According to our pals over at Macrumors, Apple is working on an ultra-thin 15-inch Macbook.  It’s not clear at this point if it will adopt the same specs and limited feature set as the recent released Macbook Airs, but the site says that the laptop is in the late testing stages at Apple.

In the past Apple has indicated that it is looking to move away from all things spinning (hard drives and optical drives) inside of their machines.  So we see the chances of this rumor as being true pretty darn good.  Macrumors also says that Apple is working on a 17-inch version, though there doesn’t seem to be any indicator as to where that is in the development phase.

On the other hand, Apple just released the brand new Macbook Airs.  So it begs the question why they’d release another laptop with an almost comparable feature set, but with a larger, more popular screen size.  However, Apple has long sold the Macbook Pro in 3 different sizes (13″, 15″ and 17″), so the move wouldn’t be all that unorthodox.

Sorry, but we just can’t resist reporting that a new set of Apple products will arrive any day now.  But, don’t get too excited, because the rumored product refresh isn’t an iOS device and nor is it a beefed up laptop with a touchscreen.  9to5Mac, according to an inside source, says we can expect two new product refreshes in the coming weeks.

First off, Apple will be update the White Macbook Pro to include their Thunderbolt port and a faster processor.  The model number will be: MC914LL/A.  And in less exciting news, you can expect a refresh of the Mac Mini.  Supposedly, three models will get rolled out, which will include a standard version, a built to order version and a server version.  All will probably have faster processors, but it’s not clear if they’ll include Thunderbolt.  Models numbers include: MC936LL/A, MC815LL/A, and MC816LL/A.

On another note, 9to5Mac still expects Apple to update the Macbook Pros later this month, but in all likelihood they’ll arrive in August.  Here’s still hoping for the iPhone 5 in September.

We hate to continue to perpetuate the iPhone 5 rumors, but since it’s not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ it will arrive, we feel as though this posting is justified.

Macrumors, by way of 9 to 5 Mac, is reporting that the next iPhone, the iPhone 5, will arrive this September according to 3 sources familiar with the device’s production schedule.  Word is that the iPhone 5 test schedule is drawing to a close and that production will get under way this July.  Keep in mind that September will see the release of the next iOS, so the timing plays well to complement a new hardware release.

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A rumor emerged today that the Macbook Airs will receive a processor update in the coming weeks, at least according to Wall Street analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.  The current Macbook Airs utilize the now old and some what antiquated Core 2 Duo processors.

According to TUAW the new low voltage Core i3 and i5 chips, which are set to replace the aforementioned processors, will include between 3 and 4 MB of Smart Cache and will support up to 8GB of RAM, twice the current Macbook Air’s capability.  It’s also rumored that the svelte laptops will support Intel’s Thunderbolt tech for ultra fast transfer speeds.

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Pictures of 7th generation iPad Nano reemerged yesterday.  As discussed in a previous leak, the next gen iPad Nano will include a 1.3 megapixel camera.  A source that is supposedly close to the project stated that the new Nano won’t have a built-in clip, unlike the current gen version, to make room for the camera.  However, we believe – assuming the rumors are true – that Apple will just bore a hole into the clip to allow for both features to exist in harmony.

Keep in mind that the 5th generation iPod Nano included a camera.  So readding such a feature to a smaller form factor could very well add some sales to the product.  But, the Nano is so small that it would be difficult, or at least a tad trying to hold the device and shoot a photo without blocking the lens.  Perhaps Apple will add a running feature that snap photos as you jog a set distance.

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According to sources close to Apple, the company will begin to provide software updates over the air waves.

What does this mean to you?  No longer will you have to plug in your handset into your computer, launch iTunes, download the update and then install it.  Instead, your phone will prompt you to update your iOS when it becomes available, something other smartphone manufacturers have been doing since the beginning of their time, including Android.

iOS 5 will in all likelihood arrive this September when the next iPhone arrives.  However, since the current iOS lacks the ability to receives updates over-the-air, at least as far as we know, this iteration of the software will be delivered using the traditional method but contain the necessary workings for the wireless updates to occur in the future.  

9to5mac says that Verizon and Apple have been in talks since the beginning of the year to provide this update, while AT&T is still unknown.

Backing up the iPhone’s contents, something you should always do before installing an update just in case it crashes, might still have to be completed using a wired method. Unless of course Apple simultaneously rolls out a free or ultra cheap cloud based service, which we’ve been hearing about for sometime now.

Let’s hope this update comes to the iPad and iPod Touch.

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According to Droid Life, Verizon will launch the DROID X2, LG Revolution and HTC Trophy on May 12th.  That will be followed later that month by the Sony Xperia Play, which will launch May 26th.  It’s important to note that these launch dates aren’t official.

The DROID X2 is expected to be Verizon’s first dual-core Tegra 2 phone, while the LG Revolution will be the first Android phone to support Netflix streaming.  The HTC Trophy will be Verizon’s first Windows Phone 7 device and we already know what to expect from the Sony’s latest Xperia phone.

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AppleInsider sources say that Apple will officially announce and sell the new iMacs as of May 3rd, this Tuesday.

The new iMacs will in all likelihood see a processor refresh, replacing the first generation Core-i processors with the new Sandy Bridge processors.  They should also receive Intel’s Thunderbolt, which boasts ultra fast transfer speeds and can even support displays.  Both of these updates appeared in Apple’s latest line of Macbook Pros.

A touchscreen iMac is probably a long ways off and as a result you should probably expect the form factor, and size options, along with price, to largely remain the same.

We’ve been hearing about an iMac refresh since March 22nd, with the latest one pointing to an early May release.  Apple hasn’t updated their iMacs since July 27, 2010, when they added i-Core processors, so it’s an overhaul that is long overdue.

However, Apple’s online store is still displaying a 24 hour ship time for all iMac models.  Historically, Apple will delay the expected shipping time of a product when a new iteration is due within a matter of days.  Nonetheless, it stands to reason that they’re no longer displaying this information to the public and instead notifying individual customers by email after an order has been placed.

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Don’t hold your breath on this rumor.  This is supposedly yet another shot of the iPhone 5.  Yup, the screen is larger and as you can see it runs to the edge of the device, unlike the iPhone 4, which has a thicker border.  As usual there is no way to verify these shots and this isn’t the first, or second time we’ve heard/seen a larger screen on the iPhone.

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It’s not a question of if but when Apple will refresh their line of iMacs.  Now a report by way of 9to5Mac indicates that Apple will probably begin shipping an updated version of the all-in-one computer, which is said to include Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt connectivity, in the next few weeks.  Unfortunately, rumors don’t point to a touchscreen version, but it seems inevitable given the popularity of their iPad.

As of this posting, Apple’s online store is not associating any shipping delays with the iMacs, which, generally speaking a strong indicator of a product refresh.  However, a source close to 9to5Mac says that we can expect the delays to transpire later this week and that one Apple customer has indicated that their education order of the iMac has been delayed to May 2nd.

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It’s been a few weeks, probably more than a month, since we’ve heard anything about the next generation Wii, the Wii 2.  It’s supposedly code named Project Café and includes a new fangled controller that sports a 6.2-inch touchscreen, two analog sticks, camera and 8 buttons.  However, this might not be the primary controller and may serve as some sort of secondary operator.  The rumor also states that the current gen Wii controllers may continue to work with the system, but no one really knows.

So yes, much of it is conjecture and rumor at this point.  The screened controller sounds reminiscent of the Dreamcast, a failed Sega console.  The memory cards featured a small screen and buttons embedded into them and gamers could call plays for football as well as play smaller, low rez monochrome games.

While there is no official word on the Nintendo Wii 2, it seems inevitable that Nintendo will announce it at this year’s E3, provided of course it actually exists.

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Bad news iPhone fans, especially for those of you that are waiting for the iPhone 5.  A report emerged today, issued by Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo with Concord Securities, that the iPhone 5 will not feature a new design, and will utilize the A5 processor already found in the iPad 2 along with an 8-megapixel camera.  This means that the long rumored 4-inch screen that we’ve been hearing about, might just be that, a rumor.  The report also states that Apple will switch to a a Qualcomm baseband for both GSM and CDMA models, along with an improved antenna design.  

So, should we believe?  The iPhone 3Gs saw a minor update over the 3G, especially when it came to form factor, so it stands to reason that the above report could be true.  However, the Android market is chalk full of 4-inch+ sized screens.  Apple needs a response, and some how we don’t think it will come in the form of just an iOS update, which is expected to be announced at this year’s WWDC along with a new OS for Mac computers.

What do you think?  Minor update or larger screen? We’re gonna put our money on a 4-inch iPhone 5.

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Bloomberg’s Businessweek is reporting, according to 3 sources, that the white iPhone 4 will be arriving in store in the coming weeks.  Just a few weeks ago we saw a tweet from Apple’s Phil Schiller saying that “The White iPhone will be available this Spring”.  So the news doesn’t come as a surprise, but rather an affirmation – plus Apple now sells a white iPad.  In terms of timing the sources say that it will arrive on both Verizon and AT&T by the end of April.  

So where does this put the iPhone 5?  From what we’ve been hearing it won’t arrive at this year’s WWDC, which is historically when Apple has announced a new device.  The white iPhone, though not planned to be delayed, could stave off demand for the next gen handset and allow Apple to further increase profits on already existing hardware.

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A rumor surfaced over the weekend that the next generation iPod Nano will include a camera on its back.  Given the iPod Nano’s form factor, which is no larger than a flip book of matches, the camera would be difficult to use without covering it up with your fingers, which makes us question the validity of these pictures.  

However, historically Apple has been known to add camera’s to their iDevices as a way of refreshing the product cycle, though at this point the addition of a camera probably wouldn’t be enough to bolster the Nano’s sales to warrant such a move.  So we’re going to assume that Apple would be making other changes and advancements to the portable media player, such as increased storage capacity and battery life.

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It’s now early April and there is no official news on the iPhone 5.  Word is that Apple won’t announce the handset at this year’s upcoming WWDC, despite that being the case that last 3 years.  But that hasn’t stopped French site NowhereElse from creating and publishing an Apple inspried infographic detailing all of the rumors surrounding the next iPhone.

Our top picks?  A larger, 4-inch screen; new metal back; full HD video recording and 64GB of storage.

Full infographic after the ‘leap’

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Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference will kick off on June 6th.  Historically, this is when Apple has unveiled the next iPhone.  So should we expect the iPhone 5?  Sorry, but we still don’t know.

However, Phil Schiller has said that “At this year’s conference we are going to unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS”.  So it’s probably a safe bet that Apple will want to have their latest piece of hardware on hand to show off the latest iOS.  But this doesn’t mean that the iPhone 5 will launch shortly after.  In fact, iOS 5 is likely to arrive later in the year, around fall time, which means that the iPhone 5 could follow suit.  This would also give Verizon more time to sell their version of the iPhone and position the iPhone 5 in time for holiday shopping.  

What do you think?  iPhone 5 launching this summer or fall?  In terms of updates, we’re hearing that the iPhone 5 will sports a metal back (iPhone 1 like), larger 4-inch screen and a faster processor.

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According to Cnet’s Brian Tong, who claims to have a reliable Apple source, we can expect an iMac refresh in the next few weeks or early May.

While there is no firm evidence (screenshots, etc) to back up this rumor, logically it makes sense since Apple recently refreshed their Macbook Pros by adding second gen Intel chips (Sandy Bridge) and Thunderbolt connectivity.  It’s likely that the new iMacs will receive both of these features, but remain cosmetically the same.

However, iMac rumors are the least of interest when it comes to Apple, as everyone wants to know more about the next iPhone, the iPhone 5, and if it will arrive this June.  It’s expected that this new device will features a larger 4-inch screen, a metal back and an updated antenna scheme.

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Will Nintendo announce a Wii 2 at this year’s E3?  Unfortunately, that’s anyone’s guess.  However, it would seem that Nintendo is working on a second iteration of their Wii console, that is assuming you’re willing to believe inferences made by EA Games label head Frank Gibeau during an interview with Industry Gamers.

When you look at Nintendo, for a while there, it was all about the Wii being the biggest entertainment platform ever and capturing the mass market, and it faded away. Now, they’re coming back with a second act. I think they know that. They’re very self-aware as an organization and a very powerful brand.

Toss into the mix that Gibeau lumped the Wii into the same category as the PS2, which is regarded as a legacy console, and it’s probably a safe bet, or at least an assumption that Nintendo will be striking back with a Wii 2.

While the video game maker is about to launch the 3DS here in the US, they’ve experienced declining sales in the last year large in part to the PS3 and Xbox 360, which provide HD graphics and recently introduced their own version of Wii like gaming, the Sony Move and Microsoft Kinect.

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Update: Checkout our HTC Thunderbolt first look.

We’ve been chasing this rumor for some time, which can be quite deflating, but on the upside it’s inevitable that the Thunderbolt has to ship at some point, right?

According to BGR, who just heard from two independent sources, Verizon’s Thunderbolt will launch on March 21st.  They also say that HTC may have slipped up and placed the same date on their Facebook page, though that info can’t be verified, but at the very least adds some credence.  

Late February we heard that the Thunderbolt would launch March 10th, but given that the iPad 2 launched today, Verizon may have decided it was best to not let the tablet over shadow the Thunderbolt’s release.

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It’s inevitable that Apple will release an iPhone 5.  But what they’ll change in the next iteration of the massively popular smartphone is really anyone’s guess at this point.  Unless of course you believe these images that suggest that the iPhone 5 will sport a larger, 4-inch screen that runs to the edge of the device.

However, this isn’t the first time we’ve written about this rumor thanks to what was supposedly a leaked iPhone part – unfortunately we weren’t able to verify the image.  

According to iDealsChina’s these images are intended to be used by case makers as a template for designing, what else, new cases for the next iPhone.

So at this point it’s all conjecture.  Other rumors on the Net have pointed to a 64GB version of the iPhone, a white iPhone and perhaps a Nano iPhone, a rumor that has been floating around for years and will likely never materialize.

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