O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: August

  • Rumor: Next-gen iPhone could incorporate sapphire crystal Home button, built-in fingerprint sensor

    It’s a rumor, so it kinda sorta has to be true…

    Per Cult of Mac, the next-gen iPhone 5S handset could come with a sapphire crystal capacitive touch home button that incorporates a new fingerprint sensor, according to supply chain sources in Taiwan and TechNews.tw.

    Apple is expected to do away with the traditional physical home button, which has long been one of the most unreliable components on iOS devices. It’s thought that using sapphire crystal, which has a hardness second only to diamond, will prevent the button from getting scratched and ruining the fingerprint sensor.

    This wouldn’t be the first time Apple has used sapphire crystal in an iPhone. The iPhone 5 has a sapphire crystal camera lens on its back, which Apple chose to try to prevent scratches from ruining your photos.

    According to sources close to the story, the Cupertino company will choose the same material for the iPhone 5S’s home button.

    But it won’t be a physical button like existing iOS devices. They insist Apple will employ a capacitive touch home button for the first time with the iPhone 5S, eliminating one of the most unreliable components in an iOS device (the physical home button has a tendency to fail after long periods of use).

    Not only will it be a capacitive touch button, but it’ll also incorporate a fingerprint sensor, the sources claim. We’ve been hearing for many months that Apple will add fingerprint sensing technology to the iPhone 5S, following its acquisition of AuthenTec last year.

    As for the handset’s release date, the current rumors have its arrival pinned around August or September, alongside a plastic low-cost iPhone.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Rumor: Next-gen iPad to be 15% thinner, 25% lighter, use smaller, more efficient battery

    This could be nifty.

    Per MacRumors, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has on a number of occasions offered accurate information on Apple’s product plans, recently published a new research note outlining his expectations for Apple’s fifth-generation iPad. Kuo expects mass production and shipments of the new iPad to ramp up in the August-September timeframe, with the device registering roughly 15% thinner and 25% lighter than the current full-size iPad.

    The new version’s expected dimensions, which are purported to be 7.5-8.0mm thick, will be 15% thinner than iPad 4. The new device will likely be about 500 grams, or some 25% lighter than iPad 4, run on an A7X processor, and sport cameras with similar specs to the iPad 4’s (front HD, rear 5MP). The casing shape and color (silver and black) and narrow bezel design will be similar to the iPad mini’s.

    The prediction of a 7.5-8.0 mm thickness is in line with previous claims that the next iPad will see a roughly 2 mm reduction from the current 9.5 mm thickness.

    Kuo predicts that Apple will adopt the same GF2 touch technology used in the iPad mini, enabling Apple to design a thinner display for the new full-size iPad. In addition, more efficient display and chip technologies are expected to bring down the device’s overall power consumption, allowing for a smaller and thinner battery.

    The battery is expected to be 25-30% smaller, at 8,500-9,000mAh, than the iPad 4’s, and the battery’s thickness will be 15-20% smaller, at 7.5-8.0mm, and the number of cells will be reduced to two from three.

    As for the chip powering the iPad 5, Kuo believes that Apple will be sticking with Samsung for a new A7X chip that will take advantage of Samsung’s 28-nanometer process node. There have been reports that Apple will be shifting its A-series chip production to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), but it appears that Kuo believes that transition has a bit further time horizon, in line with rumors that a partnership between Apple and TSMC for 20-nanometer A7 chips will not begin production until early 2014.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Rumor: Fifth-gen iPad production to begin in July-August time frame

    There’s gotta be a kernel of truth in here somewhere…

    Per DigiTimes, sources in Taiwan-based supply companies have stated that production of the fifth-gen iPad is slated to start in a July-August window. The sources added that the display is expected to be manufactured by Sharp and LG Display, while touch panel assembly will be done by TPK, and ITO thin film will come from Nitto Denko and Teijin. Some earlier rumors had an iPad announcement taking place as soon as this month.

    The DigiTimes sources repeat views that the fifth-gen tablet will be thinner and lighter than its predecessor, and moreover use a slimmer bezel, similar to the one on the iPad mini. The fourth-gen iPad was little different than the third-gen model, mainly gaining a faster processor, a Lightning connector, and broader cellular support. It was also released just months later, whereas it now appears that the fifth-gen device may resume Apple’s normal annual update cycle.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Rumor: Next-gen iPads could arrive in April, iPhone 5S to hit in August

    The rumor mill continues, but this time it offers a name for the next-gen iPhone as well as potential release dates.

    Per iMore, Apple is planning the release of the iPhone 5S for this summer, currently for August. Next generation iPads, presumably the iPad 5 and potentially the iPad mini 2, may also debut as soon as this April.

    Sources familiar with the plans have stated that the iPhone 5S does indeed have the same basic design as the iPhone 5, with a more advanced processor and an improved camera. With the iPhone 5, Apple reduced the thinness of the casing but managed to keep essentially the same, if not slightly better, overall quality. With the iPhone 5S, the aim is to once again raise the bar in terms of iPhone optics, including a much better camera in essentially the same casing.

    Sources have pointed towards an April-ish launch for the next-generation iPads, albeit this has yet to be confirmed. iPad 5 casings have already begun to leak, although it’s unknown as to whether the iPad mini will receive a Retina display.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Rumor: Video lends support to Retina Display-ready version of Photoshop to be released on December 11th

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    This could lead to something useful.

    Per Mac Otakara, an announcement on Adobe’s website regarding the company’s upcoming “Create Now Live” contains a video> that appears to show a Retina Display MacBook Pro running Photoshop CS6, suggesting the photo editing software will finally be getting native high-resolution screen support.

    The embedded video shows a MacBook Pro with Retina display running Photoshop CS6 in what looks to be the laptop’s native Hi-DPI screen resolution.

    The most telling evidence is the screenshot above, which clearly shows incredibly smooth font and mouse cursor reproduction indicative of the MacBook’s Retina display.

    In August, Adobe announced that it would be bringing support for both Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS6 by the end of the year. Adobe released Lightroom 4.3 earlier in November with support for both the 13-inch and 15-inch Retina-toting MacBook Pro models.

    Adobe is slated to kick off “Create Now Live” on Dec. 11, with a keynote from Vice President of Products Jeffrey Veen. Among the topics of discussion will be new Creative Cloud features and design talks from industry professionals.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available. And hey, a Retina Display version of Photoshop…how can that possibly NOT rock?