Taiwan's DigiTimes is reporting this morning that Apple will use a four inch display in their upcoming iPhone 5 so as to compete with Google's android phones. The displays are now in a production testing phase, according to DigiTimes. In this same report, DigiTimes adds that OLED is another important development on the horizon. In July 2010, DigiTimes reported that rumors were swirling around the iPad adopting OLED in 2011. Finally, in a second report this morning, DigiTimes is reporting that Apple is shifting their "enhanced A4" processor for the iPad 2 and possible A5 based iPhone orders away from Samsung and outsourcing them to TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). DigiTimes speculates Samsung's aggressive moves against Apple's products may have prompted the shift.
Nokia is seeking a Motion to Compel Infineon to produce documents relating to their baseband processor used by Apple's iPhone to prove that Apple is in fact infringing on Nokia's core ten patents known as the "Essential Patents." The case reads like a spy novel with many twists and turns. The complication in this case revolves around Intel's acquisition of Infineon's wireless division and who is responsible for coughing up these crucial documents to assist Nokia's infringement case against Apple. It seems everyone is pointing at everyone else to run out the clock. Nokia is determined to get their hands on these documents that may or may not win their case. It's a nail bitter, that's for sure.
Apple's Research and Development teams are definitely on a roll in respect to searching for the next round of advanced display technologies that could storm the market in the coming months and years ahead. On Tuesday we covered Apple's work on displays that could incorporate new hovering sensory technologies and just yesterday we covered Apple's research into OLED multi-touch displays. In today's report, we see that Apple is working with new Optical In-LCD Sensing Panels that will be able to read barcodes, OCR and QR codes easier and more importantly, allow your iPhone or iPod Touch to double as an advanced scanner or even a mouse – for games and more. What will they think of next? Update 11:30 AM EST: News of iTunes upgrading to 24 bit quality was revealed at yesterday's HP event.
In case you haven't caught on yet, there's a multi-touch centric device revolution going on. Late this morning, HP entered the ring (Update: see the new TouchPad Video) and this heavyweight is out for blood and marketshare. While the latter will suffice, the point is that the market that was once Apple's alone, is about to dramatically change. HP's latest round of trademarks points to a duo-display type of unit that's on the way and they're going to provide consumers with a lot more diversity in terms of design and price points. And joking aside, even Motorola is now on the warpath. In order for Apple to Keep their edge on these competitors, they're going to have to kick things up a notch on all things touch. In a new batch of patents that have come to light, we see that Apple is focused on bringing OLED displays to iOS and other types of devices sometime in the coming months or years.
It was about a year ago when we first learned of Apple's initial work on smart bezels that could one day apply to future versions of the iPad and/or other devices. As is the case with most cyclical research, ideas have a natural ebb and flow to them. In today's report you'll learn a little more about the smart bezel's advancements via hovering technology and about a new idea to make iOS displays a little more touch sensitive – if that's even possible. The good news is that Apple has taken some of the initial technology and thinking that was behind their smart bezel project and first applied it to other devices such as the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad. So now that we know that touch technology can go beyond mere displays, the idea of it applying to a future iPad bezel isn't as farfetched as it may have been just a year ago. Such is the nature of progress.
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of ten newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. The notables within this group includes one that relates to Apple's Automator workflow tool, another for Final Cut Pro's color correction tool and yet another for a new paint brush feature that builds on the case that Apple has their eye on a new graphics app. And finally, Apple has won their first patent for Ping – their social network for music service – only five months after its initial release. Now that was a surprise and chalks up another patent fulfilled.
Late yesterday, the LA Times broke the great news that the FDA approved an image diagnostics app for Apple devices. According to the report, the Food and Drug Administration ushered in the era of mobile diagnostic radiology, approving software for viewing images and making medical diagnoses from MRIs and CT, PET and SPECT scans on several of Apple's popular hand-held devices. Patently Apple covered this important area of technology in our March 2010 report focusing on Body Area Networks. In that report we presented a few videos from the Foothills Medical Center's Stroke Unit in Calgary, Alberta, Canada where this technology is already in use with iPhones. It's great to see Apple's iPhone being used in vital areas of professional life – and better yet – assisting doctors in saving lives.
Motorola, the company whose chip was never able to keep Apple in the computer game, now wants us to root for them trying to save us from Big Brother Apple. Really? – That's the best that Motorola's marketing team could come up with? Yes Moto-Men, you're from a red planet and you're going to show us the way with …Google's Honeycomb? – Really? Does this get any funnier? Maybe it's just me. So, tell me what you think about this feeble attempt. Do you think that the old tired rehashed and replayed 1984 theme is up to the task of stopping the Apple iPhone freight train? – or are you ready to convert to the hole-y Queen Bee's Honeycomb? Comment now or after you've seen the whole joke on Sunday. Oh, by the way, there's a second funny video after the break. Check it out.
A powerhouse of Silicon Valley software companies lead by Apple have collectively filed a Copyright Infringement lawsuit against Edy Jean Dollisme of "Ultimate PC Repairs" a website conducting business online and on sites like Craigslist. The plaintiffs allege that the "defendant has acted with willful blindness to and in reckless disregard of Plaintiffs' registered copyrights." The case is about software piracy and it could be an interesting case to follow. This report provides all of the pertinent details related to Apple's involvement in this case without interpretation.
Just yesterday the news broke about HP's new graphics tablet dubbed the Digital Sketch coming to market with a three-button stylus and today you'll read all about Apple's latest research and development in this same area. Last July Apple was granted a patent for a graphics tablet and since then several other specialty pen and display patents have come to light. Today's patent report covers a new stylus-friendly touch display designed to work with a new kind of stylus that works with a conductive disk and unique pivoting head. While the proposed pen system could be used with standard iPhone apps, the patent clearly points to the system being more graphics oriented as it mentions working with brush tools and the like. And lastly, the new pen even has a gaming angle to it that could be fun.
On February 3, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals one of the next chapters for Apple's iPad. A future iPad, according to Apple, may include a built-in stand that could pivot to provide both landscape and portrait support while allowing the unit to be further angled just right for use with the iPad's virtual keyboard. The concept of the new advanced stand supports another recent Apple patent concerning added connectors for a future iPad. Apple's invention could technically eliminate the need for their current docking station.
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 18 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. The notables within this second group of patents includes one that likely relates to a Final Cut Pro feature dealing with an Audio View using 3-Dimensional Plot and another for video conferencing on an iPhone years before there was ever talk of such a device.Lastly, Apple has won a vital patent on the road to delivering a Telephonic MacBook to market.
