Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:
Large Order: Asian component makers say Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has placed orders to produce 10 million iPad Minis during the fourth quarter, The Wall Street Journal notes. Earlier reports indicated that production on the smaller-screen iPad began last month. Apple has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a smaller iPad, but analysts expect the company to introduce the device this month, perhaps as early as next week. The iPad Mini is believed to feature a 7.85-inch screen and will compete with tablets from Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Samsung. With smaller-screen tablets eating into Apple’s market share, analysts say the iPad Mini could be a strong product for Apple, if it is priced competitively. Some analysts have suggested a price of $250 for the iPad Mini.
New MacBook Coming: Apple’s 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro will soon get a smaller sibling, CBS News notes. The company will launch a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro sometime after the debut of the iPad Mini, which will likely be unveiled later this month. The 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro will feature a 2,560 x 1,600 pixel display. The 15-inch MacBook Pro was launched in June and is priced at $2,199. Analysts have anticipated the debut of the smaller Retina MacBook Pro for some months, though earlier forecasts of a September launch proved premature.
Good Medicine: Apple’s mobile devices are rapidly becoming an indispensable tool for physicians, The New York Times notes. Apps like MedCalc allow doctors to perform complicated dosage calculations in seconds, while filing apps like Evernote allow the archiving of information for quick retrieval directly on the iPhone. Other apps provide warnings about potential drug interactions, create patient risk profiles and improve stethoscope performance by editing out external noise. Medical students at Johns Hopkins and the University of Chicago now receive iPads. However, the proliferation of iPads and iPhones among younger doctors has prompted some concern from senior practitioners that patient interaction is being lost in the digital explosion.
For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.
