According to a new report from Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun [ Google Translation ] (via AppleInsider) Sharp, one of Apple's primary display partners, will begin manufacturing LCD panels for the iPhone 5S beginning in June at its Kameyama Plant No. 1 in Japan. The site notes that Apple also sent orders to both Japan Display and LG Display, with mass production already under way, which confirms a report last month from The Wall Street Journal that suggested iPhone 5S production would begin in the second quarter

According to a new report from media research firm TDG (via GigaOM ) 14% of households with broadband internet owned an Apple TV, Roku box, or similar streaming platform during a study in 2012. While that sounds like an impressive number, Smart TVs have been slowly taking over the connected TV market. 25% of households owned a smart TV that comes equipped with apps, such as those offered by manufacturers like Samsung and LG

As part of its quarterly earnings release today, U.S. Cellular announced that it will begin carrying Apple products later this year, although the carrier offered no additional details on its plans. "We have a number of strategies in progress to increase loyalty and attract more customers, including our announcement today that we will begin offering Apple products later this year

Apple has posted a new contest on the App Store [ Direct Link ], offering a $10,000 gift card to whomever downloads the fifty billionth app from the App Store, similar to previous promotions. Apple said during its most recent earnings call that the company has surpassed 45 billion app downloads.

Apple today released a minor iOS 6.1.4 update, bringing an updated audio profile for speakerphone. The new version, which arrives as Build 10B350, appears to only be for the iPhone 5. The update did not involve a beta testing period for developers and follows the release of iOS 6.1.3 in mid-March.

A new national stolen phone database is having little effect on smartphone thefts in the U.S., according to an article in The New York Times . The country's four major carriers all contribute to the database , which lists stolen phone ID numbers that should not be activated on domestic networks. However, the database appears to be ineffective for several reasons

As noted by The Verge , Intel late yesterday released details on its next-generation integrated graphics offerings arriving as part of the company's Haswell processor lineup.

Echoing recent reports about a redesigned 'flatter' user interface in iOS 7, 9to5Mac says the next version of the operating system will lose "all signs of gloss, shine and skeuomorphism" . Jony Ive took charge of all Apple's user interface teams last October following a management shakeup .

A job listing posted by Apple earlier this month indicates the company is indeed looking at using flexible displays in future products, along with high optical efficiency LCD and AMOLED units.

In line with a report from earlier this week, TmoNews reports that T-Mobile USA has begun rolling out software updates for existing customers running unlocked iPhones on its network. As the carrier notes in its support forum , the update enables a number of features, including LTE support where available, ahead of the official launch of new iPhone 5 sales for the carrier next week