• Apple to Unveil iOS 5, New MobileMe at Media Event in Early April

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, iPhone, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors No Responses

    A new rumor claims Apple will hold its annual iOS roadmap event in early April to show off iOS 5 as expected, but also states the company will also unveil an updated MobileMe service.

    Citing a “confident” source, German site Macerkopf.de reported Tuesday (via Google Translate) that the event will be held in early April at the company’s Cupertino, Calif., campus. The timing would not be a surprise, as last year’s iOS 4 preview event was held in early April.

    But the inclusion of MobileMe in the annual event would be new, and could signal that anticipated changes to the cloud-based service will be heavily integrated into the next major release of Apple’s mobile operating system for the iPhone and iPad.

    In February, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple plans to improve MobileMe by having the service act as a “locker” to hold personal data such as photos, music and videos. It was also said that Apple is considering making the service, which currently costs $99 per year, free.

    Corroborating that information, The New York Times separately reported that Apple plans to roll out an enhanced MobileMe this year. It was said that Apple is working on improved “voice navigation” on the iPhone, allowing users to operate the device through voice commands without the need to rely on a virtual keyboard.

    Further evidence of planned changes to MobileMe came as Apple discontinued the sale of retail boxes for the service last month. It has also been rumored that the new MobileMe will rely on self-storage from a home computer for streaming, rather than remotely saved files hosted by Apple.

    [via appleinsider]

  • iPhone 5 to get Metal Back with Antenna Apple Logo?

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, iPhone, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors, Tech. No Responses

    Apple is reportedly planning to switch from the glass-backed iPhone 4 design to an aluminum chassis for the iPhone 5, in an attempt to bypass issues with cracking and scratching, together with paint finishes. According to Macotakara source, the new metal backplate will have a resin Apple logo integrated with the WiFi, cellular and other antennas, apparently replacing the edge antennas found on the current iPhone 4.

    The glass design of the iPhone 4, the sources suggest, has left Apple frustrated with its durability and weight. Problems, meanwhile, with the antenna design – the so-called antennagate issue – forced Apple to offer free Bumper cases to address reception complaints.

    Finally, the issues surrounding the much-delayed white iPhone 4 have, it’s been suggested, been a result of painting difficulties experienced in the manufacturing process, something a shift away from glass would address. The report also tips the same dual-core Apple A5 processor as found in the iPad 2, and an unveil – as generally expected – in June or July this year.

    Of course, Apple could also be looking beyond aluminum to Liquidmetal, the technology it invested in last year and which is currently only used to make the SIM removal tool. Liquidmetal is billed as scratch, corrosion and grease proof, and as strong as titanium but uses a third of the material.

    [via MacRumors]

  • RIM To Bring BlackBerry Messaging To The App Store

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Rants & Raves, Rumors 3 Responses

    Research In Motion is preparing to bring Blackberry Messenger to iOS through the App Store.

    RIM wants to own the messaging space, and that means being ubiquitous across all platforms. It’s a curious move: BlackBerry Messaging is one of the few reasons people still buy BlackBerry smartphones over an iOS or Android device.

    Ceding the messaging advantage to the competition? A curious move to say the least, especially since RIM is supposedly hopeful that their new BlackBerry tablet, the PlayBook, can help them get back some of their sales mojo. Does RIM see its future as being primarily in software over hardware? Are they already ceding victory to Apple and Google?

    [via: TUAW]

  • Apple to Have an Immediate Availability of iPad 2 Next Week

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, iPad, Rumors No Responses

    According to sources close to AppleInsider, Apple is going to surprise everyone next week with “near immediate” availability of the next-generation iPad to public.

    According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is preparing several of its operating segments to perform functions during the second half of next week that are representative of nothing short of a large scale, consumer-oriented product roll out (not just an announcement). And with official invitations to next Wednesday’s press briefing clearly indicating a focus on iPad, these people believe at least one version of the refreshed device will be in transit to retail outlets during that briefing.

    Apple is going to announce iPad 2 in a media event, which is going to be held on Wednesday, March 2nd, at the famous Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

    iPad 2 is expected to feature at least one camera for FaceTime video calls, Dual Core CPU and GPU, and will be thinner in size than its predecessor.