The iPad 2 may be delayed until June due to production issues. At least, that's what one Taiwanese brokerage firm is claiming.

In a research note released today, Yuanta Securities analyst Vincent Chen said that manufacturer Hon Hai has run into issues with the production process in light of the tablet's new design and is working on a fix.

"Our supply chain checks suggest that iPad 2 shipments will be delayed from April to June (time to market), owing to production bottlenecks at Hon Hai after Apple made design changes before Chinese New Year," Chen said … Read more

New MacBook Pro laptops will arrive from Apple this week, just in time for Steve Jobs' birthday, according to several recent reports.

The AppleInsider, an enthusiast site, reported yesterday that new MacBook Pros will be released Thursday, the same day that Apple CEO Steve Jobs turns 56.

The updated line of Apple laptops is expected to use Intel's new dual-core Sandy Bridge mobile chips, which have faced a chipset flaw and some delays. Last night, Intel released an updated price list that contained new dual-core chips.

The fastest of the Sandy Bridge chips run at 2.7GHz, according to … Read more

Intel has updated its price list with new dual-core Sandy Bridge chips--some likely bound for Apple MacBooks and for just about every PC vendor on the planet.

The chipmaker yesterday added i3, mobile i5, and mobile Core i7 dual-core chips to the list of Sandy Bridge processors for sale. Many of the initial Sandy Bridge processors listed--and shipped--back in January were quad-core only.

A low-power i5-2537M (1.4GHz) and standard-power i5-2540M and i5-2520M mobile chips have been added to the list. They are priced at $250, $266, and $225, respectively, in thousand unit quantities.

A sizable cluster of new dual-core … Read more

An announcement from Apple is expected soon about a new high-speed connection technology, a source told CNET.

Whether the new connector tech will be part of the upcoming MacBook Pro update (rumored to happen February 24) or announced in another context is not clear. Intel has been working on a technology called Light Peak for years and recently said the initial version would be based on copper, as practical realities dictate more conventional technology.

Apple is expected to adopt this technology in the near future--but likely use a name other than Light Peak, a source familiar with this aspect of … Read more

Former MySpace, Sling Media, and MTV executive Jason Hirschhorn has been in the thick of the digital-media world for years.

He's likely had a lot of interesting experiences, not the least of which was a meeting with Steve Jobs about six years ago when Hirschhorn got to pitch the Apple CEO on a music-subscription service.

As he tweeted this morning, referring to a time when he was chief digital officer of MTV Networks: "Once pitched Steve Jobs that music [subscriptions] were future and that iTunes + MTV do it."

The response from Jobs was, "Jason, you are … Read more

We know Apple already sells Apple TV. But it might be working on an another kind of Apple TV--as in an Apple-branded television, not a set-top box that hooks up to your TV.

Eagle-eyed bloggers at 9to5 Mac noticed a job listing today that Apple posted that leaves little doubt it's something the company is at least exploring.

The listing asks, rather benignly, for someone who wants to work on "new power management designs and technologies." But in what will Apple use this new power-management technology? The listing goes on to say that it will be used … Read more

She might be carried around in an egg and wear meat, but Lady Gaga has been able to strike a chord with music lovers.

The pop star's latest single, "Born This Way," has become the fastest-selling track ever released on iTunes, selling 1 million units in just five days of availability, Interscope Records announced today. Apple confirmed the claim in a phone conversation with CNET. The song is currently No. 1 in Apple's U.S. iTunes store, as well as in the iTunes stores of several countries across Europe.

Lady Gaga has proved to be one … Read more

The iPad 2 and iPhone 5 haven't even been announced yet, but there is already some intriguing information about the technology that could be in future versions of Apple's iOS devices. Two separate patent filings uncovered this week reveal Apple's work on a smart bezel that could be used for tablets, and on denser lithium batteries that will go longer between charges.

Patently Apple has full details on the first of those. The basic idea is for the bezel of a device to include sensors, allowing you to touch, tap, hold, and even squeeze it to trigger … Read more

U.S. antitrust investigators are examining the terms Apple placed this week on publishers wishing to sell digital subscriptions through the App Store, according to a Wall Street Journal report that cited people familiar with the matter.

The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission are interested in whether Apple is violating antitrust laws by routing customers through Apple's App Store and taking a 30 percent cut of each subscription, sources told the newspaper. Regulators' interest in the subscription terms is reportedly preliminary and might not lead to a formal investigation.

Representatives for Apple, the Justice Department, and the Federal … Read more