Edible Apple

It’s been a long time that we’ve seen any iPod rumors make the rounds, so you might even call this an old school type of entry. The Japanese Mac blog Macotakara is reporting that Apple’s next-gen iPod Nano will be almost iPhone like in its design to the extent it will come with a home button like other iOS products.

So can you expect to run apps on this bad boy? Not likely. The screen will be smaller than the iPod’s, and as has been suggested by some, may prompt Apple to use a custom UI layer like it already does with the square iPod nano.

In February of 2012, Samsung launched the Galaxy Note. Billed as a smartphone, the device came with a monstrous 5.3-inch screen that made it seem like a weird smartphone/tablet hybrid. Naturally, it became the butt of a lot of jokes – it does come with a stylus after all – but Samsung appears to have had the last laugh as the device has sold quite well, actually.

This past April, when Samsung announced their first quarter earnings from 2012, the company reported $40 billion in revenue and $5 billion in quarterly profit – an all time record  at the time for the Korean based electronics giant. And helping Samsung reach that goal were better than expected sales of the Galaxy Note. And just a few days ago, Samsung posted equally impressive results from Q2 of 2012 – $5.9 billion in profit, representing a 79% increase form the same quarter a year-ago.

Earnings at the mobile-phone business more than doubled, with products such as the Galaxy Note helping the company mask a slump in profit from semiconductor sales, analysts said.

So looking to build on that, The Verge relays that Samsung is expected to unveil a successor to the Galaxy Note – the Galaxy Note 2 – that’s even bigger than the original. Yep, the Galaxy Note II is rumored to come with a whopping 5.5- inch screen. And oh yes, a quad core processor and a 12 megapixel camera as well. But wow, the photo above is of the original Galaxy Note next to an iPhone. Tack on an even bigger screen and things are getting a bit ridiculous. To Samsung’s credit, though, the upcoming phone will sport a bigger screen but not necessarily a larger form factor.

The device will likely be unveiled for the first time at IFA 2012, a consumer electronics show in Berlin scheduled for late August. It will also likely run Jelly Bean, the latest incarnation of Android.

But hey, if customers are buying them, it only makes sense for Samsung to keep selling them and even test if a larger screen can drive even more sales.

It’s going to a be a revealing Summer for Apple and its worldwide effort to really put Android out of commission. As you recall, Apple about 9 days ago received two preliminary injunctions against Samsung devices – the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet and the flagship Galaxy Nexus smartphone – as part of its litigation against the Korean based electronics giant here in the US. The original lawsuit Apple filed against Samsung and its alleged line of infringing products is slated to get under way in just a few weeks, right at the end of July.

Meanwhile, Apple is also embroiled in litigation against Samsung across the globe in over 11 countries. To that end, Apple’s litigation against Samsung and Motorola in Germany now has a firm date for which we can expect a decision.

The WSJ reports:

German court set dates Friday to decide on two cases brought by Apple against Google unit Motorola and Samsung for the alleged infringement of a patent related to multi-touch, enabled devices that Apple claims have been violated.

The Mannheim court heard arguments Friday from lawyers for each party, and set the date for a decision in the Motorola case for Aug. 31, and for Samsung on Sept. 21.

The lawsuits concern a touchscreen function crucial to many smartphone applications, which allow touchscreens to sense multiple touches at the same time, for example, when two fingers are pressed simultaneously to different points on the screen. The patent, EP2098948, protects the ability of a device’s screen to recognize multiple touches in some areas, while other areas do not.

A win for Apple would be a blow to U.S. Google’s Android smartphone operating system, which is also used by Samsung. A decision in Apple’s favor would mean Motorola and South Korea’s Samsung could be banned from selling smartphones with the latest versions of the Android operating system in Germany, one of the world’s largest markets for mobile devices.

Following Apple’s settlement with Proview over the iPad trademark – which resulted in Apple agreeing to pay $60 million to end the dispute – comes a report that Apple’s third generation iPad is slated to launch in China on July 27.

MIC Gadget reports as much, though notes that nothing is 100% confirmed as of yet.

It will be available for purchase in the Apple Stores in China and Suning electronics (one of the biggest consumer electronics retailers in China). We don’t think Apple will launch the 4G model in the country, because its tablet only supports the 4G network in U.S, and the 4G model has ran into trouble in Australia as well.

As with the price, we’re expecting it to sell at the same price as the current iPad 2. After the New iPad launched in Hong Kong, the grey market reseller found difficulties to dismiss the stock of New iPad. The main reason for it is because the New iPad looks the same as the previous models. Chinese consumers don’t really care about the powerful hardware of the New iPad, all they care about is the look of the device, because that’s what make them look awesome and superior. And, it seems like the New iPad is not going to do good in China.

Hmm, okay then.

A few days ago, Bloomberg reported that Amazon is working to develop its own smartphone in an effort to compete with Apple’s iPhone.

Amazon.com  is developing a smartphone that would vie with Apple’s iPhone and handheld devices that run Google’s Android operating system, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

Foxconn International Holdings Ltd., the Chinese mobile- phone maker, is working with Amazon on the device, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. Amazon is seeking to complement the smartphone strategy by acquiring patents that cover wireless technology and would help it defend against allegations of infringement, other people with knowledge of the matter said.

A smartphone would give Amazon a wider range of low-priced hardware devices that bolster its strategy of making money from digital books, songs and movies.

Apple has proven that vertical integration is quite the accelerant when it comes to racking up sales, and more importantly, profits. To that, Amazon’s expertise with respect to delivering media content to consumers puts it in an advantageous position compared to other companies like Samsung who primarily have to rely on Google as a conduit for delivering apps, music, movies and the like. To a large degree, Amazon getting into the smartphone business, while seemingly a bit out there on first glance, really does make a whole lot of sense.

It’s no secret that one of Apple’s primary goals when it comes to product design  is to strive for thinner, lighter, and more robust products with each passing refresh cycle. And as Apple has gotten successful in this regard, repairing and recycling Apple products has gotten increasingly more challenging, and in the case of the recently released Retina Display MacBook Pro, nearly impossible.

To that end, Apple has asked the Environmental Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) to remove its products from their list of green products according to a report today in the Wall Street Journal.

Apple asked EPEAT, the electronics standards setting group, to pull its 39 certified desktop computers, monitors and laptops, which included past versions of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, off the list of green products late last month, Robert Frisbee, CEO of EPEAT told CIO Journal. EPEAT, created through funding by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and manufacturers, awards products a seal to certify they are recyclable and designed to maximize energy efficiency and minimize environmental harm.

Explaining the decision, Frisbee explained that Apple’s “design direction was no longer consistent with the EPEAT requirements.”

Again, in an effort to create sleek and ever thinning products, Apple has made design decisions that don’t necessarily jibe with recyclability. The Retina Display MacBook Pro is the most recent and obvious example. Upon tearing down the device, iFixit found that the LCD is basically the entire display assembly and that the machine itself was virtually impossible to repair. What’s more, the batteries are glued into place, the RAM is soldered to the logic board – essentially, this isn’t a machine that can be torn open and separated into recyclable and non recyclable parts.

“If the battery is glued to the case it means you can’t recycle the case and you can’t recycle the battery,” Frisbee explained.

This might naturally leave some of the more environmentally conscious among us perturbed, but Apple’s ultimate goal is to design and deliver the best products it can, and sometimes that means products that aren’t terribly recycle friendly.

Overall, there are many standards layed out by EPEAT that manufacturers need to abide by to attain certification. These include restrictions on the use hazardous substances, the reduction of toxics in packaging, and the one that Apple runs afoul of, the ability for a machine to be “disassembled for recyclablility”.

Specifically, the standard lays out particular requirements for product “disassemble-ability,” a very important consideration for recycling: “External enclosures, chassis, and electronic subassemblies shall be removable with commonly available tools or by hand.” Electronics recyclers need to take out hazardous components such as batteries before sending computers through their shredders, because batteries can catch fire when punctured.

The upside, though, are products that can amaze and impress. To wit, here is iFixit’s take on the MacBook Pro’s Retina Display, recycling concerns aside.

The Retina display is an engineering marvel. Its LCD is essentially the entire display assembly. Rather than sandwich an LCD panel between a back case and a piece of glass in front, Apple used the aluminum case itself as the frame for the LCD panel and used the LCD as the front glass. They’ve managed to pack five times as many pixels as the last model in a display that’s actually a fraction of a millimeter thinner. And since there’s no front glass, glare is much less of an issue.

So what say you, folks? Is it worth it for Apple to push the boundaries of industrial design and computing at the expense of creating products that lend themselves towards recycling?

Bear in minds that Apple’s mobile devices – the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch – aren’t EPEAT certified either.

There are a lot of rumors surrounding an alleged 7.85 inch iPad Mini Apple is reportedly working on.

Early last week, a report from China claimed that Apple is looking to release a smaller version of the iPad with a Sharp IGZO panel sometime this fall.

IGZO abbreviation of indium gallium zinc oxide is a thin-film transistor technology. Using the Sharp IGZO LCD panel allows the body of the phone / tablet is thinner, while increasing endurance, and display better. It is reported that Sharp’s IGZO panel optimized to achieve 330 points per inch screen resolution.

This was subsequently followed by reports from Bloomberg and the WSJ which both claimed that Apple is preparing a smaller version of its already popular tablet in order to compete with smaller and successful offerings from the likes of Google and Amazon.

The WSJ noted in particular:

Apple Inc.’s component suppliers in Asia are preparing for mass production in September of a tablet computer with a smaller screen than the iPad, people familiar with the situation said, suggesting a launch for the device is near…

And yes, we all know how Steve Jobs felt about 7-inch tablets, but hey, this isn’t the first time Apple has sworn off or dismissed a technology/form factor/service only to implement it later on. Apple may very well think that a 9.7 inch tablet provides the optimal user experience, but the market has spoken and it’s abundantly clear that there’s a lot of demand for tablet devices with smaller screens, and more importantly, at lower price points.

It what may either be an important or perhaps short lived victory for Samsung today, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted Samsung’s request for a stay as it pertains to the preliminary injunction for its flagship Galaxy Nexus smartphone.

Samsung Electronics Co. can resume sales of its Galaxy Nexus smartphone at least until next week, a U.S. appeals court said today.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today issued a temporary stay of the ban on the smartphone until Apple responds on July 12. Notice of the order was posted on the court’s website.

A similar request for a stay regarding the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet was denied.

via Bloomberg

Apple yesterday fixed a problem first brought to the forefront by Instapaper developer Marco Ament. The problem rendered some downloaded apps unusable as many crashed upon launch.

In a statement given to All Things D, Apple explained:

We had a temporary issue that began yesterday with a server that generated DRM code for some apps being downloaded. The issue has been rectified and we don’t expect it to occur again.

Also of note is a source within Apple which told Macworld that Apple “will be removing one-star app reviews developers earned unfairly because of the company’s server issue.”

You may have already seen this, but this chart from OpenSignalMaps is worth revisiting, especially now that Google, arguably for the first time, seems to be taking the issue of fragmentation seriously.

BGR described the chart below two months ago:

Using data from 681,900 devices that downloaded the firm’s software over the past six months, OpenSignalMaps found there to be 3,997 distinct Android devices running its app, though the figure counts each custom ROM found to be running on various smartphones as a separate device.

The developer found a staggering array of Android version and display resolution combinations…

3,997+ devices certainly seems daunting, but it’s also worth taking a look at the chart when you break it up by handset vendor.

Not surprisingly, Samsung is ahead of the pack followed by HTC and to a lesser extent Motorola.

via BGR

Back in March 2007, tech pundit John C. Dvorak wrote a column titled, “Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone.”

As you might imagine, the thrust of the article was that Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone, with Dvorak explaining in vivid detail that Apple had no chance of success in the smartphone market.

A brief snippet for your recollection.

There is no likelihood that Apple can be successful in a business this competitive. Even in the business where it is a clear pioneer, the personal computer, it had to compete with Microsoft and can only sustain a 5% market share.

And its survival in the computer business relies on good margins. Those margins cannot exist in the mobile handset business for more than 15 minutes.

Recently, Dvorak explained to Paul McNamara of Network World why he was so off base on his iPhone prediction. If you’re expecting Dvorak to be self-reflective and acknowledge that he didn’t see the ingenuity Apple brought to the table with the iPhone, guess again.

Instead, Dvorak blames Apple’s penchant for secrecy as the reason why he was so wrong about the iPhone.

Apple had a policy – and still does, NOT to even talk to anyone who has annoyed Steve Jobs in the past or present. They are blackballed. Other writers who are careful never to be more than only critical in an Apple approved way get full access as long as they tow the line. Everyone in the business knows who is blackballed and who isn’t. The ones who aren’t may as well work for Apple.

So I was genuinely caught off guard with these columns where I really didn’t know anything except the miserable history of the smart phone, and I was kept in the dark by people who did know and who had all signed rigid non-disclosures. These documents should never be signed by reporters but many do it for the edge they get. So even if Apple were to show me the device I would not have been able to say or do anything except to say it was remarkable.

I’m calling BS on that right there.

Dvorak’s ridiculously misinformed opinion piece was written in March 2007, months after Steve Jobs unveiled it to the entire world. I don’t know what Dvorak’s smoking but it certainly does explain the lack of insight in his articles.

Further, Dvorak’s assertion that if he were to sign a non-disclosure agreement with Apple he would have no choice but to say that iPhone was “remarkable” is flat out wrong and ignores the less than stellar reviews Apple products and services sometimes do receive from favored Apple journalists.

Avoiding these corrupt practices such as non-disclosures leaves me vulnerable when I’m trying to predict the outcome of a strategy with a product that is sight unseen. It is all theory at that point and it did not work out this time, to say the least. This column is a constant reminder. Since I’ve written over 4,500 articles over the last 30 years I would hope that people look at the track record. I blew it about six times in a major way like this. I do not consider that bad.

Oh, so non-disclosures are corrupt now?

What a joke. Truthfully, it’s sad that Dvorak can’t man up to his mistake and instead places the blame for his narrow minded predictions onto Apple and their allegedly “corrupt” practices.

As for Dvorak’s track record, I agree, it does speak for itself. But as opposed to what Dvorak implies, his track record doesn’t reflect body of work overflowing with any real insight or sharp analytical skills. On the contrary, it’s filled with either common day observations or outrageous and asinine articles written because either a) Dovrak believes it or b) Dvorak is obsessed with whoring for pageviews.

Dvorak’s blame game antics continue,

Of course when I actually got to see the phone I was enthralled like everyone else and regretted getting screwed over by the Apple “machine.” But it was an entertaining exercise and a lot of Apple fans think it’s hilarious that I could be so wrong. But these people never liked me in the first place. And as for my prediction that this phone would be a bad idea for Apple to pursue, anything can still happen. Time is a cruel mistress.

Again, Dvorak saw the phone in January 2007 like everybody else. And nobody really cares that a man named John Dvorak made a bold and completely 180 degree wrong prediction about the iPhone. What gets people going is that Dvorak is held up and put out there as some sort of tech analyst when, as I mentioned before, his track record sings a completely different tune.

Also, on CNBC a few days after the iPhone introduction, Dvorak had this to say:

To me, I’m looking at this thing and I think it’s kind of trending against what people are really liking in phones nowadays, which are those little keypads – the BlackJack from Samsung, the BlackBerry obviously, kind of pushes this thing, the Palm… but I think Apple can do wrong and I think this is it.

Yep, people are really missing those “little” keypads.

On the fifth anniversary of the iPhone, a device which absolutely revolutionized the smartphone market, all Dvorak can muster up is that his predictions were off base because Apple is a secretive company. And of course, he has to add in that “anything can still happen.”

I suppose Dvorak owning up to his inability to accurately assess the iPhone’s potential is still possible.

And as an added bonus to you loyal folks who are still reading, let’s take a look back at another one of Dvorak’s “scoops”, this one from April 2007.

During Episode 93 of the top-ranked podcast, Dvorak said he received information from “a guy at Cingular who’s testing the product.” The unnamed, male Cingular employee told Dvorak “there’s lots of issues.”

“He says the amateur mistake that they made is not having a removable battery,” Dvorak said. “You run 20 minutes and you’re using up half the battery power. You get 40 minutes total talk time. And the interface fouls up constantly.”

Precient.

The last time Apple updated the iMac line was back in May 2011 when it graced its all-in-one desktop computers with Intel’s quad-core Sandy Bridge processors and highspeed Thunderbolt ports.

In the interim, Apple has released a new iPhone, a new iPad, revamped MacBooks, and even a brand new MacBook Pro with a Retina Display. So those of us with a proclivity for desktop computing on a trusty ole’ iMac are all wondering when is the iMac gonna get some upgrade love.

Well as luck would have it, it may just be four months away.

According to a recent report in Digitimes, mass production on next-gen iMacs is set to begin sometime this month with a possible launch being anticipated for October.

“The sources also noted,” Digitimes reports, “that Apple plans to expand Retina Display into all the product lines, meaning that the new iMac will have a high chance of featuring Retina Display; however, the rumors are not confirmed by Apple.”

Releasing an iMac with a Retina Display would certainly place Apple’s desktop offering above the competition, but  remember that the iMacs come with 21 and 27 inch screens. Manufacturing a Retina Display at that size is no small feat and would certainly force Apple to raise the price of the machines accordingly. Of course, a more likely scenario is that Apple revamps the iMac line with typical processor/internal enhancements while simultaneously offering a premium iMac model with a Retina Display at a much higher price point, similar to what it did with the Retina Display MacBook. Incidentally, the Retina Display Apple utilizes on the 15.4 inch MacBook Pro is estimated to run Apple about $150.

On the other hand, remember that Instapaper developer Marco Ament a few weeks ago received word that Apple’s 2012 iMac lineup won’t be receiving the Retina Display treatment. This has been echoed by some industry analysts who write that Retina Display iMacs won’t become a reality until 2013 when display costs become more affordable.

via Digitimes