Apple’s appealing against a court decision which could see the company hand over as much as $625.5 million in damages relating to technologies relating to Spotlight, Time Machine and Cover Flow.
The verdict was issued last Friday, when US District Judge Leonard David presided over a jury who declared Apple was guilty of patent abuse. The patents relate to work by Yale professor David Gerlenter whose spin-off firm Mirror Worlds Technologies launched the lawsuit. Expand Expanding Close
We already know the White House is full of iPad users, now it’s the same in the UK at Number 10 Downing Street, where Tory/Coalition Prime Minister David Cameron has come out to declare himself an iPad (and Mac) user.
Apple is on the way to seizing the number one slot in the Standard & Poor’s 500 market index, eclipsing the market value of current number one global company, Exxon.
Buoyed by its iPhone, iPad and Mac sales, Apple appears on course to exceed Exxon’s market value. Expand Expanding Close
Poring over a somewhat thought-provoking note penned by former Apple exec and Be Inc. founder, Jean-Louis Gassée, in which he argues that most operating systems are variants of one (Unix) and that the OS doesn’t really matter — it needs the apps.
He gives us a whistlestop tour of the evolution of OS development. On Apple, he writes: Expand Expanding Close
Here’s an issue with Apple doing ads: Some ads just suck, yet the companies who want to put them up still want to cough up the money to place ads.
Most ads companies wouldn’t bat an eye at putting up some bad ads. Annoying flashing ads? Sure!
Apple however, isn’t most ad companies. For instance, Business Insider reports that the third attempt to submit an ad wasn’t the charm for Addidas, who are going to take their $10 million dollars elsewhere.
Adidas supposedly pulled its $10+ million ad campaign from the iAd program because Apple CEO Steve Jobs was being too much of a control freak. According to one industry exec, Adidas decided to cancel its iAds after Apple rejected its creative concept for the third time.
Perhaps Jobs would have gone easier on New Balance?
The WSJ announced earlier that premium brand Chanel had pulled out of Apple’s iAd program with similar issues.
It is interesting that Apple has taken such an active role in advertising development and its curation doesn’t end at iOS apps, but actually the ads which appear inside them. Expand Expanding Close
Yet more wheels within wheels on Apple’s move to abandon Infineon for Qualcomm subsequent to Intel’s acquisition of Infineon, manufacturer of baseband chips for the iPhone.
Now we’re told Qualcomm will contract Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to make the 3G wireless chips that will equip Apple’s iPhone 5 and iPad 2, which will be launched in mid-2011, as reported by the China Economic News.
COMPUTERWORLD: Apple is taking another step closer to the release of a touch-sensitive iMac, if a new Digitimes report is to be believed. This follows months of feverish speculation that the company intends releasing a touch-controlled desktop Mac. Is Apple preparing a new wave of innovation to boost sales of its desktops?
Apple faces renewed competition on October 6 when Logitech is inviting media to attend the launch of its first Google TV device. This will be followed scant days later by Sony, which will host its own Google TV launch event on October 12. Expand Expanding Close
UPDATE: All four Apple retail stores in China now require customer to show his/her identity card while purchasing the iPhone 4. Every customer could only purchase one iPhone 4. Apple employees will unbox the iPhone 4 for customers and activate the phone right away. So, the iPhone 4 scalpers could not resell the iPhone 4 as “brand new” and buy in large quantities. link
We reported earlier this month on the quaint habit of iPhone purchasing for a profit all across London, as various folk pick up units to send into the lucrative Chinese grey market for the device — today we learn that Apple had to close its Beijing Apple store yesterday because grey market buyers were sucking all the store’s supply. Expand Expanding Close
It seems not all is well with the Final Cut Studio development team, with a report claiming release of the next version of the insanely widely-used professional video-editing solution has been set back until 2011.
We had originally been expecting Final Cut Studio would ship this year, but development has suffered “significant setbacks”, a French report explains. This has also led the Apple team to scale back the scope of the release. Expand Expanding Close
A hacker called Hexxeh has just uploaded this public service video for those of you out there who may have been wondering what it might be like to run Google’s ChromeOS on (gulp) your iPad? Expand Expanding Close
COMPUTERWORLD: I’ve been thinking about Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster’s belief that Apple may launch an all-in-one Apple television in the next 2-4 years. It makes sense as a natural continuation of Apple’s current strategy, but what would an Apple television look like? What would it do? And would you buy it?
When Apple CEO Steve Jobs promised iPhone 4 buyers they would receive a free case for their device did he mention any limitations to the deal? We can’t recall he did, but it looks like Apple’s quietly creating a few obstacles to customers attempting to get hold of a free case, at least in Taiwan. Expand Expanding Close
Apple’s legal department have extended the courtroom battle with Nokia in the US to the UK, launching litigation against Nokia in the UK.
Apple is accusing Nokia of infringing nine smartphone patents in an extension of a courtroom drama which began in December last year in reaction to an earlier lawsuit filed by Nokia against Apple. Expand Expanding Close
It took years but Apple CEO Steve Jobs finally has permission to tear down his hated house in Woodside to replace it with his own $8 million vision of what a billionaire’s home should be.
Owned by former copper baron Daniel Jackling, Jobs’ Woodside house has been an ongoing soap opera as Jobs attempted to defeat local history campaigners to gain permission to replace the place. There even seems to be some question as to whether these plans are really what Jobs has in mind. Expand Expanding Close
COMPUTERWORLD: All reports now suggest Apple will introduce its second-generation iPad in the second quarter of 2011. The device will hit a far more competitive market than it faced in its first iteration, with tablets coming from all directions. Will features be enough to prevail in the growing tablet industry? I think it will be developers who determine who succeeds in 2011’s tablet wars.
Just in case you haven’t guessed already, the analysts over at Goldman Sachs are speculating the next-generation iPad will appear next year, in the second quarter, to be exact.
They anticipate the new Apple (AAPL) tablet will host a 9.7-inch display and will be thinner and lighter than before. We’re also going to see a built-in camera and a mini USB connection – perhaps in anticipation of upcoming European standardization on the interface. Expand Expanding Close
We’re looking at Amazon’s new Web-based Kindle book samples here, folks, offering you the chance to read the first chapter of a host of books in a format you can host on your Facebook page, website or by email. All very nice, particularly as rumors of an Android-powered Amazon iPad competitor continue to gather steam. Expand Expanding Close
Apple new sixth-generation iPod nano costs from $43.73, according to iSuppli’s latest tear-down analysis of the same.
The 8GB version of the latest iPod carries an estimated BOM of $43.73, the second-lowest BOM of all members of the iPod line — only the fourth generation product was less expensive to manufacture at $40.80. Expand Expanding Close
Apple has given its approval to the Google Voice App for iPhone, which should be available at the App Store “soon”. Some changes were required to make the app work the iPhone 4 and iOS’s multitasking capabilities. The move follows Apple’s move to block the app last July of last year and its subsequent decision to relax its app guidelines for App development in September. Expand Expanding Close
RIM has announced its own iPad killer, dubbed the PlayBook, which the company describes as a tablet with an enterprise focus — however, in an unexpected Canadian blow, all 18 Saskatchewan Party cabinet ministers and five senior officials have been issued iPads. Expand Expanding Close
COMPUTERWORLD: The iPhone 4 is the best iPhone yet if held correctly, but don’t let that stop you wishing for more. What improvements would you like to see Apple make in the next-generation iPhone?
Fans of Saturday Night Live, Monk, and series (old and new) of things like 30 Rock, The Office and Law & Order can look forward to free streaming access to these shows on their iPad or Apple TV, thanks to Netflix. Expand Expanding Close
