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Popular iOS IM app, ‘imo’, getting gorgeous redesign on Tuesday (Gallery)

Popular cross-platform messaging service imo.im, home to 700,000 daily users, has been updating its iOS app over the last few months with some big new features. In August, it rolled out voice calls over Wi-Fi, 3G, and 4G, but next week it will introduce an all-new app that includes a new UI. We got an early look at the new app (screenshots below) and might have just found our new go-to messaging app for iOS. And it’s free.

Other features in the update will include new group photo sharing features, allowing users to “take multiple photos quickly with the native camera and upload and share with groups of friends in real-time.” You’ll also now be able to download those photos from within group chats to your iPhone’s gallery over 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi.

The all-new imo instant messenger app for iOS will be available Nov. 13 for free in the App Store. In case you’re unfamiliar, imo is currently sending about 50 million messages daily through the following supported services: Facebook Chat, Google Talk, Skype, MSN, ICQ/AIM, Yahoo, Jabber, Hyves, VKontakte, Myspace, and Steam.

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IHS iSuppli: Apple buying chips at a faster rate, will remain top OEM semiconductor buyer in 2012-2013

In a post on iSuppli citing the IHS iSuppli OEM Semiconductor Spend Analysis report, the research firm broke down Apple’s continued lead among top OEM semiconductor buyers, noting Apple is buying at a faster rate and “dramatically outperforming” No.2 purchaser Samsung. The research expects Apple to increase its spending on semiconductors to $28 billion this year from $24 billion in 2011, and also made the case for Apple’s continued growth in 2013. Apple will experience the fastest growth among the top 10 with the company “set to increase its chip buying at a rate nearly three times faster than the next-fastest-rising purchaser.”

Apple this year is expected to buy nearly $28 billion worth of semiconductors, up 15 percent from $24 billion in 2011, according to an IHS iSuppli OEM Semiconductor Spend Analysis report from information and analytics provider IHS (NYSE: IHS). This means that Apple will dramatically outperform the No. 2 purchaser, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., allowing it to remain the world’s top OEM semiconductor buyer—a position it has held since 2010… Apple is set to expand its lead in global chip purchasing in 2013, with growth of 12.3 percent once again leading the Top 10 OEM semiconductor purchasers.

Senior analyst for semiconductor spending and design activity at IHS Myson Robles-Bruce explained the benefit of Apple’s dominance in the supply chain:

“It’s well known that Apple has already conquered the smartphone and tablet segments—but behind the scenes the company is engaging in another kind of conquest: the dominance of the electronics supply chain,” said Myson Robles-Bruce, senior analyst for semiconductor spending and design activity at IHS. “Such a dominant position provides critical benefits, allowing one to dictate semiconductor pricing, control product roadmaps and obtain guaranteed supply and delivery. For Apple, these benefits translate into competitive advantages, letting it offer more advanced products at lower prices, faster and more reliably than the competition.”