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Unlikely new MacBook Pro specs label surfaces: 2560 x 1600 display, USB 3.0 ports, thin as Air

While we obviously cannot confirm these purported technical specifications for the upcoming MacBook Pro revamp, an anonymous MacBook Pro packaging label was sent to us (above) earlier today. The labeling is of the same nature as the 13 inch MacBook Pro label leak from this morning – unconfirmed – but it does list some interesting specs.

Notably, the label seems to affirm much of what we reported in May: a much higher-resolution display, USB 3.0, and a thinner, lighter design. Specifically, the thinness of the 15 inch notebook is touted as 0.74 inches (compared to the current 0.95 inches) and a weight of 4.7 pounds (compared to the current model’s 5.6 pounds). This is almost as thin as a MacBook Air (.68″ thick) and not a whole lot heavier.

Since this is a professional notebook, the performance internal components are crucial. According to this unconfirmed label, at least one of the two new 15 inch MacBook Pros will come with an incredible 16GB of 1600MHz DD3 RAM, 750GB of Hard Drive storage space (Upgrade to SSD is a no brainer), and an AMD Radeon HD 7770M graphics processor. This AMD chip is said to sport 2GB of GDDR5 memory. Additionally, an easily switchable Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics chip is also included.  All that power purportedly drives a 2560×1600 display.  If that sounds familiar, that’s more pixels than the current 27 inch Thunderbolt Display/iMac which clocks in at 2560×1440 .

An HD FaceTime camera, Thunderbolt port, Bluetooth 4.0, an SDXC card slot, FireWire, and Ethernet port (the latter two were on the chopping block in some prototypes according to our sources). Notably, the USB 3.0 ports we reported on are included according to this unconfirmed label.

A lot of the above seems to set off our ‘spidey senses’. First, the screen is 16:10, not 16:9 which seems to be the way Apple is heading.  Also, why put a HDD in this thing? (especially at the prices we’ve been hearing).  Also, we’ve heard a lot of different specs…NVidia, no Ethernet or Firewire and a bunch of other small things.  For now take it as it is: unconfirmed and one of many things to consider for next week.

We’re hearing that the real model will ring it at close to $3000. Time to sell the kids.

Again, this label’s legitimacy is currently unconfirmed.
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Moscone WWDC 2012 Banners start going up ‘Where great ideas go on to do great things’ [Gallery]

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We are sure these are the first of many, so go ahead and send yours to tips at 9to5mac.com.

Updated: We made a gallery. Thanks Andrew Stern, Jon Bauer and Nelson!


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After nearly two years without an update, Apple to finally revamp Mac Pro next week

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Yesterday, we reported that Apple has an incredible WWDC surprise: major updates to four of its Mac lines. We were able to affirm that three of these updates would cover the redesigned MacBook Pro with a Retina Display, refreshed 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs, and new iMacs in two screen sizes. Besides those three Mac lines updates, we were unsure if the either the Mac mini or the Mac Pro would make it as the fourth update. We speculated that it could be the Mac mini due to the newly available Ivy Bridge processors, but now, reliable sources are reporting that Apple will, in fact, unveil a new Mac Pro at WWDC next week.

Sources have also been able to provide some part numbers and prices to prove this:

MD770LL/A – K5BPLUS,BETTER, BTR-USA

MD771LL/A – K5BPLUS,BEST,BTR-USA

MD772LL/A – K5BPLUS,ULTIMATE,BTR-USA

The pricing is similar to current Mac Pro models. What’s interesting here is that we’ve seen updates to every other line of Macs that Apple carries….except one…The Mac Mini.

Our sources are currently unsure of the feature-set coming with the new Mac Pro, but these sources say that there will likely now be three configurations. Two standard versions of the Mac Pro and a third version with OS X Server capabilities. In early 2011, we reported on some of the work that Apple engineers had been prototyping up for a future version of Apple’s Pro desktop line. For that report, sources said that Apple had been experimenting with a new Mac Pro design that is rackable and stackable. These prototype machines also included space for more storage drives, an important feature now that the Xserve has been long discontinued. With a year having passed since we heard about these prototype Mac Pros and the ability of Thunderbolt to offload a lot of the expandability, the final new Mac Pro designs could be different than the current designs but we haven’t yet heard definitively either way.

MacRumors reported that Apple has begun pulling Mac Pro stock from some of its retail stores. We’ve heard the same from tipsters, left.

With Apple adding the super-fast USB 3.0 technology to its next-generation MacBook Pro, and with Apple’s latest Macs including the even faster Thunderbolt I/O technology, Apple will likely add these faster connection ports to their latest Pro desktop. Since the Mac Pro is Apple’s most high-end machine for professional workers of all types, the most important features are the internals. Earlier this year, Intel released a series of Xeon E5 chips that would seem like a lock for a new Mac Pro. These new Mac Pros will likely also likely feature the latest graphics chips.

Apple last updated the Mac Pro in July 2010, making this upcoming update significant. It is unclear why Apple had left the Mac Pro in its 2010 form for so long, but a reader email from 2011 might explain that. According to the Apple executive who replied to a 9to5Mac reader inquiring about the Mac Pro’s status, Apple had been “investing heavily” in the professional desktop computer. We are unsure what investing heavily will mean for the final product, but it should surely be an incredible update over the nearly two year old model.

The Mac Pro’s demise: greatly exaggerated, indeed.
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Apple TV Firmware updated to 5.0.2 (9B830) for 720p and 1080p models

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iOS Firmware reports that Apple just updated Apple TV’s software.

device current version date found
AppleTV(2G) (AppleTV2,1) 5.0.2 (9B830) 06/05/2012 16:19:01
AppleTV3,1 (AppleTV3,1) 5.0.2 (9B830) 06/05/2012 16:19:01

We are not seeing any new features or apps (MobileMe is still there for instance). With WWDC so close, updates are carefully scrutinized.

Apple also released Mainstatge 2.2.2 on the Mac App Store today, bringing with it the following performance and stability improvements:


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Sprint to start offering prepaid iPhone on Virgin Mobile as soon as July 1

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According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Sprint is preparing to announce the iPhone on its no-contract, prepaid Virgin Mobile carrier this week with a launch as early as July 1. The move would make Sprint the second carrier to offer the iPhone on a prepaid basis following an announcement from Leap Wireless last week about its intentions to begin selling prepaid iPhones on its Cricket brand starting June 22. Perhaps more interesting is Virgin’s $35/month all you can eat Data plan which would be by far the cheapest option for iPhone use in the US.

Sprint Nextel Corp. is set to become the second U.S. mobile-phone carrier to offer Apple Inc.’s iPhone on a pay-as-you-go basis… Sprint will announce this week it will offer the popular smartphone on its Virgin Mobile pay-as-you-go brand as soon as July 1, according to people familiar with the company’s plans.

While pricing for the Virgin Mobile iPhone is not available, Cricket will offer the 8GB iPhone 4 for $399 and the 16GB iPhone 4S for $499 with the $55 a month unlimited plan. Virgin currently has prepaid plans starting at $35 a month with 2.5 GB cap before being throttled. Cricket’s markets only cover about 60 million people, as noted by The Wall Street Journal, when compared to Sprint’s coverage of nearly the entire United States.


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Apps and updates: Found, Sparrow, Napster, Yelp, productivity bundle, and more

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A few notable app updates and deals crossed our path today, and we will continue to update as the day goes on, but first a bit of news. New to-do list app Any.DO launched this weekend and hit 100,000 total downloads in only 24 hours, according to TechCrunch. The app first became popular on Android, and then it finally jumped ship to iOS. Any.DO enables you to manage tasks cross-platform by allowing you to keep them synced up for all your devices and in a number of lists. It is free on iOS, Android, and the Chrome Web Store. The number of downloads in only 24 hours is certainly a notable feat, especially considering the app did not receive any type of special promotion from Apple on iTunes.

Moving on…Every tech journalist in New York seems to be at the launch of Airtime, former Facebook president and Napster founder Sean Parker’s latest venture. Airtime is sort-of like Chatroullete and Omegle. It allows people to video chat with random strangers who have the same interests. Airtime is based on Facebook in order to find who to chat with, but an identity is not revealed until both participants add each other on the social network. Shawn Fanning, another founder of Napster and then Facebook, also assisted Parker in founding Airtime. With $33 million in venture capital, this is sure to make some rumblings in the tech community.

Update: It appears Airtime is making noise outside of the tech world, as a few celebrities were spotted taking the new video service for a spin. Check out actress Jessica Alba and Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the screenshots below (click to enlarge).

Go after the break for app deals and updates:


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Oracle sues Lodsys, attempts to invalidate patents

Texas-based shell company Lodsys has often been accused of being a patent troll for its various attempts to take legal action against app developers and companies that it claims uses its technologies. Most notably, the company last year attempted to get iOS and Android developers to pay royalties over in-app purchasing before Apple’s legal team eventually intervened on behalf of developers. Now, after recent threats from Lodsys to Oracle customers such as Walgreens over a web-chat technology, Oracle is suing Lodsys in an attempt to invalidate its patents. GigaOM reported:

Oracle has decided to weigh in because Lodsys “has repeatedly threatened numerous Oracle customers” such as Walgreens over the use of a web-chat feature Lodsys claims to own. Oracle is asking the court to declare that the four patents Lodsys is using to bully its customers are not new inventions. The patents, including US Patent  5,999,908 (“customer based design module”), came to prominence last year when Lodsys used them to sue Best Buy, Adidas and others.

Belkin shows off its updated Thunderbolt Express Dock rocking 9 connections for $399 in September

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If you are looking to get a little more out of the peripherals hooked up to your Mac, hardware manufacturer Belkin may just have the solution for you. Announced in a press release this morning (seen after the break), Belkin is showing off new upgrades to its Thunderbolt Express Dock even before it hits store shelves. The new upgrade brings three USB 3.0 ports and ditches the aging USB 2.0 ports that were shown off in the version at this year’s CES. An eSATA port was also included to bring a significant $100 price hike on the updated version, making it $399.

Overall, the Thunderbolt Express Dock features 3 USB 3.0 ports, 1 FireWire 800 port, 1 Gigabit Ethernet port, 1 eSATA port, 1 3.5mm-out port, 1 3.5mm-in port, 2 Thunderbolt ports (1 upstream, 1 downstream for daisy-chaining up to six additional Thunderbolt devices), and a MiniDP to HDMI Adapter. Additionally, Belkin announced a $44.99 Thunderbolt cable that is 3-feet long and can daisy chain up to six devices. Yesterday, Matrox announced a Thunderbolt dock priced at $249. While it does not have as many ports, it is a lot cheaper and looks more retro.

Perhaps most important: Belkin also offers another Thunderbolt port, so you can daisy chain up-to six more overpriced Thunderbolt parts to your rig. The Dock launches in September, while the cable launches in July.


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Apple faces delays in bid for sales bans in German Motorola case and US Galaxy Tab case

According to two separate reports today, Apple is once again facing roadblocks in its attempt to win sales bans in a patent-related litigation with Samsung and Motorola.

The first report comes from Bloomberg about a court in Dusseldorf, Germany, which said Apple would likely lose its bid for an injunction on Motorola’s Xoom tablet in the country:

The German court that banned Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy 10.1 tablet sales last year is unlikely to grant Apple the same victory against Motorola Mobility’s device, Presiding Judge Johanna Brueckner-Hofmann said at a Dusseldorf hearing. The assessment is preliminary and may change after today’s arguments are reviewed. A ruling is scheduled for July 17… “We don’t think someone sits in a coffee house using the Xoom and hopes other people will think he owns an iPad,” Brueckner-Hofmann said.

The second report is related to the ongoing United States Samsung/Apple patent case. Today, CIO claimed Apple’s request to ban Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 was delayed due to a judge in California telling the court it will hold off on a ruling:

Apple’s bid to get a ban on sales in the U.S. of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet has been delayed after a federal court in California said on Monday it could not rule right away on Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction, while the matter is before an appeals court… The judge said Apple can renew its request for a preliminary injunction once the appeal court issues its ruling.

Decidedly un-exciting new 13-inch MacBook Pro spec sheet leaks?

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Weiphone forum member shows a purported new MacBook Pro spec sheet ripped right from a unit. The notables are Intel HD 4000 video, USB 3.0, and a faster 1600MHz DDR3 RAM.

Perhaps more notable is the same .95-inch thickness (in fact it has the exact same dimensions as the current 13-inch MacBook Pro), optical drive, and sad 1,280-by-800 display that is not even as dense as the 2010 13-inch MacBook Air’s display.

This base model (if this is indeed real) is not going to be on our shopping list. Do you know what is?

Update: If this is indeed true, this base model MBP would be running a Intel® Core™ i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz),


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