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<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98434"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Will the iPad launch be delayed? Yes, no, and maybe.</p>
<p>Checks in Taiwan find some minor delays on production of the Apple device, according to ThinkEquity analyst Vijay Rakesh -- as noted by "Barron's" (<a href="http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/03/04/apple-thinkequity-reports-minor-ipad-production-delays/?mod=yahoobarrons" title="http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/03/04/apple-thinkequity-reports-minor-ipad-production-delays/?mod=yahoobarrons">http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/03/04/apple-thinkequity-re...</a>). His findings echo a similar assertion by Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek. However, Misek's assertions were contradicted by a "DigiTimes" report that said there are no delays. </p>
<p>‚ÄúThe manufacturing of the iPads was supposed to pick up in February, buy volumes in March are still low,‚Äù Rakesh wrote in note to clients. ‚ÄúBut checks are indicating iPad volumes will pick back up to the 800,000-1 million units/month [range] into...</p> | <a href="/content/ipad-delays-yes-no-yes-maybe">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98424"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Make of it what you will, but "Patently Apple" ( <a href="http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2010/03/hmm-apple-has-renewed-their-newton-logo-trademark.html" title="http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2010/03/hmm-apple-has-renewed-their-newton-logo-trademark.html">http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2010/03/hmm-apple-has-renewe...</a>) reports that Apple's filing pertaining to their Newton logo design trademark that appears to have been renewed or has been automatically set to renew on Oct. 13, 2010.</p>
<p>So what's a Newton? It was the first personal digital assistant proposed by then-Apple CEO John Sculley in 1987; the Newton project was initiated in 1990. The Newton prototype was announced two years later. In 1993 the Newton MessagePad was announced just shortly after Sculley resigned. Unfortunately, the MessagePad ended up as the butt of many jokes (including a famous ‚ÄúDoonesboro‚Äù cartoon) because the handwriting recognition, a vital part of the device...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-renews-newton-trademark">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
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<span class="field-content">Mar 04</span>
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<span class="field-content">Apple files trademark applications for 'iFrame...</span>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98421"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple's trademark applications (77946787 and 77946791) for "iFrame" have appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. When Apple introduced iMovie '09, it also introduced iFrame, a new video format it developed.</p>
<p>iFrame captures video at a resolution of 960 x 540 at 30 frames per second and uses a 16:9 aspect ratio (a la all the HD and DVD standards). It's slightly lower in quality than 720p and takes up at least a little less space. iFrame works with Mac and PC video-editing applications such as iMovie '09 and uses industry-standard codecs such as MP4, H.264, AAC and QuickTime. According to Apple "iFrame is designed to make importing and editing video fast and easy without taking up a lot of space on your hard drive." </p>
<p>Currently, the only two camcorders using iFrame are the Sanyo VPC-HD2000A (see today's review) and VPC-FH1A. The question is if other camera manufacturers will adopt it and whether it will become a "real"standard. The jury's still out on this.</p> | <a href="/content/apple-files-trademark-applications-iframe">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98420"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Four Apple patents have appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office that show Apple is working make sure future Macs and other devices run even cooler.</p>
<p>Patent number 2010051243 is for methods and an apparatus for cooling electronic devices using flow sensors. Per the patent, an electronic device can be provided with a housing having at least one wall defining a cavity and a flow sensor at least partially contained within the cavity. The flow sensor may be configured to detect a flow characteristic related to the flow of a fluid through a first portion of the cavity. The electronic device may also include a processor configured to alter a performance characteristic of the electronic device based on the detected flow characteristic. The inventors are Ihab A. Ali and Frank Liang.</p>
<p>Patent number 2010053883 involves methods and an apparatus for cooling electronic devices through user interfaces. Per the patent an electronic device can be provided with a user interface...</p> | <a href="/content/patents-indicate-advanced-cooling-designs-macs-other-devices">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
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<span class="field-content">Mar 04</span>
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<span class="field-content">Computer shipments to grow 20% this year -- and the...</span>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98407"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Worldwide computer shipments are projected to total 366.1 million units in 2010, a 19.7% increase from 305.8 million units shipped in 2009, according to the latest preliminary forecast by Gartner (<a href="http://www.gartner.com" title="http://www.gartner.com">http://www.gartner.com</a>). And the iPad will figure heavily into the equation.</p>
<p>According to the research group, worldwide computer spending is forecast to reach $245 billion in 2010, up 12.2 percent from 2009. This forecast is more optimistic than Gartner's December 2009 forecast, which anticipated 13.3% growth in computer shipments in 2010 and 1.9% growth in spending.</p>
<p>Gartner anticipates all regional markets will return to growth and exhibit more normal seasonality in 2010. The market will remain robust with unit growth continuing to increase strongly over the next few years as home computer demand accelerates and professional replacements rise in the recovery from the global recession.</p>
<p>"The personal...</p> | <a href="/content/computer-shipments-grow-20-year-and-ipad-will-play-key-role">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98384"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>As Google prepares to win over prospective Android developers at next week's Game Developers' Conference in San Francisco -- the largest event of its kind -- the latest data from Mplayit (<a href="http://www.mplayit.com" title="http://www.mplayit.com">http://www.mplayit.com</a>) from its cross-platform app store on Facebook shows that games are four times as popular among iPhone users than among the Android user base. </p>
<p>BlackBerry users are twice as likely to be looking for game content than Android users, despite the device's strong business reputation.</p>
<p>"Android is a powerful platform of compelling APIs (applications programming interfaces), but Google needs to persuade both gamers and game developers to get on board," says Mplayit CEO Michael Powers. "GDC will be a critical opportunity for Google to build the all-important developer momentum that will in time fan out to the ordinary consumer. Meanwhile, we're focused on helping consumers discover the great apps that...</p> | <a href="/content/socially-connected-mobile-consumers-find-more-interest-games-iphone-android">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
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<span class="field-content">Mar 04</span>
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<span class="field-content">North by Northeast: I'm not ready for a cloudy...</span>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98373"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p><strong>“North of Northeast” is a column that offers commentaries from a Canadian perspective.</strong> Google's invested millions in it. Apple's moving steadily towards it and Microsoft's Office isn't far behind. </p>
<p>Everywhere you turn, more and more companies are extolling the virtues of "the cloud." My colleague, Dennis Sellers just wrote an interesting piece where he quotes an unnamed executive as saying "Apple want's to eliminate the hard drive." </p>
<p>I am skeptical. But then again I live a fair portion of my life under a "cloudless" sky. We may do a lot of talking about how connected we are becoming, but for a very large percentage of us, reliable, high bandwidth access to the Internet is still just a dream. My own son, living just forty-five minutes outside of Toronto, surrounded by millions of people, is in a small rural pocket that still relies on dial-up. </p>
<p>Even here, on the remote tip of southwestern Nova Scotia I have 15MBPS Internet access, but with very...</p> | <a href="/content/north-northeast-im-not-ready-cloudy-day-yet">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98186"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>There are reports (<a href="http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_reportedly_eyes_cloud_services_with_goal_of_eliminating_the_hard_driv/" title="http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_reportedly_eyes_cloud_services_with_goal_of_eliminating_the_hard_driv/">http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_reportedly_eyes_clou...</a>) that Apple wants to get into "cloud computing" and eliminate the hard drive when it comes to storing music and movies. Maybe I'm a dinosaur, but I'm not totally convinced that I want most of my data in the clouds. </p>
<p>There are those who say it's perfectly safe. Cloud Computing can save companies money without putting business information at risk, according to "Above the Clouds: Managing Risk in the World of Cloud Computing, a new book by cybersecurity expert Kevin T. McDonald, senior critical infrastructure protection (CIP) and cybersecurity analyst for ICF International (...</p> | <a href="/content/cloud-computing-it-safe">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
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<span class="field-content">Mar 04</span>
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<span class="field-content">What's in a name: iPhone 4G?</span>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98348"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Watch for it ... the discussion on what Apple is going to name it's next generation of iPhone. Will it be the iPhone 4G? The 3.5? The some-other-name-that-doesn't-include-G? It's hard to say. G here could easily mean the generation of the iPhone, or it could mean the G for mobile technology (e.g., 4G comes after the 3G service that AT&T has).</p>
<p>What do you think it will be?</p> | <a href="/content/whats-name-iphone-4g">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98188"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Yesterday Apple filed a lawsuit (<a href="http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_sues_htc_for_patent_infringement" title="http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_sues_htc_for_patent_infringement">http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_sues_htc_for_patent_...</a>) against HTC for infringing on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone's user interface. And the reaction has been, well, all over the map.</p>
<p>As many as 10 of those violations involve the Nexus One, Apple said in a complaint submitted to the U.S. International Trade Organization (ITC). Apple also filed a similar lawsuit in federal court in Delaware that cited 10 different patents. That lawsuit, however, did not specify the HTC-made phones that allegedly violated Apple's patents. One analyst says that it's not money Apple is after.</p>
<p>"Apple's not in the business of litigation," said Barry Cohen, a patent and intellectual property attorney at Thorp Reed & Armstrong LLP. told...</p> | <a href="/content/apples-lawsuit-against-htc-unleashes-firestorm-commentary">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98130"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple store employees will get a glimpse of the iPad on March with the device likely to go on sale March 26, according to a report at the "LA Gadgets Examiner" (<a href="http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-11295-LA-Gadgets-Examiner~y2010m3d2-iPad-Apple-store-employees-will-experience-device-on-March-10" title="http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-11295-LA-Gadgets-Examiner~y2010m3d2-iPad-Apple-store-employees-will-experience-device-on-March-10">http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-11295-LA-Gadgets-Examiner~y2010m3d2-i...</a>).</p>
<p>The article says that this release date is for the Wi-Fi versions only, and that the 3G models won't be available until April or May. Also, commercials will purportedly start airing on March 15. </p>
<p>When it was unveiled by Apple, it was announced that the iPad would be available in late March worldwide for a suggested retail price of US$499 for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32GB model, $699 for the 64GB model. The Wi-Fi + 3G models of iPad would be...</p> | <a href="/content/rumor-first-ipads-go-sale-march-26">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98111"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple representatives have purportedly been talking with some of the major film studios about enabling iTunes users to store their content on the company's servers, two people "familiar with the discussions" told "CNET" (<a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10462562-261.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20" title="http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10462562-261.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20">http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10462562-261.html?part=rss&subj=news&t...</a>). That's in addition to streaming television shows and music.</p>
<p>"CNET" says that, under the plan, iTunes users will access video from various Internet-connected devices -- preferably the upcoming iPad. Last month Apple reportedly talked to record companies about similar plan involving music. Apple's vision is to build proverbial digital shelves where iTunes users store their media, one of the sources told CNET, adding that "basically, they want to eliminate the hard...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-reportedly-eyes-cloud-services-goal-eliminating-hard-drive">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-98112"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Erick Maronak, manager of the Victory Large Cap Growth Fund, says Apple is the best-run company in the U.S., helping to make it the most attractive stock investment. It and Teva Pharmaceuticals are his top stock picks.</p>
<p>"Apple and Teva Pharmaceuticals are top picks due to their dominant industry positions, strong financials, capable management teams and the ability to provide 17% to 20% growth against very reasonable valuations," he told "TheStreet.com" (<a href="http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/story/10693524/1/apple-little-understood-is-best-run-company.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA" title="http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/story/10693524/1/apple-little-understood-is-best-run-company.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA">http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/story/10693524/1/apple-little-understood...</a>). "Apple is hardly undiscovered yet not fully understood. Arguably the best-run company today, Apple has five segments in computing, consumer...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-best-run-company-us">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97921"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>There have been reports (<a href="http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_to_introduce_hmdi_on_some_macs/" title="http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_to_introduce_hmdi_on_some_macs/">http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_to_introduce_hmdi_on...</a>) that Apple will include a HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) on some upcoming Macs, at least the Mac mini. With Apple's increasing dominance in the areas of digital media, that's a good idea. </p>
<p>Not that there's anything wrong with the Mini DisplayPort connector. It's small, which makes it particularly useful on systems where space is at a premium, such as portable computers or to support multiple connectors on reduced height add-in cards. But HDMI is getting smaller even as it gets bigger (more on that in a moment).</p>
<p>HDMI is an interface for audiovisual equipment such as high-definition television and home theater systems. It‚Äôs able to carry a bandwidth of 5Gbps (gigabits...</p> | <a href="/content/some-advantages-hdmi-mac">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97922"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>A recent survey of e-book reader owners and intenders shows that prior to the release of the iPad, Apple ranks just behind Amazon in the US and UK in terms of preferred brand. If the iPad provides a compelling eReader experience, it may overtake Amazon’s Kindle, according to Strategy Analytics (<a href="http://www.strategyanalytics.com" title="http://www.strategyanalytics.com">http://www.strategyanalytics.com</a>).</p>
<p>Current e-book reader owners report being extremely satisfied with their devices. Four out of five US owners prefer e-book readers to physical books, according to the research group. Potential e-book customers prefer: ease of access to books; ease of content transfer; and<br />
newspaper and magazine availability.</p>
<p>‚ÄúWhile brand name is still an important factor for current owners when choosing their next e-book reader,‚Äù says Chris Schreiner, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics. ‚ÄúConsumers buying their first e-book reader will focus more on the durability...</p> | <a href="/content/strategy-analytics-ipad-may-overtake-amazon-kindle">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97917"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple patents ranging from portable electronic devices to battery charging systems have appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Following is a summary of each.</p>
<p><strong>Patent number 7,673,238</strong> is for a portable media device with video acceleration capabilities. Improved techniques for performing accelerated video presentation on a media device are disclosed. The improved techniques enable smooth, uniform accelerated video presentation by displaying key frames from a video file in a periodic fashion. The rate and direction of accelerated video presentation can be controlled. The improved techniques are well suited for use with portable media devices. The inventors are Muthya K. Girish, Aram Lindahl and Joseph Mark Williams. </p>
<p><strong>Patent number 7,673,083</strong> involves a method and system for controlling video selection and playback in a portable media player. It involves a a system that allows a portable media player to control settings of the...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-patents-range-electronic-portable-devices-battery-charging-systems">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97916"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple has won patents from the US Patent & Trademark Office for the design of the MacBook Pro with a glass trackpad and the MacBook Air.</p>
<p>Patent number D611,045 is for the design of the MacBook Pro with a glass trackpad. The inventors are Bartley K. Andre, Daniel J. Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, Evans Hankey, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Steve Jobs, Duncan Robert Kerr, Shin Nishibori, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Douglas B. Satzger, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Whange and Rico Zorkendorfer.</p>
<p>Patent number D611,044 is for the design of the MacBook Air. The inventors are the same as those listed above. </p>
<p>Apple has also been granted a patent (number 7672142) involving grounded flexible circuits. Electronic devices may be provided with one or more electrical components that may be coupled to one or more circuit boards by flexible circuits that can have reduced ground lengths. Each flexible circuit can include at least one ground...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-wins-patents-macbook-pro-macbook-air-designs-more">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97847"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Will the day come when we'll see closer integration between the iPhone OS and Mac OS X? Some folks think so.</p>
<p>But let's back up. The iPhone OS is actually a derivative of Mac OS X. They share the Darwin foundation. Darwin is an open source POSIX-compliant computer OS released by Apple in 2000. It's comprised of code developed by Apple, as well as code derived from NeXTSTEP, BSD, and other free software projects.</p>
<p>In other words as John Gruber wrote three years ago at "Daring Fireball" (<a href="http://daringfireball.net/2007/01/os_x" title="http://daringfireball.net/2007/01/os_x">http://daringfireball.net/2007/01/os_x</a>) the iPhone’s version of OS X contains everything from Mac OS X that’s applicable to a mobile phone, plus new bits specific to the phone. It’s a “full” version of OS X not because it contains everything from Mac OS X, but because it contains everything you’d actually want from Mac OS X, he noted. </p>
<p>I would think it's even possible that a device...</p> | <a href="/content/closer-integration-between-mac-os-x-and-iphone-os-future">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97579"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple plans to introduce HDMI connectivity on some of its personal computers this year, including the Mac mini, according to "AppleInsider" (<a href="http://www.appleinsider.com" title="http://www.appleinsider.com">http://www.appleinsider.com</a>). </p>
<p>The article says that prototypes of a new Mac mini show an HDMI port that sits besides mini DisplayPort connector and marks the first instance of full-featured HDMI connectivity on a Mac. It also represents only the second Apple product to feature an HDMI port, the other being Apple's "hobby," the Apple TV.</p>
<p>HDMI is an interface for audiovisual equipment such as high-definition television and home theater systems. It’s able to carry a bandwidth of 5Gbps (gigabits per second), which is purportedly more than twice the bandwidth needed to transmit multi-channel audio and video. HDMI provides an uncompressed, all-digital signal.</p>
<p>As adoption of HDMI ports approaches 100% in digital televisions, the interface is now moving...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-introduce-hmdi-some-macs">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97573"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Over the weekend it was reported that Apple admitted that child labor had been used at the Chinese factories that build its Macs, iPods and iPhones. Now the company is being urged to disclose more details about its suppliers. But is that necessary?</p>
<p>At least eleven 15-year-old children were discovered to be working last year in three factories that supply the company. Workers' rights groups want Apple to disclose more info on its suppliers, reports "Bloomberg" (<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aUbDxIWdQCKg" title="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aUbDxIWdQCKg">http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aUbDxIWdQCKg</a>).</p>
<p>‚ÄúThe suppliers are breaking the law,‚Äù said Debby Chan, project officer at Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior in Hong Kong. ‚ÄúApple should disclose its suppliers list to NGOs to allow more effective monitoring of the situation,‚Äù said Chan, referring to non-government...</p> | <a href="/content/does-apple-need-be-more-open-about-its-suppliers-and-labor-laws">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97544"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>I work out of a home office. Do you? If so, you're in a growing group. And the trend can only be good for the environment as it cuts down on the costs of transportation. </p>
<p>The world's mobile worker population will grow to nearly 1.2 billion people -- more than a third of the world's workforce – by 2013, according to a new forecast from the IDC research group (<a href="http://www.idc.com" title="http://www.idc.com">http://www.idc.com</a>). </p>
<p>"Vast opportunities exist for bringing a variety of mobile technologies to the world's workforce," says Sean Ryan, research analyst, Mobile Enterprise Software. "Outside the United States and Japan, where mobile worker population penetration has essentially peaked, there are large worker populations that are still growing. Underserved mobile workers across all regions stand to benefit from the reach and flexibility offered by mobile solutions. While some barriers to adoption will still have to be overcome, the potential market for...</p> | <a href="/content/therell-be-over-one-billion-mobile-workers-years-end">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97391"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>According to BoomBox, a month report from Myxer on mobile entertainment consumption habits, iPhone dominates states across the country, but Android users have closed the gap and have actually surpassed iPhone users in eight states, with seven of them coming from West and Midwest states including Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.</p>
<p>Myxer is a consumer destination for mobile entertainment and personalization. The results were provided by Myxer’s BoomBox report for January 2010, which also revealed the latest demographic and consumption habits based on more than one million unique Myxer users from Android and iPhone operating system.</p>
<p>This month’s BoomBox report offered a breakdown of content downloads by music genre<br />
Overall, Motorola DROID handsets were the most diverse in terms of downloading different genre types, consuming 64% of their content from the Rock, Comedy, Pop, Country, and Other categories. Conversely, 81%...</p> | <a href="/content/report-android-more-popular-iphone-eight-us-states">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97143"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple -- or, at least Steve Jobs -- obviously loves touchscreen devices, so it's just a matter of time until we see a touchscreen Mac. I suspect the iMac will be the first to make the move.</p>
<p>As we reported Thursday (<a href="http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_patent_hints_at_touchscreen_displays_for_computers/" title="http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_patent_hints_at_touchscreen_displays_for_computers/">http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_patent_hints_at_touc...</a>), there is an an Apple patent involving touchscreen displays for computers. And earlier this year there were reports that Apple plans to launch a 22-inch touch-enabled iMac in addition to the current non-touch 21.5- and 27-inch iMacs.</p>
<p>There are some cool thinks you could do with such a Mac. Imagine being able to flip through album and movie covers on iTunes on your Mac the way you do on an iPhone or iPod touch. Or imagine flipping the pages of digital books...</p> | <a href="/content/just-matter-time-until-we-get-touchscreen-imac">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97134"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Several Apple patents have appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Here's a summary of each. </p>
<p>Patent number 201004862 involves personalized streaming digital content. It's for a method for generating personalized streaming content, the method including the steps of analyzing a digital library of a user associated with a user account, generating recommended digital media based on analysis of the digital library, generating personalized streaming content that includes digital media from the digital library and recommended digital media. The inventor is Rhan Graeme Dixon. </p>
<p>Patent number 2010049836 is for automatic configuration information generation for a distributed computing environment. A method and system for configuring information for a distributed computing environment is provided. The method and system comprises providing a job containing a list of tasks to a controller, the tasks including a bootstrap tool and configuration information related to the...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-patents-range-streaming-content-vector-processing">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97133"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>An Apple patent (number 20100048241) has appeared at the Patent & Trademark Office that shows Apple is looking at new ways to use the camera on an iPhone -- and perhaps other devices -- in new user input ways.</p>
<p>The invention is generally related to mobile devices that have a camera function and that can detect vibrations and/or movement of the device. According to the patent, a portable handheld electronic device contains a camera lens and accelerometer to allow a user to control voicemail and call features by swiping his finger across the camera lens and/or tapping the device. Therefore, the user can comfortably input commands into the device with a single hand and without needing to move the phone away from his ear to apply these inputs. In another embodiment, the camera lens can also be used to control navigation of the display screen or a displayed document of the device. For example, if a user wishes to shift a scrollbar for a page displayed on the screen downwards...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-patent-reflects-new-ways-using-iphoneipod-camera-input-device">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97126"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>An Apple patent (number 20010045627) at the US Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is at least considering touch screen displays on some Macs. The patent is for a shape detecting input device. </p>
<p>More particularly, the present invention relates to shape detection by an input device for a computer system. The patent involves a system and method for recognizing a signet and for performing an action associated with the signet, wherein the signet is an inanimate object. In one embodiment, the method includes generating a touch signal with a signet, the touch signal representing a particular signet pattern, recognizing the particular signet pattern, and performing an action associated with the particular signet pattern. The inventor is Peter Kennedy.</p>
<p>Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "There exist today many styles of input devices for performing operations in a computer system. The operations generally correspond to moving a cursor and/or...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-patent-hints-touchscreen-displays-computers">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-97067"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>AdMob, a mobile advertising network, has announced the results of a survey of consumer usage and attitudes across the iPhone, Android and webOS application platforms in its January 2010 "AdMob Mobile Metrics Report."</p>
<p>The survey found that consumers on the iPhone and Android platforms continue to be actively engaged with applications. Consumers who use these devices showed remarkably similar activity levels -- downloading approximately the same total number of applications and spending approximately the same amount of time using them. However, iPhone users continue to download more paid applications, with 50% of users purchasing at least one paid application a month compared to 21% of Android users. </p>
<p>The survey also included consumers on webOS devices and found that while they were active, they downloaded fewer paid and free applications. The mobile Internet device category has grown rapidly; in July 2009 approximately 12% of requests in AdMob‚Äôs network came from these...</p> | <a href="/content/ipod-touch-owners-download-average-12-apps-month">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96849"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>I'll be very surprised if we don't see USB 3.0 on Macs by the second half of the year. And when that happens, it will be interesting to see what happens with FireWire.</p>
<p>According to the In-Stat research group more than three billion USB-enabled devices are currently being shipped. USB 3.0 is specified to transfer at five gigabits per second, or 10 times faster than USB 2.0. Plus, USB 3.0 products are backward-compatible with USB 2.0 devices and will interoperate with them, as well, so there's no reason for Apple not to include USB 3.0 on upcoming Macs. </p>
<p>As for FireWire, I'm not willing to bet on its inclusion in any Macs beyond the Mac Pro and 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro. Although it could survive on the 27-inch iMac, which has to be considered, by any criteria, a prosumer machine, if not a professional machine. As for FireWire on the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the MacBook and the Mac mini, I wouldn't count on it since USB is more popular and cheaper. </p>
<p>Apple...</p> | <a href="/content/usb-30-doubtless-coming-mac-whats-future-firewire">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96928"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi told clients in a note that he thinks that iPhone revenues will grow from about 30% of Apple revenue in 2009 to 45%-50% in fiscal year (FY) 2011. </p>
<p>As reported by "Barron's" (<a href="http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/02/24/apple-bernstein-ups-ests-sees-gross-margin-expanding/" title="http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/02/24/apple-bernstein-ups-ests-sees-gross-margin-expanding/">http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/02/24/apple-bernstein-ups-...</a>), he estimates that iPhone gross margins were 58% in ‘09, well above the company average of 40.9%. If you assume flat iPhone gross margins and ASPs, corporate gross margins would lift by 400-500 basis points, Sacconaghi says.</p>
<p>He expects iPhone sales to hit 45-50 million units in FY 2011, up from 20.7 million in FY 2009, and 8.7 million in FY Q1 2010. The analyst also expects big things from the iPad. He forecasts sales of 2.2 million units in FY 2010...</p> | <a href="/content/analyst-predicts-strong-iphone-growth-big-things-ipad">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96675"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook spoke today at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference and made several interesting statements, including that the Apple TV is still (sigh) a hobby, the iMac is the best computer in the world and that Apple isn't worried about the iPad cannibalizing sales of its laptops.</p>
<p>Among the things he mentioned: </p>
<p>° Though Apple is the world's largest seller of digital content, the Apple TV remains a "hobby." Sales of the Apple TV did grow in the latest quarter by 35% on a unit basis year-over-year and Apple's "gut tells us there is something there." But there are no plans to move it beyond the hobby stage yet, as "we have not interest in the TV market." (Which, of course, based on Apple's past statements of things it's not interested in, means Apple IS interested in the TV market.)</p>
<p>¬∞¬†The iMac is the best desktop computer in the world and Apple will continue to invest in it. The iMac is, and will continue to be, "very...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-coo-apple-tv-still-hobby-imac-one-keys-apples-success-more">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96606"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>"PC World" (<a href="http://www.pcworld.com" title="http://www.pcworld.com">http://www.pcworld.com</a>) will report the full results of its 3G wireless testing carried out this winter in an issue to hit newsstands in early March. The feature article was published today at the magazine’s web site.</p>
<p>The most dramatic improvements in speed and reliability since the last round of testing in spring 2009 belong to AT&T. AT&T, which earned "PC World’s" lowest score last spring for download speeds and reliability, pumped out download speeds that were 67% faster than any other national wireless carrier in the latest testing.</p>
<p>“AT&T’s network has undergone a drastic makeover in the last eight months, and it's reflected in our test results. In the 13 cities in which we tested, we found AT&T's average download speeds increased by more than 80%,” says "PC World" Senior Editor Mark Sullivan.</p>
<p>AT&T's download speeds tripled in New York City in the publication...</p> | <a href="/content/pc-world-completes-13-city-test-3g-wireless-performance">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96605"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>"Technology Review" -- an independent media company owned by MIT -- has announced the 2010 TR50, the first annual list of the 50 most innovative companies in the world. Not surprisingly, Apple is on the list.</p>
<p>Spanning energy, computing, the web, biomedicine, and materials, each company on the list has been evaluated based on its business model, strategies for deploying and scaling up its technologies, and the likelihood of success, according to Jason Pontin, editor-in-chief of "Technology Review." Each company in the 2010 TR50 has excelled not only at inventing technology but also at using it to transform how we live and work.</p>
<p>‚ÄúAs varied as the companies in the TR50 collection are, they all demonstrate the power and potential of innovative thinking for a better tomorrow. We will be increasing our coverage around how businesses are creating and adapting to new technologies,‚Äù said Pontin. You can find the entire list here:...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-named-among-worlds-most-innovative-companies">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96545"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Global shipments of short range wireless ICs (Bluetooth, NFC, UWB, 802.15.4, Wi-Fi) are expected to surpass two billion units this year, increasing approximately 20% compared to 2009. Shipments are forecast to total five billion in 2014, according to new market data from ABI Research (<a href="http://www.abiresearch.com" title="http://www.abiresearch.com">http://www.abiresearch.com</a>).</p>
<p>“Bluetooth ICs made up a significant part of the total short range wireless ICs shipments,” says industry analyst Celia Bo. “Bluetooth took more than 55%, following by Wi-Fi at around 35%; the rest of the shipments were made up of NFC, UWB and 802.15.4 ICs.”</p>
<p>Mobile handsets maintain the highest adoption rate for Bluetooth ICs. In addition to data transmission between mobile handset and Bluetooth headset, the application of Bluetooth technology is gradually moving into computers and consumer electronics products such as laptops, UMDs, and the wireless remote pole of game consoles....</p> | <a href="/content/abi-research-bluetooth-nfc-uwb-802155-wi-fi-ics-exceed-two-billion-units-2010">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96536"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple looks like its planning to use the iPhone OS to power more than the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, according to a new job posting for a full-time engineering manager to work on the iPhone OS platform.</p>
<p>Apple‚Äôs ad is looking for an engineer to focus on the iPhone OS‚Äôs underlying architecture who will work with teams focusing on hardware, software and custom silicon. The ad says the employee will will work on ‚Äúa range of hardware platforms, including iPhone and iPod‚Äù. That suggests that Apple is looking to bring the iPhone OS to more devices, and "the prime candidate would be the Apple TV," according to the "Electricpig" tech site (http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2010/02/23/apple-to-use-iphone-os-on-other-platforms-‚Äì-apple-tv-next/).</p> | <a href="/content/will-future-apple-tv-use-iphone-os">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96535"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple has been awarded several patents from the US Patent & Trademark Office. They involve, among other things, iChat and the iPod user interface.</p>
<p>Patent number 7,669,134 is for a method and apparatus for displaying information during an instant messaging session. This is, obviously, the iChat patent.</p>
<p>A method and an apparatus are provided for controlling a graphical user interface to display information related to a communication session. Information relating to data produced by a first participant to the communication session is displayed on a first display unit, wherein the information produced by the first participant is displayed at a first position on the first display unit. Data is received from a second participant to the communication session, and information relating to the data received from the second participant is displayed on the first display unit, wherein the information received from the second participant is displayed at a second position on the...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-patents-involve-ichat-ipod-user-interface-more">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96520"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple has been awarded a patent from the US Patent & Trademark Office for a device that looks like an iPod classic with dialing capabilities. The invention relates generally to portable communications devices, and more particularly, to portable communications devices that include a click wheel. </p>
<p>Apple patent 7,667,148 is for a method, device and graphical user interface for dialing with a click wheel. One aspect of the invention involves a computer-implemented method in which a portable communications device with a click wheel and a display detects a plurality of finger contacts with the click wheel. Each finger contact includes an angular displacement of the finger contact on the click wheel between an initial location and a final location of the finger contact. The device displays an image that includes digits arranged in a circle. The image rotates, in response to each finger contact, by an amount determined in accordance with the angular displacement of the finger...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-patent-reflects-ipod-classic-phone">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96313"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Now that the iPad arrival date is nearing, perhaps Apple will turn its attention to the Apple TV. Sooner or later, Apple is going to have to put some muscle behind its "hobby," or just forget about it entirely. Unfortunately, in his talk at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference, Apple Chief Operating Officer still described it as a hobby. </p>
<p>And it's not like there's a lack of growing interest in such a product. Or at least a product that the Apple TV could become. Nearly 37% of broadband households in North America are extremely or very interested in viewing over-the-top video content on the home TV, according to market research firm, In-Stat (<a href="http://www.in-stat.com" title="http://www.in-stat.com">http://www.in-stat.com</a>). The demand is growing as companies such as Apple offer streamed or downloadable TV and movie content.</p>
<p>The problem is that, for the same $229 price as the Apple TV, you can get alternatives that browse NAS shares, play all...</p> | <a href="/content/some-point-apple-needs-fish-or-cut-bait-apple-tv">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96380"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>What is a smartbook? That depends on who you ask. “Smartbook” isn’t a product category, nor is it a brand. But they're growing in popularity. And the iPad is technically a smartbook, according to ABI Research (<a href="http://www.abiresearch.com" title="http://www.abiresearch.com">http://www.abiresearch.com</a>). </p>
<p>According to ABI Research senior analyst Jeff Orr, “As ABI Research defines it, a smartbook is a low-powered device running a mobile operating system that is always connected, either via Wi-Fi or (more often) using cellular or mobile broadband. Smartbooks can take many different shapes. They are a subset of MIDs (mobile Internet devices) and netbooks, and address the same potential users, usage, pricing, and market needs. The difference is that they don’t use x86 processors.”</p>
<p>By that definition, the analyst estimates in a new research study, 163 million smartbooks will ship worldwide in 2015 -- a significant rate of growth given that the very first models...</p> | <a href="/content/abi-research-163-million-smartbooks-which-includes-ipad-will-ship-2015">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96333"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>"The New York Times" (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/technology/22chip.html" title="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/technology/22chip.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/technology/22chip.html</a>) is reporting that cost for a company like Apple to develop an ARM-based mobile chip such as the A4 used in the iPad is estimated at approximately US$1 billion, even without the need to invest in manufacturing facilities for the chips due to agreements with existing chip foundries for production.</p>
<p>‚ÄúApple was the first company to make a really aspirational device that wasn‚Äôt based on Intel chips and Microsoft‚Äôs Windows,‚Äù Fred Weber, a chip industry veteran, told "The Times." ‚ÄúThe iPhone broke some psychological barriers people had about trying new products and helped drive this consumer electronics push.‚Äù</p> | <a href="/content/did-apple-spend-us1-billion-develop-its-own-arm-based-mobile-chip">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96286"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>I know what you're thinking. I know that when you read "holster," you figure the word "NERD" is going to follow soon. But sometimes, holster can mean a "fashion object." It can also mean "convenient" and "reliable," and I think Trexta (<a href="http://www.trexta.com" title="http://www.trexta.com">http://www.trexta.com</a>) is right on track when it comes to a solution that combines all three of those. </p>
<p>Trexta is a company based in Turkey, where many of their products are hand-made; it specializes in phone, camera, and laptop cases. Their offerings for the Apple market, especially the iPhone market, are extensive. I visited the Trexta booth during the recent MacWorld 2010, where I was given a look at some of these aesthetic offerings and obtained a review unit of the Ursa. The Ursa stood out to me most with its thick, attractive leather (chocolate-colored, with a smooth, bright finish), suede lining, extremely tough belt clip, and magnetic closure.</p>
<p>Given Valentine's...</p> | <a href="/content/review-love-and-rockets-trexta-ursa-iphone-holster">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-96208"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>As High-Definition (HD) video has hit its stride worldwide, the TV and film industry are looking ahead to the next new thing. 3D TV and Ultra-HD (UHD) are on the horizon, according to market research firm, In-Stat (<a href="http://www.in-stat.com" title="http://www.in-stat.com">http://www.in-stat.com</a>).</p>
<p>3D video is already out of the gate, with growing proliferation of 3D films in theaters. Pay TV operators are in the early stages of deploying 3D TV capability. Early 3D TVs and 3D Blu-ray players will ship in 2010. In-Stat projects worldwide 3D TV shipments will reach 41 million in 2014. 3D Blu-ray player shipments will track closely with 3D TVs.</p>
<p>UHD will take considerably longer to roll out, but has started to garner interest and discussion among long-term planners in the TV, film and technology industries. In-Stat believes the first UHD broadcasts will start around 2017. UHD TVs will reach about 5% household penetration in some regional markets in the early 2020s...</p> | <a href="/content/3d-tv-uhd-are-horizon">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-95947"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>In some ways, the 2010 Winter NAMM show was a different show, but the larger vendors were not missed nearly as much as one might imagine. Attendance was actually up, according to the NAMM press office, and anyone who was there will attest to the fact that the floor was jammed every single day of the show. </p>
<p>The bonus was that the less corporate vendors and manufacturers really shined with some excellent new products in many cases. While some companies did not present anything really new, there were some very impressive items that caught the attention of the attendees. </p>
<p>Why did we wait so long to release our "Best of Show" Macsimum Awards? We wanted to try many of these products off the show floor and away from the noisy environment that can make it tough to know what you are really listening to when sound quality really counts. So, without any further ado, the 2010 Winter NAMM "Best of Show" Macsimum Awards.</p>
<p>Sony PCM-M10 Portable Digital Recorder (...</p> | <a href="/content/best-winter-namm-2010-mac-news-awards">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-95937"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Apple is planning improvements to the handling of graphics in future MacBook Pros, according to "AppleInsider" (<a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/02/19/apple_plans_dual_graphics_enhancements_on_future_macbook_pros.html" title="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/02/19/apple_plans_dual_graphics_enhancements_on_future_macbook_pros.html">http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/02/19/apple_plans_dual_graphics_...</a>). The site says Apple has several next-generation MacBook Pros up and running in its lab that can switch between their integrated and discrete graphics processors automatically, "according to people familiar with the matter."</p>
<p>Current MacBook Pros require users to manually toggle between an integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics core and the more powerful 9600M GT discrete processor by first making a selection in their Mac's Energy Saver system preference pane, then logging out and back in for the change to take effect.</p>
<p>"While those privy...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-plans-beef-graphics-handling-future-macbook-pros">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-95777"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>It hasn't been released yet, but the iPad is already helping create jobs it seems. Elance (<a href="http://www.elance.com" title="http://www.elance.com">http://www.elance.com</a>) -- a site where companies find, hire, manage and pay contractors online -- says that, within 24 hours of the iPad announcement, 20 iPad application development jobs were immediately posted on their site. </p>
<p>As I write this, there are over 70 open iPad jobs on Elance. This trend is likely to follow the fast growth of iPhone projects that saw more than 8,800 iPhone jobs completed on Elance in 2009. In addition, Android is rising fast in the ranking of skills in demand -- up 400% in the past six months with more than 170 projects posted in the last month alone.</p>
<p>This is merely the tip of a digital iceberg. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of people who are self-employed increased to roughly 42 million at the end of 2009. Data introduced by Elance shows that workers in all 50...</p> | <a href="/content/ipad-helping-create-jobs">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-95739"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>Several Apple patents ranging from theme-based slideshows to device testing have appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Here's a summary of each:</p>
<p>Patent number 20100042926 is for theme-based slideshows. A system and method for providing photographic slideshows with theme elements is provided. Each photograph and each theme element may be associated with different contextual information. The contextual information may include, for example, locations, time and date, calendar events, user preference or history information, or any other suitable information. In response to receiving a selection of contextual information, the electronic device may identify photographs and theme elements associated with contextual information to generate a photographic slideshow. Alternatively, in response to receiving a selection of at least one photograph or theme element, the electronic device may identify contextual information associated with the selected photograph or theme...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-patents-range-theme-based-slideshows-device-testing">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-95732"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>An Apple patent (number 2010039530) has appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office that shows that Apple plans on beefing up its picture and video recording performance on portable devices. Also, a look at the patent shows that future iPhones and/or iPod touches and/or iPads could sport a forward facing camera.</p>
<p>The invention relates generally to digital cameras and, more particularly, to calibrating digital camera components to minimize manufacturing variations in such components. Per the patent A method of manufacturing a digital video camera is provided. The method comprises acquiring video images of colored light, and measuring a light intensity response of the video camera to the colored light. The method further comprises comparing the intensity of the measured response to a desired colored light intensity for determining a color intensity bias and storing the intensity bias for the colored light in the camera so that the bias can be applied when the camera is...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-patent-hints-forward-facing-camera-future-portable-devices">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-95725"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>The Research and Markets (<a href="http://www.researchandmarkets.com" title="http://www.researchandmarkets.com">http://www.researchandmarkets.com</a>) research group has published a report on "The Future of Apple." And the research group says that future looks very, very rosy.</p>
<p>Since the turn of the century Apple evolved from a secondary computer company into the most potent force transforming media. Research and Markets says it's the premier digital media innovator as evidenced by the iPod, iPhone and, most recently, the iPad. Basically each introduction defined a new product category or enable an incipient one to cross the chasm into mass market acceptance. More of the same is expected in the future, not only from products but also from transactional services, according to the research group.</p>
<p>Research and Markets adds that most any business affected by the future of media will be directly impacted by Apple's future innovations. Moreover, its existing product lines...</p> | <a href="/content/research-group-apples-revenue-will-exceed-100-billion-five-years">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-95723"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>New Apple patents at the US Patent & Trademark Office show that Apple is planning on tweaking its input devices -- and apparently has new devices at least in the planning stages. </p>
<p>Patent number 2010039381 is for a rotatable input device. Think of the Magic Mouse on steroids. In an example embodiment, a computer mouse is provided. This computer mouse includes a surface tracking sensor that detects movement of the computer mouse along the support surface. Additionally included are one or more orientation sensors that detect a movement of the computer mouse relative to a pivot point. The computer mouse also includes a controller that is configured to translate the movement along the support surface into a two-dimensional coordinate and to translate the movement relative to the pivot point into a magnitude of rotation. The inventors are Michael Andrew Cretella Junior and David Thomas Amm. </p>
<p>Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "As is well-known, a...</p> | <a href="/content/apple-patents-show-revolutionary-input-devices">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-95297"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>“North of Northeast” is a column that offers commentaries from a Canadian perspective.: I have written several articles in the past that were highly critical of the cellular network owners, including one specifically related to the release of the original iPhone. Nothing has changed in the intervening years.</p>
<p>Let's face it. These guys are NOT your partners… or your friends. They have absolutely no interest in how your products work or what they do for the customers you share. They also have no interest in providing the speed, reliability or quality of service that your products demand, regardless of price. And let's be totally honest here, "price" is what it's all about with them.</p>
<p>They don't like your products. Why? Because they can't control them. They can't decide what the devices can and can't do. They can't charge for each and every "feature." They can't force customers, for example, to send all their photos through them, so they can bill air time. Then of course,...</p> | <a href="/content/north-northeast-open-letter-steve-jobs-and-eric-schmidt">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
<div class="field-content"><div class="body-row" id="body-row-95657"><div style="background:#F5F5F5;"><p>As the number of smartphone customers has continued to grow during the past six months, call quality performance has declined during that same period of time, according to the J.D. Power and Associates' (<a href="http://www.JDPower.com" title="http://www.JDPower.com">http://www.JDPower.com</a>) "2010 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study(SM)—Volume 1."</p>
<p>The semiannual study measures wireless call quality, based on seven problem areas that impact overall carrier performance: dropped calls; static/interference; failed call connection on the first try; voice distortion; echoes; no immediate voicemail notification; and no immediate text message notification. Call quality issues are measured as problems per 100 (PP100) calls, where a lower score reflects fewer problems and higher quality. Call quality performance is examined in six regions: Northeast; Mid-Atlantic; Southeast; North Central; Southwest; and West.</p>
<p>The study finds that, after several consecutive six-month...</p> | <a href="/content/jd-power-overall-call-quality-decreases-especially-cell-phones">Read more »</a></div></div></div>
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