Here is your daily Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock news and rumors for Monday, including hints at an iPad 3, a new MacBook and cloud-based storage patents:
iPad 3 Releasing Alongside Smaller iPad in Late 2011: Concord Securities’ analyst Ming-Chi Kuo clarified some of the conflicting rumors surrounding this year’s new iPad models in a Saturday report at Apple Insider. Reports in January suggested that the iPad 2, said to be due out at the beginning of the second quarter, would feature a Retina Display like that of an iPhone 4 whose 2048 X 1536 pixel resolution would be double that of the current tablet. Kuo says that it will be the iPad 3, expected to release in the fall, which will feature the dramatically improved touch screen. The third-generation tablet’s screen will also give users a wider and clearer field of vision when using the tablet in direct sunlight. According to Kuo, Apple will release a smaller touch screen device at the same time, with a size that is halfway between that of the 9.7-inch iPad and the iPod Touch. This would seem to contradict CEO Steve Jobs’ words last October that his company would never make a 7-inch tablet or smaller tablet since competing devices at that size will be “dead on arrival.”
New MacBook Pro Models Shipping to Retailers This Week: Evidence suggesting that Apple is going to deliver a new model of its high-end laptops sooner than expected emerged over the weekend. A number of European retailers received notices from Apple on Sunday that they will be receiving sealed packing shipments by Monday. Those shipments are not to be opened until Apple makes an official announcement regarding their contents later in the week. Meanwhile, Engadget reported on Sunday that big box electronics retailer Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) has added six new products to its Laptop Configuration shopping tool. Each one is a new MacBook Pro model, two 13-inch, three 15-inch, and one 17-inch laptop, priced between $1,199 and $2,299.
New Apple Patent Describes Cloud-Based File Storage: Website Patently Apple discovered a patent for a new file security technology called “Safe Deposit Box” that will likely be included in the upcoming major update to the OS X operating system. OS X 10.7 Lion will allow users to drag important files into a safe deposit box icon where they will be automatically encrypted for extra security. The original version of the file will be, depending on the user’s stated preferences, automatically deleted or backed up via an Apple cloud server.
As of this writing, Anthony John Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here.