MacRumors

While we've heard a lot about Apple's new low end 13-Inch MacBook Pro, there's been hardly any information about the upcoming 15" and 17" models. CNet provides a rundown of what they've heard about today's announcements.

First, as we've heard, Light Peak is officially being branded as "Thunderbolt". We've seen the photos already showing it on the 13" MacBook Pro.

Thunderbolt is a new interface that will let consumers connect peripheral devices that need to move a lot of data quickly, such as an array of disk drives, or an external device that requires very high-speed connections.

Thunderbolt will be found on the new MacBook Pros. Next, as we knew, Intel's latest Sandy Bridge processors will be used in the new MacBook Pros. And, the 13" MacBook Pro will only use Intel's integrated graphics chip.

CNet, however, also reveals that the 15" and 17" MacBook Pros will use AMD (formerly ATI) discrete graphics cards alongside Intel's integrated solution.

As in previous MacBook Pros, the discrete graphics chip is only fired up when heavy lifting is needed. When power savings is paramount or high-end graphics processing is not necessary, the system defaults to Intel's graphics.

CNet offers no specifics about which AMD graphics card models Apple will be offering. Current 15" and 17" MacBook Pros have NVIDIA graphics cards built in.

Andrew Stern provided this photo of Apple already preparing the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts a week ahead of schedule. Apple just today invited select media to an event on March 2nd at 10 a.m. Pacific. While Apple is expected to release the new MacBook Pros tomorrow (Thursday), Apple is not holding a special media event for that launch.

The image doesn't match up with the invite which clearly hinted at an update to the iPad. Instead, it shows colorful dots surrounding an Apple logo.

Update: MacLife posts several more shots from tonight as the panels were still being put up.

Update 2: Kiel Oleson (@kielo) was kind enough to take this photo of the finished display:

CNet reports that Intel's media event starts at 10 a.m. Pacific on Thursday, February 24th. CNet believes that Intel will be unveiling final details of Light Peak.

[Light Peak is] a transmission technology designed by Intel that promises to bring 10-gigabit-per-second speeds for data transfers to and from external devices, besting recently introduced solutions like USB 3.0. Intel's broader vision is to have it replace the myriad specialty ports on laptops and desktop machines with one that can do just about everything, while scaling its bandwidth potential to support future computing needs.

CNet expects that Apple will not officially launch the new MacBook Pros until after the Intel event. Intel's event starts at 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern.

Meanwhile, we've learned that the term "Thunderbolt" is actually labeled as an Intel trademark on the leaked MacBook Pro packaging, so we suspect that will be the name used for the technology broadly across all platforms.

As for why Thunderbolt (formerly Light Peak) uses the DisplayPort connector rather than the USB one, The Wall Street Journal Digits blog speculates that USB Implementers Forum wasn't happy about Intel co-opting their plug:

The USB Implementers Forum -- which oversees the evolution of that ubiquitous variety of connectors -- put out a statement last summer that did not sound particularly friendly to Light Peak. "USB connectors are not general purpose connectors and are not designed to be used in support of other technology applications or standards or as combo connectors," the group said.

Meanwhile, Apple designed the mini DisplayPort connector and opened it for free licensing, which may offer some explanation as to its choice. We're certain to hear more details Thursday.

iLounge reports on several items of interest in light of today's MacBook Pro and iPad news, most notably claiming that some questions have arisen about just what Apple will be able to show at next week's iPad media event and when a true "second-generation" iPad will become available.

Two reliable sources are suggesting that next week's "iPad 2" event has some serious cliffhanger potential - as in, consumers may not see the real "iPad 2" for some time. There's apparently some truth to the reports of production problems with the new model, and as a result, no one is really sure at this point what Apple is going to be shipping as the "iPad 2," or when.

The report lends credence to a theory put forth by Daring Fireball's John Gruber several weeks ago stating that Apple could release another new version of the iPad as soon as September. iLounge's report takes the angle that Apple could be preparing to release something that could be more accurately considered an "iPad 1.5" with a camera and other tweaks to carry consumers through to a more substantial upgrade later this year.

In any case, our sources aren't sure whether Apple is going to release the iPad 1.5 now and call it the iPad 2, hold off a few months and release something dramatically better, or hold off a few months and release the iPad 1.5. The sources strongly believe that Apple cannot possibly ship enough truly "new" iPads to meet a late March or early April release date. One expects that Apple will only preview the next iPad at next week's event, then release it widely around June. A price drop for the current model would keep sales flowing until then.

iLounge acknowledges that the claims are somewhat difficult to believe given the high visibility of next week's iPad event and the steady stream of rumors that have been steadily (until recently) pointing to a March/April timeline for a revamped tablet device, but Apple may in fact be feeling pressure to do something to keep iPad sales moving as it continues to prepare what it had originally envisioned as its second-generation iPad for a release later this year.

Today's report also notes that the MacBook Pro update coming tomorrow is clearly more of a refresh of Apple's existing MacBook Pro lines, and that a significant redesign, which Apple generally undertakes every few generations, is on tap for 2012 and currently in the design phase.

Finally, Apple is said to be set to introduce the fifth-generation iPhone in June as expected. The report says that "worldwide shipments" would occur by August at the latest, with the U.S. and other major markets for the company almost certainly at the head of the rollout plan.

Apple held its annual shareholder meeting today at its corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California, an event presided over by Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook in the absence of Steve Jobs. Fortune aggregated some of the live coverage of the meeting, which for the most part went off as expected.

One of the most highly-publicized issues addressed during the meeting was a motion proposed by several large stakeholders that would recommend that Apple adopt a detailed plan of succession should Steve Jobs permanently step down as CEO. Apple opposed the motion on the grounds that it could inhibit the company's ability to attract and retain talent at the senior executive level, and the motion was in fact defeated by shareholders.

The most controversial shareholder proposal -- that Apple adopt a detailed succession plan -- came up about 20 minutes later. According to the representative of the Central Laborers' Pension Fund who introduced it, Proposal No. 5 did not require the company to name names, she said, so management's fears about the proposal were unfounded.

But a preliminary proxy count suggested that the proposal had been defeated, as expected and as Apple had recommended.

Apple executives otherwise remained silent on Jobs and his health issues, although one attendee did receive a significant round of applause for his public well-wishes directed at Jobs. All seven directors, including Jobs, were also reelected.

Unlike the succession plan, one other shareholder-driven motion did pass: a movement to require a majority vote for the election of corporate directors, even when those directors are running unopposed. The motion, which was opposed by Apple for its potential to unintentionally hinder the naming of new directors while the company attempts to garner the required votes, did pass by a majority vote of the shareholders.

Apple also addressed the company's new North Carolina data center, which had been reported to be on track for an opening by the end of 2010. According to meeting reports, executives revealed that the data center is not yet operational, but should open sometime in the spring.

While Apple is set to hold a March 2nd media event. apparently to introduce the second-generation iPad, we don't yet know when the device will actually go on sale. But regardless of the on-sale date, Apple may be reducing its initial production target in the face of low touch panel yields and last-minute design changes that have cut into the company's ability to pump out the new version at the levels originally anticipated.

The sources pointed out that Apple still maintains its plans to mass produce the iPad 2 by the end of February; however, affected by low touch panel yields and an adjustment in specifications, Apple's production volume forecast for the first quarter is expected to drop from 400,000-600,000 units originally to only 300,000-400,000 units.

The report suggests, however, that there are no indications of any delays in Apple's internal plans for a launch date.

An analyst report earlier this week similarly pointed to "production bottlenecks" and "design changes" as affecting iPad production, but claimed that the issues would result in Apple delaying the device's launch until June. The "delay" claim was quickly refuted by multiple sources, and claims of the March 2nd media event followed soon after with the official announcement coming today.

New mockups of the second-generation iPad have surfaced on the blog of Japanese parts vendor iLab.cc (via 9 to 5 Mac), showing what could be considered the most realistic-looking physical mockup of the second-generation iPad yet published. The mockup seems to be based on information from parts and case vendors near Apple's manufacturing partners' facilities in Shenzhen, China.

The mockup appears to demonstrate a much thinner design than the current iPad, and shows a realistic-looking mesh cover over what has been claimed to be a revamped speaker design.

As for when we can expect to see the second-generation iPad on sale, 9 to 5 Mac reported yesterday that its sources have claimed that the device will launch "towards the end of March". In addition, we have received word of a vacation blackout for Apple's retail store employees set for the end of March, but we have yet to obtain confirmation of that claim.

The Loop reports that Apple has officially issued invitations to a media event scheduled for next Wednesday, March 2nd, with the graphics suggesting that Apple will indeed introduce the next-generation iPad at the event. The invitation comes with the tagline "Come see what 2011 will be the year of."

Apple on Wednesday sent an invitation to media inviting them to a special event on March 2 in San Francisco, Calif.

According to the invitation received by The Loop, the event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts at 10:00 am. This is the same venue Apple has used to introduce a number of products in recent years.

Claims of the March 2nd media event surfaced just yesterday, putting the quash on recent rumors that the device's debut may be delayed until June.

All Things Digital reports that Apple has cut in half the minimum commitment for advertisers to participate in its iAd program. The minimum buy-in set for the program's launch last July was $1 million, but Apple has apparently reduced that number to $500,000 in order to entice new advertisers unwilling to spend a full $1 million to come on board.

The new entry point is $500,000, a significantly smaller commitment, particularly for smaller brands and agencies that are creating and producing their own iAds.

"This new minimum buy is a great step forward and a necessary one, I think," Mark Read, CEO of WPP Digital, the digital arm of global ad giant WPP, told me. "Lowering the minimum buy to $500,000 from $1 million will certainly make the platform more appealing."

A report earlier this month indicated that Apple is struggling to fill ad slots and renew existing advertisers for its iAd program as the number of iOS devices capable of displaying the ads continues to soar. While Apple has offered a low-cost iAd program targeted at App Store developers since the early days of the service, the lowered buy-in level for mainstream advertisers could easily spur new interest from advertisers who would still spend significant sums of money.

Early this morning, a couple of sites posted specs from the upcoming low end 13" MacBook Pro and revealed that Apple will be incorporating Light Peak into the new machines under the name "Thunderbolt". We've confirmed that these specs and photos are legitimate, but only for the low end 13" MacBook Pro model. We still haven't seen the specs for the mid-range and high-end model.

Mac4Ever has posted a followup close-up image of the new Thunderbolt/DisplayPort hybrid port found on the new 13" MacBook Pro.

Intel is expected to officially launch Light Peak/Thunderbolt on Thursday alongside Apple's new MacBook Pros.

Fscklog posts a photo of what is believed to be from the box of the new 13" MacBook Pro that Apple is planning to release on Thursday. Amongst the features, the name of Apple's Light Peak implementation: Thunderbolt.

Translation of the specs by devilcm3:

Core i5 two cores at 2.3 GHz 3 MB cache
4 GB of DDR3 1333 MHz
Hard Drive 320 GB 5400 rpm
Screen 13.33 "glossy 1280x800
Intel Graphics GPU HD 3000 with 384MB of RAM shared with main memory
Camera HD FaceTime
Superdrive 8x
Thunderbolt yet compatible with the I / O devices and high speed MiniDisplayport
SDXC Card slot, Firewire 800 and two USB 2.0
Digital Audio Output
Integrated Ethernet
Backlit keyboard
Size and weight 32.5 x22, 7x2, 41 cm, 2.04 kg

Mac4Ever posts these photos that appear to be marketing materials for the new MacBook Pros, with a partial image of the notebook itself:

Finally, this image claiming to show a Thunderbolt port, which looks a lot like a DisplayPort. We're not sure of the original source of this image:

Update: We've confirmed that these images are legitimate. This is of the low-end 13" MacBook Pro, so it's possible that the higher-end model will have different features.

In English:

TechCrunch claims to have heard that the next version of Final Cut Pro is due soon and it's supposed to be a big one:

According our very own people familiar with the matter, a small group of video editors were on the Apple campus recently in order to preview the new version of video editing software, which is in the same space as Avid and Adobe Premier. Apparently Apple is still putting the finishing touches on the biggest overhaul to Final Cut Pro since the original version was created over 10 years ago and wanted pro user feedback. Emphasis on pro.

One of their sources described a complete redesign of the user interface as well as low level architectural changes. Overall the changes are described as "dramatic and ambitious".

Final Cut Pro has lagged a bit with reported layoffs in 2007. Apple reportedly reorganized the team under the lead of Randy Ubillos, the developer behind the completely redesigned iMovie in 2008. In 2010, Steve Jobs responded to an email from a concerned Final Cut Pro user about the software's future. Jobs promised that the "next release [of Final Cut Pro] will be awesome".

Last year, Apple provided the public with a sneak peak and the next major version of Mac OS X (Lion). Steve Jobs showed off only a few of the new features that were inspired by iOS:

"Lion brings many of the best ideas from iPad back to the Mac, plus some fresh new ones like Mission Control that Mac users will really like," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Lion has a ton of new features, and we hope the few we had time to preview today will give users a good idea of where we are headed."

Apple promised that Mac OS X Lion would ship in the summer of 2011, but we've haven't heard any updates since that initial preview.

Today, TechCrunch offers a rather vague piece indicating that they've heard that Mac OS X Lion developer beta seeding should begin soon. They also suggest that there will be a user interface change amongst other surprises:

And while we already know some of the new features thanks to Apples preview, there are still a few surprises, apparently. One of these is a much-anticipated UI overhaul. But that means that developers are going to need to be ready when it rolls out. And along those lines, were hearing that a developer beta should begin soon.

While we might normally dismiss such a vague claim, we've also heard whispers that Lion may begin seeding soon. The additional claim that Lion will have an overhauled user interface is also easy to accept. Early analysis of the Lion preview showed several early user interface changes with scrollbars and the dock. Apple also said that there would be a "ton of new features" in Lion that they haven't yet revealed. Mac OS X Lion is expected to launch in this summer.

CNet reports that Intel is launching Light Peak on Thursday, February 24th,

Intel released a statement to the media today stating that on Thursday in San Francisco it will "host a...press briefing to discuss a new technology that is about to appear on the market."

The date happens to coincide with Apple's expected release of new MacBook Pros.

We don't expect this to be a coincidence and perhaps explains why Apple choose to launch the new MacBook Pros on a Thursday rather than Tuesday.

MacGeneration (French) claims that a trusted source has leaked the specs of the new MacBook Pros. As summary of the new specs are provided:

- no more white MacBook (Apple goes back to two lines of 13" inchers)
- 16 GB SSD mSATA drives on all models to store the system
- Core i3 and third USB port on the 13" model
- Matte screen option on the higher-end 13"
- Option to replace the SuperDrive with a SSD on the 15 and 17" models
- HD screens on all models : 1440x900 on the 13", 1680x1050 on the 15"
- 200 to 300 grams lighter : 1.8 kg for the 13", 2.3 kg for the 15", 2.65 kg for the 17"
- Better battery life : 12 hours on the 13", 10 hours on the 15"
- 8 GB of RAM on the 17"

In addition to all these changes, MacGeneration cites another source who claims a "new technology" will make its way into the MacBook Pros. At this point, it seems likely that Light Peak will be introduced. Intel is reportedly holding an event on the same day (Thursday) to officially launch Light Peak.

BGR reports that Apple's "secret" meeting for retail store employees scheduled for this coming Sunday is regarding a new service known as "Joint Venture" that will bring Genius Bar services to small businesses and professional-level consumers in the form of telephone consultations and on-site visits.

First rumored back in March of last year, Joint Venture is an extension of Apple's current Genius Bar services that is aimed at small businesses and prosumers. Subscribers of the new service will be able to speak with a store-based Apple technician - lovingly referred to as Geniuses - over the phone for one-on-one consultation and troubleshooting, or they can request an on-site visit. Currently, Apple's Geniuses are not allowed to provide support remotely via the phone or in-person outside of Apple's retail locations.

The retail staff meeting is reportedly being held to brief employees on how to position and sell the forthcoming premium-priced service.