There's been a lot of scuttlebutt passed around on the internetover the last two weeks, and it's all pretty awesome. This week, the rumor mill is churning that Ivy Bridge MacBooks may be closer than we think. The Apple Store has a depleting supply of Sandy Bridge MacBook Pros, which makes room in the back for brand new hardware. Also, the iPhone 5 could be the biggest handset refresh we've had since the iPhone 4's rounded corners, and Apple could be working on software to help beginning developers get their bearings with app development. Let's get down to business, shall we?
Ivy Bridge MacBooks
According to Macrumors, Apple is set to freshen up the company's entire MacBook Pro line by packing them full of Intel's quad-core Ivy Bridge processors. CPUWorld says the new chipset will offer MacBook Pro users significant gains over what the current generation of Sandy Bridge-equipped MacBook Pros have been unable to offer, including an increase in graphics rendering:
"Overall, the 3820QM was found to score an average of 9% higher than the Extreme 2960XM chip, a modest improvement but one which should be significantly higher relative to the 2860QM chip from the current MacBook Pro. Taking into account a roughly 10% higher performance for the tested 2960XM Sandy Bridge processor compared to the 2860QM actually found in the current MacBook Pro, the new 3820QM Ivy Bridge processor should offer roughly 20% higher CPU performance than is currently available in the MacBook Pro."
DIY iOS Apps
Now this is interesting. According to AppleInsider, Apple has filed a patent that could help iOS users create their own iPhone, iPod touch and iPad applications with an easy to use drag-and-drop, template-style interface. The app would then generate the code for the app based on what the user did on screen. Sounds pretty sweet, but unless Apple maintains a steady hand on the strict content controls it enforces in the iTunes App Store, we could quickly see a flood of homemade apps turn the iOS app ecosystem into a quagmire of the sort.
iPhone Redesign
There's not a week that goes by when we don't hear the rumblings of an impending iPhone redesign. This time around, word of the smartphone's changes come to us from the folks at MacRumors. According to the site, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White has the goods on the fact that the next version of the iPhone will boast a four-inch screen, 4G LTE connectivity and "a new, sleek look that we believe will require a unibody case." Will we be seeing an iPhone with a larger screen? Maybe. A lot of smartphone manufacturers have released smartphones with larger screens recently, most notable Samsung and its Galaxy Note. That doesn't necessarily mean that Apple will follow suit. This is after all, the company that gave us the modern smartphone as we understand it today. Apple's engineers don't follow, they lead.
iTunes 11
Love it or hate it, iTunes is a central part of the lives of most Mac and iOS users. According to 9to5 Mac, Apple currently has its software engineers hard at work at the next iteration of it's one-stop music, movie, TV and app software solution. If the rumors are correct, iTunes 11 will boast support for iOS 6 and include tighter integration with iCloud. Thanks to a dedicated iCloud panel baked into iTunes 11, it's speculated that users will be able to control their iTunes Match settings, iOS backups, and other iCloud centric bits and pieces in one centralized location. 9to5Mac also mentions that in addition to the added iCloud controls, iTunes may also be seeing a complete overhaul of the iTunes Store, featuring an updated user interface and a overhauled content discovery system.
