This just in from the "not surprising since a rising tide lifts all boats" department -- stock in Apple's primary manufacturing partner, Foxconn, climbed to a recent high on speculation that Apple might be using metal casings for the next-generation iPhone.

The speculation is in line with what Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty noted last month. Huberty believes that Apple is moving away from the glass casing used on the iPhone 4 and 4S and moving to a metal casing instead. Foxconn spokesman Cheng-Kuang Liu, of course, wisely declined to comment about the rumors.

The use of metal in the new iPhone benefits companies like Foxconn that not only assemble Apple's products, but produce the metal casings as well. The company's share price surged almost seven percent yesterday on what so far is baseless speculation.

Foxconn stock climbs on Apple projections originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As anticipation builds for Apple's January 19 press event, the tech web has latched onto the notion of "GarageBand for iBooks," suggesting that Apple will release iBook creation tools to the public. Ars Technica believes its true, while Philip Elmer-Dewitt does not. Interestingly, both opinions are based on discussions with the same person.

Chris Foresman at Ars and Elmer-Dewitt both spoke with Matt MacInnis, CEO of Inkling, a company that's been making interactive textbooks for the iPad for some time. MacInnis does expect Apple to make production tools available, but does not feel that Apple is out to "digitally destroy" textbook publishing, according to Elmer-Dewitt.

"Apple is not trying to kill the incumbents," MacInnis told Elmer-Dewitt. "They've learned their lesson from upending the music industry."

As for the tools themselves, Elmer-Dewitt suggests we should expect a solution to support the textbook industry. The GarageBand reference may have been misplaced as well. In his conversation with Elmer-Dewitt, MacInnis referred GarageBand for iPad, and how Apple used it, in part, to demonstrate what was possible on the iPad 2. Expect a similar demonstration from Apple on Thursday. Specifically, "...a sample iPad textbook, produced in-house and packed with pedological bells and whistles" to serve as a model for publishers.

Apple's press event is getting "overhyped" originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's January, and that means it's time to ramp up the iPad rumors to full frenzy mode. Japanese rumor site Macotakara, which has been surprisingly accurate when it comes to speculation about upcoming iPads, says that the next-generation iPad is now in production in anticipation of a release in March, 2012.

Macotakara's sources in China say that Foxconn and Pegatron will share production of the new iPad, with Foxconn grabbing a full 85 percent of the orders. The site says that the initial devices will be outfitted with Sharp LCD display panels, allowing 2048 x 1536 resolution without adding weight and thickness to the iPad. As you can see above, the Macotakara has also been accumulating images from Chinese sources of what appear to be replacement parts for the next-generation iPad.

The report from Japan also includes design teasers that are in line with what iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz was stating this week -- the device is visually similar to the iPad 2, and the Smart Cover and other accessories should work with the new iPad. Horwitz reportedly saw an next-generation iPad prototype just before CES, noting that the new device is about 1 mm thicker than the iPad 2 and has a slightly larger opening for the rear camera lens. Horwitz revealed the design of the iPad 2 last year through a similar encounter, so there could be some validity to this rumor.

Horwitz also noted that the prototype he saw could be as much as six months old, so the design could have changed prior to going into production. Speculation about what's under the glass and aluminum of the new device is rampant, with a quad-core A6 being seen as a possibility to power the next iPad. GigaOM's Darrell Etherington even wondered if the device might be given the "iPad 2S" moniker, indicating big changes inside with few cosmetic differences from the iPad 2.

What do you think about these rumors? Would the addition of a quad-core chip make you upgrade from your existing iPad? We want to hear your opinions in the comments.

Next-generation iPad rumored to be in production for March release originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's been much debate over the idea of a 7-inch iPad from Apple. Today, our pals at MacObserver jumped into the mix with their take on things. The Kindle Fire, Ted Landau points out, offers "an e-reader with added iPad-like features for half the price of an iPad."

Speaking as a happy Kindle Fire owner, I rather like the medium form factor. This is not an opinion universally shared in the TUAW trenches, but I appreciate the way I can carry it around in a purse -- something not possible with the iPad. That means, when I head out, I now often take the iPhone and the Fire along, where as before I'd have only had the iPhone with me. My iPad remains reserved for backpack or briefcase excursions.

A 7" screen offers a very good reading size. It's more portable than the iPad screen and offers more area than the iPhone. It also excels at gaming and video watching, providing that same middle balance.

As far as form alone goes, I think Apple could find a ready audience of customers who'd be happy to pick up a smaller unit at a bargain price, especially if it was 3G-ready like the iPad, and equipped with a Retina display for better reading.

The challenges come from two places: market fragmentation and software reach. When Apple introduced the iPad, it had a clear niche to fill: tablet computing held in the crook of your arm. A much larger screen yet small enough for easy portability. A smaller version of that tablet would be nice, and it would sell, but it wouldn't support a unique raison d'etre.

Apple does not want to return to the mid '90's with dozens of Performa and Quadra models littering its product line. When someone walks into an Apple Store, they need to want to buy a particular thing, not make choices between nuanced variations of the same idea. A 7" model, no matter how nice it would serve as a reader, doesn't add to the strength of Apple's bottom line. It doesn't create demand, it confuses it, even if the 7" is offered at a bargain price.

The second issue is the App Store. Although better developers do design with strong resolution-independence, you cannot assume that apps will simply work on new geometries. Launch screens differ, icons differ, proportions differ, and so forth. To create a polished app that fits properly into a new resolution is a big job. Apple would have to once again fragment their App Store to serve that, a step that's somewhat bigger than you might first expect.

As a developer, I lived through the iPad introduction and know that that kind of major OS and display fragmentation is not to be undertaken lightly. A lot of technology, infrastructure, terminology, and so forth has to follow on to the simple introduction of new hardware.

There's a lot of buzz about the pressure on Apple these days to follow up in the reader world with better markets, platforms, and tools -- I've been writing quite a bit about that topic this month, and there's rumors flying about what we might see announced soon. But I can't exactly see how a 7" tablet would help Apple respond to those issues, although I know I'd certainly buy one for myself.

For me this comes down to a split between yes, I'd love one personally, and no, I don't think it would be in Apple's best interest to go there. Did Apple get "caught with its pants down at Christmas" as it lacked a 7-inch model? I don't think so. Are they working on a 7-inch tablet now? I'm slightly on the "probably not" side, for the reasons I stated above.

On the idea of a 7-inch Apple iPad originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.