MacRumors

Reuters reports that LG Display has officially announced the start of mass production on new displays that are thought to be making their way into the next-generation iPhone. The news, which follows similar comments from Sharp earlier this month, comes three weeks ahead of Apple's expected media event to introduce the new device.

Flat-screen maker LG Display has started mass production of a new and thinner display, widely speculated to be for use in Apple Inc's next iPhone, and the display's production schedule remains in line with customers' product release plans, LG's chief executive said.

"We just began mass production and we don't expect any disruption in supplies," Han Sang-beom, chief executive of LG Display, a panel supplier for Apple products, told reporters late on Wednesday.

The report also reiterates claims that the new iPhone displays will measure four inches diagonally and incorporate in-cell technology to embed touch sensors directly into the display, thereby decreasing the thickness of the component.

Update 8:17 PM: The Wall Street Journal has a similar report discussing Apple's plans for the panels:

The chief executive of LG Display Co. said the company has started the mass production of panels using the so-called in-cell technology since earlier this month, a new display technology that is widely expected to be used for Apple Inc.'s next iPhone device.

"We had some hard times (in developing the new in-cell technology) at first ... but it seems those hard times have finally ended," Han Sang-beom, LG Display's chief executive, told reporters late Wednesday.

"The in-cell technology is the industry's latest development. (But) we will be able to supply the panels without any fail," Mr. Han said.

The report goes on to note that LG, Sharp, and Japan Display are all producing displays with in-cell touch sensors for the next-generation iPhone, meeting their production goals despite the challenges of the new technology.

Last week, a pair of photos surfaced showing what is claimed to be the logic board for the next-generation iPhone, although relatively little information could be gleaned from the photos due to shielding covering the majority of the component.

Chinese site Sina.com now shares [Google translation] a new set of photos showing components allegedly from the next-generation iPhone, including a pair of photos showing the logic board with the shielding removed. Unfortunately, the blurry nature of the photos and the apparently incomplete stage of assembly for the part continue to limit the amount of information that can be determined.

The report claims that the original source has said that the next-generation iPhone will use the A5X system-on-a-chip found in the third-generation iPad, although that conclusion does not appear to be directly drawn from the logic board photos. Other sources have been unclear on what chip Apple will use in the new iPhone given that it does not necessarily need the full graphics capabilities of the latest iPad and will almost certainly require that RAM be included within the package rather than separately as seen with the A5X in the iPad.

Even as Apple is continuing to seed builds of OS X 10.8.1 to developers in order to address some of the most significant issues with the initial release version of OS X Mountain Lion, the company has already notified some users that it is preparing to begin seeding builds of OS X 10.8.2 for testing.

Join us for 10.8.2!

You are invited to participate in the next Mountain Lion Software Update seed project, 10.8.2. Apple will provide you with the pre-release software. Once builds are available, we ask that you install and test each build to help us make sure that this is a high quality release!

While Apple is likely moving fairly quickly on OS X 10.8.1 in order to deliver fixes for major issues to users as quickly as possible, the company may spend more time on OS X 10.8.2 to address other issues that require attention but which are not of as critical importance.

Earlier this month, photos of what was claimed to be the cable portion of Apple's smaller dock connector surfaced, showing the part next to the traditional USB end of the cable. iLounge now points to a photo of the entire cable, showing what the mini dock plug will look like in its fully-assembled form with cable and strain relief components attached.

The cable contains some text and a scannable code on the USB connector portion of the cable, but those features will almost certainly not be included on the final version of the cable.

Apple has removed the controversial 'Genius' TV spots from its YouTube channel and from the Apple.com marketing page for the Mac. The ads were poorly received with some critics asking if it was a good idea to make potential customers seem clueless. Others thought they were excellent ads that showed non-technical Mac buyers the support options available to them.

Apple stopped airing the ads on television soon after they were introduced during the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics, with Apple's ad agency saying they "were intended only for a 'first run' during the Olympics". They remained on YouTube and Apple's website for several weeks, and only in the past several days were they removed entirely.

Apple does tend to remove older advertisements from its website and YouTube over time, but the company still has ads on YouTube from as far back as November 2010.

Thanks Danny!

Back in June, we pointed to a teaser site at FinallyOnTheMac.com hinting at a major music software title coming to the Mac for the first time. Our research and the general theme of a teaser video posted on the site suggested that Sony was behind the campaign and that the company's Sound Forge audio recording and editing tools were the product in question.

Since that initial video almost two months ago, additional videos have been posted periodically showing new hints of the software, with the clips further suggesting that Sound Forge is indeed the subject of the campaign. And now today, the fifth video in the campaign has been posted confirming that Sound Forge Pro will be coming to OS X.

No details on pricing or a release date have yet been made available, but Sony will undoubtedly be sharing more information in the coming weeks with four additional teaser videos still to come.

As noted by 9to5Mac, an early iPhone 4 prototype has shown up on eBay running Apple's in-house diagnostics software.

A number of high-quality photos are included with the listing, showing a complete lack of Apple branding on the exterior of the device. Most notably, the Apple logo has been replaced with a distinct logo that was previously seen in a Twitpic posting in February 2010. The standard "iPhone" text on the rear of the device has also been replaced by "Prototype", along with text noting that the device has not been approved by the Federal Communications Commission and can not be sold until such authorization is granted.

Sonny Dickson has also provided an overview video of the device showing off several of the features of the device including the software and a lack of screws on the bottom of the device that is consistent with some of the earlier leaked prototypes.

As seen in the video, the serial number of the device indicates that it was manufactured during the 43rd week of 2009, which corresponds to late October, nearly eight months before the device was made available to the public.

The auction for the prototype currently carries a single bid of $4,500, with the seller advertising in the listing that a $10,000 offer would be acceptable to halt the auction process and simply purchase the device.

Update: The listing has been removed.

Late last week, AT&T announced that it will be restricting usage of Apple's FaceTime over Cellular feature in iOS 6 to customers on its new Mobile Share plans officially launching tomorrow. Beyond a backlash from consumers who do not wish to change their current service plans, the policy has also raised net neutrality concerns.

AT&T has now issued a lengthy response to those concerns, stating that the move will not violate either of the two basic net neutrality provisions regarding transparency or the blocking of competing services.

AT&T’s plans for FaceTime will not violate either requirement. Our policies regarding FaceTime will be fully transparent to all consumers, and no one has argued to the contrary. There is no transparency issue here.

Nor is there a blocking issue. The FCC’s net neutrality rules do not regulate the availability to customers of applications that are preloaded on phones. Indeed, the rules do not require that providers make available any preloaded apps. Rather, they address whether customers are able to download apps that compete with our voice or video telephony services. AT&T does not restrict customers from downloading any such lawful applications, and there are several video chat apps available in the various app stores serving particular operating systems.

AT&T argues that its move is expanding access to FaceTime, which has until now been limited to Wi-Fi usage only, and the carrier says that it is limiting the feature's cellular access to Mobile Share customers "out of an overriding concern for the impact this expansion may have on our network and the overall customer experience. "

The latest version of Counter-Strike -- Valve's flagship series and one of the most popular PC gaming titles ever -- has arrived on the Mac via Steam. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the fourth title in the CS series, which has sold more than 27 million units in its lifetime.

Along with Portal 2, this is the second time that Valve has launched a flagship game simultaneously on the Mac and the PC, and the first Counter-Strike release since Steam launched on the Mac in 2010.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched 12 years ago.

CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.

The Mac version has fairly liberal system requirements, with CS:GO looking for an Intel Core Duo processor with 2GHz or better, 2GB of RAM, and an ATI Radeon HD 2400 or better or a NVidia 8600M or better.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is available via Steam for $14.99.

MacRumors has received word from multiple Apple Premium Resellers in Europe that Apple has requested they set aside additional table space for iPad displays over the next few weeks. One of the sources specifically cites September 12 as the Apple-imposed deadline for the adjustments to be made, while another source indicates that their store is already at work on tripling the amount of display space dedicated to the iPad.

We're told that the emphasis on iPad display space is coming at the expense of Apple's Mac Pro and Mac mini computers, which are reportedly being removed from display entirely at these locations. Displays of iPods and associated headphones are also reportedly being trimmed back to release space for the iPad.

The reasons for the changes are not entirely clear, but the September 12 deadline suggests that they may have something to do with Apple's media event that is widely expected to be held on that date. Apple is expected to introduce the next-generation iPhone at that event, and may also be introducing the "iPad mini". Apple resellers could easily slot the iPad mini into some of display space now being shifted over to the full-size iPad, but it is unclear why Apple would be making these adjustments ahead of time rather than waiting until the iPad mini is announced to revamp the product display mix.

Apple is also rumored to be planning to launch a tweaked version of the full-size iPad as soon as next month, with some sources reporting that Apple will primarily be focused on shifting to the company's new, smaller dock connector standard alongside some minor internal changes that will be mostly invisible to users.

Update: We've heard a bit more from our reseller sources, who now share that the changes started rolling out three months ago but that Apple is just now pushing them out to the "V2" store locations. The reasoning behind the shift stems from the iPad accounting for 55% of dollar share and 61% of unit share among sales at the resellers but only representing 15% of display space. With the changes, the iPad will account for 45% of showroom space.

The Fair Labor Association (FLA) today announced the release of a status report outlining progress that has made since the group's initial high-profile audits of several Foxconn facilities in China serving as assembly plants for Apple products. In follow-up visits to the plants in late June and early July, the FLA found that Foxconn has made a number of changes to help meet the group's recommendations for improving working conditions.

“Our verification shows that the necessary changes, including immediate health and safety measures, have been made. We are satisfied that Apple has done its due diligence thus far to hold Foxconn accountable for complying with the action plan, including the commitment to reform its internship program,” said Auret van Heerden, President and CEO of the Fair Labor Association. “When we finished our initial investigation in March, Foxconn promised to address concerns with its internship program by ensuring that student interns do not work overtime, their work has a more direct connection to their field of study, and they understand that they are free to terminate the internship if and when they wish.”

Foxconn has also begun taking steps toward meeting working hour goals by July 2013, already moving to limit workers to 60 hours per week including overtime and making plans to reduce hours further to 40 regular hours and nine overtime hours per week while still protecting worker salaries.

“The verification confirmed that Apple and Foxconn are ahead of schedule in improving the conditions under which some of the world's most popular electronics are being made,” said van Heerden. “Apple and Foxconn’s progress since the March assessment, combined with the additional actions planned through July 2013, would create the roadmap for all Chinese suppliers in the tech industry.”

Human Rights First, one of the groups backing the FLA, has also acknowledges that significant progress has been made at Foxconn's facilities in China, but also continues to push Apple to hold all of its suppliers to similar standards.

“Foxconn has completed nearly 80 percent of the FLA actions recommended in March. They are ahead of schedule in implementing many of the changes necessary to ensure the health and welfare of Foxconn employees and bring the company’s work conditions into compliance with basic human rights standards,” said Human Rights First’s Meg Roggensack. “This is a win for the employees of Foxconn and for the FLA’s new assessment process. Now, Apple must continue to take steps that ensure all workers within its supply chain have access to these same standards.”

Full details on the Fair Labor Association's status report are available on the group's site, and Apple offers its own information on supplier responsibility on its site. According to Apple, tracking of over 700,000 workers throughout the company's supply chain reveals that 97% of worker weeks were compliant with the current 60-hour maximum standard in July, up well over ten percentage points since the beginning of the year.

TechCrunch reports that it has received word from a Verizon employee that the carrier is imposing a company-wide vacation blackout from September 21 through the end of the month, a timeframe in line with the rumored September 21 launch for the next-generation iPhone in the United States. Apple is expected to introduce the new iPhone with a media event on September 12.

A trusted Verizon employee has just confirmed to TechCrunch that the carrier is having an all-staff vacation blackout from the dates of Friday, September 21 to the following Friday, September 30. You know what that means, right?

Similar blackouts have been instituted around the launch of previous iPhone models and other high-profile Apple products, although these blackouts are sometimes subject to change or extension depending on Apple's exact plans.

Earlier this month, we pointed to testing by Ars Technica showing that upgrading to OS X Mountain Lion on a test Retina MacBook Pro substantially degraded its battery life. The testing showed a 38% decrease in battery life, moving from eight hours of battery life on a single charge under OS X Lion to just five hours under OS X Mountain Lion.

Softpedia now reports that it has heard from one developer claiming that OS X 10.8.1, which entered developer testing just days after Ars Technica's report, does indeed address this battery life issue.

“Until I installed 10.8.1, my MacBook was showing 4h:05m after a full charge,” he said, referring to the amount of time before the battery would deplete completely.

“After installing 10.8.1 it's showing over 8h,” he said. “I'm now able to use my Mac throughout the day again without having to carry my charger,” said the happy developer.

Another report from Apple's discussion forums describes a similar major boost to battery life under OS X 10.8.1, but results from our own forums are less clear. Several users have reported no changes to their battery life while others suggest that there has been some improvement, but it appears that specific testing by those who were affected by the Mountain Lion battery life drop has not been well-documented.

OS X 10.8.1 will be the first maintenance release for OS X Mountain Lion, and such updates are generally pushed quickly through the development and testing processes in order to address the most severe bugs cropping up with the initial public releases of new operating systems. Significant battery life issues would seem to qualify as something Apple would want to address in this update, but the company has not specifically addressed the topic in release notes or other documentation associated with the test builds being distributed.

Samsung today announced that it will spend roughly $4 billion to revamp some of its existing facilities in Austin, Texas in order to boost production of its system-on-a-chip platforms that power a number of mobile devices including Apple's iOS products.

The funds will be used to renovate its existing fabrication operations to accommodate full System LSI production.

The remodeled fabrication line will mainly produce state-of-the-art mobile SoCs on 300mm wafers at the 28nm process node.

Starting work this month, the project is scheduled to initiate mass production within the second half of 2013. About 2,500 construction workers and equipment vendors will be at the site to retrofit the facility and set up the equipment.

As noted by the Austin American-Statesman, Samsung will be converting older facilities currently used for memory chip production.

Although Samsung does not say exactly who it is making the new chips for, technology industry analysts say the Austin factory is a key maker of low-power system chips.

The two key customers of the Austin fab, analysts say, are almost certain to be Apple Inc., which depends on Samsung to make essential smartphone chips, and Samsung's own smartphone business.

Austin is already a hub for both Samsung's system-on-a-chip production and Apple, with Samsung having opened a new factory dedicated to production of Apple's A5 chips just last December and Apple currently pursing a major expansion of its existing presence in the city.

As noted by The Next Web, UK communications regulator Ofcom today announced that it has awarded permission to carrier Everything Everywhere to begin using its existing 1800 MHz spectrum to offer LTE and WiMAX services beginning on September 11.

In a statement on its website, Ofcom announced that it had approved Everything Everywhere’s request to rebrand its 1800MHz spectrum to deliver 4G services from September 11, 2012, highlighting that as a result it would be able to deliver “significant benefits to consumers, and that there is no material risk that those benefits will be outweighed by a distortion of competition.“

It will take some time for Everything Everywhere, which currently operates the Orange and T-Mobile brands in the UK, to roll out the service, but a number of of observers have already pointed out that the effective date comes just one day prior to Apple's all-but-confirmed media event to introduce the next-generation iPhone.

The current-generation iPad only supports LTE over 700 MHz and 2100 MHz frequencies, and Apple will need to support several other frequency bands if it wishes to support LTE service in major markets outside of the existing iPad compatibility in the U.S. and Canada. Just last week, Korean carriers reported that they were talking to Apple about supporting LTE service on their 800 MHz and 1800 MHz bands.

While Everything Everywhere is undoubtedly pleased by Ofcom's ruling giving it early permission to offer LTE service, The Verge notes that the carrier's competitors (Vodafone, Three and O2) are less enthusiastic as they look toward the UK's main auction of 800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands early next year, arguing that Everything Everywhere's advantage will distort the competitive landscape in the UK mobile market.