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Apple Surveying iPhone Developers

J.R. Bookwalter — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:36:20 -0600

It’s no secret that Apple has had an often-tumultuous relationship with some of its App Store developers, but in recent weeks they’ve been making an effort to mend fences, which includes a new survey asking developers if they’re happy with the way things are being run.

TechCrunch has the scoop on the new survey being sent to iPhone Developer Program members following an often-rocky 2009 which even saw Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, Phil Schiller, stepping into the fray in an effort to diffuse some of the tension between Cupertino and their App Store developers.

The lengthy survey appears to cover a wide variety of topics, with a particular focus on the App Store review process and developers’ overall satisfaction with the program. (We’d love to be a fly on the wall when someone at Apple reads those responses!)

Among the questions asked:

Please rate your level of satisfaction with each of the following aspects of the Application submission process (using iTunes Connect).

Please rate your level of satisfaction with each of the following aspects of the application review process (using iTunes Connect).

Please rate your level of satisfaction with the length of time it takes to get updates available on the App Store.

It’s noteworthy to mention that at the beginning of the year, Apple seemed to put the App Store approval process into overdrive, with a ridiculous number of apps going from submission to available in record time. With the iPad coming in late March, there will surely be a new tidal wave of apps -- both new and updated -- so it would appear that Apple wants to work out any remaining bugs before the blessed day arrives.

(Images courtesy of TechCrunch)

Jailbreak Your iPhone OS 3.1.3 With New Pwnage Tool

J.R. Bookwalter — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:41:45 -0600

Straight on the heels of last week’s iPhone OS 3.1.3 update from Apple, The iPhone Dev Team hackers have released an updated Pwnage Tool to jailbreak the new release. But, there are a few catches.

According to 9to5 Mac, the Justice League of iPhone hackers -- you know, the collective known as The iPhone Dev Team -- have made available Pwnage Tool 3.1.5, which adds the ability to jailbreak the latest iPhone OS 3.1.3. But unlike previous versions, the Dev Team is actually encouraging most users not to update this time.

“iPhone 3G and 3GS unlockers should always be very wary to update their firmware,” the Dev Team blog warns. “This is no exception. If you make a mistake along the way you may find yourself updating to official 3.1.3 in which case you will lose your unlock, possibly forever.”

The reason for the warning is that iPhone OS 3.1.3 is such a minor update, with an improvement in the reporting of battery use percentage on the iPhone 3GS being touted as the biggest “new feature.” The problem is that Apple is now signing all firmware updates via iTunes, and shortly after iPhone OS 3.1.3 was made available, Cupertino began denying users the ability to install OS 3.1.2 on their devices.

If you’ve previously jailbroken your device and opened the Cydia program, you have a bit less to fear about the ability to go backwards, thanks to the app’s ability to grab “SHSH hashes” from your iPhone, which get around Apple’s draconian signing of the firmware.

“iPhone 3GS users (regardless of unlock) should stay away from this and all 3.1.3 jailbreak tools unless you know you have your ‘SHSH hashes’ backed up via Cydia,” the team writes. “That’s because if you make a mistake you may find yourself stuck at official 3.1.3 with no way to jailbreak or come back down to 3.1.2 to jailbreak.

“If you really truly feel that you need to update, this version creates a custom 3.1.3 IPSW for you to restore to on your iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS with early bootrom, iPod touch 1G, and iPod touch 2G with early bootrom. If you don’t know if you have an early bootrom or not, please avoid updating until you learn more.”

Sounds to us like it’s not worth the trouble -- for now there aren’t any App Store apps requiring OS 3.1.3, so if you enjoy the extra capabilities of your jailbroken device, we’d stay at OS 3.1.2 for now. The more adventurous among you can hit up the Dev Team blog and download Pwnage Tool 3.1.5 absolutely free… but don’t say we didn’t warn you, m’kay?

(Image courtesy of 9to5Mac.com)

In Case You Missed It: Feb. 1 - Feb. 6

J Keirn-Swanson — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:07:37 -0600

Okay, so the world didn't change. Steve Jobs came out, unveiled the iPad, it was pretty much most of what we'd come to expect by this point with a surprise or two thrown in. Seriously, Apple, AT&T again? That we didn't see coming.

But you know what you should see coming? A week's worth of articles, sliced and diced, chopped and grated, and summarized for your pleasure below. Who says the only thing going on is the freaking Super Bowl?

Features:

- The iPad CPU: All You Need to Know About the Apple A4 - Of course, there's still a buttload of things to learn about the new wonder tablet. We bust down the specs on the CPU running this bad boy and let you know what it all means when the smoke and technical terms clear. Short answer: sweetness.

- 10 Crazy iPad Accessory Ideas - At this very minute, somewhere there's cases and shells and doodads for the iPad rolling off an assembly line ready to go on Day One. Why not our ideas? We had a crack at it. You know someone's cooking up something that'll make some of these seem completely on the level by comparison -- but what the heck, we decided to think big.

- 25 iPhone Games That Should Rock on the iPad - We've really enjoyed playing games on our iPhones. It's a major step up from rolling our thumbs along the surface of our iPod Classics. You know what's going to make gaming take a similar giant leap of total awesomeness? Moving up to the big screen, baby! Here's just a taste, just 25 of the thousands of games out there, that are going to rawk the iPad hard.

- The Complete History of the Macworld Expo - Little something for you history buffs and you oldsters. MacWorld Expo didn't used to just to be Steve Jobs' stage, and there was a little less, shall we say, micromanagement of every last thing. This year, we're gonna kick it old school style now that Steve won't be around. Walk with us down a memory lane of MacWorld Expos as time goes by.

How-Tos:

- Pasting Text Without Style - Don't you hate it when you're copying someone's name and title off a web page and when you paste it into your document it comes with all the HTML markup, all hyperlinked and giant gnarly font? We do too, that's why we're sharing these tips with you on how to get some plain text into your documents.

Reviews:

- Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning - It's a great game if you know lots of good players and have the coin for it ($19.95 to buy and $15/month to play), but choose wisely because the first few choices you make will have repercussions all the way through the game. It's a smooth little MMO and getting medieval on someone's never been quite so addictive.

- Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 - You may have to alter the assigned spaces for your Mac's typical modifier keys compared to MS's versions, but all things considered this is actually a rather sleek little product from Redmond. We were surprised to find ourselves as impressed as we were.

- Windshield/Vent Car Mount with Sound Amplified Cradle for iPhone - Who came up with this ridiculously long name? Tolstoy? Well, regardless of that, the suction cup here is astonishingly good at sticking to your window and the alternate mount, the A/C vent attachment was sturdy as well. It'll amplify your ring (some) but don't go looking for this to replace your speakers any time soon.

News:

Looks like Apple's got a winner on its hands with the iPhone as a gamer's device. According to one analyst, looks like the iPhone is beating the DS and the PSP....speaking of gaming, it appears that old school Sonic the Hedgehog might just be finding his way into the App Store...of course, Apple still says no to Android references in the App Store, naturally, and location based ads are still right out (who says there's no benefits of not jailbreaking?)...not that Apple's been entirely too tight in doling out goodies. Turns out SlingPlayer will be streaming over 3G and didn't even have to make any changes to their app after all...and it looks like Skype will be coming along for the 3G ride as well. Didn't AT&T moan about their network not so very long ago? Funny what some FCC suits can do, isn't it?....the good folks at PoweryBase, makers of the essential NotifyMe app, now want to make sure you pay your bills on time, which is mighty all right of them...DON'T EAT THAT! At least, now there's an app to tell you that, if you need the help.

And then there were three. Now it turns out Hachette Book Group is likely in talks with Amazon for a bit pricier ebooks since Apple's promising them a bigger cut on the iPad...Amazon had pulled Macmillan's books from their online store, but the pressure was too much to bear for everyone's favorite e-tailer who not-so-quietly reinstated the publisher....speaking of not-so-quietly, Stephen Colbert got his iPad already, then had to go and brag about it and show it off at the Grammy's....not even released yet and the iPad is slaying Amazon and incensing a Chinese tablet manufacturer who's decided to sue...but the fight is on between Google and Apple in the tablet space, as Chrome OS is starting to look increasingly like it's headed for a touch screen computer soon too...and finally JooJoo decided to rub Apple's nose in the fact that its tablet will run Flash, and they're pretty proud of that fact these days too. Whatever. (Sob.)

Apple Says No Location-Based Ads or Android References in App Store

J.R. Bookwalter — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:06:18 -0600

Apple may have turned around App Store approval times since the first of the year and lightened up on some of the draconian restrictions regarding 3G data access, but there are still a few “no-nos” left for them to rap developers’ knuckles with.

The first one comes courtesy of MacNN, who is reporting that Apple has notified App Store developers that they are prohibited from using location-based information for mobile advertising. Cupertino is restricting the use of any GPS data within an app for “beneficial information” reasons only.

“If your app uses location-based information primarily to enable mobile advertisers to deliver targeted ads based on a user’s location,” the note to developers reads, “your app will be returned to you by the App Store Review Team for modification before it can be posted to the App Store.”

Of course, the note -- which is really in the best interests of the app’s user in the first place -- has created suspicion that Apple is planning to use its recent acquisition of Quattro Wireless to launch its own mobile advertising network to serve ads through free apps on the iPhone, iPod touch and soon, the iPad.

“Looks like Apple is going to keep location-based advertising to themselves,” remarked Twitterrific developer Greg Hockenberry on Twitter in response to the news.

Switching gears to a more petty App Store restriction, Apple has requested that the developer of the flash card app Flash of Genius remove a reference to Google’s Android from his app description. “Providing future platform compatibility plans or other general platform references are not relevant in the context of the iPhone App Store,” reads Apple’s e-mail to developer Tim Novikoff.

According to the Silicon Alley Insider, Novikoff included a sales pitch in the app’s description that reads “Finalist in Google’s Android Developer’s Challenge.” While we’d agree that it doesn’t make much sense for the developer to boast about his app’s success on another platform -- especially when the App Store is currently the top dog in that race -- it does strike us as a little too “schoolyard” of Apple to strike the reference in the first place.

(Image courtesy of Silicon Alley Insider)

25 iPhone Games That Should Rock on the iPad

Andrew Hayward — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:53:02 -0600

Apple's iPad announcement event didn't put an especially large focus on the gaming possibilities of the new device, but what was shown demonstrated how easily developers can modify current iPhone and iPod touch apps with just a brief time investment. We've already seen how updated versions of N.O.V.A. and Need for Speed: Shift will take advantage of the iPad, but it got us thinking -- how might some of the other best-selling or beloved iPhone games use the iPad's updated features to enhance the existing experience? Here's our list of 25 games we'd love to see enhanced for the iPad, but if you have your own dream app upgrade in mind, be sure to let us know in the comments!

Bejeweled 2

We love swapping Bejeweled 2's shimmering gems on our Macs, but we also dig the tactile feeling of actually flipping the gems in the iPhone version (even if our fingers are much larger than the tiny icons). An iPad iteration would be the best of both worlds: large, colorful gems that we can easily move about the game screen without accidentally hitting a nearby one instead. PopCap likes to take its time with new platforms, but c'mon -- it's bound to happen, and we welcome it!

Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies

The iPhone version of this awesome bonus mode from the console/PC version of World at War had promise, but shoddy controls, a shaky frame rate, and poor value limited its appeal. Luckily, Activision has the opportunity to right the wrong on iPad, using the larger display to address the control issues with additional virtual input buttons, preferably ones we can move around the screen as desired. And with the additional processing power, blasting the Nazi undead should arrive without slowdown. Just don't bilk us with a single map for $10 again, please.

Canabalt

Thanks to the increased horsepower of the iPad, Canabalt can finally be liberated from its monochrome prison! Joking, of course -- we love Canabalt just the way it is, which is why we'd love to play even more of this obstacle-avoiding game on the iPad's larger screen (assuming the upgrade didn't muddle the sharp pixel-based artwork). And while the original course still keeps us coming back for more, we certainly wouldn't argue with an additional scenario to grind through time and time again.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert

Touch screens are a perfect fit for the real-time strategy genre, but 3.5-inch screens? Not so much. Command & Conquer: Red Alert would significantly benefit from the iPad's massive display, letting you quickly direct units while moving around (and seeing much more of) the battlefield with ease. The iPhone version is a good template for how to handle RTS games on a small screen, but we can't help but think that a properly designed iPad iteration would handily blow it away.

Cooking Mama

Cooking Mama is a simple treat -- a mini-game compilation that has you slicing, dicing, and preparing ingredients to concoct various meals. We'd love to be able to use a stylus to play it on the iPad, but even if such a feature doesn't come to fruition, the larger display could still be used to give Cooking Mama a slightly more life-like feel. Imagine using the side of your hand as a virtual knife to chop up realistically proportioned veggies or meats -- it'd be a neat option for all ages, especially for kids.

Doodle Jump

Doodle Jump taps into the same sort of addictive power as Canabalt, challenging you to keep going higher and higher before undoubtedly failing and doing it again (and again). Part of the game's charm is its simple, hand-drawn look, and we wouldn't want that compromised for an iPad upgrade. What we would love, however, is for Doodle Jump to take a cue from the Drawn to Life series of Nintendo DS and Wii games and let you sketch your own hero and enemies, which could then be seamlessly inserted in the game.

Fieldrunners

Fieldrunners is still one of the most distinct-looking iPhone games more than a year after release, and it'd be great to see those stunning hand-drawn towers, enemies, and environments maxed out on the iPad screen. We'd have much less of a need to zoom in for tower placement in this strategy favorite, letting us focus on battling back the challenging waves of grunts and motorcycle-based aggressors.

Flight Control

Firemint has already confirmed an enhanced iPad version of this immensely popular airplane redirection game, and while its simplicity is key to its success, we'd love to see the iPad version amp up the challenge for skilled aficionados. Imagine scads of different plane types aiming for several different runways and helipads -- it'd be the game equivalent of Christmas Eve at LAX. With the huge multi-touch interface of the iPad, you'll be able to easily pinpoint the route for each plane while avoiding catastrophe.

The Game of Life

Pass-and-play should be a thing of the past when it comes to board game adaptations for iPad. The Game of Life (or Monopoly, perhaps) could transform the iPad into a virtual board that can be laid flat on a table or floor, letting all players participate without needing to pass around the device. While the 9.7-inch screen is still much smaller than the actual game board, it's definitely a lot more portable, and would be great in a pinch while traveling -- or if the power goes out!

Paper Toss World Tour

We turn to Paper Toss time and again for a quick fix, even though it's one of the simpler apps in our regular rotation. But think of the possibilities on the iPad: with the larger screen and enhanced multi-touch capabilities, how cool would it be to quickly draw the arc of your throw, instead of just adjust a linear shot for wind? It'd lend Paper Toss a lot more credibility as a game, and require a whole lot more skill from players.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Truth be told, we don't have any major gripes we'd like to see addressed in an enhanced version of Chinatown Wars -- the iPhone iteration is already extremely impressive, and we wouldn't argue against a higher-resolution upgrade for the iPad. But given the choice, we'd love to see a customizable user interface in an iPhone version, letting players drag and drop the virtual control buttons to best fit their needs.

Lumines: Touch Fusion

Spotty controls keep the iPhone version from being as intensely addicting as the console and handheld iterations, but with its stunning visual skins and engaging puzzle action, Lumines should be a perfect fit for the iPad. The additional screen real estate could be used to implement a dedicated virtual D-pad and rotation buttons, and we certainly wouldn't object to seeing the dazzlingly creative skins displayed on that 9.7-inch screen.

Must.Eat.Birds.

Protecting various desserts from incoming birds is serious business, and the simple act of flicking and launching the "Nomster" in this stylish iPhone game is consistently entertaining. We'd like to see the concept maximized on the iPad with larger versions of the game's stellar character designs, not to mention epic onslaughts of those curious winged creatures.

Madden NFL 10

Madden is another iPhone app that has a fair bit going for it, but it could definitely benefit from the added muscle of the iPad. Electronic Arts seems set on recharging its core properties for the tablet, and we're hoping for additional detail and fluidity in the on-screen action, better (and preferably customizable) virtual control options, and expanded use of the ability to draw your own routes on the touch screen. Instead of just scribbling hot routes on the spot, we also want to customize our own set plays to come back to again and again.

Modern Combat: Sandstorm

Seeing N.O.V.A. get the iPad treatment at Apple's event brought to mind Gameloft's previous iPhone first-person shooter hit, Modern Combat: Sandstorm. The modern-day, military shooter was one of the first of its kind to really take advantage of the iPhone hardware and work within its limitations, and we'd love to see it enhanced for the iPad. As with N.O.V.A, we'd want to see customizable controls, expanded multi-touch maneuvers, and hopefully some glossed-up visuals to boot.

Orbital

Orbital is a perfect fit for the iPhone, but we'd love to see a super-sized iteration on the iPad, taking advantage of the larger screen to produce blinding visual effects and grander challenges. In this addictive original game, you launch balls onto the game screen, which then expand and need to be hit a certain number of times to be cleared. On the iPad screen, there'd be a greater disparity in size between the larger and smaller balls, letting you sneak more on the screen or suffer greatly when a poorly placed orb takes up several inches on the display.

Pac-Man Championship Edition

The iPhone version of Pac-Man Championship Edition is a pretty admirable translation of the Xbox Live Arcade original (aside from making you buy various modes individually), but even with multiple virtual D-pad/joystick options, finding one that's consistently response can be a struggle. With the larger screen real estate of the iPad, Namco Bandai could put larger virtual consoles below the game screen, giving players better control over the titular gaming icon. And please, just bundle the entire game as one purchase.

Peggle

Screwing up Peggle seems impossible -- even the relatively mediocre iPod Classic port entertained us for hours before the excellent iPhone version came around, and we certainly wouldn't be able to resist an updated version designed to take advantage of the super-sized iPad screen. Moreover, we'd love to see the Fire button set further apart from the game screen, as we can recall too many occasions where we lined up a perfect shot and then wrecked our aim by accidentally tapping to the left of the icon. We'd happily take some Wi-Fi/Bluetooth multiplayer options, as well!

Resident Evil 4: Mobile Edition

We certainly didn't foresee an iPhone iteration of Resident Evil 4, but against the odds, it ended up being a pretty functional port of the awesome console original. With the launch of the iPad comes the opportunity to make it great: bump up the textures and frame rate, make the user interface customizable, and take advantage of the larger average internal storage to pump in more of the cinematic tension that made the original version so great. We didn't ask for the iPhone version, but now that we have it, we're demanding a proper iPad upgrade.

Rock Band

With the iPad's larger screen and enhanced multi-touch capabilities of the device, perhaps an enhanced version of Rock Band could hue closer to the series' multiplayer roots, letting multiple players jam together on a single screen. Four is probably too much to ask, but splitting the screen in half and letting a couple buddies rock out in tandem sounds like a blast, and with the larger internal storage of the 64GB model, perhaps we'll see an even larger push by EA to release frequent downloadable add-on tracks.

Scene It? Movies

Scene It? Movies works well on iPhone as a single-player trivia game, but an iPad entry could function more like the multiplayer party experience the franchise was built upon. Imagine putting your iPad on the coffee table as a central hub, with multiple players able to reach over and tap in when they have the answer. Add in higher-resolution video clips, and you've got an appealing substitute for the DVD-based board game and console video game versions.

Skee-Ball

We're stone cold Skee-Ball junkies; bring us to a carnival (or Chuck-e-Cheese) and we'll be whirling wooden balls within seconds. While the iPhone version is a solid diversion, the stock throw animations have us pining for more. We'd love to see an iPad version that takes advantage of the larger, enhanced multi-touch display to bulk up the physics system and give us more control over the throws. It'll never replace the real thing (unless the iPad can dispense little colored tickets), but it could be a fun little gem.

Space Invaders Infinity Gene

Taito's reboot of the arcade classic mixes the familiar alien-blasting gameplay with influences from the bullet hell shooters that followed it, and we're craving an iPad version if only to see the trippy visuals on a larger screen. But there'd be an added bonus, as well -- since the game can create custom stages based on the music in your library, those with the 32GB and 64GB iPad models will be able to store much more music than an iPhone, giving your play sessions more variety than ever before.

Tap Tap Revenge

Rock Band has stolen a bit of Revenge's thunder on the App Store, but as the various Tap Tap iterations have proven, it's still the champ when it comes to creating an authentic and compelling experience for hardcore fans. With themed skins and song packs for many of the top rock and pop artists today, it's a perfect fit for the iPad, as the glossy aesthetic will draw in the same kinds of fans who will shell out for an iTunes LP.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour

As surprisingly solid and functional as Tiger's debut was on iPhone, we can pinpoint numerous areas in which we'd love to see an iPad iteration improve upon. Visually, the game could benefit from the iPad's larger screen and enhanced processor, with better golfer models and course details, and we'd love to see a more robust and customizable user interface with a more nuanced swing mechanic. We'd expect a new entry rather than an update, but either way, we're pumped for what could be a pretty fantastic game of golf on the iPad.

And The Skies Fell: AT&T Allows 3G SlingPlayer Streaming!

J.R. Bookwalter — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:25:00 -0600

(Image courtesy of Engadget)

The tech world seems to be getting more topsy-turvy every minute -- with both AT&T and Apple finally allowing VoIP calls via a 3G data connection, where will the madness end? Prepare to have your minds blown!

We never thought we’d see this day come, but Engadget is reporting that AT&T has finally blessed SlingPlayer Mobile for the iPhone over a 3G connection. As you’ll recall, the app made its debut last year in a very controversial firestorm, thanks to AT&T and Apple forcing the Sling folks to stream via Wi-Fi only -- while other devices on the same network were happily streaming via 3G.

Apparently once the first brick or two fell -- that being VoIP over 3G, of course -- it’s not going to take long for the others to crumble as well.

So what brought about AT&T’s change of heart? It seems they’ve been working with the Sling dudes to test an “optimized” version of the app on its 3G network since December, complete with a “dynamic bandwidth adjustment” tweak on Sling’s part. The end result is that millions of iPhone users streaming via SlingPlayer at once shouldn’t bring down AT&T’s network, as the telco giant once feared.

And hey, best of all, the 3G-friendly SlingPlayer will be a free update for you previous owners, available as soon as it traverses the App Store approval process. We’re guessing Sling may soon be seeing an uptick in their sales as a result of this move…

iTunes Preview Extends to iPhone Apps

J.R. Bookwalter — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:46:24 -0600

It seems like gradually, all of the iTunes content is slowly shifting to the web -- now you can preview iPhone apps right in your browser, thanks to iTunes Preview.

It was less than three months ago (November, 2009 to be exact) that Apple debuted the new iTunes Preview feature, which made it more convenient to see what music was available from iTunes using your web browser -- even if iTunes itself wasn’t installed on your system. This morning, that system gets even more useful thanks to the expansion of iPhone and iPod touch applications into iTunes Preview, according to TechCrunch.

That should bring an end to the often-annoying page that Apple threw up notifying you that the web browser was being redirected to iTunes, replacing it with a web page that essentially duplicates the iTunes look, complete with screenshots, app description, release notes, ratings, reviews and more.

Of course, if you want to actually purchase the app in question, you’ll still have to click the “View in iTunes” button -- but we wonder given Apple’s (and everyone else’s) ongoing shift to the browser, if iTunes itself may be morphed into some kind of standalone sync app, since it gets less and less useful with each one of these kinds of updates.

And for those who didn’t notice, the iTunes Preview music pages are also much more user-friendly, having gained web-based audio previews. With Apple’s acquisition of Lala recently, we wonder just how far Cupertino plans to go with this…

Apple Signs New Manufacturer for Next iPhone?

J.R. Bookwalter — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:02:49 -0600

(Image courtesy of AppleInsider via Engadget)

Existing manufacturing partner Foxconn isn’t going anywhere, but it appears that Apple has cut a new deal for an additional company to help manufacture the next iPhone.

Everyone’s favorite Taiwanese rumor journal, DigiTimes, is reporting today that Asus subsidiary Pegatron Technology has been inked for OEM production of the next-generation iPhone due this summer, according to AppleInsider. Pegatron won’t replace existing partner Foxconn (also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.) -- instead, Apple will ramp up to have both companies manufacturing the headsets.

Pegatron declined to comment on the record for the DigiTimes story, but most telling is that the company expects its handset shipments to “grow substantially in 2010,” according to the report. In additional to cell phone handsets, Pegatron also produces LCD televisions and is also on deck to manufacture Microsoft’s Project Natal motion controller for the Xbox 360 this year.

This also isn’t the first time that Pegatron has been tied to the iPhone: Last fall a report emerged that the company would be manufacturing a new hybrid, world mode phone that would allow calls on both CDMA and GSM networks, which would open the doors to the iPhone being available on Verizon Wireless here in the U.S.

This week, a number of tech blogs also reported that a rumored new version of the new iPhone was right under our noses all along, sitting atop an iPad prototype which was leaked the night before it was official unveiled by Apple. The next iPhone isn’t expected until June, which has become Apple’s traditional launch month for the device.