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Nokia reportedly 'in talks' to build 10-inch Windows RT slate with Qualcomm and Compal
There's been no shortage of chin-wagging about a Nokia slate in the past, but needless to say it's never amounted to much. In fact, the murmurs and patent applications largely died away prior to the coming of Windows RT, leading us to conclude that the Finnish manufacturer had decided to step back from the tablet tussle rather than wade in. That said, Digitimes is now reporting that Nokia is once again "talking" to hardware partners -- namely Qualcomm and Compal -- about developing a Windows RT device. Mobilegeeks and our own sources have stepped up to support the gist of this report, although they didn't go nearly as far as Digitimes in claiming that a 10-inch product would be done and dusted in time for MWC, which means we're left with nothing concrete. One thing does seem likely: Surface may not be selling well enough, despite its merits, which potentially creates room for another Microsoft-aligned manufacturer to carry the RT baton forward.
Rumored HTC Verizon phablet may land soon, with 1080p screen and 1.5GHz Snapdragon
Samsung and LG have already embraced the tiny-tablet form factor. It only makes sense that HTC would want to carve out a niche of this niche for themselves. Rumors of a five-inch HTC device have been circulating for some time, but now a report from DigiTimes is lending some credence to those murmurings, and a mysterious handset from the Taiwanese manufacturer has popped up over at GLBenchmark. According to unnamed sources the company has been working on a flagship level (One XXL?) device with a stunning 1,794 x 1,080 display, due to be released in either September or October. If you're taking that claim with a grain of salt, we don't blame you. But, an entry for the HTC 6435LVW that just popped up at GLBenchmark.com seems to fit the bill pretty nicely. It has the same listed resolution, which we assume is actually a 1,920 x 1,080 panel with room set aside for Android's soft keys. The device info has it running ICS, version 4.0.4 to be specific, on a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 -- which should make it quite the powerful piece of hardware. The software build also singles it out as a Verizon handset, which means it'll be packing an LTE radio as well. Whether the rumored stylus is included, a la the Flyer, remains to be seen, but, we shouldn't have to wait much longer to find out for sure.
Rumor Roundup, Episode 12: Revenge of DigiTimes
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the Internet, the rumor blogs slithered forth with twin, unkillable horrors: the iPad mini and... and... DigiTimes (cue lightning and horror film musical sting). Before we dive deep into the muck and mire, let's get the handful of semi-credible rumors out of the way first. Supply of Apple's 27" iMac drying up as Ivy Bridge upgrade awaits (AppleInsider) AppleInsider did something I haven't seen the site do in a long time -- some original research. By checking on stock levels at various US-based retailers, AppleInsider discovered the 27-inch iMac is out of stock or close to it at many outlets. Given that the last iMac refresh happened over a year ago as of this writing, the device is definitely due for an update. Whether that will happen sooner rather than later is anyone's guess. Apple seemingly indicated its desktop models wouldn't be updated until 2013, but on this subject, how far can you trust the word of a company that never discusses forthcoming products? Apple's New iPad is Finally Coming To China (MIC Gadget) Now that Apple has coughed up $60 million to trademark troll Proview, there don't seem to be any hurdles left to launching the third-gen iPad in China. The government's regulatory bodies have already certified both the Wi-Fi and 3G models for sale, and rumors point to a July 27 launch. The one new thing I learned from this story is that the iPad (3) isn't already sold in China. I'll never complain about launch delays in New Zealand again. (Oh, yes you will. --Ed) Inside Apple's Go-Slow Approach to Mobile Payments (Wall Street Journal) The Wall Street Journal claims to have heard from a source briefed on a senior executive meeting at Apple regarding the possibility of implementing a mobile payments scheme (such as NFC) in a future iPhone. This source claims Apple is taking a "wait and see" approach to mobile payments, with the new Passbook app in iOS 6 representing Apple dipping its toe in the water of an "electronic wallet" system rather than diving straight in. I can see this going either way. Apple is often conservative about implementing new technology if it doesn't consider it fully-baked yet -- witness the original iPhone with no 3G, or the iPhone 4S with no 4G. On the other hand, once Apple has the tech at the level it desires (usually something developed entirely or almost entirely in-house), it's not shy about dropping it into the marketplace with an unceremonious "Boom." As wishy-washy as it sounds, the next-gen iPhone might have NFC or similar technology, or it might not, and at this stage neither would surprise me. Now that the halfway believable rumors are out of the way, let's take our first step on the journey of 1000 duhs. The iPad mini Apple Said To Plan Smaller IPad To Vie With Google Nexus (Bloomberg) Bloomberg gets things off to a spectacularly dumb start by positioning the supposedly forthcoming iPad mini as a reaction to Google's Nexus 7 and Microsoft's Surface. According to Shaw Wu, who like most Apple analysts is wrong far more often than he's right, Apple plans to compete for the lower-priced tablet space that Amazon and Google are currently fighting over. Because fighting for the low-end market is totally something Apple does. Ever. *cough* The analysis that follows is kind of baffling in its attempt to justify this still-mythical device. It's well-known by now that Google's margins on the Nexus 7 are razor thin, which makes it incredibly unlikely Apple intends to compete on price alone with an "iPad mini" tablet. It's equally well-known that Apple is selling tens of millions of full-sized iPads per quarter already, while sales of the Kindle Fire tanked after the first quarter and the Nexus 7 hasn't been around long enough to tell what impact it's had. Despite the new tablet announcements from Microsoft and Google over the past few weeks, Apple still doesn't have any real competition for the iPad. An iPad mini would very likely cause more lost sales for the full-sized iPad than it would for either the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire, two products that seem to be aimed at markets that either can't afford an iPad or just hate Apple that much. Bloomberg's story set off a firestorm of speculation across the blogosphere this week, because for the first time ever a supposedly reputable news outlet was reporting on the rumor. There's a flawed assumption that once Bloomberg or the Wall Street Journal publishes an Apple rumor, it goes from rumor to fact. That assumption crumbles in the face of the fact that Bloomberg cites no sources in its story other than "people familiar with the plans," an analyst with a shaky track record... and DigiTimes, the epitome of all that is demonstrably inaccurate when it comes to Apple rumors. Apple Preps for Smaller Tablet (The Wall Street Journal) The Wall Street Journal weighed in just after Bloomberg, and the Internet jumped up and down saying, "Aw yeah, son. The iPad mini just got real!" Read past the headline and you'll find the Journal's source for the story: component suppliers in Asia. Follow Apple rumors long enough and you'll find that "sources in the Asian supply chain" is code for "people completely and utterly unfamiliar with the matter, who are likely making a bunch of stuff up." In the wake of these poorly-sourced reports from usually reputable outlets came speculation from John Gruber of Daring Fireball that the iPad mini would use the same non-Retina display technology as the iPhone 3GS. The 7.85-inch device would have the same 1024 x 768 resolution as the original iPad and iPad 2. Other blogs picked up on this speculation and compared UI elements from the iPhone and iPad, concluding the iPad mini would be more of a super-sized iPod touch than a downsized iPad in terms of its software. Then came reports from far less reputable sources: Apple's 'iPad mini' to launch soon for $249-$299, report claims (BGR) BGR cites a Chinese-language site no one heard of before saying the iPad mini would be between $249 and $299. This, of course, contradicts earlier BS rumors claiming the device would cost a mere $199. BGR cites supporting "analysis" from Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White (a name that's popping up more and more often in my Apple rumors RSS feed), as if that means anything at all. iPad mini to be produced in Brazil? (9to5 Mac) Citing Macotakara, whose shaky record essentially makes it DigiTimes Junior, 9to5 Mac reports the iPad mini may be made in Brazil, may be released in September, may be as thin as an iPad, and may actually exist, ever, outside the fever dreams of the blogosphere. Well, not that last part. That was me. No matter how reputable or disreputable the news outlet and no matter what evidence they claim to have, after more than two years of speculation, prestidigitation, and obfuscation concerning the iPad mini, I am burnt out on this device and the rumors surrounding it. After 24-plus months of nonsense, there is literally no source worth listening to on this matter other than an Apple executive walking onto a keynote stage holding a miniaturized iPad in his hands. Until that happens -- if it ever happens -- there is no way I will believe this product exists. And despite the fact that I don't really see any plausible economic reason for Apple to make one, I still kind of hope they do introduce something like an iPad mini just so the rumor blogs will finally shut up about it. DigiTimes We haven't heard much from DigiTimes in a while after the very public beating the site's credibility took. My systematic dismantling of any claim the site had to being mentioned in the same sentence as the word "reliable" would have been enough, but Harry McCracken coincidentally took it to the next level on Time Techland and abused the site so thoroughly that I thought we'd never hear from it again. Indeed, weeks passed where sites like MacRumors passed on reporting the latest rubbish from DigiTimes while sites like BGR and AppleInsider were happy to carry on looking foolish by taking them seriously. Even so, DigiTimes stopped being the regular rumor fixture it was in the past, and for a sweet, short while it seemed the site would fade into obscurity at last. Alas, it was not to be. Perhaps counting on the Internet's short attention span and hoping we'd already forgotten how completely inaccurate the site is, the rumor blogs positively bursted with DigiTimes-sourced "news" this week. Here's a selection of the truth-free flotsam clogging the Internet's tubes this week. I've only cited the first site to gleefully feed on the nonsense, but rest assured they are all equally culpable. No links, because as of now I'm not linking to DigiTimes-sourced claptrap anymore: More Claims of October Launch for Updated iMac Models (MacRumors) Rumor: Apple readying minor revisions to new iPad battery, lens (AppleInsider) Apple's next iPhone rumored to feature quad-core processor (AppleInsider) Apple rumored to revise backlight for iPad update (AppleInsider) Apple to continue dominating ultra-thin notebook market following Windows 8 launch (BGR) Aside from the iMac story, which at least has supporting evidence speculation from other sources, every other story has DigiTimes as its sole source. That means if there's one thing you can count on, none of these things will actually happen. It's interesting to see how the various rumor blogs are treating rumors sourced from DigiTimes. To its credit, 9to5 Mac now usually refrains from posting them at all. BGR pounces on them with wild abandon and never goes out of its way to acknowledge the site's less-than-reputable track record. AppleInsider posts absolutely every DigiTimes rumor it can get its hands on, and its only nod in the general direction of credibility is appending "sometimes reliable" to DigiTimes' name. MacRumors is the most interesting case, particularly since it swore off DigiTimes rumors for several weeks. I've seen site founder Arn defend the site on Twitter, and a snippet from one of this week's posts does the same: DigiTimes has come under increasing criticism for a number of claims that have not been borne out, but the publication does occasionally offer correct information and weighing its information with other rumors can still help fill out a picture of Apple's roadmap. MacRumors points to the one thing DigiTimes managed to get right in two years of speculative nonsense, a report about the MacBook Pro's forthcoming Retina Display which merely echoed speculation found in countless sources elsewhere on the Internet. Look, even a broken clock is right twice a day -- but that's more often than some rumor sites.
Rumor Roundup, Episode 4: 'Sometimes reliable' DigiTimes (Updated)
See Editor's Note at the bottom of this post. This past week saw appearances from all the usual suspects populating the Apple rumor mill: So-called "analysts" claiming to be able to predict Apple's fortunes a full three years in the future. Booming proclamations from sites claiming to have inside info on unreleased (and probably nonexistent) products. And everyone's favorite source of utterly inaccurate Apple "news": the Asian newspaper DigiTimes. Much more on them later. Apple stock seen hitting $2,000 by the end of 2015 (AppleInsider) Some analyst throws a dart at a wall full of numbers and claims Apple's stock price will nearly quadruple in three and a half years. B.S. detector reading: 10/10. Forecasting the fortunes of a company like Apple more than 40 months into the future is a fool's game, whether you're predicting unprecedented growth or unparalleled DOOOOOOOM. And besides, prevailing "wisdom" among all the other analysts says Apple will be out of business by the end of 2013 anyway, right? Because Apple's "free ride" is over, and either Microsoft or Google is going to take back the keys to the tech kingdom for reasons never adequately, logically, or even sanely explained? GOOGLE AIN'T PLAYING: Will Clone A Key iPhone Feature (Business Insider) GOOGLE'S GOING TO COPY IOS GAME CENTER, at least according to Business Insider. The feature would improve the gaming experience for all seven games available on the Android platform. B.S. detector reading: 3/10. And the only reason it's even that high is because this is coming from Business Insider. From any other source, this would merit a 0/10 reading, because honestly, anyone who points to a feature in iOS and says "Google will copy that" is going to be right eventually, assuming Samsung doesn't beat them to it. (Cue the Android loyalists grousing about Notification Center in iOS 5 "ripping off" the notifications in Google's mobile OS.) Our Source Has Seen The Apple HDTV, Here's What It Looks Like (Cult of Mac) "Sources" claim to have seen the HDTV of myths and legends in person, then go on to parrot every single rumor we've heard about the device over the past year, bringing essentially nothing new to the table. But hey, Cult of Mac has some Photoshopped mockups to go with it, so it must be true! B.S. detector reading: 8/10. Even if Apple is making an HDTV -- something that is a matter of ongoing discussion amongst the TUAW team, but that I personally rate as only slightly more likely than the Earth spontaneously exploding when I type the end of this sentence -- the handful of Apple employees who actually would have seen a prototype aren't all that likely to be leaking those impressions to their blogger buddies. Maybe someone saw something that looked like a new Cinema Display... and maybe what they saw actually was a new Cinema Display. Foxconn plans renewed shift into distribution (China Daily) At the end of a yawn-inducing article about Foxconn's business plans, included almost as an afterthought, are three brief paragraphs claiming Foxconn's chief spilled the beans on the supposedly forthcoming Apple HDTV. He allegedly confirmed that Foxconn is preparing to build the as-yet still mythical device. B.S. detector reading: 10/10. Yeah, I'm sure that a company that's already on thin ice with Apple is going to go blabbing to the public about unreleased and unannounced products. That's exactly how you retain a business relationship with a company possessed of a legendary obsession with secrecy. Why not risk losing a manufacturing contract worth billions of dollars in order to give a BREAKING EXCLUSIVE RUMOR to China Daily. Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt does a good job of dissecting this one, calling it a "soufflé" of a story -- meaning you kick it once or twice and it collapses in on itself. Apple rumored to be in talks to acquire German HDTV maker Loewe (AppleInsider) "Sources" claimed Apple was going to buy a German TV company. Only one thing that could mean, right? Right?! B.S. detector reading: 9/10. Loewe itself said there was "absolutely nothing to" the rumor. Looks like AppleInsider got punk'd. You had to figure something like this would happen once Ashton Kutcher started dressing up like Steve Jobs. Extra credit to you-can't-spell-B.S.-without Business Insider, which managed to wring three or four items out of the Loewe buyout rumor before it was denied and demolished. Unreleased 2012 MacBook Pro and iMac Models Showing Up in Benchmarks (MacRumors) For a change of pace, MacRumors sources from somewhere other than DigiTimes. This time, benchmarks popping up on Geekbench show numbers coming in from unreleased, presumably forthcoming MacBook Pros and iMacs. MR also points this morning to a 9to5Mac story citing Retina displays, USB 3.0, no Ethernet port and a sleeker but not quite Air-esque design for the anticipated pro laptop refresh. Among the presented evidence are strings referencing USB 3 in the recent 10.7.4 update and in betas of 10.8 Mountain Lion; the inclusion of USB 3 (which is natively supported in Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture) means that an external Ethernet dongle could support gigabit speeds rather than the 100 mbit limit of the current MacBook Air Ethernet adapter. B.S. detector reading: 3/10 on average. These kind of "leaks" have happened before, and not just with Macs; unreleased iPhones and iPads have popped up on Geekbench before, too. While MacRumors itself notes these results are easy to fake, they're also consistent with the performance gains expected from Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture. The 9to5 report includes a lot of speculation around the industrial design of the next laptop line, but most of the onboard features mentioned are of a piece with the direction Apple has been heading with the Pro line. Reported AppleCare training points to June Mountain Lion launch (AppleInsider) "Unnamed sources familiar with the matter" claim AppleCare's Europe, Middle East, and Africa division is hiring and training new people. Somehow, for some reason, that apparently means the next version of OS X will launch in June. B.S. detector reading: 8/10. Even assuming the source is correct and AppleCare EMEA is hiring new people, that could mean just about anything. And no reputable source I know of has pointed to a Mountain Lion launch any earlier than July, probably even later than that. iPhone 5 design still not finalized, still no big screen, still no metal back, still on track for October release (iMore) iMore contradicts every other site out there by saying pretty much every rumor about the iPhone is complete bunk. No 4-inch screen, no metal backside, no booze, no women, and absolutely No Stairway. Denied. B.S. detector reading: 7/10. iMore and its sources seem to be leaning toward a theory I've had for awhile: Despite a mountain of increasingly disreputable rumors to the contrary, the next iPhone probably isn't going to look significantly different from the iPhone 4S. That having been said, even if I agree with iMore that doesn't mean I trust the site's unnamed source, particularly over the claim that the iPhone's design hasn't been finalized yet. If the device will indeed launch in October, it seems very unlikely that the hardware design is still in flux. 'iPhone 5' Headphone Jack and Earpiece Component Surfaces (MacRumors) The same source that gave us classic hits like "slightly different Home button" and "barely changed micro-SIM tray" brings us its latest chart-topping iPhone part: weirdly altered headphone jack cable. B.S. detector reading: 7/10. At this point, three different parts leaks from the same source is looking like a simplistic con to draw attention to the site's parts reselling business. This newest "leak" is a bit on the outlandish side, as the supposed new cable looks like an absolute mess next to the cable in the iPhone 4S. 7-inch iPad on track for October 2012 release, $200 to $250 price (iMore) The 7-inch iPad will supposedly launch in October, featuring a screen the same 2048 x 1536 resolution as the current iPad (3). It'll have an 8 GB capacity and start at $200 -- the same price as the current 8 GB iPod touch. B.S. detector reading: 10/10* (or 5/10 -- See note below). A product that's been rumored but never seen for almost two years, the "iPad mini" would serve no other purpose than to cannibalise the existing iPad line. Even if you assume that making a 2048 x 1536 7-inch screen is technically feasible, saying Apple could sell such a device for the current asking price of the iPod touch is downright laughable. The iPad mini already exists. It's called an iPod touch. Those who claim Apple wants to address the mid-sized market the Kindle Fire took by storm in late 2011 seem to be conveniently ignoring the fact that Kindle Fire sales went down the tubes in early 2012. As for a lower-priced option to address budget-minded consumers, that already exists too. It's called an iPad 2. Maybe you've heard of it. It's just like the new iPad, only it's $100 cheaper and its screen looks like it's been smeared with Vaseline when you put it next to the new iPad. *Editor's Note: After some consideration I'm disagreeing with Chris on this one and saying there's some chance of a 7-inch iPad. Why? The Nook/Kindle form factor has proven it has a market, and if Apple had a product in-between the touch and the iPad, it would obliterate Android in that category not unlike how the iPod soared to the top of the MP3 market. As an entry-level "halo effect" device on the cheap, such a tablet need not be called an iPad, even. - Victor Agreda, Jr. Report Claims 7-Inch iPad in August, New iPhone in September, New 10-Inch iPad by End of Year (MacRumors) DigiTimes claims blah blah blah yadda yadda. I'd tell you more, but I immediately stopped reading when I saw the word "DigiTimes." B.S. detector reading: Off-scale high due to use of DigiTimes as a source. On the subject of the 7-inch iPad itself, I remember the first time I heard of this still-fictitious device: an August 2010 "report" from iLounge, complete with Photoshop mockup of course. Let's look at the claims from that long-ago report: New iPod nano, new iPod touch, 1.7" touchscreen replacement for iPod shuffle, and a shrunken 3" touchscreen for the iPod touch. Partial credit for predicting a new iPod nano, but credit taken away for not realizing it was the same thing as the touchscreen "replacement" for the shuffle (which still lives on). Partial credit for predicting a new iPod touch, but credit taken away for the spurious shrunken screen rumor. Total points awarded: 0. A 7" iPad in late 2010 or early 2011. Nope. Didn't happen. Fifth-generation iPhone release bumped up to early 2011. Nope. Silicone-only iPhone bumpers. Nope. So, the first time we heard of the 7" iPad, it was included in a rumor blitz from iLounge where the vast majority of the rumored items never came true. In nearly two years since then, the "iPad mini" is still nowhere to be found, and most of the subsequent rumors about it have come from either from DigiTimes or "analysts" with no more clue about Apple's plans than my cat. I'm sure Apple has been technologically capable of making an iPad mini for years. All the company lacks is the poor business sense to actually release one. Rumor: Apple planning to launch $799 MacBook Air in Q3 2012 (AppleInsider) Apple plans to "aggressively combat" ultrabooks -- that special category of notebook that PC makers dreamed up specifically so they could try to copy the MacBook Air -- by, um... selling a budget-priced MacBook Air. Because as anyone who's followed Apple for the past 15 years knows, that is totally something Apple would do. (ALERT: Sarcasm approaching critical mass!) And the source of this report is, of course, "sometimes reliable DigiTimes." Those are AppleInsider's words, not mine. I've tried to find a more appropriate adjective for DigiTimes than "sometimes reliable," but so far all I've come up with is "standup philosophers DigiTimes." (Video NSFW if your boss is uncomfortable with one of the Golden Girls repeatedly saying something that rhymes with bullspit.) B.S. detector reading: Once again, off-scale high due to use of DigiTimes as a source. Apple rumor sites, it's time for an intervention. Or, at the very least, a scorecard. DigiTimes is the scourge of the Apple rumor scene. It's been funny to watch sites like MacRumors, AppleInsider, BGR, and 9to5 Mac take DigiTimes less and less seriously over the years as the site's record has gotten worse and worse. These sites still breathlessly report every last bit of information effluent that drips out of DigiTimes' rumor sewers, but the way they refer to DigiTimes has shifted over time. It started with "DigiTimes has given reliable information before," then shifted to "DigiTimes has been reliable in the past." Then it became "DigiTimes has been hit-or-miss lately," then "occasionally reliable." Now we've reached the point of "sometimes reliable DigiTimes." What's next? "Archaeologically reliable" DigiTimes? "Fossil records indicate DigiTimes provided reliable information during the Cretaceous, prior to the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs and the site's legitimacy." I decided to find out just how "reliable" DigiTimes has been. My study was thoroughly unscientific, though still performed with far more rigor than anything that's come from that site. I simply did a "site:www.macrumors.com digitimes" search on Google and went through the first 7 or 8 pages of articles I found. MacRumors posts a story pretty much every time someone at DigiTimes mutters something that vaguely sounds like "Apple," so this seemed like a good way to get some traction. I didn't rate rumors produced in the past two months -- I figure I'll give DigiTimes more time to be wrong -- so I started with rumors in early March of 2012, then worked backward. Here's a rundown of the true or at least partially true reports MacRumors has printed in the past few years with DigiTimes as a source. iPad 3 Display Supply Constraints to Result in Early Shortages? (March 2012: 100% true) Display Panel Shipment Plans Suggest Apple Will Offer iPad 2 Alongside iPad 3 (January 2012: 100% true) iPad 3 Display Shipments Nearing 3 Million Units with Assembly Set for January Start (November 2011: Mostly true, but mentions B.S. about a 7-inch iPad) Apple LTE-enabled iPhone Due in 2012, iPhone 4S Preparations for September 2011 (May 2011: Mostly true, and remarkably, one of the first sites to correctly refer to it as the iPhone 4S rather than iPhone 5) iMac and MacBook Pro Upgrades in First Half of 2011? (December 2010: 100% true, but talk about your all-time easy calls) Cortex A9-Based iPads, Verizon iPhone, iOS-Based Apple TV Set for 1Q 2011 Launch? (August 2010: 2/3 true. They got the CPU and launch date for the Apple TV wrong, and mentioned some 7-inch iPad B.S.) DigiTimes Claims Display Improvements in Next-Gen iPhone (May 2010: 100% true, but multiple sources were claiming the same thing) Next-Generation iPhone Set to Carry 5-Megapixel Camera? (December 2009: 100% true) So that's roughly 7 2/3 stories in the past few years. Not a bad record... until you look at all the things DigiTimes has said over the years that have been, as the kids in the UK say, utter bollocks. And this is far from a comprehensive list. I only made it through the first several pages of a Google search before I had to step away from my Mac and find a martini to chase the stupid away. 8 GB iPad 2 Coming Alongside 16 GB and 32 GB iPad 3 Next Week? (February 2012) Intel Delaying Mass Availability of Ivy Bridge Processors Until 'After June'? (February 2012) 'iPad 4' Headed for October Launch with iPad 3 as Interim Upgrade? (January 2012) Pegatron to Become Apple's Primary iPad Manufacturing Partner? (January 2012) Apple to Use IGZO Displays to Achieve a Thinner Lower-Power iPad 3? (December 2011) Mid-Range and High-End iPad 3 Launching at iWorld Seems Unlikely (December 2011) Thunderbolt Coming to PCs in April 2012 (December 2011) Rumors of a 7.85-Inch 'iPad Mini' Revived (Again) for Late 2012 (December 2011) Suppliers to Begin Preparing 32" and 37" Apple Television Sets in Early 2012? ((December 2011) Updated MacBook Air Line with New 15-Inch Model Coming in 1Q 2012? (November 2011) Apple Cutting Fourth Quarter iPhone Component Orders? (November 2011) Apple's 15" Ultra-Thin Notebook Due in March 2012 (November 2011) Next iPad Coming March, But "Real iPad 3" Not Until Q3 2012? (November 2011) iPhone 5 with Metal Chassis and Less Than 4" Screen? (August 2011) Apple Increasing iPhone Production with iPhone 5 Ramp-Up (August 2011: This one is especially laughable, as DigiTimes' predicted iPhone sales figures were off by more than ten million units) Apple Orders 15 Million iPhone 5s, Shipping Begins in September (July 2011) iPhone 5 to Have a Dual LED Flash? (June 2011) Apple Ramping Up New MacBook Air Production in July (June 2011: DigiTimes's claim of 8 million MacBook Air units was only off by, oh, 5 or 6 million) iPhone 5 to Use a 4-Inch Screen? (February 2011) 5.6-Inch and 7-Inch OLED iPad Models Coming in Q4 2010? (July 2010) Touch Panels for Apple Netbook Ordered? (July 2009) And one from the vaults: DigiTimes Reports PowerBook G5 and iBook G5 Contracts (January 2005) For every one report DigiTimes gets right, you get almost three more that are complete garbage. "Reliable" and "DigiTimes" are essentially antonyms at this point, and any site that still regularly relies on them as a source has absolutely no credibility. That's it for this week's rumors. Next week, we'll find out the 7-inch iPad mini was actually released long ago... it was inside our hearts all along. Editor's Note: Just as this post went live, we spotted Harry McCracken's thorough processing of DigiTimes's track record on rumors. Chris's deep dive into the past outcomes of DigiTimes reporting at the end of this post is similar by coincidence, not by design.
8 GB iPad 2 headed to enterprises? Why this makes no sense
When DigiTimes reports Apple rumors, I usually ignore them. Today's rumor that Apple will produce a cheaper 8 GB iPad 2 aimed at enterprise usage was just too silly to ignore. According to DigiTimes, "In addition to iPad 3, Apple is also expected to unveil an 8GB iPad 2, allowing the tablet PC series to cover different segments and to defend against Windows 8-based tablet PCs, the sources noted." Apple has never been obsessed about market share, and why the company would suddenly want to go for a bargain-priced low-end 8 GB model to compete with an emerging product (Windows 8) or existing cheap tablets (Kindle Fire) is absurd. Sure, the price of the 16 and 32 GB "iPad 3s" will most likely be in the same range as the existing iPad 2s, but both private enterprise and government have been snapping those models up in huge numbers -- even in a stagnant economy. This rumor is also completely at odds with another DigiTimes rumor -- that Apple is planning to come out with a 7.85" iPad that would come with a lower price tag to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire, the Barnes & Noble Nook Color, and other Android-based tablets. If, as DigiTimes seems to be asserting, Apple is looking for a less expensive iPad to sell to enterprises, why wouldn't they just produce and sell the fictitious mini-iPad? Next, unless most enterprises only have a handful of apps that they wish to run on their iPads, wouldn't more storage be a requirement instead of less? From my years working in industry, I recall that we always aimed high in our hardware requirements, since we could get more years out of hardware purchases by spending a bit more and we always found that our in-house applications needed more storage and RAM than originally planned. DigiTimes also thinks that Apple will forego production of a 64 GB model of the iPad 3. Apparently they haven't been keeping up with power users, who are constantly clamoring for more storage for video and music. There is a slight bit of logic in this assumption, since Apple is making a push towards more storage in the iCloud and that would make onboard storage less of a requirement. Still, there are iPad users for whom iCloud and iTunes Match are not a solution, and who would quickly pony up for an expensive 128 GB model. What do you think about an 8 GB iPad 2 entry-level model? Does it make more sense than a smaller form-factor iPad? (For the record, I think it does...) Your comments are welcomed below. [via ZDNet]
Could DigiTimes rumors affect holiday iPad 2 sales?
Do rumors about Apple products affect your buying habits? Tim Cook thinks so, and so do analysts. A report from Philip Elmer DeWitt of Fortune looks closely at this issue and asks whether the recent iPad 3 rumors from Digitimes will hurt Apple's quarterly iPad 2 sales. He points to remarks Tim Cook made during Apple's fourth quarter earnings conference call. Specifically, Cook blamed Apple's lower-than-expected Q3 iPhone 4 sales on speculation about the iPhone 4S. Customers, Cook explained, waited to get the iPhone 4S instead of the iPhone 4 because they were aware of its imminent launch. Now that the iPhone 4S is available, rumors about the iPad 3 are spreading, and the iPad 2 is supposedly feeling the effect. In the past month, Digitimes published several rumors claiming Apple is shifting production from the iPad 2 to the iPad 3. DeWitt cites analysts who are lowering their quarterly iPad 2 sales estimates partially because of sales-busting rumors coming out of Digitimes. It may seem intuitive to seasoned Apple veterans that the company plans to launch the iPad 3 this spring. The average customer, though, may not be aware of Apple's release schedule and could be influenced when these rumors make it past Digitimes and into bigger publications.
DigiTimes: Acer eyes Ultrabook price drop for next year, bigger cuts coming in 2013
Having recently affirmed its commitment to the netbook, Acer is now reportedly looking to boost its Ultrabook sales, with the help of a handsome price cut. Citing company president Jim Wong, DigiTimes reports that Acer will slash the price of its Ultrabook offerings by as much as 20 percent next year, dropping them from around $1,000 to between $800 and $900. The cut, expected to go into effect during Q2 2012, will be followed by a subsequent reduction to $500 in 2013, when Acer expects more vendors to enter the market. The hope is that the manufacturer will be able to reclaim some of the ground it's lost to competitors in recent months, though it remains to be seen whether or not the strategy pays dividends.
Catcher hopes to have MacBook Air plant working by November
A supplier of MacBook Air aluminum casings, Catcher Technology, recently had to shut down a plant in Eastern China following complaints by neighbors of "strange odors" emanating from the facility. While this could have been a concern for a critical part of the supply chain for one of Apple's most popular Mac products, the manufacturer says the plant should be back up and running by November. A Catcher spokesman noted yesterday that the company is spending between US$2 - 3 million to resolve the environmental issues, cutting back on gas emissions from the plant. Realizing that dependence on a single plant could be a major risk, Catcher is planning on adding some production space in Tainan, Taiwan. The quick resolution of the environmental issues should be reassuring to Apple. The MacBook Air accounted for a large part of the 4.89 million Macs sold in the 4th fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2011, and a slow response by Catcher might have resulted in shortages or worse, Apple moving to another long-term supplier.
Report highlights iPhone 4S design changes
If you think the new iPhone 4S is just the same old iPhone a report in DigiTimes may have you thinking again. The publication quotes an IHS analysis which looks at some key under-the-hood changes in the new iPhone beyond the obvious faster processor, antenna redesign and addition of the Siri software. Wayne Lam, a senior IHS analyst says the iPhone camera is a 5 lens system, a first for any smartphone. The new camera is getting raves from users, and comparisons show it's a very high quality implementation for both still photos and high definition video. The report also praises the fact that the iPhone 4S can operate on multiple carriers using different cellular systems and frequencies. Here in the US, the same phone can work on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. "No other handset OEM produces a single device for multiple operators and for multiple geographies on this scale." IHS also highlights other changes to processors and architecture in the iPhone 4S. It adds up to a significantly different user experience that is not obvious when just looking at the new iPhone but pays some big dividends for iPhone 4S owners.
Apple reportedly moves iPad battery orders from Simplo to Dynapack
Digitimes is reporting that due to defective Lithium-polymer battery packs in some iPad 2s, Apple has shifted some orders for the battery packs from Simplo Technology to another producer, Dynapack International Technology. The defective batteries may have leakage problems. Digitimes notes that these problems can cause short circuits in the batteries, which can cause problems with recharging. Lithium-polymer batteries use very stable chemical materials, so the leakage cannot cause explosion or fire hazards. Simplo has been supplying Apple with batteries for a number of devices for years, including the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. It is believed that the problem with defective batteries has now made Dynapack the predominant supplier for the iPad 2 batteries.
"Apple Shock" and its effect on the IT industry
It's well known in the Wintel PC industry that Apple has been kicking butt and taking names. Starting last year, Apple's iPad and second-generation MacBook Air started doing some serious damage to many of its competitors. Digitimes Research senior analyst Joanne Chien has a name for this -- Apple Shock -- and says that the effect has expanded as the global economic downturn has worsened. Chien says that Apple Shock has affected the PC market in three ways. First, combined shipments of the iPad and MacBook Air have surpassed all other brand vendors in the mobile computing device market in 2011 (see graph above). Next, Chien notes the impact to the market for notebook computers. The iPad has swallowed up a huge amount of demand for devices that are aimed at mobile internet surfing, accelerating the move of the notebook industry into the mature phase of the standard product life cycle. Between the economic downturn and the impact of the iPad, global notebook shipments are expected to drop this year. Finally, Apple Shock affects the Wintel structure, PC brands, and the supply chain for PC companies. Chien says that all of the players are now "working aggressively" to fight against "their common enemy, Apple." PC companies are beginning to shift their focus from only producing hardware to also adding software to the mix, and suppliers are moving from providing only product designs to adding other services. Chien's article finishes with the comment that the entrance of the notebook market into the mature phase of the product lifecycle is inevitable, and that the industry is going to experience a "period of reformation" that is expected to cause continued turmoil for PC makers.
Foxconn posts $943 million net profit for first half of 2011, 20 million iPad 2s coming for Q3?
It looks like 2011 is shaping up to be a solid year for Foxconn. Earlier this week, the hardware manufacturer announced net profits of NT$27.38 billion (about $943.72 million) for the first half of this year, just a few months after posting a disappointing $218 million loss for all of 2010. These figures, however, are down about 21 percent from the first six months of last year, when Foxconn (AKA Hon Hai Precision) reported net profits of NT$34.74 billion (around $1.2 billion). In a statement, Hon Hai said its first semester results were "as expected and remain seasonal," considering today's harsh and uncertain financial climate. DigiTimes, meanwhile, is reporting that the electronics maker is "expected" to ship a full 20 million new iPad 2s during the third quarter of this year, though the Taiwan-based news outlet didn't offer much in the way of explanation or sourcing.
Apple to boost iPhone orders to 56 million for second half of 2011
Apple may be expecting a banner second half of the year for the iPhone. According to a report by Digitimes, Apple has boosted its orders for iPhone models from 50 million to 56 million units with the iPhone 5 accounting for almost half of this order. The bulk of the iPhone 5 orders will be shipped in Q4 2011 with 20 million units flying off the production line. Apple has asked for 5 million units in Q3 2011, a lower figure that points to a launch date late in that quarter. This 12% jump could push iPhone shipments to 95 million units for the year.
iPad display quality issues reportedly prompt Apple to cut LG supplies
According to Digitimes, LG is struggling to supply Apple with much-needed 9.7-inch panels for its iPad 2 tablet. The Korean company failed to meet its production goal by one millon units in July due to quality concern issues. As early as May, rumors suggested LG panels suffered from a light leak issue that slowed production. These production problems continue to plague LG and have forced Apple to turn to Samsung and Chimei Innolux to help meet demand. Apple is being patient with the Korean company, though. It's keeping LG on as the major supplier of displays for the iPad as long as it can fix these quality issues quickly.
Apple could ship up to 15 million MacBook Air and Pro units in 2011
While the PC industry struggles, Apple is holding strong with its sales of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. According to supply chain estimates, Apple received shipments of 400,000 to 500,000 MacBook Air units in June. This number is expected to hold steady during July and August now that a new and improved MacBook Air model is available. Apple is reportedly confident in its ability to sell notebooks. While other manufacturers are approaching the second half of 2011 conservatively and quietly with very little guidance, Apple is supposedly the only vendor that provided a full shipment forecast. The Cupertino company may have a reason to be so sure of itself. According to Digitimes sources, MacBook sales as a whole could climb as high as 15 million units by the end of the year.
Apple actually not looking for additional iPad manufacturers, still BFFs with Foxconn?
Earlier this week, DigiTimes alleged that Apple was considering an additional manufacturer to produce the supposedly looming -- but really more mythical -- next generation iPad. Fast forward to now, and the Taiwanese publication reports that Cupertino has had a sudden change of heart. Foxconn -- who is currently the sole producer of the slate -- has reportedly convinced Apple to keep its manufacturing exclusive until the end of this calendar year. All isn't lost for Foxconn's competition though: the rumormonger suggests Pegatron still has a shot at a ten million production run for the next iPhone, and whatever iPad's 2012 will bring. Unmentioned in the report, however, is whether enough salt exists in the world to cover the next round of claims, later this week.
HP to ship first Ultrabooks ahead of ASUS?
Remember those Ultrabooks unveiled at Computex? ASUS had touted its UX21 to be one of the first available in September, but there's reason to believe that HP may beat it to the punch -- if you like salty punch, that is. According to DigiTimes, HP has at least two machines on the table offering Intel's latest Core i7 processors in 1.8GHz i7-2677M and 1.7 GHz i7-263M flavors. The report also suggests that Foxconn's the manufacturer and may already be shipping some rigs to la casa de HP. Lastly, although we haven't yet gotten definitive sizing on the UX21, DigiTimes mentions that ASUS is making 11.6-inch and 13-inch versions. Considering we're nearing mid-July, it can't be too long for some official word if any of this is true, just don't go sipping too much of that Kool-Aid -- okay?
iPad 2 shipping times all under one week
All of you who have been waiting since March to buy an iPad 2 can now pull out your credit card and make your order. For the first time since the wildly successful tablet began shipping, supply is meeting demand, and shipping times are now under one week. During the first month of sales, shipping times for the iPad 2 were often in the 4 to 5 week range. A quick tour of the major online Apple Stores for most of the countries in the world showed the same 3 to 5 day shipping times. Improvements in prime contractor Foxconn's ability to build the difficult-to-make device are part of the reason, but Digitimes might have another answer. The electronics manufacturing website thinks that the long shipping times may have caused some would-be buyers to switch to other tablets, claiming in an article yesterday that the iPad 2's market share in Taiwan dropped to 50% due to supply shortages. That is, of course, just one small market -- and not a representative sampling of the worldwide market for tablets. Foxconn now says that they'll be delivering between 14 to 15 million iPad 2 units to Apple over the next three months, which should make for easy availability both through Apple Stores and secondary channels.
iPhone 5 / 4S: the rumor roundup
It's July, there is no new iPhone, and the analysts are restless. This time last year, Apple had already announced and begun shipping the iPhone 4 -- in fact, every single previous model has been announced in June, save for the first, which was unveiled in January 2007. So, now that the month has come and gone and WWDC with it, what are all of the tech publications out there to do? Make with the rumor stories, naturally -- and over the past few weeks, they've been coming fast and furious.DigiTimes has offered a fairly constant stream of sometimes dubious rumors surrounding the device from its stable of supplier contacts, and a recent article from The Wall Street Journal has reopened the floodgates. GigaOm has gone so far as to suggest that the latter may well be a controlled leak from Apple, and certainly it has reignited interest in the belated device.There's not a lot in the way consensus here, save for one key detail: Apple appears set to release a new iPhone. That much seems certain. After all, the iPhone remains the company's biggest money maker, even in this post-iPad world. Last year, of course, we had a slightly better guide ahead of the launch, but this time out, for better or worse, no one at Cupertino has been considerate enough to leave the upcoming handset at a Redwood City bar after a night of partying, so let's cut through the noise and and piece together a cohesive picture based on the wide assortment of rumors.
PS4 production to begin later this year?
We're still waiting on that globe-like PS9 (aren't you?), but seeing as how wireless head-to-console gaming isn't yet available or ethical, we'll make do with PS4 rumors. Based on nothing more than a game of component-maker telephone, sources out of Taiwan are telling Digitimes to expect a brand new PlayStation 4 for launch sometime in early 2012. Reportedly on board for this latest iteration are baked-in motion controls à la Kinect and a holographic David Lynch virtual pet. We kid, but we do hope he helms those new ads. According to these anonymous insiders, Sony has a planned production run of 20 million consoles for launch -- all headed straight to eBay, we imagine. It should go without saying that news of this kind should be taken with a mouthful of salt, but with the PS3 turning five this November, it's a safe bet that there's a successor to the "It Only Does Everything" throne on the way. [Image credit via CNET Asia]
