MacRumors

The Wall Street Journal reports that some members of Apple's board of directors have informally been exploring possibilities for CEO succession should Steve Jobs permanently step down from his position.

Jobs has taken several medical leaves of absence over the past few years, the most recent of which began in January and has continued indefinitely. Jobs has however, made several public appearances at Apple media events to introduce new products.

Since Steve Jobs went on medical leave this winter, some members of Apple Inc.'s board have discussed CEO succession with executive recruiters and at least one head of a high-profile technology company, according to people familiar with the matter.

The conversations weren't explicitly aimed at recruiting a new chief executive and were more of an informal exploration of the company's options, said these people. The directors don't appear to have been acting on behalf of the full board, some of these people said.

The report notes that Apple's directors have long taken executive succession plans seriously, routinely holding private sessions at every board meeting to discuss the topic and update plans.

Apple's independent directors take succession planning seriously, said a person familiar with the board's thinking. This person said Apple's independent board members discuss management succession in private sessions without Mr. Jobs held at every board meeting for the past 12 years.

"It's best practice,'' this person noted. "Everybody in the room is sworn to secrecy as to what it [the succession] plan is."

Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, who has been in charge of Apple's day-to-day operations in Jobs' absence, is still considered to be a top candidate for the job, but directors are understandably exploring all options and reaching out to multiple channels in order to help make the most informed decision possible.

The report suggests that at least some of the external discussions have been initiated by recruiters themselves, although the talks are said to have progressed beyond the routine contact directors normally have with such firms. Jobs has of course given no indication that he plans to step down permanently, and so discussions appear to so far be informal and preparatory in nature should the situation change.

While Apple declined to comment for the report, Jobs reportedly responded via email, saying "I think it's hogwash." Consequently, the Journal suggests that Jobs may have been unaware of the discussions.

Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today reported to AppleInsider that Apple may be on the verge of phasing out its white MacBook, the company's longtime entry-level notebook. In particular, Kuo notes that internal shipment forecasts show build plans for the MacBook "suspiciously" tailing off next month with no signs of a replacement.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities shared with AppleInsider Tuesday that industry checks show that Apple's internal shipment forecast for the white MacBook suspiciously drops-off in August of this year, which leads him to believe that the notebook may go "end of life" around the same time.

As noted in our Buyer's Guide, the MacBook hasn't been updated since May 2010, a period of 427 days. With supplies tightening late last month, speculation regarding a potential refresh or a discontinuation began to circulate.

Signs of life sparked again last week when it was claimed that leaked part numbers for an upcoming hardware update included a new MacBook model. That interpretation was incorrect, however, as the part number in question turned out to be for an as-yet unreleased LED Cinema Display with Thunderbolt that leaked on Apple's own site late last week.

Kuo argues that with Apple's MacBook Air line now beginning at the same $999 price point as the MacBook, Apple may feel that it can discontinue the plastic notebook and direct consumers to the thinner and lighter MacBook Air line. Apple's MacBook shipments have reportedly fallen to just 80,000-100,000 per month so far this year, representing less than 10% of Apple's Mac sales.

With Apple rumored to be boosting the MacBook Air to a minimum of 128 GB of solid state storage, even the base model may be sufficient for many users. The MacBook Air does not, however, feature an optical drive, and entry-level consumers who still wish to have optical drive capabilities will have to either take advantage of the Remote Disc capabilities through an optical drive on another computer or purchase an external MacBook Air SuperDrive for an additional $79.

ZDNet Asia reports on comments from Google Chairman Eric Schmidt regarding the recent flurry of lawsuits between Apple and Android-based smartphone manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung. Schmidt's comments, which came at Google's Mobile Revolution conference in Tokyo, reveal that he is "not too worried" about the lawsuits as he takes a shot at Apple (and others such as Oracle and Microsoft) for suing when it "cannot respond through innovations".

Quizzed on the issue [of lawsuits targeting Android], Schmidt replied that this "legal fun" stems from its successes.

"We have seen an explosion of Android devices entering the market and, because of our successes, competitors are responding with lawsuits as they cannot respond through innovations," he said. "I'm not too worried about this."

In reference to a recent preliminary victory for Apple in its infringement claims against HTC, Schmidt noted that Google will "make sure" that HTC doesn't lose the case, suggesting that Google is putting significant muscle into HTC's defense.

Asked if Google would help foot HTC's legal bills should they lose, he said: "We will make sure they don't lose, then." He added that the search giant will continue to support its Taiwanese partner in this legal skirmish but declined to go into details.

Despite having been introduced to the public over a year after the launch of the original iPhone, Google's Android has seen rapid adoption as dozens of manufacturers have embraced the mobile operating system and introduced hundreds of handsets utilizing it. For the time being at least, Apple and Google are locked in a battle for smartphone supremacy, with Google having sprinted out to a lead due in large part to the variety of devices available across a host of carriers.

But with smartphones representing an increasing convergence of phones, computers, cameras, and many other technologies, they have become a battleground for patent lawsuits that have threatened to consume enormous resources as companies stake out their positions in the rapidly-expanding market.

As noted by Italian site Macitynet.it [Google translation], promotional materials for OS X Lion have begun appearing in third-party retail stores, with a location of retail store chain Euronics displaying a large free-standing banner as well as smaller table-top signage highlighting the new multi-touch gesture support found in OS X Lion.

The new signage advertises OS X Lion as being "now on all new Macs" and encourages users to "take a tour" of the new operating system. The machines on display have not, however, been updated to Lion yet.

Meanwhile, other signage promoting the sale of standard App Store gift cards to cover the purchase of OS X Lion has also popped up in at least one store of Dutch retail chain Dixons. Gift cards not only allow customers to effectively purchase OS X Lion for others, but also provide those without a credit card with a means to purchase content from the Mac App Store and Apple's other digital stores.

Numerous sources have indicated that Apple's retail stores are planning "overnights" tonight in which staff will change out promotional materials and update other aspects of the store layouts. Tonight's activities are presumably related in large part to OS X Lion, as the stores have reportedly received hard drives containing the new operating system. Other reports have claimed that Apple will indeed be releasing OS X Lion and new MacBook Air models tomorrow.

Update: The Macitynet.it report has been pulled by request. We have also received word that the Euronics location has removed its prematurely-posted Lion signage.

In association with the opening of Apple's new Penrith store outside of Sydney, Australia this weekend, Current.com.au reports (via The Next Web) that Apple press representatives have apparently noted that the company is planning to open a remarkable 33 stores over the next two months. With the retail push, Apple will move from its current total of 330 locations to 363 stores by the end of fiscal 2011 in late September, a pace that works out to nearly one opening every two days. According to the Apple spokesperson:

"Our retail offering continues to [grow], with Penrith the 11th store in Australia, since we opened Apple Store Sydney just three years ago. Globally we are planning to have 363 stores in fiscal 2011.”

The report also notes that Apple's retail stores have now seen over one billion visitors pass through their doors.

"Apple Retail has been in business for 10 years. During this period, we have had over 1 billion visitors through our doors, many of whom are new to the Mac, as the Apple Store is the best place to learn about all the latest products from Apple," said the spokesperson.

That milestone was actually passed earlier this year, as Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer noted during the company's April 20th earnings conference call that Apple's retail stores would greet their billionth visitor within the following few days.

Apple appears to be setting up the final pieces for OS X Lion's launch this week. A previous report even pinpointed the release as early as Wednesday morning.

We've now been able to confirm that Apple Retail stores have begun receiving final copies of OS X Lion today. The installations have come on hard drive and are meant for the Apple Retail demo computers on the store floor. This, of course, doesn't guarantee a specific launch date, but brings Apple one step closer to launch.

Apple has said that OS X Lion will be launching in July but has not publicly committed to a launch date. Apple seeded the Golden Master version of OS X Lion to developers on July 1st. The Golden Master version is typically the final shipping version of the operating system. Apple is also widely expected to refresh the MacBook Air and Mac Mini computers around the same time as Lion's launch.

AppleInsider reports that this Wednesday may finally be the day that OS X Lion and new MacBook Air models finally begin shipping as consumers have been anxiously awaiting the releases.

According to people with proven track records who would be in a position to know, the new product launches are set to occur later this week. Specifically, one person said the products would be released on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

Circulating rumors have claimed that the updated MacBook Air models will sport a minimum of 128 GB solid state drives and 4 GB of RAM, and will also see the return of a backlit keyboard.

Apple has been reported to be holding new hardware launches until OS X Lion is ready so that it can ship the machines with the latest operating system pre-installed. A number of other new hardware updates are said to be pending, including a Mac mini refresh and an updated LED Cinema Display. New Mac Pro models have also been rumored for release later this month or early next month. All of the new releases are said to support the new Thunderbolt high-speed data connectivity standard.

BGR reports that it has received information from an "incredibly solid source" claiming that Apple will be introducing its next-generation iPhone "by end of the Summer, late August-ish" and taking advantage of the opportunity to expand its iPhone line to three models by selling the new handset alongside the existing iPhone 4 and potentially continuing to offer the iPhone 3GS as a low-cost device available for $349 without a contract.

The source reports that the next-generation iPhone isn't likely to sport a major redesign compared to the iPhone 4, suggesting that case manufacturers should have already leaked the new design if it was in fact different from the iPhone 4. With other sources adamantly reporting in recent weeks that the next-generation iPhone will receive an external redesign, the "will it/won't it" debate remains unsettled.

If this turns out to be true, it will mean there would be an iPhone 4S in addition to the prepaid iPhone 3GS available within the next month to two. Let's do one better, though. In addition to that news, we are told that Apple will continue to sell the current iPhone 4 as well, finally giving the company a full range of devices in the lower, mid, and high-end price segments.

Rumors of Apple releasing a low-cost iPhone carrying an unsubsidized price in the range of $350 have been circulating in recent weeks, with one analyst claiming that Apple will in fact be using the iPhone 3GS to fill that role, slashing its price to free on-contract and $399 without contract. The 8 GB iPhone 3GS currently retails for $449 unsubsidized.

Rumors of Apple bumping the iPad up to a higher-resolution display received a new boost today with The Korea Times reporting that Apple has been working with Samsung and LG on new LCD technology to produce displays with a resolution 2048x1536, double that of the existing iPad in each dimension.

The report notes that Samsung and LG are currently in the testing process for the new displays, which would push the resolution up over 260 pixels per inch, below that of the iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch, but perhaps high enough for Apple to still consider it a "Retina" resolution given the somewhat further distance at which the iPad is typically viewed.

By limiting the resolution increase to a doubling of the current displays, Apple will provide an easy transition for developers, whose existing content can be displayed via pixel doubling to appear naturally on the higher-resolution display until it can be upgraded to the higher resolution. A similar system was used when the iPhone and iPod touch transitioned to double-resolution displays to minimize disruption to the app ecosystem of the platform.

Apple has started quality testing Samsung and LG's LCDs at one of its laboratories in China. Samsung and LG were required to produce screens with better picture quality and density, according to sources, who anticipate the testing process will be completed during the third quarter.

"Apple's upcoming iPad 3 will feature an improved display to support quad extended graphics (QXGA), a display resolution of 2048×1536 pixels with a 4:3 aspect ratio to provide full high definition (HD) viewing experience," said a source close to the talks.

"Apple has traditionally preferred to use the same providers of the same parts for the same device, even as they evolve to different versions. I don't see any fundamental change to that approach."

With the third quarter of the year already underway, quality testing on the new displays could be completed at any time if the report is correct, paving the way for either a rumored "iPad 2 Pro" to be sold alongside existing iPad 2 models or a full-fledged iPad 3, both of which have been the subject of rumors for a release later this year.