According to Bloomberg, Apple lost a lawsuit against VirnetX in a Texas courtroom late this evening and ordered to pay $368.2 million in damages. VirnetX sued Apple for infringing on its collection of network patents that Apple has been accused of incorporating into products like FaceTime. VirnetX was originally asking for upward of $900 million, but the jury decided on lesser damages this evening. Additionally, the patent holding company has similar cases pending against Cisco and Avaya. VirnetX successfully won $105.75 million from Microsoft in 2010.
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Reliable sources recently provided 9to5Mac with official blueprints of Apple Campus 2 that detail and illustrate the mammoth project currently in development. (These are just a few of the confidential images.)
Solar panels cover the main building’s entire roof, and the images above depict additional outdoor and indoor aspects of the new structure. The exclusive slides named Foster + Partners as one of the architecture firms working on the project, and they cited Arup for consulting engineering, OLIN for landscape architecture, and Davis Langdon for construction. Previous reports indicated that construction is supposed to start later this year.
In related news: Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer sent neighbors brochures recently to solicit feedback on the project.
In a post titled “Apple’s clean energy plans still cloudy despite coal-free pledge,” Greenpeace praised Apple on its blog for significantly improving clean energy policies, but the environmental organization still gave the company low scores for its energy choices.
A new Greenpeace International analysis released today, and it claims—despite Apple’s commitment to make its data centres coal-free and 100-percent renewable energy operated—the folks in Cupertino still lack “a plan that outlines a realistic path to eliminate its reliance on coal to power its iCloud.”
A new report this morning detailed Apple’s investment in equipment and machinery during the most recent quarter as record-breaking, which indicates the company is certainly up to something.
According to Asymco, Apple’s financial reports hint at even more future investments. The Cupertino, Calif.-based Company spent $1.3 billion in the last quarter, with another $2.5 billion needed over the next two quarters.
“Such numbers are hard to grasp. They are unprecedented not only for Apple but for almost any comparable company,” explained Asymco’s Horace Dediu.
The graph above illustrates the increase in quarterly spending for “machinery, equipment, and internal-use software.” So, what does Apple have in the works that requires so much machine-powered investments?
9to5Macrevealed today that the sixth-generation iPhone will have a 3.95-inch display at a 1,136-by-640-pixel resolution, and it will have a new dock connector. Of course, simply upgrading the iPhone does not explain Apple’s deep investment into production equipment.
Apple is currently involved in an outreach program to new neighbors in its planned “Campus 2” area. A brochure was mailed this week to residents surrounding the new campus that provided information and invited feedback in a variety of ways. Although the project seems to be a big win for the city of Cupertino, some residents voiced concern about the added traffic and other changes to the area.
We obtained a letter from one of Apple’s new neighbors—here are the takeaways:
Campus 2, as it is currently called, will not replace the 1 Infinite Loop campus. Instead, it will provide “research facility” office space for an additional 13,000 employees, which is more than 3,000 than 1 Infinite Loop. There is also 300,000 feet of expansion space for future growth.
Campus 2 will attain LEED certification and will have no manufacturing or heavy industrial activity onsite. Apple has and will continue to take extra steps to reduce auto use by employees. Moreover, the roof of the main building is a huge solar array.
Campus 2 will not open to the public, so there is no museum or corporate store. :(
The “world class” auditorium located at the very southern tip of the new campus will host product launches and corporate events.
The corporate fitness center/recreation center will be located to the north west of the main circular building in a separate structure.
Infinite Loop will remain the official corporate HQ, so top executives will likely stay behind.
Apple intends to break ground as soon as Cupertino approves the changes (scheduled for later this year), with plans to start occupying the space in 2015.
Neighbors can fill out the postage paid response card or go to the Cupertino.org website with comments, questions, or concerns.
Apple plans to build a new off-campus restaurant and recreation facility for employees to provide a place for discussion “without fear of competition sort of overhearing their conversations.”Mercury News reported today a planning request for the building that the Cupertino Planning Commission approved. (via TNW)
The new facility will feature 70 parking spaces, even though it is located within walking/biking distance from the main campus. The 21,468-square-foot space will not just be a cafeteria; it will also house a courtyard, meeting rooms, and recreation areas. Unlike Apple’s current on-site Caffe Macs restaurant, the new building will not be open to visitors signed in by Apple employees.
Apple’s Director of Real Estate Facilities Dan Whisenhunt explained the reasoning behind building the new cafeteria:
Dark roof adorning Apple’s upcoming Spaceship campus suggest solar panels.
UPDATE [Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 12:55pm]: A reader chimed in about that black roof. Find the update added to the article bottom.
Apple’s upcoming campus in Cupertino, California is reminiscent of a spaceship with a footprint bigger than the Pentagon. The spectacular building should be completed by 2015, provided all goes as planned. Now, over the past few months we’ve been shown breathtaking renderings and descriptions of the 175-acre circular structure adorned in glass. The original conceptual images that had owed Cupertino City Council back in June and detailed drawings released in August have now been coupled with a brand new set of renderings that slip a couple of noteworthy details.
Yesterday, a new proposal Apple submitted on Monday has been made public at the City of Cupertino web site (viaiPhoneinCanada.ca). Four PDF documents weighing in at more than a hundred megabytes (Introduction, Site Plan & Landscaping, Floor Plans and Renderings) pitch the Spaceship building as “an integrated 21st century campus surrounded by green space”.
The company specifies its “distinctive and inspiring 21st century workplace” will “consist of 2.8 million square feet over four stories, and accommodate up to 13,000 employees”, respecting Apple’s security needs “in part through perimeter protection”. We can see how taking some paperwork to another department inside this monstrous super structure will be a lunch killer for some employees. The site is bounded by East Homestead Road on the north, properties adjacent to Tantau Avenue on the east, Interstate 280 on the south and Wolfe Road on the west. Apple doesn’t appear to have overlooked anything. Read on…
Apple has posted the full video of the Steve Jobs memorial and celebration of his life at the Cupertino, California campus. The event was held on October 19th and was only streamed to Apple employees who were not physically attending the event. The full video can be viewed at Apple’s website. Don’t come wearing any browser except for Safari.
It’s been long time coming and it’s finally here. The U.K. online Apple Store now lists the Apple iPhone Micro USB Adapter, available for £8.00 and shipping October 14. From Apple:
The Apple iPhone Micro USB Adapter allows you to use third-party micro USB cables and chargers to sync or charge your iPhone. Simply connect your iPhone to the Micro USB Adapter, then connect a micro USB cable or charger to the Micro USB Adapter
Standards bodies in Europe had agreed last year that all mobile phones sold in Europe should drop proprietary connectors in favor of standard USB jacks. Apple’s been ignoring the initiative up to the point when some watchers questioned whether the European Union should fine the Cupertino, California-based gadget maker.
As it turns out, Apple has elegantly addressed those concerns with this dongle. What it does for Apple is it lets them follow the letter of the law without redesigning the iPhone or, worse, risk incompatibility problems with a billion dollar ecosystem of accessories that take advantage of Apple’s 30-pin dock connector.
The City of Cupertino will be the lead agency and will prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Apple Campus 2 Project
While most Cupertino residents seem pretty excited about the idea, some are voicing concerns that traffic and other environmental impacts of the huge building could adversely affect their town. Notable from the video above:
Contrary to previous reports, Mayor Gilbert Wong said the project wasn’t a “done deal”
Apple Campus 2 Project Manager Terry Reagan (1.21) is no Steve Jobs when it comes to presenting Apple’s case.
Overall, the backlash seems minimal at best and easily surmountable. Apple doesn’t appear to have overlooked anything. Expand Expanding Close
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