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Tag: rumor

  • Benicio del Toro Is Not Dead Either

    Benicio del Toro Is Not Dead Either

    2014 has been the year for death hoaxes. The ever-growing popularity of social media makes it easy to start and disseminate a hoax.

    Recently a hoax claimed that former First Lady Nancy Reagan had died. The whole thing apparently started from a Facebook page that ran with the declaration:

    “At about 11 a.m. ET on Friday (October 24, 2014), our beloved politician Nancy Reagan passed away. Nancy Reagan was born on July 6, 1921 in New York. She will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”

    The hoax finally started petering out when Reagan’s reps issued a statement, asking people to “stop believing what you see on the Internet.”

    That hoax was suspiciously identical to another the same day, wherein actress Jennifer Lawrence was declared dead, once again on Facebook, with this statement:

    “At about 11 a.m. ET on Friday (October 24, 2014), our beloved actress Jennifer Lawrence passed away. Jennifer Lawrence was born on August 15, 1990 in Louisville. She will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”

    Others who have been prematurely declared dead this year include Betty White, Bob Seger, Dwayne Johnson, and Wayne Knight.

    Now the Latin Times reports that rumors of the death of actor Benicio del Toro are also spreading, and are false. According to their report, some people are claiming to have intimate details of del Toro’s supposed drug overdose death.

    Del Toro’s latest film is Escobar: Paradise Lost, in which he portrays Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, who died in 1993 when he was cornered in a firefight with Colombian Police. Legends say that Escobar was hit in the leg and torso, but committed suicide by shooting himself in the ear.

  • Denzel Washington The New Lex Luthor?

    Denzel Washington The New Lex Luthor?

    It just wouldn’t be Hollywood if there weren’t rumors abounding about which actor will be playing a coveted part. This time around it’s Denzel Washington as Lex Luthor in the upcoming “Man of Steel 2/Batman vs Superman.”

    The rumors of Washington playing Superman’s arch-nemesis started in early December when a source revealed that they were already testing for the part of Lex Luthor. Washington was at the top of their list, but nothing has materialized just yet. Other’s on this list included Idris Elba and a certain reoccurring cast member from the CW series Arrow who also fits the description.

    Elba would be a hard get, especially since he plays Hemdall in Marvel’s Thor films. It might also be quite difficult for the actor from Arrow to portray Lex Luthor if the DC world ever wanted to bring the characters of Arrow to the big screen. So that would leave Washington.

    One thing’s for sure, Washington has proven that he can play the villain very well. His Oscar winning performance from Training Day anyone?

    This newest rumor of Washington playing Lex Luthor comes off the heels of the rumor Joaquin Phoenix would be playing the role.

    And before that the rumor mill was circulating that Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston might even be playing the part. Those rumors were quickly proved false by Cranston himself.

    Don’t know if this guy approves of Washington as Lex Luthor, but at least he enjoys his work.

    And if he does get the role there is at least one person who is certain to go see the movie.

    While it isn’t clear yet whether or not the character of Lex Luthor will even be in the sequel to Man of Steel, casting choices we do know include Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.

    So internet, I guess it’s time to start ranting and/or raving about Washington as Lex Luthor.

    Image via YouTube.

  • Lex Luthor To Be Portrayed By Joaquin Phoenix?

    With the Wonder Woman casting still sinking in, it seems there’s fresh “Man of Steel II” casting news to speculate about. This time rumors are flying around in regards to iconic supervillain, Lex Luthor. Fans have already fantasy cast quite a few people, including the star of the popular Breaking Bad series, Bryan Cranston. Since Cranston stated that there was no truth to the rumors, that left many scratching their heads.

    Who else in Hollywood would look good bald? We may finally have an answer in….Joaquin Phoenix?

    If he’s indeed cast as Luthor, it will definitely be as controversial. However, the desire for Phoenix is understandable. The Academy Award-nominated actor is eccentric, but he’s played a variety of characters. This includes a memorable turn as the cruel and treacherous Commodus in “Gladiator”, opposite Russell Crowe. Crowe played Jor-El in the first movie, so it’s an interesting link if Phoenix winds up accepting the role.

    Some are skeptical not of the casting choice, but of the role being taken at all. It’s been pointed out that Joaquin Phoenix prefers acting roles off the beaten path. He may opt for an obscure indie flick over the summer blockbuster type of film. Still, the chance to leave his mark as a distinct version of a popular villain may be too tempting to pass up.

    The late Heath Ledger still earns accolades for his turn as the Joker. Marvel’s Magneto crush is getting stale and though Tom Hiddleston charms us as Loki, neither of these characters have stood the test of time in popular culture. At least not at level of infamy as the Joker or Lex Luthor. Unfortunately, the most recent portrayal of Luthor was Kevin Spacey’s forgettable version in the lackluster “Superman Returns”.

    Perhaps if the casting of Luthor is on point, more audience members will turn up with optimistic expectations rather than bracing themselves for a potential train wreck.

    Image via CBS’s Youtube

  • IPad Rumors, Who Wants To Know About Them?

    IPad Rumors, Who Wants To Know About Them?

    Are you looking forward to the release of the upgraded iPad? Reports claim that the device could be out for public consumption shortly after next week where the popularity is expected to not only rival the use of PCs, but potentially replace PCs.

    Deutsche Bank Equity Research shared the following statement through an investment note.

    “We expect growing [desktop] virtualization and iPad deployments in the enterprise to pressure corporate PC sales through 2014-15. We expect AAPL’s iPad refresh to include 64 bit architecture, which should enable a greater array of enterprise App development and facilitate greater enterprise penetration over time.”

    The following video gives an overview of the look of the new iPad. The video also includes details about additional features in relation to past models such as previous measurements of the device compared to the upgraded measurements.

    The good news for those anxiously awaiting the release of the historically innovative technology will be happy to hear that Apple is presently anticipated to showcase two new models (the fifth generation of the iPad with Retina display as well as the iPad mini 2) at a media event scheduled for October 22nd. AllThingsD has reported that the invitation-only event will take place on Tuesday the 22nd.

    Though there is presently debate about the exact location of the unveiling, potential locations include the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium in Cupertino.

    The iPad is here to stay with an ever increasing amount of apps to fit almost anybody. According to the Apple website, “The App Store is home to over 300,000 apps made just for iPad for just about anything you can imagine.”

    [Image and Video Via YouTube]

  • Bigger And Cheaper iPhones Might Be Coming Next Year [Rumor]

    I think we can all agree at this point that Apple must be working on a bigger iPhone as well as a cheaper iPhone for emerging markets. There’s just too much evidence in support of both scenarios. There may still be some skeptics, however, so allow me to present exhibit G in the ongoing saga of iPhone 5S/6 rumors.

    Reuters reports that Apple is now considering a number of options to revitalize its iPhone brand over the course of this year and next. Sources close to the company are saying that Apple may release a bigger iPhone, a cheaper iPhone and iPhones in many colors. All of these options would be made solely to combat Samsung and other Android competitors that are becoming increasingly popular thanks to multiple screen sizes and designs.

    Getting into specifics, it appears that Apple is looking at two bigger iPhones – one with a 4.7-inch screen and another with a 5.7-inch screen. It seems that the company can’t make up its mind, however, and many not even release either of the larger iPhones. If the larger iPhone is real, we likely won’t see it until next year.

    As for a cheap iPhone, the company is looking at a $99 price tag. The new report matches up with a previous report that said the cheaper iPhone would come in a plastic chassis and be offered in multiple colors. Unlike the larger screen sizes, the cheaper iPhone seems to be a definite thing. The only potential issue is that Apple may push back its release to next year.

    I may have used the word “revitalize” to describe Apple’s plans with the iPhone, but that doesn’t mean the company really needs to change anything. Apple would still sell millions of iPhones if it kept up the status quo. Apple has been doing that for years now, however, and its reveal of iOS 7 earlier this week shows that the company is starting to rethink its flagship device. I would be surprised to see Apple release a drastically different iOS without a drastically different iPhone to go along with it. We probably won’t see that drastically different design with this year’s iPhone 5S, but next year might prove to be very interesting for the iPhone.

  • Nintendo Working To Bring Smartphone Apps To Wii U [Rumor]

    The Wii U’s controller has a touch screen that seems like it was made for the simple touch-controlled games that populate smartphones. The only problem is getting those games on the system. Nintendo may be working to address that issue if recent rumors are to be believed.

    Anonymous sources speaking to The Japan Times say that Nintendo is working on conversion software that would help smartphone developers easily port their titles to the Wii U. The push is part of a larger focus on getting more software on the system to help boost console sales.

    If true, the push for smartphone titles falls into line with Nintendo’s recent initiative to get indies on its platform. It can’t readily rely on traditional game publishers to provide a steady stream of games for the system so it has to rely on these indies to bring a number of unique experiences to the console.

    Such a move begs the question – will people buy a Wii U to play games that they can already play on a smartphone or tablet? Nintendo apparently thinks they will. It’s a sharp change of course for the company as it has previously derided smartphone games as devaluing games.

    Software certainly sells hardware, but will smartphone games do the trick? Maybe not, but Nintendo also has a strong first-party lineup of software coming out later this year. There’s even talk of a new 3D Mario game coming out in October. Such a release, combined with Pikmin 3, Wind Waker HD and others, could potentially see Nintendo selling more than its fair share of units this holiday season.

    Of course, Nintendo will have to watch out for the likes of Sony, and possibly even Microsoft, as both will be appealing to indies as well. Sony has been especially aggressive in this area, and even chose to highlight an indie game at its PS4 reveal event. Nintendo may have to start getting that aggressive about indie titles if it wants to bring the best the indie development scene has to offer to the Wii U.

    [h/t: ZDNet]

  • The iPhone 5S May Come In Multiple Sizes [Report]

    One of the most prevalent rumors surrounding the next iPhone is that Apple is working on a larger phone. Some suggest that the larger display won’t come into play until next year’s iPhone 6, but others are now suggesting that we’ll get a larger iPhone with this year’s iPhone 5S.

    Brian White, analyst for Topeka Capital Markets, said that Apple will release the iPhone 5S with three separate screen sizes. He reportedly got his information from a company in Apple’s supply chain.

    “We believe Apple is coming around to the fact that one size per iPhone release does not work for everyone and offering consumers an option has the potential to expand the company’s market share,” White said.

    This isn’t the first time that White has predicted the iPhone 5S will come in multiple screen sizes. He said the same thing back in January, while adding that Apple would be using Sharp’s new IGZO display panels for the larger screens. He also said that the iPhone 5S would be offered in more colors than just the traditional black and white.

    White also addressed the persistent rumor that Apple will be releasing a cheaper iPhone this year for the Chinese market. Some rumors suggested that Apple would go as low as $99 for the cheaper device, but White says that Apple can’t possibly go below $300 without a subsidy. The reason being that Apple never sells at a loss or at cost. Even if it’s cheaper, Apple has to make a tidy profit on every iPhone sold to keep investors happy.

    All of this is speculation for now, but we may find out more about the mythical iPhone 5S sooner rather than later. The latest rumors peg the iPhone 5S release date for June. If that’s the case, we could see a reveal in late May/early June.

    [h/t: Apple Insider]

  • Xbox Special Event Planned For May 21 [Report]

    After Sony revealed the PlayStation 4 in February, everybody turned to Microsoft expecting a reveal of the next Xbox. Previous rumors suggested an April showing, but a new report says that we won’t be seeing anything about the new console until May.

    Paul Thurrot revealed during the latest “What the Tech?!” podcast that Microsoft would be unveiling its next Xbox on May 21. The Verge was able to confirm the date with sources close to Microsoft saying that the event was originally schedule for April, but was pushed back to May for an unknown reason.

    There wasn’t much more information revealed about the console, but Thurrot did throw out one interesting tidbit – the price. He claims that the next Xbox will retail for $500, but will only cost $300 if the consumer chooses to go with a subscription service. A subscription model would be nothing new for the company as it already offers the Xbox 360 for $99 with a two-year contract that has the consumer paying a monthly fee for Xbox Live.

    Interestingly enough, Thurrot also says that the internal Microsoft documentation he has mentions the always online requirement that stirred up quite a bit of controversy last week.

    As for the event itself, The Verge’s report says that Microsoft will be holding a small event in May to officially unveil the console and a few of its core features. The company will be saving most of its big announcements, however, for E3 in June.

    [h/t: NBC News]

  • New iPhone Release Date Set For August 2013 [Rumor]

    The new iPhone release date is one of the last pieces of the rumor puzzle that we have yet to put together. There’s been no clear indication when the new wonder device from Apple will launch, but a recent rumor indicates that it may be out before the end of summer.

    AppleInsider reports that the iPhone 5S release date is set for sometime in August. It’s claimed that the cheaper iPhone will be out in August as well. It would be a first to have two iPhones released in the same year, let alone the same month.

    The iPhone 5S is reportedly being marketed as a world phone. In short, the device will work on any network in any market without any significant internal modifications. If Apple could get enough supply built in time, we could see a same day global launch. That would be a big deal for Apple as past iPhone releases were tiered over several months as it built iPhones specifically for each market’s wireless networks.

    Speaking of China, the rumored cheaper iPhone will reportedly be built to work on China Mobile’s LTE. That furthers the rumors that this cheaper iPhone is being built specifically for the Chinese market. It’s not known if Apple will release its cheaper iPhone in other emerging markets, like South America and India.

    So, now we have a release date, but what about the price? The cheaper iPhone was originally reported to cost as little as $99, but the new rumor pegs its unsubsidized price at $330. The low price is the result of Apple building the device out of polycarbonate. The company may also be using last generation components to keep prices low.

  • Amazon Smartphone to Launch in 2013 (Rumor)

    Back in July there were hushed rumors that Amazon would enter the smartphone market with a device that would compliment its existing Kindle tablet lineup. Today it appears that those rumors have been corroborated and the “Kindle Phone” may be coming as soon as next summer.

    The China Economic News Service, a Taiwanese business publication issued a report stating that Foxconn, the famed manufacturer of Apple’s iPhone devices, has created a new smartphone for Amazon. The device is reportedly set to be launched between the second and third quarters of 2013. The manufacturer is “expected to ship as many as five million units” of the smartphone. The handset is also expected to be “budget-priced,” with a unit price of $100 to $200.

    With the success of Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet line-up this holiday season, the leap to a phone-sized device isn’t a large one. Based on Amazon’s tablet strategy, it’s likely that the smartphone will run a heavily-modified Android operating system similar to the Kindle Fire HD. The Kindle Fire OS focuses heavily on Amazon’s products and subscription service, Amazon Prime.

    The smartphone market is already so dominated by Android and iPhone devices that platforms such as RIM and Windows Phone 8 hold only marginal shares of the market. It will be interesting to see if Amazon can put out a true competitor device that is low-priced and lures customers who are already heavily invested in Amazon’s digital media ecosystem.

    (via BGR)

  • iPad Mini Release Date Will Be November 2nd [RUMOR]

    We know for a fact that Apple will be holding a press event next Tuesday, October 23rd. The company just sent out their official invitations, which features the top of the famous apple logo set on a multi-colored background. “We’ve got a little more to show you,” it says.

    Of course, it’s widely understood that the “little” more refers to the iPad Mini, Apple’s 7.85-inch version of their popular iPad tablet. According to other rumors, we may see a new 13 inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display, as well as a new Mac Mini (which would go nicely with the “little” theme). If the iPad Mini is in fact a part of the October 23rd event, it will probably go down as one of the most unsurprising Apple product launches ever as purported leaked images of the device have been floating around for quite some time.

    Now, a rumor serves as the final piece in the iPad Mini puzzle. According to Geeky Gadgets, the smaller iPad will hit the shelves on Friday, November 2nd following the October 23rd launch. They quote sources that correctly identified the iPhone 5 release date last month. According to these sources the pre-order date will be next week, possibly the Friday after the launch.

    Yesterday, we heard that the iPad Mini will come in 24 different models – four different storage capacities, three different connectivity options, and two colors. For more on the iPad Mini, check out our previous coverage.

  • There Will Be 12 iPad Mini Models At Launch [Report]

    The iPad Mini is the worst kept secret in tech this year. Leaks and reports have pretty much confirmed the device will be launching sometime this month. Now the question is how many models will be available at launch. A recent report just might have the answer.

    AppleInsider got their hands on a list of iPad Mini SKUs and the results are very surprising. It seems that Apple will be selling 24 different iPad Mini varieties at launch. The models will be a mix and match of various storage capacities, connectivity options and colors.

    The SKUs have four different models listed that seem to indicate storage capacities. It’s suggested that first SKU will be an 8GB model with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models presumably following afterward.

    Strangely enough, the SKUs are being described as “good,” “better,” and “best.” AppleInsider seems to think that this could relate to the wireless connectivity of the devices with “good’ being Wi-Fi only and “best” being 4G LTE.

    With storage and wireless connectivity, there will be 12 iPad Mini models available at launch. Add in the two different colors available – black and white – and you have 24 flavors to choose from. That’s a pretty impressive number products for an untested device.

    Interestingly enough, the report says that Apple will be shipping more of the entry-level 8GB devices to retailers than any of the other models. This particular model is expected to only cost $249. It would be a little more expensive than the 8GB Nexus 7, but it could still be a huge hit thanks to the iPad name.

    Everything we’ve learned about the iPad Mini indicate that Apple is getting this right. They’re coming out right before the holiday season with a device that will have even broader appeal among those who may be looking to buy their first tablet. The iPad Mini also has the potential to be a big hit among children due to its attractive price and large catalog of games.

    We’re bound to find out more next week as Apple’s event is expected to take place on October 23. The iPad Mini may be the worst kept secret in tech, but there’s still a lot we don’t know. This latest SKU listing only answers a few of the many questions we still have regarding Apple’s 7.85-inch tablet.

  • iPad Mini Rumor: Apple Has Ordered 10 Million Units For The Holiday Season

    Are you excited for the iPad Mini? A survey from last month suggests that you are. Apple thinks you’ll be excited for it as well. The company has reportedly taken out a massive order of iPad Minis just in time for the holidays.

    According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has ordered 10 million iPad Minis to be delivered in Q4. The invite to the iPad Mini event is reportedly going out this week so we’re on track for a November release if the WSJ’s report is to be believed. That puts Apple in the enviable position of having two major hardware launches right before the holidays.

    Of course, the iPad Mini is still an untested concept. Under Steve Jobs, the iPad Mini was not even a thing as he was famously against smaller tablets. It’s the Tim Cook show now, however, and the report reaffirms the company’s confidence that they can compete with Amazon and Google in the 7-inch tablet space.

    Unfortunately, we still don’t have a price or official specs, but we do have unverified rumors. The latest rumors are saying that the iPad Mini will feature a 7.85-inch display and the specs of an iPad 2. That, of course, means no retina display. That may be for the best as Apple is reportedly targeting the lower end of the market with the iPad Mini. Its price will have to be $300 or less to compete with the cheaper tablets offered by Google and Amazon.

    Just like the iPhone 5, the rumors will most assuredly ramp up as we approach the date of the iPad Mini reveal. We’ll continue to be on the lookout for the latest rumors as we head into the highly competitive holiday season. We might even hear news of other companies preemptively announcing cheaper tablets to combat their fears of the ever imposing figure of the iPad Mini.

  • Rumored Wii U Specs Leaked Ahead of Announcement

    With the official announcement of the Wii U only days away, it might seem that leaked specs are unneeded. However, gamers in the age of the internet certainly want to know details as soon as possible. So, here is the latest rumor about what hardware the Wii U will be packing.

    Today’s leaked specs come courtesy of the VGleaks website, which cites an anonymous source. It claims the info is from Nintendo’s developer website, but please take all of this info with several handfulls of salt.

    The VGleaks specs show the Wii U coming with and “Espresso” CPU that has “three enhanced Broadway cores.” The GPU is a “GPU7” AMD Radeon HD processor. It will have 8 GB of internal storage, but will support SD cards and external hard drives through its four USB ports. The video output supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i through HDMI, D-Terminal, component video, RGB, S-Video, and AV cords.

    One area that is holding back current consoles from moving toward better graphics and larger worlds is their memory. The Xbox 360 has only 512 MB of RAM. While the PlayStation 3 has the same amount, that console’s architecture splits the memory into two 256 MB chunks that are separately usable by the CPU and GPU. This is rumored to be the reason that the latest Skyrim DLC may never make it to the PS3.

    The VGleaks specs for the Wii U put that system’s RAM at 1 GB, presumably shared. This isn’t likely to be as much RAM as the next-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles will have, but it doubles the Xbox 360’s RAM and should give developers plenty of resources to work with.

    One big caveat to throw in at this point is that a leaked VPD search last week shows that there will be three different versions of the Wii U to purchase. It seems inconceivable that the $249 version will have the exact same hardware as the $349 version. It’s likely that the VGleaks specs, if true, represent the base system specs and that higher-priced Wii U’s will have a larger hard drive. That, or extra accessories such as a second Wii U GamePad are included with more expensive versions.

    These leaked specs would put Nintendo’s Wii U slightly above current consoles in terms of power, though probably a bit under what Microsoft and Sony have planned for the next generation. All of this meaningless speculation will be put to the test on Thursday, September 13 when Reggie Fils-Aime takes the stage at the Wii U announcement event in New York.

    (via VGleaks)

  • Next-Gen Xbox Console Could Be Delayed [RUMOR]

    Everyone is expecting a new game console from Microsoft next year. Nintendo is set to kick off the next console cycle with the Wii U later this November. The beautiful games shown at this year’s E3 make it painfully obvious that new hardware is coming soon. The leaks pertaining to the next Xbox, codenamed “Durango,” are becoming more frequent. All the while, retail game sales are down, gamers are waiting out the end of the cycle, and PC gaming is seeing a resurgence.

    All signs point to Microsoft launching a new gaming console next holiday season.

    Today, though, the website SemiAccurate published a story stating that the manufacture of processors for the Durango is going at a snail’s pace. According to the report, the chip is codenamed “Oban” and batches are taking around 8 weeks to manufacture.

    SemiAccurate’s unnamed sources claim that September 2013 is the projected launch date for Microsoft’s new console. Apparently, Microsoft has around two months of give in its semiconductor shipping schedule before the console release date will have to be pushed back. The company is evidently scrambling to find semiconductor fabricators who can expedite the chip manufacturing process. Meanwhile, SemiAccurate is reporting that Microsoft executives are holding the line and claiming that everything is on schedule.

    A delay past the 2013 holiday season would be fairly devastating for Microsoft. As the current console cycle is winding down, gamers are becoming jaded, and retail game sales show it. Also, many of what are sure to be next-gen launch titles have already been shown, meaning that a console delay would also put pressure on Microsoft from third-party game publishers. While not much is yet known or has been leaked about Sony’s next-gen console, it’s a given that any delay on the next Xbox plays to their favor. Looming over all of this are rumors that Valve is fed up with current gaming technology and is ready to make its own gaming hardware. This should frighten Microsoft and Sony, because there could be no exclusive launch title for a console bigger than Half-Life 3.

    (via BGR)

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: New Pictures Reveal Logic Board, Larger Display

    The iPhone 5 rumor mill continues to surprise me. I thought that we had seen everything that the iPhone 5 had to offer over the past few weeks with leaks springing up every few days. Even after all that, there are still plenty more leaks to be had it seems.

    9to5Mac got a hold of some pictures in the latest leak that further reveals more information on the iPhone 5. The most interesting photograph reveals the logic board without any EMI shielding. It gives us a good look at the internal workings for the new iPhone 5. 9to5Mac is quick to point out that the image is suspect, however, because the person who submitted it used Photoshop to enhance the image.

    iPhone 5 Rumor: Logic Board Photos Emerge

    Nowherelse also got ahold of some new parts for the iPhone 5. The pictures show the screen that we’ve all come to know and love by now. This one is unique, however, because it shows a side-by-side comparison of the iPhone 5’s screen with an iPhone 4S.

    iPhone 5 Rumor: New Pictures Reveal Logic Board, Bigger Screen

    Wrapping up the rumors for today, there’s also a new vide from Sinocet that features parts that we’ve all come to know by now. It features a close up of the front panel parts that make up the larger display.

  • Wii U Release Date Is Set For November 18 [Rumor]

    Nintendo will be holding a special Wii U event on September 13 in New York City. It’s expected that the company will announce the launch date and price of the Wii U on that date. While the price is still unknown, a game peripheral manufacturer may have just given us the launch date.

    PDP, a game accessory manufacturer, was giving a presentation today at GameStop’s managers’ conference. These presentations are used by companies to give GameStop managers a heads up on upcoming titles or accessories that will be coming out in the next quarter. The events are generally pretty boring and devoid of any details. It seems, however, that PDP’s representative slipped up today by revealing the Wii U’s launch date.

    According to an anonymous source, a PDP representative said their line of Wii U accessories would launch a few days ahead of the console’s official launch on November 18. The source told Kotaku that the representative obviously realized their mistake and tried to change the topic. Unfortunately for PDP, the damage was done.

    This is still all a rumor for now until Nintendo’s event next month. That being said, November 18 has always been the most likely launch date since we learned the Wii U was launching at the tail end of this year. The company always launches new hardware (and games for that matter) on Sundays. It’s also the last Sunday before Black Friday and the biggest shopping weekend of the year.

    If this rumor turns out to be true, Nintendo is playing it safe with the launch of the Wii U. That’s not a bad thing by any means. The console will get a massive sales spike at launch thanks to the start of the holiday shopping season. Of course, all of this is contingent upon the Wii U being effectively priced. The console should just sign a death wish if it’s priced at anything over $300.

    It’s just a little over three weeks until Nintendo’s event in New York City. We’ll find out then if this rumor turned out to be true.

    UPDATE:

    We received an update from PDP’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, William Otte, regarding today’s rumors. Here’s his statement in full:

    Performance Designed Products (“PDP”) is aware of recent rumors posted alleging that PDP inadvertently “leaked” the official release date of the upcoming Nintendo Wii U gaming system during a trade presentation earlier today. To be clear, PDP has no knowledge whatsoever of the official Wii U release date, and thus it is not possible for PDP to have “leaked” this information.

    During PDP’s presentation of our fall line of gaming accessories to customers at a trade event, we stated that our Wii U accessories would be available at launch. Much later in the presentation we showed our Epic Mickey 2: The Power of 2 accessories for the Wii and confirmed that the Wii accessories will be in stores by the game’s November 18 launch date. Connecting the Wii U launch and Epic Mickey 2 peripheral launch dates is inaccurate and false. PDP has no knowledge whether this is the official Wii U release date or not.

    There ya go, folks. Epic Mickey 2 is launching on November 18. The Wii U might also launch on that date. I still say you can anticipate a launch on November 18, but don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: The Smaller Dock Connector Isn’t Exclusive To The New iPhone

    One persistent iPhone 5 rumor that has been confirmed via multiple leaks is that the device will have a smaller dock connector. With the rumored size of the iPhone 5, it only makes sense to have a smaller dock connector. It still doesn’t make it any better that consumers will have to buy a whole new array of accessories to support this new size. A new rumor suggests that Apple isn’t stopping their miniaturization plans with the iPhone 5.

    According to sources speaking to iMore, Apple intends to reveal a smaller dock connector for all their products at the company’s all but confirmed showing in September. Alongside the iPhone 5 and its new dock connector, we can expect to see the entire lineup support the new dock connector. According to iMore, this includes the new iPod Nano, iPod Touch, iPad Mini and an updated version of this year’s iPad that includes the smaller dock connector.

    The size of the iPhone 5 is what most believe the reason behind the smaller dock connector to be. The other platforms, barring the redesigned iPod Touch and iPod Nano, don’t really need a smaller dock connector. It makes sense, however, for two very important reasons.

    The first is that Apple obviously wants to standardize everything across both of their platforms. Having some devices use the smaller dock connector while others use the larger would make no sense from a design standpoint. The second can be attributed to simple business. Everybody owns all the dock connector accessories for their iPhone 4S and iPad. Why would they need to buy anymore accessories? Switching to a new size might turn off some fans, but Apple fans will generally buy up new accessories anyway. It’s smart business and it should help bolster their already massive bottom line in the current quarter.

    Once again, none of this is confirmed. We all know that the iPhone 5 is going to use a smaller dock connector, but we can’t be sure of the rest. We haven’t seen anything on the iPad Mini front and it makes little sense to release a new version of this year’s iPad with the only change being a new dock connector. We’ll find out soon enough though as Apple’s iPhone 5 event is rumored to take place on September 12.

  • iPad Mini: Apple’s Suppliers Ramping Up Production?

    Yesterday we told you about a Bloomberg report claiming that Apple was planning to launch a 7-8-inch iPad before the end of the year. As with many other rumors, the report – which cited “two people with knowledge of [Apple’s] plans” – suggested an October launch for the device.

    Now new information has surfaced that appears to corroborate those rumors. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple’s supply chain is gearing up to begin producing the iPad Mini, as it’s usually called, in September. Citing “[o]fficials at the component suppliers,” the WSJ says that Apple is telling the companies in their supply chain to get ready to mass produce the device. They also corroborated reports from a few months ago that LG Display and AU Optronics were producing screens for the new iPad.

    With an iPad Mini Apple would be taking aim at a market they have so far left untouched. Shortly after the original iPad released, Steve Jobs famously said that the iPad’s 9.7-inch screen was the lower limit for a satisfying tablet experience. The thriving low-end tablet market, which is populated with devices like the Kindle Fire and, later this month, the Nexus 7, would appear to prove him wrong. Currently tablets like the Kindle Fire are the closest thing to real competition Apple has in the tablet market, of which it controls a significant majority. Yet they do so well precisely because they, in a sense, don’t compete directly with the iPad: they’re smaller and priced significantly lower. A 7-inch, $250 iPad Mini could prove to be a major game-changer in the low-end tablet market.

    While rumors of an iPad Mini have been around almost as long as the iPad itself, they’ve been picking up in intensity in recent months. Indeed, more and more it’s looking like Apple really does have a smaller tablet in the works, and that they really will be releasing it later this year. Whether they release it in October, however, remains to be seen. On the one hand, that would allow them to take advantage of the holiday shopping season, which could net them a significant chunk of the 7-inch tablet market very quickly. On the other hand, it would compete directly with the new iPhone, which will also be releasing around September or October.

    At any rate, at this point it looks like the question to ask about the iPad Mini is no longer “if,” but “when.” And, of course “How much and where do I get in line for one?”

  • iPad Mini, Refreshed iPad Coming In October?

    What are the odds that Apple would release another new iPad, the much-rumored iPad Mini, and the new iPhone all in the same month? Pretty good, according to Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves. In a recent note to investors, Hargreaves predicted that Apple will launch a 7.85-inch iPad Mini and a thinner, lighter update to the new iPad, and kill the $399 iPad 2 at the same time.

    The when the new iPad was introduced in March, the iPad 2 got a significant drop in price to $399. While the cheaper iPad has proven extremely popular, there is speculation that its popularity may come at the expense of the new iPad. If so, then killing off the cheaper iPad 2 makes a great deal of sense for Apple financially.

    The other parts of Hargreaves’s predictions, though, are a bit tougher to swallow. Specifically, the part about the new iPad getting a refresh is unlikely in the extreme. Apple has held very closely to a 12-month product cycle for iOS devices, and that cycle has worked extremely well for them. Apple isn’t likely to launch in October a better version of the tablet they launched in March. That’s not a money making strategy, it’s a piss-off-the-customers strategy. Any rumor about Apple re-launching a product before it’s 12-month cycle is over goes straight into the “I’ll eat my hat” file.

    As for the iPad Mini, most of the rumors we’ve heard so far do put it in October – assuming it ever launches at all. The only problem with that is the new iPhone. If the iPhone were still on its June/July schedule (which means it would’ve been launched at WWDC three weeks ago), then an October launch for the iPad Mini would make perfect sense – it’s far enough away from the iPhone that many of the people who want both can get both, and it’s excellently positioned for the holiday shopping season.

    The problem, though, is that the iPhone is now on an autumn release schedule, thanks to the delay of last year’s iPhone 4S (though Apple hasn’t officially confirmed this, they did announce a fall release of iOS 6, which will certainly be launching alongside the new iPhone). At Hargreaves’s $299 price point – which fits well with the rumors we’ve heard so far – the iPad Mini and the new iPhone will be direct competitors. Many people will want both, and for most it will be an either-or purchase decision, not a both-and. In other words, an iPad Mini and the new iPhone would cannibalize each others’ sales if they launch at the same time. A lot of people who would get the new iPhone will decide to hold off for another year and get the iPad Mini instead, while those who need a new iPhone will forego the iPad Mini.

    While rumors about the iPad Mini seem particularly strong lately, it’s important to remember that they’re just that: rumors. Rumors of a smaller iPad have been around since the launch of the original iPad. While it’s probably true that Apple has the iPad Mini in their labs, it’s by no means certain that they’ll ever release it. And if they do release it, it doesn’t make much sense that they’ll do so in such a way as to interfere with their flagship product.

    You can read Hargreaves’s note in PDF form here.

  • Is Microsoft’s Major Announcement The Xbox Surface? [Rumor]

    Microsoft is making a major announcement today in Los Angeles at 3:30 p.m. PST. Nobody has any idea what it is and Microsoft has been very secretive with the announcement. The major consensus at this point seems to be that it’s going to be a tablet, but what kind of tablet? A recent leak may hold the answers.

    Thanks to a leak coming out of Shifted2u, we know that the potential Microsoft tablet may be called the Xbox Surface. That fits in with a rumor we reported on earlier this morning that Microsoft was working with Barnes & Noble to make a Nook tablet that streams Xbox Live content. The Xbox Surface is a little more interesting than that, however, if the leaked document ends up being true.

    The leaked documents reveals that the Xbox Surface has a 7.0 ince multi-touch LED screen, a max resolution of 1280×720, SD card slot, bluetooth and Wi-Fi. That’s a pretty standard tablet by today’s standards, but the innards is what really excites me as a technophile and a gamer.

    The document says that the Xbox Surface will be powered by two IBM POWER7 SCMs with each SCM having 6 active cores at 3.1 GHz. It’s also rumored to have 5 GB of DDR3 RAM and a custom 28nm GPU from AMD featuring 1.2 GB of memory and full Direct3D 11 support.

    As for storage, it will have a 250 GB disk drive alongside storage that can be expanded via USB drives. It will also have support for up to four wireless game controllers and one headphone port per controller which pretty much confirms that it uses Xbox 360 controllers. It also features 4 USB 3.0 ports and component video/HDMI out.

    As you can see, this machine is not a tablet, but rather some kind of awesome monster PC hiding inside of a tablet. I can already feel the skepticism and you wouldn’t be wrong to be skeptical. Tablets today are weak compared to this, but maybe Microsoft needs this to grab our attention. If they just announced a tablet, it wouldn’t be news. If they announced a tablet that’s many times more powerful than the iPad or anything else on the market, that’s news.

    Of course, the real question is how to find a market for such a thing. A lot of people just want tablets for content consumption and nothing else. They’re fine with shallow experiences that allow them brief distractions from their day. If true, the Xbox Surface will be the tablet for the power user and gamer. It will be Microsoft handheld that many consumers have wanted for years to combat the 3DS and the PS Vita. It will just have the extra benefit of being able to compete head-on as a portable computer as well.

    It’s important to note that this is all a rumor for now. We won’t know anything until tonight at 6:30 p.m. PST. If this is true though, count me among the first in line. I haven’t jumped on the tablet bandwagon yet due to my status as a power user. The iPads and Kindle Fires of the world just don’t cut it. The Xbox Surface, if true, would cut it and then some.

    UPDATE:

    Thanks to our readers pointing out my own lack of being able to see light grey text on a white background, it would appear that the Xbox Surface document points to two separate devices. One of them being the tablet with the other being a “stationary computing device.” What does it all mean? It’s too early to tell at the moment, but it could be the next Xbox. We’ll find out later tonight at Microsoft’s press event.

    Microsoft Xbox Surface