Apple on Wednesday issued iTunes 10.2, bringing the ability to sync with devices running iOS 4.3 ahead of the operating system update’s release, and also adding new Home Sharing features for iOS 4.3.

iTunes 10.2 is now available for Mac OS X (75.61MB), Windows 32-bit (76.72MB) or Windows 64-bit (77.61MB). With it, users will be able to sync their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch running iOS 4.3 when it is released next Friday.

The update to the media suite also offers improved Home Sharing, allowing users to browse and play from their iTunes library with any iPhone, iPad or iPod touch running iOS 4.3

Apple on Wednesday highlighted some of the features of iOS 4.3 before its release, including the improved Home Sharing, which will allow users to access all of their remotely stored iTunes content directly over Wi-Fi.

In addition to new features, iTunes 10.2 also includes a number of security fixes related to ImageIO, libxml and WebKit. The security fixes for iTunes 10.2 apply to machines running Windows 7, Vista, and XP Service Pack 2 or later.

The last update for iTunes was version 10.1.2, released in late January. It included support for the CDMA-based Verizon iPhone 4.

The new adapter plugs into the Dock connector, providing both an HDMI port and a Dock passthrough so attached iOS devices can charge while playing or sync while connected to an external display.

“Watch slideshows and movies on the big screen in up to 720p by connecting your iPad, iPhone 4, or iPod touch (4th generation) to an HDTV or HDMI-compatible display,” Apple notes on its store page.

“Use the Apple Digital AV Adapter to mirror whatever’s on your iPad 2 screen — apps, presentations, websites, and more — on your HDTV or HDMI-compatible display in up to 1080p HD (movies play at up to 720p).”

Previously, the iOS devices introduced in 2010 only supported VGA output, which provides analog component video with no support for audio out. It was not known that iPhone 4 and its iPod touch sibling also had latent support for HDMI, a digital connection that pairs DVI video signals with audio. Most modern HDTVs support HDMI input.

Apple also supports AirPlay wireless audio and video streaming from iPhone 4, iPod touch and iPad, which uses WiFi to deliver music photos and video to the new iOS-based Apple TV, or audio to AirPort Express base stations and some third party devices that support AirPlay.

Though Apple has not officially disclosed how much RAM is found in the iPad 2, a Korean semiconductor analyst has claimed to know that the new A5 processor has 512MB of memory.

Responding to a query about the amount of RAM in the iPad 2, analyst Kakeun Lee claimed on Twitter (via Google Translate) that the new iPad will double the amount of RAM in last year’s model. He also revealed that the new A5 processor features LPDDR2 memory, which is a speed boost from the LPDDR1 RAM in the first-generation iPad.

If true, the inclusion of 512MB of RAM confirms reports that the iPad 2 would pack the same amount of memory as the iPhone 4. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities also told AppleInsider that the RAM in the iPad 2 would run at a higher clock speed of 1,066MHz for greater memory bandwidth than the 800MHz memory in the iPhone 4.

Kuo also indicated back in January that the iPad 2 would have LPDDR2 RAM at a speed of 1,066MHz, corroborating Lee’s more recent claims. Kuo said the memory would be supplied by both Samsung and Hynix.

512MB of RAM would be equal to the amount found in the iPhone 4, released last June. The amount of RAM supposedly in the new iPad is also half of the 1GB found in the Android-powered Motorola Xoom.

Apple prefers to avoid detailing technical specifications of its devices, instead focusing on features and usability. But the company did reveal on Wednesday that the new A5 processor is a custom-designed 1GHz dual-core chip with the same low power consumption as last year’s A4.

The report also contradicts what a representative in London demoing the iPad 2 reportedly told Gizmodo: that the new iPad has the same 256MB of RAM as last year’s model. However, the site was then told by another public relations person that they couldn’t confirm how much RAM is in the new A5 processor.

Apple on Thursday released to developers the Golden Master build of iOS 4.3, its forthcoming operating system update, just over a week ahead of its scheduled March 11 release.

The download is available to developers through Apple’s official iOS developer portal. People familiar with the software say it is known as build 8F190.

Typically a gold master issued to developers is identical to the version that eventually becomes the final release, though two Golden Masters of iOS 4.2 were released after the first was found to have issues.

Apple announced the mobile operating system software update’s March 11 released date on Wednesday, and also showed off new, previously unannounced features. Among them is improved JavaScript performance, which is now said to be two times faster thanks to the Nitro engine taken from Mac OS X.

Improved iTunes Home Sharing will also allow users to access all of their content directly over Wi-Fi. And enhancements to AirPlay will allow applications and websites to stream over Wi-Fi to the Apple TV set top box. Sharing of photos over AirPlay can also use the built-in slide show options of iOS.

The new Personal Hotspot feature in iOS 4.3 lets users share their 3G data connection over Wi-Fi. Personal Hotspot will work with supporting carriers and monthly data plans on the iPhone 4.

iOS 4.3 also adds the ability to change the purpose of the hardware switch on the right side of the iPad and iPad 2. Users can choose to have the switch mute audio from the device, or have it serve as an orientation lock, as it originally did when the iPad first shipped last year.

The iOS 4.3 update is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, first-generation iPad, iPad 2, and the third- and fourth-generation iPod touch. iTunes 10.2 has already been publicly released, adding compatibility with devices that are running iOS 4.3

AT&T has confirmed that it will support the Personal Hotspot Wi-Fi tethering feature for the iPhone 4 when iOS 4.3 is released next Friday. Also, the carrier now offers postpaid data plans for the iPad and other 3G-capable tablets.

“AT&T plans to support the iOS 4.3 mobile hotspot feature when it’s released March 11,” the company said in a statement to AppleInsider. “To utilize this feature, customers will need to subscribe to the DataPro 4GB/$45 tethering data plan.”

Personal Hotspot allows a user to share the 3G connection on their iPhone 4 with up to five devices over Wi-Fi. The feature will come to AT&T iPhone 4 customers with iOS 4.3, when it is released next Friday.

Verizon iPhone 4 customers have had access to the Personal Hotspot feature since that handset was released in February. Apple added the feature in a unique build of iOS, dubbed 4.2.5, for its Verizon handset.

Apple released the Golden Master of iOS 4.3 to developers on Thursday, signaling that the software update is on track for its March 11 release. Verizon iPhone 4 customers will have to wait, as the device uses a different baseband chip than other phones.

Customers now also have the option of paying at the end of the month instead of the beginning, thanks to AT&T’s addition of postpaid billing for 3G connected tablets like the iPad. The new plans can be added to customers’ existing monthly wireless statements, allowing them to have a single monthly bill.

“Tablets offer the convenience of mobile broadband virtually anywhere and our new billing options give customers the flexibility to choose how they prefer to be billed,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets.

Postpaid customers have the same options: $14.99 for 250MB or $25 for 2GB per month. Customers on the 2GB plan who exceed their monthly allotment will be charged $10 per extra 1GB of overage, while prepaid customers pay $25 for an extra 2GB.

A new report claims that big-box electronics retailer Best Buy may be preparing to hand out iPads to each of the on-floor sales associates in its 1,100 US stores.

“A source with knowledge of corporate mobile device deployments” has told Forbes that one of the 10 largest retailers in the U.S. will soon distribute iPads to all its sales staff. The source noted that the retailer in question operates 1,100 U.S. stores, making Best Buy, which had 1093 U.S. stores as of September 2010, the most likely candidate.

The report also notes that Best Buy is a natural match because of its existing relationship with Apple. When the original iPad was released last year, Best Buy was one of Apple’s few launch day retail partners. Best Buy has already begun advertising the recently announced iPad 2, which goes on sale on March 11.

Best Buy’s rumored widespread rollout of the iPad to its employees could come as part of the company’s Connected Store initiative. The retailer launched a pilot program in 27 stores last year that gave several mobile devices, such as iPads, iPod touches and Samsung Galaxy Tabs, to sales associates for the purpose of educating consumers and processing purchases. According to the report, Best Buy has acknowledged that the Connected Store pilot could be expanded in the future.

As of 2010, Best Buy had 180,000 employees, but it’s not immediately clear what percentage of those serve as on-floor sales staff and would be eligible for an iPad.

One possible explanation for the rumor could be that Best Buy is preparing an iPad-based point-of-sale and inventory management system. Apple currently uses an iPod touch-based EasyPay checkout system in its retail stores. In December of last year, AppleInsider reported that other retailers have been looking into implementing POS systems on the iPad and iPod touch.

New MacBook Pro models are shipping with Mac OS X 10.6.6 (build 10J3210), which supplies TRIM support for bundled Apple Solid State Drives, enabling extended performance of the fast new devices via background maintenance.

AppleInsider previously reported that Mac OS X 10.7 Lion would incorporate support for the TRIM command, which helps the operating system coordinate the maintenance of unused memory cells on the new SSD devices, preserving long term performance.

However, we can now exclusively report that Apple has also added the feature to the revised build on the latest, Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Pros that shipped earlier this week.

While they appear to run the same Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.6 version, the newer build (10J3210 versus 10J567, the newest build of Mac OS X 10.6.6 available for download from Software Update by other Macs) includes and automatically activates TRIM Support, as noted in System Profiler.

Apple is in negotiations with the major record labels to allow repeat downloads for music purchased through the iTunes Music Store, according to a new report.

According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is in talks with music companies, including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI Group, to change its download policy to provide greater flexibility to iTunes customers, Bloomberg said on Thursday.

An updated agreement, which sources said could come as early as the middle of this year, would allow users to re-download purchased music, even after losing the original copies. Currently, Apple’s iTunes Music Store does not offer free re-downloads of previously purchased music.

The service would allow downloads to iPads, iPhones and iPods linked to the same iTunes account, the report claimed, adding that such a move would be “a step closer to universal access to content centrally stored on the Internet.” Apple has also “weighed plans” to revamp its MobileMe online storage service later this year, said one source.

Rumors of a centralized streaming media service from Apple through iTunes and MobileMe have persisted for years, gaining strength on news that Apple planned to spend over $1 billion on a massive data center in North Carolina.

Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer revealed last month that the center will indeed be used for iTunes and MobileMe when it opens this spring. The server farm had originally been slated for completion by the end of 2010.

One recent report has suggested that Apple is planning a MobileMe digital online “locker” that would grant users access to their files, while a separate rumor claimed that iTunes media would be stored on a home computer and streamed over the Internet to connected devices.

Over the years, Apple has sought to leverage its continued success with the iTunes Music Store to negotiate more favorable contracts with the record companies. For example, Apple was successful in reaching a deal to remove DRM copy protections from iTunes music purchases in exchange for a variable pricing model.

More recently, Apple negotiated the extension of iTunes music previews from 30 seconds to 90 seconds.

The chairman of carrier China Mobile has indicated that Apple has shown interest in quickly developing a 4G long-term evolution capable high-speed version of its iPhone.

Chairman Wang Jianzhou specifically cited Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs in his remarks made on Friday. China Mobile has been working to launch its own TD-LTE network for fourth-generation mobile bandwidth speeds.

“Jobs has expressed his interest in an LTE iPhone and is willing to start the development at an early date,” Jianzhou said outside of a Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference meeting in Beijing, according to Bloomberg.

China Mobile has been granted government approval to begin large-scale tests of its 4G TD-LTE network in Shanghai, Hangzhou and four other cities. The carrier is expected to invest $100 million in 4G this year.

The comments are similar to those made by Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg in an interview last November. He said Verizon’s “embrace of LTE” had gained attention from Apple, which is interested in pursuing the new wireless cellular standard for its iPhone.

And Verizon Wireless CEO said in January that customers would see “more coming from Apple on LTE.” He indicated that Apple understands the value in LTE, but did not offer a timeframe on when a 4G-capable iPhone might become available.

Verizon launched its own LTE network last December, but the recently launched Verizon iPhone 4 does not support that wireless standard. Officials said at the official Verizon iPhone unveiling in January that that Apple chose not to go with LTE because it would require design changes, and Verizon said they wanted the iPhone as soon as possible.

Apple has hired numerous LTE experts for its team over the years, and was seeking key new additions to its staff as recently as February.

Apple’s Taiwanese suppliers have indicated that production of iPad 2 models will reach three million units in the first quarter of 2011, before ramping up to 10-12 million units in the second quarter, a new report claims.

Asian component suppliers have told DigiTimes that shipments of the iPad 2 are expected to reach 2-3 million units in March, given that the company drew down production of the original iPad in February while simultaneously ramping up production of the iPad 2.

Though earlier reports had suggested that the March quarter would see production of as many as 2 million units of the iPad 2, the publication has now revised its estimates with an upper limit of 3 million units.

The second quarter of 2011 could see as many as 10-12 million iPad 2 units shipped, the report added. By way of comparison, Apple sold 15 million iPads from April to December 2010 for a total of $9.5 billion in revenue.

According to the report, Apple remains on track to hit its target of producing 40 million iPads in 2011.

The report assumes a shipment ratio of 4:6 for the first half and second half of the year, so the second half of 2011 could see iPad 2 shipments reach 21.5-25 million units.

Wall Street analyst sales expectations run lower than DigiTimes’ 40 million unit production estimate. For example, Gleacher & Co. analyst Brian Marshall sees the iPad maker selling 30 million units in 2011, though he believes that to be a conservative estimate.

Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, formerly of DigiTimes, has estimated iPad shipments from Foxconn, the tablet’s sole maker, will reach 4.5-5 million units in the first quarter of 2011.

For its part, Apple was confident enough in the iPad 2 to declare 2011 “The year of iPad 2″ when it took the wraps off the device on Wednesday. The redesigned touchscreen tablet, which has a dual-core CPU, two cameras, and a thinner and lighter form factor, impressed analysts, prompting them to assert that Apple will continue to dominate the tablet market.