Jonny Evans

Panic stations today as CFOs and company technology chiefs try to come to grips with rumors (denied by Samsung) that beleaguered corporate stalwart Research In Motion may be looking to sell itself to an Asian firm.

Faced with rapidly declining market share and amid trouble at the very top of its leadership chain, news that RIM may be looking to sell itself to an Asian firm makes sense. Outside of Google, it's unlikely Apple or Microsoft has any intentions to buy it. Apple is riding high with its own iOS, while Microsoft (the chatterers claim) seems more set on extending its alliance with Nokia. Some even claim a takeover may take place.

Apple retail is ten years old this Thursday, and the Mac rumor mill predicts the company plans something to mark the event-- though the most experienced Apple retail watchers disagree. So, if an event does take place, what might the company introduce?

Apple's retail store front on NYC's Upper West Side (source: Apple)

There's almost no chance of an iPhone 5 debut this June. Apple has not booked component orders for the mythical next-gen device and also lacks a finalized production road map for the beast, which will, dear readers, be made available in white -- maybe...

A deluge of reports in recent weeks mean we've been working on the assumption Apple won't introduce the new smartphone until September, but even this could be optimistic a new report explains -- it may even be 2012 before we see iPhone 5.

Spanning the intersection between technology and the creative arts, delivering solutions to problems people didn't yet know they had, developing user interfaces that help people change the world, rather than demanding the world change for the UI, here's a handful of key Apple product launches to pass the time while we wait for iPad 2.0 later on today.

George Harrison famously said, "I think people who can truly live a life in music are telling the world, 'You can have my love, you can have my smiles. Forget the bad parts, you don't need them. Just take the music, the goodness, because it's the very best, and it's the part I give.'" Replace music creation with product development and in a sense this could also describe Apple [AAPL] CEO Steve Jobs, who makes his personal expression in the products he helps create.

Apple's approach to product design sets it apart. The focus isn't just marketshare and profit, though its margins show it knows how to make both. Apple's product design aims are more akin to artistic expression. It makes money, sure, but it does so through the vehicle of delivering great products. A motivation so many large corporations just can't seem to emulate.

Apple is expected to introduce its all-new super-powered MacBook Pro tomorrow and its iPad on March 2 (invite below), and leaked information as to its new features raises yet more interesting ideas for what we can hope to see inside Mac OS X Lion when it ships later this year.

Apple won't ship the iPhone 5 until September and the iPad 2.0 until June, reports are claiming, even as Apple's seemingly preparing to twin its future streaming music services with high-res "Lossless Audio" downloads via iTunes.

This morning Apple watchers are reeling as we consider news that the iPhone 5 may not launch until September. Late yesterday it was claimed the iPad 2.0 has also been delayed until June. Apple has previously introduced new iPhones in June or July each year. As a veteran Apple news-hound I'd warn against taking analyst claims as gospel truth -- though they certainly provide food for thought.

We've been watching Apple innovate for 35-years. Most recently we've seen it transform the music industry, change the phone industry and reinvent the PC industry with the iPad. This year we're looking at iPhone 5 as wallets, iTunes music streaming, the iPad 2.0 and much, much more. Has Apple moved so far ahead of the pack that innovation isn't necessary anymore? Is it the end of invention?

Think about it, within the next few weeks and months, Apple's much-improved camera-toting iPad 2.0 will be available, as will the four-inch screen iPhone 5 with its payment-making features. In the US, Apple folk will be using cloud-based iTunes services. There will be an iPhone nano and there'll be a whole new world of integration for iOS and OS X users worldwide. Where can Apple innovate next?

Apple [AAPL] now plans to cease boxed software sales through its retail channels in favor of pushing all application sales via the Mac App Store, a report claims. Is this a convenience for connected consumers or a move to take complete control of Mac software sales?

Apple's plans for an App Store for Mac apps first emerged last April, when I reported on claims made by the developers at Rixstep:

"Angelheaded hipsters, cease your burning, cease your pining for your ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,**" iPad 2.0 is coming and where v.1 was magical, v. 2 could be poetry, maybe, just believe.

I've been sifting through the recent iPad 2.0 rumors and these now suggest a slightly altered chassis, a much-improved processor, a 3-megapixel camera, more MEMS accelerometer/gyroscope controls and an improved (but still not Retina Display -- that's next year) display. We'll see Apple sell at least five million of these in the first few months.

Electronic Arts revealed that its mobile game sales revenues have eclipsed its other platform businesses for the first time -- net mobile revenues for Q3 hit $59 million. While EA didn't break this figure out by platform, it is pretty clear that games for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad have become a huge business, a business that's driving a rapid evolution in terms of quality and game play.

There's so much focus on the iPad 2.0 right now, which we now know will likely be faster, slimmer, lighter, host cameras and boast better graphics with a better screen than the existing model, but what do we know about the iPhone 5? What features can we look forward to in the next-gen Apple smartphone when it ships in summer "at the earliest"?

Well, it seems the device may not appear in June. This will likely set the usual pundits off on a course of "but Apple always introduces new models in June" chatter, but Apple makes the rules. Pundits don't. And in any case, it may just be that Apple just can't hit that June date this time around.