Apple

6,154 'Apple News' stories November 2008 - September 2012

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Apple News and Brief History

Before you can properly understand Apple News, it’s important to know its history. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976. In 1977, Apple’s sales were growing with the success of its early computers. Within a few years, Jobs and Wozniak hired designers and a production line crew. Apple went public in 1980 and was an instant success. Over the next few years, Apple shipped new computers featuring new graphical user interfaces, such as the original Macintosh in 1984. As the market for personal computers expanded through the 1990s, Apple lost market share to the cheaper Microsoft Windows on PC clones. Eventually, Wozniak and Jobs both left Apple. Jobs would go on to found NeXT and would return to Apple when NeXT was acquired in the late 90s. Apple then began a journey to the great second act in the history of the business world.

Since the release of the iPod in 2001, Apple has become a major player once again in the technology industry. After releasing the iPhone in 2007, the iPad in 2010, and the Apple Watch in 2015, Apple is now one of the largest companies in the world. Apple’s worldwide annual revenue totaled $274.5 billion for its 2020 fiscal year.

Today, Apple operates retail stores all across the world, has a growing services division, and an ever-expanding hardware lineup. The technology industry follows Apple news to see where the company is headed in the future.

Keep reading for the latest Apple news

Target announces Passbook support for mobile coupons

Élyse Betters Sep 20 2012 - 10:09 am PT

Target just announced support for Apple’s new Passbook app in iOS 6. Folks can now use the Target app to send, store, and access Target Mobile Coupons in Passbook. Check out the press release and app changelog below for additional details.

Target for iOS version 5.5.1:

Big screen, big savings:
Now you can receive coupons directly in the app and scan them in the store. Check out My Target section to get started. Saving has never been this easy.
Add coupons to Passbook on iOS 6.
Filter search results by price, in-store or online availability, color and much more.
Supports the larger screen size for the iPhone 5 and new iPod Touch.
And the little things matter, too:
Change the color or size of a product right from your cart.
View ratings and reviews for Daily Deals.
Fixes an issue with adding items to your cart. (Older versions will be fixed soon.)

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Google Exec comments on iOS 6 Maps [Video]

Élyse Betters Sep 20 2012 - 6:52 am PT

[ooyala code=”BrOWh4NTpclZ6spl7Lv0IUL4nC19XOSe”]

Google UK Marketing Director Dan Cobley briefly spoke with Bloomberg TV today on Apple’s decision to remove Google Maps from iOS 6, but the most intriguing part about his statement concerned how people could continue to use Google Maps after updating.

Cobley noted folks on iOS 6 can still “use Google Maps by downloading them or going to the Google Maps website.” This is an interesting comment, however, as there is no Google Maps-related app from Google available in the App Store aside from the Google Earth app. It features 3D layers, including roads, borders, places, photos and more, but it is not an adequate Google Maps replacement. There is also no existing option to download a map from Google Maps in mobile Safari.

Therefore, it is currently unclear what Cobley meant by “downloading them.” SearchEngineLand asked Google today when iOS would get a new Google Maps app, though, and if it would feature turn-by-turn navigation. Google replied:

We believe Google Maps are the most comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps in the world. Our goal is to make Google Maps available to everyone who wants to use it, regardless of device, browser, or operating system.

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Samsung mocks iPhone 5 line sitters (again) in new Galaxy S III ad

Jordan Kahn Sep 19 2012 - 10:35 am PT

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nf5-Prx19ZM]

Samsung just released its latest ad mocking iPhone line sitters—right on time for the release of the iPhone 5 this week. The ad is quite similar to its old “The Next Big Thing” Galaxy ads, as it bashes iPhone customers waiting in line at the Apple Store. This commercial is for Samsung’s latest device, of course, the Galaxy S III.

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Report: Time Warner Cable COO would relinquish cloud-based TV UI control to Apple, prefers ‘customer relationship’ control

Élyse Betters Sep 19 2012 - 8:12 am PT

We reported earlier this month on Apple’s TV plans, specifically relating to its alleged difficulty in getting cable companies to relinquish control of user interface and user experience, but now a new report quoted Time Warner Cable’s COO as willing to concede as long as it maintains the “customer relationship.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter:

Time Warner Cable is “hard at work at a cloud-based [TV] guide experience” and is open to giving up control of the user interface as it looks to make its service accessible via new devices, including Apple’s iPhones and iPads, president and COO Rob Marcus told an investor conference in New York on Wednesday.

But he emphasized that this does not mean that the cable giant is willing “to give up the customer relationship” as the company is committed to ensuring that people know its TV services are provided by TW Cable and not any device maker or other third party.

Recent reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal often mention the possibility of an Apple-branded HDTV. However, at this point, negotiations with cable companies appear to relate to an existing form factor of the Apple TV set-top box.

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Apple Marketing SVP Phil Schiller confirms: Apple has no iPhone 5 dock in the works

Sep 18 2012 - 7:57 pm PT

We were recently forwarded an email where a reader reached out to Senior Vice President of Marketing Philip Schiller to ask if Apple planned to release a dock for the new iPhone 5.

Schiller apparently replied to the user’s email and said there were no plans to produce an iPhone 5 dock, as “most people who use docks use them with speaker or clock systems.” Based on the message header we received, we believe this correspondence is the real deal. Apple has released a dock for each iteration of the iPhone—it even included one with the original iPhone. We expect third-party accessory makers to seize this opportunity and fill the hole Apple has left; they are already reproducing Lightning cable adapters.

The best part of this email is quite possibly the fact that Schiller went out of his way to let recipients of his messages know he is using an iPhone 5. His signature stated, “Sent from my iPhone 5”.

iPhone 5 reviews released: ‘Impossibly light but solid feel, iOS is speedy on the expansive screen’

Jake Smith Sep 18 2012 - 6:00 pm PT

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5mac/status/248054034156617728]

[viddler id=82e97344 w=545 h=307]

The iPhone 5 is a significant improvement over the iPhone 4S in nearly every regard, and in those areas that didn’t see an upgrade over its predecessor — camera, storage capacity — one could make a strong case that the iPhone 4S was already ahead of the curve. Every area, that is, except for the OS. If anything, it’s the operating system here that’s beginning to feel a bit dated and beginning to show its age.

Still, the iPhone 5 absolutely shines. Pick your benchmark and you’ll find Apple’s thin new weapon sitting at or near the top. Will it convince you to give up your Android or Windows Phone ways and join the iOS side? Maybe, maybe not. Will it wow you? Hold it in your hand — you might be surprised. For the iOS faithful this is a no-brainer upgrade. This is without a doubt the best iPhone yet. This is a hallmark of design. This is the one you’ve been waiting for.

Many of us have experience with LTE from using the iPad. I’ll tell you it’s great to see it on the iPhone. I actually use LTE more on the iPhone than I do on the iPad, simply because I use the phone a lot more. The speed is incredibly fast, especially when compared to what the iPhone 4S could do.

Like the faster processor and graphics, LTE gives you the feeling of never waiting for anything. Apps open fast and you are ready to work or browse the Web right away.

The Telegraph:

[ooyala code=”xweHZ3NTp9064-eacNLMRkmDFJNXZGhI”]

Specificationists will say that with the iPhone 5 Apple is now behind its rivals in terms of features but in truth it’s hard to think of a feature offered elsewhere that the average person – as opposed to the tech obsessive – really needs. NFC is not sufficiently widely used, wireless charging is nice but still requires a charger plugged into the wall and most people get along fine without removable storage. The iPhone 5 is a great smartphone made even better. It’s fast, lightweight and backed by the largest application store for any device. It’s also probably the most beautiful smartphone anyone has ever made.

More reviews below:

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iFixit delves inside the new Apple EarPods [Gallery]

Élyse Betters Sep 18 2012 - 12:06 pm PT

iFixit is hardcore when it comes to breaking open our favorite electronics to see what’s inside, and the website did it again today with the new Apple EarPods that just unveiled last week.

There is no repairability score for the EarPods, because they are “the throw-away kind.” Due to their glue blinding, iFixit warned the EarPods would never be the same if taken apart. In fact, an X-Acto blade was needed to cut the headphones open.

The notable tidbits from inside:

The EarPod speakers house a diaphragm/ paper cone, a voice coil, a permanent magnet, and a cabinet. Previous Apple headphones used plastic cones rather than paper.
The new design includes “larger cable wrapping on both ends” to sustain durability and minimize strain on the wires, and Apple removed the external microphone grate to make the EarPods more resilient to moisture damage.

As for the EarPod remote microphone:

The microphone in the EarPods’ remote bears the markings 2F17 045; we also uncovered another IC with the markings TI25ASGVI, which Chipworks believes to be an ADC, or a device used for volume-control duty.

Oh, and click here to see a size comparison of the remote’s circuit board alongside a U.S. dime.

Something to consider: Perhaps the new EarPods are so “mediocre'” because Apple wants to protect ears from the type of sound that only plug earphones produce. Apple sells many headphones, so producing a good sound that protects ears is probably a high priority for the oft-sued Apple.

Go to iFixit for the entire teardown.

: Final layout

: Compared to older-generation EarBuds

: Packaging

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Poll: Are you worried that iOS 6 Maps ‘update’ won’t have important data that Google’s maps did?

Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 11:29 am PT

image via reddit

When Apple demoed its new in-house, iOS 6 Maps app at WWDC in June, replacing the Google Maps backend used in previous versions of iOS, first impressions from many users raised concerns over whether it could compete with the old Google Maps iOS app they were used to. Apple has been steadily improving the Maps app with each beta release, including recently expanding coverage of 3D maps to new cities, but its limitations could be a source of frustration for upgrading iPhone owners in the coming weeks.

Macworld’s Jason Snell raised some alarm bells this week at the post-iPhone 5 roundtable (11:00 in), saying Maps did not feel ready and he was concerned that long-time Maps users would be disappointed. We received lots of comments and forum posts from users who refuse to update until transit times were included.

[tweet https://twitter.com/jon889/status/248130694319046657]

The move was not surprisingly viewed as a strategic one for Apple, and fueled by powerful technologies from Placebase, C3 Technologies, and Poly9 acquisitions, but will Apple be able to smooth iOS 6 Maps app enough to keep users happy when they update to iOS 6 and make the transition from Google Maps later this month?

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iPad mini spyshots leak, look slightly more convincing [gallery]

Seth Weintraub Sep 18 2012 - 8:13 am PT

With the launch of the iPhone 5 and Apple’s stock price crossing 700, we almost forgot about the iPad mini that is rumored to launch next month. We have some new shots of the rumored device today from Chinese website Bolopad.com (via TechCrunch). These images look a bit better than previous leaks, which were just renders, schematics, cases or parts, but the now-defunct YouTube app gives us more than a little pause.

Update: it appears that they are mockups from here

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ITC launches investigation of Apple devices following Motorola complaint

Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 8:06 am PT

The United States International Trade Commission announced today (via TNW) that it would launch an investigation of Apple devices, including iPhones, iPods, iPads and Macs, following a complaint filed by Motorola last month that sought an import ban related to seven patents. The release from the ITC does not provide many details and only stated it will investigate “certain wireless communication devices, portable music and data processing devices, computers, and components thereof” from Apple.

USITC INSTITUTES SECTION 337 INVESTIGATION ON CERTAIN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICES, PORTABLE MUSIC AND DATA PROCESSING DEVICES, COMPUTERS, AND COMPONENTS THEREOF

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to institute an investigation of certain wireless communication devices, portable music and data processing devices, computers, and components thereof. The products at issue in this investigation are certain Apple iPhones, iPods, iPads, and Apple personal computers.

The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Motorola Mobility LLC of Libertyville, IL, Motorola Mobility Ireland of Bermuda, and Motorola Mobility International Limited of Bermuda, on August 17, 2012. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain wireless communication devices, portable music and data processing devices, computers, and components thereof that infringe patents asserted by the complainants. The complainants request that the USITC issue an exclusion order and a cease and desist order.

The USITC has identified Apple Inc. of Cupertino, CA, as the respondent in this investigation.

By instituting this investigation (337-TA-856), the USITC has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case. The USITC’s Chief Administrative Law Judge will assign the case to one of the USITC’s six administrative law judges (ALJ), who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing. The ALJ will make an initial determination as to whether there is a violation of section 337; that initial determination is subject to review by the Commission.

The USITC will make a final determination in the investigation at the earliest practicable time. Within 45 days after institution of the investigation, the USITC will set a target date for completing the investigation. USITC remedial orders in section 337 cases are effective when issued and become final 60 days after issuance unless disapproved for policy reasons by the U.S. Trade Representative within that 60-day period.

Apple’s next huge data center will be in Hong Kong, groundbreaking Q1 2013

Seth Weintraub Sep 18 2012 - 7:10 am PT

Map of Hong Kong post handover

We’ve received word that Apple is building another enormous data center—this time in Hong Kong SAR, China.

Apple recently finalized a location in the New Territories region of Hong Kong near the Shenzhen China border for the data center. We spoke to a bidding contractor employee who, on the condition of anonymity, told us the planned data center’s scale is unprecedented for his business: “There is simply nothing to compare it to and therefore it is hard to make estimates on size based on the materials required.” We were told that construction is to begin in Q1 2013, and it will likely take over a year for operations to start in the data center. The aim is to have it operational by 2015, which is the same time that Apple’s Spaceship Campus 2 is scheduled to go online.

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Apple tops ACSI September report with 86 out of 100 in customer satisfaction

Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 5:25 am PT

The American Customer Satisfaction Index is out today with its September report for appliances, computers, televisions and video players/recorders. Not surprisingly, Apple is able to maintain its lead among personal computers despite a drop of 1-point to 86 over previous reports. While the report noted Apple continued to lead the category by a margin of 5- to- 9 points, Apple’s lead is slightly smaller than previously, according to the report, “due to an across-the-board customer satisfaction increase for Windows-based computers.” Apple’s score comes as the PC industry as a whole gains 2.6-points and hit all-time high satisfaction score of 80.

Skipping past HP, Acer and Toshiba, the aggregate of smaller PC makers (including tablet producers Samsung and Amazon) improves customer satisfaction by 4% to 80 while simultaneously gaining market share at a pace that outstrips even Apple… “What may be occurring is that the defection of the least satisfied customers of traditional PC brands such as Dell, HP and Acer to Apple and other smaller tablet makers actually may be boosting customer satisfaction for all,” says Fornell. “The companies that lose market share will maintain their most loyal and happy customers, while those who migrate to other companies in search of new products are more pleased as well.”

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Google snaps up iPad app of the year

Élyse Betters Sep 17 2012 - 9:02 am PT

Google just bought the brainchild behind popular iOS app Snapseed, Nik Software.

Snapseed, which has some features of the hit iOS app Instagram in terms of jazzy vintage filters, is just one of many desktop and mobile photography apps that Nik Software develops. Snapseed launched on Apple’s iPad in June 2011, winning “iPad App of the Year” soon after, and then it landed on the iPhone in August 2011 and Mac OS just four months later. The app also boasts a Windows counterpart.

Today’s announced buyout could notably help Google’s budding social network, Google+, better combat direct rival Facebook, which recently acquired Instagram and its 100+ million users.

Get Nik Software’s statement at 9to5Google.

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HP CEO: ‘Apple taught us that design really matters’

Jordan Kahn Sep 17 2012 - 7:23 am PT

The Wall Street Journal has a story today on HP CEO Meg Whitman “taking a cue from Apple” and planning to release a redesigned line of PCs that could one day rival Apple. While mentioning the “brick” of a company laptop she received when taking over as CEO in September 2011, Whitman discussed the company’s struggle to keep up with Apple’s product design:

As part of her plan, Ms. Whitman is counting on better-looking PCs, hoping her company might one day rival Apple Inc. as the industry’s standard bearer for sleek design…”I don’t think we kept up with the innovation,” said the 56-year-old CEO. “The whole market has moved to something that is more beautiful… Apple taught us that design really matters,” she said. “I think we’ve made a lot of progress.”

HP executive Stacy Wolff is behind the new look, which he explained uses a common color palette, standard logo size, and reduced components “so that a computer’s chassis, for example, was a single piece of metal or plastic, instead of multiple pieces.”

Not only did the change make the products look better-built, but it sometimes made them cheaper or lighter…”We’re working on a cleaner, more minimalistic look,” he said.

We already got a look at HP’s sleeker [MacBook Air] look with its new Windows 8 notebooks at IFA (pictured above) and recently announced iMac with Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad (pictured right)…

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Do Siri’s quirky answers boasting Apple products constitute sponsored advertising?

Jordan Kahn Sep 17 2012 - 6:56 am PT

We know Siri has a tendency to provide surprising answers that can cause a bit of controversy in some cases. Many reported earlier this year that Siri responded with “Nokia Lumia 900” when asked what the best smartphone is (an answer based on data from the Web). Apple quickly appeared to tweak the responses with answers that promoted the iPhone, such as: “The one you’re holding.” Now, PocketNow reported law student Sean DeVries is suing Apple over the “sponsored responses”:

Instead of actually providing information based on web search results and user reviews, Apple’s Siri software will provide a “sponsored answer” instead that advertises Apple’s products… of our law-student Pocketnow readers decided to sue Apple about this on-device false advertising simply out of principle. Sean DeVries’ goal is to get Apple to at least change their website and end user agreement to include this information though an indicator of “sponsored responses” would be best during Siri’s answers. Sean’s court date is scheduled for October 9th.

Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer reportedly leaves Apple (9to5mac.com)
Google/Motorola claims Apple infringes seven patents, relate to Siri, location-based reminders (9to5mac.com)
Apple is putting Google’s Voice search app through purgatory yet again (9to5google.com)
Apple’s A6 isn’t an ARM processor design, it is Apple’s first CPU design (9to5mac.com)

First third-party Lightning to 30-pin adapters show up on Amazon for $10-18 (Ebay too)

Seth Weintraub Sep 16 2012 - 6:59 pm PT

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Look what just popped up on Amazon: A company called Nanotch is offering pre-orders for 30-pin to Lightning adapters. There had been concern when a report last month said the 9-pin adapters were only going to cost $10 each and Apple would be the sole manufacturer, but neither looks to be true.

The company listed the following features:

Lightning cable adapter for newest generation of Apple products.
Adapter to use your new Apple products with older accessories.
Use your iPhone 5 with older models of accessories.
20cm cord.
Small adapter for easy connection.

There was some controversy in the first few hours of the iPhone 5 pre-orders because Apple’s Store website said a 30-pin adapter was included with the iPhone 5. Apple quickly removed the error but confused some customers in the process.

The Nanotch item is currently listed for pre-order. As with most third-party Amazon sales, buyer beware.

Update: Ebay has these as well and another item, which more closely resembles Apple’s adapter, is from seller ‘iTronz” below and ships next week:
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Full fifth-generation iPod touch and seventh-generation iPod nano schematics, blueprints on file

Jake Smith Sep 16 2012 - 6:35 pm PT

Just as it did for the iPhone 5, Apple posted schematics for the new fifth-generation iPod touch and seventh-generation iPod nano—both of which will be available to customers in the coming weeks. The blueprints are certainly useful if you are in the accessory game. You can see the iPod touch above (get a look at where the Loop is and the top area that should not be obscured by metal) and the iPod nano past the break (also notice a Bluetooth antenna area):

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Amazon gets new iPods as Best Buy throws a MacBook Sale

9to5 Staff Sep 16 2012 - 5:41 am PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

Amazon just launched pre-order pages for the new iPod Touch, Nanos and Shuffles. They will ship probably right after Apple starts with sales tax in only some states.

Meanwhile. Best Buy is having a MacBook Sale this weekend with up to $200 off MacBooks. The new Airs with 4GB of RAM start out at $949 and many 13″ Airs/Pros are $100 off, which are the lowest prices we could find.

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Most Yahoo employees now have the option of getting an iPhone 5

Seth Weintraub Sep 15 2012 - 8:49 pm PT

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A fantastic, if not very accurate, title at BusinessInsider: “Marissa Mayer Just Gave Every Yahoo Employee An iPhone 5”! Well, not really, but it backs up an earlier claim.

The former Google executive did offer high-end smartphones to most of its employees (if the memo BI received is legit) including the iPhone 5, three Androids and a Nokia Lumia Windows Phone. These are probably the top phones on the market today, and they will replace the BlackBerries that Yahoo! employees were given until this point.

The memo is below. Mayer was notorious for her use of Apple’s iPhone, even within the walls of Google.

We have a very exciting update to share with you today – we are announcing Yahoo! Smart Phones, Smart Fun! As of today, Yahoo is moving off of blackberries as our corporate phones and on to smartphones in 22 countries. A few weeks ago, we said that we would look into smartphone penetration rates globally and take those rates into account when deciding on corporate phones. Ideally, we’d like our employees to have devices similar to our users, so we can think and work as the majority of our users do.

Moving forward, we’ll offer you a choice of devices as well as provide monthly plans for the data and phone.

The smartphone choices that we are including in the program are:

* Apple iPhone 5
* Android:
– Samsung Galaxy S3
– HTC One X
– HTC EVO 4G LTE
* Windows Phone 8:
– Nokia Lumia 920

We’re getting started right away and taking orders starting now

Clearly, Yahoo will buy a lot of iPhone 5s for its employees if they truly have freewill in the decision.

Samsung already has anti-iPhone 5 ‘It doesn’t take a genius’ ads out

Seth Weintraub Sep 15 2012 - 1:24 pm PT

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You can say many things about Samsung, but one you cannot say it is slow (you could also say it leaked the rumored 1GB of RAM on the iPhone 5). However, a reader has taken an “S-pen” to the ad above:

[tweet https://twitter.com/jshchnz/status/247134888321495040]

Here’s a Redditer’s breakdown of the features:

Before I even start typing, I would like to note that this will probably be a little bit biased towards Apple.

So, I’m sure you’ve all seen Samsgun’s latest anti-Apple ad. If you haven’t, you can go and check it out here. Notice how they list a lot of features that the iPhone apparently doesn’t have. Well, here’s what they do.

NFC: Near field communication let’s your phone establish a connection with another phone that is touching it or very close to it. It can accomplish almost everything that Bluetooth can, but in a much closer proximity and without dealing with pairing.

Smart-stay: This feature aims to prevent the display backlight from turning off while you are looking at the phone’s display. Critics have said that this feature works fine in well-lit areas, but not in the dark.

S-Beam: This is a feature available in Ice Cream Sandwich, and uses NFC to transfer data between two phones that are held closely together. It does the same thing that the iPhone application Bump does.

Share Shot: This is an easy way to share photos with another S3 owner. It lets you upload pictures you’ve taken to another S3 decide through a WiFi network. The iPhone’s equivalent is Shared Photo-Streams, only Share Shot only works through WiFi.

Group Cast: Group Cast is designed for presentations. It lets users view and interact with PDF, PowerPoint, and image files through their phones.

Direct Call: This feature aims to know when you want to talk vs. when you want to text. For instance, if you’re composing a text message but decide to call the receiver instead, you simply hold your phone to your ear and it will dial their number. (Seems silly to me)

Smart Alert: This feature activates when you’ve been away from your phone. It vibrates to let you know that you have missed calls or text-messages. It seems like a much more annoying version of Notification Center, BUT you don’t have to manually check it– it automatically notifies you as oppose to you manually checking Notification Center.

Tilt-to-Zoom: This feature let’s you simply tilt the phone – as opposed to pinching and zooming – to zoom in on a picture or website.

Palm Swipe Capture: This feature lets you swipe your palm over your phone to take a screenshot. On the iPhone this is accomplished by simultaneously pressing the Home button and the Sleep-Wake button.

Palm touch to mute/pause: You can mute and pause media on the screen by covering the screen with your hand.

Picture-in-picture: This let’s you watch a video and normally use your phone at the same time by placing the video in a popup window.

Turn Over To Mute: Let’s you turn over your phone to mute incoming calls.

Shake To Update: Lets you shake your phone to update the information most apps are displaying. For instance, shaking your phone while in the Twitter app will load new tweets, etc.

Removable Battery: Pretty self explanatory. Lets you take out your battery.

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Report: Apple wins USITC patent ruling against Samsung

Élyse Betters Sep 14 2012 - 12:45 pm PT

Apple just won another ruling brought by Samsung, according to a U.S. International Trade Commission notice, in regards to patented technology found in iOS devices.

Bloomberg reported:

Apple Inc. (AAPL) won a round of a U.S. International Trade Commission case brought by Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) over patented technology in the iPhone and iPad tablet computer, its second U.S. legal victory in a month over its largest smartphone competitor.

Apple didn’t violate Samsung’s patent rights, ITC Judge James Gildea said in a notice posted on the agency’s website. The judge’s findings are subject to review by the full commission, which has the power to block imports of products that infringe U.S. patents.

…Gildea said there was no infringement of any of the four patents in the ITC case, and also determined that Samsung had not proven it had a domestic industry that used the patents, a requirement that is unique to the trade agency. The judge didn’t provide the reasons behind his findings. The opinion will be public after both sides get a chance to redact confidential information.

U.S. International Trade Commission: Notice (PDF)

Get more details at Bloomberg.

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New aerial shots of Apple’s North Carolina data center show almost complete solar farm

Jordan Kahn Sep 14 2012 - 12:20 pm PT

Apple is making a lot of progress with construction in and around its Maiden, N.C., data center. An almost-complete 100 acre solar farm is pictured in the above aerial shots provided to GigaOm by WCNC-TV.

Cheap! Amazon new 7-inch Kindles now on sale starting at $159

9to5 Staff Sep 14 2012 - 12:03 pm PT

From 9to5Toys.com

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAOJyBxjpcs]

Amazon just opened the floodgates to its forked-Android powered Kindles (7-inch only so far).

The original with some beefed up internals is just $159. The new HD version (which closely matches up with the Google Nexus 7) is $199 for 16GB and $249 for 32GB.

(Or you could wait a month and probably not hate yourself :P)

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iPhone 5 Nano-SIMs headed to T-Mobile in October

Jordan Kahn Sep 14 2012 - 11:10 am PT

We already knew T-Mobile had big plans for the iPhone in coming months when it announced plans to launch the Unlimited & Unlocked iPhone marketing initiative on the same day as the iPhone 5 launch. Today, we get confirmation from TmoNews that nano-SIMs are indeed on the way to T-Mobile for customers wishing to use the new iPhone on its network. The carrier expects the SIMs to arrive in October, but we are hearing they have already started arriving. You will, of course, first have to get your hands on an unlocked iPhone 5.

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