When a slimmer iPhone just isn't good enough

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    By Sinead Carew and Edwin Chan | Reuters – 11 hrs ago

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NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Tim Cook has big shoes to fill and he can't do it by just pushing out snazzier versions of the iPhone or iPad.

Apple Inc's newly minted CEO needs a revolutionary product to prove he has the chops to succeed Steve Jobs, and that may be a full-on assault on the living room by as early as 2013, analysts and industry experts say.

Jobs has called Apple TV -- a 4-inch-square box launched in 2006 that connects your plasma or LCD TV to the Web -- a hobby, but it is also one of the rare missteps in the course of Apple's meteoric ascendance.

If Cook can succeed where Jobs has failed, he would put to rest questions over whether he has the vision to lead Apple, in addition to widely respected operational skills.

"The TV is the obvious gap in Apple's product line up," CCS Insight's John Jackson said. "There's pressure to constantly innovate, (but) there's more than sufficient momentum at Apple right now that they don't need to reinvent the movie screen the TV, the car or the horse and buggy in the immediate term."

Getting Internet programing off computers and onto television sets has long been viewed as the next big thing for consumer technology companies, but none has succeeded so far with a product that has gained wide appeal.

Cook and the $350 billion company he now leads would be jumping into a field crowded with Microsoft, Google, Sony and Samsung.

"The Holy Grail is the living room," said David Rolfe at Wedgewood Partners, which devotes 9.5 percent or about $1 billion of its portfolio to Apple. "They would get into it, only if they can make a significantly better product than what currently exists."

OBSTACLES

It remains far from clear what Jobs -- and now Cook -- intends on the TV front. There are persistent rumors that Apple may produce an actual television to go along with content in an iTV, as part of the ongoing debate over whether the beleaguered television industry is ripe for an Apple-style shake-up.
The current market offers a confusing array of options -- from video streaming through game consoles like Microsoft's Xbox to Google-powered TV sets from Sony, Samsung and others.

Apple has "been the early follower in the iPad-tablet space, been the early follower in the music space, the early follower in the smartphone space," said independent digital media strategist Mark Mulligan. "They wait for a market to get primed, learn from the mistakes and then go and do everything better than anybody has done before."

Analysts estimate Apple takes roughly five years to develop a wholly new product, so either Jobs has already started down the TV road or Cook needs to start thinking now.

Chief among the obstacles would be concerns in the entertainment industry about potentially aggressive video licensing terms that Apple would seek -- and has gotten in the past for music and video licenses on iTunes. Executives say Apple had asked for 30 percent of rental fees for iTunes, which is blamed for smothering the music recording industry.

THE ROLE OF CHARISMA

Jobs' charisma and negotiating power were crucial to the launch of iTunes in 2003 and the then-unprecedented sale of songs rather than albums on the Web. Cook remains untested on this front, despite his deft hand dealing with the supply chain partners that make Macs, iPhones and iPads.
"It was Steve's rock-star status that convinced these guys, they were in awe of him," said a former major recording label executive involved in the negotiations before iTunes was launched. "Without him Apple would never have been able to pull off that deal."

There's some evidence that Cook can be as tough at the negotiating table. Peter Misek at Jefferies cites Cook's command of the iPad 2 rollout, and his firm stance this year when the Japan earthquake and tsunami threatened to turn off one of the world's largest semiconductor-component spigots.

"Cook was able to double or sometimes triple source component suppliers," Misek said. "To date, no competitor has been able to gain meaningful share in the tablet market and ... Cook's leadership during the introduction was critical to this."

Now, the former Compaq executive needs to prove that he can not only execute his boss's vision and keep Apple's fabled product pipeline alive, but that he can also make that intuitive leap to tell consumers what they want.

Wall Street will be watching.

"The market and the organization needs to see that Tim has the judgment to pick a winner," said Jane Stevenson, vice chairman of Board and CEO Services at Korn/Ferry International.

"The market will need to see a continued stream of innovation that has his fingerprints on it," ranging from launching new products to turning around products that haven't much success, like Apple TV.
(Additional reporting by Poornima Gupta and Sarah McBride in San Francisco and Yinka Adegoke and Jennifer Saba in New York, editing by Tiffany Wu; Phil Berlowitz)

(This story corrects to show iTunes was launched in 2003, not 2009 in paragraph 14.)

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From APPLE Steve Jobs has resigned as chief executive

Photo from Wikipedia

Jobs holding a white iPhone 4 at

Worldwide Developers Conference 2010

This is the letter from Steve Jobs:

PRESS RELEASE: Letter from Steve Jobs

August 24, 2011–To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

The Great iPhone 5 Rumour Round-up

Source:

August 22, 2011, 11:18 am Kent German CNET Australia

As we wait for the official announcement of the next iPhone, we only can guess about what we're going to see. Apple, after all, always generates a tonne of gossip in the absence of real details about upcoming devices.

Some of the rumours about the new handset contradict each other — one camp suggests a minor update with an iPhone 4S, while another predicts a big update with an iPhone 5 — but disagreement, after all, often is what the rumour mill is all about.
Since all that conflicting information can be hard to track, we offer this handy timeline of iPhone 5 rumours so far in 2011.

August 17
A 7 October release
9To5Mac says that Apple is considering a 7 October release for the iPhone 5, with preorders starting 30 September. If that date is correct, the company would hold an unveiling event in early September.

August 12
iPhone 5 design concepts
Apple news and rumour site MacRumors commissioned CiccareseDesign to create mockups of the iPhone 5 based on the original leaked case designs. The renderings show a sleek handset with a 4-inch display and elongated Home button.

Apple prepping iPhone reveal for September 7 event?
According to Japanese Web site Kodawarisan, Apple is planning a media event for September 7 where it will unveil its new iPod lineup and perhaps the iPhone 5. But before you clear all appointments for September 7, another report by AppleNApps says the company will hold a separate event for the occasion, where Apple will not only introduce the iPhone 5 but also a cloud-based iPhone.

August 4
China Telecom to get two new iPhones?
A report by China-based Sohu.com says Apple and China Telecom have reached a "preliminary agreement" to start selling the iPhone before the end of October. And it's not just any iPhone, it's rumored to be the iPhone 5 alongside a "simplified" iPhone 4.

August 3
10 million handsets in September
Taiwian's DigiTimes says that Pegatron will produce 10 million iPhone 5 units. According to an unnamed source, the handsets will ship to Apple in September, which would pave the way for a release any time after that.

August 2
iPhone 5 out for testing
The Guardian reports that wireless carriers have received highly secure boxes containing iPhone 5s that the operators are using to test network compatibility.

August 1
No holidays for you
Gizmodo cites an e-mail allegedly from an AT&T employee, which says that the carrier is denying any time off requested during the last two weeks of September "due to an event blackout". According to the employee, the only other times vacations were denied in the past were during iPhone release periods.

Or maybe in October?
Going the other direction, a story on AllThingsD quotes a source "with knowledge of the plans" who says, "I don't know why AT&T's calling for all hands on deck those weeks, but it's not for an iPhone launch". Instead, the source says that the next iPhone will come in October.

July 28
A white iPhone 4S
In a rather convoluted tale, MacRumors highlighted a forum post from Vietnamese site Tinhte that claims to have a new version of the iPhone 4. Differences between the new version and the current handset are few, but Tinhte says it's a bit faster, it weighs less, and it has a plastic shell instead of glass.

4 million iPhones in September
China Times reports that Apple will produce 4 million new iPhones for release in the second week of September.

July 27
A new case for a new design
U.K. blog Mobile Fun receives new iPhone case designs from two manufacturers. They point to a major redesign that includes a larger screen and home button, and a curved back.

July 13
Now hiring for an August iPhone
After some clever detective work, CNET UK finds a job posting repeated throughout the United Kingdom that asks for "Apple iPhone Sales Specialists" to work in Apple retail stores. The temporary positions would last from mid-August through the end of October and would be for what the recruiter describes as "an exciting project".

July 6
Suppliers get their orders
Anonymous sources tell The Wall Street Journal that Apple has asked suppliers to build 25 million units of its next iPhone by August for a third-quarter launch.

July 5
15 million in September
DigiTimes reports that Apple has placed an order for 15 million iPhone 5s for a September release.

July 1
Both an iPhone 5 and an iPad 3
DigiTimes says that suppliers are gearing up to help Apple produce millions of units of both an iPhone 5 and an iPad 3 for an October release.

June 29
A modest update
BMO Capital analyst Keith Bachman claims in a note to investors that Apple will introduce just an iPhone 4S model in September. The iPhone 4S would include only modest feature upgrades and the design would be unchanged.

June 27
Two new iPhones to come
Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore predicts that Apple will introduce two iPhones later this year. The first will be a full next-generation handset (most likely an iPhone 5), while the second will be a revamped iPhone 4 (probably called an iPhone 4S) that Apple will target to customers on prepaid cell phone plans.

A third-quarter release
Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty said that Apple will start "aggressively" making the next iPhone in August and launch the handset late in the third quarter of this year. Huberty made the remarks after a trip to Taiwan where she presumably met with Apple suppliers.

June 24
A brighter flash
DigiTimes says the iPhone 5 will have a dual-LED flash.

June 22
Again, in September
Bloomberg reports that the new iPhone will have a faster A5 processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and support for iOS 5. The new handset will sport a design similar to the iPhone 4's and will be released in September to coincide with iOS 5's debut. On a related note, Bloomberg's source also repeats a rumour that Apple is developing a cheaper iPhone for developing countries.

June 21
An iPhone 5 in full September
The Boy Genius Report predicts that Apple will announce the fully revamped iPhone 5 in early August with a release date later in the month. If true, that timing would bend from tradition, given that Apple usually holds an iPod-themed event in September.

A 'tear drop' design
Photos of a brand-new tapered or "tear drop" design also resurface that day.

May 23
A curved display
DigiTimes suggests that the iPhone 5 will have a curved glass screen like the Samsung Nexus S' "Contour" design. DigiTimes also says that Apple has bought 200 or 300 glass-cutting machines to be used by glassmakers.

May 18
An iPhone 4S
DigiTimes chimes in on the iPhone 4S side with a report that Apple will release an upgraded, but not redesigned, handset in September.

April 19
A5 processor and a bigger camera
Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the device will get an A5 processor and a much-improved 8-megapixel rear camera, and that it will be released in October or November.

A September release
Reuters follows a different track with a report that Apple will begin production of the phone in July for a September release.

April 13
Suppliers still in the dark
DigiTimes writes that part suppliers in Taiwan still don't know Apple's needs for the handset. What's more, the outlet also says that production of iPhone 4 displays is still going strong.

April 11
Trouble with suppliers
AppleInsider quotes an Avian Securities note to investors, which suggests that production will start in September. According to the note, the latest information is "consistent with other findings the organization has heard in recent months." What's more, another rumor mentions that Apple is taking its time finding enough parts suppliers.

April 7
A bigger display, part four
A new Apple patent application depicts a screen that's built into the area surrounding the traditional touch screen. This could free up space on the main display, and open up new directions for developers.

March 28
An October release
A Japanese blog reports that because Apple is behind schedule on securing parts, the iPhone 5 launch could be pushed to October. The blog also says the company is deciding whether to change the back of the iPhone from glass to metal.

March 22
NFC, larger display and a new antenna
China Times claims the iPhone 5 will have a slightly larger screen, a Near Field Communications (NFC) chip, an A5 processor, and a tweaked antenna design to address attenuation. The release date is only set as "later this year."

NFC confirmed
The same day, The New York Times confirms that future iPhones will have an NFC chip.

March 14
No NFC
The Independent says that NFC won't make it into the new phone. Instead, the newspaper says, Apple plans to introduce its own mobile payment system next year.

March 11
A bigger display, part three
Reseller iDealsChina posts a "mold engineering" drawing that vendors use to develop iPhone accessories. The drawing shows a handset with an iPhone 4-like design but with a larger display.

March 9
A5 processor, part two
In a deep dive of the new iOS 4.3 code, Apple developers found signs that Apple may add an A5 dual-core processor in the next iPhone version. That would put the handset on par with the iPad 2's processing power.

March 7
Looking like the iPad
Design is the focus of this rumor, which suggests that Apple will ditch the glass backing on the iPhone 4 for a metal backing, revamp the antenna, and add tapered ends. The end result will be something like the iPad.

February 28
A bigger display, part two
iDealsChina posts a photo of an iPhone 5 front bezel that shows a larger display.

February 15
A5 processor
The A5 chip rumor is raised again when DigiTimes reports that Apple is outsourcing the production of the processor, which will be based on the ARM Cortex A9 design.

February 14
A bigger display
Speculation builds that the new handset will offer a 4-inch, "edge-to-edge" display. The reports suggest that the move would be a direct response to the display design of many Android devices.

Slide-out keyboard
We also hear that the iPhone 5 could offer a slide-out keyboard or that it could just offer longer battery life and a better camera.

January 14
No home button
An anonymous Apple source told the Boy Genius Report that both the iPad 2 and the next-generation iPhone would lose their home buttons in favor of gesture-based commands that would be part of iOS 4.3.

Via CNET.
Image credit: Antonio De Rosa
Want to read more about the iPhone 5? Check out our wish list of the features we most want to see.

Apple planning early 2012 launch for new iPad: WSJ

AFP © Enlarge photo

NEW YORK (AFP) - Apple plans to begin trial production of a next generation iPad in October with an eye to an early 2012 launch, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The newspaper, citing "people familiar with the situation," said Apple is working with component suppliers and its assembler in Asia on the iPad 3 and has ordered key components such as display panels and chips.

It said the next generation iPad is expected to feature a high resolution 2048-by-1536 pixel display compared with the 1024-by-768 display on the iPad 2.
The Journal quoted one unidentified component supplier to Apple as saying that the company has placed orders for parts for about 1.5 million iPad 3s in the fourth quarter.

Apple sources parts for the iPad around Asia and assembles the tablet computer at Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.

Apple sold 9.25 million iPads last quarter

iphone 5 will Be Released In October

After months and months to predict the rumor will be come in this year iPhone has finally settled in September or October for his release.

Just when we all thought it was safe to assume that the iPhone 5 would be released in September or October, a leader in new technologies Apple thrown a wrench into the machine, which operates iPhone 5 rumors.

A very plausible explanation for the release in October is that it allows the release of the closest to the iPhone 5 the start of Christmas shopping in the U.S. and Europe, which generally begins in earnest in late November. Another possible reason for moving may be the debt crisis going on here in the U.S., which could affect sales of the iPhone 5.

Apple may want to ensure that the iPhone 5 announcement does not coincide with any financial disaster.
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