Ready for the first acknowledgement of the potential of a smartwatch product by an Apple exec? Well here you go!

Bill Campbell, Apple board member and Silicon Valley veteran, gave a talk to employees at Intuit, the software firm to which he acts as chairman.

During the talk, Campbell dedicated time to speak about "intimate", wearable tech. Calling Google Glass a "phenomenal breakthrough", Campbell stated that there were "a lot of things going on with the application of technology to really intimate things."

He then dropped this little hint (emphasis mine): "When you start to think about glasses or watches, they become as intimate as the cell phone was."

Now that's not at all enough to start singing from the hilltops that an Apple iWatch has been confirmed, but it does confirm that it's a potential product on the tip of everyone's tongue, and one that is obviously being considered by the Cupertino team.

Plenty of rumours over the past few months have looked towards an Apple smartwatch to be the latest innovation from the company. Suggestions of curved-glass displays, iOS interactivity and a sizeable design team headed up by Blighty's own Sir Jony Ive have all been bandied about.

Freemium and free-to-play mobile and web apps are to be investigated by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) over concerns that players are unwittingly running up substantial costs with them.

Looking specifically at the marketing approach to children that these games employ, the OFT will examine whether or not gamers, particularly children, are unfairly pressured into making purchases in games that are otherwise advertised as being free. To use the OFTs own words, the body's investigation will look into whether these games include "direct exhortations" to children.

Free-to-play games on the web and mobile usually allow players to enjoy significant portions of the game for free, and some can even be played from start to finish without spending a penny. In-app purchases are usually used to sell items that speed up in-game achievements, grant in-game characters power boosts or unlock portions and levels of the game that are otherwise inaccessible.

"We are concerned that children and their parents could be subject to unfair pressure to purchase when they are playing games they thought were free, but which can actually run up substantial costs," Cavendish Elithorn, OFT senior director for goods and consumer, told The Independent.

"The OFT is not seeking to ban in-game purchases, but the games industry must ensure it is complying with the relevant regulations so that children are protected. We are speaking to the industry and will take enforcement action if necessary."

Fuelling the rumour fires surrounding a potential Apple iWatch device or flexible iPhone, the Cupertino company has posted a job listing in the hope to find an expert on flexible displays.

The advert (spotted by 9to5Mac and now removed) lists the role as "Senior Optical Engineer", requiring an employee who will "lead the investigation on emerging display technologies such as high optical efficiency LCD, AMOLED and flexible displays".

The lucky candidate will need "hands-on experience and proven track of record in design, development and technical investigation of display technologies," as well as "in-depth understanding of display technology, particularly LCD and OLED design and optical performance trade-offs, including optical design, viewing angle, color and white point management, gamma and dimming control, visual performance and artifacts; and characterization metrics."

Day to day activities for the eventual employee will include analysing "the trade-offs between design, process, optical performance, and implementation feasibility."

With smartphone tech hitting a bit of a plateu, many see flexible displays as the next innovative tehcnology to catch consumers' attention. If Apple do intend to launch a smartwatch companion for the iPhone, it's likely that it would use a flexible, or at least curved display, perhaps something like the concept piece Plastic Logic recently showed off.

Did you like the thin-bezel stylings of the iPad Mini? Well you better have, as it seems Apple is rolling out that look across its next-generation full-size iPad offerings.

That's what's been suggested by a spyshot of what's apparently a leaked next-gen iPad 5 bezel, as published by Frech tech blog Nowhere Else.

Like the iPad Mini, the upper and lower edges of the leaked bezel (when held vertically) remain chunky, or at least chunky enough to retain the Home button. The left and right sides however seem thinner than standard iPad size. With the hand in the bottom right corner giving us a sense of scale, the bezel does indeed appear to be for a full size Apple tablet.

Of course, this leak should be taken with a pinch of salt - we've still yet to hear any official word from Apple on the iPad 5, and it wouldn't take a genius to knock up a fake enlarged iPad Mini frame.

However, Nowhere Else has a good track record when it comes to Apple rumours, being among the first to get a sniff of the Lightning connector and the iPhone's nano-SIM slot.

We'll keep you posted on any further iPad 5 rumours as they come in.

Apple may be preparing to update their Mac line of computers with a new super-fast Wi-Fi standard, according to coding uncovered in the beta release of the forthcoming OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4 update.

Devs speaking to 9to5Mac have spotted code in the OS's Wi-Fi framework that references the 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, which wasn't present in OS X 10.8.3, the current public release.

The 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard is faster and more stable than current Wi-Fi offerings, and it is thought that Apple are teaming up with Broadcom to put new Wi-Fi tech that can capitalise on it in forthcoming machines. Broadcom can provide gear capable of 1.3Gbps throughput with three antennas to take advantage of the standard.

According to Broadcom, it'll offer extended range as well as the ability "to watch HD-quality video from more devices, in more places, simultaneously".

Apple would be following ASUS's lead, who employed the new Wi-Fi standard in their ASUS ROG G75VW gaming laptop last year.

It's not clear yet whether the technology is ready for a wide-spread roll-out, but with a MacBook refresh due in the coming months, it seems that Apple are at least keeping their options open with the technology.

Sick of black and white iPhones, but don't want to have to cough up cash for a garish cover? The rumoured launch of the iPhone 5S may be ready to sate your appetite for tints and shades, as Japanese publication Macotakara are now reporting that the handset will come in multiple different colours.

Citing unnamed sources, Macotakara claim that five different colour iPhone 5S models will be available at launch. And while specific shades were not mentioned, it's easy to guess at what they could be, following the iPod's lead with black, white, yellow, pink and blue finishes.

The iPhone 5S is expected to be an incremental update for the line, and is unlikely to have dramatic new features, such as the iPhone 5's elongated screen. Aside from a spec bump and traditional camera improvements, it's likely to be a very similar phone to what launched last year.

The most intriguing hardware rumour surrounding the iPhone 5S is the possible inclusion of a fingerprint reader, as backed up by a job posting spotted on Apple's website yesterday.

There's also the possibility that Apple will launch a cheaper iPhone model alongside the 5S, a rumour that has circulated for may years.

A new job posting from Apple has added further fuel to the fire of rumours suggesting that the Cupertino company could be looking to add a fingerprint scanner into the iPhone 5S and other iOS devices, as well as potentially Mac products.

The company is on the hunt for a software engineer to join a new team at the Melbourne Design Centre on Florida's Space Coast. That's the same area of Florida where you'd find AuthenTech, the fingerprint sensor specialists that Apple bought last year for $365 million (£233m).

It's the only Florida-based role on the company's website, and requires an applicant that can write "low-level code to configure and control hardware".

Though fingerprint scanners are not mentioned by name, applicants are required to have had experience in hardware and firmware interaction, the sort of interactions that activating a fingerprint scanner and having a software response would entail.

Since the buyout last year rumours of an iPhone fingerprint scanner have swirled. Apple will be looking for a new USP for the annually-updated phone, and with rumours also suggesting that Apple are looking to introduce money management and payment systems into the new iPhone, a further security measure like this would be useful.

However, Apple regularly invest in new technologies that never see the light of day in their products, or at least not in the ways analysts predict. While we may well see fingerprint sensors hitting Apple gear in the future, it may be a hardware generation away still.

The Mac Pro was once the powerhouse of the Apple computing family, but has over the years fallen out of favour in Cupertino as shiny Retina MacBook Pro laptops and slimline iMac all-in-one desktops have stolen the limelight, alongside a mobile and tablet focus. They've gone without a major update for some years now (barring the odd minor spec bump), but that may be set to change in the coming weeks.

Mac Daily News are reporting that Apple is planning an April reveal for an all new Mac Pro model. Stating that this reveal could potentially slip to May or June depending on production successes, the site is quoting a trusted tipster. However, there are no details on the form of the new Mac Pro, be that a continuation of the tower design or something else entirely.

It's been a troubled few months for the Mac Pro line. New regulatory requirements have seen the machine banned from sale in Europe, as unprotected fan blades make it potentially hazardous. A new model addressing this issue could be reason enough for Apple to speed up the reveal process.

Apple has also reportedly told resellers on the continent looking to sell the machine once more that a significant update to combat the new regulations is on the way, due by Spring 2013. It seems now would be the perfect moment for Apple to unleash the new Mac Pro.

With all the focus recently on the possibility of an Apple iWatch launching, the rumour mill had all-but-stopped turning when it came to Apple's alleged TV plans. But new whipsers from supply chain sources and fresh opinions from leading analysts suggest that an Apple iTV is still just as likely to land soon as an iWatch is.

First off, the often dubious DigiTimes and their near-endless stream of supply chain sources: they're stating that they're seeing movements suggesting Apple are planning a 4K screen (the in-vogue high definition format 4 time sharper than 1080p, and seen as the next evolution in TV tech). With a resolution of 3840x2160, it'd certainly have the premium feel that Apple like to aim for (as well as the premium price tag) and could potentially be marketed under familiar "Retina" terms.

The source also claims that voice and motion control will feature (Siri, anyone?) and that an internet connection would be included.

DigiTimes new report lands alongside new analysis from renowned Apple analyst Gene Munster, telling Bloomberg that he expects Apple to release the iTV before the end of the year.

He also stated that there's "no question whether it's a set-top box versus a TV, it's an actual TV".

Apple certainly need to be looking to innovate this year. Though table sales continue to rise, Mac sales fall and Apple's iPhone smartphone dominance is increasingly being attacked by high-end Android devices. They may be swimming in cash, but Apple's share price has been a bit shaky this year, and it's been well discussed that investors are now looking to Apple CEO Tim Cook to unveil an innovative product to match Steve Jobs' best moments. Whether that takes the form of an iWatch or iTV however, or something different entirely, remains to be seen.

RELATED:
Apple iTV rumours and specs: What we want from an iOS telly

Logitech are boosting the touch-typing capabilities of the iPad and iPad Mini with two new cases today, the Keyboard Folio and Keyboard Folio Mini.

While the larger iPad Keyboard Folio has room for a little added protection, both cases offer full-size keys, which should be far more comfortable for touch-typists over the iPad's software keyboard.

Housed in a book-like format, each also acts as a stand for the tablets, and offer the same smart magnetic waking and sleeping capabilities as Apple's own Smart Cover."Our goal with the new Logitech Keyboard Folio was to take the award-winning typing experience from the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover and add an extra layer of protection," said Mike Culver, vice president of brand development for tablet accessories at Logitech.

"To take the design a step farther, we combined Logitech's expertise and experience in keyboards with high-quality materials to bring a sense of sophistication to the functional protection people want and need for their tablets."

Hitting stores first is the Keyboard Folio for iPad, launching in April for £89.99. The Keyboard Folio Mini for iPad Mini will follow in May, priced £69.99.

The Steve Jobs biopic flick, jOBS, starring Ashton Kutcher, has seen its release postponed indefinitely.

Originally slated for release on April 19th (and previewed at the Sundance Film Festival back in January), the film no longer has a firm release date.

According to Vulture, the reasoning behind the move is that "it appears the studio wanted more time to market the film," so the movie still seems on track for a general release at some point. Expect it to turn up towards the end of the year when Oscar season starts to kick in - we know the Oscar judging panel loves a good biopic (here's looking at you Lincoln, Ray, Walk The Line).

Kutcher takes the lead role of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in the movie, focussing primarily on the company's founding. Apple are not involved with the film in any official capacity.

If you still need a Steve Jobs movie fix, why not check out 1999 made-for-TV movie Pirates of Silicon Valley? It stars Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs (with Joey Slotnick as Steve Wozniak and Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates), and looks at the early days of Apple and Microsoft. I can't say I've seen it myself, but by all accounts Noah Wyle is very good as the late Jobs.

The long-rumoured cheap iPhone will enter production in May 2013, according to a new report from Taiwanese newspaper sources, putting it in line for a late summer/Q3 launch.

The Commercial Times (as translated by MicGadget) has spoken to sources at the Pegatron factory and is claiming that the plant will be the primary builder of the new budget phone. Pegatron already make 40% of all iPad Mini's shipped, and the cheap iPhone production deal would ring true with Apple's plans to widen its assembly teams beyond just primarily Foxconn.

As has previously been suggested, the report once again claims that the cheap iPhone will opt for a plastic build, giving it a price tag closer to the region of $350.

The Chinese market is a gigantic, lucrative one, but as the report states, Apple are currently pricing themselves out of the market. The average yearly salary in China, when converted to British Pounds, is around £2,000, and the iPhone 5 starts at around £565. Though it makes it a luxury device and highly sought after, it puts it out of the reach of the average consumer, hence the rampant sales of knock-off clones.

But while a cheap iPhone could boost Apple's market share in China, it may damage revenues elsewhere. In Europe and the US, the average wage is higher and people are currently happy to pay the extra premium for the standard iPhone devices. Unless Apple significantly hamstrung the cheaper devices (which in itself would cause them problems, with users now expecting a high standard from any product bearing the Apple logo) it's likely that those who'd normally save up the extra pennies for the premium versions would begin to opt for the cheaper ones, knocking down Apple's revenues in the process.

"Dude, where's my TriPod?"

Or indeed, my Mobi or TelePod - all names that Apple had once considered calling the iPhone.

Apple's former head of advertising, Ken Segall, revealed the once-potential smartphone names during a talk at the University of Arizona's Department of Marketing, according to 9to5Mac.

Even the iPad name had once been bandied about in relation to the iPhone, interesting as it eventually reared its head to become Apple's tablet branding.

Though we definitely prefer the iPhone name, the thinking behind the other pitched names is clear.

With the TelePod, you have the two main components that initially characterised the iPhone - its TELEphoning abilities and its iPOD functions.

The TriPod naming would also have sat well with Steve Jobs' initial iPhone unveiling speech, in which he talked up the devices' three pillars of functionality - internet connectivity, phone functions and iPod music playback.

Still they're all a lot less elegant than the iPhone moniker, so well played to whoever put their vote in there.

Sir Jony Ive, Apple's head of design and proud new owner of a gold Blue Peter medal, is said to be spearheading the push to get Apple's iWatch onto the market before the year is out.

"Apple seeks to introduce the device as soon as this year," says a new report from Bloomberg, who also state that Ive is rallying his team of 100 engineers around the project, having previously bought "boxes" of Nike Sports watches for his teams to deconstruct and improve upon.

The iWatch is also now said to be running a reworking of the full iOS software, and not just a piecemeal collection of features that would work alongside an iPhone or iPad, making its potential very powerful indeed.

However, despite Apple's intentions to get the iWatch out later this year, it still seems an unlikely reality.

For starters, there appears to be a problem with battery levels. Ive is said to be aiming for a battery that lasts four to five days from a single charge, but the report states that prototypes so far can only manage two days. That's not to say that would prevent them shipping: it'd be a classic Apple move to sell a shedload of iWatch's with poor battery on the back of the inevitable hype generated, then follow it up with a vastly-improved second-gen version a year later with greater battery capacity.

According to flexible Willow glass makers Corning, it'd be unlikely that Apple would be using an advanced flexible display anytime soon either. If we were to see an iWatch land this year, a curved glass panel may feature, but not a full-glass wrap-around wrist model.

With the suggestion that a full version of iOS is to be included in the iWatch (albeit modified to fit the new form factor), it's also likely that a new version of iOS for iPads, iPods and iPhones would be needed to accommodate it. With iOS 7 expected to land in the summer around June, could the iWatch make its debut then too?

It's time once again for "cheap iPhone" rumours to rear their ugly heads once again.

The latest batch comes from reputable Japanese blog Macotakara (courtesy of AppleInsider) who state that Apple are building an iPhone with a polycarbonate body rather than the premium aluminium materials used in the rest of their mobile line, and aiming for a cheap $330 price tag (£220), though it's unclear whether or not this would be a subsidised price. It's claimed that the cheaper iPhone would have a feel similar to the discontinued glossy white MacBook.

What's most intriguing however is the promise of a 4.5-inch screen. Whilst the rest of the design would follow classic iPhone trends (Home button and all), this would be the biggest iPhone ever, a full half-inch bigger than even the iPhone 5.

This all however has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Though Macotakara are a well respected site, there is no mention here of any sources, reputable or not, feeding them this information. Don't take this report as gospel then.

The pricing, size and materials described however do ring true with what many believe are Apple's aims going forward this year. Looking to capture the gigantic Chinese market, a cheap iPhone would put up a good fight against Android competition. With MWC showing that the large-screen smartphone trend is continuing to grow (in both senses) in the Android community, a larger iPhone would make for a clearer competitor to the likes of the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note range.

This may well be the biggest hint yet that Apple is working on the rumoured iWatch. During Wednesday's annual shareholder meeting, Apple CEO discussed the company's long-term plans, stating that Apple is "looking at new categories" for products.

Could these product categories include wristwatch accessories and televisions, accommodating the iOS-packing iWatch wristwatch and long-rumoured iTV? With Google's Glass augmented reality headset continuing to intrigue potential customers, Apple will be keen to appear to be innovating just as much as their Mountain View rivals.

As well as alluding to new products, Cook also went through the company's finances, discussing the recent stock drop, and admitting he doesn't like it anymore than his shareholders.

Speaking specifically about fiscal 2012, Cook revealed that Apple's stock pile of cash grew to around $48 billion.

This follows record last quarter earnings for Apple, reporting $54.5 billion in revenue and $13.1 billion in net profit, in part thanks to the sales of 47.8 million iPhones, 22.9 million iPads, 12.7 million iPods, and 4.1 million Macs. Updates to the Mac line, iPad mini, and full-fat iPad are expected to boost these numbers even further as the year progresses.

However, analysts such as Jefferies' Peter Misek believe that unless Apple can bring an innovative new product to market it is "potentially facing a very rough two year period".

Rumours of an Apple iWatch have been heating up over the last few weeks, with reports of some 100 product designers putting their heads together to create an iOS wristwatch at Apple's Cupertino HQ.

While there's no official comment from Apple on the speculation, there's plenty of features that we can assume would be popped in to such a device, including Siri voice control, Bluetooth syncing of messages and social media accounts with an iPhone, and some sort of iOS app support. To go along with that feature-list guesswork, we've now also got a brand new design concept from Esben Oxholm, posted over at Yanko Design.

Taking its inspiration from the iPhone 5 as well as circling iWatch rumours such as a curved glass build, it has a matte black aluminium strap with a glossy glass face. An embossed Apple logo sits on the inside of the strap, while the familiar Apple Home button sits under the screen.

It certainly looks convincing, and we wouldn't be surprised if Apple's potential product landed in a very similar guise. Personally though, we're still smitten with the transparent design below:

Ready for a real Friday tear-jerker? Here's a clip of Apple's design guru Sir Jony Ive making a special guest appearance on Blue Peter, a BBC children's television institution in the UK.

Part of a gadget-focussed special episode set to air tomorrow morning at 10am on CBBC, the Apple whizz gives his verdict on some viewer submitted product designs, creates a unique solid aluminium Apple Blue Peter badge, and is awarded the illustrious, rare gold Blue Peter badge - the highest accolade the much-loved show is able to give out, and one that's in the past been awarded to JK Rowling and THE QUEEN.

Click the clip above to give it a watch. Doesn't Ive come across as a lovely bloke? He seems far more bumbling than you'd think he'd be, like the real Willy Wonka of the Apple design team. He's anecdote about being amazed by the Blue Peter paint brush holder is lovely insight into his formative design influences, and he seems to be genuinely moved by the Blue Peter award. A lovely little clip all round then.

iPhones in Brazil may soon look very, very different to the ones Apple are currently selling, as the Cupertino firm may be set to lose the trademark to a rival Brazilian manufacturer.

The Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) in Brazil has awarded the name's exclusive rights to Gradient Eletronica, who trademarked the iPhone name way back in 2000, long before the 2007 launch of the original Apple iPhone.

To make maters worse, Gradient Eletronica have begun selling an "iPhone" handset of their own, the "iPhone Neo One", pictured above. Rubbing salt into Apple's wounds, it's a dated Android smartphone, running the Gingerbread version of the OS off a 700MHz processor, with a 5MP camera and 3.7-inch 320x480 display - hardly of Retina standards.

Apple have already begun the appeal process, arguing that Gradiente Eletronica had not begun using the name until December 2012.

As a slight consolation, Apple retain the rights to use the iPhone trademark in relation to clothing and software, and across publications.

"We're open to a dialogue for anything, anytime," Eugenio Emilio Staub, chairman of Gradient parent company IGB, told Bloomberg.

"We're not radicals."

However, Staub states that Apple have not reached out to his company. But with everything weighing in Gradient Eletronica's favour, Apple may have to pull out their cheque book to get this issue fixed.

Apple's MacBook Pro with Retina display is pretty much the best laptop that money can buy right now. Today, that range gets even better, with Apple updating the line with faster processors, as well as slashing its price tags.

Kicking off with the 13-inch model, the 256GB model with SSD storage now comes with a 2.6GHz dual-core processor and a new price tag of £1,449 - £200 cheaper than previously sold for. The 128GB model pricing remains unchanged at £1,249.

Moving up to the 15-inch machine, it now packs in a 2.4GHz quad-core processor as opposed to the 2.3GHz processor previously used, while the optional higher-spec version of the 15-inch model also gets a processor boost up to a 2.7GHz quad-core version.

If the slinky, thin MacBook Air line is more your thing, that too gets a price cut, with the 13-inch model with 256GB SSD storage dropping to £1,199.

Heading over to the Apple Store online shows that the older prices are currently still in play, but these new prices are confirmed. Hold out a few hours before making a purchase and you should see the changes in pricing applied.