Here are your Apple rumors and news items for Friday:
Testing MacBook Air: With first-quarter sales up more than 27%, Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Mac computers are on a roll. This recent success has come in no small part from the popularity of the company’s ultra-thin MacBook Air laptops. According to a Friday report from Macotakara (via Apple Insider), Apple is now testing the next series of MacBook Airs. The new models will use the same processor as the most recent iPad. In addition to improving functionality between Apple’s traditional PCs and its portable devices, the new chip marks the transition from Macs using processors made by Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) to those built on technology created by ARM Holdings (NASDAQ:ARMH).
Come, All Ye Journalists: Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference is an event intended less for major consumer and investor news and more a gathering for, as you’d expect, developers. This means talks, workshops and other events intended for app makers to get a better understanding of Apple’s platforms as well as to get a peek at what the future of those devices might look like. Though Apple suggested that the only products debuting at the June event would be the new updates for its home and portable operating systems, the word is that European and Australian journalists are now receiving invites to the event to cover a major announcement. Mac Rumors reported on Friday that Australian technology editor Charlie Brown fueled the rumor fires via Twitter by writing that “something big will be announced on June 6th in San Fran by Apple.”
iCloud Scans iTunes: Business Week says Apple’s new iCloud web-based music-storage service will work by scanning a person’s existing hard drive-based iTunes music library and automatically update their iCloud profile with the same content. Not only that, but any low-quality music files stored on a user’s hard drive will be replaced with high-quality files on iCloud. That service won’t be free, but it’s still unclear how much Apple will charge. It’s thought that Apple will make the service part of its subscription-based MobileMe service (a host of personal and office cloud services that is expected to receive a major upgrade this year), which costs $99 a year.
As of this writing, Anthony John Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here. Follow him on Twitter at @ajohnagnello and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook.
