MacRumors

It has been just over a month since Apple's last round of expansion for its iTunes Match service, but it appears that the company may be preparing to add Japan to the mix.

As noted by Mac Otakara, the "iTunes in the Cloud" music component has gone live in Japan, with the "Purchased" tab within the desktop iTunes Store and the iOS music application now allowing users to access their previously-purchased iTunes Store music. The iTunes in the Cloud service has until now been limited to apps and books in Japan.

Apple's iTunes Match service that allows users to match or upload their entire libraries of music acquired from any source to Apple's iCloud is a step further than the music re-download service just now rolling out. There are, however, currently no other countries in which Apple offers iTunes in the Cloud music capabilities without also offering iTunes Match. iTunes Match is currently available in 37 countries, and if iTunes in the Cloud music downloads are now appearing in Japan it seems that iTunes Match may not be far behind there.

While a number of alleged iPad 3 parts have leaked in recent weeks, one piece that has so far remained unseen is the device's front panel. But now Apple.pro points to a posting (registration required) on Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo showing what is claimed to be the front glass and digitizer assembly from the iPad 3.

The part appears nearly identical to that of the iPad 2, with the major distinguishing feature being a relatively long ribbon cable extending up the side of the display as opposed to a shorter cable with a sideways orientation seen in the iPad 2. Other features of the iPad 3 display include the same round home button seen in all iOS devices so far and a hole in the top bezel to accommodate both the front-facing camera and the ambient light sensor.

A separate posting from the same blogger claims that the A5X system-on-a-chip seen in a leaked photo has a dual-core processor and that the iPad 3 will support Siri. The report also claims that the iPad 3 will launch with iOS 5.1 and a rear camera capable of recording 1080p video. Finally, the posting says that the iPad 3 will launch in the U.S. in mid-March with France, Germany, Japan, and the UK to follow in April. Other markets including China and Hong Kong should see the device launch by June 1. The reliability of that report is, however, unknown.

With the revelation of the front glass assembly and earlier leaks of the rear casing, ultra high-resolution display, logic board, and several other internal components, most of the iPad 3's major parts with the exception of the battery and camera modules have now been seen. Apple is expected to introduce the iPad 3 with a media event scheduled for March 7.

While Apple's partnership with the Fair Labor Association to conduct independent audits of working conditions at factories in Apple's supply chain has been gaining headlines in recent weeks, USA Today reports that Apple is also gearing up for independent environmental audits of several suppliers. The news comes as Apple yesterday released its annual environmental report, touting a number of new initiatives and improvements, including significant investments in alternative energy at its new North Carolina data center.

Ma Jun, founder of the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, told USA TODAY in a phone interview Monday that Apple agreed to the independent reviews in late January in response to two reports that IPE and other environmental groups released last year documenting hazardous-waste leaks and the use of toxic chemicals at suspected Apple suppliers.

The reviews, which could begin in March, will start with two suppliers but might expand to others, said Ma, one of China's leading environmental activists.

Linda Greer, Washington-D.C.-based director of the National Resources Defense Council's health program, said Apple agreed to allow environmental groups to examine at least two of the 14 suppliers that Apple did environmental audits on last year. Apple has promised the groups access to the factories, she said. The reviews will focus on environmental issues, such as whether Apple suppliers are discharging toxic waste into the water supply and soil.

Apple is reportedly also working with the IPE's database of environmental violations in China, using the data to help monitor current supply chain partners and evaluate potential new ones.

Apple is said to be looking to add a similar level of transparency to its environmental auditing as it is deploying for audits of working conditions, seeking to make the results public and naming the audited suppliers once they have had an opportunity to address any deficiencies.

The Daily claims to have had hands-on time with a working prototype of a version of Microsoft Office for the iPad (via TheVerge). The Daily had previously reported that Microsoft was actively working on bringing Microsoft Office to the iPad.

The version (pictured above) is said to allow the creation and editing of Word, Excel and PowerPoint files both locally and online.

A brief hands-on with a working prototype of the software revealed a number of new things. The app’s user interface is similar to the current OneNote app, but it has hints of Metro, the new design language that can be seen in Windows Phone and in the as-yet-released Windows 8 desktop operating system.

They claim the app will soon be submitted to Apple for App Store approval. Notably, a version of Android is "not in the works" according to the same source.

MICGadget posts a roundup of circulating iPad 3 rumors, and also includes a few better side-by-side shots of what is believed to be the new iPad 3 back enclosure and the iPad 2 one.

Seen on top of each other, the iPad 3 does appear to have a more gradual taper to the edges than the iPad 2. The difference in size, however, is said to be minimal but seems exaggerated in this shot above due to the staggered positioning of the casings. The next shot shows that the difference in thickness is only 1-1.5mm, with the iPad 3 enclosure being slightly thicker than the iPad 2.

MICGadget also confirms that the iPad 3 camera lens hole is "noticeably larger", suggesting that there has been some improvement in the camera quality, though they seem to question whether or not it will make it all the way to 8 Megapixels as claimed by one publication.

These same iPad 3 enclosures have been seen in the hands of many sites now. It's not uncommon for parts and enclosures to leak out of Apple's supply chain as production of new products ramp up. The iPad 3 is believed to be in manufacturing at this time with an expected announcement date on March 7th.

As has been long rumored, China Telecom announced today that it has signed an agreement with Apple Inc to sell iPhones in China. China Telecom will start taking preorders for iPhone 4S on March 2nd with sales beginning on March 9th.

China Telecom would be the second carrier in China to carry the iPhone. Previously, China Unicom had exclusive rights to the iPhone in China. Apple PR released a statement to LoopInsight confirming the announcement.

“iPhone 4S has been an incredible hit with customers around the world,” Apple spokesperson Natalie Harrison, told The Loop. “We’re thrilled to be launching iPhone 4S with China Telecom and can’t wait to get it into the hands of even more customers in China.”

China is a major new market for Apple and Tim Cook described the demand for the iPhone 4S in China as "staggering" this past quarter. Apple also included China specific changes as one of the major new features of OS X Mountain Lion for the Mac.

Japanese blog Mac Otakara today reports that it has learned from a "reliable" source that Apple is targeting another September or October release for the iPhone this year, continuing a shift away from the mid-year launches seen prior to 2011 and yielding an approximately 12-month upgrade cycle for the iPhone 4S. The report also claims that Apple intends for the later timeframe to be part of Apple's long-term plans for iPhone launches.

According to Asian reliable source, next iPhone will be released in September or October , and this cycle seems to be kept for years.

MacRumors has similarly heard from a representative of a supplier known to provide parts for the iPhone that Apple's ordering plans are pointing toward a launch of new hardware in the September.

A third source also claimed to iMore last week that Apple is targeting an October launch for an LTE-enabled iPhone 5, with that source also apparently having accurately named March 7 as the date of Apple's iPad 3 media event. Apple has yet to officially announce that iPad 3 event, but the date has been confirmed as accurate by the well-connected Jim Dalrymple at The Loop.

The claims of a September or October launch for the iPhone 5 directly contradict several previous rumors that had claimed Apple would be releasing the iPhone this summer, presumably at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. That event that may be held during the week of June 11-15 this year, meaning that a product launch in the weeks after such an introduction would result in a very short lifecycle of only eight months for the iPhone 4S. Consequently, many have believed that Apple will indeed hold off on the iPhone 5 launch until later in the year as it did in 2011.

As noted by CNET, Apple today updated its environmental site with updated data for 2011, revealing a few tidbits of new information about the company's work on energy usage and other topics.

Among the additions is a brief discussion of the company's massive new data center in Maiden, North Carolina, which Apple touts as being the only such facility of comparable size to earn LEED Platinum certification. The company also notes that the solar farm being built across the street from the facility will be the largest user-owned solar array in the United States, registering at 20 megawatts. Finally, Apple will also be powering the facility with a 5-megawatt fuel cell installation, the largest in the country not owned by a utility company. Additional details are available in the company's facilities report (PDF).

Our new data center in Maiden, North Carolina, demonstrates our commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our facilities through energy-efficient, green building design. The facility has earned the coveted LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. We know of no other data center of comparable size that has achieved this level of LEED certification. Our goal is to run the Maiden facility with high percentage renewable energy mix, and we have major projects under way to achieve this — including building the nation’s largest end user-owned solar array and building the largest nonutility fuel cell installation in the United States.

Still, rapid growth in the company's sales have caused Apple's carbon footprint to balloon, with greenhouse gas emissions increasing by 56% from 14.8 million metric tons in 2010 to 23.1 million metric tons in 2011. The biggest swings in terms of share of Apple's carbon footprint come from product use itself, which declined from 45% of the company's use to just 30%, and manufacturing, which increased from 45% to 61% between 2010 and 2011. But even with the rapid growth in carbon footprint, Apple touts that greenhouse gas emissions per dollar of revenue have decreased by 15.4 percent since 2008.

Among other additions in Apple's 2011 environmental report, the company touts increased usage of "environmentally conscious materials" such as repolymerized plastic bottles in fan assemblies, recycled plastic in speaker assembles and internal brackets, recycled paper in packing, and renewable tapioca paper foam in iPhone packages.

Over the weekend, ABC announced that it had been granted exclusive access to Foxconn's factories in China where the company assembled products for Apple, with the segment scheduled to air on a special edition of Nightline on Tuesday night.

ABC has now posted a preview of the segment, along with a teaser video from Nightline co-anchor Bill Weir.

Apple promised complete access, no dog-and-pony, no Potemkin Village, but they denied my repeated requests to interview Apple CEO Tim Cook or the senior vice president of industrial design, Jony Ive.

In a three-golf-cart convoy, both Apple and Foxconn reps took us around to a half dozen production lines in Shenzhen and Chengdu, and there were always five to six people with us as we toured the factories and dorms. But aside from suggesting a visit to the counseling center or canteen, they never steered us to interviews and never interrupted.

The extensive preview offers comments from several Foxconn employees, as well as Louis Woo, a former Apple executive who now serves as an advisor to Foxconn CEO Terry Gou, and Fair Labor Association president Auret van Heerden.

Nightline's "iFactory: Inside Apple" segment airs tomorrow, February 21, at 11:35 PM Eastern and Pacific on ABC.

Associated Press reports that a Chinese court has ruled against Apple in its ongoing trademark dispute with Proview Technology over the rights to the "iPad" trademark in that country, deciding that distributors should halt sales of the iPad in China. The impact of the ruling is, however, unclear as the lawsuit is just one of many Proview has filed against Apple in its efforts to extract as much as $2 billion for the trademark rights.

Xie Xianghui, a lawyer for Shenzhen Proview Technology, said the Intermediate People's Court in Huizhou, a city in southern China's Guangdong province, had ruled on Friday that distributors should stop selling iPads in China.

The ruling, which was also reported widely in China's state media, may not have a far-reaching effect. In its battle with Apple, Proview is utilizing lawsuits in several places and also requesting commercial authorities in 40 cities to block iPad sales.

Apple Inc. said in a statement Monday that its case is still pending in mainland China. The company has appealed to Guangdong's High Court against an earlier ruling in Proview's favor.

Meanwhile, IDG News reports that Apple sent a letter to Proview today threatening a lawsuit over defamation charges. Apple had previously won a case over the trademark rights in a Hong Kong court, and Apple's threats claim that Proview has issued false public statements regarding the dispute.

On Monday, Apple sent a letter to Chinese display vendor Proview, demanding its founder Yang Rongshan cease releasing what it said was false information to the media. Apple then warned it would sue for damages caused by "defamatory statements."

"It is inappropriate to release information contrary to the facts to the media, especially when such disclosures have the effect of wrongfully causing damage to Apple's reputation," said the letter, which was provided by a person familiar with the matter.

Apple claims that a shell company it set up for the purpose of anonymously acquiring intellectual property rights purchased the iPad trademark rights in China and a number of other countries from Proview in 2009 for $55,000. But Proview later reported that the subsidiary making the deal did not hold the Chinese rights and demanded that Apple pay $10 million before a different subsidiary would transfer the rights.

The Hong Kong court ruled last year that the various Proview subsidiaries colluded in an effort to extort millions of dollar out of Apple, a figure that has now risen to $1-2 billion as Proview has continued to press its case. Chinese courts have so far sided with Proview, however, with Apple continuing to appeal there using the Hong Kong ruling to demonstrate the strength of its case.

Update: Financial Times clarifies that the court ruling today specifically related to a single retailer, Sundan. While the impact of the decision is limited due to its effect on a single retailer in a single city and the fact that it can still be appealed by Sundan, it may provide Proview with leverage as it pursues other lawsuits against resellers to try to halt the flow of iPads and force a settlement from Apple.

Last week, a Digitimes report claimed that Intel was going to delay mass availability of its new Ivy Bridge processors until after June. Ivy Bridge represents the next generation processors from Intel and are expected to power any new Macs in the coming few months. The original target date for Ivy Bridge shipments was in April.

VR-Zone now reports that the report wasn't entirely correct and that Intel will only be delaying the release specifically of mobile Dual-Core Ivy Bridge processors.

Remember that article from the other day that made some people panic as Intel might've delayed Ivy Bridge to June? Well, there's no need to be worried if you're planning on getting a new desktop system, as none of the desktop parts that were originally meant to launch have been delayed and on the mobile side, only the dual core models have been pushed back.

According to the site, the reason for the delay of those specific processors is due to an overstock of the previous generation chips.

What that means is that it may not have an effect on Apple's release plans for updated MacBook Pros and iMacs. Apple currently offers Quad-Core processors in their iMac, so that product line should see no added delays. The iMac was last updated in May, 2011 and is getting due for a refresh. Meanwhile, in the MacBook Pro line, the 13" model is the only MacBook Pro that currently uses a Dual-Core processor.

As it turns out, we previously reported that Intel's new Quad-Core Ivy Bridge processor will be heat efficient enough to fit in Apple's 13" MacBook chassis for the first time. The limiting factor for a Quad-Core 13" MacBook Pro had previously been the heat output of the processor. If Apple chooses to go this route, they could eliminate Dual-Core processors entirely from their MacBook Pro line, side stepping any delays.

However, this line of reasoning assumes that Apple will not be making any dramatic changes to the MacBook Pro enclosure. Persistent rumors have suggested that Apple may be considering more MacBook Air-like designs for at least some of the new MacBook Pro models. Such a drastic change would change Apple's choice of processors considerably.

It's also worth noting that Apple isn't a typical Intel customer and has, in the past, been able to secure chips earlier than the rest of the industry.

A forum post at Chinese site WeiPhone offers a photo of what is claimed to be the iPad 3's logic board showing an "A5X" system-on-a-chip.

Apple is expected to introduce an upgraded processor and graphics package for the iPad 3, with the assumption being that it would be called the A6 after the A4 initially appeared in the original iPad and iPhone 4 and was succeeded by the A5 in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. But if this photo is to be believed, that assumption appears to have been incorrect, with Apple instead having branded the upgraded package with the A5X name.

A date code of "1146" on the A5X indicates that it was manufactured in the 46th week of 2011, which would have corresponded to November 14-20.

An "A5X" as a step-wise upgrade to the A5 corresponds with progression of processor part numbers as revealed by BGR in February. At the time the A4 was known to be the S5L8930X, the A5 as the S5L8940X and the new iPad processor as S5L8945X.

Several other features are also visible on the logic board, including a pair of 16 GB flash memory chips from Hynix and a rectangular Apple-branded chip. That chip appears to correspond to power management chips found in previous iPad teardowns but which carries a higher part number, suggesting an upgraded part.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPad 3 at a media event on March 7, with the device also receiving an ultra high-resolution display and LTE capabilities. Other claims have suggested that it will carry a slightly more tapered case design and perhaps offer an 8-megapixel rear camera.

NextMedia / Apple Daily claims to have received the following photos and information through "special channels". The photo below shows what is claimed to be an overview shot of the new iPad 3 back enclosure (top of image) as well as a comparison shot between the original iPad, the iPad 2 and the New iPad (inset). (via Apple.pro)

The shell should look familiar as it seems to be the same part we previously published. The lighting, however, is much better in this shot, and reveals the more subtle changes. There are notably no markings on the back of the case besides the Apple logo, itself.

The iPad 3 enclosure seems to have a more gradual taper to the edges than the iPad 2. The taper is seen better on the top overview photograph. As a result of this longer taper, the iPad 3's camera rests on the taper itself. We saw this before but due to the dark lighting of that image, the taper seemed more exaggerated.

The absolute positioning of the camera doesn't seem that far off from the iPad 2, but the lens does appear larger. According to NextMedia, the new iPad 3 camera will see a significant upgrade to 8 megapixels. The current iPad 2 back camera is 1 megapixel in resolution. The site also summarizes many of the other expectations for the iPad 3, such as an improved display, quad-core CPU, and a March 7th announcement date.

We've seen a rumor from the site only once before. They predicted new MacBooks, MacBook Pros and MacBook Air models back in April 5, 2010. The MacBook Pros (alone) did launch 8 days after that report, though some of the details (hard drive sizes) didn't match up to the report. Overall, the images here seem to match up to other parts that have been floating around China. Apple Daily is described, however, as a "tabloid-style" newspaper, but the Hong Kong edition is said to be quite popular as the second best selling publication.

CNet reports that Apple has settled a class action suit over the iPhone 4's antenna.

The settlement comes from 18 separate lawsuits that were consolidated into one. All share the claim that Apple was "misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4--particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software."

When the iPhone 4 launched in 2010, some customers were affected by low signals and dropped calls that were believed to be related to the iPhone 4's external antenna. At the time, Apple's response was a press conference as well as a refund offer for iPhone 4 customers or free bumper cases.

Based on the preliminary approval, U.S. residents who bought the iPhone 4 will be entitled to $15 in cash or a bumper case provided by Apple. The lawyers claim that the 25 million customers may be eligible.

Update: The Loop's Jim Dalrymple has obtained a statement from Apple on the settlement:

“This settlement relates to a small number of customers who indicated that they experienced antenna or reception issues with their iPhone 4 and didn’t want to take advantage of a free case from Apple while it was being offered in 2010,” Apple spokeswoman Natalie Harrison told me on Saturday.