Apple and Foxconn agreed to make changes to its plant that were suggested in a March 2012 audit by the Fair Labor Association. The suggested changes included better working conditions for employees and compliance with labor laws. The FLA stated in its follow-up report today that Foxconn and Apple made progress in fixing the issues laid out by the organization in March. According to the press release (below), Apple and Foxconn corrected 195 of the actions due and further corrected 89 ahead of deadline. Both companies have until next year to correct the 76 remaining issues. “Our verification shows that the necessary changes, including immediate health and safety measures, have been made. We are satisfied that Apple has done its due diligence thus far to hold Foxconn accountable for complying with the action plan, including the commitment to reform its internship program,” said FLA CEO Auret van Heerden.

As we reported in March, one of the first changes enacted was to reduce the work hours to 49 per week and overtime to 36 hours per month. The plant also made a huge push to hire tens of thousands of new employees to ensure production was not halted despite major changes.

Foxconn workers in May expressed that not much had changed within the walls of the plant. One employee spoke to Reuters, claiming, “The work pressure is still great… There hasn’t been much change. We are still being pushed very hard.” However, the FLA thought otherwise. It even said the changes would help the industry for the better.

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Samsung’s new $3.6 billion plant in Austin, Texas kicked into full swing last December, and it is responsible for manufacturing the A5 (and now A5X) CPU for the iPhone and iPad among other things. As production for the next iPhone and Mini iPad is reportedly in full swing, Samsung announced this morning that it will invest another $4 billion into its Austin plant. Reuters reported that the move is to renovate current production lines and the rate at which chips are produced.

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Going away from the constant rumors that Apple is building its own TV set, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday evening that Apple is in talks with cable television operators to use an Apple TV device as a set-top-box. Adding to yesterday’s report, the publication shared another note today with more details of Apple’s vision for the new device. This evening’s report mentions that Apple is looking to introduce a feature that will allow users to view a TV show at any time—even minutes after it started. iCloud DVR has a nice ring to it.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company proposes giving viewers the ability to start any show at any time through a digital-video recorder that would store TV shows on the Internet. Viewers even could start a show minutes after it has begun. Time Warner Cable Inc. offers a limited version of this feature called Start Over.

Furthermore, Apple is said to be working on a redesigned interface for the set-top box that is more in-line with the icon interface of the iPad. Users have begun to express their concern in recent months over the Apple TV’s UI, claiming the menus are confusing and calling the interface clunky. Social media features may also be added which would allow users to easily share thoughts on TV shows and movies.

An iPad-like UI could make things easier for customers, as most have become accustomed to iOS’ easy-to-navigate UI. Customers have an understanding of how apps work, making it easy for them to launch, for instance, a CBS “channel.” Apple would also presumably tie some awesome remote features into its existing iOS lineup. The rumored iPad mini sounds perfect.

Apple is still far away from making a deal, the report noted. The Cupertino-based company still has many hurdles left, including getting the actual agreements in place, and Apple is said to be talking to the operators to lay out what the new set-top box can do.

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Another day, more witnesses, accusations of crack smoking. Day 10 of the Apple vs. Samsung case is on the way in sunny San Jose, Calif., this afternoon, where Samsung continues to bring key witnesses to the stand to rest its case. First off—Samsung called financial expert Michael Wagner to the stand this morning to discuss financials. Apple called its own similar witness to the stand earlier, who said Samsung’s margin of United States sales was roughly 35.5-percent (or  $8.16 billion). According to Reuters, Wagner stated to the court today that Apple overstated the amount of profit Samsung earns for its mobile products in the U.S. Instead of the 35.5-percent Apple alleged, according to Wagner, Samsung’s U.S. margin is only 12 percent (or $519 million). Apple finished its case last week by asserting Samsung owes $2.5 billion to $2.7 billion in damages for alleged “slavish” copying.

With Apple’s explanation on the table, and the amount it is requesting in damages, along with the barring of some products, Samsung had its turn to state its case. Samsung claimed Apple copied its patents that cover emailing pictures from photo albums, the act of playing music from the device, and more. Apple made similar claims to Samsung.

Two more witnesses who took the stand today calculated the amount of royalties Apple would owe Samsung if the company were found to be infringing patents, Bloomberg noted. Vincent O’Brien, a damages expert, told the court that for two of Samsung’s patents, Apple should owe $22.8 million to Samsung. Another witness, David Teece, further asserted Apple should owe another $290 million to $399 million for two Samsung patents. That is a grand total of $422 million, which Apple could eventually be ordered to pay out if found guilty. Samsung rested its case. In further courtroom news, Judge Lucy Koh was once again fired up:

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We reported yesterday that Apple rested its case in the Apple vs. Samsung trial and that Samsung took the stand to begin its 25 hours to explain its side of the story. Samsung called Harvard University professor Woodward Yang to the stand today to continue laying its accusations against Apple. According to Samsung, Apple’s iPhone and iPad infringed on its patents that cover emailing pictures from photo albums and the act of playing music from the device. According to Yang, who is Samsung’s fourth witness, Apple used Samsung’s technology for inspiration. He further noted that Samsung filed for the patents before Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007.

Apple made similar accusations against Samsung last week, claiming the South Korean-based company looked closely at Apple’s iPhone and iPad as a building block for many of its early Android devices. Apple finished its case by asserting Samsung owes $2.5 billion to $2.7 billion in damages. Samsung simultaneously attempted to get the case withdrawn, but it was denied. We learned a treasure trove of information from key witnesses during Apple’s time on the stand. Some of the more important bits included Apple licensing iOS patents to Microsoft, how the original iPhone was thought up, and that Steve Jobs was receptive to a 7-inch iPad.

Samsung brought Apple’s patents into view yet another time during proceedings yesterday. Calling Adam Bogue to the stand, formerly of Mitsubishi, Samsung attempted to make a case that Apple looked to a touchscreen surface, called “the DiamondTouch table”,  introduced in 2001 for inspiration. Samsung explained that Apple did not originate the technology behind its patents but rather copied off prior technology. The Verge reported:

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From 9to5Toys.com: Sprint today dropped the price of the iPhone 4S yet again. The nation’s third-largest carrier now offers a free $100 American Express Reward Card (ships in 8-10 weeks) along with the purchase of the 16GB iPhone 4S for $149.99 with a two-year plan online (including free activation and shipping). This makes for the best deal on the iPhone 4S we have seen (at only $50!), beating out Sprint’s offering last week, which did not include the gift card. Other retailers and carriers have also dropped the price of the iPhone 4S over the past few weeks, offering the base model for $149.99 in most cases. We also learned last week that Apple has made price matching available in its retail stores, allowing customers to get up to $50 off each iPhone 4S model. Today Business Insider has learned that as a part of its price matching program, it will give a $100 Apple Store gift card to honor Sprint’s new deal.

The price drops have occurred in anticipation for the launch of Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone. Several reports indicated that Apple plans to launch the new iPhone Sept. 12, with the device shipping Sept. 21. It is also believed pre-orders for the device will begin Sept. 12. [9to5toys]

Getting a Sprint account in pursuit of a vanity number. (@ Sprint Store) http://t.co/l4brIC7u

— Steve Wozniak (@stevewoz) August 14, 2012

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After 25 hours to make its case in the Apple vs. Samsung trial in San Jose, Calif., Apple wrapped up 14 hours this afternoon by calling CPA Terry Musika to the stand. The Verge reported that, while on the stand, Musika broke down just how much money Apple lost due to Samsung’s patent infringement, which is the highlight of the entire case. According to Musika and Apple’s calculations, the company lost 2 million iPhone and iPad sales or $488.8 million in total. The amount was calculated by the products that Samsung was accused of copying, as well as royalty fees Apple believes Samsung should have paid for its products in question, and profits that Apple may have lost.

The CPA then brought up the $8.16 billion in revenue and $2.241 billion in profit Samsung garnered from the sale of its devices. After taking Samsung’s taxes, profit, and the market conditions at the time into consideration, Musika believes Samsung should pay $2.5 billion to $2.75 billion in damages. That figure is on key with what Apple has already presented. Read on:

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According to a new report from Rene Ritchie of iMore, who has been correct in the past, Apple is set to begin pre-orders of the next-generation iPhone on Sept. 12, which is the same day the device is expected to be announced. The device is then expected to be released Sept. 21, as several publications reported (and subsequently confirmed each other) a few weeks ago. At the same event, Apple is expected to introduce its new 7.85-inch iPad Mini. It is believed to compete directly with Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire. iMore further added in its report this morning that the international launch of the next iPhone will take place in early October, with Oct. 5 being the most likely day. Apple has been known to delay the launch of its devices internationally to ramp up sales. For example, the launch of the iPhone 4S internationally was two weeks after the U.S. launch. Read on for more details: 
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As we noted in May, the wait for the 1080p Apple TV jailbreak caused a spike in the price of the already jailbroken 720p Apple TV. The older Apple TV (new in box) is going for as much as $230 on Amazon and eBay, where as the latest model is going for as little as $90. Feature-craving customers are willing to pay a significant premium to jailbreak their Apple TV and add different media types, a web browser, the ability to back up content to the cloud, and more to their set-top box.

iOS hacker pod2g exaggerated the situation last week when he tweeted that he does not know of anyone working on a jailbreak for the third-generation Apple TV. The news was definitely a little disconcerting for those hoping to get a jailbreak on their 1080p Apple TVs.

However, there might be a light at the end of the tunnel for 1080p Apple TV owners who are after the jailbreak features.

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Apple’s first store in the heart of Hong Kong’s IFC opened to the public last fall. The store is massive, sporting a gigantic glass display that spans across six lanes of the street below and includes a giant staircase in the center of the store. Around the same time as the IFC launch, a second Apple Store located in Hong Kong was rumored to be in the works. We learned much more about the new flagship store today…

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Texas-based game retailer GameStop has taken a hit over the past year as users move game downloads to mobile devices and online platforms. While the company still maintains a two-thirds share of the retail market, its stock has taken a sharp 26 percent dive, leaving the company in need of a serious turn-around. We first reported last September that GameStop had begun taking in trade-ins of Apple’s devices, and we now have learned that was a part of the company’s master plan to bounce back.

In an effort to avoid the fate of Blockbuster, Circuit City and others in the remainder bin of failed retailers, GameStop has embarked on a daring, if inglorious, strategy: refashioning itself from a console-game purveyor into a repairer and reseller of Apple gadgets, betting that its retail visibility will prove an advantage.

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Reporting for Gizmodo, Cord Jefferson has a great account of what it is like to be an extra in the upcoming Steve Jobs biopic, “jOBS“, featuring Ashton Kutcher. While Jefferson was able to meet Kutcher, he described the experience as being long and boring. One part of the gig included listening to Kutcher give Jobs’ speech against IBM in Honolulu. Jefferson said he heard the speech 26 times:

I’ll remember those lines for the rest of my life. Not because I find them particularly profound, but because I heard Kutcher say them, by my count, 26 times over the course of about three hours. If you have any assumptions that the work of making movies is glamorous or exciting, kill them now.

As for the biopic’s success, the writer was not able to give a firm answer. He said Kutcher sounds serious about the gig (Kutcher looks close to Jobs, just saying). He talked about Sorkin’s upcoming film, too:

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According to a new report from French publication Nowhereelse.fe and Chinese forum iColorOS, more sixth-generation iPhone parts have surfaced from China. As you can see above, we now have a look at the alleged glass front, home button, sensors, volume control buttons, and the protection element placed on the back of the phone screen that may appear in the next iPhone. The leak also adds a bit more validity to a report earlier this week that showed a new nano-SIM card and smaller home buttons for the device.

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Popular gaming marketplace Steam is ready to be the third major desktop application store, next to Apple’s App Store and Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 store. Valve, the parent company of Steam, announced in a press release this afternoon the arrival of new non-gaming software on its store that will launch Sept. 5. It is a certain step away from its years of focusing on just gaming. Steam will offer apps ranging from “creativity to productivity,” and they will be organized into categories, as shown off in a leaked screenshot above of Steam’s iOS app from June. Steam will also include its Steamworks feature in the store. It allows for automatic updating of apps and the ability to save data to the Steam Cloud. [Joystiq]

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The word “torrent” always received a bit of a negative connotation, especially thanks to illegal file-sharing services that make copyrighted material, such as movies, music and software, available for free. The act of torrenting is legal, however, as long as you are downloading content that is not copyrighted. Internet Archive, which tries to bring “universal access to all knowledge,” made available over 1 million torrents. It includes a large collection of films, live music concerts, books, and old time radio that are all legal to download. The organization explained why it chose BitTorrent as a means of delivery:

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