MacRumors

Apple products appeared in 30% of all films that were number one at the US box office in 2010, outstripping product placements by any other single brand. Nike, Chevrolet and Ford all tied for second most, each appearing in 24% of top films. Sony, Dell, Land Rover, and Glock appeared in at least 15% of top films.

Apple-branded products appeared in more than one-third of all number one films at the US box office between 2001 to 2010 (making 112 of the 334 #1 films in America since 2001). That is second only to Ford (144 of 334) and well ahead of third place Coca-Cola (96 of 334).

But while Apple did manage to top the list in 2010, its performance has actually declined over the past few years from a high of nearly 50% in 2008 to 44% in 2009 to 30% in 2010. The report claims that the decline is a result of other computer and electronic brands stepping up their product placement efforts in emulation of Apple's success, with Sony's film studios even going as far as to virtually eliminate Apple products from its films, instead inserting Sony VAIO products whenever possible.

Apple also fared well in Brandchannel's reader survey of the most memorable product placements of 2010, topping the rankings with 25% of respondents citing Apple or one of its products.

To those who intensely cares about this kind of stuff - which would be pretty much everyone in the tech ecosystem - Apple will hold its much-anticipated event on March 2, where the tech giant seems poised to unveil a new version of its hugely successful iPad.

As in, iPad 2! Or, as BoomTown is now officially nicknaming it: iPad Too!

According to the report's sources, the scheduled date is firm, and the event will take place in San Francisco. Apple has generally held its San Francisco media events at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

It's not clear when Apple will begin sending out its famous invites for gathering, but I am guessing soon, in order to get the Apple faithful to the proper level of froth.

Late yesterday, a rumor surfaced claiming that the second-generation iPad would not launch until June, but multiple sources have refuted that claim today.

Update: Reuters has also updated its earlier story refuting claims of iPad delays to note that it is also hearing that Apple will introduce the next-generation iPad on March 2nd.

One person familiar with the matter said recent speculation about a delay until June was "simply not true" as Apple is planning a launch in the same seasonal schedule as the first iPad, which went on sale in April 2010.

Apple will host an event on March 2, where the company is expected to take the wraps off the newest iPad model, an individual with knowledge of the situation said. Apple declined to comment.

Update 2: The New York Times is also pointing to a March 2nd date for Apple's iPad introduction.

Over the past day, a pair of analyst reports have suggested that Apple's second-generation iPad and fifth-generation iPhone will see their launches delayed beyond their previously-planned windows, due in part to design changes and other "issues" with production.

But according to The Loop's Jim Dalrymple, these claims are simply untrue. While Dalrymple is careful to note that he doesn't know when the next-generation versions of Apple's popular iOS devices will ship, he says that any claims that Apple is experiencing internal "delays" are false and that everything is on time according to Apple's schedule.

From what I've heard this morning both products are on schedule and will ship when they are supposed to. Only Apple knows exactly when that will be, but the products are not delayed.

Reuters is also reporting that claims of iPad delays are "not true".

It seems amazing that rumors of Apple missing product deadlines are running rampant when Apple hasn't even announced the product yet. The only deadlines that have been set are by the media, not Apple.

Having said that, the iPhone 5 and iPad 2 are not delayed.

Many observers have been looking forward to an iPad release in the same March-April timeframe seen last year, with the next-generation iPhone set to follow in its usual June-July launch window, and it appears that Apple may yet meet those external targets.

Update: Reuters has now published a brief article refuting the delay claims, and Barron's has added its voice to the growing chorus of denials.

People familiar with the company's retail plans revealed that Apple employees on Monday were asked to sign non-disclosure forms. Those who did not sign are said to be excluded from the next employee meeting, expected to be held in the next week.

Those privy to Apple's brick-and-mortar businesses indicated the meeting was originally scheduled for last week. But the meeting was apparently pushed back for one week, for reasons unknown.

Exactly what the meeting would be about seems to be in question, as the report seems to expect that the meeting would occur on Sunday night after store closing as has happened in the past, timing that would place it after the debut of new MacBook Pros widely expected for this Thursday.

The timing of the meeting could suggest that Apple plans to hold a media event to unveil new products, and could send out invitations to such an event as soon as this week. Lending support to this, Robert X. Cringely confidently began his latest column on Monday with: "Next week Apple will have a product event." Cringely presumes the event will be used to introduce new MacBook Pro models with Intel's high-speed Light Peak technology.

Cringely's report also suggests that we could see Light Peak-equipped Mac minis, although it is unclear what the basis of his speculation might be.

Today's report does not, however, appear to definitively state that the all-hands meeting will occur on Sunday, meaning that it could potentially occur within the next day or two and relate to preparations for Thursday's expected MacBook Pro launch.

But if the meeting truly isn't until Sunday and the MacBook Pros appear on Thursday as expected, AppleInsider suggests that the forthcoming media event could see the introduction of the second-generation iPad, a move would that would seem to require a product release in line with the majority of rumors that have been pinpointing a first quarter launch. It would also seemingly rule out recent claims that the next-generation iPad will not debut until June.

Apple has also just been rumored to be releasing updated iMacs sometime in the near future, although it is unclear why the company would host a media event to introduce only the iMacs and not the MacBook Pros if the company wanted to highlight its Mac lines with another event.

Update: We've received word from several sources that the meeting is simply a standard quarterly meeting for retail employees and should not entail any specific disclosures related to new products.

Update 2: We're hearing from other sources that Apple is indeed requiring employees to sign specific non-disclosure agreements for this meeting, a step that is not generally employed for such quarterly meetings, suggesting that something out of the ordinary may in fact be discussed at the meeting.

In addition to notebooks, the supply chain sources also pointed out that Apple may also launch its new iMac along with its MacBook, and the company may also make some changes over the screen size to allow panel cutting to reach its optimization.

While Apple's MacBook Pro line is significantly overdue for an update based on past release intervals, the iMac line is just now approaching the end of its usual lifecycle, meaning that an update in the near future would not be out of line.

Apple's online stores are not, however, showing the same slippage of shipping estimates that have been popping up for the MacBook Pro line, suggesting that Apple either simply still has ample supply of the existing models even with an update coming in just a few days or will be scheduling the iMac update for a different date a bit further down the road.

Today's report also suggests that while the MacBook Pro update does appear likely to occur before the end of the month, significant volume production will not pick up until March. It is unclear whether such a production ramp will result in tight supplies in the first few weeks as pent-up demand for Apple's popular notebook line soaks up available supply.

Berger writes, "For the iPhone 5, we continue to hear that a July launch is unlikely, with various casing suppliers and touch suppliers still ramping up, with some chip vendors not having yet received firm iPhone 5 orders, and with other sockets like the image sensor (most likely going to Omnivision exclusively, but with some potential for Sony to split that socket) still in flux. Given these factors, we think a September launch is more likely, off from Apple's traditional iPhone launch schedule, but giving the firm more time to enhance its next-generation instant communications on the phone."

Apple has released new iPhone models nearly like clockwork each year in June or July since the device's debut in 2007. Consequently, a September launch for the next-generation model would be a significant deviation from that trend, which Apple executives have acknowledged is part of an annual cycle of product releases.

One thing that is different during this year's cycle is mid-year product introductions, with the iPhone 4 making its way to Verizon earlier this month, and potentially offering a way for Apple to milk more life out of the device. But at least for the time being, that effect would only apply in the United States, as the CDMA device has not yet launched in other markets and many countries do not even offer significant CDMA-based networks on which the device could run. In a similar vein, Apple has said that it will be releasing the white iPhone 4 sometime this "spring", which could provide another boost to the line, although Apple has of course already delayed the device's launch several times and some observers are skeptical that it will ever see a release.

Still, we tend to take most research analyst claims with a grain of salt, as they tend to be wrong more often than right. But they do occasionally offer up accurate information from Apple's supply chain, and thus it bears watching to see if more independent claims of this nature begin to surface.

Professional music producers generally capture studio recordings in a 24-bit, high-fidelity audio format. Before the originals, or "masters" in industry parlance, are pressed onto CDs or distributed to digital sellers like Apple's iTunes, they're downgraded to 16-bit files.

From there, the audio can be compressed further in order to minimize the time the music will take to download or to allow it to be streamed on-the-fly over the internet.

The report suggests that the high-quality files could eventually appear as premium-priced options next to existing formats. Users may also have to invest in new hardware to support the 24-bit files.

Many models of Mac computers can play 24-bit sound, and the iTunes program is capable of handling such files. But most portable electronics, and many computers, don't support 24-bit audio.

To make the jump to higher-quality music attractive for Apple, the Cupertino, California, company would have to retool future versions of iPods and iPhones so they can play higher-quality files.

Apple's iTunes Store initially offered 16-bit tracks at 128 kbps with digital rights management (DRM) technology included. But over time, the company was able to introduce "iTunes Plus" tracks encoded at 256 kbps and lacking any DRM restrictions, eventually shifting the store's entire catalog over to iTunes Plus tracks. A further shift to offering true, uncompressed 24-bit tracks would have the potential to reinvigorate music sales by catering to audiophiles unhappy with the current quality of music downloads.

Apple's announcement last week introducing App Store Subscriptions has generated a lot of controversy across the web. At issue is Apple's policy requiring publishers to also offer all subscriptions through Apple's In-App purchase system which gives Apple a 30% cut. Meanwhile, publishers are still allowed to sell subscriptions outside of the App Store (and keep 100%) but they can't undercut the App Store price. From the original announcement:

"Our philosophy is simple - when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30 percent share; when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100 percent and Apple earns nothing," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app, so that customers can easily subscribe with one-click right in the app.

While the wording of the original announcement was aimed specifically at content publishers, there has been growing concern that the terms don't allow for "software as a service" (SaaS) apps as well. These are apps such as DropBox and SalesForce that provide specific services to users for recurring subscription fee.

Readability for iPad

DaringFireball's John Gruber, however, interprets this rejection differently, and believes that Readability is simply a publisher model, and thus subject to Apple's new terms:

Maybe I'm missing something, but these guys claiming to be surprised and disappointed by Apple's insistence on a 30 percent cut of subscriptions when their own business model is to take a 30 percent cut of subscriptions strikes me as rich. And how can they claim that Readability isn't "serving up content"? That's exactly what Readability does.

But Readability is not alone in their interpretation. TinyGrab, a screenshot sharing service, announced today that they won't be pursuing their iOS app due to the restrictions surrounding the new subscription system. TinyGrab offers premium subscriptions which gives paying customers additional storage and capabilities.

We really want to be part of the app revolution on OS X and iOS but it looks as though that may no longer be able to happen, until Apple fix these issues and welcome us in again.

Finally, Marco Arment, the developer of Instapaper, also seems to interpret Apple's new policies as affecting software as a service. He asks if apps that support Evernote, DropBox, Salesforce, LinkedIn, and 37signals will have to be removed for not offering subscriptions as in app purchases.

SalesForce, Evernote, Dropbox icons

Hello Steve,

As a full time iOS developer, I am concerned (and confused) withe the new App Store guideline regarding "Apps offering subscriptions" (section 11.12).

Most of the iOS apps I have developed, as a contractor for other businesses, have been free apps that had login screens to allow the user access to some amount of private data. and/or service. These businesses have all been well established companies that sell some kind of service to their customers (Software As a Service companies) and the iOS app was merely another "portal" for their users to access their data/services (in many times, in a limited i.e. "mobile" fashion).... for example; SalesForce. I am concerned that most of these businesses will choose to not develop an iOS app for their customers if the IAP & subscription policy was in place.

Would these type's of free apps be still be allowed in the App Store or will they now be expected to use IAP?

To this, Steve Jobs replied in his typically short and, unfortunately, somewhat vague response:

We created subscriptions for publishing apps, not SaaS apps.

Sent from my iPhone

On the surface, our interpretation of this response is that the new in-app subscription rules simply don't apply to Software-as-a-Service. And, if you review the new guidelines and press materials that Apple has released, all the context is specifically related to publishers of content.

Based on that interpretation, apps such as DropBox and even TinyGrab may not be subject to the new rules. Readability's rejection, however, shows there are some borderline cases where the line between publisher and service provider is a bit blurry. Hopefully, Apple will provide more clarity on this issue.

The report by Vincent Chen and Alison Chen, analysts at Yuanta, cited production bottlenecks at Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. after Apple made design changes before the Lunar New year.

We've never heard any predictions coming from Yuanta Securities before so we have no idea of their reliability.

All previous reports have pointed to a Q1 launch, possibly in April for the iPad 2.

Update: Bloomberg has expanded its article to include additional detail from the analyst report.

"Our checks suggest new issues are being encountered with the new production and it is taking time to resolve them," said Chen in the report.

On top of the bevy of Core i5 and Core i7 Sandy Bridge chips already listed in Intel's database, the chipmaker yesterday added dual-core mobile i3, mobile i5, and mobile Core i7 chips to the Sandy Bridge family.

Intel previously announced it would begin shipping the mobile chips starting on February 20th. The chips are expected to be used in the MacBook Pros are said to be released on Thursday, February 24th.

The three most likely CPUs to be used in the new MacBook Pros include:

Core i7-2620M (4M cache, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 2.70 GHz 32nm)
Core i5-2540M (3M cache, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 2.60 GHz 32nm)
Core i5-2520M (3M cache, 2 Cores, 4 Threads, 2.50 GHz 32nm)

While they share the same "i5" and "i7" names of last year's chips, the Sandy Bridge is marketed as the "second generation" of the Core i chips with several architectural improvements. A couple of other chips that were considered possible candidates weren't on the price list. CPU world suggests that some of those CPUs may have been launched but won't know for sure until Intel updates the product specification pages on its website.

The first tidbit of information claims that the new MacBook Pros will offer larger trackpads than those found on current models, opening the door for greater flexibility for users and perhaps options for more complex gestures.

The report also claims that the updated machines will offer a dedicated solid-state drive of 8-16 GB to house Mac OS X system files that would allow for fast system boot-up and performance. Additional machine storage would be made available in either traditional hard drives or with solid-state drive upgrades.

The next bit of information doesn't quite make sense to us, but we have been told the OS on the laptops will be loaded to a separate (internal) 8-16GB SSD while everything else will remain on the regular hard drive. There will be options for just SSD drives but the base models will feature regular hard disks with the SSD combo for the OS.

The idea of separate flash-based storage for system files is not a new one, as reports dating back to early 2006 suggested that Apple might adopt Intel's "Turbo Memory" feature that offered similar functionality. At the time the advantages of using an SSD/Hard Drive hybrid were improved performance and longer battery life:

[Turbo Memory] utilizes NAND flash memory instead of the hard disk for computer startup and launching frequently used applications. The use of this technology would allow for faster boot up times and improved battery life in portables utilizing the technology.

Finally, the report's source indicates that Apple has shaved approximately half a pound off of the weight of each of the MacBook Pro models.

We're obviously disappointed by this decision, and surprised by the broad language. By including "functionality, or services," it's clear that you intend to pursue any subscription-based apps, not merely those of services serving up content. Readability's model is unique in that 70% of our service fees go directly to writers and publishers. If we implemented In App purchasing, your 30% cut drastically undermines a key premise of how Readability works.

Readability's argument lies in the fact that the service does not in fact offer content subscriptions, but instead utilizes subscriptions to support writers and publishers whose work is already freely-available on the Internet. Apple's policies are of course broad enough to include such functionalities within its in-app subscription requirements, but Readability argues that the move threatens small independent developers trying to make a go of something akin to "software as a service" (SaaS) as differentiated from the true content providers that have received most of the publicity with regards to Apple's subscription policies.

Apple of course has cast its subscription policy net as widely as possible, and many developers will find reasons why their offerings shouldn't be subject to the requirements. But Readbility's situation is somewhat unique if only for the fact that Apple worked closely with Readability to include the service's functionality as a feature of Safari 5, released last June. As a result of the collaboration, Readability's functionality appears as a built-in "Reader" functionality in Safari that strips away extraneous content of web pages to focus on the page's primary article content.

Update: As has been noted by several readers, Apple and Readability didn't actually work together on Safari 5's "Reader" functionality. Apple utilized open source aspects of Readability's work to create the Safari functionality.

Orange is now selling the iPad for £99 on its 24-month contracts and T-Mobile is offering the same to existing customers.

Previously, Orange was offering the iPad WiFi + 3G at £199.99 upfront on a £25 per month contract to existing customers and at £229.99 for new customers on a £27 per month contract - so the new pricing offers a saving of at least £100 on each.

T-Mobile, meanwhile, is only offering the discount to existing customers on a 24-month £25 tariff.

Orange, T-Mobile, and Three all launched subsidized iPad pricing back in December for customers willing to commit to two-year data contracts.

While we've already reported that new MacBook Pros are expected to launch on Thursday and reports have even surfaced claiming that sealed shipments are already on their way to retailers, it's worth noting that Apple's top-priority U.S. online store has now gotten in on the act by pushing shipment estimates for all new MacBook Pro orders out to 3-5 business days.

Some observers have questioned why Apple would release new MacBook Pros on a Thursday, as opposed to its traditional Tuesday release date. The most likely reason is related to the federal Presidents' Day holiday in the United States today. Apple generally prefers not to launch new products straight out of a weekend, in part due to ensure that media coverage is not diminished as some reporters may still be making their way back from the long weekend. Consequently, Apple has been known to deviate from its usual Tuesday and Wednesday releases in weeks with major U.S. holidays.

Others have noted that Thursday is Apple CEO Steve Jobs' 56th birthday (as well as MacRumors' own 11th birthday), which almost certainly simply makes for a nice coincidence.

Update: Some of Apple's online stores for other major markets such as the United Kingdom were not showing the uniform extended shipping estimates at the time of initial publication, but those stores have since seen their estimates similarly pushed out to 3-5 business days.