We knew it was coming and Apple has announced iCloud and it will replace MobileMe, and will sync and backup a wide range of things with your iOS device including purchased music, apps and books bought from the iBooks store.

It will sync your photos and videos from the camera roll as well as app data and your iOS device settings, plus documents from iWork apps and other apps. When you change a document on one iOS device it will be synced with iCloud and your other iOS devices automatically.

If you want to make smaller phones, you need to make SIM cards smaller right? That’s just what Apple is doing. Apple has submitted plans for a smaller SIM card to the European Telecoms Standards Institute (ETSI) and has also received the backing of a number of major mobile operators including Orange.

The development and approval process will take a few months, maybe longer, but there seems to be a broad consensus among members of the standards committee, so that should speed up the process. Aside from making devices smaller, this standardized SIM card would also be used by other companies. This is odd for Apple since it usually restricts its developments to its own products.

PC fans will tell you that the PC platform is much more open and upgradable than gadgets in the Mac world. That’s true, however Mac fans can upgrade at least some things on most Mac notebooks and computers like say the hard drive and RAM. Many people buy new Mac computers and then upgrade it with aftermarket parts to save money. Those aftermarket parts are usually cheaper than getting the upgrade from Apple.

Well, it turns out that the new iMac computers have more restrictions on their upgrades than the older version of the iMac. And they may force you to buy Official Apple parts.

According to advertising firm WPP’s “BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands” report, Apple has now moved past Google and taken the number one spot as the worlds most valuable brand. Apple’s brand has seen some amazing growth, growing 859 percent since 2006, with an increase of 84 percent to $153 billion this year alone. That growth is phenomenal. No wonder they were able to overtake Google.

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study, commissioned by WPP and conducted by Millward Brown Optimor, ranks the world’s most valuable 100 brands by their dollar value.

Good news iMac fans. Apple is refreshing the iMac lineup today, with prices starting at $1,199 for the 21.5-inch (1,920 x 1,080 pixel IPS panel) model with new 2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor and 512MB of AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics.

After that prices go up to $1,999 for a 27-inch (2,560 x 1,440 IPS) model with 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 CPU and 1GB of AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics, or optional 3.4GHz quad-core Core i7 processor and 2GB of HD 6970M graphics.

Good news for magazine readers. Time Inc. has made a deal with Apple to allow print magazine subscribers to access the company’s iPad editions for free. Starting this week, those who subscribe to print versions of Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Time will be able to download the iPad versions at no cost, directly within the magazines’ apps, as it should be.

iPad users still won’t be able to purchase exclusively digital subscriptions to Time Inc.’s publications. Time wants to incorporate digital subscriptions to its iPad model, but negotiations have hit some snags, mostly due to how Apple shares subscriber data. Publishers claim to need that data to apply the TV Everywhere model to magazines, but Apple says that the subscriber information should only be shared on an opt-in basis. It doesn’t seem like they will agree anytime soon.

Everlight Electronics has reportedly delivered samples of its LED backlight products to Apple, according to China Times. Since Everlight’s products are intended for use in tablet-style devices, it makes sense that Apple is exploring the idea of using the company’s LED backlights for the iPad 2.

Apple has steadily expanded the availability of the iPad 2, launching it in new countries and adding new retailers in the U.S., but component supplies for the iPad 2 are reportedly constrained, so Apple is looking various ways to meet the demand. This also might help to cure the bleeding backlight issue in some iPad 2 tablets.

According to a report, Apple could launch an Internet-connected high-definition television set by the end of 2011, expanding into the $100 billion LCD TV market. Analyst Brian White with Ticonderoga Securities said in a note to investors that he picked up “data points” that point toward a “Smart TV” launch by Apple, possibly as soon as by the end of this year.

If Apple does want into this market, (which seems inevitable) will an Apple HDTV take the world by storm like their other products? Maybe. It could be paired with a subscription service to iTunes, allowing users to access content and services at a flat subscription rate so that a cable box and digital video recorder will no longer be needed. That would make a lot of folks happy.

Thunderbolt is the new communication standard developed by Apple and Intel. You might remember that it was unveiled a few weeks ago with the new MacBook Pro computers. It was thought that Intel was mainly responsible for its development, with Apple playing a small role. However, Apple’s latest move seems to suggest that it played a larger role.

Apple has filed to trademark the name Thunderbolt, branding the high-speed data transfer as something they own, not something they share with Intel. So is Apple just trying to slide in and claim it or is there more to this?

Just when you thought that they couldn’t get any more restrictive, it looks like Apple is tightening its iron grip in their iTunes App Store. The company has reportedly rejected Sony’s eBook store app – the Sony Reader Store from the iTunes App Store.

The reason for the rejection was changes in Apple’s App Store policy: All in-app purchases will now have to go through Apple. Apparently apps that sell their own content will not be allowed in the App Store in the future. Apple also may be planning to get into in the eBook business. Apple’s The Daily announcement is happening tomorrow, so we will see if they shed any more light on this.

There is hardly a day that goes by where we don’t have an iPad or iPhone rumor. Here is today’s. Apple’s overseas manufacturing partners will apparently start production of the iPad 2 next month, while they will also be building the fifth-generation iPhone in May.

Take this with the usual grains of salt until we have something more concrete. One thing is for sure, no matter when they start production, it won’t be soon enough for Apple fans.

The other day we told you how close the App Store was to reaching the 10 billion mark and now it has happened. 10 billion individual apps have now been downloaded. The lucky 10 billionth person will get a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card. MacPhun is also giving away $5,000 to the same person.

This is a huge milestone for Apple, not to mention a great prize for the lucky winner. I wonder how long it will take for Apple to double this number?

Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs has just announced that the Apple Board has granted him a medical leave of absence. This leaves Tim Cook to be responsible for the day to day running of Apple while Jobs is away. We don’t have any details about what the medical leave relates too specifically, or how long he will be gone for.

The email that was sent out by Steve Jobs to Apple employees is below, and it does say that he will continue to be involved in Apple’s major decisions, which is great news for everyone.

If you are a music lover then you have probably dreamed of what you could do with a $10,000 iTunes gift card. Well, Apple is giving away just that to one lucky person who downloads the 10 billionth app from its App Store. It could be you.

The company is on track to hit that milestone. So far around 9.76 billion apps have been downloaded. The counter is going up up up. Users are limited to 25 downloads a day, automated software will disqualify you, and you have to agree to let your name and image be used for Apple.

Apple’s Mac App Store got off to a shaky start since it didn’t take long after the store was launched for people to figure out how to get some apps off without paying. But there’s some better news today. Apple has officially confirmed that over a million apps have been downloaded from the store in its first day in business.

Since the store offers over 1,000 free and paid apps, it wasn’t going to take long to hit that mark. The Mac App Store is available for Snow Leopard users through a Software Update as part of OS X 10.6.6 if you haven’t checked it out already.