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iPad Mini Keyboard Cases Hitting the Market
Belkin's $80 case connects to the iPad via Bluetooth and features a removable keyboard with shortcut keys to play or pause music, as well as change tracks.
iPad Mini Mod's $40 aluminum case also connects via Bluetooth and uses Smart Cover magnets to turn the iPad on when the case is opened. It comes in both black and silver to match the iPad mini.
AAPL Surging Following Extremely Positive Analyst Comments
In our view, the sell off in Apple's stock over the past eight weeks has gotten to the point of being "insanely insane" given the depressed valuation (CY13 P/E of 7.6x ex-cash), new blockbuster products for the holiday season, the attractive long-term growth opportunities that lie ahead and the Company's ability to distribute significant cash flow to investors. Those investors that have missed Apple or have been under-weight the stock, now have another opportunity to buy Apple before sentiment takes a turn for the positive during what has historically been the strongest quarter of the year for the stock.
Apple's stock price broke through the $700 barrier for the first time back in September but had been on a significant slide since then.Next iPad and iPhone Due in "Middle of 2013"?
Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPad and iPhone series around the middle of 2013, which will boost demand for ICs in particular communications related chips during the latter half of the first quarter, according to the observers. Component orders placed by Apple, which climbed to high levels prior to the iPhone 5 rollout, will rise again between March and April, the observers indicated.
The "middle of 2013" claim is offered very matter-of-factly despite Apple's recent history of offering fall releases for the iPhone and now the iPad. For example, the iPhone 5 and iPad 4 launched in September and October, respectively.The claim is somewhat consistent with another report that reported that Apple is already starting trial production of the iPhone 5S with volume production planned for early 2013.
Still, we are hesitant to read too much into this report just yet. Digitimes has had a mixed record in the past with its share of both hits and misses. If the iPhone and iPad launch will indeed be accelerated, we are certain to hear more in the coming months.
Apple Posts Black Friday 'One-Day Shopping Event' Teaser
Apple has posted a teaser page on their Australian online Apple Store for a "one-day Apple shopping event" on Friday, November 23rd.
The one-day Apple shopping event is Friday, 23 November.
Get ready to give. Shop online or visit your favourite Apple Retail Store.
We'll help you make the most of the day, no matter how you shop.
Apple's international online and retail stores also participate in these sales, though Apple's discounts tend to be very modest. Last year's discounts for Apple's core products were as follows (in USD):
iPad 2 - $41 to $61 Off
iPod nano - $11 off
iPod Touch - $21 to $41 off
MacBook Air - $101 off
MacBook Pro - $101 off
iMac - $101 off
For absolute savings, customers will have better luck with 3rd party merchants that tend to offer steeper discounts on Apple products on Black Friday.
New iMacs Still Expected to Ship in November-December
9to5Mac now reassures us that Apple's original plans are still intact for the iMac. The new 21.5" iMacs are said to already be shipping to distribution centers, while the 27" iMacs are due in December. Supplies, however, are likely to be very short through the rest of the year.
Apple continues to list November and December availability dates for the new iMacs in their online store. Pre-orders are not yet available but are expected by the end of November.
AuthenTec Sells Off Embedded Security Systems, Leaving FingerPrint Technology for Apple
NFCWorld reports that AuthenTec has sold off its Embedded Security Solutions (ESS) division to a company called Inside Secure for $48 million, leaving Apple with its fingerprint sensors and identity management assets.
Authentec's Embedded Security Solutions (ESS) division designs, develops and sells a range of embedded security solutions, centered on the use of encryption algorithms and security blocks to protect data and ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability.
TechCrunch suggests one of the reasons for the sell off of this non-core technology is to avoid any regulatory hurdles in the AuthenTec acquisition.If the initial Reuters report of the acquisition remains accurate, it recoups investment on parts of the business which aren’t essential to Apple’s plans. It also ensures that once any deal is finalized, there will be less to worry about in terms of Apple gaining undue control over tech essential to the securing of its competitors products, which might raise red flags with regulators
Apple had been reported to have acquired AuthenTech back in July for $356 million. Speculation had already claimed that Apple was primarily interested in AuthenTec's fingerprint scanning technology for future devices. Several current customers of AuthenTec's fingerprint sensors were already been forced to quickly look for alternative suppliers.OS X 10.9 to Include Siri and Maps Integration
With OS X 10.9, Apple appears to be continuing the theme of bringing iOS features into OS X. According to 9to5Mac, early builds are showing that both Siri and Maps are being integrated into the newest version of the Mac operating system.
Early builds in testing of the next-generation Mac operating system, OS X 10.9, point to Siri and Maps integration coming to Mac computers next year, according to our reliable sources.
Apple already offers Dictation and Text-to-Speech, but Siri integration would presumably offer Mac users voice-command and search functionality to Mac users.Meanwhile, Maps integration indicates that Apple will offer the service to developers to incorporate into their own Mac apps. Its not clear whether or not Apple would offer its own stand-alone mapping app for the Mac.
A release date for OS X 10.9 is currently unknown, but Apple has stated that is moving toward a more rapid development cycle on OS X. If Apple follows their pattern for OS X 10.8's launch, we could see early OS X 10.9 developer previews in early 2013 and a final release in the middle of the year.
MacLegion Bundle: 10 Mac Apps for $49.99, Including Djay, Fantastical, and Capo
- TechTool Pro ($99.99) - Hardware diagnostics, maintenance and hard drive repair
- Freeway Pro ($229.00) - Web design software
- djay ($19.99) - DJ app for Mac allowing you to mix your iTunes library
- Capo ($49.99) - Learn to play the music in your iTunes library (Apple Design Award Winner)
- Fantastical ($19.99) - Calendar application with natural language processing
- RipIt ($24.95) - Rip DVD movies
- iRip ($19.95) - Transfer songs from your iPod or iPhone to your Mac
- Beamer ($15.00) - AirPlay any movie format (AVI, MKV, MKV, MOV, etc...) to your Apple TV
- Copy Paste Pro ($30.00) - Clipboard enhancement
- Code Collector Pro ($19.99) - Organize and share code snippets
All apps together are being sold for $49.99 until December 9th. MacRumors is a promotional partner with MacLegion. Bundle sales through these links benefit MacRumors financially, and provide a way for readers to directly support this site.
The first 5000 customers also get Alarm Clock Pro ($19.95 value) for free.
Apple Discontinuing Messages Beta for Lion on December 14th
Dear [User],
The Messages Beta program for Lion will end on Friday, December 14, 2012. We hope you've enjoyed the opportunity to preview Messages.
If you'd like to continue using Messages, upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store. Messages is one of many great new apps and features built right into OS X Mountain Lion. Learn More.
Thank you for your participation in the Messages Beta program.
Messages is Apple's iMessage client for the Mac, and replaces iChat in OS X Mountain Lion. Apple had originally launched it as a beta program for existing Lion users while Mountain Lion was being completed.
It has been long known that Apple planned on discontinuing the Lion beta, but Apple is only now given customers a timetable. While Apple suggests that customers can upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion to continue using Messages, some customers' computers may be too old to support the latest OS X release.
Apple Acknowledges iMessage and FaceTime Outage [Now Back Up]
Reports first started rolling in around 3pm Pacific on our forums with some users still reporting problems.
Update: Apple says iMessages and FaceTime is working again.
Apple and Google's Motorola Unit Seeking Arbitration to Resolve Patent Dispute
The companies have been exchanging proposals on using binding arbitration to reach a licensing agreement over patents that are essential to comply with industry standards on how phones operate. Such an agreement could lead to a global settlement of all of their patent disputes, Apple said in a filing yesterday.
“Apple is also interested in resolving its dispute with Motorola completely and agrees that arbitration may be the best vehicle to resolve the parties’ dispute,” Apple said in the filing.
The willingness to engage in arbitration is another sign that the mobile companies involved in a vast web of lawsuits may be seeking to wind down their confrontations, with Apple and HTC having announced a settlement in their dispute over the weekend. Apple's major foe is, however, still Samsung and it appears that there may be no settlement in sight for that dispute.