On November 10, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that may reveal some of the changes coming to the iPad 3's backlighting system. This past Monday we learned that Apple is likely to modify LED back-light solutionsfor next-generation iPads. Today's patent may provide us with a more in-depth peek into where these modifications may be going. Some think that the iPad launching in Q1 2012 is really just a stepping stone to the iPad 3that's destined for a Q4 2012 release. Something like what the iPhone 4S is to the iPhone 5. In today's patent, Apple discusses the use of one or two OLED backlighting units in a future iPad. Down the road, other devices adopting multiple OLED backlights may include such devices as the Cinema Display, MacBook Air and - if we hold our breath long enough, maybe an HDTV. For now however, the focus is definitely on a future version of the iPad.
On November 11, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals one of thenext chapters for Apple's mini media players such as the iPod shuffle and iPod nano. Apple's proposal is to add a speaker to the media players attachment clip. Apple points out how they may use a space age material in the design of the speaker that was once used in NASA's Apollo lunar module. I guess that Apple wants to give their fans a unique out-of-this-world experience. Oh those Crazy Ones of Cupertino are at it again.
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) said Tuesday that it has voted to launch an investigation into a complaint filed by Taiwan-based chip manufacturer VIA Technologies Inc. for patent infringement against Apple Inc. Updated
On October 28 we posted a report titled "Apple's 'Slide to Unlock' Patent Stirs up a Hornet's Nest in Taiwan." In that report we pointed to the Premier of Taiwan stating that that he was very concerned about the possible adverse effects of Apple's latest patent victory on Taiwanese companies, particularly those in the smartphone and tablet sectors. There was a bit of backlash from some overzealous Taiwanese fans who had some choice words for me. I insisted that it was strange for the Premier to get involved. Well, there's another part of this story to demonstrate that the Premier may have indeed had an agenda here.
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 17 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our final granted patent report of the day we cover Apple's no-touch sensor output technology and acoustic systems for iOS devices. And to top it off, we close out our patent report with our usual Final Patent Round-Up with six patents covering everything from a Mac Pro tower latch through to the Apple Remote.
November is definitely shaping up to be one hell of a great month for Apple legal. Last week Apple was granted two high profile multi-touch related patents and today they've been granted yet another pair. The first relates to a new True Multi-Touch Digital Controllerand the second one relates to hover and gesture detection that uses a capacitive sensor panel having dynamically reconfigurable sensor size and shape. Most noteworthy is the fact that the technology applies to both iOS devices and Macs, according to the patent. Apple legal has four new shiny patents to go on the offensive against Google and their Android OEMs with and I love it being that Google legal whined in July and again just yesterday about how the so-called "broken patent system" is in their way of beating Apple. It now appears that there may be a massive new wave of the original Apple touch patents going through the system and Google likely knows it too: Hence their whining.
While the iPhone was being introduced back in January 2007 by Steve Jobs, Apple had already invented their Next Generation Touch Technology for their future iPad. Apple's granted patent, which was published earlier today, shows us that multi-touch technology for tablet PC's had to be different than that for the iPhone. Apple was clearly well ahead of the curve on this technology and on course for delivering the iPad three years later.
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 17 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our second report of the day we cover two patents. The first patent covers a GPS testing system to ensure that the GPS circuitry doesn't overhead and readings remains accurate. Interestingly, Apple notes that GPS could one day be integrated into wearable computers such as an Apple wrist-watch. The second patent covers an antenna that will provide future MacBooks with telephonic capabilities. Being that the GPS patent points to the 4GLong Term Evolution (LTE) cellular telephone standard being used in future portables, it may hint that we may see a telephonic MacBook hopefully in the next two years as Apple rolls out devices with 4G capabilities.
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 17 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. Our first report of the day focuses on six industrial design wins for Apple, with two of them crediting the late Steve Jobs. If you've had the chance to read the Steve Jobs Biography by Walter Isaacson, then you know how insanely passionate Steve Jobs was about all-things-design – be it the original Mac, the finish on the NeXT cube, the verbiage in the Think Different Campaign or the layout of the Apple Store. Somehow that put a smile on my face this morning. Maybe it will for you too.
On November 7, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple's latest trademark application relating to the "Find My Friends" icon (Jumbo) under application 85462987. Apple filed their trademark under a single International Class which covers software that geographically locates and tracks people using global positioning systems. It also covers software relating to social networking. Apple's "Find My Friend" is a new iCloud Service that was introduced in October of this year. Apple has also filed a new trademark filing in China covering Find My Friends. Update: Our report also covers Google's whiney patent lawyer.
Late yesterday, China's Hong Kong IP Department granted Apple thirteen new design patents relating to the iPad 2. The designs cover Apple's Black, White and 3G iPad 2 models in a series of both photographic and illustrative design styles. Apple has dramatically revved up their legal machinery in China this past year as the stream of granted design patents have dramatically risen. Just in September alone Apple was granted 40 design wins for iOS graphic elements, the MacBook Air and even their Shanghai Apple Store architecture. With Apple having accused Samsung of "slavishly-copying" its market-leading iPhone and iPad, every industrial design patent victory for iOS devices is another arrow in Apple's legal quiver.
Last weekend we posted a report titled "The Flap over IDC's Report, Market Spin & the Ongoing Smartphone Wars." The numbers that IDC quoted in one of their latest report were definitely a point of contention for many concerning "mobile phone vendor shipments and marketshare for Q3 2011." This morning, IDC has released another round of stats concerning "smartphone" shipments and marketshare for Q3 2011. The new stats have Samsung as the number one vendor in the world with Apple overtaking Nokia for the second spot. Will the numbers enrage some in the Apple community once again? Yes, more than likely – but with Apple's iPhone 4S sales gaining traction, we're likely to see Apple take the number one spot as soon as next quarter. Then again, in this ever changing market, we can't really assume anything.
