Apple : Updated: Apple iTV release date, news and rumours

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• Updated: Apple iTV release date, news and rumours
• Apple MacBook shipments suggest June WWDC announcement
• In Depth: Apple WWDC 2012: what to expect
• Apple 'in talks' to buy TV manufacturer Loewe
• Buying Guide: Best replacement iPhone or iPod headphones: 5 tested
• Tutorial: How to use iTunes Match
• Apple drops 4G tag from iPad name, now 'Wi-Fi + Cellular'

Updated: Apple iTV release date, news and rumours Posted: Apple iTV rumours: what you need to know We love our new Full HD Apple TV, but we're not sure Apple does: the firm's more interested in getting iPads into your living room than Apple TVs under your flat screen. Apple says the Apple TV is a hobby, but it turns out the company is thinking bigger. Much, much bigger: it wants to sell you the entire TV set, not a little box beneath it. In a 15 February 2012 earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted again at the release of something bigger and better than the current Apple TV (credit CNN Money). brightcove : 1468725309001 "With Apple TV, however, despite the barriers in [the TV set top box] market, for those of us who use it, we've always thought there was something there. And that if we kept following our intuition and kept pulling the string, then we might find something that was larger. "For those people that have it right now, the customer satisfaction is off the charts. But we need something that could go more main market for it to be a serious category." Here's all the rumours and speculation surrounding the Apple iTV, which some have also claimed may end up with the surely unlikely name of the Apple iPanel. The latest reports point at a late 2012 Apple iTV release date. Apple iTV design Forget the current hockey-puck form factor: the rumour mill is unanimous that the next Apple TV will be a proper TV. The Telegraph says that "sources within the company" say that Jeff Robbin, the man who helped create the iPod, is leading the team. Apple has seemingly denied rumours that it is working with French designer Philippe Starck. Remember when he worked with Microsoft on a mouse? However, it appears that Starck was actually working on another project, a yacht, with Steve Jobs before his death. On 13 May 2011, we reported that Apple is rumoured to be in talks to buy TV manufacturer Loewe. AppleInsider wrote that talks have entered the advanced stages and Loewe is expected to make a decision on Apple's offer within the next week. Apple iTV specifications and display Engadget predicts an A5 processor and 1080p video - neither of which are a huge surprise, granted. Australian tech site Smarthouse says that the Apple iTV will come in three sizes, including 32-inch and 55-inch models. Sources at "a major Japanese company who are involved in manufacturing the TV" reckon the sets will have the same processor as the forthcoming iPad 3, which presumably means an Apple A6. Smarthouse isn't usually the go-to site for Apple rumours, but its report echoes similar claims by respected Apple analyst Gene Munster, who told the recent Future of Media conference that Apple will make its TV in a range of sizes. The supply chain for the iTV is set to get going during the first quarter of 2012. That's according to Digitimes on 27 December 2011. March 2012 rumours pointed at Sharp being the manufacturing partner and that production would start in May. SlashGear says work on components is already under way. In mid April, Sharp announced it had begun production of 32-inch HI-DPI LCD panels at its Kameyama Plant No. 2 - could these be the panels destined for the Apple iTV? Apple contractor Foxconn's parent company has made a rather large investment in Sharp - does this indicate something we wonder? Apple iTV operating system As with the Apple TV, any iTV is likely to run iOS, albeit in slightly disguised form. Compatibility with other iOS devices is a given: current Apple TVs already accept video streamed via AirPlay and access shared iTunes libraries. We'll be amazed if the iTV doesn't get apps. Apple iTV and iCloud Steve Jobs told his biographer: "I'd like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud. It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it." Apple iTV remote control Munster says the iTV will come with an ordinary remote control, and will be controllable with iPhones, iPod touches and iPads, but the real remote control will be Siri. Apple's voice recognition system will be the heart of the new Apple TV, enabling you to choose channels and control the TV's functions with voice alone. That means " the simplest user interface you could imagine" is voice. However, according to a new patent filed in March 2012, Apple has come up with the design for an advanced universal remote that would also be compatible with your iPhone and iPad. Apple iTV AirPlay mirroring After AirPlay mirroring from Mac to Apple TV was present in the developer preview of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, it's not a great leap to suggest that the Apple iTV could mirror the display of your Mac or iPad wirelessly too. AirPlay mirroring is now 1080p with the new iPad and new Apple TV. Apple iTV programmes While the iTV will get content from iTunes and iCloud, it's not going to be completely separate from current TV broadcasters: Munster says that you'll still need a cable TV subscription and decoder because Apple doesn't have enough content. We're not sure whether it would play nicely with Freeview and Freeview HD here in the UK, but perhaps a DVB-T compatible unit will arrive as part of a second generation. As of 6 March 2012, rumours were continually doing the rounds that, as the New York Post reports, Apple is planning to launch a music streaming service this side of Christmas. On 13 March, Les Moonves, who is CEO at CBS, says he was the recipient of a pitch from Steve Jobs regarding his network's participation in a subscription-based service, but turned him down. His reasoning? Moonves says he was worried about damaging the network's existing revenue streams through broadcast and cable television. Apple iTV price Gene Munster reckons that the iTV will be twice the price of a similarly sized TV. Ouch. However, new March 2012 rumours point at a subsidised launch - courtesy of various partners. Apple iTV picture quality If the iTV does appear, it won't leave manufacturers quaking in their boots. That's according to Samsung's Chris Moseley who told Pocket-Lint in early February 2012 that the firm isn't overly concerned with what Apple launches if it decides to enter the TV market "We've not seen what they've done but what we can say is that they don't have 10,000 people in R&D in the vision category," he says. "They don't have the best scaling engine in the world and they don't have world renowned picture quality that has been awarded more than anyone else." Apple iTV gaming and apps Although most of the rumours so far have been about the hardware involved in the iTV, gaming may be a major focus of the new device. Apple CEO Tim Cook was spotted in mid-April at the HQ of Valve Software, the company behind gaming platform Steam. Some rumours are drawing more from this meeting, saying the Apple could be producing a Kinect-style gesture-based console. But this is likely to be part and parcel of the iTV. Apple iTV release date Most rumours predict a 2013 Apple iTV release date, but the more optimistic observers think Apple won't want to miss 2012's Christmas shopping season. The New York Times says that price, not technology, is the problem: Apple is waiting for the cost of large LCD panels to fall further before building iTVs.

Apple MacBook shipments suggest June WWDC announcement Posted: Apple suppliers are apparently upping their MacBook shipments for June and July, lending strength to the rumour that a new range will be announced at WWDC 2012. As with every other rumour to come out of the supply chain since nineteen-dickity-two, the news comes from Digitimes and its ever-chatty sources in the upstream supply chain. They reckon MacBook shipments to Apple will go up 'significantly' in June, with volumes reaching a peak in July 2012. Back to run the show The components were already on their way to the new MacBooks in March, with volumes also increasing a bit in April and May in line with a June launch. Unfortunately, the article from Digitimes makes no mention of spec or model or colour or price or release date, of course, so it's anyone's guess if these are the new Retina Display toting MacBook Pros or if they're specced-up, priced-down MacBook Airs or what. But the emergence of new MacBooks in the next few months is pretty much a given so it's probably time to start convincing yourself that you need a new one.

In Depth: Apple WWDC 2012: what to expect Posted: It's nearly time for WWDC 2012, Apple's sold-out World Wide Developers Conference, and that means the Apple rumour factory is in full flow. There's a difference between a wish list and rock-solid predictions, however, and the internet has more of the former than the latter. So what can we really expect from this year's WWDC? OS X Mountain Lion at WWDC We know about this already: Gatekeeper security, iCloud integration, the new notification and game centres, AirPlay mirroring... OS X Mountain Lion is looking pretty tasty, and it'll be in near-final form at WWDC. A launch date announcement is almost certain and a public beta a distinct possibility, but our favourite rumour is that Mountain Lion will be a free upgrade. That's not as far fetched as it sounds: Apple is giving free copies of Snow Leopard to MobileMe users who haven't switched to iCloud, and of course iOS upgrades are already free. WWDC unveiling of iOS 6 This one's a given: Apple's on a yearly release schedule for iOS, and the whole thing will be signed off and ready for the expected iPhone 5 launch in October. There are all kinds of tantalising possibilities: more Siri, both in terms of device support and software integration; NFC; some kind of dual-app multitasking for iPads so you can look at two things at once; Apple's long-rumoured mapping API; and perhaps an improved notifications area with support for more widgets and the ability to access commonly-used features such as Airplane Mode. Can we make our annual request for multiple user accounts on the iPad, please? Thanks. WWDC hardware announcements WWDC is primarily a software event, but that doesn't mean we won't see new kit: Apple has unveiled important products there in the past such as the iPhone 4 and the 2009 MacBook Pro. There are four key hardware rumours this year: the new iPhone, Retina MacBook Pros, Apple TV and the iPad Mini. The new iPhone, aka the iPhone 5, at WWDC It's coming, we know, but the D in WWDC stands for Developers, not "Dude, it's the new iPhone!" Unless the incoming iPhone 5 is significantly different from a developer's perspective — that is, if it has a completely different aspect ratio or other significant hardware change, or if it runs Android — then we don't think the new iPhone's going to make an appearance. Others, however, beg to differ. WWDC unveiling of Retina MacBook Pros They're coming, we know, but the big question is when: while OS X already contains a HiDPI mode for retina-style displays, they're still very challenging bits of hardware to make. The MacBook Pro is certainly due a refresh, but a retina refresh might be pushing it for 2012. A new Apple TV at WWDC We're not feeling this one. Apple TV is still officially a hobby, and while it runs a variant of iOS Apple hasn't opened it up to developers yet. That may well change at WWDC, but we a significant Apple TV announcement is a long shot. The iPad Mini at WWDC It exists, and it's rumoured for a 2012 release, so why not unveil it at WWDC? Assuming that a 7.85-inch iPad Mini has been given the green light, a June unveiling would generate enormous excitement, annoying Amazon, Android manufacturers and Windows 8 OEMs simultaneously without overshadowing the Autumn launch of the iPhone 5. If Apple's going to embrace the entire tablet market as it did the digital music market with its various iPods, then the iPad Mini is inevitable.

Apple 'in talks' to buy TV manufacturer Loewe Posted: Apple is said to be negotiating with high-end German TV manufacturer Loewe, perhaps with a view to its eagerly anticipated plans to enter the flatscreen market. AppleInsider says acquisition talks have entered the advanced stages and Loewe, which also builds components and home entertainment systems, is expected to make a decision on Apple's offer in the next week. The site's source claims that Apple has offered around £69m ($112m) to take the company, which is slightly above the value of its closing share price on Friday. Loewe "has been advised by its financial advisor to accept the offer and a final decision is scheduled to be announced internally before 18 May 2012," the source revealed. War chest Any acquisition of the 83 year-old manufacturer, would surely confirm beyond any reasonable doubt that Apple plans to launch its own-branded HD television. Such is Apple's current war chest, the deal would only see Cupertino part with a fraction of its cash stockpiles of $100 billion, although some of that has been allocated for shareholder dividends. Recent reports have suggested that the company will not launch its flatscreen solution until at least 2014, with more stories this week claiming the device would, in fact, be built by Foxconn. Loewe in the UK has declined to comment on any speculation, although the German arm of the company has apparently said that there's nothing in the rumours.

Buying Guide: Best replacement iPhone or iPod headphones: 5 tested Posted: Best replacement iPhone headphones Time was that a pair of snow-white earbuds nestling in your lugholes was a mark of distinction. It announced to the world that you were the proud owner of one o' them fancy new Apple I-Pods and shouted, "Look at me! I have loads of music in my pocket, on a paradigm-shifting digital device, and I am therefore awesome!" Those were the days. Fast forward to the present day and who'd be seen wearing Apple headphones? Let's face it, they're awful. The only time it's acceptable to use your Apple headphones is when you first buy an iOS device and simply don't know any better. So then you realise that you want to go out and buy something that's less ghastly. But what? You're not an audiophile and you don't want to spend a fortune. You just want a pair that don't sound appalling and that you can pick up in town on your lunch break, right? Right. So where to begin? We've done all the hard work for you, selecting a cross-section of step-up headphones and subjecting them to rigorous tests. We went looking for the sort of in-ear headphones you'd find in HMV or Currys on your lunch break, having just stamped on your Apple ones in a fit of audio rage. We avoided brands that we've covered a lot before, and looked at a price range from £25 to £70. They've had an enormous range of music played through them, they've been given a solid appraisal of how they cope with the business of making phone calls, and they've had their design and features thoroughly scrutinised. All that remains is for you to read on to discover which ones you should get. Playing music Tuned using reggae as a benchmark, the House of Marley Freedom: Redemption Song in-ear headphones pack a lot of bass. Which is lovely when you're banging out some roots, or perhaps a bit of dubstep. But when you're listening to something that leans more towards the upper reaches of the audio spectrum, the results can be surprising at times. We found ourselves hearing rich bass undertones in songs where we'd never noticed them before; nothing especially overpowering, though. Ultimately, the £55 headphones produced a big and deep sound - not too boomy and with bright treble that we kept coming back to, especially when we had something large that needed doing justice. Which isn't something you can really say about the JVC HA-KX100-B earbuds, which sell for around £39. They have these weeny little drivers that sit right up at the tip of the earbuds, we'd guess with the idea that a smaller driver deeper in the ear will sound as good as, if not better than, a larger driver with less reach. It's a nice idea that doesn't really work. We found them lacking both in volume and tone, particularly in the bass department. If your tastes run to the gentler, more acoustic end of the scale, or if you simply don't dig loud noises, then you might get on okay with them. But on the whole they're pretty flat-sounding, with no stand-out features. The Audio-Technica ATH-CKS55i headphones, which cost around £62, look a bit strange. That's down to their special sub-chamber mechanism, consisting of a pair of air chambers and an acoustic resistor that are designed to create rich, textured bass. It's an interesting setup that delivers an interesting, textured sound right across the range. They may be on the airy, resonant side, but they pack a wallop at the upper and lower extremities. We were pleasantly surprised by the Philips O'Neill The Tread set. Priced at around £45, we found that they packed enough bass to keep us happy no matter what we threw at them, and delivered a pleasingly balanced overall sound. Nothing thrilling, but nothing to complain about, and a great all-rounder for the price. Sadly, the £59 AKG K 350 set wasn't quite so pleasing. They're ultra-lightweight and deliver a sound to match, with lots and lots of top-end that peters out in the midrange and rather gives up the ghost as it approaches the bass line. They're another pair that benefit from a good deep fit and a decent seal to block out external noise. But even when you've tried all the ear tips and found a decent fit, you're still left with a comparatively weedy sound. Making calls Want passers-by to think that you're talking to yourself? You're in luck, then, since all of these headphones have remotes with built-in microphones for making hands-free calls. As a test, we stood next to a noisy cooker and left identical, same volume messages to ourselves. Only the Marleys gave us the slightest cause for concern, since their microphone remote is below the Y-branch of the cable - further down than the rest of the headphones, whose mics all sit around jaw level. Special mention goes to the Philips O'Neill The Tread, featuring a remote before the Y-branch, and a separate mic at jaw level. In the absence of any notable variation in call quality - the Marleys were quieter, but not unintelligibly so - the Treads win this round on the basis of that pleasing little touch. Design and features House of Marley wins this round hands down. Open the cardboard packaging and you'll find a pair of headphones made from eco-friendly materials, which look absolutely fantastic. We're not sure there's a real need for the wooden outer casing, but it sure looks ace. Our favourite bit is the woven cable. It doesn't snag or get tangled, and it feels delightful. You also get a choice of five pairs of ear tips; three normal and two deep fits with double flanges. Oh, and a wonderful little fabric and leather carrying pouch. The Audio-Technica pouch isn't as nice: just a drawstring bag. But the earphones themselves draw the attention, with a design that puts us in mind of the sort of monitor headphones you often see musicians wearing on stage. Their size and shape make for a snug fit that does a grand job of eliminating outside noise. The JVCs, too, are a peculiar shape, with arms sticking out of the earbuds. They're there to ensure an optimum fit in quite a minimalist way. Pop the bud into your ear and wedge the arm down, and you should have a nice, secure fit that has these babies sounding their very best. Which isn't really that good, but bless them for trying. The AKG K 350 (pictured here in blue and black, but in the shops you'll find them to be black and white) make a point of weighing next to nothing. But it's not a nice lightweightness. Instead, they feel rather cheap and plastic. We're not keen. However, the Treads are super; they're built for toughness, with reinforced earphones and a woven, Kevlar-reinforced cable - they're made to be trodden on and yanked without ill effect. They're so tough they don't come with a case - it would have been nice to have the option, though. Also, we're not keen on the volume slider on the remote, which doesn't actually change the volume, rather just the amount of noise that gets through to your ears. Verdict: best step-up iPhone headphones You have no idea how long we agonised over this one. We narrowed our choice down to either the House of Marley Freedom: Redemption Song or the Audio-Technica ATH-CKS55i, but choosing between the two took us an age of testing them with our favourite songs and figuring out which one we preferred. They both provide a well-rounded sound; the Marleys are crisper, while the ATH-CKS55i's special air-chambers' sound makes them sound bigger and brighter, though not as well defined in the upper ranges. The fact is, we'd be perfectly happy listening to either, but the Marley earbuds win by the barest of margins on the basis of the entire package. The Audio-Technicas are entirely splendid with their chunky earphones at the end of a serious-feeling cable, but on balance we like the Marleys just that teensy bit more. It's things like the recycled packaging that you can open without cutting yourself, the huge choice of ear tips and the fabric pouch. They feel designed rather than engineered, with a wood (FSC certified, of course) and lightweight aluminium casing that looks extremely pretty. A House of Marley logo on the forward-facing edge is the only indicator for the left and right earphones; easier to spot than a tiny little L or R on the casing. We were surprised to find a milled edge on the aluminium; not a feature you'd expect to find on something you stick in your ears, but nevertheless they were perfectly comfortable. It's maybe a small thing, but what we like most about them is the woven cable. It's a feature they share with the tough little Philips O'Neill The Tread headphones, a pair that you should definitely consider if your budget's limited or you want headphones that'll withstand some rough and tumble. Who'd have thought that wrapping the cable in fabric would make such a difference? But it creates a bit of weight that makes it hang nicely, rather than coil up and bounce around when you're on the move. And if you've ever been late leaving for work untangling a set of recalcitrant lightweight headphones, you'll love how these unroll no matter how cruelly they've been scrunched up overnight. Then when you put them in, they look and sound fantastic - attractive and striking without being overly ostentatious. That's a winner for us.

Tutorial: How to use iTunes Match Posted: How to use iTunes Match Does your entire music collection fit on your iOS device? Even if it does, you'll want to reserve some space for your apps, games, photos and ebooks as well. Cramming these things onto your device often means having to make some hard decisions about which songs you leave behind on your computer, which can be frustrating when you realise that a song you want to hear isn't on your device. This isn't a problem if all your music has been purchased from the iTunes Store. That music is available to download in your iPhone or iPod touch's iTunes app when you tap the Purchased tab. However, the iTunes Match subscription service, which costs £21.99 per year, reaches much further than this. It also makes music ripped from CDs and purchased from other online stores available for download at any time with just a few taps. As long as your device has an internet connection, whether it's 3G or Wi-Fi, you can download your music on a whim. That's an incredible convenience, but there are some pitfalls that are important to know about. For instance, you might find that some tracks haven't been uploaded, but you have no idea why. It could be as simple as a broken link to a file in your computer's library, or it might be down to one of the criteria imposed by Apple for the service, which you can read more about on the Apple support page. You should also know that if you play a song using Match and let it run on to the next song on the album, it will keep downloading songs in sequence, potentially using your data allowance. So, if you're keen to try iTunes Match, here's how to begin. 1. Subscribe to iTunes Match In the iTunes Store on your PC or Mac, click iTunes Match under Quick Links at the top-right. Below the overview, click to subscribe. Enter your account details. A credit or debit card must be on file in your account. 2. Match your music iTunes runs through three steps to put your music online. It tries to match tracks not from the iTunes Store against items available in the store, and makes those items available to you even if your copy was lower quality. 3. Get unmatched tracks Unmatched music is uploaded. The time this takes depends on the track sizes and your connection's upload speed. If you quit and reopen iTunes, it checks whether items are now available from the store, then resumes. 4. Prepare your iOS device Enabling iTunes Match on an iOS device stops it syncing music with your PC. It warns that the device's library will be overwritten, but if you sync now you won't have to waste time re-downloading tracks already on your device. 5. Turn on iTunes Match In the Settings app, find and tap Music. iTunes Match can take a few seconds to appear at the top of the next page. Flick its switch to On, then enter the same account details you entered when subscribing in step one. 6. Wait for the library to sync Your device downloads library details while you use it, during which the Music app shows a progress bar or enables you to play tracks already on the device. When ready, cloud symbols indicate items not on the device. 7. Download individual tracks Tap the cloud button next to a track name to download it, or the track's name to play it. Playback advances through the track list on which you tapped, automatically downloading subsequent tracks, even over 3G. 8. Skip unwanted tracks Use playlists to avoid downloading unwanted tracks over 3G. Tap Playlists, then Add Playlist... Tracks can be added even if they haven't yet been downloaded. Tap Done, swipe to the bottom of the list and tap Download All. 9. Download whole albums You'll find a Download All button below an album's track list, and below the list of everything by each artist or composer in your library. This enables you to grab whole bundles of tracks that fit your mood with only a few taps.

Apple drops 4G tag from iPad name, now 'Wi-Fi + Cellular' Posted: Amid heavy criticism over the alleged inaccuracy of calling its new iPad a 4G device, Apple has moved to rename the tablet. The title 'iPad Wi-Fi + 4G' has been quietly replaced by 'iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular' in many of Apple's biggest territories, following complaints that the company was misleading consumers. The name change applies to stores in the United States, UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand, to name by a few. Misleading The new iPad was the first Apple gadget to be fitted with 4G LTE-capable tech and was marketed as such - even in countries like the UK where 4G connectivity is yet to arrive. This is where the problems began to arrive. Complaints started to flood in prompting advertising authorities in the UK and Australia to investigate whether Apple was attempting to fool consumers. Last month, the Cupertino had assured the Advertising Standards Agency it would remove all references to 4G connectivity on its UK store. However, it's only in the last couple of days that the change has been officially made.

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