Apple

RepairLabs has gotten its hands on what is reportedly a back panel for the upcoming iPad 3. While the new housing remains largely identical to its predecessor, this leaked rear panel does suggest several changes to Apple’s third-generation tablet.

The iPad 3 will reportedly feature a bigger battery, updated camera, and hi-res, Retina-like display. Rumors have suggested that Apple is set to introduce a Retina display, super-powered iPad as early as next month.

A "Greyhat" hacking group announced this week that it had successfully hacked contract manufacturer Foxconn and released usernames and passwords for vendors that could be used to place fraudulent orders for companies like Apple and Microsoft.

Swagg Security published a statement on Wednesday taking credit for hacking the company's servers. The group cited "the hilarity that ensues when compromising and destroying an infrastructure" as the reason for its actions.

Apple has released three EFI Firmware Updates for 2010-model Macs, including the iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. This update enables Lion Internet Recovery on those older Macs. Introduced in OS X Lion alongside the mid-2011 updates to the MacBook Air and Mac mini, Internet Recovery enables access to disk repair or OS X Lion installation options via a broadband internet connection. This is intended for use on a failed hard drive or a blank drive that's never had OS X installed on it.

Apple has issued a reminder to developers that it will not tolerate use of third party services to manipulate app rankings in the App Store. "When you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts," the reminder states. "Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership."

Sharp's high-resolution IGZO display technology may not be out of the running for the iPad 3, according an analyst at DisplaySearch.

Though there have been rumors claiming that Sharp's IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) technology did not make the cut for the iPad 3, Charles Annis, a Kyoto, Japan-based analyst at DisplaySearch, thinks Sharp still has a good shot at the iPad 3.

The iPad 3 is expected to sport a 9.7-inch 2048x1536 resolution LCD, a much higher resolution than the iPad 2's 1024-by-768 panel. Annis spoke with CNET on Monday.

For more than a year, iTunes users have been reporting on online Apple customer forums that their accounts have been hacked, their gift cards spent, their PayPal accounts used or their store credit exhausted.

Suffering from bizarre errors related to the latest Snow Leopard security update? Apple’s already on top of things. Late on Friday, the company released Security Update 2012-001, version 1.1, for Snow Leopard Macs.

In its usual fashion, Apple only says that the update is “recommended for all users and improves the security of Mac OS X.” But if we had to place a wager, Vegas-style, we’d guess that the update in question has been issued to replace version 1.0 of Security Updated 2012-001, released on Wednesday, which had some nasty side effects.

A CDMA version of the phone could launch on China's third largest wireless carrier as early as late February or early March, China Telecom subsidiary Beijing Telecom said in a press release cited by China Daily. "China Telecom has already started preparatory work for the launch of the iPhone 4S."

Pricing details were not revealed, and Apple representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

An employee for Foxconn in China has reportedly stated production of a device dubbed the iPhone 5 is about to go into production.

The source also revealed to 9to5Mac there are several sample handsets doing the rounds, but all differ slightly from each other. It is not clear which, if any, is the final device.

Some similarities between all the samples have been noted, including a screen which is 4-inches (or larger) in size, a different form-factor – hinting that Apple is going to move away from the 4/4S design and the devices are longer and wider than previous iPhones.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has fired back at reports into issues surrounding the company’s operations and partners in emerging markets, claiming that the company is not ignoring the problems.

As 9to5mac reports, Cook contacted company employees to set the record straight and reassure them that Apple is working to raise standards for its employees and partners across the world. The move comes in response to numerous media reports of poor working conditions and other problems, triggered by a New York Times investigation.