Here is your daily Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock news and rumors for August 4, 2010. Today, we have a wrap up of Apple rumors pointing to all sorts of new mobile devices from Cupertino, Calif., including the iPhone 5, three new iPod Touch media players, and a 7-inch iPad — all of which may be coming before April 2011. Speaking of mobile devices, Apple’s iOS operating system made big gains in mobile OS market share. Meanwhile, AAPL’s social gaming network application for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Game Center, will not be compatible with older Apple hardware.
New 7-inch iPad, New iPod Touch, and iPhone 5 by First Quarter 2011: It’s hard to keep track of the never-ending torrent of rumors about new mobile devices from Apple. iLounge has put together a summary of rumors about new iPads, new iPhones, and new iPods that should be useful for AAPL shareholders and techies alike. The new iPad, said to be coming as early as November 2010 will feature a smaller form factor and a 7-inch screen. (The current iPad features a 9-inch screen.) Previous rumors also claim that the new iPad will also sport an OLED screen rather than the LG-produced LCD screen on the current model. Next up is word that rather than try to reboot production to address the iPhone 4’s antenna issues, AAPL will launch the iPhone 5 in January. This would coincide nicely with the rumored timeframe for the launch of the Verizon iPhone as well. Not to be left in the cold is Apple’s original mobile success story, the iPod. The persistence and frequency of rumors about a relaunch of the entire iPod line pretty much guarantee a new series of media players for this fall. iLounge’s report highlights previously rumored models like a new camera-equipped iPod Touch running iOS 4, a new iPod Nano, and a redesigned iPod shuffle that will now sport a screen.
Android Overtakes Blackberry OS Marketshare as AAPL Gains on Both: Steve Jobs’ quest for mobile operating system dominance gained ground in the second quarter of 2010. Apple’s iOS now controls 22% of the smartphone operating system market, unsurprising growth following the nearly 2 million in sales racked up by the iPhone 4 following its June launch. The company has a lot of ground yet to cover, however, as the Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android operating system now controls the largest portion of the mobile operating system market. Android-powered smartphones now account for 33% of the market, overtaking Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) and its BlackBerry operating system for the first time ever at the end of Q2 2010. RIMM’s BlackBerry OS accounts for 28% of the market.
Apple’s Game Center App Not Compatible With iPhone 3G, Second-Generation iPod Touch: Apple’s upcoming social gaming network platform for mobile devices, Game Center, will only be available to users who own the latest AAPL tech. Appleinsider is reporting that, according to sources familiar with Game Center’s development, the current version of Game Center for iOS 4.1 is incompatible with the iPhone 3G and second-generation iPod Touch devices. Whether or not Apple has decided to simply restrict the new centralizing App for iPod Touch/iPhone games to newer devices or if they are still working on a solution for old tech owners remains to be seen.
As of this writing, Anthony Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here.
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