MacRumors

Following the appearance of a benchmark potentially signaling a near-term launch for Apple's much-rumored thinner MacBook Pro, 9to5Mac reports that it has received specific information on the new 15-inch MacBook Pro's design from a source who has handled prototype casings and other components.

The most obvious change for the new machine is its design, and while the report's source indicates that it will be considerably thinner than the existing MacBook Pro due to the removal of the optical drive, it will look essentially like a thinner version of the current MacBook Pro rather than adopting the tapered design of the MacBook Air as had been rumored previously.

While many have speculated that the new 15-inch MacBook Pro will pickup the design from the late-2010/mid-2011 MacBook Air, sources familiar with the prototype units say that this is untrue. Instead, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro is described as being an ultra-thin version of the current MacBook Pro. Basically, the prototype design is a thinner, yet more robust, version of the late-2008 design. It has no tapering like the MacBook Airs.

The casing of the forthcoming MacBook Pro reportedly includes ports for the MagSafe power connector, two USB ports, and audio in/out jacks along the left side, with a battery level indicator also included along the same side. The right side is said to offer a pair of Thunderbolt ports, another USB port, an SD card slot, and a Kensington lock slot.

The machines are said to lack a dedicated Ethernet port, with users apparently needing to rely on the USB-to-Ethernet dongle introduced with the original MacBook Air if they wish to use a wired connection. Given its height, the Ethernet port is one of the primary features limiting how thin the MacBook Pro can be, and it appears that Apple may simply have removed the port entirely in order to achieve the thin design it desired. The new MacBook Pro may also forgo FireWire connectivity, although the report appears unsure on that point.

In line with previous rumors, the machine is said to include a "Retina" display, a development that has been rumored for some time and for which evidence has been showing up in builds of OS X Lion and Mountain Lion. According to the report's source, OS X will simply offer a set of resolution quality options for the new machine ("such as big, small, or optimal") to allow users taking advantage of this new "HiDPI" support to select their desired combination of sharpness and resolution.

The report indicates that the USB ports on the new MacBook Pro will support USB 3.0, a feature some had questioned whether Apple would adopt given the move to Thunderbolt connectivity. But last September it was reported that Apple was still considering support USB 3.0 alongside Thunderbolt, and that appears to be the route the company has taken as Thunderbolt peripherals have been rather slow to roll out in many cases. A fresh report from Digitimes also claims that Genesys Logic has won a contract to supply USB 3.0 chips for a forthcoming MacBook Air revision, and it seems likely that such compatibility would also be coming to the MacBook Pro.

A launch timeframe for the new MacBook Pro remains unknown, with the company expected to be able to introduce updated machines any time now as Intel's Ivy Bridge production ramps up. With Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference just four weeks away, it is possible the company could use that event for a major product introduction, although Apple typically limits its hardware announcements at the event in order to focus on iOS and OS X discussion Digitimes claims that Apple's MacBook suppliers will begin increasing their shipments in June with production peaking in July, suggesting that Apple may indeed be targeting a major push for June.

As noted in our forums, two new benchmark results appearing in Geekbench's database within the past few days are sparking discussion about imminent upgrades to Apple's MacBook Pro and iMac lines.

The first item of interest is a MacBookPro9,1 entry, which would correspond to an unreleased MacBook Pro model of unknown size coming as a successor to the current MacBookPro8,x line. While such results can be faked, the result in question is consistent with what is known or assumed about the forthcoming models.

This new MacBook Pro is listed as carrying an Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7-3820QM quad-core processor running at 2.7 GHz. That processor has long been viewed as the natural successor to Apple's current offerings in high-end 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models. With the i7-3820QM being a 45-watt chip, it is extremely unlikely that Apple would be using it in a new 13-inch MacBook Pro model.

The unreleased system carries a benchmark of 12,262, compared to scores in the range of 10,500 for the corresponding current MacBook Pro processor, the Core i7-2860QM.

The motherboard identifier included with the new entry corresponds to one of several unreleased Mac configurations identified in the first OS X Mountain Lion developer preview back in February. In addition, the Geekbench result lists the test machine as running OS X Mountain Lion build 12A211, which would be newer than the 12A193i build seeded to developers on May 2.

On the iMac side is a new iMac13,2 entry, which would appear to correspond to a new 27-inch iMac model. The machine is listed as running an Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7-3770 quad-core processor running at 3.4 GHz, which would correspond to a relatively high-end option in a new model. The system carries a benchmark of 12,183, only slightly higher than typical scores in the range of 11,500 for current iMac models using the top-of-the-line Core i7-2600 processor.

Like the MacBookPro9,1, this iMac13,2 carries a motherboard identifier first seen in the initial OS X Mountain Lion developer preview back in February. The machine used for benchmarking is listed as running build 10A2040 of OS X Mountain Lion, and while a four-digit suffix on the build number is somewhat unusual for OS X, such patterns have been observed in special builds in the past.

Such pre-mature benchmarks have shown up in Geekbench's database prior to new hardware launches from Apple in the past. Consequently, it is feasible that these results do represent genuine machines due for launch in the near future.

Part leaks from the next-generation iPhone are beginning to ramp up, with component vendor SW-BOX.com having recently added a new headphone jack/earpiece/Wi-Fi cable part claimed to be from the device (via Cydia Blog). The new part joins a claimed micro-SIM tray that surfaced on the site several weeks ago and home buttons that appeared on several sites late last month.

If the new part is indeed legitimate, it does represent a significant departure from the component organization in the current iPhone. In the iPhone 4 and 4S, the headphone jack, volume buttons, and mute switch are grouped together on a single component, while this new part associates the headphone jack with the earpiece speaker and Wi-Fi cabling.

It is not terribly unusual for Apple to tweak the organization of components, and the new part leak offers essentially no information on any potential changes to the device's form factor, but with part leaks beginning to accelerate it may not be long before more substantial parts begin showing up.

Update: The center feature of the part appears to be more reminiscent of the dock connector rather than the earpiece, suggesting that the headphone jack may be moving to the bottom of the next-generation iPhone, as has been the arrangement in the iPod touch.

Apple is in talks to acquire German luxury television manufacturer Loewe, according to an unconfirmed report from AppleInsider. The site claims Apple has offered €87.3 million for the company, a 48% premium from Loewe's Friday close on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Word of the negotiations was exclusively revealed to AppleInsider, and although the offer has yet to be accepted, a source claims that Loewe "has been advised by its financial advisor to accept the offer and a final decision is scheduled to be announced internally before 18 May 2012."

Loewe makes sleek, minimalist televisions that would seem to fit well with Jony Ive's product designs. The company also makes speaker systems, including the AirPlay-compatible AirSpeaker, as well as a sleek app that controls the Loewe television set via an iPad.

Loewe's largest shareholder is Sharp, the same company that has been rumored to be Apple's choice to work with Foxconn to build a television set. Foxconn and Sharp announced a partnership to work together in March. AppleInsider says a decision on the acquisition will be announced internally by the end of this week.

Update: A Loewe company spokesman told German website Heise (via The Next Web) that the report has “absolutely nothing to it.”

Apple is planning on implementing a new, smaller dock connector, according to a report by iMore. The site has been reliable in the past and correctly predicted the release of an LTE equipped iPad. iMore also reported that Apple is still in the prototyping phase for the next iPhone and that the design is not yet set in stone.

Despite some rumors to the contrary, according to our sources Apple still hasn't finalized the design of the next generation iPhone 5 (or whatever Apple ends up calling iPhone 5,1). No giant screen. No 16:9 aspect ratio. No metal back.

[…]

Once again we're hearing that if the screen size does change, it won't be by a lot (no larger than 4-inches). We've heard nothing to indicate a planned change in the aspect ratio either way (and such a change still doesn't make much sense to us).

iLounge previously claimed that the next iPhone would have a smaller, redesigned dock connector as well as a 4" screen that is larger in height only -- this would result in an adjustment to the screen's aspect ratio. The iPhone 4's design has served Apple very well, with the company selling millions upon millions of units. It is possible that the company will choose to stick with the successful design, albeit with some minor changes, rather than a wholesale redesign.

Other recent iPhone rumors include a claims that the next iPhone will launch in September; another that it would use the same micro-SIM as current iPhones, rather than a new nano-SIM concept; and that the next iPhone will retain its physical home button -- a claim that iMore reiterates.

Among Apple's early competitors in the tablet market, HP gained a significant amount of attention as it initially sought to build its niche around webOS, which it acquired along with Palm in early 2010. HP introduced its webOS-based TouchPad in early 2011, launching the device on July 1 of that year only to exit the tablet and smartphone business just six weeks later.

HP then successfully sold off its backlog of TouchPads at $99 fire sale prices, announcing that it would make webOS an open source project.

The Bangkok Post now reports that HP has decided to reenter the tablet market, this time taking advantage of Microsoft's forthcoming Windows 8 platform in a fresh attempt to make an impact in the rapidly-growing tablet market.

Restarting production is a strategic move aimed at capitalising on the extraordinary growth in tablet sales, chief executive Meg Whitman said yesterday at the Global Influencer Summit 2012. [...]

Todd Bradley, the executive vice-president for printing and personal systems, said HP's Windows 8 tablets will come equipped with cloud-based technology, enabling users to share and store content online between different devices.

Apple continues to dominate the tablet market two years after the debut of the original iPad, with its shipment share even rising to 68% in the first quarter of 2012 as early momentum from Amazon's Kindle Fire seems to have faded.

Google's Android operating system has had only limited success in the tablet market, led by Samsung's Galaxy Tab offerings, while Amazon's heavily-customized Kindle Fire implementation of Android has also attempted to stake a claim to the market. Other competitors have had less success, with webOS falling by the wayside almost before it got started.

Microsoft is the latest entrant into the tablet market since Apple reinvented the segment, banking on its Windows 8 products to bridge the gap between PCs and tablets. The company showed off Windows 8 last September and earlier this year revealed its plans for bringing Windows to ARM processors in a further effort to blur the lines between desktop and mobile. HP, the world's largest PC manufacturer, could play a key role in working to spread Windows to the tablet market, but it remains to be seen whether Microsoft will have success with its efforts.

Last week, we noted that several iOS developers were seeing their apps being rejected from the App Store for their inclusion of Dropbox integration that could allow users to sign up for Dropbox accounts and purchase extra Dropbox space. Dropbox moved quickly in attempting to roll out a new SDK to avoid the issue and noted that it was "working with Apple" on a solution, but developers continued to experience problems with their apps being rejected.

Dropbox has continued to tweak its SDK in order to fully comply with Apple's requirements, and while Apple has not officially given the latest SDK its blessing, it appears to be satisfying App Store reviewers.

So we didn't get an official verdict (imagine the worst game of telephone you've ever played), but we do have reason to believe that this build is more likely to get approved than the previous build I posted earlier. [...]

What has changed is if the Dropbox app is not installed, it opens a login view directly in your app rather than going to Safari, and there is no option to create an account.

Filip Radelic, the developer behind Cambox, quickly incorporated the new SDK into his app and submitted it to Apple yesterday. The app was quickly approved by Apple's reviewers and it is now available in the App Store.

Dropbox notes that the new SDK does not allow for account creation through the login webview if the Dropbox app is not installed on the user's device, but the company is hopeful that it will be able to add that feature as it continues to work with Apple to ensure the SDK's compliance.

As noted by Steven Troughton-Smith (via 9to5Mac), Apple appears to be testing a revised iCloud.com portal at beta.icloud.com that shows two additional icons for Notes and Reminders in the background of the login screen. The standard iCloud.com portal displays only icons for Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Find My iPhone, and iWork.

Attempts to log in through the beta portal are unsuccessful, and even access to the portal has become intermittent, with it occasionally showing broken images or simply redirecting to Apple's standard iCloud information page.

The development comes just days after Apple was observed testing notifications on the regular iCloud.com portal, suggesting that Apple may indeed be working on a significant enhancement to its iCloud services. More information may become available at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference.

Update: Tom Klaver notes that the following text was included in one of the .js files used on the beta site:

To use http://beta.icloud.com, first sign in to iCloud with the iOS 6 Beta.

Update 2: A second portal at developer.icloud.com has also been active periodically, and SlideToLock has pulled out an iCloud developer icon from that background.

In line with its Creative Suite 6 announcement from earlier this week, Adobe today launched its Creative Cloud subscription service. As part of the Creative Cloud debut, Adobe has also publicly debuted Muse, a subscription-based website creation package that allow users to easily create websites without needing to know HTML. Muse has been in public beta since last August.

Adobe Creative Cloud Membership Delivers:

- Access to download and install all CS6 applications, new HTML5 desktop products – Adobe Muse and Adobe Edge preview – and integration with Adobe Touch Apps
- Easy storage and sharing of content across desktop, mobile devices and the cloud
- Integrated website publishing and hosting
- Ongoing innovation that provides members with the most up-to-date products and services

Individual pricing for Creative Cloud is set at $49.99 per month with an annual commitment or $74.99 on a month-to-month basis. Muse is included in that package, but is also available as a standalone subscription product priced at $14.99 per month with an annual commitment or $24.99 on a month-to-month basis.

Adobe's Creative Cloud launch has also seen several improvements to the company's suite of iOS applications, including the launch of two new iPad apps: Adobe Proto [App Store] and Adobe Collage [App Store]. Plans for the two apps were announced last October as part of Adobe's push into tablet apps.

Proto is a protoyping tool that allows users to create wireframes of websites and apps right on their iPads using touch gestures, while Collage is a mood board app allowing users to combine images, video, and text to help define creative concepts and share them with others. Adobe has also updated its existing Photoshop Touch [App Store] and Ideas [App Store].

All four iOS apps, which are priced at $9.99 each, integrate with the new Creative Cloud services, including the free level of support which offers 2 GB of cloud-based file storage to allow for syncing of documents across applications.

9to5Mac reports that Apple will moving away from Google Maps services in iOS 6, making the transition to an in-house mapping service that included 3D views. According to the report, Apple's prior acquisitions of mapping companies Placebase and Poly9 are ready to bear fruit, with last year's purchase of 3D mapping firm C3 Technologies rounding out the suite of services.

The most important aspect of the new Maps application is a powerful new 3D mode. The 3D mode does not come enabled by default, but users simply need to click a 3D button that is conveniently and visibly stored in the app. Perhaps under the fold like the current traffic, pin, and map view buttons. This 3D mode is said to essentially be technology straight from C3 Technologies: beautiful, realisitic graphics based on de-classified missile target algorithms.

Apple's in-house mapping services will otherwise be rather similar in appearance to the current Google Maps application, although Apple's implementation is said to be a "much cleaner, faster, and more reliable experience" and will include a new icon based on the same view of the company's Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino but with new colors and styling.

Apple has clearly been working for some time to reduce its reliance on Google by developing its own mapping services for iOS, as evidenced by its acquisitions of mapping expertise and job postings addressing its ambitions for mapping. The company has already moved location services in-house and revealed last year that it is building a crowd-sourced traffic database based on users' GPS data.

With the release of iPhoto for iOS back in early March, Apple took its first big step outside of the actual Google mapping services, taking advantage of OpenStreetMap and other services to generate its own map tiles for the application's Photo Journals feature.

Apple is expected to preview iOS 6 at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, with the operating system presumably making its public debut alongside new iPhone hardware later in the year.

Update: AllThingsD says that it has independently confirmed the claim.

We’ve independently confirmed that this is indeed the case. Sources describe the new Maps app as a forthcoming tent-pole feature of iOS that will, in the words of one, “blow your head off.” I’m not quite sure what that means, and the source in question declined to elaborate, but it’s likely a reference to the photorealistic 3-D mapping tech Apple acquired when it purchased C3 Technologies.

China Daily briefly notes (via How To Arena) that Foxconn chairman Terry Gou directly addressed the topic of Apple's rumored television set yesterday at a news conference in Shanghai marking the start of construction on a new company headquarters facility.

According to the report, Gou claimed that Foxconn is making preparations for Apple's television set, with its recent partnership with Sharp to push forward LCD display technology being one of those moves.

Gou said Foxconn is making preparations for iTV, Apple Inc's rumored upcoming high-definition television, although development or manufacturing has yet to begin.

iTV reportedly features an aluminum construction, Siri, and FaceTime video calling

Foxconn's recent 50-50 joint venture factory with Sharp in Japan is one of the preparations made for the new device, Gou added.

Rumors of an Apple television set have been picking up steam since Steve Jobs was quoted in his authorized biography as noting that he had "finally cracked" how to create "the simplest user interface you could imagine" for a television set, presumably referring to Siri voice control.

Update: Foxconn has issued a statement to The Next Web officially denying that Gou made any such comments.

In remarks at a media briefing during the groundbreaking of Foxconn’s new China headquarters in Shanghai on May 10, Terry Gou, Foxconn’s Chief Executive Officer, made it very clear that he would neither confirm nor speculate about Foxconn’s involvement in the production of any product for any customer because Foxconn’s policy is not to comment on any customers or their products.

At no time did he confirm that Foxconn was in development or manufacturing stages for any product for any of its customers. He did say that Foxconn is always prepared to meet the manufacturing needs of customers should they determine that they wish to work with Foxconn in the production of any of their products. Any reports that Foxconn confirmed that it is preparing to produce a specific product for any customer are not accurate.

Apple has released a new update for the generation 2 and 3 Apple TV models. The update allows movies and TV show previews from the iTunes Store to be viewed in HD and fixes a few other minor issues.

Apple TV Software Update 5.0.1

iTunes previews - Previews for movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store can now be viewed in HD.
AirPlay - Fixes an issue that caused some iOS apps to have trouble connecting via AirPlay.
Home Sharing - Improves the reliability of Home Sharing connections.
Netflix - Addresses an issue affecting Netflix login and navigation.
Stability and performance - Includes fixes for issues affecting stability and performance.

The update can be performed directly on the Apple TV by going to the Settings menu, then General, then selecting Update Software.

Apple is continuing the process of preparing OS X Lion for Macs offering ultra high-resolution "HiDPI" screens, upgrading several application icons to higher resolutions in yesterday's public release of OS X 10.7.4.

AppleInsider pointed to TextEdit as one example, with Apple having upgraded its icon's previous maximum size of 512x512 under OS X 10.7.3 to 1024x1024 in OS X 10.7.4. But the larger image 1024x1024 is also listed as measuring at 512x512 points, indicating that it is indeed being targeted for screens measuring at double the resolution of current displays in each dimension.

Under OS X 10.7.3, the TextEdit icon file included four different image sizes: 16x16, 32x32, 128x128, and 512x512. With the move to OS X 10.7.4, the icon now comes in ten different sizes: 16x16, 32x32 HiDPI, 32x32, 64x64 HiDPI, 128x128, 256x256 HiDPI, 256x256, 512x512 HiDPI, 512x512, and 1024x1024 HiDPI.

TextEdit is not the only application to see an upgrade, however, as Automator has not only seen new HiDPI icons appear in OS X 10.7.4, but the icon itself has also undergone some tweaking. In OS X 10.7.4, the Automator robot has taken on a somewhat darker tone, with the glossiness being toned down and the previously silver arms, legs, and pipe now appearing black. The tweaked design had previously surfaced in developer previews of OS X Mountain Lion, but is now included in OS X Lion.

Like TextEdit, Automator has seen an increase in the number of image sizes included in the icon file, although to a smaller extent. Under OS X 10.7.3, the Automator icon included the same four basic sizes: 16x16, 32x32, 128x128, and 512x512. But under OS X 10.7.4, the new icon now comes in six different sizes: 16x16, 32x32, 128x128, 256x256, 512x512, and 1024x1024 HiDPI.

Retina-sized graphics have been appearing with increasing frequency in both OS X Lion and developer previews of OS X Mountain Lion. In line with those changes, Apple has been rumored to be launching a Retina display 15-inch MacBook Pro in the near future, with a 2880x1800 display measuring in at twice the resolution of the current 1440x900 display in each dimension.

As with the move to Retina displays on Apple's iOS devices, content would appear at the same physical size on these new displays as on current displays, but with much sharper image quality for applications bundling resources supporting the HiDPI mode. Even applications that do not immediately update their resources to HiDPI quality should see improvements in sharpness, as Apple will undoubtedly include the same font scaling improvements used in iOS to automatically scale up text in applications to HiDPI resolution.

(Thanks, Mario!)