In a report published earlier today, Reuters claims that Sharp has “nearly halted production” of display components for the 9.7-inch iPad. According to the report, which cites a number of unnamed sources, demand for the smaller iPad mini could be one of the reasons for the curb in production.
Apple is planning to discontinue its non-Retina MacBook Pro later this year, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an effort to make the price difference between the two models a little more acceptable to consumers, the Cupertino company is also expected to reduce the price of its new Retina MacBook Pro.
Apple could be gearing up to launch a new model of its Thunderbolt Display as stock of its existing model starts to diminish. A number of retailers, including Amazon.com, no longer have Thunderbolt Displays available, which is traditionally a sign of an upcoming product refresh. Some are speculating that Apple will overhaul the display to introduce the same design sported by its latest iMacs.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, weaker than expected demand for the iPhone 5 has resulted in Apple reducing component orders for the device. The report, which cites people familiar with the matter, claims the Cupertino company notified manufacturers of the cuts in December.
In an interview with NBC’s Brian Williams earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that production of one of the company’s existing Mac lines would be moving to the United States in 2013. Cook didn’t specify which Mac that would be, but both the Mac Pro and iMac have since been touted as potential candidates.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple has fired the manager of the team responsible for its much-maligned Maps App. Richard Williamson was apparently pushed out of his job by senior vice president of software and services Eddy Cue, who was recently tasked with taking charge of the Maps division.
When Apple announced iTunes 11 during its iPhone 5 event back in September, the company promised it would arrive by the end of October. However, October came and went, and the launch was delayed until November. Now the Cupertino company is telling record labels to prepare their artwork for its imminent launch.
Having already introduced a number of iOS features to the Mac with OS X 10.7 Lion and 10.8 Mountain Lion, Apple looks set to continue the trend with its next-generation desktop operating system. According to a report published earlier today by 9to5Mac, OS X 10.9 could feature both Siri and Maps integration.
When Apple removed Google Maps from iOS 6 and replaced it with its own mapping service, Google immediately began working on a native app that would bring it back to the iOS – much to the delight of users who have found Apple’s Maps app far too problematic. According to The Wall Street Journal, it’s now putting the finishing touches on that app before it’s submitted to Apple.