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Rumor Roundup: The storm before the storm
The week before an Apple event sees a flood of rumors washing over the internet. This past week was a textbook case, with 20 rumors to address even after cutting out the less interesting ones.
Notification in iOS 6 beta hints at iBooks for Apple TV (AppleInsider)
Have you ever wanted to read books on your TV? Me neither. But a random error message could mean you might be able to do just that soon. Or... it could just be a random error message.
Apple Seeks to Create Pandora Rival - WSJ.com
Remember how in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Apple was going to unveil a streaming music service? Maybe it'll really happen this year. Maybe it'll work more reliably than iTunes Match. Maybe it'll also be available outside the US. Maybe.
Apple to unveil new lineup of desktop iMacs | Fox News
Fox News isn't normally where I'd go for reliable information, but we have it on good authority this source knows of what he speaks on this matter. Prior rumors surrounding the next iMac update suggests it won't have a Retina display update, however, so don't expect these to be anything more than processor-bumped versions of the existing iMac.
Apple TV No iPhone as Talks Bog Down With Media Companies - Bloomberg
Cable companies have watched Apple dominate the music industry and smartphones, and the massive media conglomerates have apparently learned their lesson: Don't let Apple show consumers a better way, because that quickly makes your former golden goose irrelevant. As our own Victor Agreda noted, this does of course mean that cable companies get to keep their fat profits at the expense of user convenience.
Imagine if radio broadcasters had purposefully tried to suppress TV broadcasts -- and succeeded.
Photos of iPad mini die cast mold may reveal final design (BGR)
Someone took a metal block and carved it into the shape of an iPad mini. For some reason.
New Photos Show Details of Alleged 'iPad Mini' Rear Shell (MacRumors)
See if you can find what's wrong with this allegedly leaked part without scrolling down to the comments. Hint: one a day keeps the doctor away.
Evidence of airline support for Apple's Passbook surfaces ahead of iPhone debut (AppleInsider)
Not sure why AppleInsider went with the "iPhone debut" angle in the headline, since Passbook isn't exclusive to the new hardware. Anyway, airlines are supposedly working to incorporate their boarding passes into Passbook, enabling travelers to scan their phones to check in. I've been using something similar for three years via Air New Zealand's iOS app, so this comes as no great surprise.
iPods likely to share the stage with iPhone 5 at next week's Apple event | 9to5Mac
"Details on the changes coming in these new iPods are currently scarce," 9to5 Mac says. They are indeed. The post is so vague and so short on details that I'm convinced that new iPods aren't likely to debut on September 12 at all. October seems more likely.
iPhone 5 cases already showing up at AT&T (BGR)
Whether those are genuine iPhone 5 cases or not, those definitely aren't iPhone 5 handsets in the images. Homework assignment: Identify at least four obvious Photoshop errors in the post's leading image.
Apple 'to drop iPhone 3GS' - Telegraph
Apple might discontinue the iPhone 3GS this year -- it's comparatively old hardware and doesn't run a lot of flagship iOS features. But the iPhone 3GS has to be so cheap to produce by now that Apple could easily use it to address the prepaid smartphone market if the company decided that was in its best interests. We'll see.
Apple cuts memory chip order to Samsung for new iPhone: source | Reuters
This supposedly has nothing to do with the companies' recent court battles and is all about Apple diversifying memory components among different suppliers. Also, Samsung "fell down some stairs," according to spokesperson T. Durden.
Potential 'iPhone 5' supply constraints seen as positive for Apple stock (AppleInsider)
Some analyst figured out that constrained supply + high demand = profit. This might be a revelatory finding in a world where ExxonMobil and De Beers didn't exist.
Sources: Apple to be sole maker of Dock Connector Adapters | iLounge News
Predictably, rumors that Apple would be the sole supplier of adapters for the new iPhone's modified Dock Connector sent the internet into a frenzy of "evil closed Apple, blarrrrgh!" Think about it, though: is it surprising that Apple's not working with third parties on this at first when they've been so terrible at keeping their yaps shut about forthcoming products? Looking right at you, case makers.
Give this six months. If there are still no third-party Dock Connector adapters out then, by all means take the tinfoil caps out of storage.
iPhone 5 Leaks Out Of Foxconn Jincheng Factory? Boots Up iOS 6 Error (video) » M.I.C. Gadget
This looks about as genuine as a three-dollar bill.
Closeup Photos Show Clear Difference in Thickness Between iPhone 5 and 4S (MacRumors)
The difference in thickness certainly looks remarkable when the two phones are next to each other, but I wonder how much if any difference it'll make in daily usage. I've certainly never looked at the iPhone 4 / 4S and thought, "Gee, if only this thing were a millimeter thinner, my life would be complete."
FedEx Planning for 'Surge Volume' Event September 21-24, Coinciding with Rumored iPhone 5 Launch Date (MacRumors)
Either FedEx knows something we don't, or -- more likely -- someone who works there reads the same rumor sites as the rest of us.
Redesigned iPhone (N42) being announced next week at iPhone 4S price points (9to5 Mac)
The new model comes in at the old model's prices, every year -- in the USA, anyway. I'll be very eager to see how things shape up where I live, where iPhone handset prices traditionally hover between "Haha, yeah right," and "Wait, you weren't kidding? Oh god help me."
Case Manufacturers Ramping Up for Radically Redesigned iPod Nano, Updated iPod Touch (MacRumors)
I never get tired of asking this question: When have case makers ever gotten it wrong?
New Apple iPhone to Support LTE Around the World - WSJ.com
"It isn't likely to work with all carriers' LTE networks in all countries," according to the article. The Wall Street Journal must therefore be using some strange definition of "around the world" with which I was previously unfamiliar.
One more thing...
The iPhone 5 Roundup and a New Feature on MacRumors
Kudos to MacRumors for their daringly original new weekly rumor roundup.
