Tuesday Apple Rumors: Google to Launch Its Own iPad Rival

Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:

Google Will�Launch Its Own Android Tablet: With Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) having unveiled its new tablet, the Surface, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) is now rumored to be on the verge of announcing its own tablet, which will run — of course – Android, DigiTimes reports. The new Google tablet was co-developed by Google and Asustek Computer and will feature a voice�assistant designed to compete with Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Siri. The new 7-inch Google tablet will debut in later this month, priced at $199.

Microsoft Declares War on the iPad

The New Retina MacBook Pro Is an “Engineering Marvel”:�The new 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro is “an engineering marvel,” according to iFixIt, which tore down one of the new laptops to examine its construction. Unlike other laptops, where the LCD is sandwiched between a plate of glass and a plastic frame, in the Retina MacBook Pro, the aluminum case is the frame and the LCD is the front glass. The engineering means that replacing the LCD will be very expensive in the event of a failure or accident, since the whole assembly will need to be replaced.

Apple Extends Liquidmetal Exclusivity until 2014: In documents filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, Apple reveals that it has extended its exclusive rights to Liquidmetal technology until 2014, Apple Insider reports. Rumors over�the last few months suggested that the next-generation iPhone, to be released later this year, would feature a�Liquidmetal back. However, Liquidmetal’s inventor dismissed those rumors. Apple has deployed Liquidmetal in a SIM card, but has yet to introduce other products featuring the material.

For more�about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.