Mark Gurman

Apple has just seeded the third beta of iOS 5 to registered to developers. Beta 3 of iTunes 10.5 is also available and will be required to sync with iOS 5 beta 3 devices. This new iOS 5 beta is compatible with the iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 4 (GSM/CDMA), iPod touch 3/4, and the Apple TV. Xcode 4.2 Preview 3 is also available for developers. Additionally, Xcode 4.1 has gone Golden Master and should be released soon. We have all the release notes after the break!

If you find anything… tips@9to5mac.com. We’ll be updating the site with findings, so stay tuned!

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Hot on the heels of reports that claim Apple is gearing up to launch a new iPad model this fall, Digitimes reports that Apple will be adding a second manufacture to augment the tablet’s current manufacturing from Foxconn. Foxconn is currently Apple’s exclusive contractor for iPad 2 production and since the plant’s devastating incident in May and with a new tablet right around the corner, Apple is looking for a second manufacture to build their popular tablets.

According to the report, Apple’s second iPad manufacture will either be Pegatron or Quanta Computers. Pegatron, notably manufactures the Verizon iPhone and reportedly landed 15 million iPhone 5 orders for a fall release. Quanta manufactures some Macs and other Apple products. With Apple reportedly gearing up to launch a new iPad 2 model – dubbed iPad HD by This is my next – now is a perfect time for Apple to use more manufacturing power.

The ‘iPad HD’ is expected to be a professional-minded tablet from Apple with a 2048 x 1536 Retina Display. Artwork of this high resolution has already appeared in iOS 5 exclusive SDKframework files and has been a long-rumored feature for the tablet family. This new iPad is pegged at being another iPad model, not the iPad 3.

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iui_BLtj4wg]

One of our readers took it upon himself to jailbreak one of the Apple Store iPad 2 Smart Signs (video above). If you aren’t familiar, the Smart Sign is the iPad in front of each Apple product. As we revealed earlier this year, this sign explains and provides specifications for the product it sits beside.

Customers are not able to actually use this iPad for anything but the Smart Sign application, but with the right top-secret gesture anything is possible. That’s where reader Adrian came in. He figured out the secret gesture, went to the home screen, launched up Safari, and jailbroke the Smart Sign with the new JailbreakMe 3.0 tool.

Now that it has been done, no one else needs to do this, mmk?

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[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/25958231 w=400&h=225]

You may have heard about a recent video that is a compilation of recordings of people using Apple Store display Macs. The video, highlighted by Gizmodo, was created by Kyle McDonald. McDonald created the video, you see above, by installing special spy camera software on Apple Store Macs. This software took recordings from two New York-based Apple Stores and sent it to Kyle’s computer. This is obviously super-invasive and when we first saw this video, we we’re certain that it was not going to end well for McDonald.

Mashable now reports that Apple has, in fact, gone after McDonald — but does not detail what Apple is looking to do. That’s not all though as the United States Secret Service is also going after Kyle. Apparently, the Secret Service swiped two flash drives, an iPod, and two computers from McDonald’s home. After recording people, installing spy cam software on Apple’s private property, and having the Secret Service after him, McDonald reportedly believes he has not broken any laws.

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HP’s Touchstone wireless charging technology as shown with the Pre

The Wall Street Journal follows up on their earlier report about the iPhone 5, once again calling for a thinner and lighter device with an 8 megapixel camera – but with a design akin to the iPhone 4. Tonight’s new report claims that Apple is already at working on a major iPhone revamp for the product’s sixth iteration. The phone, which will launch sometime in 2012, is said to include a “new way of charging the phone.”

This “new way of charging” jogs our memory of a report from This is my next, who claimed that Apple is already at work on complete iPhone revamp. That report pegged a thinner device with a 3.7 inch Retina Display, a gesture-based home button, and “cable-free juicing.” Perhaps this new way of charging is HP webOS-esque cable-free charging. Perhaps this also means that the other innovations discussed by This is my next will appear in the sixth-generation iPhone.

In addition, the WSJ is reiterating earlier claims by many and says that Apple is still working on a lower-priced iPhone with an edge-to-edge display. On a final note, contradicting Bloomberg’s claim that the iPhone 5 was delayed until September because iOS 5 was not ready, the new WSJ report says that the iPhone 5 is launching in late September because the hardware was simply not ready for a summer launch.

A person briefed on Apple’s product plans said the company initially planned to launch its next iPhone this summer as it usually does, but the device wasn’t ready in time.

The fifth-generation iPhone is also expected to feature the dual-core A5 processor found in the iPad 2 and a new Qualcomm-built cellular chip that can connect to both GSM and CDMA networks across the globe.

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The infamous browser-based jailbreak service, JailbreakMe.com has officially returned in its full glory. The jailbreak, which was leaked this past weekend, promises to hack any iOS 4.3.3 (iPad 2 included!) device with the touch of a button in iOS Safari. Head to www.jailbreakme.com to try it out. As with all methods of jailbreaking, you are at your own risk.

Thanks, Kris and Sonny!

Update: Video, courtesy of iPhone Download Blog, of the jailbreak process is after the break; check it!

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According to Digitimes, Taiwan-based Apple product manufacturer, Pegatron, has landed 15 million iPhone 5 orders from Apple. This is the same manufacturer that builds the CDMA iPhone 4. The report says that these 15 million devices are expected to ship in September, as we previously reported, and the upgrade will not be major. In addition, new “manpower” for factories has been hired to handle the iPhone 5 production load.

Taiwan-based notebook maker Pegatron Technology is estimated to have landed orders for 15 million iPhone 5s (iPhone 4S) from Apple and is set to start shipping in September of 2011, according to sources from upstream component makers. In response, Pegatron declined to comment about its cooperation with clients.

The next version of the iPhone recently reached its final testing stage and is expected to pack the dual-core A5 processor found in the iPad 2, an improved camera with an 8 megapixel sensor (possibly Sony-built), and a design akin to the design of the iPhone 4. There has been some debate as to whether or not this next-generation handset will be a minor upgrade or a major upgrade, but most sources have pointed to a minor upgrade; at least for the device’s exterior.

In addition, the next-generation iPhone is said to feature a dual GSM+CDMA cellular chip. This would allow Apple to product one handset that can connect to both CDMA (Verizon in the U.S.) and GSM (AT&T in the U.S.) networks. Additionally, there has been some talk about a T-Mobile variant of the next iPhone, with a next-generation T-Mobile iPhone reportedly being in testing (with an A5 chip!) and T-Mobile explaining the relative popularity of the device on their network.

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Earlier today, Apple essentially completed work on the first public release of Mac OS X Lion with the seeding of the Golden Master version of the product to developers. This Golden Master stage essentially marks today’s release as the release that the public will be getting their hands on. Now, we have been told by reliable sources that Apple is planning to ship Mac OS X Lion on July 14th.

The release will come through the Mac App Store for $29.99. Separately, a server version of OS X Lion will be available via the Mac App Store for $49.99. This July 14th release date backs up with what we have heard regarding the new MacBook Air‘s release date. We cannot confirm, though, that the MacBook Air will be released on Lion day, but it does make sense – seeing that Lion has constantly been marketed alongside the MacBook Air.

Our sources do warn, though, that this release date can be pushed back at anytime due to any last minute bugs. A situation like this happened with iOS 4.2 last year. Apple ended up pushing the release date back and seeded multiple Golden Master builds to developers until the software was perfect for its public release.

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Apple has seeded the golden master version of OS X Lion to developers ahead of its public release sometime this month (July). The golden master download is available from Apple’s Mac Developer website. The build number is 11A511. In addition, Apple has seeded Developer Preview 7 of Xcode 4.1.

OS X Lion brings many innovations from iOS including home screens (called Launchpad in Lion), autosaving, full screen application interfaces, and auto resume in apps. This is in addition to native support for the Mac App Store, Mission Control, an all new email client, built-in FaceTime, and interface and feature  improvements through out the operating system. Lion also includes AirDrop file sharing, multi-user remote computer access, and Find my Mac (through iCloud).

Apple is yet to announce a release date for OS X Lion, but we do know that it is coming sometime this month on the Mac App Store (exclusively) for $29.99. Apple is gearing up to ship an upgraded MacBook Air line in mid-July – with OS X Lion preinstalled. Perhaps Apple’s next-generation Mac operating system will launch then, too.

This golden master download is also available for the OS X Lion Server edition. For developers, both golden masters can be found on the Mac App Store. You will need to grab your redemption code form the developer program to access the download.

In addition to OS X Lion golden master and Xcode 4.1 Preview 7, Apple has also released beta 3 of iCloud for Mac. This update is required for OS X Lion GM users who wish to use iCloud with their Macs.

If you find anything, let us know at tips@9to5mac.com

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We’ve been hearing reports of minor – not severe – white MacBook constraints as early as last week. The white MacBooks are not even close to as constrained as the MacBook Air and the Mac mini – which is in fact constrained as well – but the process leading up to a product refresh is booting up. Now, we’ve discovered that Best Buy is marking the $999 white MacBooks as “backordered” in their systems.

This is the same system that currently marks the constrained Mac minis as “backordered,” as we reported two weeks ago. Looking deeper into BestBuy’s online store, the major Apple reseller is quoted new white MacBook shipments between July 15th and July 27th. We’re not saying that this backordered status means a refresh for the MacBook, as this can just be indicative of Apple loading OS X Lion – rumored to be launching in mid-July – on to the consumer notebooks. More after the break:

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYuUP6-xotw]

According to Reuters, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told reporters, yesterday, that Facebook is planning to “launch something awesome” next week. The product developed in Facebook’s Seattle-based engineering center can obviously be anything from a new site feature or a new mobile application, but with multiple iOS-related products coming very soon, we’re thinking this awesome launch might be their long-awaited iPad application.

Facebook has reportedly been readying a native iPad application for sometime now and according to a report from two weeks ago, the application is essentially complete and is undergoing final testing. This application is said to bring some unique features to the 9.7 inch tablet – and have an interface that goes way beyond what is currently available to Facebook.com and Facebook for iPhone users.

People who have seen the application said it has a slick design that has been tailored for the iPad and its touchscreen interface. Facebook developers and designers have also overhauled the Facebook Chat and Facebook Groups features for the application. And the app will go beyond the features available on the Facebook Web site by allowing users to shoot and upload photos and videos directly from the iPad’s built-in cameras.

Also on the table is Facebook’s “Project Spartan.” The project, originally detailed by TechCrunch, is essentially a web-based application store platform – focused on the iPad.

It’s entirely HTML5-based and the aim is to reach some 100 million users in a key place: mobile. More specifically, the initial target is both surprising and awesome: mobile Safari. Yes, Facebook is about to launch a mobile platform aimed squarely at working on the iPhone (and iPad). But it won’t be distributed through the App Store as a native application, it will be entirely HTML5-based and work in Safari.

A third upcoming iOS product from Facebook is an Instagram-like, photo-sharing application. Tech Crunch describes:

Either way, based on the images in front of us, the best way to think about it appears to be Path meets Instagram meets Color meets (Path’s new side project) With — with a few cool twists.  And obviously, it’s built entirely on top of Facebook’s massive social graph.

With three iOS products on the table for an imminent launch, and with an iPad application that has been said to be launching in the coming weeks, we think it makes sense that at least one of these three initiatives is in store for Facebook’s “awesome” product launch next week.

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By now, most people that are interested in Apple and/or video editing have heard about the ongoing criticism towards Apple’s latest professional movie making software, Final Cut Pro X. Many are calling this total revamp of the Final Cut product an application that is not suited for professionals. Some have even dubbed it as a slightly jazzed up version of iMovie – “iMovie Pro.” Now, Apple has officially responded to this criticism with a new “answers to the most common questions we’ve heard” web page.

Final Cut Pro X is a breakthrough in nonlinear video editing. The application has impressed many pro editors, and it has also generated a lot of discussion in the pro video community. We know people have questions about the new features in Final Cut Pro X and how it compares with previous versions of Final Cut Pro. Here are the answers to the most common questions we’ve heard.

The new website posts some of the most common questions from video editors and provides answers directly from Apple. The website breaks the questions and answers down into these categories: importing, editing, media management, exporting, and purchasing. Some of the answers flat out say that a respective feature is not a part of Final Cut Pro X, some say the respective feature is coming eventually, and other answers tell users that a respective function is present and gives ways of accessing it.

Some choice answers:

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Apple’s new MacBook Air line has been expected for weeks now, with evidence supporting a refresh coming by way of constraints at global retailers and most recently at major Apple reseller BestBuy.com. Although this refresh has been expected, a well-sourced and specific launch time frame is yet to emerge. Now, we’ve been told that Apple is gearing up to launch their upgraded line of ultra thin notebooks in mid-July.

The rumors regarding what the new laptops will feature have been conservative, and according to a person who has seen the new MacBook Air, exterior changes (if any) were so minute that they were not noticed. In other words, don’t expect to be able to tell this mid-2011 MacBook Air apart from the late-2010 model. That is, except for the Thunderbolt logo that sits in place of the Mini Display port logo.

Also, as expected, these new models will pack Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors and are likely the models that Intel recently made available for thinner notebook lines:

• Core i7-2677M: 2 cores, 1.8GHz (turbos to 2.9GHz), 4MB cache, 17 watts, $317
• Core i7-2637M: 2 cores, 1.7GHz (turbos to 2.8GHz), 4MB cache, 17 watts, $289
• Core i5-2557M: 2 cores, 1.7GHz (turbos to 2.7GHz), 3MB cache, 17 watts, $250

In addition, the new notebooks, launching in mid-July, come with OS X Lion pre-installed. Apple shipping out their next-generation operating system with these new Macs would also mean a mid-July launch for 10.7 Lion. An exact release date for both products is yet to be pinpointed, but we’ve been hearing rumblings about July 14th, which is a Thursday.

Also, Apple is holding their financial results conference call on Tuesday, July 19th. Apple typically releases products during the days leading up to the financial results announcement (so they have something interesting to talk about). iPhones and iPads often are released the Friday before earnings, which would be the 15th.

Of course, Apple’s traditional product launch day is Tuesday, which would be the 12th or the 19th. In any case, we’re looking at Lion and new MacBook Airs in about 2-3 weeks. We are also looking, according to recent reports, at new Mac minis and Mac Pros soon after these upgraded MacBook Airs.

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Google has announced on their Google+ information page that their new social networking service will be available as a native application for the iOS platform. Google does not provide a launch date for this application, but says it is “coming soon” to iPhones running iOS 4.0 or later. There is no mention of an iPad application at this time, but you’ll be able to run it in 2X mode like other iPhone apps. (via iPhone Italia).

Cross posted with 9to5Google.com

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC8s44MRGVA]

Pope Benedict XVI made his first tweet today – and he sent it from an iPad! (via Rome Reports)

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Apple has announced that their Q3 financial results conference call will be held on Tuesday, July 19. The call starts at 2 PM PST/ 5 PM EST. We’ll be providing live updates from the call. (via Setteb).

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Apple has released Java updates for both OS X Snow Leopard and OS X Leopard. These updates bring enhanced security, compatibility, and reliability to both versions of Mac OS.

Snow Leopard: 

Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 delivers improved compatibility, security, and reliability by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_26.

Leopard:

Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 10 delivers improved compatibility, security, and reliability by updating J2SE 5.0 to 1.5.0_30, and updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_26 for 64-bit capable Intel-based Macs.

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Apple is set to release their own accessory for data transfers and display connections between Thunderbolt Macs. The accessory is coming in the form of a cable with both ends featuring connectors for the Thunderbolt I/O port. As we already know, this port is the same size as the Mini Display ports on current and past generation Macs.

These Thunderbolt cables are perfect for data migration between Thunderbolt Macs (currently the iMac and MacBook Pro) as well as for display connections. Although Apple’s LED Display supports Thunderbolt Macs, this new cable might be a hint at a new Apple LED Display with a Thunderbolt port. Perhaps today’s Thunderbolt update has something to do with the new cord.

Additionally, this new cable comes ahead of new MacBook Airs, Mac minis, and Mac Pro with Thunderbolt I/O in the coming weeks.

Thanks, Mr. X!

Update: Apple has officially released the new cable. It’s $55 AU, £3,9.00 in the UK, and… $49 in the U.S.

Thunderbolt technology supports blazing-fast data transfer with two independent channels of 10Gbit/s each. Use the Apple Thunderbolt cable to connect your Thunderbolt-equipped peripherals to your new iMac or new MacBook Pro.

Apple Thunderbolt cable can also be used for Target Disk Mode between two Macs that support Thunderbolt, or to use a new iMac as a display for a MacBook Pro equipped with Thunderbolt.

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We’ve known for many weeks now that a refreshed line of MacBook Airs is incoming, starting with rumors about Airs with Sandy Bridge processors way back then, our report that the current SKUs are constrained across the globe, and a report from Asia that pinpoints a late June launch of the new ultra-thin notebooks. Now, we’ve noticed that major Apple reseller Best Buy is joining the MacBook Air rumor mill.

The retail outlet’s online component recently has placed all four of the current MacBook Air models on not available for shipping. This typically means that supplies are so constrained that they have to focus their remaining inventory on their popular physical retail stores. BestBuy.com does not provide a date for when they will be shipping the notebooks again, but these types of things are usually indicative of a product refresh. Even more so because we know one is coming very soon. Additionally, a number of stores have indicated to us that they are exceptionally low on MacBook Air stock.

Best Buy has recently been the scene of new Apple product indications. For example, the company often places “DUMMY SKUs” in their system ahead of refreshes. Although they usually do not always know the precise release dates, they seem to be aware that new gear is incoming. The “not available for shipping” stance works in a similar fashion. An example of this would be iLife no longer being available for shipping in the weeks prior to the iLife ’11 unveiling and release. In addition, supply of the MacBook Air is tight – compared to other products – at Canadian retailer Future Shop.

On a final note, we’ve been hearing some whispers about the new MacBook Airs launching the week of July 4th. Although these whispers are backed up by past trends, they are unconfirmed.

Update from reader Doug:

On bestbuy.co.uk you can only order to collect the 128GB MBA in store and it’s only in stock in a few stores. The other MBA’s are totally out of stock.

Update 2X:

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The infamous hacking group Lulzec finished their fifty day string of high profile hackings with the release of some AT&T internal documents. Jonathan at iFans discovered a section of the documents that discusses AT&T’s 4G LTE rollout. Of note, a particular document slide points to an LTE-capable iPad.

Pre-LTE scenarios. Testing will include iPad new activations HLS using the new rate plan, as well as a regression on netbooks and dongles.  During validation E2E execution should ensure all functionality new and current is still functioning properly by validating account set up, provisioning, usage and notifications.

•SBP ST scenarios.  Testing will include activations, add stacked plans, add international plans, perform customer service functions using the LTE devices.  Testing will validate device is being provisioned and the proper policy from PCRF are being enforced.  Usage should be added to decrement the account when needed in order to show RTDUNS are functioning properly.

Specifically, as you can in the LTE slide above, AT&T will be testing (or already tested) “iPad new activations HLS using the new rate plan.” This document was found in a November 2010 filing by AT&T, so we are unsure if this was testing in November 2010, or that document referenced the 2011 roadmap as well. The document itself is very unclear.

Additionally, if this November and December testing is in 2011, the rumors of a September iPad 3 with LTE can clearly be ruled out. An analyst reported earlier this month that according to supply chain sources, Apple is preparing a next-generation iPad with an improved display and LTE data. If the iPad gains LTE capabilities in 2012, the 6th generation iPhone in 2012 will likely also gain LTE data speeds.

Update: iFans found a page that might backup September iPhone 5 rumors. We definitely don’t think it means an LTE iPhone this year, though.  Full presentation linked here.

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As early as last week, my sources in the Apple food chain were hinting at some sort of way for Apple Stores to unlock AT&T iPhone 4s – different than the unlocked models that Apple Stores started selling on June 13th. Now, a trusty retail source hit us up with the above note from an Apple Retail Project Manager, saying that Apple Stores can now unlock the AT&T version of the iPhone.

Basically, if a respective Apple Store is running low of the unlocked GSM SKUs of iPhone 4, they can pull out an AT&T SKU and, at checkout, the system can choose to unlock it. Obviously, this will only work if the customer pops out the full $650 for the 16 gigger or $749 for the 32 GB monster.

Apple has previously been able to sell contract-free iPhones for those aforementioned mega prices – but those phones were still strapped to AT&T. With this new route, people can run off to international carriers or cut up their SIM to work with T-Mobile in the U.S. As we previously reported, T-Mobile is now carrying over a million iPhone users in the United States.

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