Dipterologiae Italicae prodromus

After Apple finished its closing arguments in the Apple vs. Samsung trial earlier this afternoon, it was Samsung’s turn to close its case. First off, Samsung’s Charles Verhoeven explained that Apple is trying to go for a bigger target than the $2 billion in damages it think it deserves. Samsung rather believes Apple is trying to win this case to leverage itself in the smartphone and tablet market by blocking Samsung. If Samsung is found to have “slavishly copied” Apple as proposed, Samsung would not on pay huge damages to Apple, but it could also be barred from the market. Verhoeven stated that Apple could not prove Samsung copied in its closing statement nor that customers became confused over Apple and Samsung products.

Furthermore, Verhoeven discredited key Apple witnesses, including Susan Kare and Apple expert Russell Winer, asserting both witnesses admitted they could not provide any evidence. During all of this, The Verge reported that the jury was completely enthralled. Samsung continued pinpointing differences in all of its devices, even showing the startup screen of its Galaxy Tab, explaining, “You see Samsung Galaxy Tab for a long time. Then it has Verizon.” Obviously, he was tried to show that customers can make a distinction between devices.

Addressing the emails and documents that show Samsung execs discussing the iPhone, Verhoeven said, “That doesn’t show copying. It’s a company trying to figure out what’s going on.” He further stated that Apple is trying to mislead the jury. Verhoeven then made a comment to portray the good of Samsung:
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Much like Apple did when introducing its standalone iTunes U app at its education event last January, it is also planning to launch a standalone app for podcasts. A report from AllThingsD first mentioned Apple’s plans to include the app in iOS 6 this fall. We also heard that the app is in the works for a release with the final version of iOS 6.

People familiar with Apple’s plans tell me that when its new iOS 6 software becomes widely available this fall, podcasts will have their own app, where users will be able to discover, download and play them on mobile devices. Users who access iTunes via laptop and desktop machines will still find them in that version of iTunes, though.

Apart from the podcast app that AllThingsD noted would allow users to “discover, download and play” on iOS devices, we heard separately that Apple is working on podcast-producing technology, perhaps for inclusion into this app.

As part of its process of breaking the different content categories into standalone apps, many noticed with iOS 6 that Apple removed the Podcasts, Audiobooks, and iTunes U sections from the iTunes app.

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Microsoft is allegedly prepping to directly compete with Apple in the tablet market

The Redmond, Wash.-based Company scheduled an event in Los Angeles on Monday to make a “major announcement.” AllThingsD reported earlier this week that the event would unveil Microsoft’s tablet plans:

• After signaling for months that it would attack the market only through its traditional hardware partners, Microsoft has decided to enter the tablet business more directly. […]
• Sources say that Microsoft concluded that it needs its own tablet, with the company designing both the hardware and software in an effort to better compete against Apple’s strengths. Microsoft’s tablets may include machines running ARM-based processors as well as models running on traditional PC processors, sources said.

Perhaps more interesting: The Wrap claimed Microsoft will self-manufacture the device, which is an assertion that AllThingsD supports. The move is certainly plausible, because Microsoft snatched a 17.6-percent stake in Barnes and Noble’s Nook eReader business last month for $300 million. One could speculate that Apple and Amazon’s dominating presence in the market causes companies like Microsoft and Barnes and Noble to join forces.

[tweet https://twitter.com/harrymccracken/status/213653354117738497]

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2tkxWfDOaM]

AllThingsD just posted clips of almost the entire Apple CEO Tim Cook interview from D10. Our live blog of the event is here. The first video (above) is Cook’s comments on former CEO Steve Jobs as a “flip-flopper,” followed by a second video (below) where he discussed tablets and the PC legacy.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r33DGQL35wQ&]

Links to the rest of the videos are below, where Cook talks about doubling down on privacy, the “Pain in the ass” patent wars, etc.

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