MacRumors

A number of Macs owned by Apple employees were compromised by the same China-based hackers that targeted Facebook employees recently, reports All Things D. The malware entered the systems through the Java plug-in, which Apple has blocked recently due to unpatched security vulnerabilities. Reuters was the first to report the disclosure.

“Apple has identified malware which infected a limited number of Mac systems through a vulnerability in the Java plug-in for browsers,” the company said in a statement to AllThingsD. “The malware was employed in an attack against Apple and other companies, and was spread through a website for software developers. We identified a small number of systems within Apple that were infected and isolated them from our network. There is no evidence that any data left Apple. We are working closely with law enforcement to find the source of the malware.”

Apple will also be releasing a standalone malware removal tool to clean infected machines.

The New York Times published an article yesterday laying out how a number of recent hacking attacks against U.S. corporations could be linked to the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

Macs have traditionally been viewed as significantly more secure than Windows machines, though in the past year there have been a number of compromised machines from the Flashback malware and issues with Java.

In line with a report from last week, Apple has just released iOS 6.1.2. According to Apple, the update addresses a Microsoft Exchange bug but sources had indicated that it also addresses a lock screen passcode issue.

Fixes and Exchange calendar bug that could result in increased network activity and reduced battery life.

The update arrives as Build 10B146 for most devices, with the exception of cellular-capable iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad models that are receiving Build 10B147.

Update: Users are reporting that the update does not in fact fix the passcode bug.

Apple appears to have finally achieved supply-demand balance on its popular iPad mini, with the company's online stores for the United States, Canada, Australia, and a number of other countries now showing all models as "in stock" for immediate shipment. European customers are still being quoted 1-3 business days for new orders, although these will likely move to "in stock" relatively shortly.

Supplies of the iPad mini have been constrained since the device's launch over three months ago, with early reports indicating that supplies would remain tight into 2013. Apple acknowledged those shortages on its earnings conference call last month, noting that it expected to catch up with demand later this quarter, in line with today's move to "in stock" status.

There have been a growing number of reports that Apple is working on a larger form factor iPhone, presumably to better compete with the wide variety of Android devices currently available. Based on those rumors, there have been also been a number of speculative articles on exactly how Apple might adapt iOS to handle the increase in screen size.

The predominant theory suggests that Apple will simply scale up the existing 4-inch iPhone 5 screen to nearly 5 inches. This would result in a display with the same 1136x640 resolution of the iPhone 5 but with a lower pixel density. The pixel density would drop from 326 pixels per inch (ppi) to 264 ppi, which conveniently matches up with the screen density of the full-sized iPad.

While lowering the pixel density of the iPhone has led some to question whether Apple could continue using "Retina" display marketing, it does seem like a reasonable strategy that would allow Apple to increase display size without introducing yet another screen resolution to complicate app developers' work. To date, Apple has been very cautious about introducing new screen resolutions to minimize fragmentation. The other added financial and logistical benefit of using a 264-ppi screen is that Apple can continue to use the same screen production facilities and processes that are currently being used for the full-sized iPad screens.

Another objection centers around the fact that increasing the screen size while maintaining the same resolution does not provide any more viewable area. This is not entirely true, however, as some features such as text with multiple font size options could be used to show more content on the screen at a given time despite the identical resolution.

In order to provide a sense of how a 5-inch iPhone would feel in the hand and to show how the physically larger interface would appear in person, we've commissioned CiccareseDesign to create a papercraft mockup of a device based primarily on the design of the iPhone 5 but with the larger (almost) 5-inch display (PDF 1, PDF 2). We performed a similar exercise for the rumored 7" iPad that did provide a very accurate representation of the screen size of the then-unreleased iPad mini.

Our new mockup can be printed out at 100% scale (example), trimmed, and folded to provide a three-dimensional paper version of the 5-inch iPhone. Readers can then see how a 5-inch iPhone would fit in their hands and get a feel for the size of the icons and other interface elements at the larger size. We've also included a separate printable PDF (100% scale) of screenshots from several different apps at the larger size to help users gauge usability at that size.

In our testing, we felt that the larger iPhone fits surprisingly well in our hands. However, the ability to operate the device with one hand is significantly compromised compared to the iPhone 5. Whereas the iPhone 5 requires very little stretching to reach the opposite top corner of the screen with our thumbs, the 5-inch screen would definitely be a two-handed device for most apps. The included screenshots also show off existing apps that have been automatically scaled up to full size, resulting in tap-targets that are larger than on the iPhone 5. Developers could eventually offer different sizes for interface elements and font-scaling options.

So far, the 5-inch iPhone is believed to be in prototype form, and the latest reports have suggested we are unlikely to see it in 2013.

Taiwanese newspaper Economic Times reports [Google translation, via Mac Otakara] that Apple is lining up suppliers for its next-generation MacBook Air for launch in the third quarter of this year.

According to the report, the MacBook Air will not only be receiving internal upgrades to Intel's new Haswell platform but also a "facelift" with new external features, including the possibility of a Retina display. The report also claims that suppliers will begin shipping components to Apple's assembly partner Quanta during the second quarter of the year.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had previously included an updated MacBook Air in his 2013 Apple product roadmap, predicting a late second quarter or early third quarter launch for the device. He did, however, indicate that the update would not include Retina displays, which would require substantially more battery power than the current displays and likely force a redesign to also accommodate a somewhat thicker display assembly.

Pricing remains another question for Apple, as the MacBook Air is the company's entry-level notebook and Apple will likely be very hesitant to raise that floor. But while Apple's Retina MacBook Pro models carry significantly higher pricing than their non-Retina counterparts, a significant amount of that cost is related to a shift to solid-state drives, which are already used in the MacBook Air.

Consequently, a shift to a Retina display for the MacBook Air may add a much smaller price premium to the lineup. Apple could also choose to separate the MacBook Air into Retina and non-Retina lines as it has for the MacBook Pro, or offer Retina displays as higher-end options on a unified lineup.

As noted by 9to5Mac, the Mac Pro is no longer available for purchase from Apple's European Online Stores.

In late January, Apple informed its European distributors that sales of the Mac Pro would cease as of March 1st due to new regulatory requirements that go into effect on that date. At the time, Apple told resellers that it would accept orders up until February 18, a deadline that appears to apply to general consumers as well.

The Mac Pro is no longer able to be sold in Europe because it is not compliant with Amendment 1 of regulation IEC 60950–1. According to information from Apple, the issue has to do with the Mac Pro's unprotected fan blades. Compliance with the new regulation would require fan guards and increased protection of the ports on the electrical system.

Apple's Mac Pro is now unavailable in European Union countries, EU candidate countries, and the European Free Trade Association countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

Though the Mac Pro has been discontinued in Europe, resellers are still able to sell remaining product after the March 1st deadline. Apple plans to continue to support existing Mac Pro machines and will supply replacement parts.

Apple has also announced plans to offer a redesigned Mac Pro in 2013, following a minor update in 2012.

Former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée shares his perspective on Apple's rumored "iWatch", noting that the company likely has very ambitious plans for the device given its focus on continually pushing forward the concept of a "personal computer".

[W]hat really floats their [boats], what hardens Apple’s resolve is designing, making, and selling large numbers of personal computers, from the traditional desktop/laptop Mac, to the genre-validating iPad, and on to the iPhone — the Very Personal Computer. Everything else is an ingredient, a booster, a means to the noblest end.

After walking through how Apple's iTunes Store, retail effort, software, and Apple TV all serve as ancillary offerings to support this positioning of the company's primary products as increasingly personal computers, Gassée argues that the iWatch is the next step in this progression and thus Apple will do much more than simply slap a previous-generation iPod nano into a wristband.

Is Apple working on an iWatch that can be experienced as an Even More Personal personal computer — an “intimate computer”? If so, many questions arise: user interface, sensors, iOS version, new types of apps, connection with other iDevices… And, of course price.

This would be much more interesting than the perennially in-the-future Apple TV set. Of course, iWatch and Apple TV aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.

Gassée's piece comes just as British newspaper The Observer has produced its own mockup of what an iWatch might look like given claims of Apple using Corning's bendable Willow Glass for the device.

There is no reason to believe that The Observer has any more insight into the strongly rumored Apple research project than anyone else, but the graphics which accompany the article reproduced on the sister-paper Guardian website do give an interesting feel for the difference a curved glass display could make to a smart watch and the article offers an overview of how Apple might fit into the smart watch market still in its infancy.

Apple tonight posted two new television spots for the iPad and the iPad mini on its YouTube page. The two ads, titled 'Alive' and 'Together', highlight some of the 300,000 apps made specifically for the iPad, using a variety of words to describe them.

Apps shown in the ads include AmpliTube, Style.com, GarageBand, TED, iMovie, iBooks, Dinosaur Zoo, Toca Hair Salon, The Lonely Beast ABC, Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe, Vimeo, Rockmate, Glow Hockey 2 HD, and FaceTime.

Apple has launched a companion billboard campaign, as well.

Apple has added refurbished models of the current-generation 21.5" iMac to its Online Store in the past several days, offering a faster-shipping alternative to customers looking to get a desktop Mac.

New iMac models on the Apple Online Store list a lead time of several weeks to get delivered, while the refurbished models claim to ship in 1-3 days, with $200 and $230 discounts on the low- and high-end 21" models respectively.

Apple Retail Stores list mid-March as the earliest time to pick up new 21" iMacs ordered online, but Amazon.com claims to have both 21" models in stock [$1,299 and $1,494] and eligible for Amazon Prime shipping.

Ship times on the 21.5" iMac rose to 2-3 weeks back in January, and have not improved since then. Tim Cook mentioned on Apple's earnings call in January that the company would increase iMac supply this quarter, but may not get to supply/demand balance.

27" iMac models have yet to appear on the refurbished store, with the company reporting a 3-4 week lead time online and late March for in-store pickup. Amazon has the base 27" model in stock for $1,799.

As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple has posted a job listing seeking a new software engineering manager focused on "next generation features for Apple TV".

The Apple TV team is looking for an experienced engineering manager to help deliver the next generation features for Apple TV. Bring your creative energy and engineering discipline, and help us bring the Apple experience to the Living Room. [...]

- Lead a team of engineers working on exciting new features and functionality
- Drive releases from initial concept to completion
- Work closely with cross functional teams, representing Apple TV across Apple
- Develop the engineering plan for upcoming projects
- Communicate status to key stakeholders and senior management

The managerial job listing comes roughly a month after the company posted another listing seeking an Apple TV software engineer interested in "delivering first in class home entertainment solutions".

While the listings unsurprisingly do not offer any specific information about Apple's plans for the Apple TV platform and are filled with typical human resources phrases designed to appeal to prospective employees, they do suggest that Apple may be increasing staffing to push forward on a television initiative.

Rumors of an Apple television set and/or a new set-top box with increased functionality have repeatedly surfaced over the years, although the company's efforts have reportedly been slowed by content negotiations. A new report from TechCrunch's MG Siegler indicates, however, that Apple may finally be ready to begin its push later this year with a focus on third-party apps for the Apple TV and future hardware.