MacRumors

iLounge reports that it has discovered differences in the quality of sound captured by the microphones on various Wi-Fi and 3G-capable models of the iPad 2, with the Wi-Fi-only models demonstrating the best sound quality. The differences primarily seem to stem from the fact that the microphone opening in the center of the top edge of the device is on an aluminum surface in Wi-Fi iPads and in black plastic on 3G models, although even the GSM and CDMA models behave slightly differently.

Perhaps due to this change in materials, the Wi-Fi model offers markedly cleaner audio than that of the 3G, which sounds slightly muffled and echo-prone as a result. Curiously, we found the GSM 3G model's audio to be slightly preferable to that of the CDMA model, which seemed to suffer the issues more severely.

According to the report, the differences are most pronounced when the iPad is held facing the user, as would typically the case when using FaceTime or other video-based apps.

The microphone has been located next to the headphone jack on the top edge of the first-generation iPad, but Apple presumably centered the microphone in the iPad 2 in hopes of doing a better job of picking up sound when used with FaceTime and other apps designed to be used in a forward-facing portrait orientation. It appears, however, that the acoustical qualities of the black plastic strip along the top edge used to house the antenna in 3G-capable models results in lower performance compared to Wi-Fi models with the microphone surrounded by aluminum.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is reported to have sent a message to Apple staff regarding the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The contents of the email were posted to Chihouban.com (via Mac Otakara), and MacRumors had also received a copy of it independently. The email was said to have been sent to all Apple employees.

To Our Team in Japan,

We have all been following the unfolding disaster in Japan. Our hearts go out to you and your families, as well as all of your countrymen who have been touched by this tragedy.

If you need time or resources to visit or care for your families, please see HR and we will help you. If you are aware of any supplies that are needed, please also tell HR and we will do what we can to arrange delivery.

Again, our hearts go out to you during this unimaginable crisis.
Please stay safe.
Steve and the entire Executive Team

Apple has set up Red Cross donations through iTunes, and delayed plans to launch the iPad 2 in Japan due to the recovery efforts. We also previously reported on Digg founder Kevin Rose's email correspondence with a friend in Japan relaying Apple's efforts to support its customers and employees in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Apple has posted three new iPhone ads to their website and YouTube channel. The new ads start off with the phrase "If you don't have an iPhone" and demonstrate some specific features found on the iPhone. The three ads include:

- App Store (embedded above)
- iPod + iTunes
- iBooks

Each ad ends with "Yup, if you don't have an iPhone, well, you don't have an iPhone." The new ads seem to be trying to point out differences between the iPhone and other platforms, the biggest if which is Google's Android.

Hardmac posts a promotional image for cases claimed to be designed to fit the fifth-generation iPhone. If accurate, the design seems to suggest little change in the form factor and placement of physical features relative to the iPhone 4.

Supporting the idea of nearly identical form factors for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 are cases that have also appeared on the sites of other vendors with specs noting that they are for both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5.

Case designs have been rather hit and miss over the years when it comes to revealing details of future Apple product releases, although they appear to be becoming more accurate recently, most notably with the second-generation iPad.

The new cases appear following the posting of claimed "engineering drawings" of the iPhone 5 last week appearing to show an essentially identical form factor compared to the iPhone 4, with the exception of a larger edge-to-edge screen, consistent with a front plate posted on the same site several weeks earlier.

As long ago as early January, photos and video of what was claimed to be the stainless steel antenna band from either a fifth-generation iPhone or a CDMA iPhone 4 surfaced through a parts supplier. While the antenna design and slight shift in the placement of several physical features seen on that part did turn up very soon after in the CDMA iPhone 4, the part in question also contained a SIM-card slot that is not needed or present on the CDMA iPhone 4. Consequently, it seems likely that the part may be a genuine fifth-generation iPhone part using almost the exact same design as the iPhone 4.

A few times a year, MacRumors partners with MacUpdate to promote their Mac application bundle deal. Their latest bundle delivers at least 12 Mac applications for $49.99 (a $381 value if all purchased separately) including:

- Parallels Desktop 6 - Run Windows on your Mac without rebooting
- Divvy ($14) - Create custom workspaces on your screen
- 1Password ($39) - Easily manage website logins/passwords
- MacUpdate Desktop ($10) - Keep your Mac software updated automatically
- DVD REmaster Pro 7 ($49) - Convert DVD movies to iPhone or Apple TV
- Mac DVDRipper 2 ($9) - Copy DVDs to your Mac
- Hands Off! ($24) - Monitor and control access to your network or disks
- App Tamer ($14) - Pause idle apps from consuming CPU cycles and battery life
- TechTool Pro 5 ($98) - Disk utility and repair
- Civilization IV ($19) - Turn based history game, Game of the Year winner.
- A Better Finder Rename ($19) - File, photo and MP3 batch renamer

MacRumors is a promotional partner with MacUpdate. Bundle sales through these links benefit MacRumors financially, and provide a way for readers to directly support this site.

Yesterday, we noted that the first online iPad 2 orders in the U.S. had begun arriving on Monday, led by shipments from AT&T. By yesterday afternoon, the first trickle of orders made through Apple began coming through, and the pace seems to be quickening today with a number of readers reporting (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) that their orders have either already arrived today or are listed as being out for delivery through FedEx.

Not all customers in the initial wave are happy, however, as many of them are still waiting for their orders to ship more than five days after placing orders within minutes of the Apple online store opening for iPad 2 sales. MacRumors forum members are tracking shipments updates (or lack thereof) in a thread in our iPad forum.

Meanwhile, a new report from AppleInsider confirms rumblings we've been hearing that Apple retail stores have adjusted their inventory management practices with the iPad 2, choosing to hold new shipments received during the business day until the following day. The change reduces stress on Apple's employees and systems that had previously rushed to get high-demand items onto the sales floor as soon as possible after arrival. With the new process, customers may have a better chance to plan for availability by knowing to arrive in time for store opening and even allowing some stores to open early to distribute their iPad 2 supplies and disperse lines before the regular flow of non-iPad customers arrive each day.

In addition, the report notes that Apple has changed its process for issuing web order numbers, moving from a sequential system to a randomized one. The sequential ordering system had been used in the past to estimate the early sales rate for the first-generation iPad last year.

While rumors have suggested that the white iPhone 4 may finally ship early next month, there has been very little discussion about whether Apple might ship a white version of the CDMA iPhone 4 for Verizon alongside the GSM version used on all other carriers around the world.

One MacRumors reader did some poking around in iTunes 10.2 resource files and discovered an icon for the white CDMA iPhone 4 that would be displayed in the Summary window within iTunes when the device is connected. The image is distinct from the original white iPhone 4 icon and clearly shows the antenna break on the top right side of the CDMA version that is not present in the GSM version.

The presence of a white CDMA iPhone 4 icon within iTunes is certainly no guarantee that Apple considered releasing or is planning to release such a device, but clearly an Apple designer took the time to create the icon based on either belief that a white CDMA model may exist or simply as a "just-in-case" addition in the absence of any such knowledge.

Apple subsidiary Filemaker today announced the release of Bento 4, a significant update to the company's personal database software for Mac OS X. With the release, Bento is now available on the Mac App Store for the first time, although boxed versions are also available.

New features in Bento 4 include support for label printing, new options for printing forms, the option to export templates with data included for pre-populated templates, location data integration, and more. Bento 4 is priced at $49 for a single license or $99 for a five-license pack. Current Bento users are eligible for a $20 rebate.

Filemaker has also released updated versions of Bento for iPhone and iPad, priced at $4.99 each. The updates bring several enhancements including voice memo support and multitasking.

Bento for iPhone and Bento for iPad have both received significant updates. You can now record voice memos into media fields on your mobile devices and tie them to your records, perfect for capturing events, logging meetings for later review, and just capturing notes without typing. Voice memos can be synched with Bento 4 for the Mac.

Bento for Mac users can make more use of their information on the Bento for iPhone and Bento for iPad. Now you can sync iCal tasks from the Mac, edit simple list data on your iPhone, and use related records to link libraries.

Other enhancements include multi-tasking and improved support for the iPhone Retina display.

The Bento iOS applications also now offer support for multiple languages for the first time, with Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch now being supported.

News of Apple's Mac OS X Lion developer seed was quickly drowned out by Apple's launch of the new MacBook Pros and this week's iPad launch news. While there's no real new news on the Mac OS X Lion front, a few more videos have been posted on YouTube providing walkthroughs of many of the features found in Apple's upcoming Mac OS X.

This particular video (embedded above) posted this past week provides a thorough walkthrough of many of the features found in Lion, if you haven't had a chance to play with it yourself.

Apple's Mac OS X Lion is expected to launch "this summer", likely near WWDC. Apple has not yet publicly scheduled WWDC for this year, but speculation has pinpointed early June as the possible date.

Back in November, we first previewed a version of Algoriddim's Djay for iPad which took advantage of the new iOS 4.2 firmware to provide a low latency DJ experience on your iPad. The company has just released an iPhone and iPod Touch version of the app that offers many of the same features as the iPad version. While some were quick to note that such a system wouldn't be used by DJ's in a professional setting, it's still a very impressive use of the audio capabilities of the the most recent versions of iOS.

The iPhone version includes iPod library access, automix, beat matching, recording capabilities, and many of the same effects as the iPad version. The iPhone version is $9.99 [App Store] and is distinct from the iPad version which sells for $19.99 [App Store]

At the time of the Verizon iPhone launch just over a month ago, we pointed to a live tracker set up by mobile ad firm Chitika measuring the balance of AT&T and Verizon devices registering on its network. At the time, just one day after the device launched to the general public, the Verizon iPhone accounted for 3% of the U.S. iPhone base as measured over a rolling 24-hour window.

Chitika has continued to monitor the iPhone balance in the U.S., and today reported that the Verizon iPhone now accounts for 12.7%, or over 1/8th of the U.S. iPhone base, although the Verizon iPhone's share has since sunk to 11.9% due to measurement fluctuations over time.

Since the launch of the Verizon iPhone, we've been tracking iPhones through our system and breaking down what percentage come from AT&T vs. Verizon. As of today, Verizon is up to 12.7% of all iPhone web usage, based on data from the Chitika ad network.

Apple has of course been expanding its partnership with Verizon in recent months, beginning with packages including the original iPad and a MiFi hotspot device before moving on to the iPhone 4 last month. And just last Friday, Apple debuted the second-generation iPad, which comes in a series of models directly compatible with Verizon's network.

Update: Chitika has updated its post to note that issues with servers earlier today caused the tracker to "jump around a bit". The tracker is currently showing Verizon's share at 10.4%.

AppleInsider reports that Apple is preparing a new software update for the Apple TV to address issues with flickering when used with certain televisions.

An Apple support representative has confirmed that Apple is aware of the issues caused by the latest update to the Apple TV, software version 4.2, AppleInsider has learned. The Cupertino, Calif., company is said to be working on a fix that will address the screen flickering problems for a small number of users.

Apple TV software version 4.2, which is actually a build of iOS 4.3, was released last week ahead of the iPad 2 launch.

The issue seems to appear on certain televisions attempting to convert the Apple TV's 720p output to a 1080i format for display. With the new software version, users are experiencing flickering and flashing on both direct HDMI output and HDMI to DVI video adapter output. In addition, some users are finding that the video output settings on their Apple TV have been permanently set on the "Auto" option with a 480p resolution.

Last month, we reported that Apple was dominating the market for individual download and streaming movie content in the United States, representing nearly 65% of total spending. We noted at the time that the survey did not include streaming services such as Netflix and on-demand streaming offerings from cable companies, but new data from NPD on the broader market now puts those omissions into context.

According to NPD's data, Netflix represented 61% of movies downloaded or streamed in the U.S. during January and February, easily topping second-place Comcast at 8%. Apple finished in a three-way tie for third at 4% with Time Warner Cable and DirecTV.

NPD also compared consumer-reported satisfaction with four modes of digital-video acquisition: electronic sell-through (EST), Internet VOD (iVOD), cable VOD, and subscription streaming. Consumers clearly recognize that EST services like iTunes have the most "current releases available," while Netflix streaming gets credit from customers for providing the best "overall shopping experience" and "value for price paid."

According to NPD, digital video now makes up one quarter of the entire home video market in the United States, with customers increasingly embracing the instant and easy access aspects of digital video.

Reuters reports that Apple has delayed the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan following last week's earthquake and tsunami that have devastated significant parts of the country. The iPad 2 had been scheduled to debut in Japan as part of a broad international to over two dozen countries on March 25th.

"We are delaying the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan while the country and our teams focus on recovering from the recent disaster," said Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris.

Apple has yet to announced a rescheduled Japanese launch date for the device.

The delay comes as Apple continues to accept donations via iTunes to support aid efforts by the American Red Cross in Japan.

Meanwhile, Digg founder Kevin Rose yesterday shared an email from a friend in Japan relaying Apple's efforts to support its customers and employees in the aftermath of the earthquake. In the hours after the earthquake, the company's retail stores served as point of connectivity to allow people to gather information and contact friends and family, while the company also allowed employees and their families to temporarily seek shelter in the retail stores and offered to assist those attempting to return to their homes.

The Register reports that performance of web apps saved to the home screen on iOS devices running iOS 4.3 is significantly crippled compared to those loaded directly through the Safari browser for iOS, although it is unclear if the issue is caused by bugs or a conscious move by Apple to favor App Store apps over web app experiences.

If a web app is run from the iOS 4.3 home screen - in other words, if it is saved to the screen alongside local apps downloaded from the Apple App Store - it runs roughly two to two and a half times slower than it does in the browser, according to various tests. It appears that whereas Apple has updated the iOS 4.3 Safari browser with its high-speed Nitro JavaScript engine, Nitro is not used when web apps are launched from the home screen.

"Essentially, there are two different JavaScript engines," says Alex Kessinger, a mobile application developer and blogger who has focused on building web-standards-based apps for the iPhone. "They're not using the new JavaScript engine with applications that launch from the home screen."

In addition, web apps saved to the home screen are unable to take advantage of HTML5 web caching capabilities, preventing them from running while offline.

One example given in the article is the Sunspider JavaScript benchmarking test, which was demonstrated running in 4047 ms when loaded within Safari but taking 10747 ms when loaded as a web app from the home screen.

The report notes that developers have filed multiple bug reports with Apple regarding the issues, with Apple apparently aware of at least some of the limitations currently being experienced with web apps saved to the home screen. Apple has reportedly acknowledged, however, that at least some of the issues, including ones related to the use of lower-quality synchronous mode rendering for home screen web apps as opposed to asynchronous mode used for content loaded directly in Safari, are not scheduled to be addressed by the company.