Apple’s Chinese manufacturing partner Foxconn has reportedly begun accepting orders to build an Apple TV set, according to Chinese news website Sina. The publication’s sources claim the long rumored iTV is currently in the “trial production stage,” however more details were not given. Earlier this month Foxconn’s CEO denied that his company would soon begin manufacturing a television for Apple. It has long been rumored that the Cupertino-based company was looking to enter the TV market with an HDTV that will reportedly look much like the company’s current LED Cinema Display. The device is said to feature an aluminum casing, iOS, Siri voice controls and an iSight camera for FaceTime video chats. Earlier reports claim that the device would debut later this year, however some reports peg it to launch in 2014.

[Via Business Insider]

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Strong orders of Apple’s next-generation MacBook laptops are causing labor shortages within the Cupertino, California-based consumer electronics company’s Asian supply chain, a recent report claims. Citing multiple unnamed sources, Digitimes on Monday reports that heavier than expected MacBook orders have created labor shortages so serious at some Apple suppliers that they have been forced to outsource orders to meet shipment schedules. The report notes that May and June are typically slower months among PC component suppliers in eastern China, however Apple’s orders have caused recent labor shortage issues to grow more serious. New MacBook laptops and iMac all-in-one PCs will reportedly launch this summer. Apple’s new notebook computers are expected to be thinner than previous models, and both the MacBook Pro and iMac lineups are expected to include new high-definition Retina displays. Apple’s next-generation MacBook Air laptops may be updated with Retina displays as well, recent reports claim.

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After a number of failed attempts in the Android tablet market, Dell is looking to readdress the tablet space with Windows 8. According to a leaked document obtained by Neowin, Dell will launch a 10.8-inch tablet with 1,366 x 768-pixel resolution and a dual-core Atom processor later this year. The slate will also be equipped with a fingerprint reader, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, Intel graphics, 2GB of RAM and a massive 128GB solid-state drive. Unlike many other tablets, Dell has included a removable battery that will come in two sizes. A smaller battery will get between six and eight hours of battery life, while a larger one will offer between 10 and 12 hours of usage per charge. The tablet is rumored for a late fall launch, and no pricing details were reported.

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HP’s open source webOS team, known as Enyo, will reportedly be leaving the company and joining Google, according to The Verge. The computer giant in December announced its failed webOS mobile operating system would move to an open-source model under the name Enyo, with version 1.0 slated for release in September 2012. The website’s sources claim the entire Enyo team will not be headed for Google, but Matt McNulty, the head of the project, will be among those departing. This wouldn’t be the first time the Internet giant has hired former webOS workers; Android’s current design chief Matias Duarte oversaw the creation of the user interface for the operating system while working at Palm. It is unclear if the Enyo team members will be joining the Android group or another Google project.

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Following Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, it looks like the company has no intention of slowing down. According to a report from Pocket-lint, the social networking giant may be looking to enter the Web browsing market by purchasing Opera Software. The move would put Facebook in direct competition with Microsoft and Mozilla, and it would certainly apply increased pressure to Google as well. Opera’s mobile browser has seen strong growth in recent years, however the same cannot be said for its desktop version, which lags far behind Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. A Facebook browser could potentially allow users to stay up to date with their social life using built-in plug-ins and features integrated into the browser’s UI.

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Google’s Nexus tablet will reportedly ship in June with an initial volume of 600,000 units per month, according to Digitimes. The slate, which is being co-developed by ASUS, is set to be released in July according to the report. The publications claims that Google originally planned to release its 7-inch tablet in May, however the design of the device did not meet its expectations and the cost was too high. As a result, the product was delayed until July for some minor adjustments. The Internet giant has high hopes for its own-brand tablet, shipments of which are expected to reach between 2 million and 2.5 million units in 2012. Previous rumors claim the Wi-Fi-only tablet will be equipped with a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and could cost as little as $199. The slate may be unveiled at Google’s annual I/O conference, which begins on June 27th.

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Microsoft plans to launch its next-generation Xbox video game and home entertainment console ahead of the holidays next year, according to a recent report. The Los Angeles Times on Monday published a developer contract between Acitivision Blizzard and famed Halo developers Bungie. The firms are currently working on a new Massively Multiplayer Online franchise called Destiny, which will be a first-person shooter with a science fiction theme. While the fact that the companies currently have four titles planned for the series is exciting for gamers in itself, another tidbit may be even more titillating; the contract suggests that the first Destiny title will launch ahead of the holidays next year as an exclusive for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and its next-generation console, which the document refers to as the “Xbox 720.” An earlier report from an industry industry insider suggested that Microsoft will launch an ARM-based “Xbox lite” in late 2013 followed by a true Xbox 360 successor some time later, however this new information suggests that timeline may not be accurate.

[Via PC & Tech Authority]

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Following a report that Apple is currently testing multiple next-generation iPhone prototypes with a taller Retina display, images of a purported front panel from an unreleased iOS device may provide further evidence that Apple is working on a new iPhone with a larger display. MacRumors on Tuesday published two images of what its unnamed source claims to be the front panel from an upcoming refreshed iPod touch. The opening for the display panel is taller than the one on Apple’s current iPod touch, measuring 4.1 inches diagonally. If the part is authentic, it suggests that the next iPod touch — and Apple’s upcoming sixth-generation iPhone — will include a larger Retina display. The Wall Street Journal and Reuters both reported last week that Apple plans to release a new iPhone this year with a display that measures at least 4 inches. Another image of the purported iPod touch front panel follows below.

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Apple’s next-generation iPhone will feature an upgraded high-definition Retina display, according to a report published on Tuesday morning. Without stating where its information came from, 9to5Mac on Tuesday reports that Apple is still testing multiple potential designs for the next-generation iPhone, which BGR reported will launch this fall. The site claims that Apple is still testing several new iPhone models enclosed in locked shells, and at least one of these potential new iPhones includes an upgraded 640 x 1,136-pixel Retina display that measures 3.95 inches diagonally.

With an aspect ratio of close to 16:9, the new Retina display is said to be the same width as the current model but taller, and Apple is reportedly toying with adding a fifth row of icons to the home screen in a version of iOS 6 that could be exclusive to the new iPhone in order to take advantage of the new display real estate.

Beyond potentially posing issues for app developers, the site’s claims contradict earlier reports from both The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, which stated that Apple has already placed orders with its suppliers for new display panels that will be included in the next iPhone. If the Cupertino, California-based company is still testing different displays, panel orders could not yet have been placed.

BGR exclusively reported this past December that a completely redesigned iPhone will launch this fall with a new antenna system and an aluminum case.

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Amazon’s second Kindle Fire tablet, an updated model with a 10-inch display, will launch in the third quarter this year according to a recent report. Backing away from its earlier reports placing the 10-inch Kindle Fire’s launch date in the second quarter, Digitimes on Friday cited market rumors in claiming that Amazon’s next tablet will launch in the third quarter. The site also reports that the launch of Amazon’s purported 8.9-inch tablet has been suspended. BGR exclusively reported more than a year ago that Amazon was developing two tablets, a 7-inch “Coyote” with a dual-core processor that launched as the Kindle Fire, and a 10-inch “Hollywood” tablet that is powered by a quad-core processor.

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Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone may be one of the last products unveiled by the Cupertino, California-based technology giant that was designed by Steve Jobs. The company’s late co-founder and chief executive worked very closely on the retooled iPhone before his untimely passing last October, Bloomberg reports. The news organization also reiterates earlier claims that the next-generation iPhone will feature a larger display than the 3.5-inch panel utilized by its predecessors. BGR exclusively reported last year that Apple plans to launch a completely redesigned iPhone this fall that features a new antenna system and a new case, likely comprised of glass and aluminum. Apple’s sixth iPhone is also expected to include a larger 4-inch display and 4G LTE connectivity.

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Hewlett-Packard is reportedly mulling a massive workforce reduction that will see as many as 25,000 jobs cut from the company. Bloomberg cites unnamed sources in reporting on the potential layoffs, which would amount to 8% of HP’s global workforce. Between 10,000 and 15,000 of the cuts could come from HP’s enterprise services group, and several thousand of the workers affected by the possible layoffs may be offered early-retirement packages. HP confirmed in March that it would undergo a major reorganization that would see its Personal Systems Group merge with its Imaging and Printing Group, but it did not announce any wide-scale layoffs at that time. The struggling vendor will report its results for the second fiscal quarter next Wednesday.

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Apple’s display suppliers are reportedly preparing to undergo a certification examination as rumors surrounding a smaller version of Apple’s wildly popular iPad tablet continue to swirl. Taiwan-based news organization The Liberty Times on Thursday reported that display panel suppliers LG Display and AU Optronics are currently readying their lines and sample panels for a certification exam. Assuming all goes as planned, the manufacturers will reportedly split production of 6 million “iPad mini” screens ahead of the tablet’s launch later this year. TPK Holding and Chimei Innolux are said to be supplying backlight modules for the new slate. Apple is rumored to be developing an ultra-thin iPad mini that will launch in the fourth quarter this year. The tablet will seemingly feature a display that measures 7.85 inches diagonally, and a recent report suggested that Apple intends to launch a fierce attack on low-cost tablets from Amazon and Barnes & Noble by pricing the iPad mini between $200 and $250.

[Via Macotakara]

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Analysts for Barclays said in a note to investors that a new 7-inch iPad will be released this fall, Business Insider reported on Wednesday. “Following up on comments made last week, recent research still leads us to believe that Apple may be planning to add another form factor to its iPad line in the 7″ range for the fall,” the note read. The banking firm states that a smaller iPad would be useful in promoting Apple’s education agenda and could also help the company’s gaming efforts. Rather than sullying the iPad brand and iOS ecosystem, Barclays states that a “lower priced iPad [is] a necessary entry point to make the tablet market the size of the PC market by 2015 in terms of units (over 350 million units) – a figure CEO Tim Cook repeatedly mentions.” Apple has long been rumored to be readying a 7.85-inch iPad mini to compete with Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet. The slate is expected to be priced between $249 and $299, and could launch as soon as the third quarter of 2012.

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Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone handset will reportedly feature a larger display that measures “at least 4 inches diagonally.” Mirroring numerous earlier reports, The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday cited multiple anonymous sources in claiming that Apple’s next iPhone will include a new larger display. The Journal adds that panel orders have been placed, however, and that Apple has tasked LG Display, Sharp and Japan Display with supplying the new screens. A recent report claimed the next-generation iPhone would utilize the same 3.5-inch screen found on Apple’s iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, however multiple earlier reports suggested that the new iPhone will finally receive a larger 4-inch Retina display and 4G LTE compatibility. BGR exclusively reported in December that Apple will launch a completely redesigned iPhone this fall that will include a redesigned antenna system, likely alongside a new aluminum case and 4-inch display.

UPDATE: Reuters independently confirmed The Journal’s claims with its own sources in a report Wednesday morning.

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