MacRumors

While the highlight of next week's Apple media event will almost certainly be the next-generation iPhone, 9to5Mac reports that updated iPods are also likely to be unveiled at the event.

Details on the updates are scarce, but it appears that Apple will be releasing two or three updated product lines, all of which will be available in multiple colors. Two of the lines appear to correspond to the current iPod shuffle and iPod nano, but it is unclear exactly what the third line represents.

All these new lines will come in multiple colors, one of the lines will come in two size capacities, and the other two lines will come in a single storage capacity.

With the current iPod nanos and iPod shuffles both available in multiple colors (and with the nano currently available in two capacities and the shuffle in one), we think it is likely that new iPod nanos and iPod shuffles are launching next week.

However, it is possible that there is a third line as well (that, too, comes in multiple colors). With the iPod touch currently available in two colors and three capacities (black/white, 8GB, 32GB, 64GB) we don’t believe that the iPod touch is third line that comes in multiple colors.

Amid rumors of a revamped iPod nano with larger screen and home button, the report speculates that the third product could arrive as a new line, allowing Apple to continue offering the current iPod nano design that has gained a following for its small size combined with touchscreen capabilities.

Assuming that the third, unidentified product line is not a revamp of the iPod touch, today's report does not address Apple's plans for its most popular iPod. Apple has been said to be updating it with a 4-inch display similar to the next-generation iPhone's, as well as improved performance and a redesigned body. A front panel with an opening for a 4-inch display said to be for the new iPod touch did leak back in May, but other part leaks for the redesigned iPod touch have been non-existent.

The Loop reports that Apple has just sent out invitations for a media event scheduled for next week Wednesday, September 12. The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern. The tagline on the invitation is simply "It's almost here."

Apple is of course expected to introduce the next-generation iPhone and give a final preview of iOS 6 at the event. Apple's "iPad mini" is reportedly also nearing a launch, but sources have indicated that Apple is planning a second media event for October to introduce that product. Apple's iPod lineup is also rumored to be seeing an update at one of the two events, while rumored iMac updates and the launch of a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro are likely to appear separately.

There's clearly a "5" in the shadow of the invitation, suggesting that Apple's next iPhone will indeed be called the iPhone 5.

iphone-ticker.de reports [Google translation] that T-Mobile Germany has begun distributing nano-SIM cards to its retailers, likely signifying preparations for the next-generation iPhone launch as the forthcoming device is so far the only one thought to use the smaller Apple-backed standard approved earlier this year.

T-Mobile Germany's nano-SIM (left) and mini/micro-SIM (right)

European carriers were reported in July as having been stockpiling supplies of the new nano-SIMs amid expectations of high demand for the next iPhone and past experience with card shortages when Apple transitioned to the micro-SIM standard for the iPhone 4. At the time, carriers were also said to be testing the new nano-SIMs in partnership with Apple.

Hacker group Antisec has released a dump of 1 million unique identifiers (UDIDs) from Apple iOS devices tonight. The records reportedly came from a file found on an FBI laptop back in March.

During the second week of March 2012, a Dell Vostro notebook, used by Supervisor Special Agent Christopher K. Stangl from FBI Regional Cyber Action Team and New York FBI Office Evidence Response Team was breached using the AtomicReferenceArray vulnerability on Java, during the shell session some files were downloaded from his Desktop folder one of them with the name of "NCFTA_iOS_devices_intel.csv" turned to be a list of 12,367,232 Apple iOS devices including Unique Device Identifiers (UDID), user names, name of device, type of device, Apple Push Notification Service tokens, zipcodes, cellphone numbers, addresses, etc. the personal details fields referring to people appears many times empty leaving the whole list incompleted on many parts. no other file on the same folder makes mention about this list or its purpose.

The file that was found was said to contain over 12 million device records, including Apple UDIDs, usernames, push notification tokens, and in some instances, names, cell phone numbers, addresses and zip codes.

The group released 1 million of these records but stripped most personal information. The final release includes Apple UDIDs, APNS (push notification) Tokens, Device Name (e.g. "Arnold's iPhone") and Device Type (e.g. "iPhone"). MacRumors has been able to confirm that the UDIDs appear to be legitimate.

The source of the data is not entirely clear, though the type of data is typical for the kind of information an iOS app developer would collect to deliver push notifications to users. It seems an App developer or developers are the original likely source of the information, though no specific information is yet available. Right now there's no easy way to determine if your device's UDID was included in the list, beyond downloading the list yourself.

The actual implications of the leak, even if your UDID is found, aren't entirely clear. The UDIDs themselves are rather harmless in isolation. Apple has previously come under fire for the use of these globally identifying ids. The privacy risks, however, typically come from these ids being used across ad networks and apps to piece together a more complete picture of activity and interests of the user. But it was reported back in 2011 that by leveraging existing networks, information and even login access can be obtained from UDIDs. It's not yet clear if the released push tokens can be used in any manner.

Several reports over the weekend, including from The Sun and the Daily Mail, are claiming that actor Bruce Willis is considering taking legal action against Apple to address the issue of transferability of iTunes Store music purchases. According to the reports, Willis wants his daughters to be able to inherit his iTunes music upon his death, but Apple's terms prohibit any transfer of ownership.

The Hollywood action hero is said to be considering legal action against technology giant Apple over his desire to leave his digital music collection to his daughters.

If he succeeds, he could benefit not just himself and his family but the millions who have purchased songs from Apple’s iTunes Store.

Willis has discovered that, like anyone who has bought music online, he does not actually own the tracks but is instead ‘borrowing’ them under a licence.

As an alternative to legal action against Apple, Willis is also said to be considering setting up a family trust to own his iTunes music.

Curiously, we can find no restrictions on transferability of iTunes Store music content in the lengthy terms and conditions. While Apple is clear that apps sold through both the Mac App Store and the iOS App Store are distributed under a nontransferable license, the current version of the document makes no reference to any such licensing and transferability restrictions for other types of content such as music.

Apple shifted its entire music store to iTunes Plus content in early 2009, removing copying and device limitations from tracks sold through the marketplace. Many users undoubtedly still own restricted non-Plus tracks, but in most cases those can be upgraded to their corresponding Plus versions at relatively low cost.

Ultimately, ownership and copyright on music sold through the iTunes Store are held by record labels who may attempt to dictate transferability, but Apple's own terms do not appear to address such issues on a blanket basis in their current state.

Update: According to a tweet from Willis' wife, the story is untrue.

(Photo by Gage Skidmore)

Over the weekend, GSM Israel posted a video of a physical mock-up of the iPhone 5 found at the IFA 2012 consumer electronics show in Berlin. The physical mockup was created by a case manufacturer to test early case designs on the upcoming iPhone.

The Verge has since tracked down the same mockup and was able to take high quality photos and video of the device which show it well compared to the iPhone 4S.

The rumors for the design of the new iPhone have been very consistent. Apple is widely expected to announce the new iPhone on September 12th.

Vietnamese site Tinhte.vn has posted a video of what it claims to be redesigned headphones for the new iPhone which is expected in September.

In my hands are the new earphones for the iPhone 5 that is about to come out - Apple's next generation of iPod [sic]. These will replace the current earphones that are on the market. These are manufactured at Phax Co factory in Vietnam. They have the appearance of a horse's head, not like earbuds. When they are worn, they have a much smaller profile. They have the appearance of a fully integrated, single unit - there's no part that looks like it would come apart - not like earbuds; the integrated design is characteristic of Apple products. Here I have the old earphones for comparison. The new ones are much smaller; when they are worn, they do not hurt the way earbuds do. You can see on the old ones the surface is a separate part that looks like it can be detached - not like the small surface of the new one. The old earphones were mostly made in China, with some in Vietnam. But the new ones are clearly made in Vietnam. (Reading from the wires): "Designed by Apple in California, assembled in Vietnam."

The site claims that the new headphones are manufactured in Vietnam which are also written on the cables themselves. According to Tinhte, the new headphones are being manufactured in a Foxconn plant in Vietnam.

Though we can't vouch for the authenticity of the video, Tinhte.vn has been able to get a hold of pre-release and protoype Apple devices in the past.

In a blog post, Tinhte seems convinced the headphones represent an authentic Apple part:

All factors such as design, quality finishing materials fabricated wire, plastic body headphones are led to the conclusion this is genuine and not counterfeit headphones.

Apple is widely expected to announced the next generation iPhone on September 12th.

Reuters reports that retail giant Walmart is currently testing a new "Scan & Go" service at one Arkansas store that allows iPhone users to scan items with their device as they shop and then proceed to a self-checkout station on their way out of the store to complete their purchase. The report points to a survey Walmart is using to gather feedback on the initiative.

We are conducting a study to assess the usability of the Walmart iPhone app's new Scan & Go feature. Scan & Go enables you to scan products with your phone and bag them while shopping in a Walmart retail store, and then use the Self-Checkout at the front of the store. This survey includes questions to help us determine if you qualify for an interview session. We are simply trying to get feedback from real people on whether this new system is user-friendly, and we think you will find participating in this study fun!

Walmart's test sessions were held earlier this week, with participants being compensated with a $100 payment and a $25 Walmart gift card for the one-hour sessions.

Details on how exactly the purchasing process works remain scant, but allowing users to scan their entire orders before approaching the checkout stand could in many cases result in significant time savings during busy shopping periods.

The biggest change in the rumored new iPhone is the increase in screen size from 3.5" to 4". As we've seen in numerous part leaks, the new iPhone screen will be taller, but not wider. This will give the new device a resolution of 1136x640 and provide apps with more vertical space to use. In fact, it's been found that iOS 6's home screen already supports this larger size to display an extra row of app icons.

In order to provide a better demonstration of what a 4" iPhone screen would feel like, MacRumors has had this video created to show it in action:

The new 1136x640 resolution is almost exactly the same 16:9 ratio found on many widescreen monitors and televisions. This will fit many widescreen movies more naturally.

Some of the behavior in the video is speculative, but we believe it is likely representative of how a 4" iPhone would work. The evidence of such a screen has been overwhelming with part leaks and evidence of iOS support. Apple is expected to launch the new iPhone on September 12th.