MacRumors

Leaked images, mockups and schematics suggest the iPhone 6 will be Apple's thinnest iPhone model to date, with a side profile approaching that of the 6.1 mm iPod touch. A new report from Chinese media sources (Via GforGames) suggests Apple may face yield issues with the next generation iPhone due to its decision to minimize the size of the handset.

According to supply chain sources who spoke anonymously to China Times, Apple may use only one brightness enhancement film (BEF) in its LCD display as a space-saving measure. Current generation iPhone displays are supplied by Minebea and use two layers in order to improve readability in these backlit displays.

This change to a single layer technology may cause yield issues as the one layer has to be of a higher quality in order to take the place of two. To meet demand for this new part, Apple allegedly is looking to OMRON and Radiant as suppliers to supplement the projected output from Minebea.

Despite an earlier rumor that Apple was considering adopting "touch on display" technology for future iPhone models, this latest report claims Apple will continue to use the current in-cell display for its upcoming iPhone 6. Sources also claim the main suppliers for the iPhone will remain LG, JDI and Sharp, which was rumored to have been dropped from Apple's iPhone 6 supplier chain. According a report from Taiwan's Economic Daily News, Apple was said to be replacing Sharp with Innolux due to "Moire" issues with Sharp's early sample panels.

Though it won't comment on its role in future Apple products, Sharp did confirm it is betting big on Apple with an entire plant dedicated to producing displays for the Cupertino company, said Sharp Senior Executive Norikazu Hoshi in an interview with Japanese newspaper Nikkei (via CNET). Similar to other companies that supply Apple, Sharp faces some risk in this strategy with large swings in monthly production due to Apple's once-a-year product refresh cycle.

The No. 1 plant's output goes to just one company (Apple). If you look at just this plant, it certainly presents a high level of volatility risk. But if we make LCD panels for smartphones in large quantities at the No. 2 plant, we can absorb the impact even when the No. 1 plant is not doing so well.

Sharp, Minebea and other Apple suppliers are gearing up for the expected mass production of the iPhone 6 which is rumored to begin in July. The iPhone 6 is expected to launch in September and may be available in both a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch version.

Apple today announced it is updating its iTunes U app with new iPad-related features that'll make it easier for teachers and students to use the tablet device for their online courses. These new features will be available starting July 8th.

“Education is at the core of Apple’s DNA and iTunes U is an incredibly valuable resource for teachers and students,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “iTunes U features an amazing selection of academic materials for everyone around the world. Now, with the ability to better manage and discuss educational content, learning becomes even more personalized on iPad.”

The new app updates will allow teachers to create full courses completely on their iPad by importing content from iWork, iBooks Author or educational apps in the iOS App Store. Teachers also can use the camera on the device to incorporate photos and videos into the course material.

iPad-owning students enrolled in an iTunes U course will benefit from the update with a new discussion feature that allows them to collaborate with both teachers and other students in the class. Students can follow discussions and receive push notifications when new topics are created or new comments are added to an existing discussions.

The iTunes U app is a free download for the iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link: iTunes U]

We've seen a steady stream of mockup devices that claim to represent the form factor of the rumored 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6. While these mockups provide a fairly accurate look at Apple's upcoming iPhone hardware, they may not be completely accurate, claims Nikkei (via GforGames).

Though they may reflect the overall design, the iPhone 6 mockups have been produced quickly with low quality materials. This haphazard construction misses a few key design elements, the most notable of which is a curved glass display that Nikkei sources say will seamlessly transition into the aluminum shell that encloses the device.

Nikkei sources also say the antenna breaks, shown on the back of some mockups, will not appear in the final version of the iPhone 6. These white-striped lines are thought to mark out the location of the back panels and are not part of the final external design. As a result, the backing on the iPhone 6 may closely resemble the styling of the iPhone 5/5s.

This isn't the first report that claims the iPhone will feature a curved glass display. A report this year from Mac Otakara and an earlier one last year from Bloomberg also claimed the iPhone 6 will ship with a curved display that will lay flush with the phone's round corners.

Apple is rumored to be preparing both a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch version of the iPhone 6 for launch in September. The devices are thought to feature an A8 processor, an improved camera and a thinner design with oval buttons that are similar to the sixth generation iPod touch. The iPhone may be priced in tiers, with the larger 5.5-inch model costing $100 more than the 4.7-inch version.

Apple today debuted a new iPhone 5s TV ad called "Parenthood", focusing on various iOS apps and products for parents.

The ad ends with the "You're more powerful than you think" tagline, which was initially featured in Apple's first "Powerful" ad in April and in its "Strength" ad earlier this month.

Following Apple's announcement that it plans to cease further development on its professional photo editing software, Aperture, Adobe has released a statement encouraging Aperture users to check out its Creative Cloud plan or its standalone Lightroom app, a longtime Aperture competitor. The company says it is committed to helping former Aperture and iPhoto customers transition to Lightroom.

Put simply we're doubling down on our investments in Lightroom and the new Creative Cloud Photography plan and you can expect to see a rich roadmap of rapid innovation for desktop, web and device workflows in the coming weeks, months and years. We also continue to invest actively on the iOS and OSX platforms, and are committed to helping interested iPhoto and Aperture customers migrate to our rich solution across desktop, device and web workflows.

Known as Aperture's biggest competitor, Lightroom is another solution for professional photo editing. Adobe has a Creative Cloud subscription plan aimed specifically at photographers, offering access to both Photoshop and Lightroom for $9.99 per month. While this plan used to be temporary, Adobe recently made it a permanent addition to Creative Cloud. Adobe also offers access to its full suite of Creative Cloud apps, including Lightroom, for $49.99 per month.

Adobe has developed Lightroom mobile apps for both the iPhone and the iPad, both of which seamlessly connect to the desktop version of Lightroom, allowing users to edit and manage their library of photos on any device.

While both Aperture and Lightroom offer similar professional photo editing capabilities, Lightroom has enjoyed regular updates as part of Adobe's Creative Cloud, while Aperture has been falling behind for quite some time now. Lightroom received an update earlier this month, while Aperture was last updated in November of 2013.

Apple will no longer continue development on its professional photography application, Aperture, reports The Loop. Instead, the company is working on the Photos app for Mac that it introduced during the Worldwide Developer's Conference.

"With the introduction of the new Photos app and iCloud Photo Library, enabling you to safely store all of your photos in iCloud and access them from anywhere, there will be no new development of Aperture," said Apple in a statement provided to The Loop. "When Photos for OS X ships next year, users will be able to migrate their existing Aperture libraries to Photos for OS."

The Photos app, which was shown off only briefly during WWDC, will combine with iCloud Photo Library, replacing both Aperture and iPhoto. While Photos will allow users to store, search, and edit photos via the cloud on Apple devices, it is unlikely to include the more robust, professional-oriented tools found in Aperture.

Aperture, which has long lagged behind competing software like Lightroom from Adobe, saw its last major version update to 3.5 on October 22, 2013, and since then, the software has seen just one last minor update. One of the major complaints about Aperture has been its infrequent updates, and many users have wondered if and when Apple would release Aperture 4. With no plans to continue development, professional photographers will want to find another solution, such as Lightroom.

According to TechCrunch, Apple will continue to provide compatibility updates to allow Aperture to run on OS X Yosemite, but development will stop.

The teardown experts at iFixit have promptly torn down Apple's refreshed 16 GB iPod touch, a day after the device was announced and went on sale. The $199 iPod touch is Apple's new entry-level touch model, adopting the camera and color options of the existing fifth-generation models.

The teardown analysis of the 2014 16 GB model found no significant changes from Apple's current 32 GB and 64 GB iPod touch models, which were released in 2012. This "refreshed" device includes the same components as the existing 32 GB iPod touch variant, but with half the storage.

At least, that’s the way this camera-laden, 16 GB iPod Touch came to be. We delved inside Apple’s “refreshed” device and found the same components we’d seen in Touches of yesteryear, but with 16 GB of on-board flash memory. So it’s not really that this 16 GB variant gains a camera — instead, it loses half of its 32 GB of storage.

Apple has on occasion taken the opportunity of minor product updates to test out new components, but there is little evidence of that occurring with the new iPod touch. Several of the chips have slightly different part numbers than seen on the original fifth-generation iPod touch teardown, but it is not uncommon for such components to be tweaked at times over a product's lifetime. Overall, the layout of the logic board components on the new iPod touch appears identical to that of the original fifth-generation model, providing no evidence of any significant internal changes.

Besides hardware components, the 16 GB iPod touch also shares the same poor repairability of its higher capacity counterparts. As noted in iFixit's original teardown of the fifth-generation iPod touch, the device received a 3 out of 10 repairability score because of its non-removable battery and linked components that must be replaced in groups.

Apple's fifth-generation iPod touch is recognized for its ultrathin form factor and its bright color options, but the hardware is more than a generation behind, with an A5 processor and 5-megapixel iSight camera that put the device's internals on par with the iPhone 4s.

Even with the relatively dated hardware, however, it is unclear when we should expect a more substantial upgrade for the line. Apple traditionally uses its September event to unveil new iPod hardware, but with iPod sales in decline and this recent refresh and price drop to rekindle interest in the device, it is unlikely that Apple will make further changes to its iPod touch lineup in the immediate future.