MacRumors

Bloomberg reports that Apple has confirmed last month's news from Israel that the company had acquired flash memory firm Anobit. The confirmation came in the form of Apple's standard boilerplate statement used in addressing acquisitions, and did not include details on the purchase or Apple's plans for the company.

Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Cupertino, California-based Apple, said today that the purchase had been made, while declining to elaborate. The statement confirmed a December report from in the Israeli newspaper Cacalist.

“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” Dowling said in a telephone interview.

Apple reportedly paid $400-500 million for Anobit, but neither Apple nor Anobit has confirmed the purchase price.

The report notes that Anobit is currently responsible for a key flash memory controller for the iPad and iPhone, and Apple likely opted to bring the company's expertise in house in order to draw more heavily on the Anobit's expertise, increase efficiencies, and exert greater control over a component important to the functionality of iOS devices.

Update: Bloomberg reports that Apple paid about $390 million for Anobit in a deal that was not finalized until January 6.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) acquired Anobit Technologies Ltd. for about $390 million, paying below the price sought by the Israeli maker of a flash-memory drive part for the iPhone, people familiar with the purchase said.

Negotiations continued for more than two weeks after Israel’s Calcalist newspaper reported Dec. 20 that Apple bought Herzliya-based Anobit for as much as $500 million. Apple finally signed the agreement Jan. 6 to buy the Israeli company, according to two Anobit shareholders, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Apple didn’t want details disclosed.

Following in the footsteps of yesterday's release of iOS 5.1 Beta 3, Apple today seeded a new version of OS X 10.7.3 to registered Mac developers. The new version, termed Build 11D42, comes three weeks after the previous build, but the development team's work was undoubtedly slowed due to the holidays.

According to those familiar with the update, Apple is asking developers to focus their testing on the following areas: Address Book, iCal, Mail, Spotlight, and Safari. The delta version of the new build for updating from OS X 10.7.2 weighs in at 989.75 MB, while a combo version good for updating from any previous version of OS X Lion weighs in at 1.26 GB.

OS X 10.7.3 will be Apple's next free maintenance update for OS X Lion users. The current version, OS X 10.7.2, was released in mid-October and brought support for Apple's new iCloud services. OS X 10.7.3 developer builds have so far released a few hints of Apple's work, including drivers for new graphics cards that could appear in an updated Mac Pro and active efforts on HiDPI display modes that could come to fruition in a "Retina" MacBook Pro rumored for release early this year.

Update: We're hearing that the new Build 11D42 is likely to be either the golden master version of OS X 10.7.3 that will be released to the public or very close to it. Consequently, a public release could come in the relatively near future.

Update 2: Build 11D42 contains what is likely to be the final release description for OS X 10.7.3:

The 10.7.3 update is recommended for all OS X Lion users and includes general operating system fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac including fixes that:

- Add Catalan, Croatian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, and Ukrainian language support
- Address issues when using smart cards to log into OS X
- Resolve issues authenticating with directory services
- Address compatibility issues with Windows file sharing

While Apple doesn't participate at CES and has ended its involvement in trade shows in general, the company naturally continues to keep tabs on what its competition is up to and CES is a prime event for new product introductions. paidContent has in fact proven Apple's interest in CES by chance, running into iOS device marketing chief Greg Joswiak on the floor at the expo.

While wandering around the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center Tuesday, I bumped into Greg Joswiak, head of iOS product marketing for Apple, just outside of Sony’s booth. Joz, as he’s known within the Apple community, grinned sheepishly upon being recognized by a reporter and stopped to chat for a few minutes.

Joswiak said he was interested in how other companies present their products at events such as CES, from things like booth layout and aesthetics to which products are highlighted within a company’s booth.

Joswiak declined to enter a more in-depth discussion of his interests at the show, with paidContent noting only that he "seemed less than impressed" with Sony's booth on the expo floor.

Apple is of course interested in what its competitors are doing, but is likely also interested in following what companies are coming up with in terms of accessories for Apple's own products. Despite Apple's lack of official presence at the show, it remains a popular venue for announcements for products of all types, including those within the Mac- and iOS-related markets.

Joswiak has appeared at several Apple keynote and media events, and has frequently played featured roles in Apple's promotional videos for the company's various iOS devices.

Update: A source has informed Reuters that Apple has over 250 employees registered for CES.

Apple Inc, famous for giving CES the cold shoulder year after year, will field a larger presence at the world's largest trade show than many observers imagine.

More than 250 employees are registered to attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, according to a person familiar with Apple's plans.

Apple has long used Imagination Technologies' graphics processing unit (GPU) technology in its iOS devices, currently utilizing the company's PowerVR SGX543MP2 in the A5 system-on-a-chip found in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.

Last June, Imagination Technologies announced that the first six licensees for the next-generation Series6 family had signed on with the company, and while Apple was not explicitly named as one of the licensees, it has been presumed to be involved given the long-standing partnership that has even seen Apple take a financial stake in Imagination.

Imagination has now revealed new details (via The Verge) on the upcoming Series6 family, touting performance improvements of 20x or more for the G6400 and G6200, the first two members of the family.

Based on a scalable number of compute clusters the PowerVR Rogue architecture is designed to target the requirements of a growing range of demanding markets from mobile to the highest performance embedded graphics including smartphones, tablets, PC, console, automotive, DTV and more. Compute clusters are arrays of programmable computing elements that are designed to offer high performance and efficiency while minimising power and bandwidth requirements. The first PowerVR Series6 cores, the G6200 and G6400, have two and four compute clusters respectively.

Delivering the best performance in both GFLOPS/mm2 and GFLOPS/mW, PowerVR Series6 GPUs can deliver 20x or more of the performance of current generation GPU cores targeting comparable markets. This is enabled by an architecture that is around 5x more efficient than previous generations.

The press release notes that all Series6 GPU designs will support Apple-backed graphics APIs such as OpenGL ES "Haiti", OpenGL 3.x/4.x, and OpenCL 1.x for maximum performance. Previous reports of Series6-based GPU technology being licensed by ST-Ericsson have cited the capability to push 350 million polygons per second, compared to the nearly 70 million polygons per second achievable with the dual-core SGX543MP2 currently used by Apple.

Last month, Apple was rumored to be preparing to launch a 'Retina'-resolution 15-inch MacBook Pro early this year carrying a resolution of 2880x1800 pixels. The rumors are also being fueled in part by OS X 10.7.3 beta versions showing evidence of continued work on a HiDPI mode to display existing content at the correct sizes for these ultra-high pixel densities.

Supporting the idea that displays offering the necessary pixel density are approaching market readiness, Panasonic yesterday showed off (via Engadget) its new 20.4-inch IPS Alpha LCD panel registering at 3840x2160, a density of 216 pixels per inch.

Panasonic Corporation, a leader in high-definition display technology, has developed a 20-inch 4K2K (3,840 x 2,160 resolution, approx. 8.29 million pixels) IPS Alpha LCD panel, the smallest as a 4K2K-resolution display. The new panel has the world’s highest pixel density of 216 pixels per inch (ppi) and the thickness of only 3.5 mm, the thinnest in the world. A prototype panel will be unveiled at the 2012 International CES to be held in Las Vegas, United States from January 10 to 13.

IPS Alpha panels are suitable for making ultra-high definition displays because of their simple pixel structure - one of the characteristics of the IPS panels - as well as their high contrast ratio, excellent color reproducibility with rich gradation and the industry's highest-level light transmission rate that were implemented by Panasonic’s unique IPS-Pro technology.

Apple's rumored Retina-resolution MacBook Pro would come in at roughly the same pixel density as Panasonic's display, suggesting that the display manufacturers are indeed working on products within the realm of Apple's goals.

Apple's Retina display introduced on the iPhone 4 marked a significant step forward for the smartphone industry, offering the crispest image quality seen on a mobile display. Apple's interest in HiDPI display modes on the Mac and rumors of ultra high-resolution displays for its notebooks suggest that the company is attempting to bring that same leap to larger screens, making for easier reading and sharper images using pixels that are individually indistinguishable at typical viewing distances.

Back in 2010, an Apple patent publication was published revealing the company's concept for an iMac supporting both mouse-driven and touch-based input with a hinged display arm allowing the screen to transition from an upright position to a horizontal surface.

While Apple has yet to release such a product and may have scrapped the idea entirely, Lenovo's new IdeaCentre A720 being shown off at CES this week (via Engadget) offers a similar flexibility in its ability to transition between a traditional all-in-one desktop configuration and a flat, table-top touch surface.

Similar to the HP TouchSmart 610, which debuted around this time last year, it has a display that can be tilted between 5 and 90 degrees, the idea being that that 10-point multitouch panel will be easier to use if it's lying at a near-flat angle. Spec-wise, it'll be offered with various Intel Core i processors, discrete NVIDIA graphics and up to either a 1TB HDD or a 64GB solid-state drive. Expect it to hit sometime in the first half of this year, starting at $1,299.

The Verge also posts a hands-on video showing the IdeaCentre A720 in use in both upright and horizontal positions.

The hands-on demonstration shows a rather sluggish response to touch input, but offers a good glimpse of the flexibility afforded by the multiple orientations.

Apple's patent application included descriptions of sensors that would automatically detect the orientation of the display and adjust the operating system being used accordingly, with the idea being that the computer would utilize a Mac OS X interface in its upright orientation and then transition to an iOS-like touch overlay interface when moved to the horizontal display. While Lenovo's concept does not utilize this automatic sensing, it does offer Lenovo's dedicated IdeaTouch layer on top of Windows 7, which itself allows for touch input.

Last August, we reported that Village Tronic was working on a Thunderbolt version of its ViDock PCI Express expansion chassis that serves as a docking hub complete with external graphics card for high-end performance. With Thunderbolt-equipped peripherals making a big splash at CES this week, it should come as no surprise that progress on the expansion hub concept is continuing.

AnandTech reports that MSI is the latest entrant into the category, showing off an early demonstration model of just such a product with its GUS II. While the external graphics card (GPU) featured in the demonstration currently works only under Windows, AnandTech suggests that Mac support should be easily achievable for those GPUs supporting the platform.

The external chassis features a Thunderbolt interface and an internal PCIe slot. Despite running on a MacBook Pro there is currently no OS X support for the solution, but it does work under Windows. Presumably if there's OS X support for the GPU inside the enclosure it would work under OS X as well.

The only limitation to the GUS II is the internal GPU has to be powered by PCIe alone (there are no aux PCIe power connectors inside the chassis).

A release date and pricing for the GUS II have yet to be announced, but it certainly seems as though the Thunderbolt standard championed by Apple and Intel is gaining momentum as it seeks to lead the next generation of multi-purpose connectivity technologies.

Back in September, we reported on a leaked document from cable and Internet provider Comcast revealing details on the company's forthcoming "AnyPlay" live television streaming service. While Comcast is not the first cable provider to bring such a product to market, it is the largest cable and Internet provider in the United States.

Comcast today announced that it has begun rolling the AnyPlay service out to its customers, beginning with Xfinity HD Triple Play customers in Denver and Nashville. More markets will be added in the coming months, with the service initially launching for the iPad only but joined in the future by the Motorola Xoom.

Here's how it works...the AnyPlay device works the same as any other set top box in the home, but instead of delivering the incoming channel lineup to a television, AnyPlay delivers the lineup to the Wi-Fi router on the home network. The router then distributes the secure video signal to the iPad or Xoom over your home's wireless network. So as long as your tablet is within range of the home wireless router, you can turn it into another television screen.

The AnyPlay service is accessed via the company's existing Xfinity TV app for the iPad, which also offers thousands of hours of on demand movies and TV shows available for viewing both inside and outside of the home.

iLounge, which just last week updated its claims regarding details of the next-generation iPad with mention of improved cameras, today reports that it has viewed what appear to be at least prototype parts for the device.

The parts, which seem to include the rear shell and front glass bezel, reportedly corroborate iLounge's earlier claims of an almost imperceptibly thicker body and an upgraded iPhone-like rear camera.

The new iPad’s body is so slightly thicker than the iPad 2 that the change is unnoticeable on first inspection; a roughly 1mm increase will barely be perceptible to users. We’ve heard that the only accessories that might have issues are cases, and then, only cases that were precisely contoured to fit the iPad 2’s back. On the rear, the camera in the upper left corner has become bigger—noticeably so when placed alongside the iPad 2, but not so huge that anyone would think they were different at a distance. The new camera hole is silver-ringed, and does in fact look the same size as the iPhone 4S’s much-improved rear camera system, minus the LED flash.

iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz reports that some accessory manufacturers are claiming that the iPad 3 will come with a slightly smaller screen, but a front glass bezel seen by Horwitz fails to support that notion. Otherwise, the locations of all external features of the iPad 3 remain identical to those on the iPad 2.

Horwitz cautions that the rear shell part he was able to view seems to have been produced at least six months ago and thus may not represent the final design for the next-generation iPad, which he notes could be called the iPad 3 or perhaps some variation on the iPad 2 name. But the parts do apparently support iLounge's existing claims of Apple's design tweaks for the next-generation iPad, which many are expecting to debut around March of this year.

Several Apple-related apps and accessories are being previewed at CES 2012. Here are a couple of the more interesting ones we've run across.

Swivl

Swivl is a motion tracking mount for your iPhone. We previously covered the announcement of the product back in November.

The motorized mount registers the movement of the remote control (which you can attach to your body) both vertically and horizontally. Using infrared and RF sensors, the mount actively moves the iPhone to keep its camera centered on the subject. It could be used for activities such as video blogging and FaceTime.

See it in action:

Swivl will cost $159 and is available for pre-order now and will ship in one to two months.

Magisto

Magisto is a new video app that debuted in the App Store this week that features automated editing of your raw video recordings. Magisto analyzes your videos to enhance them with music, effects, and transitions. The end result can then be shared with your friends.

Users can record a new video in the app or choose existing videos in the Camera Roll for processing. After specifying a title and soundtrack and uploading the video to Magisto's servers, the company's software will automatically select the most interesting clips and apply transitions and effects to create a polished final video.

Magisto is free and requires iOS 4.0 or higher. [App Store] The company plans to later introduce a premium version that offers HD video and more features.

Corning officially announced their followup to Gorilla Glass today at CES 2012.

Apple has previously used the strengthened glass in their iOS devices. In 2010, David Pogue relayed a claim from a scientist that Apple was the #1 customer for Gorilla Glass and buys "practically all the Gorilla Glass that Corning can make." At least parts of the story were confirmed in Steve Jobs' biography. Corning reportedly shelved the idea for Gorilla Glass back in the 1960s but revived the project at the request of Steve Jobs in 2007. The original iPhone launched with the damage-resistant glass, though there has been some debate about whether it still is being used in their most recent models. Corning, of course, has never acknowledged Apple's usage but says that due to "customer agreements", they can't identify all devices that use their Gorilla Glass.

The new version of Gorilla Glass can be up to 20% thinner than the original and still retain the same strength. Alternatively, manufacturers could continue to use the same thickness, and benefit from greater strength. Manufacturers have already received samples of the new Gorilla Glass so it should start appearing in consumer products in 2012.

Here's a hands on demo at CES of the strength of the new Gorilla Glass:

The additional thinness offered by Gorilla Glass 2 is also said to result in brighter images and better touch responsiveness.