The Chronic Dev Team today announced the release of Absinthe 2.0, the second major release of the popular iOS jailbreaking tool. The update brings support for several Apple products, including "the new iPad," running the most up-to-date iOS 5.1.1 software. It allows users to jailbreak "untethered," meaning they won't have to plug their device back into a computer every time it is restarted while jailbroken.

Absinthe 2.0 supports Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux platforms.

Over the past several years, rumors have popped up now and again about an Apple-branded television. Such a product has yet to arrive to the public, however, but in recent months, rumors have been flurrying once against because of comments late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs made in his biography. The TV has been rumored to be powered by Siri, Apple's voice assistant found on the iPhone 4S, and have iOS features.

According to a blog post by Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey, Apple may not actually be launching a true TV, but instead a sort of "iHub" that would serve as the media center for a home.

Here’s me putting on the record what I’ve been telling clients behind closed doors for more than a year: Apple should sell the world’s first non-TV TV. Instead of selling a replacement for the TV you just bought, Apple should convince millions of Apple fans that they need a new screen in their lives. Call it the iHub, a 32-inch screen with touch, gesture, voice, and iPad control that can be hung on the wall wherever the family congregates for planning, talking, or eating — in more and more US homes, that room is the dining room or eat-in kitchen. By pushing developers to create apps that serve as the hub of family life — complete with shared calendars, photo and video viewers, and FaceTime for chatting with grandma — this non-TV TV could take off, ultimately positioning Apple to replace your 60-inch set once it’s ready to retire.

These two new ads are relatively simple and show Malkovich in a chair asking Siri specific questions. We've embedded them both below for your viewing:

Apple introduced the FaceTime video calling service back in 2010 alongside the iPhone 4. At the time, the company said that FaceTime would only work over Wi-Fi, but it was working with carriers to add 3G network support. Nearly two years later, however, 3G support for FaceTime has yet to arrive, but new evidence in iOS 5.1 may show that Apple is at least making progress.

According to a report from The Verge, the above error message is new in iOS 5.1, which has been out for a few weeks now, but only discovered recently. With the Worldwide Developers Conference taking place in a few weeks, it seems possible we may see some FaceTime-related announcement coming.

According to a report from FOSS Patents, Apple late last week filed for a preliminary injunction against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the United States, accusing Samsung of infringing upon an iPad-design related patent. Based on other recent rulings in the Apple versus Samsung case, it's actually likely that the motion for injunction will be granted, meaning Apple will have a ban on the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Apple proposes to give Samsung until May 25 to respond, and would file its reply brief five days later. At any rate, Judge Koh won't grant this motion during the settlement talks that are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. But if those talks fails (which is what I expect to happen), the injunction might come down very soon.

Apple has just released an update to developers running on OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview 3, bringing the build number of the upcoming OS to 12A206j. The update has been released via the Mac App Store and weighs in at about 1.60 GB. Apple is noting in developer release notes that this build is not compatible with "MacBookPro3,1" models (mid and late 2007 computers), but this issue will be corrected in the future.

At this time, it's unclear what changes are included in this most recent seed. Apple is expected to give a full preview of OS X Mountain Lion at its Worldwide Developers Conference next month. A public release is scheduled for "late summer."

Production is set to begin next month for the screens, which measure at least 4 inches diagonally compared with 3.5 inches on the iPhone 4S, the latest phone from Apple, the people said.

Seeing competition from other smartphone manufacturers whose phones feature much larger displays than the current iPhone, Apple has been expected to debut a device with a larger screen. The report is unclear that on the exact dimensions or resolution of the newly ordered display but it is expected to be an Apple set Retina Display.

While the report says that production for the phone will begin next month it does not give a clear launch date with the usual "later this year."

According to a report from China Daily, Foxconn chairman Terry Gou addressed Apple's long-rumored high-definition television set at a press conference in Shanghai yesterday. Gou apparently confirmed that Foxconn has already begun making preparations for the product, which includes a partnership with Sharp for LCD displays. Actual production of the "iTV" has not begun, however.

Gou said Foxconn is making preparations for iTV, Apple Inc's rumored upcoming high-definition television, although development or manufacturing has yet to begin.

iTV reportedly features an aluminum construction, Siri, and FaceTime video calling

Foxconn's recent 50-50 joint venture factory with Sharp in Japan is one of the preparations made for the new device, Gou added.

We’ve independently confirmed that this is indeed the case. Sources describe the new Maps app as a forthcoming tent-pole feature of iOS that will, in the words of one, “blow your head off.” I’m not quite sure what that means, and the source in question declined to elaborate, but it’s likely a reference to the photorealistic 3-D mapping tech Apple acquired when it purchased C3 Technologies.

iOS hacker Steve Stroughton-Smith posted a picture to his Twitter account earlier this afternoon that gives evidence Apple is testing both the Notes and Reminders app for iCloud.com. The current iCloud.com includes email, calendar, contacts, Find My iPhone, and iWork integration (and icons for each service). This screenshot, however, adds in two new icons: Notes and Reminders, both of which are currently available on iOS devices and will be coming to Macs this summer with OS X Mountain Lion.

The leak comes via http://beta.icloud.com, which Apple appears to be using for the test. The link doesn't always work, and will sometimes redirect to Apple's iCloud information page.

It's possible that these announcements will be coming at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference.

Full release notes are below:

The 10.7.4 update is recommended for all OS X Lion users and includes general operating system fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac including fixes that:

• Resolve an issue where the “Reopen windows when logging back in” setting is always enabled
• Improve compatibility with certain British third-party USB keyboards
• Address an issue that may prevent files from being saved to a server
• Improve the reliability of copying files to an SMB server

Mac OS X 10.7.4 is available either via Software Update on a Mac or Apple's Support pages.

According to a report from AppleInsider, some users who logged into iCloud.com this afternoon found that Apple has begun testing a notification system for its cloud service that launched late last year. At the top of the screen, users saw a message with the title "Default Title for English" and a description of "English - this is a test message description." The notification has a very similar design to the notifications found in iOS 5.

It's not clear how Apple is planning to use notifications on iCloud.com, but it's possible we may see some sort of syncing of notifications across all devices through iCloud.

The Apple HDTV makes FaceTime calls using the built-in iSight camera. The camera is sophisticated, with facial recognition and the ability to zoom into the user’s face and follow them as they walk around the room. This allows users to make video calls from the couch across the room, rather than having to stand smack in front of the TV.

In addition, calls are initiated by Siri, the iPhone 4S’s virtual assistant. “[Apple] used Siri to make a FaceTime call,” the source said.

According to a report from DigiTimes, Apple is planning to introduce a cheaper $799 MacBook Air sometime in the third quarter of this year. Currently, the entry-level MacBook Air comes in at $999, and the new price is likely to compete with recent introductions of "ultrabooks" from competitors.

Although Acer has recently reduced its ultrabook shipment target, Intel continues to aggressively push ultrabooks and is aiming to have the devices priced at US$699 in the second half of the year. However, if Intel is unable to bring down ASPs to its goal, the price gap between ultrabooks and the US$799 MacBook Air may further postpone the time ultrabooks become standardized, the sources noted.

According to a report from ZDNet, a bug has been discovered in Apple's most recent update to OS X Lion, version 10.7.3, that stores in clear text the passwords of any user who has logged into the computer since the update was applied. The security breach lies within Apple's FileVault encryption system in OS X Lion.

In specific configurations, applying OS X Lion update 10.7.3 turns on a system-wide debug log file that contains the login passwords of every user who has logged in since the update was applied. The passwords are stored in clear text.

Apple has yet to comment on this issue, but it's unclear when the company was made aware of it.

Earlier today, Apple released the iOS 5.1.1 software update to iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch users. The update addresses issues with HDR photos, AirPlay video, syncing of Safari bookmarks and Reading List. The full release notes are below:

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 update is available for download either via iTunes or over-the-air on devices already running iOS 5.

According to a report from iLounge, Apple's next-generation iPhone, being dubbed the "iPhone 5" by the press, will indeed sport a long-awaited 4-inch display. The size difference, however, will be achieved by making the device taller and thus, thinner as well. The phone is rumored to be up to 20% thinner than the current-generation iPhone 4S.

What we’ve learned: the new iPhone will indeed be longer and thinner than the iPhone 4 and 4S. Approximate measurements are 125mm by 58.5mm by 7.4mm—a 10mm jump in height, nearly 2mm reduction in thickness, and virtually identical width. According to our source, Apple will make one major change to the rear casing, adding a metal panel to the central back of the new iPhone. This panel will be flat, not curved, and metal, not ceramic. Our artist’s rendition provides a rough idea of what this change will look like; it echoes the current-generation iMac design, to be sure.

In addition, the report claims that the next iPhone will receive a smaller dock connector port on the bottom. It's expected that Apple will provide some sort of adapter to connect the new port to the current 30-pin dock connector because of the amount of accessories already on the market.

We're currently gathering a list of changes in this build and will update as we find them.

UPDATE: Changes follow:

• First look at the update installation screen under OS X Mountain Lion

• Simplified "General" preference pane in System Preferences

• New "Do Not Disturb" option found in Notification Center

• New "Group windows by application" option in Mission Control preferences

• Safari's "Reading List" feature has received a design refresh

• Safari's Reading List feature now supports offline reading. Any page added to the Reading List will be saved automatically for offline reading
• Safari's redesigned "iCloud Tabs" feature

• The background image used in Dashboard has been modified

Last week, news broke of a planned protest in front of an Australian Apple Store where likely paid protestors were dressed in all black and held signs that said "Wake Up." Early rumors pointed to Samsung being the creator of the protest, but after the company denied involvement, Macworld did some digging and now has proof that Research in Motion actually sent the protestors to the Apple Store.

The protestors identified themselves from an organization called "Tongue," and some of the code on their website points to Research in Motion identifier numbers.

Speaking at the Info Security 2012 conference, Kaspersky Lab founder and CEO Eugene Kaspersky stated to CBR that he believes Apple is  "ten years behind Microsoft in terms of security." He continues on by saying that, while Windows is still a hacker's favorite, Mac OS X malware and attacks are growing rapidly, something that was "just a question of time and market share." Kaspersky also states that, if Apple wants to keep its users safe in the near future, it will be forced to change update cycles for security patches.

This news comes just weeks after Apple's OS X platform was hit by two high-profile malware attacks, Flashback and SapPub. Apple has often prided itself on having a much securer environment than Windows, but it seems possible this is quickly changing.

Earlier today, Apple announced that it will be holding the 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference (a.k.a. "WWDC")  between June 11 and 15 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. This year's announcement comes just six weeks before the event takes place, and with a new restriction - all attendees must be a part of at least one Apple Developer Program (examples include iOS or Mac).

Passes were on sale at $1599 for a mere two hours before they were sold out completely, a new record for the event. Apple's WWDC this year should focus around OS X Mountain Lion, which is currently in testing with developers, as well as the next version of iOS. The conference also includes hundreds of workshops hosted by Apple engineers that developers can attend to strength their skills.

Apple has just reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2012, announcing a revenue of $39.2 billion and a net profit of $11.6 billion. Gross margin was up in this quarter (47.4%) when compared year-over-year, while international sales accounted for 64% of Apple's overall revenue in the quarter. Revenues and profit were both records for the Cupertino-based company for the quarter.

Sales numbers break down as follows:

• 35.1 million iPhones shipped (up 88% year-over-year)
• 11.8 million iPads shipped (up 151% year-over-year)
• 4 million Macs shipped (up 7% year-over-year)
• 7.7 million iPods shipped (down 15% year-over-year)

"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."

Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, has stated to a curious Twitter user that he believes Instagram "jumped the shark" by launching its Android app to the public. Schiller also deleted his Instagram account (@schiller) completely, which further shows his frustration with the $1 billion company that was just acquired by Facebook.

Instagram launched its Android app after a long wait from users earlier this month. In the first twenty-four hours, the app saw over one million downloads, and in the first five days, five million downloads.

Apple has released the third developer preview for its upcoming OS X Mountain Lion update, expected to hit Macs worldwide sometime this Summer. The newest preview carries the build number 12A178q and comes a little over a month since the last seed. Exact changes with this new build are still unknown, but stick with It's All Tech for continuing coverage of new features and changes.

Developing...

Just days after Apple released an update to Mac OS X's built-in Java software to address the "Flashback" trojan affecting 600,000 Macs worldwide, a new vulnerability has been discovered. The new trojan, dubbed "SabPub" or "Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a," is making its way through email when users click on download links that lead to malicious downloads.

Due to the way that the SabPub trojan is spread across computers, it's certainly possible that, at its peak, it will affect more Macs than Flashback ever did. Apple has yet to comment on this new malware, but many are expecting yet another update to Java in the near future to patch this exploit.

According to a report from NetEase (translated by Kotaku), Apple is planning to begin building six (6) million smaller iPads that will be on sale sometime in the third quarter of this year. The miniature tablet is expected to cost around $249-299, and should sport a display somewhere around 7.86 inches (as oppose to the current 9.7-inch display iPad).

This isn't the first time a rumor about a smaller iPad has made rounds across the Internet. In the months leading up to the introduction of "the new iPad" earlier this year, reports suggested that Apple would be introducing a smaller version of the iPad as a competitor to the Amazon Kindle Fire, but such as tablet has yet to come to fruition.

Apple announced this morning that the new iPad will be launching in twelve (12) countries this Friday, April 20, 2012. South Korea and Venezuela are among the new launch locations, which also includes:

• Brunei
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Malaysia
• Panama
• St Maarten
• Uruguay

In addition, the new iPad will be launching in the following countries on Friday, April 27:

• Colombia
• Estonia
• India
• Israel
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Montenegro
• South Africa
• Thailand

Apple was quick to release a statement to AllThingsD, denying that it is working with Starck on any project:

Reached for comment, an Apple spokeswoman said the company is not working on a new product or project with Starck. And while she declined to speculate about what the designer might have been referring to when he told France Info Radio that he and Apple “have a big project together that will be out in eight months,” there’s a good explanation for the remark.

Following the release of a Java update to OS X Lion users that aimed to address recent concerns about the Flashback malware affecting 600,000 Macs worldwide, Apple released a standalone tool yesterday that allows users without Java installed on their Mac to remove the malware. The "Flashback malware removal tool" is available for download from Apple's Support website, and requires an OS X Lion install without Java.

Full release notes:

This Flashback malware removal tool that will remove the most common variants of the Flashback malware.

If the Flashback malware is found, a dialog will be presented notifying the user that malware was removed.

In some cases, the Flashback malware removal tool may need to restart your computer in order to completely remove the Flashback malware.

This update is recommended for all OS X Lion users without Java installed.

All Things D

Apple's statement:

The DOJ’s accusation of collusion against Apple is simply not true. The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry. Since then customers have benefited from eBooks that are more interactive and engaging. Just as we’ve allowed developers to set prices on the App Store, publishers set prices on the iBookstore.

Today, Apple released the Java for OS X Lion 2012-003 software update that aims to address recent concerns about the Flashback trojan, which said to infect up to 600,000 Mac computes worldwide at its peak. The update is available via Software Update for affected machines.

Apple released two Java updates before this most recent one as part of patching the Flashback trojan exploit, but it appears as though this patch is primarily for removing the trojan from affected machines.

Full release notes:

This Java security update removes the most common variants of the Flashback malware.

This update also configures the Java web plug-in to disable the automatic execution of Java applets. Users may re-enable automatic execution of Java applets using the Java Preferences application. If the Java web plug-in detects that no applets have been run for an extended period of time it will again disable Java applets.

This update is recommended for all Mac users with Java installed.

For details about this update see: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5242

The United States Department of Justice announced today that it has a filed a lawsuit against Apple and several e-book publishers over the pricing of the electronic books. The DoJ claims that Apple and publishers took part in illegal activity by lowering the prices of e-books for the iBookstore, but raising them for competition. The lawsuit involves the following publishers:

• Hachette
• HarperCollins
• Macmillan
• Penguin
• Simon & Schuster

Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster have all agreed on settlements and if approved, the companies would be forced to allow other retailers, such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble, to reduce the prices of its e-books as well.

In addition, the companies will be prohibited for two years from placing constraints on retailers’ ability to offer discounts to consumers.   They will also be prohibited from conspiring or sharing competitively sensitive information with their competitors for five years.   And each is required to implement a strong antitrust compliance program.   These steps are appropriate – and essential in ensuring a competitive marketplace.

According to Engadget, AT&T has confirmed that it will begin offering customers with off-contract iPhones and accounts in "good standing" the ability to unlock their iPhone for use on other carriers tomorrow, April 8, 2012. Once that happens, any carrier's micro-SIM card can be used in the iPhone, as long as the device supports the specific frequency.

Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer's account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee.

We brought you the news yesterday that a new trojan had been discovered on the Mac OS X environment that was affecting at least 600,000 Macs worldwide. The trojan, dubbed "Flashback," would allow hackers to intercept personal information such as usernames and passwords through an exploit in OS X's Java installation.

Apple today issued a Java update, "Java for OS X 2012-002," that apparently attempts to close the exploit and remove the trojan from affected computers. The update is available only for machines running Mac OS X Lion 10.7, since another patch was released earlier this week for Snow Leopard computers to address the same issue.

According to Dr. Web, the 57 percent of the infected Macs are located in the US and 20 percent are in Canada. Like older versions of the malware, the latest Flashback variant searches an infected Mac for a number of antivirus applications before generating a list of botnet control servers and beginning the process of checking in with them.

Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page sat down for an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek yesterday, and addressed the topic of Apple and late Steve Jobs's very public hatred of the Android OS mobile platform. Page stated that the hatred is/was all "for show," and was only created by Apple to "rally" its employees.

Page states:

Today, analytics company Net Applications released statistical data for mobile operating system usage in the month of March, revealing a pretty interesting turn of events: both iOS and Android lost some market share, while Research in Motion's BlackBerry platform actually gained a little.

iOS' market share dipped down to 59.87% in March from the 60.59% it controlled in February. Android OS from 19.02% to 18.66% in the same time frame as well. On the other hand, BlackBerry OS went from 2.15% in February to 2.21% in March. While it's still far off from iOS and Android (and it was a very small gain), any gain certainly helps the struggling Research in Motion.

Today, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) announced more of its findings during audits at Foxconn facilities in China. Apple asked the organization back in February to perform complete audits on nearly all Foxconn facilities to address concerns over working conditions and child labor.

The FLA revealed that it has found serious violations at the plants, which include illegal overtime and safety concerns. As a result of the findings, Foxconn as agreed to hire thousands of new works, improve living and working conditions for employees, ban illegal overtime, and more. Illegal overtime for employees included unpaid time as well.

Continuing on his trip across China, Apple CEO Tim Cook has been spotted visiting Foxconn's new iPhone manafacturing facility in Zhengzhou. This news comes amidst Apple trying to improve working conditions at several Foxconn over the past several months. The company has even asked the Fair Labor Association to do a complete audit on the facilities to see what areas need improvement.

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook visited Foxconn Technology Group’s newly built manufacturing facility for the iPhone in Zhengzhou, China, as the U.S. company seeks to improve working conditions.

The iPhone production line is at the new Foxconn Zhengzhou Technology Park, which employs 120,000 people, Carolyn Wu, a Beijing-based Apple spokeswoman, said in an e-mail today. She didn’t provide other details on Cook’s visit or say how much longer he’ll be in China after having held high-level talks in Beijing earlier this week.

Last month, it was announced that a lawsuit had been settled that would allow iPhone 4 users to request a free bumper case or $15 compensation for the antenna issues the device experienced shortly after launch. Apple was offering a similar free case program in the months after the launch of the iPhone 4 in 2010, but since then, the program has ended. Customers are still reporting, however, that they are able to request a case through AppleCare.

This settlement allows iPhone 4 users to request a bumper case or $15 if their device has antenna issues related to dropping calls.

To be eligible for the cash payment, you must have: (a) experienced antenna or reception issues; (b) been unable to return your iPhone 4 without incurring any costs; (c) been unwilling to use a case or free bumper for your iPhone 4; and (d) completed certain troubleshooting steps or are unable to complete the troubleshooting steps because you no longer own your iPhone.

A claim can be made at this website: https://www.iphone4settlement.com.

CNBC today published its study of how many homes in the United States own at least one Apple product. The numbers, while very large, don't come as a surprise to many - 50% of U.S. households own at least one Apple product. Adding onto that, one in every ten homes that doesn't currently own an iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, or other Apple product plans to purchase one in the next year.

Numbers break down as follows:

Our survey shows Apple buyers tend to be male, college-educated, and younger. They’re just as likely to own a home as not. Not surprisingly, the more money you earn, the more Apple products you’re likely to own.

Just 28 percent of those making less than $30,000 a year own at least one, compared with 77 percent of those making more than $75,000. Those on the higher end of the income scale own an average of about three Apple devices, compared with 0.6 for lower-income homes.

While growing up in the tech age makes a difference, the age gap isn’t as wide as you might think. In fact just as many Americans between ages 18 and 34 count themselves among Apple users, as those ages 35-to-49 (63 percent). The number drops to 50 percent when you get into the 50-to-64 age group, and down to just 26 percent among those 65 and older.

Reuters has posted an interview with Samsung Mobile's Vice President for Design, Lee Minhyouk, where the executive addresses the company's ongoing lawsuit with Apple, which claims that Samsung stole iOS device design ideas in the Galaxy lineup of tablets and smartphones. The initial lawsuit, which was filed by Apple back in April of last year, was just the beginning of what has now become a long battle between the two companies over patents and design ownerships. So far, Apple seems to have had the upper hand in court rulings, but Samsung has continued to appeal those decisions.

Minhyouk gave the following statement, where he denied the allegations:

"I've made thousands of sketches and hundreds of prototype products (for the Galaxy). Does that mean I was putting on a mock show for so long, pretending to be designing?"

"As a designer, there's an issue of dignity. (The Galaxy) is original from the beginning, and I'm the one who made it. It's a totally different product with a different design language and different technology infused."

According to a report from iMore, Apple's next-generation iPhone will debut sometime later this year with support for 4G LTE network connectivity, and the same, "Retina" 3.5-inch display. Earlier this week, one report claimed that the next iPhone will actually sport a larger display, which has been rumored for a couple of years now, but it was quickly shot down.

So to sum up, iPhone 5,1 is on track for:

• Similar if not same sized screen (currently 3.5-inch but not set in stone)
• 4G LTE radio
• New “micro dock” connector
• Fall/October 2012 release

Earlier today, trading of Apple's stock (trading under the symbol "AAPL") was temporarily suspended following a sharp drop. The halt, which took place between 10:57 and 11:02 AM this morning, was a result of Apple's stock suddenly dropping 50 points, or 9%, in a matter of seconds, which certainly scared some stock traders.

While nothing has been confirmed, many reports point to the issue stemming from Bats Global Markets Inc.'s trade of 100 shares. The company's stock ended the day at $596.05, which is slightly less than what it has been going at this past week.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple has outsold BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) on their own home turf in Canada. The report says that Apple shipped more smartphones in Canada in 2011 than RIM did, representing a large drop in customer support.

RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, shipped 2.08 million BlackBerrys last year in Canada, compared with 2.85 million units for Apple, data compiled by IDC and Bloomberg show. In 2010, the BlackBerry topped the iPhone by half a million, and in 2008, the year after the iPhone’s debut, RIM outsold Apple by almost five to one.

The weakness is caused due to an error within the handling of URLs when using javascript's window.open() method. This can be exploited to potentially trick users into supplying sensitive information to a malicious web site, because information displayed in the address bar can be constructed in a certain way, which may lead users to believe that they're visiting another web site than the displayed web site.

Apple has reportedly been informed of the glitch and should be releasing an update to iOS in order to patch it soon.

Since the new iPad launched last Friday, many customers have been complaining and concerned about the new tablet coming from Cupertino, California overheating after normal usage. Many customers have been reporting both on Apple's Discussion Forums and other Internet forums that the new iPad overheats in the same area that the device's battery lives, causing some concern over thermal issues.

Apple issued a statement to The Loop today, simply stating that the new iPad operates within the company's accepted thermal ranges and if customers are worried, they should contact AppleCare.

In addition, Consumer Reports has posted new information today regarding the iPad overheating, stating that it found the internal temperature of the tablet raise to 116 degrees Fahrenheit after playing Infinity Blade II for 45 minutes.

We ran our test while the new iPad was propped on the iPad Smart Cover, plugged in, and after it had run Infinity Blade II uninterrupted for about 45 minutes. The device's 4G connection was not turned on, though its Wi-fi link was. The ambient room temperature was about 72 degrees. (Apple recommends not using the iPad in environments over 95 degrees.)

When unplugged, the back of the new iPad reached temperatures as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit. It was only when plugged in that it hit 116 degrees. The hottest areas weren't evenly distributed throughout the iPad's back, but were concentrated near one corner of the display as shown in the images taken from the rear of the device above.

In addition, the study noted that, interestingly, the new iPad didn't charge when playing the CPU-intensive game. This hints that the new iPad is plagued by some issue that causes it to actually drain battery life, even when plugged in, under heavy CPU usage. This is likely because the iPad isn't able to draw enough power to play the game, and charge at the same time.

Apple's stock has been growing at a startling rate over the past several months, especially after the company announced record-breaking holiday quarter financial results.

As expected, Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer hosted a conference call this morning with investors and the media to announce the company's plans for its current cash balance, which is over $100 billion as of last quarter. The company announced that it will be launching a dividend and share repurchase program, which is expected to cost about $45 billion over the next three years. The move will kick off sometime in the fourth fiscal quarter of this year.

Subject to declaration by the Board of Directors, the Company plans to initiate a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share sometime in the fourth quarter of its fiscal 2012, which begins on July 1, 2012.

Additionally, the Company’s Board of Directors has authorized a $10 billion share repurchase program commencing in the Company’s fiscal 2013, which begins on September 30, 2012. The repurchase program is expected to be executed over three years, with the primary objective of neutralizing the impact of dilution from future employee equity grants and employee stock purchase programs.

Apple has just announced via a press release that it has sold three (3) million new iPads since the tablet's launch last Friday, March 16, 2012. The Cupertino-based company first unveiled the next-generation iPad, which sports a high-resolution "Retina" display, 4G LTE connectivity, improved performance, and an upgraded rear-facing camera, earlier this month, with pre-orders being opened earlier.

“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold―the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can't wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.”

UPDATE: AT&T released a very brief statement this morning, simply stating that it saw record-breaking sales and activation numbers during the iPad launch.