MacRumors

It's no surprise that the vast majority of Apple product leaks come from the company's massive supply chain, but Ars Technica takes a closer look at how secrecy at the company has evolved under Tim Cook in the areas where the company can exert its greatest control. The report suggests that security has indeed been tightened somewhat, in line with Cook's claims that the company has been working to "double down on secrecy", but the supply chain involving hundreds of partner companies and hundreds of thousands of workers remains a difficult channel to secure.

According to a handful of Apple employees who spoke to us on condition of anonymity, the leaks are simply a byproduct of globalization.

The employees all told us that security at Apple remains as strict—if not slightly stricter—as ever. (Several engineers said that general security practices appear to be tighter now, a year after CEO Tim Cook took over, but "tighter" is a difficult metric to gauge at a place like Apple.) [...]

"Apple's security practices are targeted at making sure US employees don't leak stuff, but everything comes out of China now," one employee told Ars. "I think Apple's secrecy mode is really outdated."

The report details a number of examples of tightened security for Apple's own employees, including reductions in off-campus testing of prototype devices and retail store changes such as reductions in the amount of advance access store employees have to OS X and iOS system updates.

Still, Apple's supply chain obviously represents the weakest link in the chain of product secrecy, with an assortment of vendors producing parts months ahead of a product's public launch and numerous opportunities for security to be broken along the way. Ars Technica notes that product security is an ingrained part of the culture at Apple, with employees honoring that secrecy out of respect for their coworkers' efforts.

But that sense of loyalty is largely lacking in the supply chain where companies churn out millions of parts on a contract basis with relatively little investment of loyalty. Apple naturally keeps a close eye on its supply chain and its partners are undoubtedly concerned about losing Apple's business should excessive leaks be found, but it seems to be nearly impossible for Apple and its partners to keep everything under wraps.

Earlier today, a MacRumors reader noted that paid books had gone live in the iBookstore in New Zealand. While the titles are not yet accessible through the main Books section of the iTunes Store, searches for various others and titles are yielding a number of book results.

Blog do iPhone is also now reporting that paid books are going live in Brazil, and we've confirmed that paid titles are now available in 16 other Latin American countries as well.

The full list of new markets we've spotted so far includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.

Evidence of new markets for paid iBookstore content comes amid rumors of an iBooks 3.0 launch alongside the "iPad mini" at tomorrow's media event. Apple is expected to make education one of the key themes of the introduction, and with the smaller iPad more closely competing with smaller tablets focused on reading, an expansion of iBookstore content seems to be a logical step.

BGR reports that Apple has begun carrier testing of iOS 6.0.1, the first bug fix update to iOS 6 since its release just over a month ago. According to the report, iOS 6.0.1 addresses several issues including a visual glitch most commonly seen on the iPhone keyboard when entering an account password in the App Store.

iOS 6.0.1 should fix the horizontal lines bug on the screen when the keyboard or app folder is open, and it will also fix a problem with the camera’s flash not going off.

In addition, the new software will improve Wi-Fi support, fix cellular data not working in some cases, add a consolidated cellular data switch for iTunes Match, fix a bug that allowed access to Passbook pass details from the lock screen, and also finally fix the bug that caused Exchange meetings to be unexpectedly cancelled for the entire calendar invite group.

Apple is reportedly also just beginning testing of iOS 6.1, with the timing of that testing suggesting that the update is not likely to arrive in time for any of the new hardware launches over the coming weeks. It is also unclear what changes are included in iOS 6.1.

Earlier this month, several sources indicated that Apple will focus on iBooks at its "iPad mini" media event tomorrow, with reports indicating that both personal and education consumption will be of key importance for Apple. Bloomberg Businessweek now profiles Apple's efforts to bring tablets into education, noting that education will indeed be an important theme of the iPad mini unveiling.

Beyond the school market of course, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook will use the device to try to widen Apple’s lead over Amazon.com Inc. and Google Inc. and fend off a more recent threat from Microsoft Corp. in the market for tablets, which NPD DisplaySearch predicts will more than double to $162 billion by 2017. Cook will unveil an iPad with a 7.85-inch screen diagonally, people familiar with its development said in August. The current iPad has a 9.7-inch screen.

Yet Apple executives plan to make a point of highlighting the iPad’s educational capabilities at tomorrow’s event, according to a person with knowledge of the planning. Little wonder. Education spending on information technology, including hardware, was about $19.7 billion in the 2010-2011 period, according to the Center for Digital Education.

The report notes that Apple has realigned its educational sales effort to focus on the iPad, recognizing that school budgets and a desire for more engaging technology are driving a shift in schools' purchasing decisions

Perhaps supporting the notion of enhanced educational offerings coming to the iPad and iPad mini this week, French site igen.fr reported [Google translation] over the weekend on an iBookstore title showing up with compatibility for an unreleased iBooks 3.0. The Digital Reader later noted that at least half a dozen titles were showing up with the new compatibility requirement, noting that one developer working to create books using Apple's latest tools found that iBooks 3.0 appears set to provide compatibility with the latest EPUB 3 standard at a minimum.

Liz Castro connected me with another ebook developer who has been making ebooks for iBooks 3.0 for the past few days. He has been tweeting his progress and one thing he’s already noticed is that iBooks 3.0 appears to offer more Epub3 support. The fixed layout spec in Epub 3 requires the latest version of iBooks, only Apple hasn’t released it yet.

iBooks 2 was launched earlier this year with a heavy focus on support for new iBooks Textbooks, interactive digital textbooks intended to revolutionize education, starting with high school textbooks. With iBooks 3, it appears that Apple may be set to take its next steps toward improving that experience even further.

The Korea Times reports that the deteriorating relationship between Apple and Samsung that has seen the two companies reducing their component supply deals is now extending to LCD panels, with Samsung reportedly ending supplies of the panels to Apple next year.

The Cupertino, California-based firm has been lowering its reliance on Samsung-manufactured displays for use in its popular i-branded devices as it is leveraging its influence to source components from Samsung’s rivals attracted by better pricing.

“We are unable to supply our flat-screens to Apple with huge price discounts. Samsung has already cut our portion of shipments to Apple and next year we will stop shipping displays,” said a senior Samsung source, asking not to be named, Monday.

The report claims that Samsung shipped approximately 15 million LCD panels to Apple in the first half of 2012, with the pace falling to 3 million panels in the third quarter and expected to drop to 1.5 million in the fourth quarter as Apple has shifted to other suppliers.

Samsung is reportedly not involved in LCD production for the "iPad mini", with LG Display and AU Optronics said to be handling component production. And with Apple reportedly cutting back on memory orders from Samsung and now designing its own A-series chips while using Samsung simply as a contract foundry, it seems clear that Apple is steadily reducing its reliance on Samsung as the two companies have continued to face off both in the marketplace and in courtrooms around the world.

Techie Buzz posts a gallery of photos from the California Theatre in San Jose where Apple will be hosting their Media Event. The choice of the California Theatre is a bit unusual for Apple. According to Mercury News, Apple last used this venue to introduce new iPod products back in 2004 and 2005.

Apple is widely expected to launch a smaller 7.85" iPad mini, as well as new iMacs, Mac minis and 13" Retina MacBook Pros. The event kicks off on Tuesday, October 23rd at 10 AM Pacific / 1 PM Eastern. MacRumors will be providing coverage here and on Twitter.

9to5Mac reports that pricing for the "iPad mini" is likely to begin at approximately $329 for the entry-level Wi-Fi model, with two higher-capacity models arriving at $429 and $529.

Three models of cellular-capable iPad minis will also be available and appear set to carry the same $130 premium over their corresponding Wi-Fi models as seen with the full-size iPad, putting these iPad mini models at $459/$559/$659.

The iPad mini is just one of the products Apple is expected to introduce at next Tuesday's media event, with revised full-size iPads, a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, and updated iMac and Mac mini models all said to be coming next week.

In line with one of the theories explaining two dozen iPad part numbers that appeared earlier this week, 9to5Mac reports that half of those part numbers are indeed for a revised version of the third-generation full-size iPad.

The revised iPads arriving at next Tuesday's media event will reportedly make the switch to Apple's new Lightning connector, and may include other enhancements as well while retaining the same pricing as the current models.

Apple will announce a refreshed version of its full-sized, 9.7-inch Retina display iPad at its media event October 23rd, according to our sources. These people say that the new version of the iPad will retain the same $499, $599, and $699 WiFi-only price points, and the LTE line will retain the current $629, $729, and $829 pricing. With no price changes or additional storage capacities, we believe that the storage options of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB will also be retained.

Claims of a revised full-size iPad surfaced in July amid considerable skepticism, but gained momentum with several follow-up reports in subsequent weeks and were fleshed out with additional rumors over the past several months.

Rumors for the tweaked iPad have included a shift to new indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) display technology, better heat dissipation, backlight changes, 4G LTE support for the UK and other countries using the 1800 MHz frequency band, and perhaps even a move to Apple's new A6 chip found in the iPhone 5. It is, however, unclear just which of the rumored changes will actually be included in the revision.

Earlier this week, we pointed to a forum thread [Google translation] at Chinese site WeiPhone.com sharing a pair of photos of what was said to be the display assembly from Apple's upcoming 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro.

The poster of that thread has now updated the original post with additional photos showing a number of features of the machine, including the battery layout, the ports on the left and right sides of the machine, and a number of other internal features. Unfortunately, the pictures are generally rather small and of low quality, but it seems clear that the poster does indeed have access to an unreleased 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro.

Other photos include small shots of the main logic board, internals for the various ports, and 8 GB of RAM from Elpida. Several screenshots said to be of the machine booted into Windows 7 and showing an available Retina display resolution of 2560x1600 pixels are also included.

Update October 20 10:23 AM: The poster has added several more images of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, including several comparing it to the MacBook Air.

Last month ahead of the iPhone 5 launch, we rolled out the first in a new series of "Roundups", designed to be a one-stop location for readers to catch up on our up-to-date thoughts on Apple's upcoming product releases and updates.

With another Apple media event right around the corner, we've added new Roundups to include a significant number of products expected to see releases next week. Our new pages, all of which are accessible through the "Roundups" tab in the site navigation bar, include:

- iPad mini
- 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro
- iMac
- Mac mini

We will be continuing to update each one in the days prior to the event, and will continue to add new roundups for additional products over time.

Earlier this week, we pointed to a couple of claims suggesting that Apple is planning to launch the "iPad mini" on Friday, November 2, also making the case that the date is the most reasonable one given Apple's past history and the media event scheduled for October 23.

Reports are continuing to pile on that November 2 date today, with TechCrunch reporting that it has received information from its own sources pointing to the same date.

November 2 is the ship date we’ve heard today from a source close to Apple’s supply chain, echoing an earlier report by Geeky Gadgets that that’s the day the iPad mini will go on sale. [...]

Our own source has also previously proven reliable with unreleased Apple info.

German site iFun.de is also weighing in with its own report claiming that Apple has informed a major shipping logistics partner that it should be preparing for a significant boost leading up to that date.

9to5Mac reports that it has begun to receive pricing information on the upcoming 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. According to the information, the entry-level model should be priced in the neighborhood of $1699, a $500 premium over the corresponding non-Retina model.

We’ve now received pricing information on the base model and the “better” model. Based on wholesale prices we’ve received, we believe the entry model 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro will cost roughly $1699 at launch while the higher specc’ed model will cost $300 more making the $2000 price point likely.

Interestingly, the estimated $500 price premium for the Retina version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro compares to a $400 premium on the entry-level 15-inch Retina versus non-Retina models. The higher-level 15-inch configuration carries a $600 price premium over its non-Retina counterpart due to the significantly more expensive 512 GB flash storage included with the machine.

The Oregonian reports (via Wired) that Apple has begun construction on the $68 million first phase of its data center project in Prineville, Oregon. The first phase will see the construction of one of two 338,000 square foot buildings planned for the site, but that building will apparently only be partially fitted out for the time being.

The price tag covers the cost of one building and two "data halls" inside. Plans filed with the city and Crook County last summer call for adding a second building and, eventually, 14 more data halls.

There's additional space on the property for more buildings, identified in planning documents in two sections marked "Future Development Area."

Soon after purchasing the data center site in February of this year, Apple opened a 10,000 square foot modular data center to establish a presence there, but with permanent construction now underway Apple's longer-term vision is starting to play out.

Apple has been rapidly expanding its data center capacity at sites around the United States, expanding beyond the company's long-standing sites at its corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California and nearby Newark with a massive new facility in Maiden, North Carolina and now starting to bring its Prineville site online. The company has also announced plans for a data center outside of Reno, Nevada.