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The 15-inch MacBook Air Appears on the Horizon

MacBook Air

MacBook Air

Rumor has it that Apple’s current lineup is going to be refreshed early next year with a new addition to the Air family. Digitimes reports that panel suppliers are currently pumping out 11.6-inch, 13.3-inch, and 15-inch displays for inclusion in the next lineup of MacBook Airs.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple added a big brother to the MacBook Air family. Morgan Stanely and NPD figures are estimating that the MacBook Air now accounts for 28% of Apple’s notebook shipments as of October. MacBook Airs are selling in volumes.

The latest 15-inch rumor comes just two weeks after Digitimes reported a new 15-inch model was slated for March, as upstream suppliers started moving components.

Estimated by the product planning, mass shipments of the notebook device will start in March and could be cataloged in either the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro line and could be cataloged in either the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro line.

Apple’s 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs were last updated in July with Sandy Bridge processors and the inclusion of Thunderbolt.

It wasn’t known at the time if the 15-inch model was for a slimmer MacBook Pro or an updated MacBook Air. It looks like the rumors are pointing towards the latter, and it would make sense given the popularity of Apple’s ultralight laptops. It’s previously been suggest thated Apple’s line of MacBook Pros would get thinner sooner than later, but it’s possible Apple’s going to offer a bigger Air before the Pros are reinvented. [Digitimes via Macgasm]


#MacStoriesDeals - Cyber Monday

It’s Cyber Monday! Many of the Black Friday deals are still active, so we’ve kept them in today’s post. Here are today’s @MacStoriesDeals on iOS, Mac, and Mac App Store apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get them before they end!

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Kickstarter: LandingZone is the Docking Station you Need for the MacBook Air

Everybody loves their MacBook Airs until they have to connect their Apple Thunderbolt Displays or external monitors, no thanks to the required connections on opposite sides of the chassis. I find it funny Apple would launch a MacBook that requires one to stretch the ATD cable around both sides of a laptop. Surely someone would come along and fix it.

InfiniWing’s LandingZone is a docking station for the MacBook Air thas aims to practically solve the hassle of connecting multiple cords and cables as you sit down at your desk. LandingZone adds two additional USB ports to the Air, includes an ethernet port and Mini DisplayPort for connecting to office equipment, has a port compatible with Kensington Locks, and includes a housing to secure your MagSafe adapter for charging the MacBook Air while it’s seated (power is still supplied via Apple’s MagSafe Power Adapter). As cables are routed out the back, you’ll have a cleaner desk to work on and more ports to connect USB drives, wired keyboards, and other peripherals to.

LandingZone is brilliantly simple, featuring a latch mechanism that clamps the hub to the required ports on either side of the MacBook. As the video on Kickstarter (which is one of the best Kickstarter videos I’ve seen to date) will show off, you simply lock and unlock the MacBook Air with an elegant lever at the backside. LandingZone is everything you’d likely want in a docking station without the bulk of traditional laptop docks. It’s small, smartly designed, and looks good.

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NeXT: The Hardware

NeXT: The Hardware

In 1988, NeXT showed off prototype hardware and started shipping “beta” hardware — and software — the next year. The first machines didn’t ship until almost a year later. When approached about the delays, Steve Jobs replied: Late? This computer is five years ahead of its time!

Steven Hackett at 512 Pixels continues his mini-series on NeXT Computer with The Hardware, highlighting the important details in NeXT’s desktop offerings and design cues that are evident in the Apple of today.

Site note: I still can’t get past how elegantly modern the NeXT Cube is. Nobody would guess that it’s something out of the late 80s. I’d tell you it’s way more than just five years ahead of its time.

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Apple Removes iPad App With Monthly Gaming Subscriptions

In a surprising turn of events, Bloomberg reported that Apple has pulled the highly publicized app recently debuted by Big Fish Games. The iPad app integrated a new model of game distribution that was set to usher in a new era of iOS gaming. Apple had approved the app and made it available on November 18th, only to swiftly remove it days later.

Apps being pulled from the App Store with little or no explanation is not uncommon but the circumstances leading up to this app’s removal are different from previous situations. Big Fish Games founder Paul Thelen said that his company had worked vigorously with Apple’s team to make sure all requirements were met to properly implement monthly subscriptions. When all the prerequisites were met, Apple had given the company permission to release the app on the iTunes App Store.

“It was officially approved,” Thelen said. Apple had even seen the app’s press release before it went out earlier today, he said

Apple was apparently going to take the standard 30% from the monthly subscription fees making the deal mutually beneficial for both parties involved. Removing the app without communicating with Big Fish Games points to the possibility of a miscommunication or a misinterpretation of the how the game actually worked causing Apple to quickly back out on the agreement. The business model that was designed for digital periodicals will apparently stay that way for the time being but Thelen seems determined to follow up with Apple and hopefully get some answers as to why the app was pulled.

[Bloomberg via 9to5 Mac]


Dousing the Kindle Fire with Fire (And Cooling Down)

I don’t doubt that the Kindle Fire’s usability matches its bargain bin price tag. David Pogue was pretty clear when he said, “You feel that $200 price tag with every swipe of your finger.” Reviews, ranging from forgiving to absolutely scathing, are mixed. On one hand, you have Andy Inhatko who loves the crisp text and the reading experience on the smaller, 7” display. On the other hand, the founder of Instapaper finds the reading experience to be absolutely awful. TUAW and GigaOM both posted comparative guides for consumers on the fence about which tablet to buy, straddling the line that the Kindle Fire is good enough because of its price-point. There is a common consensus:

  • The Kindle feels good in the hand thanks to its small form factor and rubberized texture.
  • The 7” display is impressive.
  • Amazon’s digital content can be easily purchased thanks to excellent store integration.
  • OS responsiveness varies, but overall is OK in comparison with higher-end tablets.
  • The Silk browser doesn’t perform akin to Amazon’s claims. It is as fast or slower than other mobile browsers.
  • The price is really the winner here.

Where the reviews differentiate is with the experience of actually consuming content, which is likely what consumers want to do with a tablet integrated with Amazon’s ecosystem. Ben Brooks writes that the Kindle Fire’s three main experiences, which are reading, watching video, and web browsing, are simply poor in comparison to its polished rivals (the iPad). Erick Schonfeld on the other hand writes the exact opposite, even giving the Kindle Fire’s often lauded browser a pass. From what I’ve seen, the big tech press has been giving the Kindle mostly fair but favorable reviews, with independent writers chomping down on the lack of a polished experience.

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The iPad’s Next LCD Panels could be Supplied from Sharp

Between quality control issues at LG Display that were finally reported as resolved in September, and the ongoing patent litigations between Apple and Samsung, Sharp could become the next display vendor for Apple’s iPads.

When the iPad 2 launched in March, Apple quickly turned to Samsung and Chimei Innnolux as customers complained of light leakage around the bezel of LG-based displays. For much of the year, a combination of quality control issues and late shipments had Apple turning to these other manufacturers to pick up the slack. At the end of August, LG Display finally shipped its due quota of four million panels. The iPad 2 didn’t begin shipping on time until after July. While LG Display expects supply shipments to return to normal, the failures of LG Display to correct its manufacturing issues on time and the untrustworthiness of Samsung would have Apple looking for alternatives. Sharp could be the premium candidate for future iPad displays, such as next year’s rumored Retina Display for the iPad 3.

According the Wall Street Journal, Sharp has reported they’ll begin mass-producing smaller displays at the Kameyama No. 2 plant in Mie Prefecture by the end of the year, a plant previously used solely for the production of TV panels. WSJ reports that Sharp already supplies displays for Apple’s iPhones, and that they could become the premier supplier next year with the introduction of newer models. Apple’s alleged investments in Sharp’s panel manufacturing facilities in Japan lend some additional credence to this claim.

Samsung Chief Operating Officer and President Lee Jae-yong said in October he had discussions with Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook about extending Samsung’s deal to supply parts to Apple through 2013-2014.

Component deals in a competitive market, however, may keep Samsung in the loop. With proof of manufacturing capability and the technology already in place, Samsung is still a critical component of Apple’s supply chain. At the end of the fourth fiscal quarter in September, Apple reported 11.1 million iPads sold compared to 4.2 million iPads sold just a year ago.

[via WSJ]

 

 



Apple Shares the Fun With New iPod touch Commercial

With the white iPod touch announced, it’s about time Apple time showed off their shiny new “phone without the phone”, giving the likes of Game Center, FaceTime, and iMessage well deserved close-ups in a brand new shell. Picture perfect in every frame, the new white iPod touch will be a hot gift for anyone who wants to stay connected with their friends with free iMessaging or take advantage of all the great apps that iOS has to offer. Thin and lightweight with a respectable video camera for quick home movies, I certainly miss its portability and thinness now that I have an iPhone. Share the fun this holiday season with an iPod touch, too-tight jeans, and a catchy tune that’ll have you dancing and bobbing in your office chair. Apple’s latest commercial can enjoyed on YouTube, or past the break!

[via Macgasm]

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