Two new Apple iPhone models coming next quarter, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to launch as soon as July?

Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared at D11 on Tuesday night and gave an explanation why Apple doesn’t release more than one variation of the Apple iPhone each year. On the other hand, the executive seemed to open the door a little, to the idea that more than one version of the phone could be launched at the same time.

Nonetheless, we suggest that you grab your salt shaker and take with a grain of salt the report from those all-knowing industry sources in Taiwan. These guys are saying that Apple will be launching not one, but two Apple iPhone models in the third quarter of this year.

The phones could be launched as early as next month and will include “a revised version” of the Apple iPhone 5 (which would probably be called the Apple iPhone 5S) and a low cost model of the device. The latter would have hardware specs similar to the Apple iPhone 4S, but with a lower resolution screen and a less powerful processor.

Shipments of the new Apple iPhones are expected to peak in August and September after starting at the end of June. All together, 100 million to 120 million units of all iPhone models are forecast by these industry sources to ship in the second half of 2013. If Apple is indeed this close to launching two new versions of the iPhone, we are surprised by the lack of any leaked photographs of either or both devices. No one has left a prototype in a bar for some time, although it did happen to the Google Nexus 4 last year.

And with that segue to Android, the same report says that Korean OEM Samsung could be looking at aJuly-August launch for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Considering that Samsung’s J.K. Shin has stated that the phablet would not be introduced until September’s IFA show in Berlin, we would tell you to start shaking that salt. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is rumored to have a 13MP rear-facing snapper with OIS support. There is also speculation that Samsung has reduced its target of shipping 70-80 million smartphones in the current quarter although it might hit the higher figure by the end of the next quarter

15 interesting points from Tim Cook’s D11 interview

• Apple sold 85 million iPhones and 42 million iPads in last two quarters
• iOS devices account for 59% of mobile web usage
• It’s sold more than 13 million Apple TVs all together—half of that came in the last year
• Cook thinks Apple has “incredible ideas” and has “several more game changers” in it
• When pressed about Apple’s plans for the living room, Cook said “there is a grand vision.”
• Cook said he sees wearables space as “a very important branch of the tree,” and thinks Apple will be “very involved” in it
• Jony Ive is in fact working on iOS 7 “We recognized Jony had contributed significantly to the look and feel of Apple over many many years, and he could do that for our software as well.”
• On making multiple iPhones at different price points, Cook said “we haven’t [done it] yet, but that doesn’t shut it out for the future.”
• On the idea of an iPhone with a larger display, Cook said “a large screen today comes with a lot of tradeoffs” and Apple won’t go that route while those tradeoffs still exist.
• iMessage delivers 2 billion messages per day.
• Cook said rumors of Apple making a bid for Waze were vehemently false
• Apple has acquired 9 companies since last October—typically does 6-7 per year
• On major acquisitions, Cook said “We’re not currently looking at a big one, but we’re not opposed to doing that.”
• Apple will soon be opening up much more of its iOS API to developers
• Cook said Apple has ‘no religions issue’ with porting its apps or services to Android

Apple earnings: $43.6 billion in sales, 37.4M iPhones, 19.5M iPads!

Apple surprised Wall Street today with stronger than expected earnings!

Apple reported earnings of $9.5 billion on $43.6 billion in sales. That was right on target with the $9.5 billion in profit and above the $42.3 billion in sales Wall Street expected, and above Apple’s own expectations, which were between $9.23 and $10.23 per share on sales of $41 billion to $43 billion.

By comparison, Apple tallied up a higher $11.6 billion in profit on sales of $39.2 billion during the same quarter last year. That was fueled by iPhone and iPad sales that were 88 percent and 151 percent better than the year before, respectively.

“We are pleased to report record March quarter revenue thanks to continued strong performance of iPhone and iPad,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software and services, and we are very excited about the products in our pipeline.”

For its next quarter, Apple said it expects sales between $33.5 and $35.5 billion and a margin between 36 and 37 percent, which is less than the $38.6 billion in sales and 38.6 percent margin analysts, on average, were expecting ahead of the call.

 

Here are all of the important numbers:

• Revenue – $43.6 billion
• EPS (earnings per share) – $10.09
• Gross margin – 37.5%
• iPhones – 37.4 million
• iPads – 19.5 million
• Macs – Just under 4 million
• iPods – 5.6 million

Graph:

 

Kristen Stewart as a Vampire: First Look !!

Earlier this week, the first photo from Breaking Dawn Part 2 hit the Internet. And it may have been a close-up of Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, but let’s be honest: It wasn’t really all that revealing.

Fortunately, a new image is here to rectify that.

Taken from a feature on the special DVD handed out last month during a Twilight Saga-related event at Target, we’ve now gotten our first glimpse at Bella Swan as a vampire. Check it out below :

“It’s strange,” the red-eyed, pale-skinned Bella tells her husband in the clip from which this shot is taken. “Physically I feel like I could demolish a tank. Mentally I feel just drained.”

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 hits theaters on November 16, 2012.