Patently Apple

Samsung to Handily Beat Apple as King of Cellphones in 2012

IHS iSuppli is reporting this morning that for the first time in 14 years, Nokia won't be known as the cellphone leader as Samsung is set to take that crown for 2012. The report also notes that after being a neck-to-neck race with Apple in 2011, Samsung has decisively pulled ahead of Apple with a wide range of Android phones.

Apple's "iSight" Now a Registered Trademark

In 2003 Apple introduced a breakthrough in video conferencing via iChat AV software and the new external iSight digital video camera. While the external iSight camera is no longer on the market as a separate peripheral, the iSight camera has resurrected as an internal camera integrated into Apple's latest iPad 4 and iPhone 5 delivering 8-megapixel photos and stunning 1080p HD video quality that really shines on Apple's Retina Display. Today the US Patent and Trademark Office published the certificate that registers Apple's iSight trademark under number 4,260,675.

Rumor: Apple HDTV Tests Underway at Hon Hai

When Apple's CEO Tim Cook described their interest in an HDTV with Brian Williams earlier this month as one that was intense, you knew that something could be up at Apple because their legendary stance on Apple TV has been one described as an Apple "hobby" product. Apple's tiny digital media player known as Apple TV first debuted back in March 2007. A week ago BrightWire reported that Apple was collaborating with its Asian suppliers and testing several large-area high-definition TV (HDTV) design plans. Today, a new report out of Taipei emphatically states that "Apple's Inc.'s television sets have gotten underway at Hon Hai Precision Industry Co." 

Several iPhone Dealers in China Claim iPhone 5 failed Expectations

Apple announced yesterday that it had sold over two million of its new iPhone 5 in China, just three days after its launch on December 14. Yet the news isn't that bright for several iPhone distributors in China who reported that "the sales of iPhone 5 have failed their expectations, and one of the dealers noted that the profits generated from the iPhone 5" were less than half compared to the iPhone 4S, reported the Yicai, an online Chinese business site. On the flipside, Yicai's report as presented by BrightWire, doesn't identify any of the dealers who are complaining, making their claims difficult to verify.

Judge Koh Outright Rejects Samsung's Request for new Trial

While most headlines on this matter today are focusing on Judge Lucy Koh's denying Apple's request to ban Samsung phones, the second ruling is just as important and is being overlooked. Judge Koh rejected Samsung's call for a new trial outright because of alleged juror misconduct.  

Apple Granted Major Multi-Touch Patent Along with Eight Others

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of ten newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In our first patent report this morning we covered Apple's design win for their original 2007 iPhone that credited the late Steve Jobs as one of the inventors. Our final patent report of the day focuses on one of Apple's important multi-touch patents that date back prior to the iPhone and we list eight others that cover such matters as dynamically generated ring tones and preview document modes.

Apple Wins a Design Patent for their Revolutionary 2007 iPhone

In 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the revolutionary iPhone and this is how he introduced it: "Every once and awhile a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything. Apple has been very fortunate; it's been able to introduce a few of these into the world. In 1984 we introduce the Macintosh. It didn't just change Apple it changed the whole computer industry. In 2001, we introduced the first iPod and it didn't just change the way we all listened to music, it changed the entire music industry. Well, today, we're introducing three revolutionary products of this class. The first one is a widescreen iPod with touch controls. The second is a revolutionary mobile phone. And the third is a breakthrough Internet Communications device. So three things: a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone and a breakthrough internet communications device. An iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator; an iPod, a phone … are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. This is one device. And we are calling it: iPhone." And revolutionary it was. Anyone who saw the 2007 Steve Jobs keynote will never forget that day.      

Two-Faced LG Attacks the iPhone 5 in new Marketing Campaign

LG has a business relationship with Apple. The group's display panel subsidiary LG Display currently supplies in-plane switching panels to Apple, which is one of its biggest clients. A report published this morning states that LG's public attacks on Apple as part of its marketing campaign at times borders on slander which could escalate unwanted tension between LG Display and Apple.

Child Labor Found at Samsung Plant Again Despite Denials

China Labor Watch (CLW) has once again discovered child labor in a partner factory of Samsung's called HTNS Shenzhen Co. that assembles Samsung cell phones. This comes just two weeks after Samsung stated that it did not find any child workers while auditing this factory in September. Treated the same as adult workers, the under aged girls worked overtime hours in excess of 13 hours per day and were paid overtime wages below the legal standard. The monthly overtime hours of Liu Tiantian surpassed 150 hours. CLW's Executive Director Li Qiang said, "This incident shows the ineffectiveness of Samsung's audits in protecting its workers' labor rights. These audits are really intended to be effective PR tools, but in reality, Samsung's audits are false advertisements."

Apple Could be at a Disadvantage in China for Many Years

While the buzz is on this morning over the iPhone-5's debut in Taiwan and China, with fans waiting up to two to six hours to get their hands on the sexiest smartphone on the market today, analysts are saying that it won't move Apple's market share needle in China in any significant way. 

USPTO Continues to Deny Apple's "Launchpad" Trademark

On December 13, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a notice sent to Apple that basically denies them the rights to "Launchpad." This is Apple's second attempt at convincing the government agency of approving this trademark. The examiner notes that Apple hasn't provided "any new or compelling evidence," that would allow them to register the trademark. Back to the drawing table Apple Legal goes, as they still have a small window of opportunity remaining to seal the deal. A Major Update was added to thei report December 15, 2012  

Future iDevice Cameras will Recognize Famous Faces & Objects

As the year winds down, there were only a handful of original patent applications from Apple that were published today by the US Patent Office. The only consumer oriented inventions that were noteworthy related to iDevice cameras and photo management. On Apple's website describing the new iPhone 5's camera they point to improved HDR Capabilities for better color, tone and reduced motion blur. One of today's patent filings cover advanced HDR capabilities using a new image sensor. Another one covered a testing and calibrating camera modules. Yet the one new camera related invention that stood out from the pack was one relating to a new application that Apple may be included in a future iDevice camera. It'll involve a unique combination of a pre-installed camera database and new recognition software that will be able to automatically recognized famous people's faces and famous objects such as a painting or perhaps things like a famous bridge or other landmarks. While it won't be a killer application on its own by any stretch of the imagination, it will definitely enhance Apple's camera features in future iDevices. And for those who just happen to live in California or any other famous locale, then it may assist the novice paparazzi in figuring out who was who in the photo they just took at a club, concert or movie set. Hmm, I can hear the ad for that now: Want to be a paparazzi? There's an app for that.