Essentially everything about this monster is recycled or recyclable – not that you’d ever want to recycle such a lovely amalgamation – and is made to give you a unique experience as well as vision. The wood you’ve got here is FSC certified Birch, the canvas is durable and will bring you back to your army days, and the plastic throughout the setup is entirely recyclable. The packaging the whole setup comes in is recycled, as well, so you’ll have nothing you need to throw away when you get the device in the mail.

The speakers you see here are both 4.5-inch high-definition woofers, the setup also having two 1-inch tweeters, 32 watts of power and DSP Sound Processing on the whole. That means high quality sound on both the high and the low end. There’s a pocket on the side, two sets of handles for the different ways you might want to carry while you blast, and the whole beast is set to ship this month. If you order one of these mothers up today, you’ll get it by the middle of the month – $349.99 at the House of Marley right now.

But lost amid all that talk was Apple’s iPod. That device, which once meant nearly everything to the company’s success or failure, actually saw sales decline 21 percent to 15.4 million units sold worldwide. Over the last several quarters, similar scenarios have played out as consumers increasingly turn to Apple’s iPad and iPhone and turn their backs on the iPod.

Those sales declines make sense. Apple’s iPod has been on store shelves for over a decade now, and the vast majority of consumers who wanted a music player bought one of Apple’s devices long ago; the number of people who actually need an iPod has dwindled.

What’s more, Apple has incorporated iPod functionality into its iPhone and iPad, making the need to carry two devices to place calls and listen to music all but obsolete.

Given that, and considering iPod sales are on the decline, I can’t help but wonder: do we really still need an iPod?

If Apple’s sales last quarter is any indication, there are many of you out there that believes the iPod is still a worthy buy. And to some extent, I can understand that logic. After all, it’s nice to just bring the iPod Nano with you on a long run, rather than strap the iPhone to your shoulder. And getting away from e-mail to enjoy some music every now and then isn’t such a bad thing.

But for the rest of us that don’t necessarily want to get away from work or want all the functionality we need might find little value in iPods nowadays.

Every single Apple music player falls short from a feature perspective when it’s put up against the iPhone. Even the iPod Touch, which delivers all kinds of functionality, doesn’t support wireless calling, making it less-desirable to mobile customers.

Plus, there’s the issue of pricing. In today’s world of high unemployment, skyrocketing credit card bills, and tight budgets, most of us just aren’t willing to spend hundreds of dollars on two devices that can do pretty much the same thing.

Consider this: if you want to buy an iPhone 4S right now, you can get it for as little as $199 with a two-year contract. The 8GB iPod Touch has the exact same price. Even the 8GB iPod Nano is $129.

In other words, for those of us trying to save some cash, buying an iPod doesn’t necessarily make much sense.

As a person who owns three iPods, I can appreciate that many consumers out there don’t want to turn their backs on their favored music players just yet. But I think it’s time we do just that.

The iPod was great in the old days. But now, it’s just another device we care little about.

It’s not often that you get a leak of an Apple product in photo form, much less do you get so very many photos as these folks have taken. The model you’re looking at here has the same sized body and apparently nearly the same weight as the current 6th generation iPod Nano, but has a 1.3 megapixel camera capable of video and photo embedded in its back. There’s also a hole in the back clip so the camera can see through it – how simple a solution is that?

You’ll remember back in May of 2011 we saw something like this popping up in patent form, with Apple looking to add a camera to their future line right in the place we’re seeing one appear now on this Nano. This model obviously isn’t ready for production, but word has it that it’ll be released sometime hopefully inside the year. At the moment it appears that the camera sensor still needs to be modified as MIC Gadget notes that it takes slightly overexposed photos. We’re sure it’ll be just lovely by the time it’s actually released.

[via Apple.pro]

Compared to last year, the percentage change in units and revenue in the iPhone category was 128% and 133%, this meaning that the change is only slightly greater there than it was between this quarter and the last quarter of 2011. So the first quarter of 2011 and the last quarter of 2011 are fairly similar in their overall totals. The difference between Q4 2011 and Q1 2012 then, percentage-wise, is 117% in units and 122% in revenue. This of course means that we can guess that the last quarter of 2012 will be somewhat similar to this first quarter, the first quarter of 2013 then being the next big jump in sales.

Another point to pick out of all the statistics on this particular earnings call is that the only negative numbers anywhere in the whole report are seen when you compare iPod sales to last year at this time. Units sold when you compare Q1 of 2012 to Q1 of 2011 were down 21%, with revenue also falling 26%. Is this the end of the iPod age? Will we never see a rise in sales again? This all depends on if there’s an equitable model popping up before the end of the year, of course – seeya then!

The iW4 AirPlay Wireless model comes in a sleek black chassis and works with your iPad, iPhone, or iPod. With AirPlay, you can easily stream your iTunes collection to the speaker dock over your home WiFi network. The iP18 is more whimsical, featuring a cube design that glows with color-changing LEDs. It has a smaller footprint and only works with your iPhone or iPod.

The iD50 model is an app-enhanced Bluetooth clock, radio, and speaker dock, compatible with your iPad, iPhone, or iPod. The iW4, iP18, and the iD50 are priced respectively at $269.99, $69.99, and $169.99. The devices will debut at CES, but likely won’t be available until sometime later this year.

[via PCMag]

During the years Jobs was gone from Apple, he adopted Buddhism and met with an old friend Kobun who, at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California, taught him some rather awesome arts. One example is the walking meditation kinhin, the other being his eventual understanding of the Japanese design concept ma. Simplicity in all things is what this all leads to — have a peek at the preview video here:

The creators of the book would prefer that you pick it up right on over at Wiley. It’ll run you a cool $20 USD and you’ll be able to get it shipped straight to your door. Interestingly enough, an Instructors evaluation copy request button exists for this novella, this meaning they’re pushing it to educators as well. Would you present this book in your class, professors? Either way, grab it now!

The Pill measures in at 147 x 48 mm, this making it still able to fit into your pocket – and your friends will be happy to see YOU when you waddle forth with heavy music jamming out of your pocket thusly. The creator of this device Gavio currently has it up on his webpage, but isn’t offering up pre-orders as of yet. Similarly, you aren’t able to purchase this device at the moment and no release details have been set in stone.

On the other hand, the fact that you’ll be dropping an unbelievably inexpensive 10 SGD (singapore dollar) for it is made plain. Current conversion rates make this device less than $8 USD, though with shipping and the possibility that you might not be able to get it shipped at all may put a damper on your plans to import. If this device were at the Apple store in your neighborhood for $30 USD, would you pick one up? You can bet your biffy I would, that’s for sure!

[via ChipChick]

Not that we needed more incentive to check out new devices, of course, we’re always up for a few more digital bits, but what use would this tiny monster be? Perhaps it is a digital business card made to only display a few screens and therefor having near-infinite battery life? Maybe we’ve got a new iPod contender on our hands here? Or maybe it’s just a tiny smartphone taking the hint from Android that physical buttons are passé?

No matter what way you wind it, the display is showing off a graphic not unlike what we’ve seen set for Nokia’s 2012 CES event, so IF this thing is real, we’ll probably get a much better look at it at that event. We’ll certainly be there, too, with bells on, so be prepared right here in the SlashGear main news feed. Find all of our CES 2012 news right here in the big portal: [CES 2012] Seeya then!

[via Nokia Gadgets]

It’s time to start digging around in the drawers around your house and find those old units for a free upgrade. The recall was only on the first gen nano, all other versions of the nano are the same. Users have previously reported long delays getting their replacement nanos. New updates are suggesting the hardware is the latest nano model.

It would be hard to replace all first gen units with other first gen units. Apparently, Apple did have some refurbished units lying around. Perhaps the plan was to get the recalled units in and fix them for an exchange supply. Serial numbers on shipping replacements resolve to the newest models.

[via ipodnn]

You should know that it’s been tipped that both Apple and Google have been tipped separately to be working on “wearable tech” for release as soon as 2012. In both cases it seems that there is a very small group of employees working on these very secretive projects, each one (or each set) made to attach to a user’s body or clothing. The New York Times reported today that they’d gotten word of an “open secret” from inside the Google community:

“Over the last year, Apple and Google have secretly begun working on projects that will become wearable computers. Their main goal: to sell more smartphones. (In Google’s case, more smartphones sold means more advertising viewed.) In Google’s secret Google X labs, researchers are working on peripherals that — when attached to your clothing or body — would communicate information back to an Android smartphone. People familiar with the work in the lab say Google has hired electronic engineers from Nokia Labs, Apple and engineering universities who specialize in tiny wearable computers.” – NYT

A source speaking with 9to5Google has passed on information that states the company to be in late prototype stages of a thick-rimmed pair of glasses that “normal people” supposedly wear — this source, we must guess, must be a hipster. Regardless, these glasses are said to have just a few buttons on the arms of the glasses, the information they supply then popping up on your heads-up display: IE the lens of your glasses. As 9to5Google notes, back in June, 2011, prominent wearables PhD Richard DuVaul moved from Apple to Google, this fellow specializing in wearable heads up displays (HUDs):

“His dissertation was on “The Memory Glasses“, a heads-up display focused on the problems associated with wearable memory support technology. This included hardware and software architectures, and low-attention human-computer interaction for wearable computing, including the use of subliminal visual cues for just-in-time memory support.” – Seth Weintraub

The New York Times article notes that the glasses or, if you will, Google Goggles, will be an Android peripheral similar to how the iBangles above need an iPhone to function. What the source speaking with 9to5Google says, on the other hand, is that although this device will work with Android more than likely, it would communicate with Google over IP. On the other hand again, it would likely need your mobile device’s internet connection with its Wi-fi capable guts.

Finally, and perhaps most important, it’s said that Google’s Sergey Brin is “closely associated with the project” and that it’ll be Google-branded hardware when all is said and done. Sound like a superhero to you? We’ll be staving off headaches if in-glasses displays are the way of the future, that’s for sure.

The relative size of the team Apple has working on the iPod-bangle project is probably an indicator that it’s not high on the company’s agenda for release. Still, the iPod nano has at least in part jumped the gap to become a legitimate “wearable” itself: with the latest model, Apple added a variety of user-selectable watch faces, meaning the iPod can be used with one of various third-party wrist straps as a timepiece replacement. It’s not clear what wireless technology Apple might use, though the company did add Bluetooth 4.0 support (aka “Bluetooth Smart Ready“) in its recent iPhone 4S.

There are also systems like ANT+ and Nike+ which use low-power wireless connections to join sensors such as pedometers to smartphones and PMPs. Garmin released an ANT+ compatible watch earlier this year, the FR70, which uses the wireless tech to track heart rate during exercise with a bundled sensor.

Apple has competition, however, with Google also working on its own wearables tech. The search giant’s so-called X Labs employs programmers, engineers and others formerly of Microsoft, MIT and Nokia Labs and is working on the “internet of things” or an interconnected mesh of network-enabled gadgets, sensors, devices and more. They, sources claim, would be able to whisper back details to your Android smartphone.

[Image credit: Gopinath Prasana]

When I get thinking about that, I ask myself a simple, but not so solvable question: would the technology world be the same if Apple didn’t exist?

[Image credit: Henrik Brameus]

Admittedly, my opinions change from time to time. On one hand, I think that it’s possible that other companies could have done what Apple has if the company didn’t exist. But on the other hand, I tend to believe that Steve Jobs was such a special chief executive that no other CEO could have accomplished what he did.

Let’s first look at my first thought.

Sometimes, I can’t help but think that what Apple did with the iPod wasn’t all that groundbreaking. Sure, it set a new standard in the market, but it built upon changing tides of the time, including the growth of digital music and the desire of people to bring their music with them while they walked around town.

The same might be said about the iPhone. Although it was certainly groundbreaking in its own right, touchscreens were around long before the smartphone was. What’s more, it seemed that Apple was trying to bridge the gap between the iPod and the smartphone of the day. Luckily for us, Apple succeeded beyond its wildest expectations.

Even the iPad doesn’t strike me as something that another company couldn’t have come up with. After all, that device is an extension of an already strong mobile brand.

Now, I’m sure some would say that if others could have done it, why didn’t they? Fair point. And I don’t really have an answer. But I do think the market was moving towards these major changes, and Apple just happened to be the company that saw it and capitalized on it with the best products.

But after a while, I quickly throw out that line of thinking. In those instances, I start examining the many ways in which Apple and Steve Jobs changed the world since Apple’s founding, I look at what other top CEOs have created, and I simply can’t imagine where we’d be without Apple. At times, I feel like we’d be years behind where we are now if it weren’t for Steve Jobs’ vision.

After all, as I noted earlier, other companies could have done what Apple has. But they didn’t. And that might just be the most definitive proof to argue the point that Apple has dramatically changed the tech space.

Luckily, though, we don’t have to answer the question of whether or not the tech world would be the same without Apple. We have Apple. We celebrated the Steve Jobs days. And the technology space is better because of it.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question our past. So, allow me to pose the question to you: would the tech world be the same if Apple never existed?

The whole setup here is a matte black with orange accents, and the build is nearly top quality in all places. Much of the outsides here in this set of items is plastic, this both proving to be good in that it’ll bounce back if you drop it and wont damage the floor of your dorm or apartment, and bad in that you won’t get many “oh sweet, what is THAT you’ve got there?” comments. No worries though, this speaker setup is high quality, working both in party-level sound blast loudness and silent tuning to perfection for your exacting musical tastes. To make these adjustments you’ve only to download the free application from the iTunes App Store (for iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone), and fire it up, controlling the speaker either by docking your device or by connecting via Bluetooth. There’s also a tiny remote control included if you’re more apt to docking the iDevice and stepping back from the action with as small a controller as possible.

One of the comments Chris Davies made when this product was originally announced was that it was quite enticing in that it didn’t actually require you to dock your iDevice to make it play the beats you had controlled from said device. Truly this is a pro as should you be wanting to play your music in one part of the house and are walking to and fro putting away dishes or doing the laundry, you can stop anywhere, pop that iPhone out of your pocket, and flip to the next song. It’s a testament to XtremeMac that I’m fairly certainly I’ll not ever be able to give a mobile device dock a positive review in the future unless its got the ability to connect to the device in question via Bluetooth. Anything less is just uncivilized!

You can play any audio you’ve got ringing out of your iDevice through this speaker, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that since Google Music recently left Beta and now allows everyone free storage of up to 200,000 songs on their own servers, we’d check out how to make it happen here. What we’ve got here is two options: first, you can access Google Music by heading to music.google.com in your web browser window on your iDevice and play some songs like that. Second, and this is the one demonstrated here in the video, is an app by the name of gMusic.

This app allows you essentially the same interface that your Android pals now have for Google Music and connects you instantly with all 200,000 of your songs just so long as you’ve got a Wi-fi connection (or simply a data connection if you’re using an iPhone, of course.) Tap into the fun and fire up a Weird Al track if you should so dare. You can pick this unit up today at Best Buy for a cool $100 USD, lucky you!

This device also has DNLA 1.5, vTuner Internet Radio, and built-in wi-fi connectivity. You’ll be able to see all the action on the integrated 2.5-inch color LCD screen and the whole system is made to work with the free Apple Remote app for ultra-simple control. You can sync your DLNA-certified PCs and hard-drives to work with Music Tap to wirelessly stream music that way, and vTuner Internet Radio will give you access to thousands of internet-base radio stations from all around the world.

There’s another function in here that you can use in collaboration with another free app from the iTunes App Store, that being Air Jam, which when installed on each of your Apple devices allows up to four of them to be connected via Bluetooth to your Music Tap. With this setup you’ll be able to make a group playlist to play on your Music Tap – party time! Have a peek at this video to see what this whole thing is really about, then pick it up from Pioneer for $399.00 instantly.

This issue is, again, a battery issue, and does not affect any other model iPod or iPod nano from any generation. You’ve got a couple of options as far as replacing your model with Apple, the first being online with Apple’s [replacement form.] You’ll notice a list of countries that you’ll be able to get the recall in, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and now the United States as well.

You’ll need your iPod nano’s serial number to find if your device is eligible for the replacement, this number able to be found as indicated in the image above, right there on the back of the device. If you’ve got a personalized unit, note that you won’t get a personalized replacement unit, and by all indications you WILL have to hand over your old unit if you want a new one. If you do not want to use the online form, you can visit your local Apple store or Apple Authorized Service Provider with your unit in question for validation and the trade-up.

All replacement units will be “warranted to be free from defects for 90 days from the date of service,” this assured by Apple.

[via Apple.com]

It looks like the clip on the iPods may need a bit of milling to create a recesses area of the speaker dome. The recessed are might also have an effect on the sound generated by the speaker. The app shows a design with one using a piezoelectric speaker that is coupled to the housing by wires and such that are flexible to allow the clip to move normally.

One of the segments of the patent app also takes about using a thin layer of a material known as Kapton Film. This film is stable over a wide temperature range and is interesting in that it was used as the outside layer of space suits in the Apollo days and as thermal insulation on the Lunar Module. There is no indication of when the speakers might show up on the smaller iPods at this point.

[via Patently Apple]

The PM9700 model is a plasma style set of course with Smart TV platform aboard – this means apps galore and no less than the manufacturer’s full attention when it comes to giving you hero-level support. Have a peek back at our review of the just as massively excellent Samsung UN55D800 for another glimpse of what the future holds for those wishing their television units to be intelligent. Don’t forget to make sure you’ve got enough room to hold all that awesome in your living space.

Then there’s an iPod dock. Believe it or not, there’s still one massively gigantic market for the creating and selling of docks that work specifically with iPhones and iPod Touches, and LG is still there right at the forefront with this lovely looking oddity – look like a Rubix Cube to you? These sides dont turn, but the top panel does slide back to reveal a place for your iDevice to sit and jam out some tunes using Airplay to do it. This device is sure to be a winner for those of you looking to make sure their dock doesn’t just look like a massive speaker come early 2012 – fashion!

[via CES]

Meanwhile, there’s also a new processor to be found, though Apple isn’t talking specifications. Instead, it’s more keen to discuss the streamlined UI, which now uses a full icon view rather than a more fiddly grid layout, and the integrated support for Nike+.

The component supplier switch is likely a cost chasing measure, given Apple has cut pricing for the iPod nano in the seventh generation. The 8GB model is now $129 and the 16GB is now $149, and if you consider there’s now no need to buy separate Nike+ receiver hardware it’s even more of a good deal.

The news came from Cupertino California today that “Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives.” Of course we need no reminder of this, having sat on the edge of our seats at his every word over the past decade and more. “The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”

The announcement of Jobs’ passing went on to note:

His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.

Apple CEO Tim Cook today sent the following email to all Apple employees:

Team,

I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.

Tim

An undeniably sad day for the world at large, but also a time to reflect on the undeniably massive impact this modern marvel has had on the earth.

The updated iPod touch features an ultra thin design, Apple’s super dense pixel Retina Display, FaceTime, and HD video recording. Not only is it good for music listening, it’s being touted by Apple as the number one portable gaming device. It will offer many of the new iOS 5 features including iMessage and the Game Center as well as connection to the iCloud.

The new iPod touch comes in white and black and is priced at $199 for the 8GB model, $299 for the 32GB, and $399 for the 64GB. The devices will be available starting October 12. A new iPod shuffle was also briefly mentioned to be priced at $49 with a 2GB capacity.

The new iPod features an improved navigation interface. It’s now easier to use and instead of having a grid of icons, you now swipe from app icon to icon. It’s integrated Nike+ feaeture lets you track your walking and running metrics and doesn’t require any additional adapters.

There’s also plenty of ways to customize your iPod nano, say, onto a watch strap with various customized clock faces. There are now 16 new clock faces to choose from, including one with Mickey Mouse. These new nanos retail for $129 for the 8GB model and $149 for 16GB model and are available today.

In addition, you’ll now be able to add grid lines, pinch do zoom, and many more little fun things that make your camera experience amongst the best in the industry. You’ll also be able to continue to edit your photos right from your phone and punch them up to look great for all your social networks and whatnot. Game center is given a boost, those of you using the system will be glad to know that it’s not going anywhere, and tabbed browsing is getting a bump in Safari.

Basically we’re going through everything we already knew about iOS 5, but these confirmations mean the system will be out this week, essentially. Stick with us here on SlashGear in the main news feed and in our lifestream for more coverage of this iPhone event!

The news doesn’t stop here, Apple also announced more than 250 million iOS devices are in the wild, with more than 18 billion apps downloaded thus far. They have all sorts of neat graphs and stats showing just how great Apple really is. We have plenty of photos coming soon so stay tuned.

Previously, users could access the games via a link in the iTunes App Store called “iPod Click Wheel Games.” These games date back to Apple’s very first iPod model and include titles like Brick, Vortex, iQuiz, and Texas Hold’Em, totaling about 50 titles that all rely on the touch-sensitive wheel of the classic iPod. However, the link to this category of games is no longer available from the iTunes App Store menu.

It’s believed that Apple will be putting the iPod Classic to rest during its major “Let’s Talk iPhone” event next Tuesday, October 4. Although there were hopes that Apple would update the iPod Classic with a larger 220GB Toshiba hard drive, it seems unlikely now that Apple is pushing its iCloud music streaming service for iOS 5. Make sure to follow our live blog of the event for all the details.

[via MacRumors]

The TUAW source claims that the transition is in the iPod line and that the two iPods will be killed off. The iPod line has been around for a long time and all of them use flash storage today except the classic that uses a normal HDD to store its tunes. The shuffle on the other hand is the only iPod that has no LCD and is only marginally cheaper than the nano minus the screen.

Another fact supporting the axe of the iPods is that once these two are gone all of the line will use touchscreens. Considering Apple has made a name for itself in the touchscreen world over the years that is no surprise either. Naturally, the identity of the source isn’t divulged, but TUAW notes the source isn’t an analyst. My money is on someone in the supply chain that may have knowledge of cancelled orders.

[via TUAW]

Steve did not invent Apple products alone. Nearly his entire executive staff — including everyone involved in iOS product design, development, and manufacturing — is still at Apple, and it’s not like they will suddenly forgot the lessons learned from working with Steve over the past decade (the man makes a strong impression).

[Image credit: Brett Weinstein]

Apple’s enormous price and manufacturing competitive advantages were all masterminded by Tim Cook – you know, the guy who’s been the interim CEO during much of Apple’s growth spurt over the past few years, a position that has now been made permanent. Apple’s “overnight success” in phones and tablets was actually built up slowly over the years, with each new product leveraging existing platforms and user interface designs, and each platform expanding its functionality over time. Now that Steve has moved to Chairman of the Board, Apple is not abandoning any of these advantages, rather it is pressing them and building new ones in iCloud and AirPlay.

Apple is probably more dangerous to competitors now than it has ever been. For example, the iPhone 4 has been on the market for over 14 months, its price has not dropped a penny, and it outsells every other phone on the market. In the coming months, a new iPhone will be launched, and that means that today’s best selling phone will almost certainly remain on the market at a lower price point. Unfortunately for Apple’s rivals, that isn’t even the worse case scenario.

Best Case Scenario (for Apple’s Competitors)

1. The existing iPhone 4 remains on the market or is replaced with an 8 GB version.

The iPhone 4 will get an upgrade to iOS 5, which brings iCloud and various software improvements. It is possible that AT&T and Verizon Wireless will decide to subsidize it only down to $99, as they will both have it, so AT&T won’t be able to uniquely offer a low priced iPhone. However, AT&T sold millions of iPhone 3G S’s at $49, so there is every reason to believe that they will do it again. If AT&T sets the iPhone 4 price at $49, Verizon Wireless will probably match it.

2. Apple introduces the iPhone 5 with a larger display, dual core processor, and camera spec bump.

The larger display would still have the highest resolution display on the market, but spread out over a larger surface area, subjectively improving web browsing, media playback, and apps. Apple will almost certainly implement the display along with new manufacturing methods that requires minimal bezel and does not radically enlarge the phone overall.

Apple is reportedly already using HSPA-capable chipsets in the CDMA iPhone, and with the new version, Apple should be expected to enable that functionality. Apple sweats the details; it could also push carriers to offer simpler and more affordable roaming plans as part of the deal or insist that the HSPA portion of the phone remain unlocked for use with prepaid microSIM cards.

Apple will reiterate all the iOS5 benefits, including iCloud. There may be a 64 GB version for folks like me who have way too much content to fit into 32 GB. Oh, and it will be thinner (it’s always thinner).

3. Apple updates the iPod line with new colors, tweaked designs, and a smaller nano that is designed to work well as a watch.

September is traditionally when Apple updates the iPod line, and while pushing out the launch date on the iPhone means that the smartphone will get the lions share of attention, there is no reason to think Apple will neglect the iPod. You might wonder, “what’s the point, aren’t iPod sales declining?” They are, though even in decline the iPod is still selling millions of units a quarter. The iPod has always had an element of fashion to it, and annual updates are a key part of its success.

This scenario would leave Apple with a much improved iPhone at the high end both in terms of hardware and software, it would put an entry level iPhone at Verizon Wireless, and would give retailers a refreshed iPod line. Apple would be set to break all kinds of sales records with the new iPhones, but this would be widely positioned in the press as a disappointment since none of the wilder rumors were borne out.

If the above scenario is not guaranteed, it is at least extremely plausible. However, there are reasons to believe that Apple could deliver more than that. In my next column, I’ll explore what would constitute a Worst Case Scenario (for Apple’s competitors).

Apple Rumor Column Disclaimer: Avi Greengart is the Research Director for Consumer Devices at Current Analysis. He is a market analyst, and he holds no stock in Apple or any other individual tech company. All wild guesses in this column are his own and are not based on specific information from the hairdresser across the street from a factory in Shenzhen making cases for the iPhone 5, Cupertino bartenders, or DigiTimes.

The remote will let you control the music from across the room so you don’t have to get up and walk over. The wireless remote control stores in a little magnetic compartment on the back of the dock so it will always be with you when you are on the go. The dock will work with the free iOS apps that Altec Lansing offers as well including the Music Mood App and the Alarm Rock App.

The dock comes in two styles with the Classic version in black and a sport version that has red or teal trim. Both have the same features inside. The dock has dual 2-inch drivers and full stereo sound inside. Both dock styles will sell for $149.99 and the exact launch date is unknown.

Market expectations pegged the September rate to be 16 percent, which Apple surpassed. Munster believes the strong sales can be attributed to the launch of Mac OS X Lion along with the release of the refreshed MacBook Air and Mac Minis. He also predicts that 10 to 20 percent of the 4.5 million units likely to be sold will be of the MacBook Airs.

Additionally, NPD’s data revealed that Apple’s iPod sales have declined for the first two months of this quarter, dropping 16 percent year over year. This figures is actually not as bad as the expected 23 percent drop. Apple is on pace to sell between 7.2 million and 7.7 million units from the iPod lineup this quarter.

[via Apple Insider]

For those of you without a heavy knowledge of Ive, he’s been the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple, having worked at the company since 1996 and holding the title he currently has since Jobs returned to the company inside 1997. Having such monstrously impacting designs as the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad under his belt, Ive is one of the most influential industrial designers in modern history. In total, Ive’s name appears on over 200 Apple patents.

Apple products have been featured in several museum collections around the world including Pompidou in Paris and the MOMA in New York. This newest exhibition features designers from across the industrial design world including Hans Gugelot, Peter Raacke, Michele De Lucchi, Tobias Grau, Hadi Teherani, and Herbert Hirche. As far as leaders inside design-reliant companies, Ive turns up as one of the most important, having a hand, again, in some of the most integral designs in Apple’s hardware history.

For those of you wondering, Ive’s first Apple project that made it to the production floor was the iMac G3. That’s the one that blew your mind when you saw that a computer didn’t have to be just gray or beige – just one in a long line of above and beyond ideas that lead Ive, worth something around $128 million at the moment, to be in the position he’s in at this very moment. Head over to the museum and see the greatness.

[via Apple Insider]

For the MagSafe on the iPad patent, Apple gives credit to Chris Ligtenberg, John DiFonzo, Bret Degner and John as the inventors of Granted Patent 7,997,906 originally filed in Q2 2010. Whether or not this means they’ll eventually add this MagSafe power port is still up to the gods. Next there’s a patent for a Double-Sided Touch Sensitive Panel and Flex Circuit Bonding. What on earth could this be used for? Maybe some behind-the back iPad action so we can do some secret Ouija board action? Things could get weird with double-sided touch-sensitive panels. But wait, this patent was filed for in Q1 of 2007 and revisited in Q1 2011, and the second half of the “double-sided” touch panel conducts the signal to the computer which in turn says “ok, sounds good boss.” This is patent 7,999,795 and Apple credits Mark Hamblin and Steve Hotelling as the inventors.

Then the last big bid win from Apple here on a patent finally completed is the original iPod, the iPod Nano, and two user interfaces for iTunes. That’s the first one, arguably the start of the golden age of Apple, the mobile digital music player by the name if iPod. It won the day and paved the way for the iPhone. Believe that!

The original iPod is credited to CEO Steve Jobs, VP Industrial Design Jonathan Ive and team members Bartley Andre, Daniel Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, Richard Howarth, Duncan Kerr, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Douglas Satzger, Calvin Seid, Christopher Stringer and Eugene Whang and is numbered D643,403. The rest of the patents go to D643,402, D643,437 and D643,436, and cover Apple’s “Shuffle” feature and iTunes “Downloads” screen.” Engaging stuff!

This means that Apple can finally eat the top of that iPod wedding cake and frost it with brand new iPod nano frosting and plug it in with a MagSafe!

[via Patently Apple]

This isn’t the first time the designer who created these devices has appeared here on SlashGear. The last time Antoine Brieux showed up, it was a double HTC festival with lots of clean edges. Brieux is also responsible for another iPhone 5 concept design that you can see in the gallery below, this one having a very similar shape to the devices we’re seeing today, only with a black border to keep with the reality that the iPhone 5 will very likely be devoid of color like its predecessors.

Another design that this newest set of iPhone 5Gs look like is the Nokia N9, a fabulous device running MeeGo and coming in several bright fabulous matte colors. The designs your seeing here courtesy of Brieux are certainly no flat situation. All your normal buttons are in place: volume up and down, screen lock, power, and you’ve got a headphone jack at the top, a camera with a single LED flash on the back, and your regular iPod dock at the bottom with two speaker grilles. Black matte back on this iPhone 5G and your regular everyday Gorilla Glass front. Same size home button as well.

This look like something you’d buy, Apple fans? How about if they called it the iPod Phone?

[via Concept Phones]

This one effects pedal will work with all your 80′s cover band instruments. The StompBox was made to work with the Frontier Design iShred LIVE app. The StompBox and the app together allow the player to change effects using their feet without taking hands off the instrument. The app allows each of the four switches on the StompBox to be assigned to different effects.

The StompBox ships with the Griffin GuitarConnect cable to allow the instrument, headphones, and the iPhone to be connected at once. The cable is a meter long. The StompBox can also be programmed to work with Qscript, the Griffin teleprompter app for iPad. The StompBox is available right now for $99.99 in Apple Retail Stores and directly from Griffin.

If you don’t want to wall mount the CX5, it can also sit on a desk or a shelf. It has a special system inside called the Dynamic Sound Generator x-tra that helps to make the sound more robust. The design of the system lets you use it as a single larger device or remove the speakers and separate them from the center player portion for a broader sound stage.

The user interface is also said to be easy to use and the CX5 has an iPod dock built in to play your digital tunes directly. Other playback sources include a USB port, CD player, and line-in. The device also has a DAB tuner inside as well. It will be offered in black or white colors and is set to Ship in August at an undisclosed price.

[via Pocket-lint]

I must admit, I’ve only ever really used a MiniDisk one time in my life. It was back a few years when I was still in college, going to design and art school at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. It was there that the epic interactive professor and artist Piotr Szyhalski handed the class one MiniDisk each, demanding that we use them for optimal awesomeness. In truth it was more for the devices we were using which used the disks in a unique way that allowed them to hold audio in a way that our design project called for. And that’s just it – uniqueness is the name of the game here.

This is the MiniDisk Walkman, one in a long line of Walkman devices that you really should own if you wanna catch em all. Device collectors, get our your pocketbooks, you may be in for a bidding war against the rest of the ebay collectors soon, or, more likely, you’ll be getting a device for next to nothing much sooner than you think. Demand has diminished, and since they were introduced in 1992, they’ve only really been popular in Japan.

Now I ask you: have you ever used a Walkman of this caliber before? Or better yet, do you STILL own one and use it to this day?

Over the past week we’ve seen a massively impressive display unfold in the form of a social networking brand being layed out by Google with a simple “+” character. With that minor addition to their already perfectly ubiquitous name, Google and their network, which we’ll from here on out call G+, has cemented themselves in as not only the next big thing on the internet, but the first “open” community conduit for not just us and our “friends,” but everyone we could possibly want to connect with as well.

Is this what we’ve been waiting for?

It’s a seller’s market when it comes to brand-powered pushing of products. I didn’t realize I needed an iPad until I had the opportunity to purchase one, and I certainly didn’t need a Facebook account until I realized you needed a college-based email to get in to the network. That’s the way Facebook ramped up, if you’ll remember back a few years with me here, you needed an email account that you were only able to pick up if you were in one of the few allowed colleges in the world to be given Facebook access – in this way, Facebook was made exclusive and therefor desirable.

NOTE: Read Facebook “Awesome” Announcement Strewn with Veiled Google+ References to see if you agree with the idea that Zuckerberg and crew feel threatened by Google’s new social network.

Several years down the line and the big blue social network opened its doors to everyone and anyone – but at that point it was such a big brand and so many people were already signed up, the masses had (and still have, to this day,) basically the same amount of option to sign up (or not) as they do to have an email address or a phone number. Google took and is still taking a very similar approach, though it’s working MUCH faster and MUCH better now that social networking is a real solid concept, this time with invites and a Beta program to keep the otherwise uninterested masses out.

Now we’re in – we’ve been in for about a week at this point, and the service is growing so fast, and the interactions we’ve been having have been so rewarding, diverse, and gigantic, that it doesn’t seem like there’s any drawbacks to this fantastic G+ service. So let’s ask that question again: is this what we’ve been waiting for? If you’re talking about a service that both allows us to share things with our friends AND interact with contacts we wouldn’t otherwise ever really want to add as a “friend” on Facebook, then yes. If you’re talking about a way to place a lightening rod in the internet for all of our various Google-related services we’ve ALREADY working with then yes.

They already have us

Google had us from the day they introduced Gmail. No, better yet, let me go you one better – they had us from the day my friend Justin told me back in 1997 that Google was the best way to find things on the internet, showing me how Google even showed you how fast your search was – only a few seconds! Wow! Why would I ever go back to using Yahoo or Webcrawler! Brilliant. Google has been a strong brand in my life since before the Apple resurgence, the iPod age, the age of simplicity. Google has been a strong brand since before it mattered if your online brand existed offline as well in some form or another. Google is such a strong brand that the logo, one of the worst in the history of the world, doesn’t have a baring on how much I trust the company.

Google’s Slick and Silent Rebranding

With this release comes the most silent but deadly rebranding of a company the world has ever seen, and it’s already massively successful. While the rebranding of Apple into a god-level brand with the simplicity of the iPod is the king and shall forevermore be known as the king of rebrandings, Google here has taken the one eternally strong element in their logo mark, the color, and has turned it into the perfect environmental surround for a social network. This new social network’s color scheme, being mostly white and having dashes of the Google rainbow here and there, takes the “you’re now inside Facebook” aesthetic and throws it out the window in favor of a “you’ve always been here, and Google is with you” look at the social landscape.

See our Google+ Guide from Top to Bottom for more information on the full G+ service.

ALSO: read Google+ and the Privacy Pit by Chris Davies

What’s Missing?

Google isn’t Facebook, but it doesn’t want to be. While Facebook wants to capitalize on your personal life, Google wants to capitalize on your entire life. You’ve got the ability to be private here on G+, but you’ve also got the ability to be public – it’s all one click away.

Google isn’t Apple, but it… well maybe it DOES want to be. Though I’m certain Google doesn’t want to limit itself to a group that only sells services, sells products, acts as the store and offers ties through theses elements, it certainly does want to master these elements at least. Apple has the sales game mastered – it manufactures a device, creates the operating system for the device, sells the device in their shop, then offers support for the device after the fact – plus now they’re getting into supporting the device online with items such as iCloud, and iTunes has been around for several years now giving them control over the media they supply for the device. It’s what appears to be a perfect system – but they don’t own social networking.

Currently Google has Android, and though they don’t directly manufacture hardware for the Android mobile operating system, they work closely with a whole slew of manufacturers to assure the world that the Android devices rolling out with the official Android Market are the ones they approve of. We’ve got a whole Android Community surrounding Google’s mobile explosion, but we still type the words for the posts on MacBook Pros more often than not. Will Google ever edge Apple out from our desktops entirely? Not any time soon.

Google’s Got It

Much in the same way Apple has the power, cash, and person power to take the market at every level, Google’s got it too. Google has the power it needs to move forward, and now with their full attention turned to the social networking world, they’re about to grab a whole lot more. Will Google get you? Chances are they already have! They’ve certainly got us – check out our full lineup over in the post by the name of SlashGear Officially on Google+, Join the G+ Party! — but remember, we’ve still got a Facebook and a Twitter on standby, if you know what I mean.

For additional reading on Google+ from a similar perspective, take a look at the column What Google+, Circles, Sparks, and Huddle will Mean for Me and You also written by author Chris Burns. AND see what we thought of Google+ before we realized it wasn’t just a huddle of sparky circles in the column Google Circles and what it Doesn’t Mean for You – written about a week before the official reveal of Google+ in its Beta form, the same form we’re still working with today.

Although it seems odd that a back-to-school sale would start now since school will have just gotten out, but Apple along with other companies have long been rolling out back-to-school sales beginning right at the start of summer. This way kids have all summer to coax their parents to pick up Apple gear in time for the next school year. And this time, we might get a nice deal on the iPad 2.

According to insider sources from BGR, Apple’s deal this year will most likely be the offer of a free iPod touch with the purchase of a Mac, or the option to apply $229 towards the purchase of any other iPod. Additionally, there’s a possibility that Apple may include the option for a $200 discount on the iPad 2 with the purchase of a Mac. Now, we just hope they’ll have enough of those second-generation iPads in stock, considering recent supply troubles.

[via BGR]

The MIX iMT810 features updated aluminum accents, enhanced clarity, heavyweight bass, 5.25-inch subwoofer, and an adjustable seven-band graphic equalizer. It has a blue LCD display, digital FM radio tuner, remote control, and dual AUX IN jacks for connecting to additional audio players. It also automatically pauses music when a call is received on the docked iPhone.

When the MIX iMT810 is plugged into the wall, it can also charge your docked iPhone or iPod. If you need it unplugged, the digital boombox can run on eight D-cell batteries for up to 30 hours. It is now available and priced at $299.95.

[via iPodNN]

In the voice patent, Apple suggests that various button clicks or gestures could trigger different status reports. So, a double-press might get you battery status – voiced enthusiastically if you’re near-full, or sounding tired if there’s little charge left – while holding down the button could give you a read out of all the various statuses of the device.

As for the tactile feedback, that would use various pressure sensors and pneumatics to offer force-feedback both when you’re actually touching the controls and when your finger is nearby them. It could also make certain keys harder or easier to press, or work in the reverse and adjust input according to how firmly you push the button. Apple reckons this system would be a good workaround in increasingly compact devices with minimal – or, for touch-based gadgets, non-existent – travel in their controls.

Of course, there’s no telling that either idea will make it to final products, but we can definitely see the voice output concept being integrated into VoiceOver, the system that reads out artist, track and playlist information on the iPod shuffle and nano.

The download service – which had previously offered MP3s on a track-by-track basis – now puts more emphasis on playlist purchases. Spotify now allows you to purchase and download an entire playlist with one click, with MP3 bundles that, the company says, push individual track pricing down to as little as 50p ($0.82) per track. You can buy 10 tracks for £7.99/€9.99 (working out to 80p/€1 a track), 15 tracks for £9.99/€12.99 (67p/€0.87 per track), 40 tracks for £25/€30 (63p/€0.75) or 100 tracks for £50/€60 (50p/€0.60).

As for mobile users without premium subscriptions, as of today the Spotify Mobile app for iOS and Android will now allow them to wirelessly sync their MP3 playlists from their computer to their phone. It’ll also work with the iPod touch. They won’t get Spotify streaming support for the whole catalog, mind:

“Free and Open users can use our mobile app for all MP3s they would like to sync, both songs bought in Spotify and songs on their computer that they’ve purchased from before. If you’re missing MP3s in your Spotify playlist that you would like to sync to your iPod you can easily complete it by purchasing missing songs in one easy step in Spotify, before syncing.” Spotify

The update will be rolling out to users from today, and is expected to take a couple of days. Of course it’s also limited to certain European countries, since Spotify hasn’t finalized its US launch. More details in the video below.

So why the lower number? The answer is simple, this quarter was a product transition quarter where the iPad 2 was announced. Many consumers held off their purchase of an iPad early in this quarter due to the imminent release of the second generation product.

Historically in this industry sales volumes prior to a new generation release are low. This has proven true again with the transition from the first iPad to the second generation. Apple will most likely stay on target 7-8 million iPads for the third quarter as many predict.

International Sales
Apple reported that U.S iPhone sales were up 155% which was helped in part by Verizon. However the more shocking number is their report of the greater China sales being up 250%. Strong International sales are one of the key things to look at for a global brand. Apple has repeatedly climbed in International sales and is becoming a very strong global brand.

Many other companies who compete with Apple are weak globally and the fact that Apple is showing tremendous growth in this area should give investors confidence for the long term.

Apple Store Foot Traffic
I’ve spoken publicly to the media quite a bit about Apple’s retail strategy being one of their biggest assets for competitive advantage. The statistic they shared that in the last quarter alone their stores saw 71.1 million visitors up 50% is staggering.

This is the number we need to look at in order to anticipate consumer demand. From that number we know consumer demand for Apple products is at an all time high.

Criticize them as you may but more rational beings will give them credit where credit is due.