MacRumors

Alongside today's release of iOS 6.1, Apple also issued an update for the Apple TV. The new 5.2 software update includes a number of enhancements including direct iTunes in the Cloud music streaming, Bluetooth keyboard support, Up Next support, and more.

- iTunes in the Cloud: Browse and play your purchased iTunes music directly from iCloud.
- Bluetooth keyboard: Use your Apple Wireless Keyboard to control your Apple TV. See this article for more information.
- AirPlay audio for videos: Send stereo audio from movies, TV shows, and other videos on Apple TV to AirPlay-enabled speakers and devices (including AirPort Express and other Apple TVs).
- Stability and performance: Includes performance and stability improvements with the iTunes Store, AirPlay, Netflix, iTunes Match, and wired Ethernet connections.

apple tv 5 2
Curiously, Apple has released three versions of the Apple TV update, covering not only the second-generation (AppleTV2,1) and third-generation (AppleTV3,1) boxes but also a new AppleTV3,2 box. It is unclear exactly what the difference is with the new box, but the numbering scheme suggests that it is a relatively minor change.

appletv32
Three versions of Apple TV 5.2 update (Source: e-lite.org)

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo noted earlier this month that Apple was preparing to launch an updated Apple TV this quarter, although it was anticipated to be a minor upgrade. Apple has not, however, made any public announcements regarding an updated Apple TV.

Update: Apple appears to be referring to the new Apple TV model with a code name of J33I, compared to the J33 code name used on the third-generation Apple TV. While we have no direct evidence, it is possible that the "I" simply refers to an international variation of the current box. Just last month, Apple launched iTunes movies in nearly four dozen new countries.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

WhatsappWhatsApp Messenger, a popular cross-platform SMS and group chat replacement, is the subject of a joint report between Canadian and Dutch authorities. The report says the app violates the countries' privacy laws because users are required to give the company access to both users and non-users in its address book, reports Reuters.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) and the Dutch Data Protection Authority, in a joint report released on Monday, said the app violated privacy laws because users have to provide access to all phone numbers in their address book, including both users and non-users of the app.

"This lack of choice contravenes (Canadian and Dutch) privacy law. Both users and non-users should have control over their personal data and users must be able to freely decide what contact details they wish to share with WhatsApp," said Jacob Kohnstamm, chairman of the Dutch Data Protection Authority.

The report revealed that WhatsApp stores the mobile numbers of non-users from users' contact lists, a violation of Dutch privacy laws. The Dutch Data Protection Authority said it could impose financial penalties if the violations continue.

In iOS 6, Apple introduced a new feature that required user permission before apps could access the users location, calendar, contacts, reminders and photos. However, the feature does not allow users to only give access to certain contacts -- instead, users are required to give apps access to their entire address book.

WhatsApp Messenger is available for $0.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Following this weekend's release of iOS 6.1 Beta 5 to developers, Apple has just released iOS 6.1 to the public. The update includes new LTE carrier support and Siri-based movie ticket purchases via Fandango, as well as iTunes Match individual song downloading and a new reset button for advertising tracking.

This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:

- LTE support for more carriers (complete list of supported carriers at www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/)
- Purchase movie tickets through Fandango with Siri (USA only)
- iTunes Match subscribers can now download individual songs from iCloud
- New button to reset the Advertising Identifier

ios 6 1

“iOS 6 is the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, and with nearly 300 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices on iOS 6 in just five months, it may be the most popular new version of an OS in history,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iOS 6.1 brings LTE support to more markets around the world, so even more users can enjoy ultrafast Safari browsing, FaceTime video calls, iCloud services, and iTunes and App Store downloads.”

New LTE carriers for iPhone 5 supported in the update include:

- USA: Alaska Communications, Alaska GCI, Bluegrass Cellular, C Spire, Cellcom, Pioneer Cellular
- Canada: MTS, Sasktel
- Puerto Rico: Claro, Open Mobile
- Croatia: T-Mobile, VIPNet
- Denmark: 3, Telenor, Telia
- Finland: DNA, Elisa, Sonera
- Greece: Cosmote
- Hungary: T-Mobile
- Italy: 3, TIM, Vodafone
- Kuwait: Zain
- Luxembourg: Tango
- Philippines: Globe, SMART
- Portugal: Optimus, TMN, Vodafone
- Saudi Arabia: Mobily, Zain
- South Africa: Vodacom
- Switzerland: Swisscom
- UAE: DU, Etisalat

However, as Jeremy Horwitz of iLounge points out, the new LTE carriers are only supported by the 4th-generation iPad, the iPad mini, and the iPhone 5. Third-generation iPads do not support any of the new carriers.

iLounge follows up its reports from last week about Apple's future iOS device plans with a new report sharing details on Apple's rumored lower-cost iPhone. According to the report, the new device will indeed be constructed primarily of plastic and offers design similarities to the iPhone 5, iPod touch, and even the iPod classic.

From the front, the new iPhone looks almost identical to the iPhone 5—the same exact shape, with the same sensor, camera, and button arrangement. The 1136 x 640 screen isn’t a surprise, but will be a nice step up in specs for the lowest-cost iPhone. Rather than making the display flush with the enclosure, as it was in the plastic iPhone 3G/3GS, the front glass sticks out a little, just as it does with the iPhone 5 and iPod touch. Despite the shift to plastic for the rest of the enclosure, our sources believe that Apple will continue to use Gorilla Glass for this model’s screen.

Differences become more obvious when the new iPhone is turned on the side. The circular volume buttons of the iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 will shift to elongated, pill-shaped designs closer to the iPod touch and iPhone 3G/3GS.

The device is reportedly about half a millimeter taller and wider than the iPhone 5, but also about one millimeter thicker.

budget iphone front side
Similarities to the iPod classic are said to arrive in the form of the curves on the rear edges of the device. The report indicates that the sides and rear of the device will all be flat and connected by distinct curves rather than extending the curves all the way through the rear shell of the device.

Unlike the plastic iPhone 3G/3GS, which featured soft curves on all sides, the budget iPhone’s curves start and end at flat surfaces, so each side and the back are flat. This seems like a trivial change, until you realize that it allows Apple to use flat rather than curve-matched parts: the right side has a flat, centered SIM card tray just like the iPhone 5’s, while all of the buttons and ports are on flat rather than curved surfaces. A flat-backed iPhone won’t rock on a flat surface when it vibrates, either.

budget iphone bottom edge
The rear and bottom edges of the lower-cost iPhone will reportedly be something of a hybrid of the iPhone 5 and the current iPod touch, with a the bottom edge showing a similar layout of features to the iPhone 5 but with fewer holes.

Apple has long been rumored to be working on a lower-cost iPhone, but rumors have accelerated in recent weeks with indications that the company may launch the device later this year.

Tag: iLounge
Related Forum: iPhone

BrightWire summarizes a report [Google translation] from Chinese financial news site yicai.com noting that the city of Shangahi has officially announced Apple will open a new facility including some research and development operations in the city this summer.

- Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce has announced that Apple will open its R&D center this summer.

- Apple has registered three firms in three buildings in Pudong, Shanghai, and one of them will be dedicated to procurement management and R&D, according to documents on the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce's website.

shanghai
While Apple had previously been reported to be developing an R&D facility in Beijing, the Shanghai plans have reportedly been underway for quite some time. Initial reports of a Chinese R&D facility emerged following a meeting between Apple CEO Tim Cook and the acting mayor of Beijing just two weeks ago, so it is unknown whether those plans are still in the works.

China is an enormously important market for Apple, with revenues of $7.3 billion in the last quarter alone. Cook described China as Apple's second largest region.

If you look at our total Greater China, which would include our retail stores in China, our revenues were $7.3 billion in the quarter. So this is incredibly high, it’s up over 60% year-on-year … It’s clear that China is already our second-largest region … and it’s clear that there’s a lot of potential there.

A key challenge for Apple in China is that its products are typically too expensive for workers on an average salary. Apple recently introduced payment plans of up to two years, and the rumored low-cost iPhone is also expected to be offered in the Chinese market.

Recent production problems with the 2012 iMac have largely been solved, suggesting that supply constraints may ease, according to a report from China Times, summarized by BrightWire.

- [T]he company's Taiwanese component suppliers noted that the assembling conformity rate for the new iMac has been improved and mass production started in December 2012. Sales of the device may be boosted in 1Q 2013.

- As new products will usually see orders peak within the first four months after they are launched, the shipments of the new iMac are expected to remain stable through 1Q 2013.

imac

Apple CEO Tim Cook noted in last week's analyst call that iMac shipments would remain constrained through Q1, with the company giving this as a large part of the reason for selling 1.1 million fewer Macs in Q4 2012 compared to Q4 2011.

Currently 27-inch iMacs are showing delivery times of 3-4 weeks, with 21.5-inch models showing 2-3 weeks.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iMac

A blog entry at Zero Hedge suggests that a deliberate share dump in the final second of trading may have been partly responsible for yet another drop in Apple's share price on Friday.

flashdump
Zero Hedge cites several Nanex charts as evidence, observing that some 800,000 shares worth $350 million were traded in the final seconds of trading on Friday.

Unlike traditional flash crashes where the trade is an HFT [high-frequency trading] error, or a few shares traded through the entire bid or offer stack, in this case it looks like a very premeditated unloading of some 800K shares (some $350 million worth) of AAPL in the last second, with the full knowledge it [would] shake the market.

The move brought Apple's stock price down by approximately $5 in the waning seconds of the week's trading, where it sat throughout much of the after-hours trading period leading into the reopening of regular trading this morning. Apple's stock is down another $3.50 as trading opens today.

Following today's revelation of code in iOS 6.1 Beta 5 hinting at future 128 GB iOS devices, 9to5Mac reports that four new high-end iPad configurations have appeared in a U.S. retailer's database.

While the exact identity of the devices is not revealed in the stock database, they do appear as "ultimate" configurations of the current full-size iPad models, suggesting that they may represent 128 GB models of the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad in both black and white.

possible 128 gb ipad models

While it is certainly plausible that this new iPad model is the 128GB iPad, we are currently not confident enough to outright claim that, but it seems likely based on the evidence. [..]

The P101 and P103 names are Apple’s internal nomenclature for the WiFi-only and Cellular-compatible fourth-generation iPads, respectively. Both of those models comes in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB configurations. These storage sizes are known as “GOOD,” “BETTER,” and “BEST,” respectively. As you can see in our table above, Apple is preparing to release the additional “ULTIMATE” model. “ULTIMATE” frequently refers to the most premium or highest capacity model available. The “A” points to a black configuration, and “B” stands for the white option.

No additional information such as specifications, price, or a launch date for the new configurations have yet been revealed.

Related Roundup: iPad
Tag: 9to5Mac
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

As noted by @iNeal and iDownloadBlog, the new iOS 6.1 Beta 5 released yesterday contains a reference suggesting that Apple may be looking to offer 128 GB iOS devices in upcoming generations.

ios 6 1 beta 5 128
The reference to a 128 GB capacity comes as part of SystemPartitionPadding key in the build manifest associated with the release and is not found in publicly available versions of iOS.

While the observation does not mean that a 128 GB iOS device is definitely coming later this year, this is not the first time in recent months that Apple has hinted at future 128 GB iOS devices. iTunes 11, released in late November, contains a graphic corresponding to a mobile device with a capacity of 128 GB, although no such device has been released so far.

French site Nowhereelse.fr shares [Google translation] a pair of photos of what the original source claims are speaker enclosures for both the upcoming iPhone 5S and a future iPhone 6. The two parts are similar in appearance both to each other and to the corresponding iPhone 5 part, but do contain several differences.

iphone 5s 6 speakers 1
Photo of claimed iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 speaker enclosures with iPhone 5 part superimposed

It is of course impossible to tell for certain whether the parts are indeed legitimate and whether they are intended for the upcoming iPhone models as claimed. Nowehereelse.fr has published a number of accurate photos in the past, but typically obtains the photos by scouring web postings from Asia and thus the photos typically come from a variety of sources that make it difficult to determine their reliability.

iphone 5s 6 speakers 2
Edge view of claimed iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 speaker enclosures

Related Forum: iPhone

Last week, MacRumors received word that office supply retailer Staples would soon begin offering Apple products for sale. While the company has offered Apple products in international markets for some time, it had long been unsuccessful in striking a deal for the U.S. market.

We were unable to confirm the claim at the time, but 9to5Mac now reports that Apple products have begun appearing on the Staples website in the United States as part of an Apple Mock Up section. The section includes a number of products, including the Apple TV (listed at a remarkably low price of $49.99) and iPad Smart Covers, all marked with "Test" in the item description.

staples apple tv
While the products listed on the test pages are limited to accessories with the exception of the Apple TV, our original source had claimed that Apple's full lineup of Macs, iPads, and at least the iPhone 5 would be coming to Staples in the United States. No specific timeframe for an official launch of Apple's products at Staples beyond "in the coming months" has been shared.

Following the premiere of Ashton Kutcher's new film Jobs at the Sundance Film Festival, a number of publications have posted reviews of the flick which is scheduled to arrive in theaters nationwide on April 19. The first video clip of the movie was released earlier this week.

NewImage
Cinema Blend:

A biopic about a great man that's way too aware of his greatness, jOBS tells us a lot about the genius of Steve Jobs, but doesn't show us much of anything that actually reveals it.

The Next Web

But, overall, jOBS works. The lead actors are likable and appear to have put serious effort into getting the spirit of the characters right. The film looks (mostly) good aside from some of what could likely be ascribed to budgetary constraints. And though the director is a tad indulgent here and there, it doesn’t take away from the overall feeling of ‘decent’ that I came away with.

The Verge

As expected, there are some liberties taken with Apple’s story and even / especially the representation of some characters — but the emotional resonance of Steve Jobs himself is convincing. It’s not revisionist history, and it’s not some greater parable about the human spirit. Jobs is a point-A-to-point-B story about a uniquely innovative thinker and ruthless businessman — one that had a notable and meaningful impact on the world. It’s a good film, but it’s also very “safe” — a familiar story that doesn’t try for a bigger picture.

CNET

Others will write of the things "jOBS" omits, gets wrong, or simply avoids. My primary disappointment was in how shallow the film felt, given the extensive historical record. In the early days Jobs' co-workers had to wrestle with a man who smelled bad, who cried often, who yelled constantly, who missed deadlines, who overspent his budget by millions. He did it in service of products we love and use daily, and yet his obsessions took a toll on those around him. He also inspired others to do the best work of their lives, pushing themselves further than they ever imagined they could go. There is great drama to be found in all that, but it is not to be found in the saccharine "jOBS."

Other reviews are available from The Hollywood Reporter, Slashfilm, Indiewire, and the Salt Lake Tribune.

TouchArcade notes the appearance of an arcade game called Gridlee in the App Store.

Gridlee is a 1983 arcade game that was never officially released, but the code was later released for free for non-commercial usage in 2001. The App Store app uses MAME 0.139u1 (MAME4iOS) to provide the emulation engine for the game. MAME is a popular arcade machine emulator that will run thousands of arcade games if you have the original ROMs.

When launching the free app, users are greeted with the Gridlee game. TouchArcade readers, however, quickly noticed that additional ROMs could be copied into the App's ROM directory (without jailbreaking), revealing the fully functional MAME emulator.

When word of this hit our forums, readers were quick to pull out iExplore and begin digging about the app's directory structure looking for a ROM folder. Well, it's in there, and sure enough, if one copies other MAME ROMs into that folder, the Gridlee app starts up with the standard MAME4iOS ROM listing, allowing for a great many games beyond just Gridlee to be played on the iPhone or iPad in this Universal app.

IMG 0140
The story is similar to the iMAME Emulator that was released into the App Store in December, 2011. Apple quickly pulled that app a few days after its release. While a number of individual emulators do exist on the App Store, Apple has been more restrictive about these open emulators, presumably due to potential legal issues.

Gridlee is a free download on the App Store. [Direct Link]

iPad Mini ship times have dropped to 3-5 days at a number of Apple Online Stores around the world, including the U.S., Canadian, Australia, New Zealand, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Japanese outlets. This was first noticed by iPhoneinCanada.ca.

The most notable exception to the shipping time improvement is the European stores, which have a 2 week lead time.

Ipadminishiptime
During its first quarter conference call, Apple executives noted that the iPad mini was constrained for the entire holiday quarter. The company believes it can achieve supply/demand balance on the mini by the end of the March quarter.

Apple has quietly added a new notes feature to its curated apps in the iOS App Store. Apps chosen for Editor's Choice and App of the Week now come with App Store Notes, which offer a quick description of the app. For example, here’s the new note feature for Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes:

Clash of Heroes has it all: epic storytelling, a wonderful blend of style and substance, and a spectacular battle system. This strategy-puzzler is genre-defining and an absolute must-play effort from the creators of Sword & Sworcery EP.

The App of the Week, Gesundheit, which is currently offered for free in the iPhone App Store, features a similar description. Some other apps, such as those found in the "New and Noteworthy" and "What's Hot" sections of the App Store also have App Store Notes, though not all of the apps in those sections have the new notes.

appstorenotes
Six of 24 New and Noteworthy apps on the iPhone have notes, while the rest do not. Only two apps, Temple Run 2 and Momonga Pinball, on the What's Hot have notes included.

App Store Notes might be trickling out to all of Apple's selected apps, or may be reserved for those that are the most popular. At this point in time, it is unclear what criteria Apple is using to determine which apps are furnished with notes, or if it is a feature that will roll out to all curated apps. The new app notes are only visible in the iOS App Store, and do not show up in the desktop version of iTunes.

Update: App Store Notes first appeared back in December, for the apps that Apple selected as the best of the year. The feature now appears to be rolling out more broadly to other curated App Store sections.

bestbuysaleBest Buy is having a Winter Doorbuster Days sale on Friday, January 25 and Saturday, January 26, providing discounts on several products. Most notably, the retailer is offering $200 off on select MacBook Airs.

Both the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models are discounted, giving the entry level 11-inch Air with 4GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD a price tag of $799.99. The base model 13-inch MacBook Air, sporting 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD is $999.99.

Additional configurations with more storage space are also available, and the 13-inch MacBook Air with a 256GB SSD is $1299.99, while the 11-inch 128GB model is $899.99.

The sale is available both online and in stores, and while the 11-inch $799.99 variant is sold out online, it is possible that it is still available at retail locations.

Best Buy is also offering 30% off of all OtterBox cases and a free $20 gift card with the purchase of a 16GB iPod nano.

Following up on his report from earlier today about Apple's plans for the full-size iPad and iPhone, iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz has a new article sharing additional information on Apple's mobile device plans. The information comes from a "trusted source" and discloses product code names for the various devices as well as plans for an upgrade to the rear camera system for the iPhone 5S.

The iPhone 5S is still months away from mass production, but our source suspects that the star feature will be an upgraded rear camera—perhaps featuring Sony’s 13-Megapixel sensor, plus the aforementioned flash upgrade—along with a processor bump. Current prototypes are codenamed N51 and N53, with July mentioned as the target date.

The source indicates that the code name for the fifth-generation iPad is J72, while the second-generation iPad mini has a code name of J85.

iphone ipad ipad mini update
The report indicates that the second-generation iPad mini is unlikely to appear until October of this year, roughly the same timeframe as for the next full-size iPad. Sources have scant information on the actual device, but suggest that it is likely to retain essentially the same form factor as the current model and add a Retina display. A move to a Retina display without increasing the physical size of the device would almost certainly necessitate a change in the display technology such as the adoption of new IGZO panels.

Some previous reports had indicated that the iPad and iPad mini could see updates as soon as March as part of an effort to accelerate the product development cycle, but iLounge's claims of an October launch are more in line with a recent report from frequently accurate KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Related Roundups: iPad, iPad mini
Tag: iLounge
Related Forums: iPad, iPhone