While Apple might seem busy releasing a brand new operating system and compatibility updates for their apps on the Mac App Store, that doesn’t mean apps on iOS haven’t been ignored. Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and iTunes U are all receiving small updates that improve compatibility with iCloud, and in iTunes U’s case, adds a way to share your favorite courses with friends through Twitter, Mail, and Messages.

Pages 1.6.1, Numbers 1.6.1, and Keynote 1.6.1

Pages, Numbers, and Keynote have received simple updates that improve compatibility with iCloud for instant document syncing. Document syncing requires Pages 4.2, Numbers 2.2, and Keynote 5.2 respectively on OS X Mountain Lion.

iTunes U 1.2

Sharing courses isn’t the only new feature — iTunes U 1.2 also adds the ability to search within posts, assignments, notes, and materials from the improved search feature from any subscribed course.

You can download the update for Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and iTunes U for iOS from the App Store.

While a highly anticipated iPad 3 and iTV are expected by the mainstream media to be unveiled later this year, it’s a forthcoming event at the end of this month that could kick off another year full of surprises from Apple. Unrelated to the rumored products, Kara Swisher from All Things D writes that Apple is planning a media-focused event to be held in New York City at the end of the month, possibly pertaining to advertising or publishing deals.

According to sources “close to the situation”, Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue is reported to be involved in the announcement. Eddy Cue oversees Apple’s wide media domain, including the iBookstore, iTunes, iAds, and Apple’s iCloud services. Cue unveiled News Corp.’s online magazine, The Daily, at a media event in NYC last February.

Media is the key word in Swisher’s announcement, and while it’s possible that the upcoming event could detail some new deals for iTunes Match (perhaps for video), a sole event will promise and detail a longterm vision of Apple’s content strategy. As we saw with the international iTunes Match rollouts, I can’t see Apple using this event to make that that announcement. Siri currently has limitations outside the United States, but that too doesn’t seem like it would constitute its own event if it were to gain better international support. Apple is paving the way for something special, and if you asked me, I’m hoping Apple is starting to sit down with digital publishers to help create tools and develop experiences that are standardized and fluid on the iPad.

[via All Things D]

Update: Alexia Tsotsis from TechCrunch writes that she has independently confirmed Apple’s January event, which will be focused on the iBooks platform. While the details are still relatively unknown, the industry-oriented event will focus on publishing and eBooks. Alexia claims that the event itself isn’t “major,” meaning there will be no product launches. It is expected that improvements to the iBooks platform will be unveiled.

As usual after every keynote, Apple has posted a first video of the event, available for streaming on Apple’s website. You can reach the video here, or by pasting this link in your browser’s address bar: apple.com/apple-events/october-2011. Apple notes “streaming video requires Safari 4 or 5 on Mac OS X Snow Leopard or Lion, Safari on iOS 3 or later, or QuickTime 7 on Windows.”.

A downloadable version of the keynote should be made available on iTunes in a few hours.

Update: The October 4th keynote is now available for download on iTunes through Apple Keynotes’ feed.

Apple won’t provide a public webcast of tomorrow’s “Let’s talk iPhone” media event, according to an Apple PR representative contacted by 9to5mac. The company will make a private feed available for the European press in its Covent Garden retail store in London, but there won’t be a public live stream on Apple.com.

Apple streamed the September 2010 music event as well as “Back to the Mac” in October 2010, but didn’t provide a live stream for the iPad 2 announcement and iOS 5 preview earlier this year. The 2010 live streams were based on Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming technology and required a Mac or iOS device running Safari.

However, Apple is expected to make streaming and downloadable versions of the event available a few hours after the keynote. Apple has a dedicated webpage for media events, and Apple Keynotes can also be found on iTunes.

MacStories will offer real-time tweeting of updates tomorrow through the @MacStoriesLive Twitter account. Come back at 10 AM Pacific tomorrow for our complete coverage of Apple announcements on the site’s front page.

Tomorrow morning, Apple will hold a press conference in Cupertino, where CEO Tim Cook is widely expected to introduce the next-generation iPhone, a new iOS 5 feature called “Assistant”, and a refreshed line-up for Apple’s iPod family. However, speculation has been running wild in the past months as to whether Apple will announce not one, but two different iPhone models, or perhaps even an iPhone 4 revision to target the low-end market. With rumors of upcoming Facebook integration, voice-recognition features and cheaper iPhone 4 models, Apple’s “Let’s talk iPhone” may turn out to be bigger than expected. Or, as the name of the event suggests, perhaps the company will only focus on the iPhone, leaving other announcements for press releases and minor store updates in the next weeks.

In this post, we’ve rounded up the most recent October 4th rumors and predictions, some old rumors that haven’t been reported in a while, as well as last-minute speculation on what Apple will introduce tomorrow.

Come back tomorrow at 10 AM Pacific on MacStories for our coverage of Apple announcements.

iPhone 4S: This is the device that Apple is rumored to unveil as the “next-generation iPhone” tomorrow. Initially described as an “iPhone 5 inside an iPhone 4 case” for developers’ testing back in April, the iPhone 4S with codename N94 should pack an A5 processor, 1 GB of RAM, SGX 543MP2 GPU (same as iPad 2), GSM-CDMA dual mode, HSPA+, same 3.5-inch screen and design of the existing iPhone 4. The device will come with a new software featured called Assistant for voice-recognition, and possibly a new panoramic photo functionality, likely related to the (rumored) new 8 MP camera. The iPhone 4S name has been spotted on packaging for third-party cases, carrier websites and even Apple’s iTunes 10.5 beta. In the past months, several leaked parts and components have suggested the 4S will share the same design of the iPhone 4, only with largely improved specs.

iPhone 5: The confusion caused by the “iPhone 5″ name is due to the fact that it’s been widely used to generally indicate the new iPhone (iPhone 5 comes after iPhone 4) as well as a “completely redesigned” device, as opposed to the iPhone 4S. In fact, several analysts and industry sources believe Apple will announce two new iPhones tomorrow, a 4S for the low-end, and a “real” iPhone 5 as top-line device. The iPhone 5 was rumored to feature a new design months ago, although over time some of its alleged specs have overlapped with the iPhone 4S (improved camera, A5 CPU, 8 MP camera). The distinctive rumor about the iPhone 5 is a new “teardrop” design with tapered edges and thinner form factor, possibly a bigger screen with edge-to-edge LCD and a new “elongated” Home button.

No parts or internal components of the iPhone 5 have been leaked, suggesting such device hasn’t entered production yet and won’t be announced tomorrow.

More iPhone 4S/5 rumors in our roundup.

(more…)

Jim Dalrymple at The Loop reports Apple sent out invitations for a media event moments ago. The event is scheduled for October 4th and it’ll take place at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino.

Looking at the invitation posted by The Loop, it’s clear Apple’s keynote will focus on the iPhone — the tagline for the banner is “Let’s talk iPhone” — and, curiously enough, the image features four of Apple’s stock apps for iOS: Calendar, Clock, Maps, and Phone. We wouldn’t look too much into a possible hidden meaning on this image, but all these apps were mentioned in a rumor that claimed to have details on Assistant, an upcoming software feature of the iPhone 5. Obviously, the image itself is a representation of the event’s details (October 4th, 10 AM at Infinite Loop), but it’s not like Apple hasn’t hinted at upcoming features/products in invitations before.

Apple is widely expected to unveil the next-generation iPhone at is next keynote. Speculation surrounding the device in the past months has failed to pinpoint exactly how the next iPhone will look like, and iPhone 4-like parts surfaced this summer suggested Apple could also plan a minor “iPhone 4S”  upgrade. Others claim the “iPhone 5″ will be a completely redesigned device with thinner form factor, and possibly a bigger screen. Either way, the next iPhone is rumored to feature the company’s A5 processor, 1 GB of RAM and an 8-megapixel camera — as for the iPhone5-iPhone 4S speculation, you can read more about it in our rumor roundup and retrospective.

At WWDC in June, Apple announced iOS 5 with iCloud integration would ship “this Fall” to customers. iCloud is cross-compatible with iOS devices, web browsers, PCs and Macs — OS X will need an update to version 10.7.2 (currently in beta with developers) to work with iCloud. Other software updates expected to hit with iOS 5′s release are iTunes 10.5 (required for iOS 5 device syncing) and iPhoto 9.2 (for Photo Stream integration).

Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium during the Back to the Mac event, October 2010

John Paczkowski at AllThingsD follows-up on his earlier report of Apple’s next media event scheduled for October 4th, claiming that the keynote will be held on Apple Campus in Cupertino, rather than the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, as usual with Apple’s fall event. Details aren’t clear, but it’s possible Apple didn’t want to book a full date for the Yerba Buena Center as the keynote was too much of a “moving target”.

Perhaps, the company felt a more intimate venue was best for newly installed CEO Tim Cook’s first media event. Perhaps YBCA was simply already booked. Whatever the reason, the world will get it’s first look at the next iPhone at Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium in early October.

Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium has been used on several occasions to preview upcoming versions of iOS to the press. Last October, Apple held its “Back to the Mac” media event at Town Hall to preview the new version of OS X, Lion, iLife ’11 and announce updated MacBook Air models.

Rumors surrounding Apple’s next iPhone model have claimed the company has been working on either a completely redesigned device, or a minor update unofficially dubbed “iPhone 4S”. Several sources previously reported the next iPhone would ship in mid-October on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint in the United States; it is widely believed the new device will come with Apple’s upcoming iOS update, iOS 5, pre-installed and ready to be configured with iCloud. AllThingsD also reports Apple’s new CEO, Tim Cook, will preside over the event.

According to AllThingsD, Apple’s next media event — where the company is set to officially unveil the next-generation iPhone — will be held on Tuesday, October 4th.

That’s the day Apple is currently expected to hold its next big media event, according to sources close to the situation, where the tech giant will unveil the next iteration of its popular iPhone.

AllThingsD previously claimed the new iPhone would be announced in mid-October, and whilst Apple hasn’t publicly disclosed plans of any new iPhone or device in any time frame, the timeline seems likely at this point. Apple usually sends invites to the press a week ahead of the event, and multiple rumors are suggesting iOS 5 — which the iPhone 5 will likely run out of the box, like new Macs come with Lion pre-installed — is approaching the GM status by the end of this week.

AllThingsD also claims newly-appointed CEO Tim Cook will preside over the event, and that the plan is to release the iPhone 5 a few weeks after the announcement. Previous rumors pointed at the next iPhone being available on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint in the United States in mid-October.

Update: The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple, who has a solid track record when it comes to Apple news and rumors, has commented on AllThingsD’s article with a single “Yep”, suggesting that the original report is indeed accurate.

At around one hour, fifty-five minutes, and fifty seconds into Monday’s Keynote, Steve Jobs riposted, “If you don’t think we’re serious, you’re wrong.” The audience, wide-eyed with the announcement of iTunes Match, quickly hushed as Jobs paced across the stage. “This is our third data center that we just completed. It’s in Maiden, North Carolina.” Steve Jobs emphasized the enormous size of the data center, briefly revealing some of the technology inside. “We’re pretty proud of it.”

Apple’s 3rd data center had been at the center of speculation in the months leading up to Monday’s keynote, and while everyone agreed that the servers packed inside would host a myriad of iTunes content, no one really understood its true purpose. Many expected a much bigger announcement from Apple yesterday, with many eager to see music, video, and movie streaming at their fingertips. Instead, the iTunes services offered present a solution that met the demands for streaming half way: while files are still stored natively on devices, they’re available for access from iCloud itself. iTunes Match is agreeably head scratching, but the promise of a service that will just work by a Fall release gives me the feeling Apple hasn’t shown us everything there is to the un-locker service.

So with the focus on pushing content rather than streaming, the question that many are now asking is, “What exactly does Apple’s 3rd data center do if they’re not (yet) streaming content?” It’s a fair question, especially when Apple’s equipment is examined more closely. Many of the racks shown in Apple’s data center are capped with nothing but filler panels, and there’s an obvious mix of machines presented that were chosen more for show than to reveal Apple’s inner workings. With the brief glimpse Jobs gave us, however, it is possible to make a couple good guesses as we identify all of the equipment. (more…)