The rumor of Apple's new iPhone 5S being made available in a light Champagne Gold color only surfaced in the last few weeks. As the rumors began to slowly turn into credible news, Samsung executives went into emergency meetings. The end result was an official statement made yesterday that they've decided to build a line for producing metal cases, e.g. magnesium and aluminum, in Gumi plant by the end of this year. The Korean report provided a photo of a metal case suggesting that Samsung will likely offer their future metal backed Galaxy smartphone in Gold.

In June we reported that an aggressive trade-in program was brewing at Apple. The report pointed to AT&T offering a similar trade-in program offering up to $200 for a working iPhone 4 or 4S. Today the Wall Street Journal's Digits blog is confirming that Apple's trade-in program starts today and it is indeed aggressive.

On August 30, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple's latest registered trademark for "Passbook" under registration number 4,391,155. The trademark which was officially granted on Monday was originally filed for in November 2012. The Passbook icon was granted registered status on August 01, 2013. Passbook is an application in iOS that allows users to store coupons, boarding passes, event tickets, store cards, 'generic' cards and other forms of mobile payment. Passbook debuted during Apple's World Wide Developer Conference on June 11, 2012 and released on September 19, 2012.

A patent application from Apple surfaced earlier this month in Europe revealing a new Korean patent filing. The patent was originally secretly filed in the US in 2011 under the names of the inventors without showing an assignee. In that way, a search for Apple's new patent filing in the US Patent Office's database would never reveal the original filing. The Korean filing covering the same invention now reveals that Apple is the assignee. Whether the secrecy is warranted or not is another matter. Apple's invention reveals an Aperture and/or iPhoto user interface designed for the iPad that uses a new method for editing photo brightness, color saturation, contrast and more. The new UI will offer users a sophisticated pop-up menu and sub-menu system.

On August 29, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a new and elaborate collaboration system for videoconferencing that could be useful for the enterprise or for future distant leaning applications. The system introduces new interactive pie menus that will work with a sophisticated pen that will include memory and other advanced functions. Apple notes that as the pen advances toward the menu presented on a large presentation screen, an opening will automatically be created in the menu so that no content is covered by the presenter's hand or arm. Additionally, Apple notes that the new menu system will work with custom applications designed for this system yet also work with traditional software such as Photoshop, PowerPoint, and other common applications. Apple must think this is an important invention considering that this is a follow-up application to their already granted patent issued back in March.

On August 29, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a new EarPod carrying case accessory. I don't know about you, but untangling my EarPod cable is always a dance I hate. Now Apple's lead accessory product designer Kurt Stiehl has come up with a solution for that.

In case you didn't already know this, Apple is still the number one target of patent trolls. These entities, who prefer to be called Non-Practicing-Entities (NPEs), are wreaking havoc in the tech sector. A recently published study provides us with a clear view of the top NPE targets and Apple clearly tops that chart. According to this new study, these "villain-ized" patent trolls have filed more than 11,000 actions since 1985.

In May we posted a report titled "How will Samsung Win against the iPad?-By Flooding the Market with Super Cheap Tablets over the Next Two Years." In that report we pointed to Samsung's co-CEO Shin Jong-kyun stating that they planned to grow their tablet business two-fold by selling some 33 million Galaxy Tabs. He vowed to expand its leadership in the smartphone to tablet sector. In translation that meant that Samsung would flood the market with super low-ball tablets and win the market share game against Apple. Today, that strategy has been confirmed in black and white.

A New Jersey man has filed a personal injuries lawsuit against Apple for his alleged pain and torment as a result of his severe, permanent, disfiguring and disabling injuries caused by his iPhone 4. The lawsuit claims that the plaintiff will be compelled to spend great and diverse sums of money for medical aid and treatment, and has been and will be prevented from attending to his usual occupation, duties, activities and future business. The Plaintiff is seeking $75,000.00 in damages excluding medical and other costs.

Another Non Practicing Entity (NPE) by the name of Remote Locator Systems has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. This time around the patent infringement lawsuit concerns the use of Apple's iOS features "Find my Friends" and "Find my iPhone."

It's being reported by Australia's TMWatch and repeated by AppleInsider that Apple recently filed for the trademark "Startup." The fact is that Patently Apple covered Apple's original USPTO application for this trademark back in April 2011, or 28 months ago. While it's nice to know that some in Australia are excited about this revelation, the fact is that it's anything but new for us in North America.

According to Taiwan's Apple Daily Newspaper, Apple has granted Quanta and Inventec orders for Apples iWatch for release in 2014. The report is relying on a research note by CIMB Securities analyst Wanli Wang bry who stated that "From our channel checks, Inventec is the major assembly source for 'iWatch', with about 60% of order allocation."

In the last month Apple has acquired HopStop, Embark, and Matcha.tv. Today you can add AlgoTrim to that list. The Swedish AlgoTrim develops advanced solutions designed to deliver high performance with small memory requirements for mobile devices and particularly smartphones using multi-core ARM processors.

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 36 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover several new design patents covering the iPhone with the iOS GUI and an all-new icon related to the iPad and more. Additionally, we cover a patent relating to a new speakerphone, mobile clubbing and two key original touchscreen related patents. One of them lists the Late Steve Jobs as an inventor.

In early June we reported that a "New Aggressive Trade-In Program for iPhone may be Brewing." The report at that time stated that Apple was going to team up with Brightstar Corp, a mobile phone distributor that runs similar trade-in programs for carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile, to handle exchanges. Today a new rumor confirms that the program is still on track and likely to be launched in September. 

Early last month we posted a report titled "NTT DoCoMo in Tough Negotiations with Apple Over iPhone. We reported that Japan's daily newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun had reported that NTT DoCoMo's President and CEO, Kaoru Kato, has told them that they "are discussing with Apple the launch of iPhones via NTT DoCoMo, but find it hard to narrow our differences with Apple." A new report this morning states that the deal is closer to closing.

With the next round of new smartphone launches just around the corner, we're beginning to hear more leaked information from all of the players as a way to get their fan bases excited. For instance, the Korean press is now trying to pump up Samsung's surprise launch of a 16 MP camera next Wednesday at both Berlin and New York events. But now there's a new leak from Tokyo that states that Sony will better that with a new 20 MP camera for their upcoming Xperia Z1 debuting next week at the same tradeshow that Samsung will be attending. While it's been rumored that Apple will be introducing a new 13 MP camera for their next iPhone, the latest rumor is now suggesting that Apple has a more advanced "wow" camera feature on tap when it debuts in September. 

Apple reportedly will release its new smartphones and tablets in September; however, compared to these new products, Taiwan-based vendors are more concerned about whether Apple has plans to release an entry-level iPad mini or cut its existing iPad mini's price to boost demand, as both moves would significantly change the current tablet ecosystem, according to sources from tablet players.

Late Thursday US District Court Judge Lucy Koh issued a ruling denying a Samsung motion for a new trial regarding the "bounce-back," or '381 patent. Apple made the case that twenty Samsung smartphones and two tablets had infringed upon their '381 patent technology, which covers the "bounce-back" feature. The patent also includes a host of touch-screen actions, including dragging documents.

In late July Apple acquired New York based HopStop, a location based company specializing in transit information. They were ranked the number one transit app in iTunes and Google Play with over three million downloads to date. It's now being reported that Apple has just acquired yet another Geolocation company called "embark." Their public transportation navigation app is currently available on Apple's App Store.

On August 22, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a series of 20 original patent applications from Apple today excluding 12 continuation patents. In this report we cover four mildly interesting inventions. The first details Apple's lightning connector exhaustively. The second covers automating Apple's iPhone status sharing feature so users won't have to set it up in the future. A third patent covers a new injection molding system for creating parts for Apple iDevices faster and cost effectively. And lastly we link you to a new patent application covering technology relating to the next iPhone cellular standard that's in the works called LTE-Advanced. 

On August 22, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a revolutionary new flexible material that could be used as the enclosure and hinge mechanism for a future MacBook and several other products. The new material is designed to purposely flex just enough to bend into a particular geometric form factor and no more so as to safeguard internal components. It's the kind of material that only Apple would take the time to invent so that they could create truly amazing next generation products.

Today the US Patent Office revealed the craziest design patent from Samsung. USPTO granted Samsung a design patent for a prefab home design that has to be world's ugliest design ever. There are some interesting prefab home designs on the market today (one, two, three) and then there's the loopy, the crappy lavatory type, and the tuna-can design for those without taste. But Samsung thinks that they're out to save the day. They want to bring their great design savviness to the prefab home market just as they did with their classy Galaxy S4 – and we have the scoop.

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 35 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover Apple's sixth Smart Cover patent, three touch related patents, noise cancellation and GarageBand's virtual keyboard. We conclude our report by providing you with a full list of the granted patents issued to Apple today beyond those that we've specifically covered.

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 35 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover a wild futuristic 3D application for the iPad that will work with 3D gesturing, an advanced camera image sensor, a workout application and two design wins for Apple.

Analysts are buzzing this morning with speculation that Apple will soon announce a deal with China Mobile. China.org quotes Anand Ramachandran, a telecoms analyst at Barclays in Singapore stating that "The circumstances and the issues that were a hindrance in the past seem to be getting resolved. So I think there's a higher probability that potentially there's something in the works," between Apple and China Mobile.The buzz continues as KGI's analyst weighs in on the an Apple-China-Mobile deal this year. REPORT UPDATED 1:42 PM PST

DigiTimes posted a skimpy yet potentially important report today stating that Synnex Technology International (HK) Ltd., a Taiwan-based IT and consumer electronic products distributor, has obtained an iPhone sales agent right for the China market, according to the Chinese-language newspaper Commercial Times.

A British Virgin Islands based Company by the name of DataQuill has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. At present, DataQuill's licenses their technology to Samsung, HTC, and list of others. The company claims that Apple's iPhone(s) violate five of their patents.

A new Apple patent application filing surfaced in Europe recently pertaining to apparatus, systems and methods for improving compressive stress in glass members such as the cover glass for an iDevice like an iPhone. The patent describes a new annealing process that is used before chemically treating the glass to further strengthen it. Yet the question that first comes to mind is why is Apple so focused on advancing glass processes lately? It's the second major patent on advancing glass processes in two weeks. Is it just a backup plan or is Apple working on new projects? Only Time will tell. 

In July Patently Apple posted a report revealing one of the patent applications that Apple gained in their acquisition of AuthenTec. Today, Patently Apple reveals a second patent application that Apple gained in their acquisition that was filed in Europe. There were a few interesting findings in this patent. One of them reveals that Apple's future fingerprint scanner has a security feature built-in that will be able to sense "live tissue" so as to reduce spoofing.

A new report published by ABI Research today states that Apple's acquisition of WiFiSLAM has brought smartphone indoor location technologies to the fore. With over 1 billion new smartphones forecast to utilize indoor location technologies in 2018, there are still significant opportunities for companies with the right technologies and strategies.

A new report published by Canalys late yesterday highlights one of the deficiencies of the Android ecosystem: limited availability of high-quality, tablet-optimized apps in the Google Play store. Of the top 50 paid and free iPad apps in Apple's US App Store, based on aggregated daily rankings in the first half of 2013, 30% were absent from Google Play.

On August 15, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a series of 14 original patent applications from Apple. In this particular report we cover two distinct inventions. The first invention covers a new camera design specifically created for ever thinner iDevices and Macs. Apple could be first to market with a consumer camera using super advanced GRIN technology. The second invention is a new accessibility app that is tailored for Japanese and Chinese users. Considering that Apple's iPhone is the bestselling smartphone in Japan and is about to attack the Chinese market more aggressively with a new mid-level iPhone, it's only right that they begin to introduce more specialized software for these markets going forward.

On August 15, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a new and easier way of sharing content objects such as a photo, highlighted text or an embedded video between documents, emails, tweets and more. It will also allow the user to send content to a blog or other social media easily. One of the more interesting aspects of this invention is that Apple will be adding new toolbars to assist users in editing their content before sharing it.

According to a new report this morning, Apple has started hiring engineers in Taiwan and has posted positions such as senior packaging engineer, a reliability engineering manager, a senior software instrumentation engineer and a senior AC-DC design. The most interesting job posting was for a sensing system hardware engineer. 

On August 15, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published three patent applications from Apple that reveal new connector related developments. The first invention covers a MagSafe connector design with new "flat attraction plates" for better connectivity and superior aesthetics. The second invention covers a flexible audio connector that could be made with new superelastic materials. And lastly, a third connector related invention reveals a new manufacturing methodology that implements lasers so as to eliminate a lot of manual labor.

Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple's latest registered trademark for their iOS 6 "Reminders" icon. The icon was officially approved late yesterday under number 4,385,017. The newly registered icon will play a very short life as it will be replaced with a new flatter design when iOS 7 debuts in a few weeks' time. The design which used to represent a "check list" style of graphic will soon be replaced with a "bullet point" styled design. If anything, the newly registered trademark will stop others from using the former design. The new icons for iOS 7 were first revealed during Apple's World Wide Developer Conference keynote in June.

We're all aware of the obsession that Samsung has with copying Apple. They were in fact found guilty of patent infringement last August and again by the ITC last week. Today we learn that the obsession about all things Apple permeates the Korean psyche to the point that the Korean Government has initiated the "Korean Steve Jobs" project; a project that is designed to foster creativity and passion into young students studying software development.

Samsung smartphones have had oblong styled home buttons or even iconic Android styled home buttons. Yet the copycat designer just can't help themselves. They want to mimic Apple's home style button to blur the design lines. It's a classic psychopathic copycat trait. I'm sure that their designers twitch if the designs aren't close enough to Apple's. But the Korean company is celebrating today because their round home button design slipped past the US patent Office with ease.

Good news for Apple shareholders today. A simple tweet from billionaire investor Carl Icahn sent Apple Inc. shares up close to five per cent on Tuesday. Icahn, who earlier this year made a bid to take over Dell, suggested Apple should buy back more stock.