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 has just released a new version of iOS for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Listed changes are as follows:

This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:

• Improves reliability of using HDR option for photos taken using the Lock Screen shortcut
• Addresses bugs that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks
• Fixes bugs that affected AirPlay video playback in some circumstances
• Improved reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List
• Fixes an issue where ‘Unable to purchase’ alert could be displayed after successful purchase

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

The new iOS build is available for download as an over-the-air update for users with iOS 5.0 or later installed on their devices, or it can be downloaded and installed using iTunes. iOS 5.1.1 is compatible with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2, iPad and third- and fourth-generation iPod touch devices.

Apple announced on Wednesday that its annual Worldwide Developer Conference will take place from June 11th through June 15th this year in San Francisco, California. The company made tickets available at around 8:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, and they were sold out within two hours, likely before most West Coast-based developers even woke up. Tickets are not transferable this year and as such, developers who didn’t manage to secure a ticket don’t have many options. One man, however, found a way around Apple’s restrictions.

An anonymous developer on Wednesday posted a want ad on Craigslist. Under the headline, “I will legally change my name to yours for a WWDC ticket – $1600,” the San Francisco-based man offered any takers as much as $2,100 plus other services in exchange for a ticket to the conference, which costs $1,600 when purchased directly from Apple. Because tickets are not transferable, the man said he would also legally change his name, thus allowing him to use the ticket.

In addition to the name-change and $1,600, the man offered a number of perks. As he and any potential taker will share a name once the transaction is complete, the eager developer has agreed to perform jury duty, handle tasks at the department of motor vehicles and perform up to 40 hours of court-ordered community service in place of the ticket holder. He also offered a $500 bonus if the ticket holder’s first name is Jebodiah.

Apple’s developer conference this year will offer more than 100 sessions focused on developing for the iOS and OS X platforms. Apple will also likely unveil new products during its keynote on June 11th, though a new iPhone is not expected to be announced until later this year.

Despite early-morning jitters on Wall Street, Apple on Tuesday reported yet another blow-out quarter. The Cupertino, California-based company managed the second most profitable quarter in its history, posting a net profit of $11.6 billion on $39.2 billion in sales. Apple sold 35.1 million iPhones into channels last quarter, along with 11.8 million iPads, 7.7 million iPods and 4 million Mac computers. While the firm continues to dominate the technology industry — Apple is currently the most valuable company in the world — several analysts think Apple is just getting started.

In a note to clients on Wednesday, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White raised his 12-month price target on shares of Apple stock to $1,111 from his earlier target of $1,001. “Apple fever rocks on,” the analyst wrote. “Combined with our expectations for accelerated momentum over the next year with the iPhone 5, an Apple TV, an ‘iPad Mini‘ and a potential relationship with China Mobile, gives us confidence that the stock has meaningful upside potential from current levels.”

White notes that Apple’s margin performance in the second fiscal quarter was “nothing short of extraordinary” — Apple achieved a record gross margin of 47.4% while also managing a record operating margin of 39.3%. The analyst also wrote that any concerns over carriers squeezing iPhone subsidies have been put to bed, and Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed as much during the company’s earnings call on Tuesday evening.

Apple issued especially conservative guidance for the third fiscal quarter according to White, likely because its next generation iPhone will not launch until some time this fall and the upcoming “iTV” is expected to launch in the fourth calendar quarter. BGR exclusively reported in December that Apple plans to launch a redesigned iPhone in Fall 2012, and recent reports suggest Apple’s much-rumored HDTV will follow ahead of the holidays.

Cannacord Genuity analyst Mike Walkley thinks the best is yet to come for Apple as well. “While our checks indicate slowing iPhone sales ahead of the iPhone 5 launch, we believe very strong international iPhone sales position Apple for very strong sales of an LTE iPhone 5 in the December quarter and beyond to drive strong F2013 earnings growth,” the analyst wrote in a note to investors on Wednesday.

Walkley continued, “We maintain our belief Apple is well positioned for strong sales and earnings growth driven by new product introductions across its portfolio, including iPhone 5 during this fall and iTV during F2013. Given our increased confidence of an iTV launch, we are adding iTV sales to our higher F2013 estimates. We reiterate our BUY rating and increase our target to $775.”

After a rough month that saw Apple’s stock tumble nearly $90 from a high of $644 earlier this month to as low as $555.18 on Tuesday, Apple reported its earnings for the second fiscal quarter on Tuesday after the market closed. Following a last-minute round of panic that swept Wall Street, Apple posted a net profit of $11.6 billion, or$12.30 per share — up 94% year-over-year — on revenue of $39.2 billion, crushing the Street’s consensus. Analysts were expecting earnings of $10.06 per share on $36.81 billion in sales. Read on for more.

IPhone channel sales were the focus of the Street’s worries earlier on Tuesday, as a number of analysts lowered expectations following AT&T’s first-quarter earnings report. Wall Street was looking for Apple to move 30.5 million smartphones during the second fiscal quarter and the company beat expectations, selling 35.1 million iPhones into channels last quarter, up 88% from 18.65 million units in the second quarter a year earlier.

Outside of the iPhone, which has quickly become Apple’s biggest money-maker by a substantial margin, analysts were expecting Apple to sell between 12 million and 13 million iPads along with 4.4 million Macs. Actual iPad sales came in at 11.8 million units, and Apple sold 4 million Mac computers in the second fiscal quarter. Apple sold 4.69 million iPads and 3.6 million Macs in the same quarter in 2011.

Shares of Apple stock are up more than 6% in after-hours trading, and the company’s full press release follows below.

Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

Record March Quarter Sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs

Net Profit Increases 94% Year-over-Year

CUPERTINO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2012 second quarter ended March 31, 2012. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $39.2 billion and quarterly net profit of $11.6 billion, or $12.30 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $24.7 billion and net profit of $6.0 billion, or $6.40 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 47.4 percent compared to 41.4 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 64 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

“Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter, we expect revenue of about $34 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $8.68.”

The Company sold 35.1 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 88 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 11.8 million iPads during the quarter, a 151 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4 million Macs during the quarter, a 7 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 7.7 million iPods, a 15 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

“We’re thrilled with sales of over 35 million iPhones and almost 12 million iPads in the March quarter,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The new iPad is off to a great start, and across the year you’re going to see a lot more of the kind of innovation that only Apple can deliver.”

“Our record March quarter results drove $14 billion in cash flow from operations,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter, we expect revenue of about $34 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $8.68.”

Apple will provide live streaming of its Q2 2012 financial results conference call beginning at 2:00 p.m. PDT on April 24, 2012 at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq212. This webcast will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.

This press release contains forward-looking statements including without limitation those about the Company’s estimated revenue and diluted earnings per share. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ. Risks and uncertainties include without limitation the effect of competitive and economic factors, and the Company’s reaction to those factors, on consumer and business buying decisions with respect to the Company’s products; continued competitive pressures in the marketplace; the ability of the Company to deliver to the marketplace and stimulate customer demand for new programs, products, and technological innovations on a timely basis; the effect that product introductions and transitions, changes in product pricing or mix, and/or increases in component costs could have on the Company’s gross margin; the inventory risk associated with the Company’s need to order or commit to order product components in advance of customer orders; the continued availability on acceptable terms, or at all, of certain components and services essential to the Company’s business currently obtained by the Company from sole or limited sources; the effect that the Company’s dependency on manufacturing and logistics services provided by third parties may have on the quality, quantity or cost of products manufactured or services rendered; risks associated with the Company’s international operations; the Company’s reliance on third-party intellectual property and digital content; the potential impact of a finding that the Company has infringed on the intellectual property rights of others; the Company’s dependency on the performance of distributors, carriers and other resellers of the Company’s products; the effect that product and service quality problems could have on the Company’s sales and operating profits; the continued service and availability of key executives and employees; war, terrorism, public health issues, natural disasters, and other circumstances that could disrupt supply, delivery, or demand of products; and unfavorable results of other legal proceedings. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results is included from time to time in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the Company’s public reports filed with the SEC, including the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 24, 2011, its Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2011, and its Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2012 to be filed with the SEC. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple’s PR website (www.apple.com/pr), or call Apple’s Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.

© 2012 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Apple Inc.UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS(In millions, except number of shares which are reflected in thousands and per share amounts)
		Three Months Ended						Six Months Ended
		March 31,2012			March 26,2011			March 31,2012			March 26,2011
Net sales		$	39,186		$	24,667		$	85,519		$	51,408
Cost of sales (1)			20,622			14,449			46,252			30,892
Gross margin			18,564			10,218			39,267			20,516
Operating expenses:
Research and development (1)			841			581			1,599			1,156
Selling, general and administrative (1)			2,339			1,763			4,944			3,659
Total operating expenses			3,180			2,344			6,543			4,815
Operating income			15,384			7,874			32,724			15,701
Other income and expense			148			26			285			162
Income before provision for income taxes			15,532			7,900			33,009			15,863
Provision for income taxes			3,910			1,913			8,323			3,872
Net income		$	11,622		$	5,987		$	24,686		$	11,991
Earnings per common share:
Basic		$	12.45		$	6.49		$	26.48		$	13.02
Diluted		$	12.30		$	6.40		$	26.17		$	12.83
Shares used in computing earnings per share:
Basic			933,582			923,196			932,265			921,245
Diluted			944,893			935,944			943,185			934,549
(1) Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows:
Cost of sales		$	63		$	51		$	126		$	103
Research and development		$	168		$	104		$	328		$	217
Selling, general and administrative		$	193		$	132		$	390		$	266

Apple Inc.UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS(In millions, except number of shares which are reflected in thousands)
		March 31, 2012			September 24, 2011
ASSETS:
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$	10,121		$	9,815
Short-term marketable securities			18,417			16,137
Accounts receivable, less allowances of $83 and $53, respectively			7,042			5,369
Inventories			1,102			776
Deferred tax assets			2,253			2,014
Vendor non-trade receivables			6,727			6,348
Other current assets			5,050			4,529
Total current assets			50,712			44,988
Long-term marketable securities			81,638			55,618
Property, plant and equipment, net			8,847			7,777
Goodwill			1,141			896
Acquired intangible assets, net			3,604			3,536
Other assets			4,992			3,556
Total assets		$	150,934		$	116,371
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable		$	17,011		$	14,632
Accrued expenses			9,778			9,247
Deferred revenue			5,247			4,091
Total current liabilities			32,036			27,970
Deferred revenue – non-current			2,446			1,686
Other non-current liabilities			13,954			10,100
Total liabilities			48,436			39,756
Commitments and contingencies
Shareholders’ equity:
Common stock, no par value; 1,800,000 shares authorized; 934,982 and 929,277 shares issued and outstanding, respectively			14,850			13,331
Retained earnings			87,124			62,841
Accumulated other comprehensive income			524			443
Total shareholders’ equity			102,498			76,615
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity		$	150,934		$	116,371

Apple Inc.UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS(In millions)
		Six Months Ended
		March 31, 2012				March 26, 2011
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the period		$	9,815			$	11,261
Operating activities:
Net income			24,686				11,991
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash generated by operating activities:
Depreciation, amortization and accretion			1,461				790
Share-based compensation expense			844				586
Deferred income tax expense			2,915				1,563
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable, net			(1,663	)			(288	)
Inventories			(326	)			121
Vendor non-trade receivables			(379	)			(883	)
Other current and non-current assets			(1,510	)			(1,886	)
Accounts payable			2,809				1,626
Deferred revenue			1,916				698
Other current and non-current liabilities			778				1,674
Cash generated by operating activities			31,531				15,992
Investing activities:
Purchases of marketable securities			(85,022	)			(42,260	)
Proceeds from maturities of marketable securities			7,702				10,211
Proceeds from sales of marketable securities			49,052				21,705
Payments made in connection with business acquisitions, net of cash acquired			(350	)			0
Payments for acquisition of property, plant and equipment			(2,778	)			(1,838	)
Payments for acquisition of intangible assets			(160	)			(81	)
Other			(48	)			12
Cash used in investing activities			(31,604	)			(12,251	)
Financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of common stock			377				494
Excess tax benefits from equity awards			636				740
Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards			(634	)			(258	)
Cash generated by financing activities			379				976
Increase in cash and cash equivalents			306				4,717
Cash and cash equivalents, end of the period		$	10,121			$	15,978
Supplemental cash flow disclosure:
Cash paid for income taxes, net		$	4,835			$	1,913

Apple Inc.
Q2 2012 Unaudited Summary Data
(Units in thousands, Revenue in millions)
			Q1 2012					Q2 2011					Q2 2012
																		Sequential Change						Year/Year Change
Operating Segments			Mac Units		Revenue			Mac Units		Revenue			Mac Units		Revenue			Mac Units			Revenue			Mac Units			Revenue
	Americas		1,612		$	17,714		1,217		$	9,323		1,214		$	13,182		- 25	%		- 26	%		0	%		41	%
	Europe		1,482			11,256		995			6,027		1,048			8,807		- 29	%		- 22	%		5	%		46	%
	Japan		184			3,550		155			1,383		158			2,645		- 14	%		- 25	%		2	%		91	%
	Asia Pacific		814			7,697		596			4,743		771			10,153		- 5	%		32	%		29	%		114	%
	Retail		1,106			6,116		797			3,191		826			4,399		- 25	%		- 28	%		4	%		38	%
Total Operating Segments			5,198		$	46,333		3,760		$	24,667		4,017		$	39,186		- 23	%		- 15	%		7	%		59	%
																		Sequential Change						Year/Year Change
Product Summary			Units		Revenue			Units		Revenue			Units		Revenue			Units			Revenue			Units			Revenue
	Mac Desktops (1)(9)		1,479		$	1,936		1,009		$	1,441		1,199		$	1,563		- 19	%		- 19	%		19	%		8	%
	Mac Portables (2)(9)		3,719			4,662		2,751			3,535		2,818			3,510		- 24	%		- 25	%		2	%		- 1	%
Subtotal Mac			5,198			6,598		3,760			4,976		4,017			5,073		- 23	%		- 23	%		7	%		2	%
	iPod (3)(9)		15,397			2,528		9,017			1,600		7,673			1,207		- 50	%		- 52	%		- 15	%		- 25	%
	Other Music Related Products and Services (4)					2,027					1,634					2,151					6	%					32	%
	iPhone and Related Products and Services (5)(9)		37,044			24,417		18,647			12,298		35,064			22,690		- 5	%		- 7	%		88	%		85	%
	iPad and Related Products and Services (6)(9)		15,434			9,153		4,694			2,836		11,798			6,590		- 24	%		- 28	%		151	%		132	%
	Peripherals and Other Hardware (7)					766					580					643					- 16	%					11	%
	Software, Service and Other Sales (8)					844					743					832					- 1	%					12	%
Total Apple					$	46,333				$	24,667				$	39,186					- 15	%					59	%
(1)	Includes revenue from iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Pro sales.
(2)	Includes revenue from MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro sales.
(3)	Includes revenue from iPod sales.
(4)	Includes revenue from sales from the iTunes Store, App Store, and iBookstore in addition to sales of iPod services and Apple-branded and third-party iPod accessories.
(5)	Includes revenue from sales of iPhone, iPhone services, and Apple-branded and third-party iPhone accessories.
(6)	Includes revenue from sales of iPad, iPad services, and Apple-branded and third-party iPad accessories.
(7)	Includes revenue from sales of displays, networking product, and other hardware.
(8)	Includes revenue from sales of Apple-branded and third-party Mac software, and services.
(9)	Includes amortization of related revenue deferred for non-software services and embedded software upgrade rights.

The world’s most subscribed-to MMORPG may be coming soon to a mobile device near you. World of Warcraft’s senior producer John Lagrave sat down with Eurogamer to discuss the future of the ever-changing gaming industry. “Maybe we’ll stumble on the great way to put WOW on the phone – maybe we won’t, but we’re certainly looking into it,” Lagrave said. “We won’t do it until we think it’s decent. But it’s interesting and the world is evolving towards [the iPhone]. It would be foolish for any game developer to not be looking at that.” Having a large game such as WoW ported to a touch-based mobile device wouldn’t come without its fair share of problems. As Gameloft’s Order & Chaos has shown, however, MMORPGs are definitely doable on portable devices. Blizzard’s only WoW app for the time being is called Mobile Armory, and it only allows users to view a character’s armor and manage auctions. “What we’ve done with WOW on mobile devices is very simplistic: view the armory, you check your auctions,” Lagrave said. “When we have an epiphany, everyone will know. But for now, no epiphany!”

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Sparrow’s desktop email client for OS X includes a great UI and a number of great features such as multiple accounts, a unified inbox and a user-friendly layout. The company on Thursday brought those same attributes to Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with the release of its much anticipated iOS app. Much like the desktop version, Sparrow’s mobile app features a simple, Facebook-like design that is light, responsive and easy on the eyes. The iOS app supports iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, and other IMAP services, however it does not support POP accounts or push notifications. “If Sparrow was to do Push today, we would have to store your credentials (login/password) on our servers to frequently poll your accounts, and send you notifications,” the company said. “This is a responsibility we’re not ready to take. As a startup focused on iOS/OS X development, we do not have the skills to secure your data on our servers and we do not want to put sensitive information at risk. That’s why Sparrow iPhone 1.0 doesn’t do push.” Sparrow’s mobile app requires iOS 5 and can be had for $2.99 in Apple’s App Store. A video of Sparrow’s new iOS app follows below.

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Apple, your new lock screen is terrible. It’s great that you want to make the camera even more accessible in iOS 5.1 since a lot of people didn’t know the double-tap trick, but you’ve compromised the usability of something as simple and vital as unlocking a phone. You have altered the iconic slide-to-unlock layout, and there’s no option to disable the new camera shortcut on the lock screen. Visually, an off-center slide-to-unlock mechanism isn’t appealing at all. It’s too narrow for the space and I’ve tapped the camera button by mistake more than a few times trying to unlock the phone. Give us a setting to disable this and bring back the old option of double-tapping the home button please.

Apple announced during its press conference on Wednesday that the latest version of its mobile operating system would become available for download later in the day. iOS 5.1 has now been released for the iPad 2, iPad, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and second and third-generation iPod touch handhelds, and the new iOS build brings Japanese language support for Siri along with a number of additional updates. And ridiculous though it may be, AT&T iPhone owners will now see “4G” in place of 3G next to their signal bars while connected to HSPA. We detailed key changes in our exclusive hands-on with the software last month. iOS 5.1 is currently in the process of being made available through iTunes and over the air, but impatient users can download the appropriate update via the read link below.

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Apple is a company that somehow manages to churn out an above-average amount of beautiful products, fantastic software and class-leading services. When it misses, however, it misses big. MobileMe is one example. Ping is a better one. A third example is Apple’s Genius recommendation engine, which seeks to present App Store users with a list of applications they may enjoy based on their app download history. Right now, Genius is awful, but Apple’s recent acquisition of a company called Chomp may see things change in the near future. Read on for more.

TechCrunch on Thursday evening reported that Apple has acquired Chomp, a San Francisco-based startup that develops application search and discovery software. The Wall Street Journal later confirmed the buy with Apple, suggesting that the deal was a talent acquisition aimed at improving application search and discovery features within the App Store.

Genius needs help. Here are just a few examples of recommendations the engine is currently making on my iPhone: Because I use ESPN ScoreCenter, an app that provides sports scores and news, Genius says I should download Skateboard Tricktionary, an app that names and explains over 300 skateboard tricks. At least it involves sports, I suppose.

Because I have one to-do app called NotifyMe installed on my phone, Genius thinks I need seven more that offer hideous user interfaces and far less functionality. And because I installed an app called PhoneFlicks to manage my Netflix queue, Genius says that I will enjoy Soccer JuggleBall, a game where the user repeatedly pokes at a bouncing soccer ball in an effort to keep it from hitting the ground. I could go on.

The iOS App Store is currently home to more than 560,000 applications according to third-party monitor AppShopper.com. As with all mobile app stores, the lion’s share of them are likely junk. A number of services aim to cut through the garbage in an effort to identify quality apps that users may enjoy, but Genius is not one of those services. I’m really not sure what Genius aims to do.

Chomp touts proprietary technology that “learns the functions and topics of apps, so you can search based on what apps do, not just what they’re called.” It also currently powers Verizon’s Android app searches and offers stand-alone solutions for both iOS and Android. After spending just a few minutes with each Chomp app I can safely draw one conclusion: it can’t possibly make app discovery on iOS any worse.

Apple has been forced to take its iCloud and MobileMe push email services offline in Germany as a result of a recent ruling in a patent lawsuit filed by Motorola Mobility against the technology giant, German blog Macerkopf reports. Late last year, a German court ruled against Apple in a suit filed by Motorola citing a number of patents covering 3G communications and push email services. A permanent injunction was issued and though sales of Apple’s 3G devices were initially halted earlier this month, the products went back on sale later that day. Now, presumably as a measure to avoid further sales interruptions, Apple has confirmed that it halted push email services tied to its iCloud and earlier MobileMe products.”This ruling only impacts customers in Germany who use a Push setting to get their MobileMe and iCloud email,” an Apple spokesperson told Engadget. “These customers will still receive email to their devices. Apple believes this patent is invalid and is appealing the decision.”

[Via Engadget]

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We’ve got a hold of what is said to be Apple’s iOS 5.1 GM, the version that will be released to the public on or around March 9th, and we can now confirm an earlier report detailing two new changes. The lock screen in iOS 5.1 has a fixed camera button located next to the slide to unlock button, and instead of tapping on it to launch the camera, you simply drag the entire unlock section up to reveal the camera finder. This makes photo-taking instantly fast when you’re getting the phone out of your pocket or bag. Siri has indeed learned Japanese as well, and we’ve been able to confirm that in Settings. We’re told there are no roadblocks as of now in this release candidate, so we’d expect the version we have to be the version released in the coming weeks. Another photo can be seen after the break.

Owners of Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch can now enjoy a remake of the first-ever PC game, co-written by Bill Gates himself, which came pre-installed on several IBM computers in 1981. First released late last month, XVision’s DONKEY.BAS is a terrific recreation of the PC game by the same name. Players control a race car as it advances up the screen. Donkeys repeatedly come into view, and the simple goal is to switch lanes before colliding with any curious creatures. “We did this game as a tribute to the original,” XVision founder Johnny Ixe told BGR, noting that the firm added a number of new features to the game in order to distinguish it from the original. The spirit of the game remains, however, and gamers looking for a bit of nostalgia would be hard-pressed to find a better blast from the past. DONKEY.BAS is available now in the App Store for $0.99.

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Apple recently published eleven new profiles for various iPhone-operators that point to a potential iOS 5.1 release date, according to YourDailyMac. The files include references to iOS 5.1, and they mention an update launch date of March 9th, indicating an iOS update could be released around the same time for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The profiles are intended for operators in Japan, France, Greece, Finland and Sweden, and will ensure network connectivity after an update is downloaded. There is also speculation that Apple could release iOS 5.1 along with the announcement of the next-generation iPad, which is rumored for to be unveiled sometime next month. Hit the break for an screenshot of an iOS 5.1 mention with the code of an operator profile.

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On Monday, a Touchstone Arcade thread from a disgruntled developer claimed numerous apps in Apple’s App Store were promoted into the top 25 using illegal services. The poster accused a number of big-name developers such as Crowdstar of using such services. Crowdstar’s co-founder Suren Markosian immediately denied the accusation, assuring customers it promotes its apps “using legitimate advertising channels such as flurry, chartboost, iAds, etc.” The thread gained a good deal of buzz, however, prompting Apple to post a warning to remind developers to adhere to guidelines when promoting their apps. “Once you build a great app, you want everyone to know about it,” reads Apple’s warning. “However, when you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts. Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership.”

[Via MacRumors]

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