battery in the Macbook. Adding a Retina Display could lower the battery life drastically, as would the addition of more RAM, and a faster HardDrive or SuperDrive.

The authenticity of the image remains unknown, although WWDC 2012 could bring hardware releases alongside a suite of software offerings, such as iOS 6 and perhaps another preview of OS X Mountain Lion. It is unclear if Apple will still be introducing a thinner 17 inch model, as the image only specifies the 13.3 inch model, but remains unknown until final announcement by Apple.

{via MacRumors}

I must admit, when a friend and I decided to take up app coding as a hobby to see if we could make a game, I thought mobile app coding was the same across the board. Guess what? It is not the same. Surprise I know, don’t get me wrong I didn’t think it was identical but I did think it would be more cross-platform than it is. Specifically, we’ll look at the differences of aesthetics between iOS and Android in this article.

In a nutshell, it’s easier to make good looking apps in iOS than in Android. Hipmunk UI/UX designer and iOS developer Danilo Campos explains: “The very simple short answer is it’s easier to make a good-looking, attractive iOS app compared to making an Android app.”

It’s no surprise that when you look at an Apple product vs. a Google product that the Apple product is going to most likely be more polished and sleek, also more expensive. This should give you a hint as to which one cares more about these qualities when it comes to software as well. Now that I sit down and think about it, it makes perfect sense, I just hadn’t thought about it.

Though many things that Apple product users such as myself see as issues with Android many Android users see as benefits. This might be true but some of these are the very reason for the apps not appearing as polished. One thing is for sure, it is is not for lack of talent in the Android development scene.

Let’s look at the reasoning before I am strung up by the Android users:

• Fragmentation: iOS devs have fewer resolutions and hardware profiles to worry about. The Android market is saturated with devices with different resolutions and hardware specs.

“Android devices come in different shapes and sizes, different screen resolutions, different device speeds – and that’s actually a huge hurdle,” Karma app co-founder Lee Linden told Wired.

• Images: Hipmunk generates its Android assets in three resolutions: 1x for older devices, 2x for high-resolution devices and 1.5x for other devices. Campos states that this is a must to avoid artifacting in some apps. The issue with this is that you’re spending more times on things like images and not on ground-breaking and cutting edge technology development. Even if you are, that’s added time and expense that iOS devs don’t have to worrry about.

• Tools & Documentation: Surprisingly, tools and documentation is less robust when it comes to Android. I say surprising as Android is more open than iOS. Part of that is that Apple has had a 20 year head start in developer support. That’s when you have to ask yourself, how old is Android really? That’s how long Google has been at developer support and it doesn’t come without some growing pains.

Campos states, “It feels like you’ve got more documentation, both officially sanctioned and thirdparty, so that makes things smoother.” He adds, “One of the hangups [with Android] is so much of the stuff doesn’t feel fully documented.” “Ryan, our Android guy, has to go digging around in the source code to figure out some XML formatting piece that isn’t made clear. That’s been painful for him.”

Overall, Google is learning from their developers and fixing many of the issues. Adding developer support pages to Google+ and also adding a much more robust Android training regiment. With these improvements, some issues still persist. The fragmentation remains as a major issue as less than 3 percent of Android devices currently run Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0). I’ll continue to monitor the progress as my company utilizes Google Apps for Business and I am a fan of all things Google, except Android. Sorry Android fans, it just hasn’t lured me away from iOS… yet.

{via Gizmodo}

UPDATE: Apple has announced “The new iPad” with retina display, A5X chip with quad-core graphics, 5 MP iSight camera and more.

Rumors of the iPad 3 release date have been floating around for quite some time now, and later today the world will see Apple’s next 9.7 inch tablet. Apple issued invitations for the iPad 3 keynote event last week that is scheduled to be held today at 10 AM PT in San Francisco.

On Tuesday, a report from The Verge suggested that Apple’s iPad 3 will be unveiled with a new A5X SoC which was seen in a leaked photo a few weeks earlier. The A5X may contain the same dual-core application processor found in the A5 but may support increased graphics performance and RAM.

Both the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S currently provide 512 MB of RAM, which may increase as a result of the inclusion of the new chip. The report also suggests that Apple will be releasing multiple versions of their 3G enabled devices with separate LTE models for AT&T and Verizon and other models for 3G GSM and CDMA networks such as Sprint.

There have been rumors flying that the iPad 3 would be LTE capable, and we’re told that it will definitely be announced for both the Verizon and AT&T networks tomorrow. To be clear, that would mean two distinct, separate versions of the LTE tablet (one for each network). In addition, there’s a third international model which does double duty on 3G; a CDMA / GSM model using a similar radio chipset to the iPhone 4S (a Qualcomm Gobi chip). That’s a little odd considering LTE chipsets from Qualcomm can be utilized on those same bands, but there may be reasons (cost for instance) that Apple would want to separate the hardware.

As with a number of other rumors confirmed by sources, it was reported that Apple will be using tomorrow’s media event to release an upgraded Apple TV with full 1080p video capabilities and will enable connectivity with Apple’s AirPlay technology and mirroring abilities, which will be available in the iPad and OS X Mountain Lion.

{via Mac Rumors}

Apple is expected to unveil and announce iPad 3 release date at a keynote event on March 7th. Over the past few months, a number of reliable sources have claimed that the iPad 3 would be released with not only hardware upgrades, but 4G LTE connectivity as well.

4G LTE roll out plans in the US are still underway and carriers are working towards proving the next generation fast networking to its subscribers. According to iMore’s sources iPad 3 will indeed feature 4G LTE connectivity:

4G LTE networking has been another mystery surrounding the iPad 3, with a compatible Qualcomm chipset becoming available, but international LTE coverage is still slim, and in some cases a year or more away. It sounds like Apple has 4G LTE lined up for iPhone 5 this October, but we’re still not certain if the iPad 3 will get it earlier.

The report notes that the source is same as the one who informed them about Apple’s iPad 3 media event scheduled for March 7th.

The same source that originally told iMore Apple would be holding their iPad 3 event on March 7 has now let us know that the announcement will in fact include 4G LTE networking. We’d heard previously that 4G LTE would be coming to iOS in 2012, but not whether it would make the cut for iPad 3, or whether Apple would save it for iPhone 5 in October.

4G LTE has only become popular over the last year in the United States and is not yet available on every network. If Apple is to include LTE networking, they are going to have to roll out the iPad 3 on Verizon which is currently the only network offering 4G LTE, then transition to others over time.

If Apple chooses not to include 4G LTE, they would have ot wait an entire year until they could include the technology in the iPad 4, although a few reports suggest that LTE model may make an appearance a few months following the initial WiFi only release. Apple’s media event is going to be Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco and will begin at 10AM PT/1PM ET.

{via Mac Rumors}

Apple’s App Store was released to the public in 2008, and started off with only a handful of apps. The App Store has since grown to become one of the largest online services in the world, suppling millions of iOS users with fun and intuitive applications. On Friday, Apple’s App Store finally hit the 25 billion downloads mark, making it the highest number of apps ever downloaded.

The winner of the promotion, who has not yet been announced, will be awarded a $10,000 gift card valid for App Store, Mac App Store, or any other iTunes Store content. Apple has conducted similar promotions in the past, for the App Store and iTunes Store and offered a range of products from iPod touch to Macbook Pro. The prize for 25 billion downloads is a $10,000 giftcard for online purchases with no hardware.

Apple has approved a total of nearly three quarters of a million apps for the App Store, with over 550,000 of them currently available in the store.

After its introduction in 2008, it took roughly two and a half years to reach 10 Billion downloads, and another six months to 15 billion downloads. With the latest 25 billion milestone, the iTunes Store acheived over 10 billion of the 25 billion mark in only 8 months, the fastest downloading period ever for the App Store.

The winner of Apple’s App Store promotion is expected to announced in the coming week once the company has verified the results and contacted the winner.

{via Mac Rumors}

Apple’s next gen iPad rumored to be called “iPad 3″ is expected to receive a 2048×1536 Retina display, a quad-core A6 system-on-a-chip, and possibly 4G LTE networking. Apple is consistently changing product cycle for the announcement of their next generation products, which was seen during the release of the iPhone 4S and the iPod refresh in 2011.

There have been many conflicting reports as to whether Apple will be retaining the current Apple A5 SoC, or switching to Quad Core A6 chip, which is almost double the power and would be able to handle a significant amount of usage and provide more RAM for applications.

Another interesting move by Apple could be 4G LTE networking, which is most notably available on Verizon and AT&T’s networks, which would allow the iPad to surf, download and upload at significantly faster than the current 3G speeds. However, many reports also deny that Apple will make the change to 4G LTE, with the high speed network still being in infancy and still being tested. It would be very un-Apple like to move to 4G LTE, which is a very risky move as it hasn’t been available for too long, making it very likely that Apple won’t be moving to LTE networks until the iPhone 5 at least.

As for the iPad 3’s cameras, rumors from iLounge suggest that Apple is looking to include a 5 or 8 megapixel rear camera and a FaceTime HD front camera. While the 5 megapixel camera seems more realistic for the iPad 3, an HD FaceTime camera seems unlikely.

Speculations of hardware additions for the iPad 3 have been circulating over the past few weeks, suggesting that the device is around the corner. Expect more rumors to surface in the coming weeks and around the first week of March.

On Friday, it was reported by AllThingsD that Ex-Apple executive Jon Rubinstein, who also worked for and left Palm is now leaving his latest position at HP. Jon Rubinstein is best known for his work on the iPod, Apple’s intro to the portable music player market, better known to some as Apple’s “gateway drug”, that has now led to the successful adoption of the Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

After Rubinstein left Apple, he moved over to venture firm, Elevation Partners and eventually made his way to Palm where he replaced Ed Colligan as CEO in 2009. Rubinstein assisted in the transition from Palm’s PalmOS to WebOS. WebOS went on to appear in the Pre, Pixi, and Veer smart phones.

Jon Rubinstein later moved back to an executive position after Palm was acquired by HP and oversaw the mobile division of HP. After numerous failed attempts of HP’s mobile strategies, Rubinstein was given a “product innovation role” to help lessen the blow to the company following Rubinstein’s departure.

Rubinstein has not yet announced what he plans to do next, although it is very likely going to be another excutive role at another tech company. However, if Rubinstein has learned anything, attempting to rush great software on sketchy hardware is not the best way to go, especially from his transition from Apple, who is currently leading the mobile devices market to HP who is at the bottom of the barrel.

{via TUAW}

In a report from Israeli business newspaper Calcalist, it was revealed that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is ramping up its operations in Israel post acquisition of Anobit. The report also mentioned that AAPL has begun looking over resumes to hire for its new research and development center in Haifa, Israel and has looked over “several hundred resumes” from engineers looking to work in the new center.

The new research center is expected to be run by Apple’s new hire, an Israeli high-tech executive Aharon Aharon. The report also notes that Apple is opening up its new research center in a location where companies such as Intel, Microsoft, and Phillips currently call home.

Apple is seeking expertise in chip development, more specifically in the electrical circuits and hardware testing and verification departments, many of which the companies mentioned above can provide. Apple’s research center is separate from its acquisition of Israeli flash memory firm Anobit, which, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, is currently being integrated into Apple’s ecosystem and will be headed by hardware engineering chief Bob Mansfield.

Reports from 9to5Mac also suggest that Apple has sent vice president Johny Srouji, who has had experience at other companies such as IBM and Intel, to oversee Anobit’s operations in Israel. Srouji joined Apple in 2008 and is now overseeing VLSI operations at Anobit, which focuses on chip design and implementation.

{via MacRumors}

iOS beta code has often revealed details about Apple’s upcoming devices. According to a new report published by 9to5Mac iOS 5.1 beta code has evidence that points to a quad-core A6 chip which is rumored to debut with iPhone 5 and iPad 3.

The references to quad-core iPhone and iPad chips come by way of a hidden panel that describes cores that are supported by iOS device hardware. The updated core management software includes an option of “/cores/core.3,” and this represents a fourth available processing core…

Apple’s custom A4 chip had a single core and then with the introduction of iPad 2 and iPhone 4S Apple introduced a dual-core A5 chip. Various rumors and reports by analysts suggest that Apple will introduce quad-core A6 chip.

The fourth generation device’s code contains option for “cores/core.1″ suggesting dual-core chip while the reference found in iOS 5.1 beta additionally mentions “cores/core.3″ suggesting the fact that Apple’s software could support quad-core devices in near future.

It is widely believed that Apple will introduce iPad 3 in March and iPhone 5 in July. Both devices are rumored to feature the A6 chip but only the iPhone is expected to see a major redesign while the iPad 3 will only see modest changes in hardware.

{via MacRumors}

On Tuesday, a report from BGR suggested that Apple is planning to launch a completely redesigned iPhone 5 in the fall of next year. With Apple’s trend of releasing iPhones dubbed with ‘S’ followed by a redesign, it is very likely that Apple will redesign the back of the iPhone 5 with an all aluminum back, getting rid of Apple’s current all glass design.

The report also suggests that the new fifth gen iPhone will include a plastic bumper of sorts, possibly to keep direct skin contact away from the antennas on the bezel of the iPhone. With the introduction of the iPhone 4, Apple experienced a press meltdown with customers suggesting that skin contact with the antenna would drop calls and bars on the network. The plastic would resemble a bumper of some sorts, with the antenna lying underneath.

We have also learned that Apple is planning to use a rubber or plastic material — similar to the material used in the company’s bumper cases — that will be built into the new iPhone case. In all likelihood, this material will be used as a bezel surrounding the front edge of the phone (like the iPhone 3GS bezel) and it will serve two purposes. First, it will join the glass iPhone face with a new aluminum back plate. It will also cover a redesigned antenna system that surrounds the device, allowing Apple to build the rear case out of aluminum without having to use a large plastic insert above the antennas as the company does on its iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G.

Apple’s iPhone 5 with a redesign, A6 chip, and Siri improvements is expected to be released sometime in Fall 2012, similar to the release of the iPhone 4S. It is also possible that Apple was set to introduce the iPhone 5 this year, but delay in getting Siri ready for release pushed the release to 2012, and reused the iPhone 4 design for the iPhone 4S. Various announcement dates have been speculated for the new iPhone, including a February through April timeframe, and the new Fall 2012 time frame.

{via MacRumors}

A local Chinese-language newspaper reported Friday that iPad3 might be launched on Feb. 24 to mark the anniversary of the birth of Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs.

Citing sources close to Taiwanese makers in the iPad3 supply chain, the Economic Daily News said the gadget could be launched in mid-first quarter of next year or by the end of next March.

It has also been reported that workers at iPad component suppliers as well as workers at Foxconn will have limited time off during the usual Lunar New Year holiday and may be working over time in order to get the iPad 3 available in the market in time.

The lunar holiday is usually January 23rd, and workers receive several days off around the time, however, with the iPad 3 now pegged for a February 24th announcement to honor of Steve Jobs.

The iPad 3 is expected to receive new features including Siri, and other hardware changes. The third ten tablet from Apple could feature the all-new A6 chip and a higher resolution display.

Taiwanese Mac blog Apple.pro published a photo earlier today of what is claimed to be a dock connector for the upcoming iPhone 5, along with details that suggest the fifth-generation device could also be available with a slide-out keyboard. Contrary to earlier belief that Apple could soon be moving away from its current dock connector, this new part features the same 30-pin connector used in current Apple devices, and is labelled “821-1300-02-HF/c1.”

A Google translation of the report also uncovers some more interesting rumors about the iPhone 5: apparently, the device will be “slightly thicker,” but will feature a “sliding cover” that could accommodate a hardware keyboard. The site also comments on the recent discovery of what is purported to be a fifth-generation iPhone digitizer – with a larger display window and thinner bezel – brandishing this part a fake.

This isn’t the first time a slide-out keyboard has been rumored for the iPhone 5 by the Taiwanese blog – a couple of weeks ago they claimed that three fifth-generation prototypes are currently being tested by Apple, one of which features a keyboard in a sliding cover. They did point out at the time, however, that this prototype could have been put together simply to test the concept, functionality, and form factor, and that it may not mean Apple are considering the feature for their iPhone.

The report also mentions that a future iPhone will boast a 3D screen, although this won’t be a feature of the iPhone 5.

Apple.pro has been the source of many hardware leaks in previous years, and as AppleInsider points out, last July the blog published pictures of a tiny touch screen that was believed to be destined for an “iPod touch nano,” but was later unveiled in Apple’s latest iPod nano. So the parts obtained from overseas suppliers by the blog certainly aren’t to be sniffed at.