MacRumors

CES 2013 promises to be very television-centric this year, with Samsung teasing a mystery TV product after reports that Intel will be be launching a set top box and cable TV service at the trade show.

The strong TV-focus of CES 2013 comes amidst persistent rumors that Apple is testing the waters with its own full-sized television.

Samsung recently released a new pre-CES teaser video and image of an HDTV.

On the company's blog, there is a picture of a portrait-shaped TV that is taller than it is wide. The television is depicted against an uninterrupted snowy background, possibly suggesting that the display is translucent. "A true innovation of TV design is coming up with an unprecedented new TV shape and timeless gallery design," reads the caption.

The image is accompanied by a video that was recently added to Samsung's YouTube page. In the video, an array of standard 16:9 televisions are depicted, both flatscreen and CRT, before Samsung's new television is displayed, hidden behind a white sheet. A description accompanying the video again boasts of an innovative design.

"As Samsung prepares to unveil a new TV at CES that is unlike anything the world has ever seen, all the other TVs are rushing to see the new TV."

Samsung often reveals prototype products at CES, last year debuting its "Smart Window" technology, which featured a touch-controlled interface atop transparent glass. Samsung could be unveiling a similar product this year.

Multiple reports have suggested that Apple is exploring this market as well, though it is not clear when Apple will introduce its own television product. Apple does not attend CES and will not be making any official announcements at the trade show.

CES will begin on January 8 and last until January 11, 2013.

The Daily Mail is reporting that new NPD research has found that consumers want more access to online video services like HBO Go rather than "smart" features like social networking access on their TVs. The research comes a day after it was reported that Intel was planning to launch a TV service and set top box in 2013 that focused on content.

NPD said that a big problem is that TV owners are confused because too much choice is creating a complex user experience.

'To counter this, OEMs and retailers need to focus less on new innovation in this space and more on simplification of the user experience and messaging if they want to drive additional, and new, behaviors on the TV."

Luke Peters, Editor of T3 Magazine, told MailOnline that Smart TVs will only become mainstream when they're as easy to use as changing a channel. Peters also notes that most Smart TV user interfaces are too complex for most people and that the content isn't good enough and that social networking doesn't make a lot of sense on TVs.

Apple has long been rumored to be interested in creating a TV that focuses on content as well in addition to features that could change human-to-TV interaction with Siri, Facetime and motion control. Apple was also rumored to be in talks with cable services like Comcast and Time Warner Cable in mid-2012, although no content deals have materialized yet.

Apple, like Intel, has largely had problems negotiating with content providers because of contractual limitations with cable providers, which may be why Apple's TV offering hasn't appeared yet. Although Intel's offering is set to debut January 7 at CES there's no telling if or when Apple's may debut, although recently it's been rumored that Foxconn is currently testing television set designs in the 50 - 55 inch range.

Some iOS 6 users who use Apple's scheduled "Do Not Disturb" feature may find that their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch hasn't automatically disabled the feature on New Year's morning.

The issue was reported on Whirlpool forums as well as our own MacRumors forums. The "Do Not Disturb" feature silences calls, alerts and notifications when it is enabled. Users may optionally schedule "Do Not Disturb" to activate between specific hours. This allows you to automatically disable calls and notifications while you sleep.

It's this scheduling feature that appears to be misbehaving on New Year's Day. MacRumors reader Spacesamurai posted about his experience:

I am in Japan so it is 2013, and I am finding that my iOS devices (iPhone 4 and iPad 2) are showing "Do Not Disturb" even though it is outside of the time I set for them. Not sure if this is related to the new year. Reloading the devices does not help and the software is up-to-date.

Spacesamurai's experience has been echoed by others, but not everyone.

Apple has had other bugs in the past related to New Year's day. In years past, Apple has had issues with alarms not going off into the new year. Fortunately, the "Do Not Disturb" feature does not disable alarms set with Apple's built-in Clock app.

Intel has signed off on active fiber optic cables made by Sumitomo Electric Industries, the first of their kind to go into mass production.

The cables can be up to 30 meters (just under 100 feet) long, and provide full 10Gbps throughput with little performance degradation even when pinched by up to 180 degrees or tangled in knots. The cord is the same thickness as current standard Thunderbolt cables, but the connector size is slightly longer.

As ZDNet points out, these currently unpriced cables could be used to put Thunderbolt data storage devices like the Drobo 5D in a soundproofed closet, away from the host Mac.

There have been a number of reports about the development of fiber optic Thunderbolt cables over the past year, with no official timeline laid out for their availability. Pricing is also unknown, but given the more advanced active fiber technology in the cables, it's possible they could be significantly more expensive than current cables.

One significant difference between the optical cable and the metal is that the new optical Thunderbolt cables do not carry on-board power. Any devices connected with them, like smaller portable hard drives, need external power supplies to work. They cannot be bus-powered.

For those who already own a Thunderbolt-enabled Mac, Intel notes that the existing Thunderbolt ports will be compatible with both copper and fiber optic cables, ensuring cross-compatibility once the new cables arrive.

As noted by iDownloadBlog, popular iOS pirated app community Hackulous has announced that it is shutting down, taking down the Installous jailbreak tool used to install pirated apps on iOS devices. A statement from Hackulous reads:

We are very sad to announce that Hackulous is shutting down. After many years, our community has become stagnant and our forums are a bit of a ghost town. It has become difficult to keep them online and well-moderated, despite the devotion of our staff. We're incredibly thankful for the support we've had over the years and hope that new, greater communities blossom out of our absence.

As iDownloadBlog observes, it is almost certain that other piracy tools, both existing and new, will rise in prominence to fill the void left by the removal of Installous, as there is certainly no shortage of users seeking to cheat developers out of their app fees.

Piracy is a major problem for many iOS app developers, and there have been several instances of piracy forcing developers to remove their apps from the App Store. One such case earlier this month saw Hunted Cow shut down its multiplayer title Battle Dungeon after piracy rates of roughly 90% made it impossible to handle the game's server load based on the revenue generated through legitimate sales.

According to TechCrunch, Intel is planning to launch its own virtual cable TV service and set top box in the near future. The news comes at a time when rumors of Apple's own television service have been becoming more frequent.

To combat licensing issues, Intel has decided to roll out the service on a city-by-city basis rather than launching nationwide, allowing Intel to negotiate for control of smaller markets with content providers, who have been reluctant to hand over valuable licensing rights.

A source in the video distribution industry directly familiar with Intel's plans and content dealings tells TechCrunch the semiconductor company is dead serious about getting its chips into the living room. After its effort to convince smart TV manufacturers to use its chips in the initial launch of Google TV failed a few years ago, it's decided to go it alone. The source said that Intel was frustrated with "everyone doing a half-assed Google TV so it's going to do it themselves and do it right."

The plan is to create a set-top box and subscription TV service that would appeal to people who want streaming TV access but don’t want to entirely cut the cable cord and lose key content like sports.

Like Intel, Apple has been said to be working on a similar set up for its rumored Apple-branded television set, an idea that was made famous by Walter Isaacson's biography on Steve Jobs, when Jobs expressed his desire to revolutionize the television industry.

Since then, the Apple television set has been the source of much speculation, and it is believed that Apple is hoping to include features like Siri and FaceTime, as well as content from third party providers and motion control.

Apple has faced problems with content procurance, which may be why the much rumored TV has yet to make an appearance. There have been similar rumors about a more robust version of the Cupertino-based company's existing Apple TV set top box, but that too has yet to be seen.

As of mid–2012, Apple has been rumored to be in talks with cable services like Comcast and Timer Warner Cable, though no content deals seem to have been made public.

The Wall Street Journal (via TechCrunch) notes that Intel has also had problems securing content deals, with content providers unwilling to offer television channels piece meal because of contractual barriers set in place by cable providers. Intel's city-by-city launch aims to allow content providers to experiment with access in less restrictive markets.

Intel's cable TV service and set top box may launch as soon as January 7 at Intel's CES event, according to tipsters. There's still no word on when an Apple television might be announced.

The most recent rumors state that Apple's Foxconn factories are currently testing several television set designs, in the 46–55 inch range.

The New York Times reports that New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg today released crime data for the city as 2012 draws to a close, noting that a slight increase in the overall major crime index for the city can be entirely accounted for by an increase in iPhone and iPad thefts.

As of Monday, the Police Department recorded 3,484 more major crimes in 2012 than for the same period last year. The increase in Apple product thefts: 3,890. [...]

“If you just took away the jump in Apple, we’d be down for the year,” said Marc La Vorgna, the mayor’s press secretary.

Thefts of Apple devices have naturally grown as their popularity has increased, and police in New York and other cities have been working to break up extensive rings of thieves and dealers trading in stolen iPhones and other electronics. Last year it was reported that in some New York City precincts more than half of the robberies in some months involved iPhones.

Today's report also notes that police have been emphasizing efforts to address theft on the city's subways, which are popular locations for gadget thefts due to the crowds and easy getaway opportunities.

Brightwire summarizes a report [Google translation] from Taiwanese news site United Daily News claiming that Apple's supply chain partners will continue working through the traditional Chinese New Year holiday in order to keep up with demand for the popular iPad mini and iPhone 5. The holiday falls in mid-February in 2013, with many workers traditionally returning to their homes for two weeks or more in celebration.

The report comes as Apple continues to experience tight supplies of the iPad mini in particular, with the company's online stores around the world generally citing 1-2 week shipping estimates for new orders.

Demand for the iPad mini is also very strong in China, where the device launched on December 7, as highlighted in a new report from Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White. White cites "insatiable appetite" for the iPad mini in China and Hong Kong leading to stock shortages, with checks indicating that the iPad mini is more popular than the fourth-generation iPad.

Our research is pointing to very strong demand for the iPad mini in China and this is leading to stock-outs this week. Similar to Hong Kong, we are being told by contacts in China that the iPad mini is already more popular than the fourth generation iPad. Prior to the China launch, we indicated that the iPad mini would be the "next big thing in China" and we believe this phenomenon is starting to develop. In our view, the smaller form factor and lower price point will allow Apple to sell the iPad mini in more meaningful volumes versus the regular-size iPad.

The report suggests that Apple is beginning to achieve some balance on the iPhone 5 in China, with walk-in purchases now starting to become more widely available two weeks after the device's debut. Evidence of the Apple catching up with iPhone 5 demand in the first waves of launch countries appeared earlier this month with the company's online stores shifting to immediate "in stock" availability of all models.

DigiTimes reports that Apple has signaled Taiwan-based suppliers that both the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air series will see revisions in June 2013. As noted by our buyers guide, this would put the updates in line within the expected timeframes.

DigiTimes' sources also reveal that the new MacBook Airs won't have any major external design changes, but will feature a "new processor platform":

The sources pointed out that the MacBook Air for 2013 will feature a new processor platform, but its industrial design will not see any major changes.

The paper also reports that Ultrabook manufacturers are concerned that Apple "is likely to reduce the prices for its existing MacBook Airs before the launch of the new models." Such a move, however, would be extremely unusual for Apple. Apple rarely changes the prices of existing models before they are revised. So, we're skeptical about that particular concern. With the iPad 2, Apple has retained an older product and lowered its price to make room for a new product, but that move would also be unusual for Apple's notebook line.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had previously outlined his expectations for Apple's 2013 plans back in June. The predictions in the top-portion of the graph above have already come true. Kuo expects that the MacBook Pro will consolidate back into a single hardware line next year. The new MacBook line will also use Intel's new Haswell chips which are expected between March and June 2013.

Haswell will incorporate CPU performance boosts as well as double the performance of the integrated GPU. This added GPU performance would be helpful if Apple does standardize on Retina Displays across the entire MacBook line in 2013.

In the latest installment of its "iEconomy" series, The New York Times takes a look at the advances made by Apple and Foxconn to improve working conditions at the Chinese factories churning out Apple products since a major push began earlier this year. The report details many changes such as wage increases and shorter working hour limits that have previously been disclosed, but also takes a peek behind the scenes to offer a glimpse of how executives at both companies have reacted to the situation.

The report shares details on a meeting between Apple and Foxconn executives and representatives of the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which began independent monitoring of working conditions earlier this year. At the meeting, FLA president Auret van Heerden outlined a number of shortcomings found in Foxconn's facilities.

“The world is watching!” [Foxconn chairman Terry] Gou yelled, according to multiple people. “We are going to fix this, right here!”

But the inspector was not done.

He turned to the only Apple executive in the room, the senior vice president for operations, Jeff Williams. Apple needed to change as well, the inspector said. Apple, to its credit, had been working for years to improve conditions in overseas factories, but the company was treating such problems too much like engineering puzzles, the inspector said.

“Long-term solutions require a messier, more human approach,” that inspector, Auret van Heerden of the Fair Labor Association, told Mr. Williams. Instead of concentrating on writing more policies, Apple needed to listen better to workers’ complaints and advocacy groups’ recommendations.

Williams was reportedly surprised by some of the suggestions, as Apple had long prided itself on its thorough auditing processes. But upon returning to California, Williams and Apple moved quickly to address the issues, reaching out to advocacy groups and instituting additional changes.

Among them, say people with firsthand knowledge, was the hiring of roughly 30 professionals into Apple’s social responsibility unit in the last year, which tripled the size of that division and brought high-profile corporate activists into the company. Two widely respected former Apple executives — Jacky Haynes and Bob Bainbridge — were recruited back to help lead the unit, reporting ultimately to Mr. Williams and the chief executive, Timothy D. Cook.

“Everyone knows Bob and Jacky,” said a former Apple executive. “It sends a message that Jeff and Tim expect everyone to get on board.”

Despite the changes that do appear to be making an impact on working conditions, some advocates indicate that Apple could be doing even more. In particular, the company's penchant for secrecy is reportedly hindering industry-wide sharing of knowledge to help root out noncompliant suppliers and prevent workplace incidents such as dust explosions that have killed and injured workers at Apple-affiliated factories.

The report also notes how the changes being instituted by Apple and Foxconn have been leading to changes throughout the industry, pointing to PC giant Hewlett Packard and contract manufacturer Quanta as examples of those companies making changes in line with those employed in Apple's supply chain.

Back in June, we noted that BlueStacks had introduced an alpha version of its Android app player software for Mac. The app, which is also available for Windows, allows users to run Android apps on their desktop machines. With the alpha launch, however, BlueStacks supported only about 15 Android titles on the Mac.

As noted by VentureBeat, BlueStacks today announced that its Mac app has moved into beta, opening up access to all 750,000+ Android apps.

Bluestacks’ virtualizes Android to run the platform’s mobile apps, similar to how VMWare lets you run a virtualized version of desktop operating systems. The company calls its patent-pending virtualization technology Layercake, and it’s also partnered up with Asus and AMD to bring Android apps to their devices.

While most people probably aren’t clamoring to run mobile apps on their desktops, Bluestacks is useful for those rare occasions where you need to run an app with no desktop equivalent. For example, there’s currently no way to use Instagram without an iOS or Android device.

TechCrunch has more on the developments, noting that BlueStacks has surpassed five million organic installs of its Windows and Mac apps, and has reached an agreement with Asus to have its software distributed on the manufacturer's PCs.

The report points to Flipboard as another example of a mobile-only app that can be run on Windows and Mac machines using BlueStacks, with BlueStacks noting that the potential for Windows and Mac compatibility could help mobile developers decide to target Android as their initial platforms rather than iOS.

“We look at it from the POV of our mobile developer partners – they start out by deciding, what mobile platform do we build for first? What’s going to get the most distribution? Now with BlueStacks, building for Android first means they’ll get on all PCs and Mac,” [BlueStacks VP of Business Development John Gargiulo] says. There are many ways to monetize the Mac distribution, too, in addition to the in-app purchases developers can offer (without sharing a cut with Apple). BlueStacks will announce its further monetization plans in Q2 2013.

Beta versions of BlueStacks' software for Mac and Windows can be downloaded from the company's website.

Despite claims from Apple CEO Tim Cook that the company was going to "double down on secrecy on products", 2012 may have been one of Apple's leakiest years so far.

The leaks seem to stem primarily from Apple's supply chain in China. While we were saturated with iPhone 5 and iPad mini parts in 2012, we also had early looks at Apple's iPod and Mac lines. As usual, the challenge is the relatively high noise to signal ratio when tracking rumors.

Here are a collection of some of the more notable and accurate iPhone, iPad and iPod rumors from 2012.

iPad 3

The move to a Retina display for the iPad 3 was not necessarily a foregone conclusion prior to its launch. Despite the move to "Retina" on the iPhone, the sheer volume of pixels needed for a Retina iPad generated considerable doubt. One forum commenter from February:

Do people honestly think this is going to happen?

If it did ship with a 2048x1546 display, then it would be capable of rendering images at a higher resolution than all video game consoles currently on the market.

However, game developers already struggle to produce games that run at 1920x1080 due to the power of the consoles - are people seriously saying that they think iPad 3 will have a better CPU and GPU than PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360?

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The iPhone and iPad tend to dominate the rumor scene for a number of reasons. Most signficantly, the total audience for iOS devices is larger and growing more rapidly than for Macs. Apple's Mac line has of course also been growing, but at a much slower pace. Also, given the maturity of the line, changes in the Mac line tend to be more incremental.

Still, looking back, we've seen a fair number of Mac-related leaks that preceded each product launch.

Perhaps the most reliable leaks have been from benchmark suites such as Geekbench, as we've seen benchmark leaks of unreleased Mac products several times now. These have all turned out to be accurate predictors of final Mac releases, sometimes with a several month lead time.

Here are some of the photo leaks we saw in 2012 for the Mac:

13" MacBook Pro

This pre-WWDC 13" MacBook Pro leak revealed that the 13" MacBook Pro would see little in the way of upgrades. Despite many comments about the easy fake-ability of the leak, the image turned out to be accurate. The 13" MacBook Pro wouldn't see Retina upgrades until later in 2012.

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