Redesigned 21-inch iMac with updated screen, 13-inch retina MBP spotted in China

MacRumors points to a WeiPhone.com forum thread [Google translation] this morning that purports to show details of a new iMac. The poster’s brother-in-law apparently works in the factory that builds the new Macs, and he snapped the above picture on his cell phone. The design was verified by iFixit to be similar to the internals of a current iMac with the plastic radio-transparent circle on the rear.

On the iMac, the poster says:

• It should be announced this month or next month (likely at the Oct. 23th announement)
• The design is of”epoch-making significance”
• From side to side you “almost cannot see the new iMac’s thickness” and it is compared to a drop of water and “tetragonal” elements. Still has iMac ‘chin’ below display
• It appears that the display is a “very pretty special glass glued directly” (perhaps like Retina MBP) to the machine rather than a separate display assembly
• The 21-inch might be ready before the 27-inch

[Source: 9to5Mac - Click here to read the full story]

Quad-core chips rumored for 2014 Apple mobile products

If a research note from Citigroup analyst J.T. Hsu is any indication, Apple is working with Taiwan-based chip manufacturer TSMC on quad-core chipsthat could be worked into future products such as the iPad and MacBooks in 2014.

According to a report on China Economic News Service (CENS), Hsu noted that Apple began verifying TSMC's 20-nanometer process this past August and may begin some limited-risk production in November. Full production of the more efficient, yet powerful chips would be expected in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Hsu notes that Apple began development of quad-core processors in 2010 after acquiring fabless chip company Intrincity. Apple would move manufacturing of the chip to Taiwanese supply chains consisting of TSMC, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. and Kinsus Interconnect Technology Corporation.

This move all boils down to costs; Hsu thinks the Taiwanese manufacturers could produce the chips for about 10 percent less than Apple's main chip supplier at the present time -- Samsung. Quoting the CENS post, "Hsu ascribed Samsung's higher cost in the production of Apple processors mostly to the company's inefficiency."

[Source: TUAW]

Thieves smash car into Leawood, Kansas Apple Store

If you can't strong-arm your way past Apple's security, smash your car into the store instead. That's what someone or a group of people did at the Apple Store in Leawood, Kan., early this morning.

Fox 4 from Kansas City reports that police are looking for a suspect or multiple suspects that rammed a stolen Dodge into the front window of the Apple Store, grabbed merchandise and ran off. Police have not released a list of what was stolen as of yet.

It's not the first time this has happened to the Kansas City-area location. In 2010, the same thing happened at the same store, a commenter notes in this story of a similar smash and grab in Portland, but that time iPhones were stolen. Since then, the store has installed security gates.

[Source: TUAW]

13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display confirmed for Apple event

Alongside the smaller iPad, Apple will debut a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, according to a consistently reliable source at a high-profile U.S. retailer.

This new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina Display is said to pick up the thinner and lighter enclosure of the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display that was released in June.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro will be sold in two configurations, with differing processors and storage, and will be available for purchase soon after introduction.

Like with the 15-inch MacBook Pro lines, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display will be sold (at a higher price) in addition to the current non-Retina display model. That computer was updated with faster processers and USB 3.0 in June.

The current 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display is codenamed D2, and its smaller sibling is in fact, as predicted this morning, dubbed D1 internally.

[Source: 9to5Mac]

Apple to open third Beijing Apple Store on iconic Wangfujing Street

Residents and visitors to China's capital, Beijing, will soon have a third Apple Store available for their shopping pleasure.

Chinese gadget site M.I.C. Gadget featured a group of photos today showing the construction site on Wangfujing Street in the Beijing City Center, less than a mile from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The store is located on a corner and it appears that it will feature a large curved glass curtain wall on the ground floor.

There's a huge display above the store, although it appears that it's used to advertise other stores in the Wangfujing district. M.I.C. Gadget speculates that the store could be a four-story affair, and unconfirmed rumors have the opening date listed as October 20.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple extends Seagate drive replacement program for iMacs

As noted by MacRumors, Apple's extended service program for iMacs with 1TB Seagate internal hard drives was updated late last week to include iMacs manufactured as far back as October 2009. The program, launched in the summer of 2011, originally covered only machines made during a narrow window of that year. Drives can be replaced at the Apple Store, by an Apple Authorized Service Provider or by Apple Technical Support.

Apple has also extended the duration of this program more than once, and now will cover iMac hard drive replacements with affected drives for three years after the original retail purchase date or until April 12, 2013, whichever ends up providing longer coverage for the computer. You can check if your machine might be affected by entering your serial number on the program page. Of course, you'll need to back up your data prior to replacement, and you may need your OS installer discs depending on how you plan to restore your machine.

Seagate's had past problems with drive reliability, including a firmware flaw that resulted in data loss.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple Hires Key Chip Designer from Samsung

The Wall Street Journal reports that former AMD chip designer and executive Jim Mergard has now moved to Apple after a brief stint at Samsung, marking a significant talent win for Apple in its efforts to build its own chips.

The gadget maker has hired Jim Mergard, a 16-year veteran of Advanced Micro Devices who was a vice president and chief engineer there before he left for Samsung. He is known for playing a leading role in the development of a high-profile AMD chip that carried the code name Brazos and was designed for low-end portable computers. [...] 

It is not clear whether Mergard will work at Apple’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters or remain in Austin, where he worked for AMD and Samsung. Apple has long operated a customer support center in the Texas capitol, but the company has had a local presence in chip design as well since its 2010 purchase of the startup Intrinsity.

The report quotes former AMD executive Patrick Moorhead as saying that Mergard has expertise in both PC chip design and system-on-a-chip design such as that used for Apple's iOS devices. The company uses ARM-based designs for its A-series chips that power its iOS devices, and the new A6 chip found in the iPhone 5 appears to be Apple's first custom design. 

Apple and Samsung of course have a complicated relationship, with the two rivals competing fiercely in the marketplace and the courtroom even as Samsung is one of Apple's primary suppliers. Apple's ARM-based chips are key components that are currently manufactured by Samsung.

[Source: MacRumors]

Apple offers targeted ad opt-out

Targeted ads present you with advertising keyed to your interests and history. If you're an Amazon customer, you've likely received emails related to your recent browsing choices. Gmail ads are based on your Google account contents. Apple is no different. iAds tracks you and offers ads that best match your profile.

Apple offers an opt-out choice if you'd rather be served random ads from their iAds service. To use it, first visit http://oo.apple.com from your device. Then set the switch from ON to OFF. You'll be asked to confirm. Tap the red "Opt Out"button.

When disabled, you'll still see iAds. However, these will not be tied to you or your specific interests in any way.

If at some time you feel the need to return to the previous state of things, you can always revisit the Opt Out page and update your settings.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple files patent application for fingerprint sensor that can be transparent or opaque

While Apple has flirted with biometric-based patents before, we've yet to see them implemented in real-world technology. That hasn't stopped it from filing yet another one though, as the latest application reveals a fingerprint sensor apparently embedded into the iPhone itself. The patent describes a hardware "window" that can become selectively "transparent or opaque." When transparent, it would reveal a component comprised of an "image capture device, a strobe flash, a biometric sensor, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, or a solar panel, or a combination thereof" as a method of unlocking the phone. According to the filing, the biometric sensor in question might indeed be a fingerprint reader. The document goes on to describe an alternative method using face or eye recognition technology that can be used not just for security purposes, but for possible e-commerce solutions like completing an online transaction. Of course, take any of these patent applications with a generous pinch of salt -- we haven't seen an Apple stylus yet, for example -- but perhaps this is the reason Apple bought fingerprint sensor maker AuthenTec back in July.

[Source: Engadget]

Fifth-gen iPod touch and nano now in stores and in the mail

If you've been waiting impatiently to get your hands on the latest cellular radio-less iOS device, we've got good news. The fifth gen iPod touch with its elongated screen and colorful backplate is available today in Apple stores across the country. And, if you preordered the slinky aluminum and glass media player, it should already be in the mail. The latest edition of the nano, which is becoming more and more like its larger sibling the touch every day, is also popping up on shelves. The seventh generation of the tiny player, complete with multi touch screen and 16GB of storage, is cropping in Apple stores for $149 starting today. Let us know in the comments if you decided to pick up either device.

[Source: Engadget]

Taiwan wants Apple to hide new radar defense system in iOS 6 maps

Two weeks ago, we brought you news that Apple (and in some cases Nokia) has high-quality imagery in its Maps application of military sites obscured in Google Maps. Today, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry has issued a statement to PhysOrg saying that it will request that Apple blurs satellite photos (or uses low-resolution images) of a new first warning radar system at its Hsinchu Air Base. A spokesperson said that although there was nothing illegal about what Apple is doing, the ministry will ask Apple to lower the resolution of images of some "confidential military establishments," adding that the same has been asked of Google in the past.

A quick glance at satellite images of Hsinchu Air Base shows a clearer image through Google Maps than via Apple Maps, but we're not entirely sure where the first warning radar system is located, nor do we know what it looks like. Regardless, this is the first case we've heard of a government department formally requesting that Apple obscure a military site, but as we suggested a fortnight ago, it likely won't be the last.

[Source: The Verge]

Wait times for App Store approvals reportedly rising

A developer training firm named Shiny Development has been tracking waiting times for the App Store review process as closely as it can, and it has bad news for would-be app developers: The waiting times for the Mac App Store are growing longer. In the last six months or so, the waiting time for getting a Mac App published has gone from under seven days to almost as high as a month, according to Shiny's data. Apple's process is largely closed off -- there is a little bit of information for developers on the main dev website, but otherwise Shiny has mostly gathered this information from the various developers it tracks and corresponds with online. If indeed the times for the Mac App Store have gotten this bad, it could mean that big apps are getting delayed longer and longer, and that could be trouble for the platform in general.

The good news is that the iOS App Stores' waiting times appear to be going down over nearly the same time period, from 10 days a few months ago, down to right around a week now. Apple has hired lots of app reviewers in the past year or so, and that's likely the reason for dropping times: As it has more people to check incoming apps, it can get approvals through the system quicker. Hopefully there's a bigger horde of Mac App reviewers on the way, so these apps can get out to the public in a relatively timely fashion.

[Source: TUAW]