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Leaked Photo of New Apple Portable Device? NOPE. Just An Icon.

Aviv — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:24:36 +0000

9to5mac has more on this.

Just an icon.

Leaked Photo of NEXT-Generation iPod Shuffle

Aviv — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:17:56 +0000

Even though Apple has recently released released a new iPod Shuffle, our sources were able to get their hands on a leaked photo of the NEXT generation iPod Shuffle. It’s even smaller, invisible and only works with these obscure Japanese headphones that nobody can find.

The new shuffle depicted in the leaked photo below, has wireless syncing built right in.

Leaked iPhone Photo Suggests Matte Black Revision

Aviv — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:56:43 +0000

The Mac Observer has posted a photo of what they suggest may be an upcoming revision to Apple’s iPhone. The changes described are cosmetic with the iPhone shedding its glossy exterior for a flat matte look.

Apple’s iPhone has been rumored to be staying on its normal release schedule with an upcoming revision in June or July of 2009. Claims of an iPhone dipping down towards a $99 iPhone have continuously made the rounds, and we know that an iteration of Apple’s iPhone is hitting China mid-may. Additionally, rumors of an iPhone nano will not die, even though Apple’s plans should, and most likely will, remain focused around what’s important.

MacRumors has also received photos from the same series. Shown below:

Macworld Rumor Aftermath: What We Know Now

The MacBlogz Team — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:04:14 +0000

This year’s Macworld saw four core announcements during Phil Schiller’s keynote speech. Even though Apple delivered some incredible new stuff, a large majority of the rumors were inaccurate, without even a brief mention.

What Came True

Macbook Pro

Most notably, Apple unveiled the brand new 17″ Macbook Pro. It has adopted the unibody design and also brings with it some major innovations in battery life. When Apple first unveiled the new unibody notebooks back in October, early speculation pointed towards a Macworld ‘09 release. This prediction was looked at as relatively natural, and Apple even murmured a few notes pointing to a “few month” delay. As Macworld grew near, 9to5mac was first to announce anything noticeably major surrounding changes to the 17″ Macbook Pro. They specifically pointed to the embedded non-user replaceable battery, and a major jump in battery life. MacRumors also heard similar whispers, and prior to the event was able to reaffirm the legitimacy of the information. The design changes that the 17″ Macbook Pro got were obvious, but nobody new Apple would offer a $50 anti-glare option.

iTunes Loses DRM, Three Tier Pricing & Over the Air Downloads

Cnet correctly reported a good amount of information regarding Apple’s then unannounced iTunes update. Information about new tiered pricing, over-the-air downloads and massive updates to the DRM free catalog of music were all correct.

iLife & iWork

While it may have seemed easy to assume these update were coming. MacRumors found a nice piece of confirming evidence before the official announcement. Up until then, mentions of iWork (or parts of it) moving into the cloud, were all that was reported about.

Strong Cloud Computing Push

9to5mac brought the first word that this was happening. In fact, they even new the name would be iWork.com and called the launch date. After we found out what might be coming, we did a little investigation ourselves and were able to completely confirm the rumor, along with some new pricing and presentation info. Specifically, we had the name iWork Online thrown at us, but it ended up just being iWork.com. Additionally, our sources revealed that this would be free from Apple, which also turned out to be correct, only in the form of a beta tag. Parts of the information both 9to5, as well as ourselves received about iMovie cloud updates were a little blurry, and no significant updates to a web based version of iMovie were announced.

What Did Not Come True

Mac Mini

A few weeks back, Wired introduced the notion that Apple would be updating the Mac Mini in time for a Macworld appearance, even providing some rather detailed specs from what was noted to be a trusted source at Apple. Leading up to the event several others followed suit as Apple Insider was under the impression that the low-end desktop would receive dual display support. While Ars Technica did buy into the indication that the Mac Mini would receive updates, they remained weary of the dual display support. TUAW provided there own take regarding the purported changes, yet were stifled by an opposing report. Bottom line: no updated Mac Mini appearance at Macworld 2009 and the future of the desktop remains unclear.

32GB iPhone

Back in November we received word from an unconfirmed and anonymous source that a memory bumped 32GB iPhone would be making an appearance in January. The tipster stated, “That rumored red iPhone… It’s not happening. The only iPhone news I know for certain is that it’s getting bumped to 32GB in January.” While 32GB iPhone rumors have surfaced before, information pertaining to Apple’s stockpiling of NAND flash pointed toward larger capacity devices. Macrumors was able to solidify a technical explanation of what was possible for this. It’s important to note that the tip clearly states “January” as the launch month, and not Macworld specifically, so there are still three weeks for this to happen which would make the tip accurate. Here at MacBlogz, unconfirmed sources and tips remain just that: unconfirmed.

Snow Leopard Demo

Digitimes was first to report about a possible Snow Leopard demo at Macworld. AppleInsider hammered home the notion of a Snow Leopard demo at Macworld. Both were wrong. Information first made public by MacRumors is perhaps the only solid information from a proven source regarding Snow Leopard and a tentative launch date.

iMac

Last October, claims supporting the notion that Apple’s all-in-one iMac would be getting speedbumped in time for the holiday season, proved to be incorrect. Following these reports, Digitimes, who tout a relatively accurate track record (lately), reported that updated iMacs would make a January appearance. Additionally, AppleInsider vehemently sided with a PC Perspective report that detailed expectations of a 28″ iMac. This was also inaccurate. Whether we see this in the future remains unconfirmed, but it did not show up at Macword.

Be sure to read our Rumor Roundup which was put together before the Macworld keynote.

Rumor Roundup: Apple’s Final Macworld

The MacBlogz Team — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:13:53 +0000

This year’s Macworld Conference and Expo will be Apple’s last year in attendance. Even though CEO Steve Jobs won’t be giving the keynote, excitement is still going strong, and there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of rumors either. (Here’s a recap that we’ll continuously update prior to the event)

New iMacs

READ → Back in October there were claims that Apple’s all-in-one iMac would be getting a speedbump prior to the holidays which turned out to be incorrect. Still, an iMac refresh or speedbump is expected. Digitimes, which has become a fairly accurate source of information lately, has reported that new iMacs are expected in January. Whether they show up Macworld or not, is still unconfirmed.

A Strong Cloud-Computing Push

READ → 9to5 perhaps brings the most solid track record to this year’s rumor roundup. They’ve kicked things off with some rumored updates to iWork and iLife. Apple may be taking a portion of these applications to the cloud, integrating deeply with Mobile Me and diversifying the offerings they have in the web-app space. Speculation has grown prior to the event, as people are unsure how Apple’s stability in this space has been measured after last summer’s shaky Mobile Me launch. Interestingly, MacBlogz has been able to confirm the information along with some pricing info, and an overall perspective on how Apple may present the new information. It’s also important to note that Phil Schiller debuted Apple’s latest foray into cloud computing, Mobile Me.

32GB iPhone

READ → Back in early November, MacBlogz received an anonymous tip pointing to a 32GB iPhone to be released in January. “That rumored red iPhone… It’s not happening. The only iPhone news I know for certain is that it’s getting bumped to 32GB in January,” the tipster explained. The 32GB iPhone rumors have been around for a while. Information surrounding Apple’s aggressive hoarding of NAND flash also lends itself to the release of higher capacity handhelds. Recently, all iPhone retailers have been making more aggressive plays at cheaper pricing, but it remains Apple’s jobs to innovate the device itself. Additionally, MacRumors clarifies a few points regarding this information and what is technically available.

Snow Leopard

READ → Many believe that Apple will at least show off a demo of Snow Leopard next week. MacRumors was first to make public a slide from Apple’s Director of Engineering of Unix Technologies Jordan Hubbard presentation. The slide explains that Snow Leopard is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2009. A Macworld release date might be premature, however a demo is entirely possible. Website TheGaurdian.co.uk also expects Phil Schiller to demo Snow Leopard at Macworld.

Mac Mini

READ → Wired kicked things off regarding the Mac mini. Being a credible source themselves, they explained that a trusted person told them about the Mac mini and that is “a lock.” They expect Apple to unveil the Mac mini and kick-off Macworld with the announcement. Additionally, Apple Insider reports that the upcoming Mac mini will get dual display support, while Ars Technica leaves that confirmation up in the air. TUAW explained what they thought were upcoming design changes for the Mac mini, but the information doesn’t seem very concrete, as a contradicting report points out.

17″ Macbook Pro

READ → Even though Apple left out the 17″ Macbook Pro from the latest round of notebook refreshes, it is still believed to be receiving the same unibody enclosure as its little brother. One report came in pointing out that quad core chips were ready and priced accordingly for this update. Apple Insider thinks that a delay was affecting the release of the notebooks, however Apple may have been waiting for additional internals in order to separate the 17″ Pro models from the rest of the line. Additionally, 9to5Mac has released some interesting information. According to their sources, the 17″ Macbook Pro will indeed be unveiled during Macworld, and it will have an interesting new twist surrounding the battery. They explain that Apple may have changed the Macbook Pro’s design to include a built-in, non-user replaceable battery. “The news is that Apple is making a super slim battery pack for the 17 inch MacBook Pros that will last much longer than current models,” Seth Weintraub explains. MacRumors has also heard whispers confirming the new battery.

MacBlogz will be at Macworld this year providing lots of exclusive coverage of the entire event. If there’s anything you would like us to cover at any point during Macworld, drop us line and let us know… We’ll check it out and get it up. As for live-blogging, we’ll point you to some of our friends that have cooked up some custom live-blogging solutions for the keynote.

iPhone nano Evidence Builds Up, XSKN Posts Entire Case Listings

Aviv — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:36:53 +0000

MacRumors points out that third party case manufacturer XSKN has posted a complete listing of cases they are selling pointing to the release of an iPhone nano.

This of course comes as mounting evidence that Apple may release an iPhone nano very soon. This correlates with some leaked case renderings, as well as some findings in a batch of code that all points to the release of an iPhone nano. XSKN’s complete case listing can be found here. The case manufacturer has been arguably accurate in the past, however a few technical reasons keep many from entirely believing that an iPhone nano will soon be released.

More Evidence of iPhone Nano Leaked Through Case Manufacturer

Aviv — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:58:25 +0000

Remember those third party case renderings specifically tailored for an upcoming iPhone Nano we showed you? More evidence has come in suggesting that the iPhone nano may soon be a reality.

XSKN is a third party iPhone case manufacturer that has laid out a section of its website for an upcoming “iPhone nano. As MacRumors explains, XSKN has previously leaked (began selling) cases for the iPhone 3G before it was officially released by Apple. Additionally, back in early September iLounge managed to get a hold of then unreleased 4th Generation iPod nano specs.

While it’s hard to completely believe that XSKN may have official knowledge of Apple’s upcoming plans, third party case manufacturers have an extremely important financial element to think about when running their companies. Because of Apple’s intensely secretive nature, these case manufacturers are forced to try and find any information about Apple’s future plans on their own.

MacRumors continues to explain that a few things Apple had planned for Macworld may have been delayed. This is definitely possible, and we wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if most of what was planned has been delayed or rethought due to the economy and its worsening financial conditions.

Leaked iPhone Nano Case Renderings Come In, As Promised [U]

Aviv — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:18:19 +0000

MacRumors has first published some expected photos that have been released by iDealsChina. While the unsteadily reliable site promised us these photos last week, they have only been released today. This information does correlate with information we’ve heard throughout the year pertaining to the likelihood of a new, smaller iPhone.

iDealsChina claims to have access to third part accessory suppliers overseas. They say that all the information they are able to receive (leak) has come directly from accessory makers. They explain that “thousands of people are involved in building iPhone components and those that have the means know how to get inside information, once it starts the information spreads.”

No more speculating, the new iPhone is a Nano Phone ! We just got these images of a silicone case design by www.XSKN.com for the new Nano iPhone. This case is in production. We are not sure when they will release it on their site. The XSKN designs will give you an idea of the shape and size of the new Nano iPhone. We understand that a number of company are producing cases as of last week. If you remember, before iPhone 3G was released a number of companies including Griffin had advanced information of the size and shape of iPhone 3G. We understand that once one company starts making a mold their information is passed onto other mold companies or accessory companies through a China underground network.

iDealsChina has been pretty involved in the Apple rumor mill this year. Prior to the iPod nano being officially unveiled by Apple, a slew of leaked case moldings poured in. Some were real, and some not.

Even though we have seen a Super Mini Edition iPhone, the long rumored iPhone nano has yet to make an appearance. As MacRumors points out, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has yet to be officially slotted in for his usual keynote at Macworld this year, and the rumor mill has been strangely quiet with no substantial leaks, rumors or photos as of late.

Updates: Here are a few more case renderings. Additionally, when we say the case renderings were delivered as promised, it’s referring to last week when iDealsChina reported that the images were going to be delivered this week.

iFund’s $100M Database Leaks Onto The Web

Aviv — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:11:22 +0000

Hosting company Meteora Technologies Group has accidentally leaked Kleiner Perkins’s $100 million iFund Database information onto the internet. With a text editor, the file can be easily read.

The information was quickly indexed by Google, and found in a search by Fruxx.

The iFund is a $100 million fund used to invest in digital startups that have chosen to develop applications specifically for Apple’s iPhone platform. There has been controversy surrounding the iFund before, as it was believed that iFund founders KPCB were being biased in primarily funding companies with previous ties to them.

TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington spoke with the President of Meteora (the hosting company), who explained that Kleiner Perkins was no longer a client of theirs, and that the file was published accidentally.

I spoke to Lowell Fletcher, the President of Meteora, who says that they no longer work with Kleiner Perkins, and that the file was accidentally published by one of their employees. Kleiner Perkins has not yet responded to our request for comment.

Fruxx reported to both Kleiner Perkins and Meteora that the file was removed this morning. While this may have been a mistake, if anyone has a copy of the leaked information it may prove to be a liability for KPCB specifically. If the database contained confidential information regarding applications, developers and companies, then people may be at risk.

We have dug around extensively and searched through multiple Proxies to try and get back to an old DNS stored copy of the .SQL file, but have had no luck.

[via 9to5mac]

Intel Leaks Point to Mac Pro Updates Early Next Year?

Aviv — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:35:17 +0000

Digitimes is reporting that “sources at server makers” are pointing to a first quarter 2009 launch for Intel’s new Nehalem class (Xeon 5500, 3500) CPUs.

The two last Mac Pro updates Apple unveiled were on January 8, 2008, and April 4, 2007. MacRumors’ Buyer’s Guide has more information. Apple has recently squashed any rumors by announcing “no new products before the holidays.” However Intel’s roadmap, specifically with their server class chipsets, could point us to intelligently reason that Apple’s Mac Pro line would adopt these new, more powerful CPUs.

Currently, Apple’s Mac Pro uses Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Harpertown” processors, and they max out at 3.2Ghz. It only seems like a natural progression for Apple’s top of the line desktop workstations to adopt the new Xeon CPUs Intel unveils, which will be equipped with Core i7’s QuickPath architecture. A comprehensive list of benchmarks and reviews by TheInquirer can be found here.

“The faster Xeon 5500 line will be dominated by quad-core chips and should be headlined by a 3.2GHz, 130-watt Xeon W5580. Its Level 2 cache will drop from 12MB to 8MB but should be offset by Core i7’s QuickPath architecture, which reduces the lag in accessing memory and peripherals. It should cost about $1,600 in batches of 1,000 for computer suppliers,” Electronista explains.

Xeon 5500 series: quad-core W5580 (3.2GHz), X5570 (2.93GHz), X5560 (2.8GHz), X5550 (2.66GHz), E5540 (2.53GHz), E5530 (2.4GHz), E5520 (2.26GHz), E5506 (2.13GHz), E5504 (2GHz) and dual-core E5502 with prices at US$1,600, US$1,386, US$1,172, US$958, US$744, US$530, US$373, US$266, US$224 and US$188 in thousand-unit tray quantities.
Xeon 3500 series: Intel will launch three CPUs: quad-core W3570, W3540 and W3520 priced at US$999, US$562 and US$284.

As noted above, Apple’s Mac Pro does not have a consistent record for being released early in the year. However, seeing as how its most recent update was early January 2008, the information unveiled today can be correlated with the possible adoption by Apple’s workstations in the first quarter of 2009. Some have speculated that Macworld ‘09 could be a launching pad for the new machine. Last year, Apple unveiled the updated Mac Pro during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), even though Macworld was only a week away.

Interestingly, in January 2009, Macworld and CES will overlap. CES runs from January 8-11 and Macworld runs from January 5-9. A product announcement prior to Macworld seems unlikely. However, stealing some of CES’ thunder could become a favorite past-time for Cupertino, so we’ll see in January.