MacRumors

iLounge reports on information it has received regarding the next-generation iPhone, claiming that Apple will indeed be making the move to a 4-inch display by increasing the height only has had been previously speculated. To accommodate the taller screen, the body of the device will also become slightly taller, but it will also see an approximately 20% reduction in thickness.

What we’ve learned: the new iPhone will indeed be longer and thinner than the iPhone 4 and 4S. Approximate measurements are 125mm by 58.5mm by 7.4mm—a 10mm jump in height, nearly 2mm reduction in thickness, and virtually identical width. According to our source, Apple will make one major change to the rear casing, adding a metal panel to the central back of the new iPhone. This panel will be flat, not curved, and metal, not ceramic. Our artist’s rendition provides a rough idea of what this change will look like; it echoes the current-generation iMac design, to be sure.

The report also claims that Apple will be adopting the rumored smaller dock connector for the device, which will be "closer to a pill shape" than the existing connector.

iLounge has offered some correct information in the past, and was rather accurate in its claims regarding the latest iPad. Not all of the site's claims came to fruition, however, with the new iPad's front-facing camera failing to gain HD resolution and Apple offering no sign of an enhanced smart cover for the device.

With many hoping that Apple will undertake a significant redesign effort for the next-generation iPhone, scattered claims have fueled speculation that Apple might base the design on amorphous metal alloys from Liquidmetal Technologies. Apple acquired exclusive rights to Liquidmetal's technologies for use in consumer electronics back in 2010, but so far as used the metal only in the iPhone 3G SIM removal tool.

Atakan Peker, one of the inventors of Liquidmetal alloys, reports in a new interview with Business Insider that Apple is unlikely to use the alloys as a major component for at least two to four years. The company may find uses for Liquidmetal alloys in minor capacities before that time, as it did with the SIM removal tool, but mass production on the scale needed for full device casings is still some time off.

Q: I've heard rumors that future MacBooks from Apple could use Liquidmetal casing, what would that be like? Is it likely to happen?

A: Given the size of MacBook and scale of Apple products, I think it's unlikely that Liquidmetal casing will be used in MacBooks in the near term. It's more likely in the form of small component such as a hinge or bracket. A MacBook casing, such as a unibody, will take two to four more years to implement.

While Peker does not have direct knowledge of Apple's plans for Liquidmetal alloys, he does expect that the company will seek to make a major impact with it and to use it in a breakthrough product down the road. In Peker's view, Apple will likely take advantage of the alloys' strength and durability, as well as the ease with which they can be cast into complex shapes, to bring a unique product to the market.

Network World shares a rather unique internal Apple video from 1984 intended to inspire Apple employees as the Macintosh sought to supplant IBM in the workplace. The short black-and-white film is set to a World War II theme and features a brief appearance by Steve Jobs in the role of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Entitled "1944," the almost 9-minute full version was Apple's in-house takeoff on "1984," the iconic first Macintosh TV ad that caused a sensation during that year's Super Bowl. Set as a World War II tale of good vs. IBM, it is a broadcast-quality production (said to have cost $50,000) that was designed to fire up Apple's international sales force at a 1984 meeting in Hawaii. A copy of "1944" was provided to me by one-time Apple employee Craig Elliott, now CEO of Pertino Networks, a cloud-computing startup located two blocks from Apple in Cupertino.

Jobs' appearance, complete with fake accent to initially disguise his true identity, comes at roughly 5:20 into the film.

The Next Web points to a recent thread in the Dropbox support forums revealing that a number of developers have been seeing their iOS apps with Dropbox integration being rejected by Apple. The apps have been rejected because users without the Dropbox iOS app installed on their devices who attempted to set up Dropbox integration were being redirected to a webpage where users could sign up for the service and purchase additional storage space.

That functionality runs afoul of Apple's review guidelines, which do not allow signups for paid services other than those available through Apple's In App Purchase to be accessible directly from the app. The rule makes it more difficult for creators of subscription and other paid content to avoid Apple's 30% cut of In App Purchases.

As noted by MacStories, the Rule 11.13 Apple is citing in rejecting these application is not new, but developers running the Dropbox SDK version 1.2.1 which offered a way for users to get to paid signup pages were just recently beginning to experience issues with App Store review. As cited in one rejection notice sent to a developer:

11.13

We found that your app provides access to external mechanisms for purchases or subscriptions to be used in the app, which is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.

Specifically, your app enables to user to create accounts with Dropbox and Google.

For its part, Dropbox has moved quickly to address the issue on an interim basis, rolling out a new SDK version 1.2.2 that eliminates access to both account signups and paid subscription packages directly from apps with Dropbox integration. In terms of a longer-term solution, Dropbox reported to The Verge that it is "working with Apple to come up with a solution that still provides an elegant user experience."

Based on comments from Dropbox representatives in the developer support thread, it appears the company would at a minimum like to have a way for new users to create free Dropbox accounts so that they can be used in association with the Dropbox-enabled apps using the SDK. Dropbox appears to be very willing to make sure users signing up through this mechanism are not provided with a means to sign up for additional paid storage capacity, thereby avoiding the primary Apple's primary objection to mechanism circumventing In App Purchasing.

Streaming music service Spotify, which gained a loyal following in Europe before debuting in the United States last July, has launched its highly-anticipated iPad app. The app arrives in the form of a universal version of Spotify's free existing app, although like the iPhone version a Premium subscription is required for mobile access after a brief trial period.

Today we’re extremely proud to present our native iPad app in all its green-hued glory. Features include:

- Retina graphics for iPad - dazzling display, razor sharp images, richer colors
- Even easier to browse and explore Spotify’s entire 18 million* song catalogue
- New ‘Now Playing’ full-screen view with high-definition cover art
- Search for playlists, users and music - all from the same view
- Check out what's hot and find trending playlists & songs amongst your friends
- Inbox grouped by user for easy searching
- Gapless playback and crossfade
- AirPlay integration

Spotify Premium is available through the app as a free 48-hour trial, with users able to extend the trial to 30 days by signing up through Spotify's website. Continued Premium service is priced at $9.99 per month.

Apple issued a software update for OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview 3 this evening. Apple released Developer Preview 3 to developers. The update brings the build number of Mountain Lion up to 12A193i (from 12A178q).

If you already have Mountain Lion Developer Preview 3 installed, choose Software Update from the Apple menu to download the update from the Mac App Store. Download Xcode 4.4 Developer Preview 4 from the Mac Dev Center to continue building apps for Mountain Lion Developer Preview 3 Update.

One change noted by 9to5Mac is the addition of a "Do Not Disturb" setting to Mountain Lion's Notifications Center:

Besides the Notification Center, Mountain Lion also borrows a number of other features from iOS, such as Reminders, Messages, and Game Center. Apple first previewed Mountain Lion back in February and promises deliver to customers in late summer 2012.

Following last week's leak of home buttons claimed to be for the next-generation iPhone, parts vendor SW-BOX.com has just posted information on a claimed iPhone 5 SIM card tray fresh from one of its parts suppliers.

The tray appears essentially identical to the SIM card tray found in the iPhone 4S and 4, and if the part is indeed legitimate it suggests that Apple may retain a similar flat-edged form factor for the forthcoming device. Such a design would be opposed to a tapered or rounded-edge design that would likely require a somewhat curved exterior surface for the tray or at least a thinner tray profile as was seen in earlier iPhone models such as the 3G and 3GS.

Apple has been pushing for its own "nano-SIM" standard, but has so far been unable to win approval as competitors have objected to the proposal and offered their own designs for a smaller next-generation SIM card. Unsurprisingly, it appears that a smaller nano-SIM design will not be ready in time to be included in the next-generation iPhone.

Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPhone later this year, with many observers suggesting that Apple will once again target the September-October timeframe for the launch. Many users have been hoping for a significant redesign following Apple's pattern of maintaining a similar form factor for two generations between major design overhauls, but part leaks that might reveal Apple's plans have yet to begin surfacing.

Update: As several observers have pointed out, the SIM card tray does have some subtle differences compared to the tray used in the iPhone 4S and 4, with a slight tapering of metal frame pieces and an extra metal shelf not seen in current trays. Consequently, the part certainly appears to not simply be an iPhone 4S SIM card tray, and while it could be a knockoff part, SW-BOX.com and its supplier seem to believe that it is genuine.

(Thanks, CydiaBlog.com)

Apple has released a number of updates to several of its apps for the iPhone and iPad. The iLife apps, iPhoto, Garageband, and iMovie, all received minor updates, while Apple also pushed out bug fixes to the Cards greeting-card app, and to iTunes U.

None of the updates offer any significant new features -- the updates mostly offer "performance and stability improvements" or fix other bugs. All the updates can be obtained via the App Store app on the iPhone and iPad.

MacRumors is pleased to announce the third annual MacRumors Blood Drive, for the month of May 2012. We encourage forum members and site visitors to donate blood or platelets at any hospital or blood donation center in their city. We want to increase the number of life-saving donations by our online community for the benefit of people in their real-world communities. We also ask donors to post photos or stories in our Blood Drive thread. Saving a life is its own reward but accepting recognition as a donor helps spread the message to others. Please join us in showing the spirit of our community by donating blood or platelets this month and letting us know. Details are in the MacRumors 2012 Blood Drive thread.

Most blood drives are specific to a physical organization at a particular location. Ours is online and worldwide. You can help people in your city who are in need of life-saving blood and platelets in less than an hour of your time. If you are eligible to donate blood you can go to a hospital, community center, the Red Cross, or an independent donation center near you. If you are not eligible to donate yourself, please help the Blood Drive by encouraging other people to donate; see the Blood Drive thread for ideas.

Donated blood and platelets are needed every few seconds, all year, not just when calamities occur. They save the lives of people recovering from accidents, undergoing surgery, or struck by illness, including MacRumors forum members who have let us know that their lives were saved by donated blood. There's no gift more precious than the gift of life.

Specific donor eligibility requirements vary by country. For links and general information see our Blood and Platelet Donation Guide. You can also save lives by registering to donate your organs and tissue and by registering to be a bone marrow donor; see our Organ, Tissue, and Bone Marrow Donation Guide.

Apple's health, relief, and charity efforts over the years have included donations for 9/11 workers in 2001, the fundraising Songs for Sudan effort in 2004, (PRODUCT) RED participation since 2006, help for victims of the Haitian earthquake in 2010 and Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, and most recently a $50 million donation to Stanford University hospitals and a charitable donation matching program that are part of Apple's recent emphasis on corporate philanthropy.

The Travis County Commissioners Court has just given official approval for a package of tax incentives designed to secure Apple's commitment to expand its Austin, Texas campus and add over 3,600 new jobs at the site. The approval comes after development officials expressed concern last week that the deal was "in peril" as concerns over loopholes in the contract delayed approval by the county.

Prior to today's meeting of the Commissioners Court, the Austin American-Statesman reported on some of the tweaks to the contract, including language requiring Apple to pay the lowest-salaried 10% of its new employees at the site an average of $35,000 per year. Contractors, which may comprise up to 25% of the new hires, will be paid a minimum of $11 per hour.

Apple governmental affairs representative Jason Lundgaard was on hand for the session and answered several questions for the county commissioners.

Travis County is the final governmental entity to approve its portion of the total tax incentive plan, which is estimated to yield $35-36 million for Apple in exchange for adding the jobs and facilities. The State of Texas and the City of Austin previously approved their pieces of the deal.