MacRumors

As reported by CNET and Macworld, Apple has released a major update to its Final Cut Pro X software, making a number of improvements and addressing some of the strong criticism that has been levied against the revamped video production software.

One of the major features included in the update is support for XML, an addition that had been promised in an Apple FAQ posted to address the backlash against the software. CNET notes:

Among the biggest new feature to be added as part of a software update that will go out to users this morning is support for XML. This adds the option to both import and export projects and events in the XML format, meaning users can take XML formatted projects and work on them in Final Cut Pro X.

That addition addresses one of the potential sticking points for upgraders, who were left unable to open old Final Cut Pro projects in the newer version of the software. XML support brings that indirectly, as users can export Final Cut Pro 7 projects in XML, then import them into Final Cut Pro X via a third-party tool like CatDV from Square Box.

Other additions in Final Cut Pro X 10.0.1 include support for events and projects through Xsan, support for media stems, custom starting time codes, full-screen view for OS X Lion, and GPU-accelerated export. Apple has also released a new software development kit in order to help camera manufacturers create plug-ins to make their latest cameras compatible with Final Cut Pro X.

Media stems export in Final Cut Pro X 10.0.1

One other important change for Final Cut Pro X is the addition of a new 30-day free trial for the software, giving users the opportunity to test out the software before committing to a $299.99 purchase. Apple did issue refunds for unhappy early purchasers of Final Cut Pro X, and thus it appears that the company has launched the free trial in order to cut down on those refund requests.

Update: Apple has also released a 4.0.1 update for Compressor.

This update improves overall stability and performance including:

- Updates the bitrates in Cellular settings for HTTP Live Streaming.
- Fixes an issue with accessing QuickTime Export Component settings in Final Cut Pro X.
- Fixes an issue in which This Computer cluster does not appear when system is configured in Chinese.
- Resolves stability issues when launching Soundtrack Pro after Compressor 4 is installed.

Motion has also received an update to version 5.0.1.

This update improves overall stability and performance including:

- Adds support for dual displays.
- Fixes an issue with the import and playback of multichannel audio.
- Resolves a stability issue when navigating to keyframes at a negative time.
- Fixes an issue with incorrect text positioning when the Inspector is open.
- Provides for correct kerning between characters when applying adjustments.
- Resolves stability issues when entering an empty string in a title while in Draft Mode.

Finally, Apple has released an updated version of its ProApps QuickTime Codecs to support the new releases.

TmoNews reports that it has received an image of an internal news posting from T-Mobile USA sharing word from Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman that the carrier will not be offering the iPhone 5 this year. Brodman's comment apparently came as part of a September 15th company town hall meeting.

"Our business is working very hard to improve performance over the last couple of years and we've had some great success," said Brodman. New products and value plans are fueling customer response, he added, and Brodman expects the excitement to continue into the holiday season as T-Mobile introduces two new smartphones. Note: "We are not going to get the iPhone 5 this year," Brodman said.

Brodman's comment does not eliminate the possibility of T-Mobile offering the iPhone 5 at some point in the future, but it seems that the carrier will not be a launch partner for the device.

Several mainstream media reports have claimed that Sprint will become the third major U.S. carrier to offer the iPhone with the debut of the iPhone 5 next month, but the fate of the iPhone on T-Mobile USA has been less clear. Despite a few claims of a T-Mobile iPhone coming this year and evidence of prototypes for testing on the carrier's network, there had yet to be any solid reports of an launch from mainstream sources.

T-Mobile's status is of course complicated by AT&T's efforts to acquire the carrier, and effort that is being opposed by the U.S. government, Sprint, and a number of other groups.

As noted by Joystiq, Epic Games yesterday announced that its Unreal Engine 3 development kit (UDK) beta has now been updated to include Mac support. The development means that all games developed using the UDK can now be ported over to OS X.

UDK games can now run on Mac OS

- Every UDK game's potential user base has increased dramatically yet again
- September 2011 UDK contains a preview of our Mac OS support

Unreal Engine 3 was brought to iOS nearly two years ago, where it has seen some success with the likes of Infinity Blade. On a broader level, Unreal Engine 3 has been used by Epic for its own games such as its Gears of War series and Unreal Tournament 3, but has also been adopted by a number of other major gaming companies for use in their own offerings.

Apple is expected to hold a press conference in the coming weeks to introduce its fall lineup for the iPhone and iPod touch. Most of the rumors have been focused on the next iPhone revision, and there has been very little information about the next-generation iPod touch.

MacRumors has received information indicating that the next iPod touch revision will be a very minor change, with the primary addition being the introduction of a new white model. Only minor changes are expected for the existing hardware, with the addition of an oleophobic coating for the display and a revised ambient light sensor seemingly being the main differences. Otherwise, we expect the models to be nearly identical to the current fourth-generation iPod touch model.

Our information confirms previous reports by Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who had indicated that there would be few, if any, distinguishable changes from last year's iPod touch model.

Leaked white iPod touch screen installed on black fourth-gen iPod touch, courtesy of iPatch iPods. Production model expected to have white home button.

This news would conflict with ambitious reports of 3G-enabled iPod touches this year, and also extinguish speculation that the tapered iPhone 5 case design might actually have represented the fifth-generation iPod touch.

The new models are expected to be announced alongside the iPhone in the first week of October with availability in the middle of the month. The iPod nano is also expected to get a minor revision at the same time.

Other reports have pinpointed dates in the first or second week of October for the actual announcement date. We've heard similar whispers, but suspect the date has been a moving target. Finally, we have also heard independently that the Golden Master of iOS 5 is targeted for September 23rd, lining up with the iCloud data reset.

Intel offers another bit of hope in our ongoing quest for ultra-high resolution retina displays. The graphics capabilities of their upcoming Ivy Bridge processors will provide support for 4096x4096 pixel displays.

VR-Zone notes that Intel revealed last week that they will be able to support 4K resolutions and process video at that resolution:

Not only can the MFX engine display up to 4096 x 4096 pixels on a single monitor, but it can also handle video processing for 4K QuadHD video as well. Remember when, two years ago, Jen Hsun Huang at Nvidia for the first time encouraged 4K resolution - at that time 3840x2400 or as he called it XHD2, for ultra realistic gaming too, to use the extra pixels to justify the high end card need? Now, what a fate, Intel is making it real on the - integrated graphics platform, of all. Now, can we have back those 16:10 3840x2400 or, better, 4096x2560 monitors?

Ivy Bridge is Intel's next generation processor that also integrates a much improved graphics processing unit (GPU). Generally, high end computers aren't constrained by the capabilities of the integrated graphics processor. MacBook Pros and iMacs tend to integrate more powerful 3rd party GPUs. Slimmer models, however, such as the MacBook Air and Mac mini are dependent on the integrated graphics that Intel provides. So the 2012-era MacBook Airs should be able to support these ultra high resolutions that we've been dreaming about.

OS X Lion has built in support for such displays and it seems Microsoft is also preparing for them.

Earlier today, we noted that a new leaked photo appearing to be a partially-assembled next-generation iPhone seemed to be showing an "iPhone 4S" design running on an A5 system-on-a-chip.

MacPost now shares a photo of the other side of the partial device, revealing that it is indeed an iPhone 4-like design. The new photo even shows the iPhone 4S turned on in its partially assembled state, requesting connection to iTunes for activation.

The new photo also clarifies the battery situation, revealing it to still be a 3.7 V, 5.3 Whr battery delivering 1430 mAh of charge, compared to the slightly lower-capacity 1420 mAh battery found in the iPhone 4. The 4.2 V figure spotted on the original photo posted earlier today was from the backside of the battery and appears to have been referring to the maximum charge voltage, as opposed to the 3.7 V nominal voltage under load.

Apple has also been rumored to be introducing a substantially redesigned iPhone 5 alongside this iPhone 4S, although there has been little concrete evidence of such a device showing up in parts leaks or supply chain channel checks. Third-party cases for the rumored iPhone 5 appear to show a substantially larger but thinner design than found in the iPhone 4.

Update: High resolution version of photo from Pandaxtech which appears to be the source for the images.

Even as the broader markets are down so far today, Apple's stock price is up a healthy 2.4% over Friday's close, pushing the stock price to an all-time high of over $410 per share. The jump has pushed Apple's market capitalization to $380 billion, giving the company an approximately $25 billion cushion over second-place Exxon Mobil in the rankings of most valuable companies.

Apple's recent stock performance is evidence of the faith the markets have in Apple even as Tim Cook has officially replaced Steve Jobs as CEO. Apple's stock price initially dropped 5% in after-hours trading following Jobs' resignation but rebounded during regular trading the next day to close down only a fraction of a percentage point. Since that time nearly four weeks ago, Apple's stock is up 15% and is now higher than it had ever been under Jobs.

Update: After touching $413.23 late in the trading day, Apple's stock closed at $411.63 per share today.

The debate over just what Apple will be introducing for its revamped iPhone lineup over the coming weeks is continuing to rage, and J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz has weighed in claiming that the company will indeed be introducing two models: a redesigned iPhone 5 and a cheaper "iPhone 4-plus" focused on the Chinese market but also available elsewhere.

J.P.Morgan’s research suggests the iPhone 5 will be based on a lighter, thinner form factor that is GSM and CDMA capable. In other words, a “world-mode” smartphone, but not LTE-capable. Mr. Moskowitz also expects the iPhone 5 will have a larger retina display [than] the iPhone 4′s 3.5 inch screen and include an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash.

The iPhone 4-plus device is anticipated to be based on the current iPhone and subsume the iPhone 3GS as the lower-end offering. Mr. Moskowitz thinks it could target one or more network carriers in China, but is unlikely to be exclusive to the region.

The only concrete evidence of a redesigned iPhone 5 has come in the form of third-party cases based on a claimed leaked design document for the device. Numerous parts for an iPhone 4-like "iPhone 4S" have surfaced over the past several months, leading some to wonder whether Apple will be releasing both models, and if not, which of the two will be the iPhone 5.

Fueling the uncertainty is that fact that some analysts have seen no sign of a redesigned iPhone 5 in Apple's supply chain, while other sources including Moskowitz maintain that Apple will indeed be launching two separate models.

Late last month, we reported on photos of what appeared to be the logic board for the iPhone 4S or 5, showing a form factor for the board more similar in appearance to the CDMA iPhone 4 than the GSM iPhone 4, as well as space for Apple's rectangular A5 system-on-a-chip.

phoneArena.com now points to a new image that has surfaced on Chinese microblogging site Weibo appearing to show that same logic board with all chips in place and at least partially assembled. A connection to what appears to be a white iPhone 4-like front panel/LCD display is visible, as are a battery and several other flex cables from the device.

The image clearly shows an A5 chip, which is of course expected for the iPhone 5. There has been some debate, however, about whether Apple will be introducing an iPhone 4-like model that has been unofficially dubbed the iPhone 4S, a redesigned iPhone 5, or both. If Apple does indeed release both an iPhone 4S and an iPhone 5, an A5 chip in the lower-level iPhone 4S would be a significant inclusion given that Apple has typically chosen to offer versions of its previous-generation models and technologies as its entry-level devices.

The battery included in the leaked photo is also generating some conversation, as it appears to be the same model number is seen in previous photos, but carries slightly different specs. Earlier photos had shown the battery offering 3.7 V and 5.3 Whr, for a charge capacity of about 1430 mAh. For comparison, the current iPhone 4 battery checks in at 3.7 V and 5.25 Whr, offering 1420 mAh of charge.

This new photo appears to have the charge of 1430 mAh stamped directly on it, but curiously seems to list the voltage at 4.2 V. It is unclear exactly why the battery seems to be reporting a different voltage, and thus a different energy close to 6 Whr to reach the same 1430 mAh charge seen in earlier photos of the same part.

As if a grand opening for Apple's first Hong Kong store this Saturday wasn't enough, the company has also announced that it will be opening its massive new Nanjing East store in Shanghai on Friday.

We noted last week that Apple had added its "curtain opening" promotional signage to the barrier surrounding store, suggesting that a launch was imminent.

First revealed back in February, the store will be Apple's third in Shanghai and fifth overall in China, and will be the largest Apple retail store in the country. The Nanjing East store will span five levels: a ground floor dedicated to sales, a second floor dedicated to support and training, and three additional floors devoted to business customers and office space for Apple's Chinese operations.

Shanghai is already home to one iconic Apple store, the Pudong store with its cylindrical glass entrance leading to a below-ground store underneath a central plaza at the city's International Finance Center. Apple has cited the entry's glass panels as the largest such curved glass panels in the world and the result of key technological advancements that the company is using in other projects such as the revamp of its Fifth Avenue cube in Manhattan and its planned second corporate campus in Cupertino, California.

(Thanks Tock!)