MacRumors

As parts leaks have suggested, Bloomberg reports that Apple will release a thinner full-sized iPad in the final three months of this year -- this would suggest that the iPad would be released at a separate media event from the one supposedly scheduled for September 10th when the next iPhone is expected to be released.

Bloomberg also says Apple will release a Retina-equipped iPad mini in the same time-frame, similar to previous reports.

Apple Inc. is preparing to introduce a new version of the iPad with a thinner design, people familiar with the plans said, as the company works to stay atop the increasingly crowded tablet-computer market.

Apple also plans to introduce a new iPad mini, the first with a high-resolution screen, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the development is private. The new iPad models are set to be introduced in the last three months of the year, one of the people said.

The new full-sized iPad is expected to have a thinner screen bezel like the existing iPad mini, while the new mini is not expected to have any significant design changes.

Australian writer Sonny Dickson has shared some images of what he claims are the volume buttons for Apple’s upcoming low-cost plastic-shelled iPhone, dubbed the "iPhone 5C." The buttons are shown in bright shades of green, yellow, red, and blue, matching previous descriptions of the device.

The pill-shaped button design, which deviates from the round volume buttons found in the iPhone 5, matches up with design drawings leaked in June. Based on those drawings and other component leaks, MacRumors released renderings of the low-cost iPhone that clearly show what the volume buttons of the device could look like when fully assembled.

Though leaked component images and videos of the iPhone 5C have been surfacing at a rapid pace over the last couple of months, the prototype designs have thus far lacked full cut-outs for power and volume buttons.

In addition to a polycarbonate shell and a multitude of bright colors, Apple's low-cost iPhone is said to feature rear curved edges and a slightly thicker design. It is also said to share components with the current iPhone 5 and may be priced anywhere from $450 to $550.

Over the weekend, news hit that Apple would unveil its next generation iPhone at a September 10 event, but it remains unclear if the low-cost iPhone will also be revealed at that time. Additional images of the volume buttons in all four colors can be seen on Dickson's website.

According to a new report from App Store analytics firm Distimo, Apple's App Store revenue still tops Google Play revenue despite the latter’s increase in growth over the past six months.

While Apple's App Store revenue increased 15% over the course of the last six months, Google Play revenue increased 67%. In July alone, Google Play saw 11% growth, compared to the App Store's 3%.

A similar report from App Annie two weeks ago confirmed that App Store revenue remains 2.3 higher than Google Play revenue even though Google Play downloads eclipsed App Store downloads during the second quarter of 2013.

The majority of the App Store's revenue comes from the United States, followed by Japan and the United Kingdom. Though some countries like Russia spent more on iPad apps than iPhone apps, iPhone apps remain the biggest earners. While South Korea was also a top app spender, it was a majority contributor to Google Play revenue.

Distimo also looked at the top earning apps for July, finding that Candy Crush Saga continues to generate the most revenue in both the App Store and Google Play. In April, the company behind Candy Crush announced that it had earned more than $195 million in revenue, and it is estimated that the app earns approximately $800k per day.

While freemium-based Candy Crush Saga earned the highest amount of revenue overall, WhatsApp Messenger and Minecraft - Pocket Edition were the highest earning paid apps. Despicable Me: Minion Rush, another free app, saw the highest number of overall downloads, followed by Google Maps.

Distimo's app data comes from its app store analytics tool AppIQ, which tracks more than three billion downloads per quarter for developers worldwide.

Apple has quietly launched an over-the-air update to its Apple Store app today, replacing its first free content offering, Color Zen, with the children’s book Away in My Airplane by Margaret Wise Brown.

The free iBook offering was detailed in a note to Apple’s retail employees this morning (via 9to5Mac), notifying them that the download is intended to give them a reason to discuss the iBooks app and the iBookstore when communicating with customers.

Earlier this month, Apple launched an "iBooks Discovery" initiative, providing its employees with free iBooks in order to prepare them for the launch of OS X Mavericks and iOS 7. Mavericks will include the first Mac iBooks app, allowing users to read ePub files on their desktop computers.

Apple has begun offering free content via its Apple Store app in order to entice customers to download and visit the app on a regular basis, increasing their exposure to Apple products. The effort is part of a push to boost in-store sales of the iPhone, as 80% of Apple’s iPhone customers purchase their phones at third party retail locations. In a July meeting, Tim Cook noted that he would like to increase the company's iPhone sales, as it is considered to be Apple's central "gateway product."

Apple has also initiated other programs to increase iPhone sales, including an upcoming trade-in program and a Back to School program that offers customers a $50 gift card with the purchase of a new iPhone.

Away in My Airplane will be available through August 28 in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Sweden. Not all customers appear to have access to the new book at this time, which likely means Apple is delivering the update on a rolling basis.

Over the weekend, AllThingsD reported that Apple will hold an iPhone-focused media event on September 10, introducing its next-generation iPhone 5S and perhaps a lower-cost "iPhone 5C".

AllThingsD has an excellent track record with such reports, suggesting that the event will indeed take place on that date, but in case there was any doubt, The Loop's Jim Dalrymple is now confirming the report with a simple "Yep" post.

Dalrymple is well connected at Apple and has on many occasions either confirmed or refuted other reports and rumors in simple one-word posts with 100% accuracy. Such reports are generally taken as coming directly from Apple but delivered through an unofficial channel.

Official media invitations for the introduction should appear roughly a week before the event.

Following a report from last week that showed a clear photo of an alleged camera module, French website Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translation] has reposted photos of parts that appear to be the top and bottom strips for the back of the iPhone 5S. The photos were originally posted by a user on Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo who regularly pulls together photos and other leaks from various sources.

Notably, the space for the flash modules on the top strip appear to have spacing for a dual-LED flash, which is consistent with a December 2012 prototype iPhone 5S that leaked back in June. A dual-LED flash would improve the performance of the iPhone's flash, creating better lit, less harsh flash photos in low light conditions.

Yesterday, a report surfaced claiming that the rear camera on the iPhone 5S would retain the same 8-megapixel resolution found in its predecessor, but will feature a wider f/2.0 aperture to capture more light while taking photos. Apple will reportedly unveil the next-generation iPhone on September 10, but it is still unclear whether the event will focus singularly on the iPhone 5S or include the announcement of the lower-cost iPhone as well.

Apple's suppliers are preparing the next-generation iPad for mass production and will reportedly use the same touch panel technology as the iPad mini in order to make reductions in weight and size, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The same touch-panel technology that made the iPad mini thin and light will likely feature in the next iPad, which is currently being produced by Apple Inc.'s Asian suppliers, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

What many consumers generally call a “screen” consists of multiple layers, and the “touch panel” specifically refers to the layer equipped with touch sensors, between the liquid-crystal display and the outermost cover glass. The iPad mini, according to a teardown report by research firm IHS iSuppli, uses a film-based touch panel, which is thinner and lighter than the glass-based touch panel that the current full-size model uses. Following the iPad mini’s success, Apple plans to use the film-based touch panel in its next regular-size iPad, the people said.

Earlier this month, a number of photos from a parts listing claimed to be of a genuine front panel and digitizer from the fifth-generation iPad, and followed the release of a video that also allegedly showed the front panel and back shell of the fifth-generation iPad for the first time.

Both postings appeared to show a full-sized iPad that was notably reduced in size when compared to Apple's current generation iPad, and would fall in line with this new report. A number other rumors and leaks of parts and cases dating back many months have similarly indicated that the next-generation iPad will indeed be significantly smaller and thinner than the current design.

Apple is expected to introduce the fifth-generation iPad as soon as next month, with an updated iPad mini rumored to be following fairly soon after.

Following a report late last month that appeared to show plastic retail packaging representing the rumored low-cost iPhone, Japanese blog Mac Otakara is reporting that "iPhone 5C" will indeed be the name of the device. The "C" designation would presumably refer to the various color options available on the rumored lower-cost device.

The blog is also reporting more details on the iPhone 5S, including claims that the phone will be available in a gold color option, and that the camera on the phone will remain at 8 megapixels, but will feature a wider f/2.0 aperture to capture more light while taking photos.

Several photo leaks have previously shown alleged iPhone 5S parts in a color variously described as "gold", "bronze", or "champagne", although the legitimacy of those parts has not been confirmed.

According to my asian source, rumored coming iPhone powered by A7 processor will be released as “iPhone 5S”. This source told that KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s guesses may be true. Ming-Chi guessed several points, the resolution of iSight camera will be stayed on 8M pixels but F-stop will be brighter up to 2.0. The gold color which is rumored as 3rd color of iPhone 5S will be optional, and rectangle mark of home button will be removed.

Additionally, that source told about coming low-cost iPhone, which is covered by plastic case made from polycarbonate and glass-fibre, it will be released with expected name, "iPhone 5C".

Apple will reportedly unveil the next-generation iPhone on September 10, but it is still unclear whether the event will focus singularly on the iPhone 5S or include the announcement of the lower-cost iPhone as well.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has on a number of occasions offered accurate information on Apple's product plans, has issued a new research note indicating that the iPhone 5S may include a sapphire-covered convex home button housing a fingerprint sensor.

The iPhone's home button has had a concave shape since its introduction in 2007, but Kuo believes that moving to a convex shape would give Apple more space in which to fit the fingerprint sensor expected to be a differentiating feature for the iPhone 5S.

Convex home button creates space for fingerprint sensor; yield to improve. We think that a fingerprint sensor will be placed under the home button of iPhone 5S. However, assembling it could be difficult as the space under home button is limited as it already has to accommodate the Lightning connector, speaker and microphone. Thus, we think the shape of the home button could be changed from concave to convex to create more space for a fingerprint sensor.

Sapphire prevents home button from being scratched. A convex home button could be more easily scratched, so a harder material is required. We believe Apple will switch from plastic to sapphire, whose hardness is second only to diamond. Sapphire would protect the home button from being scratched and the fingerprint sensor from being damaged.

Kuo goes on to note that Apple may have some advantages over its competitors as fingerprint sensors make their way into mobile devices, as Apple will utilize RF and capacitive technology from AuthenTec rather than the common optical recognition used in many other sensors, making for a more robust system unaffected by dust and other contaminants. The iPhone's iconic single home button also provides a natural location for a fingerprint sensor.

Rumors of a sapphire-covered capacitive home button with fingerprint sensor surfaced in May, but the source for that report had essentially no track record upon which to gauge reliability.

Apple will reportedly unveil the iPhone 5S at a media event on September 10. Based on previous iPhone introductions, the iPhone 5S may launch within just a few weeks after that announcement. Apple is also rumored to be working on a lower-cost iPhone with a plastic shell, with that device perhaps also making an appearance at the September 10 event.