MacRumors

China Labor Watch reports (via Gizmodo) that thousands of Foxconn workers responsible for assembly of the iPhone 5 have gone on strike today, objecting to strict enforcement of increased quality control standards.

China Labor Watch (CLW) announced that at 1:00PM on October 5 (Beijing time), a strike occurred at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory that, according to workers, involved three to four thousand production workers. In addition to demanding that workers work during the holiday, Foxconn raised overly strict demands on product quality without providing worker training for the corresponding skills. This led to workers turning out products that did not meet standards and ultimately put a tremendous amount of pressure on workers.

According to the report, Apple and Foxconn had raised quality control standards to address issues related to scratching and other blemishes on the iPhone 5 casing, but the new standards made it extremely difficult for workers to produce phones satisfying those requirements given the equipment and training available to them.

The issues have reportedly resulted in significant tensions between production line workers and quality control supervisors, with several skirmishes having broken out in recent days resulting in injuries and damage to production facilities. In addition, Foxconn reportedly eliminated holiday vacations for workers, perhaps referring to last weekend's Moon Festival, and the company has reportedly "turned a deaf ear" to worker complaints.

Apple and Foxconn have been struggling to keep up with demand for the iPhone 5, with new online orders through Apple still being quoted 3-4 week shipping estimates. Customers have also been complaining about scratching issues, particularly on the black model, with some customers reporting that their devices have arrived scratched right out of the box.

Following last week's open letter from Tim Cook in which he promised that Apple "will keep working non-stop" until the iOS 6 Maps app meets customers' standards for quality, Apple has indeed been making improvements to the service. While there is certainly a ways to go, it is clear that the company is indeed moving quickly to address issues and improve coverage for the flagship 3D mapping and imagery features in the app.

While improvements have been ongoing, MacRumors forum members yesterday began noticing what appears to be a larger set of additions to the 3D content in the Maps app, including both the satellite/aerial imagery and the standard maps. One region that was among the first to be noticed was the New York City area, with a number of improvements including new 3D imagery of the Statue of Liberty being seen.

We've also heard from users who have experienced new Flyover imagery showing up in Honolulu, Hawaii and in the San Fernando Valley in the Los Angeles area. The changes are also affecting the standard vector-based maps as well, with users reporting new 3D buildings showing up in New York City and London.

Interestingly, not all users are seeing the new imagery, with some even doing side-by-side comparisons between devices with different results. The difference is presumably due to aggressive caching of maps and imagery, and users who are not yet seeing the new imagery should see updates in the relatively near future.

At last month's media event, Apple introduced the fifth-generation iPod touch, a revamped version of the device offering the same 4-inch display found in the iPhone 5 and a number of different color options. While Apple immediately began taking pre-orders for the device, availability was set for a rather vague "October" timeframe.

As of earlier today, some of those early pre-order customers have begun reporting that their order statuses have shifted to "Preparing for Shipment", the final stage before being passed off to delivery companies. At least one customer has reported that his credit card has also been charged.

The move toward availability comes just after users noted yesterday that shipping estimates for new orders of the fifth-generation iPod touch through the Apple Online Store in Australia had shifted from the vague "October" to "3 weeks". Those following through and placing orders were finding an expected delivery date of October 29. A similar shift was seen in the New Zealand online store, with deliveries there scheduled for November 2.

These new orders are, however, likely to be delivered somewhat after the first batch of pre-orders placed as much three weeks or more ago, and shipping estimates for new orders in the Australia and New Zealand stores have since reverted to the previous "October" timeframe.

Update 8:39 AM: Mac Otakara reports that the official launch day for the new iPod touch and iPod nano in Japan is October 9, although early supplies are likely to be tight.

On the one-year anniversary of Steve Jobs' death, Apple has posted a new remembrance on its website. Visitors to apple.com are presented with a nearly two-minute photo slideshow of Jobs paired with some of his famous audio clips. Once the slideshow is completed, the website transitions to a simple letter of remembrance from Tim Cook below the standard site navigation bar.

A message from Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

Steve’s passing one year ago today was a sad and difficult time for all of us. I hope that today everyone will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place.

One of the greatest gifts Steve gave to the world is Apple. No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We share the great privilege and responsibility of carrying his legacy into the future.

I’m incredibly proud of the work we are doing, delivering products that our customers love and dreaming up new ones that will delight them down the road. It’s a wonderful tribute to Steve’s memory and everything he stood for.

- Tim

Apple today released OS X v10.8.2 Supplemental Update 1.0, a minor software update bringing a handful of fixes to the latest version of OS X Mountain Lion.

The OS X v10.8.2 Supplemental Update is recommended for all users running OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.2 and includes the following fixes:

- Resolves an issue that may cause certain Japanese characters to appear incorrectly in Mail
- Allows Safari to access secure sites when parental controls are enabled
- Addresses an issue that may prevent systems with more than 64 GB of RAM from starting up

OS X v10.8.2 Supplemental Update 1.0 is available via the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store , and arrives just over two weeks after the release of OS X 10.8.2.

Update 1:32 PM: Apple has also released OS X Lion 10.7.5 Supplemental Update, bringing several bug fixes to the latest version of OS X Lion.

The OS X v10.7.5 Supplemental Update is recommended for all users running OS X Lion v10.7.5 and includes the following fixes:

- Resolves an issue that may cause Time Machine backups to take a very long time to complete
- Addresses an issue that prevents certain applications signed with a Developer ID from launching

The Supplemental Update is recommended if you installed the Mac OS X Lion v10.7.5 Update (build 11G56).

It is not needed if you install the Mac OS X Lion v10.7.5 Update (build 11G63).

In the lead-up to major Apple product launches, there are almost inevitably reports of production problems that result in the company having lower stocks on hand than it initially hoped for, sometimes leading to extended shortages as the company's supply chain works to catch up to demand. The iPhone 5 was no different, with yield issues on the new in-cell displays used in the device reportedly being the bottleneck that has limited availability.

With The Wall Street Journal now reporting that mass production of the "iPad mini" has begun, reports are once again suggesting that Apple's launch supplies may be on the low side due to issues with several components.

One such report comes from Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White, who is currently in Taiwan meeting with a number of contacts in the component supply chains for Apple and other companies. White's contacts believe that yield issues with several iPad mini components have been "frustrating", with supplies of the device likely to be constrained for the first month of availability heading into the holiday shopping season.

Similar to the iPhone 5, we sensed that suppliers have found the specs around Apple's (AAPL-$671.45: Buy) 7.85-inch "iPad Mini" to be a challenge and yields have been frustrating. In our view, this is the reason the "iPad Mini" is 4-6 weeks behind our original launch expectation that we discussed in June. Despite continued yield challenges, the supply chain feels the much anticipated iPad Mini is on track to reach acceptable volume levels for a launch over the next month. That said, we believe that supply constraints will initially hold back the full sales potential during the first month or so of the launch.

White believes that Apple may sell 5-7 million iPad minis through the end of the quarter, somewhat below more optimistic estimates from other analysts that have put the number closer to 10 million. As with the iPhone 5, product availability for the iPad mini may actually be the limiting factor for early sales, making it difficult to assess true consumer demand.

A pair of reports from Digitimes tell a similar story, with one article claiming that AU Optronics' production of the iPad mini display panels has been below expectations with just 400,000 panels shipped in the third quarter compared to a goal of two million for the manufacturer.

Apple is expected to ship 9-10 million units of the new tablet in the fourth quarter, but it remains to be seen whether AUO and LG Display - the other panel supplier for iPad Mini - can meet the target, the sources said.

A goal of five million panels for iPad Mini was set for the third quarter but later had to drop to one million due to low yield rates, with LG Display and AUO comprising 60% and AUO 40%, the sources said.

The second report from Digitimes indicates that chassis makers are also struggling with yield issues.

Along with the latest market rumors indicating that Apple is likely to unveil the much speculated iPad mini on October 17, sources in Apple's supply chain in Taiwan are also indicating that shipments of the iPad mini tablets are not smooth at the moment due to low yield rates at chassis makers.

Case makers Foxconn Electronics, Catcher Technology and Ri-Teng Computer Accessory are responsible for production of the iPad mini chassis, the sources indicated. Ri-Teng is an associate company of Pegatron.

The report claims that the iPad mini will be available in two body colors, native aluminum and black-anodized aluminum as seen with the iPhone 5, with the black version experiencing greater production issues due to the scratching vulnerability of the anodized chassis.

As noted by iPhoneinCanada.ca, Google today added its Street View functionality to the web-based version of its Google Maps product available to iOS and other mobile device users. With Apple's transition to its own Maps app in iOS 6, users still wishing to use Google Maps have been able to do so through the maps.google.com web app, but the web version has been missing some features compared to the native iOS app that was previously available on Apple's devices.

Our own tests with Google Street View via the Google Maps web app were very straightforward. Just load up the maps.google.com web app in mobile Safari, tap on a location and a new bottom bar emerges with an icon of a person. Tap that and voila–you have Street View, which opens up in a new tab displaying the URL maps.gstatic.com.

Access to the feature appears to require that users allow the web-based Google Maps app to access their locations.

Google is reportedly working on its own native iOS maps app for submission to the App Store, but that app is not expected to be ready for several more months. In the meantime, Google appears to be beefing up its web-based maps to help bridge the gap while also enhancing functionality for other mobile devices.

Starbucks has added Passbook support to its iPhone app [App Store], as perhaps the highest profile app to embrace the feature. Starbucks customers can use its app to store gift cards and use QR codes on the phone to quickly pay for food and drinks without needing cash or credit cards. Additionally, the company keeps track of purchases for its rewards program.

It's a near perfect use of Passbook; presumably why Starbucks is prominently featured in Apple's marketing. Passbook is designed to get users directly into gift cards or event tickets from the lock screen, using time and location information to discover when a user is near a Starbucks and put a link to the Starbucks gift card directly on the lock screen.

The Starbucks app is a free download on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Other apps using Passbook include Ticketmaster, Fandango, American Airlines, United Airlines, Lufthansa, Major League Baseball, Eventbrite, and McDonalds (as a limited test in France).

Thanks Will!

More than a year after the debut of the Apple Thunderbolt Display, which incorporates a docking station function offering three USB ports, one Firewire 800 port, one Gigabit Ethernet port, and a second Thunderbolt port to enable daisy chaining, consumers are still looking for a similar product in a cheaper, standalone format that forgoes the expensive display included in the Apple product.

Belkin seemed to be the first third-party company to be preparing a standalone Thunderbolt docking station, showing off its prototype in September 2011 and soon after noting that it planned to launch the product in "spring 2012". In January of this year, Belkin revealed a redesigned docking station prototype, announcing that it would ship in September and be priced at $299. And by June, Belkin had revised its docking station again, adding HDMI and eSATA capabilities as well as upgrading to USB 3.0 ports, but also bumping the price to $399.99.

At the time, Belkin was sticking to its launch timeframe of September 2012, but the company has since quietly updated its site and revised its June press release to quote a launch in the first quarter of 2013. The reasons for the delays are unclear, but consumers who have already waited a year for the product to launch and who now have to wait three to six more months are undoubtedly becoming impatient.

Belkin is not the only peripheral manufacturer looking to launch a Thunderbolt docking station, however, with Matrox having announced its $249 DS1 back in early June. The DS1, which was introduced with DVI, Gigabit Ethernet, a pair of USB 2.0 ports and a USB 3.0 port, audio in/out ports, was also scheduled for a September 2012 launch and the lower pricing compared to the Belkin offering was viewed as potential advantage, particularly when Belkin raised the price of its redesigned dock by $100 just a few days later.

But in a press release issued last week, Matrox announced that shipping on the DS1 is now scheduled for December 2012. In attempting to soften the blow of a delayed shipping target for the DS1, Matrox also announced that the device will be available in two versions, the original one with DVI out and a new version with HDMI out. Pricing is set at $249 for both versions.

Apple and Intel have touted Thunderbolt as a revolutionary new input/output technology, but adoption has been rather slow since the technology first appeared on the MacBook Pro in February 2011. High-end storage, camera, and video capture accessories have been the first to adopt Thunderbolt technology, even as Apple's Mac Pro desktop has yet to see it incorporated. Thunderbolt has begun filtering down into consumer class peripherals as pricing seems to have begun coming down, but it still appears that Apple and Intel have a ways to go if they hope to achieve their vision of Thunderbolt as the next-generation standard for connectivity.

MacRumors has learned that at least one Fortune 500 company is requesting that its employees not upgrade to iOS 6 over a bug with Microsoft Exchange meeting invitations. The issue has also been reported on Apple's support discussion boards.

The issue appears when users decline a meeting invitation from an iOS 6 device. Instead of simply sending a notification to the meeting organizer that the user will not attend, iOS 6 is sending meeting cancellation notices to the entire distribution list, effectively canceling the invitation for all attendees.

We received this memo that was sent out to all employees at a very large company:

Information Technology Notice

To: Mobile device users who connect personal Apple mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, etc) with company email.

What: On September 27, IT notified you of an intermittent issue caused when calendar appointments are declined from devices running the latest Apple operating system (iOS 6). Apple and Microsoft are providing IT with daily updates on their progress toward a resolution.

Impact: When appointments are declined from an Apple mobile device running iOS 6, a cancellation is sometimes sent to all meeting attendees instead of sending a decline notice to the meeting organizer.

Action to take: Do not upgrade your Apple mobile device to iOS 6. If you have an iPhone 5 or have already upgraded a device to iOS 6, please do not accept or decline calendar appointments from your Apple device until further notice.

Affected companies have notified both Apple and Microsoft, but there does not appear to be a public timeline for a resolution. iOS 6 users have reportedly been affected by another issue with Exchange, this time affecting push delivery of emails.

Bloomberg Businessweek's profile of Apple one year after the death of Steve Jobs includes an interesting glimpse of Steve Jobs' role in Apple's mapping effort, a project that has been a number of years in the making but which only now has made its way into the public's hands. Unsurprisingly, the report notes that Apple's mapping effort was Jobs' idea, stemming from his concern over Google's presence on iOS devices.

Apple insiders say Jobs himself initiated the mapping project, putting mobile software chief Forstall in charge, and he installed a secret team on the third floor of Building 2 on Apple’s campus to replace Google Maps on the iPhone. At the time of his death, Jobs had come to loathe Google, which he felt was copying features of the iPhone while withholding a key feature of Google Maps that allows smartphones to dictate turn-by-turn directions aloud.

Beyond mapping, Jobs was reportedly also considering removing Google as the default search engine on iOS, but did not think it would be feasible.

Jobs also discussed pulling Google search from the iPhone, but figured that customers would reject that move, according to two former Apple executives.

The claim is in line with a January 2010 report from Businessweek claiming that Apple was in discussions with Microsoft to make the switch to Bing as the default search engine for iOS. Apple currently offers users the choice of Google, Yahoo!, or Bing as their Safari search engine in iOS, with the company having also added Baidu in China with iOS 6, but Google's role as the default search engine helps it hold by far the largest share of iOS search traffic.

Earlier this year, Apple announced that hardware chief Bob Mansfield would be retiring, staying on for several months as iPad hardware engineering chief Dan Riccio transitioned into the broader role overseeing the company's entire hardware effort. But just two months later, Apple announced that Mansfield would be staying on, retaining his senior vice president title but without a specific role other than to "work on future products".

A new report from Bloomberg Businessweek profiling Apple one year after the death of Steve Jobs reveals the backstory behind Mansfield's reversal, noting that Apple CEO Tim Cook found himself facing an "insurrection" from Apple employees following Mansfield's retirement announcement.

According to three people familiar with the sequence of events, several senior engineers on Mansfield’s team vociferously complained to Cook about reporting to his replacement, Dan Riccio, who they felt was unprepared for the magnitude of the role. In response, Cook approached Mansfield and offered him an exorbitant package of cash and stock worth around $2 million a month to stay on at Apple as an adviser and help manage the hardware engineering team.

Officially, Apple's hardware engineering group is now under the oversight of Riccio, so it is unclear exactly how Mansfield and Riccio are working together on their projects. Both executives report directly to Cook, and it is unknown how long Mansfield intends to remain with Apple.

iLounge reports that Apple is continuing to keep strict control over its new Lightning connector found on the iPhone 5, moving to tighten its Made For iPad/iPhone/iPod (MFi) program policies for accessory manufacturers relative to the previous 30-pin dock connector design. According to the report, Apple is demanding that all MFi vendors seeking to launch Lightning-related accessories manufacture the products in Apple-approved facilities, but the company has yet to approve any such plants.

One source notes that Apple is planning an MFi “seminar,” where it will discuss changes to the program and the rules for Lightning accessory development going forward. The seminar will be held in November in China, notes the source, after the point at which third-party Lightning accessories could be manufactured in time for holiday sale. Sources have further noted that the Lightning connector has proved difficult to copy, reducing the near-term likelihood of unauthorized third-party connector cables.

Apple's Lightning connector uses adaptive technology to permit a significant range of functionality with only eight contact pins, sensing what kinds of devices are being connected and dynamically assigning the pin functionalities needed for a given pairing. This dynamic assignment requires controller chips embedded in the Lightning connector cable, chips that have stymied third-party companies seeking to get a jump on the Lightning accessory market.

MacRumors has learned that Apple is piloting a program to tap into its vast number of retail store employees to help improve the company's new Maps app for iOS 6. Details on the initiative remain unclear, but multiple sources have indicated that participating stores will dedicate 40 hours of staff time per week, distributed among a number of employees, to manually examine Apple's mapping data in their areas and submit corrections and improvements. ifoAppleStore posted a Tweet a short time ago indicating that it too has received information on the effort.

It is unknown exactly what procedures will be used to examine the data, whether it simply be side-by-side comparisons with Google Maps data or if more sophisticated efforts such as in-person verification will be used. One source has indicated that a team of ten employees would be participating in the program at one store, with one of those employees being designated a "subject matter expert" to oversee the team and receiving training on how the team will operate. Changes to maps will reportedly be submitted through a dedicated internal portal on Apple's systems.

Apple's new Maps app for iOS 6 has received significant criticism since its launch, with Apple CEO Tim Cook finding it necessary to publish an open letter late last week to apologize for the app's shortcomings and to suggest alternative mapping solutions while Apple works to improve its own maps.

Apple is reportedly aggressively hiring former Google Maps employees in its efforts to quickly improve its new mapping services, but much of the criticism has related to incorrect point-of-interest locations and other data best verified in the field or by those with intimate knowledge of a given area. Apple's network of nearly 400 retail stores represents nearly 40,000 employees scattered across more than a dozen countries, making it an ideal resource for assisting with mapping improvements.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has started mass production of the iPad mini.

Apple Inc.'s Asian component suppliers have started mass production of a new tablet computer smaller than the current iPad, people with knowledge of the situation said, as the Silicon Valley company tries to stay competitive against rivals such as Google Inc. GOOG -0.63% and Amazon.com Inc. AMZN -0.56% that are offering smaller, less-expensive alternatives to the iPad.

The Wall Street Journal cites two sources who also confirm that the iPad mini will use a 7.85" screen with a lower screen resolution than the 3rd Generation iPad. The iPad Mini has been previously rumored to have a 1024x768 pixel display.

The report comes just after a similar claim from Japanese site Mac Otakara, who specified that the iPad mini had begun production in Foxconn's factories in Brazil. The Wall Street Journal's report seems to provide additional confirmation. Recent reports have suggested that the iPad Mini media event will take place in October.

Even as AuthenTec's board of directors appears to moving toward approval of Apple's $356 million acquisition of the fingerprint sensor chip company, a new report suggests that Apple is also drawing on other expertise to assist with its mobile payments effort. According to The Australian (subscription required), Apple has signed a deal to work with Australian firm Microlatch on similar fingerprint recognition technology for integration with mobile payments via near field communications (NFC).

Word of the deal comes from David Murray, former head of the Commonwealth Bank and a lead investor in Microlatch.

Mr Murray said the company had an agreement with the notoriously secretive Apple to develop fingerprint technology for use in near-field communications applications.

Microlatch has patented fingerprint identification technology that meets banking security standards without the need for central processing or storage; a process Mr Murray described as "self-registering".

Details on Apple's partnership with Microlatch remain unknown, but it is clear that Apple is interested in fingerprint recognition and mobile payment technology. The company has, however, been employing a "go-slow approach" to mobile payments as it examines the potential of the technology and toys with various options for implementing it.

NFC has been a relatively frequent topic for rumors in relation to the iPhone, with some expecting that it might even make it into the 2011 version of the device. Despite numerous rumors about NFC peaking in early 2011, Apple elected not to include it in the iPhone 4S and even decided against bringing NFC to the redesigned iPhone 5 this year.

Visionary is one of the most frequently used words to describe Steve Jobs. Nearly a year after he passed away, historians are still digging up treasures from his life that confirm that assessment.

The Next Web writes of a speech Jobs gave in 1983 at the Center for Design innovation. After that speech, he had a question-and-answer session that covered a wide range of topics, one of which was an incredibly detailed assessment of Jobs' vision for a "computer in a book" that one could learn how to use in 20 minutes.

"Apple’s strategy is really simple. What we want to do is we want to put an incredibly great computer in a book that you can carry around with you and learn how to use in 20 minutes. That’s what we want to do and we want to do it this decade," says Jobs. "And we really want to do it with a radio link in it so you don’t have to hook up to anything and you’re in communication with all of these larger databases and other computers."

The full recording of the speech including the Q&A is available at LifeLibertyTech.com, with the Q&A starting about 21 minutes in.

Walter Isaacson also revealed some tidbits behind the development of the iPad in Steve Jobs' biography.

(Image courtesy Matt Buchanan)