MacRumors

Rumors of a narrower and thinner design for the fifth-generation iPad have been circulating for a number of months now, with Apple reportedly taking some design cues from the iPad mini in redesigning the full-size iPad with narrower side bezels, a thinner shell, and more rounded curves.

As long ago as last December, rumors indicated that the new iPad would shave off 4 mm in height, 17 mm in width, and 2 mm in thickness compared to the current design, and based on those rumors and leaked rear shell photos, we created renderings of what the device might look like fully assembled. A number of photo leaks of the rear shell and front panel of the device have continued to support the claims of the iPad mini-inspired redesign.

A case maker's design drawings have now been provided to AppleInsider showing the expected exact dimensions of the fifth-generation iPad. According to the drawings, the next iPad will measure 7.5 mm thick, a full 2 mm thinner than the current iPad and 0.3 mm thicker than the iPad mini.

The new iPad will only shave a little more than 1 mm off of the height of the current iPad, but the much narrower side bezels will reduce the width of the device by over 16 mm or nearly 9%.

Similar design drawings surfaced for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, and while they were nearly spot on in several of their measurements, it should be noted that those drawing had pegged the iPhone 5c as being 8.5 mm thick while the official thickness according to Apple is 8.97 mm, indicating that these design drawings are not always perfect.

Earlier this week, we noted that a number of regional carriers in the United States and Canada had begun announcing plans to begin selling the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on October 1, representing a coordinated expansion of availability for the device even as iPhone 5s supplies remain extremely tight.

One notable exception to the list of carriers launching the new iPhones on that date was Virgin Mobile, but in a pair of Tweets issued today the company has announced that it too will be part of that October 1 rollout.

Virgin Mobile, a prepaid brand from Sprint, first began carrying the iPhone in June 2012 with the iPhone 4s and iPhone 4. The carrier did not begin selling the iPhone 5 until June of this year, some nine months after the handset debuted on the major U.S. carriers.

Following the emergence last week of new photos that appeared to show the rear shell of the next-generation iPad mini in Apple's new "Space Gray" color, new photos of an alleged "gold" model with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor have surfaced on Chinese website Zol.com.cn [Google Translate] (via Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translate]).

Specifically, the first photo of the device shows the lower half of the device from front, which appears to reveal a metal ring around the home button, much like the recently released iPhone 5s. The second photo from the set shows the tablet from the rear, revealing a gold finish similar to that of the gold iPhone 5s.

We do, however, have some concerns over the legitimacy of the images, as the staged environment lacking much context could be indicative of these simply being high-quality renderings rather than actual photos. Suspicions are also raised by the fact that this device appears to be fully assembled, which is a far more advanced state than has been seen before, as until now only various part leaks have surfaced.

Apple is expected to unveil its second-generation iPad mini with Retina display and fifth-generation iPad at a media event within the next month or so, although a report from earlier yesterday indicated that the next-generation iPad mini may not ship alongside the new full-size iPad.

The Federal Aviation Administration advisory committee has recommended that electronic device restrictions on commercial aircraft be relaxed. According to the committee, airline passengers should be permitted to use smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and other personal electronic devices during taxi, takeoff and landing.

The 28-member committee agreed on the recommendations during a closed-door meeting, the officials said. The recommendations will be included in a report to be delivered to the FAA early next week, they said.

Current rules prohibit the use of electronic devices such as the iPad or the iPhone below 10,000 feet, which means airline passengers are instructed to power off their devices as the plane ascends and descends. Pilots and crew, however, are allowed to use iPads during all phases of flight and many airlines have replaced pilot flight bags with iPads to reduce weight and save money.

The ban has been in place to prevent electronic devices such as cell phones from interfering with cockpit equipment, but modern planes are designed to prevent electronic interference.

The Federal Aviation Administration began reexamining the regulations that ban electronic device usage below 10,000 feet last year, and in March, the FAA’s advisory committee reported that it hoped to loosen device restrictions by the end of the year.

Under today’s recommendation, passengers would be able to use most devices, though some, like Apple’s iPhone, would need to be switched to airplane mode. Downloading data, browsing the web, and talking on the phone would remain prohibited, though reading e-books, listening to music, watching movies, and playing games would be permitted during all phases of flight.

The recommendation will be delivered to the Federal Aviation Administration next week, but it remains up to the FAA to decide whether to follow the recommendations of the committee. The FAA created the committee and was involved in committee deliberations, so it is likely that some of the changes will be implemented, though a timeline for the change is thus far unknown.

Apple and Staples have agreed to a deal to sell various iPad and iPod models on the Staples online store in the U.S., reports 9to5Mac. The deal will potentially expand to Staples' retail stores as well if the company is able to sell a certain amount of iPads per week.

The source says that if each Staples store refers one iPad sale per week in October, two per week in November, and five per week in December, Apple will be willing to sell iPads in physical Staples locations.

If Staples is able to meet Apple's sales goals it could see its brick-and-mortar stores selling iPads and iPods by early 2014, according to 9to5Mac. It would also be the second successful Apple test for Staples, as it appears that Apple and Staples' deal to sell accessories was a "testbed" to see whether Staples' customer base and Apple's products were a good fit.

In March, MacRumors revealed screenshots of training materials for Staples' sales associates that educated them on Apple's various products, including Macs, Apple TV, iPhones, iPads and more.

Currently, Staples sells iPads on its online store in Canada. Expanding into Staples' 1,500 United States retail stores would be a significant expansion of Apple's distribution chain. Staples also offers an appealing channel for businesses that already have billing accounts and existing relationships with the retailer for office supply needs.

U2 singer Bono, who heads up the (Product) RED charity Apple has collaborated with since 2006, today announced (via TechCrunch) Apple has raised more than $65 million to fight AIDS in Africa.

Since it first debuted a special edition (Product) RED iPod nano in 2006, Apple has released a number of (RED) devices, including several iPod nanos and shuffles. The company has also produced a (RED) iPad Smart Cover, iPad mini Smart Cover, and an iPhone Bumper, along with a new (RED) iPhone 5s case. For every (RED) product bought, Apple donates a portion of the purchase price to the charity.

(RED) works with companies like Apple to fight for an AIDS-free generation by 2015 by creating (PRODUCT) RED merchandise. A percentage of gross profits from the sale of those products goes to the Global Fund to help fund AIDS programs in Africa.

(Product) RED is affiliated with several other companies in addition to Apple, including Starbucks, Nike, and American Express, raising more than $200 million to date.

Apple today added a new page to its website featuring reviews of the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c from a number of prominent publications and sites. Carrying the tagline "It seems we've given people a lot to talk about," the review page is currently being featured on Apple's main iPhone page.

The feature page contains quotes from and links to reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Time, CNET, USA Today, Esquire, Engadget, Daring Fireball, AnandTech, and TechCrunch. Most of the quoted and linked reviews cover the iPhone 5s, although several address the lower-cost iPhone 5c as well.

Most of those reviews for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were published on Tuesday, September 17, several days before the devices launched to the public. Apple introduced the devices at a September 10 media event, and provided review units to several publications in advance of the public release, allowing them to publish their reviews in a coordinated release late on the 17th.

Apple has just released iOS 7.0.2, a minor new update delivering several changes including a fix for a lock screen passcode vulnerability. The new version arrives as Build 11A501 for all devices.

- Fixes bugs that could allow someone to bypass the Lock screen passcode
- Reintroduces a Greek keyboard option for passcode entry

Apple has detailed the two passcode issues fixed in this update in a new support document.

The iOS 7.0.2 release follows the launch of iOS 7 on Wednesday, September 18. That day also saw a special release of iOS 7.0.1 specifically for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, which launched on Friday, September 20.

While numerous leaks have shown that the next-generation iPad will be adopting smaller form factor based on that of the iPad mini, a new piece of evidence pointing to a launch in the relatively near future has surfaced in the form of a video from Unbox Therapy showing new Smart Covers in a variety of colors designed to fit the new form factor.

The video shows the new Smart Covers in gray, black, red, pink, orange, blue, white, and green. The video also shows the new Smart Covers attached to a fifth-generation iPad assembly of the rear shell and front panel, demonstrating how they fit the new design.

With the upcoming iPad measuring significantly narrower than the current-generation model, Apple will be shifting from the current four-panel Smart Cover to a three-panel design similar to that used for the iPad mini Smart Cover. As with existing Smart Cover products, the cover can be folded behind the iPad to act as a stand.

Apple is expected to launch its redesigned iPad and a Retina iPad mini in the near future, perhaps at a media event as soon as next month. Apple also has several updates to its Mac products still to come before the end of the year, and they may make an appearance at that same event.

Update: 9to5Mac has discovered that the alleged Smart Covers are actually being offered for sale on Chinese marketplace Alibaba for just $5 each, strongly suggesting that these are fake/knockoff Smart Covers not from Apple or its official suppliers.

Continuing its expansion of content offerings on the Apple TV, Apple today rolled out two new channels for the set-top box: MLS (Major League Soccer) and Disney Junior.

The MLS channel offers scores, standings, and video content from Major League Soccer, while also offering access to the MLS Live subscription program for live video of matches. MLS Live is priced at $24.99 for the season and a subscription can be used not only on the Apple TV but also on iPhone and iPad.

The new Disney Junior channel is similar to Disney Channel and Disney XD offerings added last month. All three channels require authentication through a participating cable provider for access to live and on-demand content.

Today's additions are the latest in a long line of new channels introduced to the Apple TV in recent months. In June, WatchESPN, HBO GO, Sky News, Crunchyroll, and Quello were added, and last month Apple debuted channels for Vevo, the Smithsonian, and the first two Disney channels. Deals with TWC and The CW are also said to be in the works.