Apple as well as others are considering upgrading the audio on tracks to get close to master-level audio quality, according to sources. The heads of Labels are negotiating to bring the underlying bit depth from 16-bit to 24-bit. This would bring the audio quality from CD-level to the same detail as the master tracks from the studio.

Interscope-Geffen-A&M head Jimmy Iovine at the HP webOS event briefly confirmed a push towards 24-bit audio through music stores and hinted that Apple and others might have to upgrade the iPhone, iPod and other devices for the extra depth.

Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro update could take some cues from the new MacBook Air. They wouldn’t use SSD-only storage but would get an 8GB or 16GB boot drive for the OS either way. This move would let the MacBook Pros get the quick boot and fast resume support of the Air without sacrificing anything in storage.

They may also be getting larger trackpads than the ones available today. They may also get lighter, by as much as half a pound on average, but we don’t know how this would be accomplished.

Amazon took another opportunity to hit the iPad where it hurts, namely it’s readability, in a new TV commercial for the Kindle. The 30-second ad points to the Apple tablet’s glossy LCD as a weakness, whihe e-paper on the Kindle reader has “no glare” to interfere with reading and can even be read in bright sunlight.

The ad also paints the Kindle as the savior of books, saying that “the book lives on:” the Kindle Store has over 800,000 titles. And they also focus on battery life is a quick focus, as the Kindle will last on a charge for a month.

Best Buy’s laptop discovery tool is giving away some secrets by listing a set of “new SKU” laptops from Apple before the company has had a chance to even announce them. Well, we already knew something was coming anyway, but it looks like this lends some credence to recent rumors of a MacBook Pro refresh coming next week.

The prices are $1,199, $1,499, $1,799, and $2,199, all of which are presently occupied by current-gen 13- and 15-inch MBP versions. There is also an additional $2,499 price for a laptop shown as “New SKU I,” which is probably an upgrade to Apple’s 17-inch model.

We now have more rumors of new MacBook Pros again, but then again when don’t we? These latest leaks narrow the MacBook Pros down to next week. Previously there was an early March target, According to AppleInsider’s contacts,several Apple divisions were being asked to ready for a “significant product launch.”

This news isn’t official of course, but it does make sense as the device should be ready for an update. Other sources had the systems arriving on Thursday, February 24. They are expected to use Core processors based on Intel’s Sandy Bridge to improve performance.

Remember the latest rumor about Apple working on a smaller iPhone? Well, according to the New York Times, that ain’t happening, though Apple has looked at the possibility of a cheaper model. Earlier rumors had Apple developing a prototype of a smaller and cheaper iPhone, 1/3 smaller, or 1/2 as small depending who you believe, but the Times is now claiming that “Apple is not currently developing a smaller iPhone, according to people briefed on Apple’s plans who requested anonymity because the plans are confidential.”

Anyway, a smaller device would not necessarily be much cheaper to make and it would be a pain to use besides. Developers might have to rewrite their apps too. So no smaller iPhone just yet.

Could Apple be ready to add MacBook Pro notebooks in a black color? We don’t have any official word on this happening, but Intel’s latest advertisement promoting the 2nd generation of Intel Core processors shows a black notebook that looks like Apple’s MacBook in black.

Apple has offered earlier versions of its MacBook in black, so it’s certainly possible. But who knows. This is just an ad and Intel can take some liberties if they like. It sure makes you wonder though.

We’ve heard many tales of exploding devices over the years. Some seem to be a clear hoax, while others are plausible. Now someone is claiming that an iPhone 4 blew up on them. The story goes like this. The user noticed that the phone became extremely hot while his wife was holding it, the battery of the phone had swollen, dislodging the back panel and catching on fire.

His wife then dropped the phone on a table where it left some burn marks. It also burned the user’s hand and set off the fire alarm. The owner says that he went to the Apple store to get a replacement, but it isn’t clear what happened next.

We now have official word on the Xoom’s pricing thanks to Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha. Reuters is reporting a price of $799 for the 32GB Honeycomb tablet when bought with 3G (which will be upgraded to 4G) from Verizon without subsidies, while a WiFi-only version will cost only $600.

That price is in line with the 32GB iPad, but the 3G Xoom is $70 more expensive than the Apple alternative. We don’t know when those models will be available, but rumor is that pre-orders or reservations could begin as early as tomorrow, with the tablet launching in full next Thursday.

Apple announced the new MacBook air back in October, which means we will likely see the 2011 MacBook Air around October of this year, and now it looks like the 2011 MacBook Air may come with 3G. The news comes from Apple conducting a survey among its MacBook Air customers and asking them questions about how much they use 3G, data syncing and more.

So it is looking like Apple is seriously considering putting 3G into the 2011 MacBook Air, which would be great news to many users. I wonder if Apple will also put 3G into the 2011 MacBook Pro’s. We’d love to see that.

Apple’s MacBook Air is still enjoying being the slimmest notebook around, since the Dell Adamo has been axed. Soon it will have some competition though since Acer, Asus and Lenovo are all planning to launch new ultra-thin notebooks in the second quarter of 2011 and they will feature components that are more competitive than Apple’s MacBook Air.

That means that they can sell them at a lower price. Acer will release its new Timeline notebooks, Asus will has its U-series slim models and Lenovo is offering new ultra-thin models of its IdeaPad. The prices on these notebooks should be below $1,000.

This story smells a bit fishy, but a Georgia man claims that a local Walmart sold him a fake iPad, and now the store is refusing to give him a refund.

The iPad shown in the video below is obviously one of those fake display models Walmart uses to trick thieves, but how did Ken Lamal end up with this in his box instead of a new authentic iPad? That’s the question. This story just doesn’t sound right though. In the video, the reporter takes it to an Apple tech to confirm that it isn’t the real thing. I mean, come on. You should know better. The tech says that it’s probably a “brick in the box” return, meaning that a customer bought an iPad, then substituted the display model for the real thing and returned it for a refund.

With the release of a new version of the iPhone, we always hear rumors that Apple is working on a smaller version of the iPhone, and right on schedule we have more of these rumors. Bloomberg is reporting that Apple will be releasing an iPhone Mini this year.

Normally, we would laugh, but what Bloomberg is saying makes a lot of sense, since a smaller iPhone would open up a new market for Apple, which they will need with all of the tablet competition. The new iPhone Mini could retail for $200 without a contract, which would open up the iPhone to a budget market. It is supposedly one third smaller than the existing iPhone with no home button.

We are still waiting for the iPad 2 to be made official, but there are already rumors about an iPad 3 that could be out as early as this fall. Sure, I guess it could happen. The rumor goes like this. Apple will unveil the iPad 2, which will be a modest update to the original iPad. It’ll get a front-facing camera, a faster processor, more RAM as well as support for both AT&T and Verizon’s networks. It won’t get a new retina display.

Then, during the fall/holiday season, Apple will unveil a bigger upgrade to the iPad, one with the higher-resolution display. The thinking is that this will allow Apple to adjust the yearly upgrade window for the iPad to be right in the middle of the holiday shopping season. That does make sense.

We now have more details on the availability and pricing for BlackBerry’s PlayBook. Looks like it will be available at Office Depot for $499.99 and in “week 17” which means about the last week of April. The PlayBook will have 16 GB of storage, wifi and is capable of 3G speeds when connected to a Blackberry phone.

The pricing is on par with Apple’s iPad, but RIM will want to get the PlayBook out as soon as possible since Apple’s iPad 2 is coming.