Tech2.com India > Apple, Samsung, Sandisk Sued Over Patent > News on Portable

"Texas -based company, MP3 Technologies has reportedly sued bigwigs Apple, Sandisk and Samsung on grounds of patent infringement.

The suit, filed on Feb 16, in Marshall, Texas alleges that the three companies have infringed on US patent 7,065,417, which was awarded in June 2006 to multimedia chip-maker SigmaTel and covers 'an MPEG portable sound reproducing system and a method for reproducing sound data compressed using the MPEG method'."

TECH.BLORGE.com » Don’t panic! Apple TV delayed, but it’s coming soon

"Apple’s recently announced media-streaming set-top box, Apple TV, has been delayed until mid March. The Apple TV had been schedule to ship in February, but since it is now the end of February, and there’s no Apple TV, the announcement comes as little surprise."

Digit Online: Users won't buy iPhone

"Consumers aren't willing to pay what Apple may ask for the iPhone but if the price drops they'll switch their mobile service to AT&T in order to get it, according to results of a survey released Thursday.
Online market research firm Compete Inc. surveyed 379 people in the U.S., most of whom had heard of the iPhone and have shopped for an iPod, to find out how interested they are in the device to produce the uncommissioned report. The iPhone is a combined music player and cell phone that Apple plans to start selling in the U.S. in June.
Among the 26 percent of respondents who said they're likely to buy an iPhone, only 1 percent said they'd pay US$500 for it. When Apple introduced the iPhone in January, it said it would cost $500 on the low end. "

Mac Rumors: Apple iPhone Teaser Ad Airs During Oscars [Updatex3]

"Apple aired their teaser ad for the Apple iPhone during the Oscars tonight. The ad has run multiple times during the Oscars.

The advertisement started with a collection of scenes from television and film with actors saying 'Hello' on a telephone. The scenes are played in rapid succession, and the iPhone appears on the screen. Then a black screen with the words: 'Hello' ... then ... 'Coming in June' and finally an Apple logo.

Apple Quicktime: Apple has posted an official version of the iPhone Hello ad on their website."

iPhone Disappointment!!?????

Why Apple’s iPhone Will Be a Disappointment

According to Barron's Tech Trader Daily:
"It’s been a couple weeks since we last heard about why Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Well, today, on the heels of Apple reaching a legal agreement with Cisco Systems (CSCO) to share the name “iPhone,” a fellow named “Joel” over on Dethroner posts today his rants about why Steve Jobs’s phone is, as he sees it, the usual swindle from the cell phone operators, including Apple’s partner, AT&T (T). The iPhone will be business as usual for the cellular market, trapping customers into things they don’t really want.

Joel’s is not a stock tip, per se, but amidst the invective, it’s worth summarizing some disappointing facts of the iPhone that could limit its appeal among some parties. (Full disclosure: i’m saving my pennies to buy at least one $600 iPhone):

Cingular will share subscriber revenue with Apple: “How the fuck does Apple sharing our revenue help amid the flood of noxious service?”
You’re getting locked into another cellular 2-year contract: “You’ll not only have to pay full price for the iPhone—and I’ll bet you anything that $600 is going to be a break-even price for Apple by the time it launches—you’ll have to sign up for a two-year contract just to get the privilege of giving them your business. Don’t do this.”
You won’t be able to install your own programs on the iPhone: “Jobs only wants the iPhone closed to protect his revenue streams, both by selling you new applications and maintaining the video and music DRM. But whatever Apple’s rationale, who cares? If you’re going to buy a smartphone you should be able to install whatever you want on it—that’s what makes it “smart.””
And so, in sum: “I’m not blind. What Apple has done right with the iPhone platform is exciting. It won’t surprise me if the iPhone eventually ends up being a success, just like the iPod. But for the next year or two, before the iPhone hits the mass market, early-adopting gadget nerds actually have a chance to influence the company. Don’t just give your money away.”
Personally, I think the phone will be a hit, but we don’t have enough info to know how much of a hit it will be.

Thanks to Wired’s Gadget Lab tech blog for pointing this out.

Apple shares are up a fraction of a percent at $89.13. They are up 32% in the last 6 months."

RED HERRING | MSFT to Apple: No Vista for You!

"Cooperation between Microsoft and Apple may not have been all it was cracked up to be if Windows Vista is not allowed on Macs in all its forms, an analyst said Thursday.

The licensing agreement for Vista, Microsoft’s newest operating system, bans using the consumer versions of Vista on so-called virtualization engines, which are necessary to run a non-Apple operating system on Mac computers. Microsoft does allow the more expensive commercial versions of Vista onto virtualization programs.

The move is surprising because despite their rivalry, Microsoft and Apple have historically cooperated regarding Microsoft software running on Macs (see Macworld Brings Enemies Closer). Microsoft has an Office for Mac version of its suite of business application that even includes a spreadsheet— something even Apple’s iWork suite doesn’t have. Looks like the truce wasn’t meant to last."

RED HERRING | Apple TV: DVD Killer?

"Apple’s set-top box device for consuming digital media, expected to hit stores next week, has at least one analyst optimistic that it will be a DVD killer.

Apple TV could also haul in billions of dollars in sales within a few years, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore."

Apple Keynote Bloopers - LOL Jobs and Weird Asian Dude

Apple Switch Parody

Jobs lashes out against teachers unions

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs lashed out at teachers unions during an education reform conference this past weekend, claiming that no amount of technology in the classroom would better public schools until principals had authorization to fire bad teachers.


Speaking alongside Dell founder and recently reappointed chief executive Michael Dell at the Austin, Texas-based conference, the Associated Press reports that Jobs focused on comparing schools to businesses with principals serving as CEOs.

"What kind of person could you get to run a small business if you told them that when they came in they couldn't get rid of people that they thought weren't any good?" he asked. "Not really great ones because if you're really smart you go, 'I can't win."'

Jobs said the problem with U.S. institutions is that they have become unionized to a point where ridding public schools of poor teachers is prohibited. "This unionization and lifetime employment of K-12 teachers is off-the-charts crazy," he said.

YouTube - Gates vs. Jobs

YouTube - Apple Ad Spoof

iPhone to run $300-400 after contract? - Engadget

iPhone to run $300-400 after contract? - Engadget: "Everything we've been told with regard to the iPhone's pricing structure has suggested that the 4GB would hit at $499 and the 8GB at $599, and that this would be an on-contract price -- expensive, yes, but likely still in the right range to keep sales brisk. New advertising allegedly leaked out of a consumer survey suggests that the 2-year contract price could come in a full two hundie lower, though: $299 for 4GB, $399 for 8GB. This would sorta jibe with a Cingular exec's comment regarding the availability of units to folks outside coverage areas at a contract-free price, but perhaps more importantly, it's fabulous news for folks who will be able to take advantage of a contract re-upping. Of course, this is all coming out of a survey -- perhaps gauging reaction to pricing -- so we need to wait for some more clarification from the powers that be before declaring our wallets a little less burdened come June."

Bit Player AAPL and DRM

"Long before Steve Jobs penned his anti-DRM screed, lots of people were telling the major record companies that slapping electronic locks onto 99-cent downloads was a dumb idea. The ranks include David Pakman of eMusic and Dave Goldberg, a soon-to-be-ex-Yahoo VP who has been questioning the use of DRM for more than three years. I remember Goldberg talking at the Jupiter Plug-in conference in July 2003 about the pointlessness of imposing DRM on one version of a product (downloads) but not another (CDs). Right then, right now.
Anyway, when I asked Apple what to make of the timing of Jobs' statement, the company said there was no real trigger other than the criticism Apple was getting in Europe about its non-interoperable DRM. Two sources in the online music biz, however, suggest that Jobs might have been influenced by something a bit closer to home. Last year, RealNetworks (the company behind the Rhapsody subscription service) came up with a proposal for switching to MP3s and circulated it among the major labels. In response to that, or maybe just motivated by its need for a cash infusion, EMI started offering online music stores the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pay the label an extra lump sum in exchange for the right to sell MP3s. The money was described as a way to reimburse EMI for the increase in piracy that was sure to come once it abandoned DRM. Not surprisingly, that proposal didn't go over well with executives at the online stores, whose margins are thin enough already. So EMI came back with a more acceptable offer, asking for an advance against future royalties."

Silicon chip inside the Big Apple : HindustanTimes.com

Silicon chip inside the Big Apple : HindustanTimes.com: "There is only the haziest of jelly-filled cables connecting New York City with technology. It's not that people don't use the stuff. At every street corner you'll find people talking while looking steadfastly into space. The curious fallout of discrete hands-frees and Bluetooth headsets.

What New York City does take pride in is, one, putting together the money for a lot of the silicon and DNA bashing that takes place in caves astronauts cisco microsoft elsewhere. 'We're the finance side of hi-tech,' said one investment banker at a lunch."

Opus II - MP4 player that looks nearly exactly like Apple iPod

Opus II - MP4 player that looks nearly exactly like Apple iPod: "Sumvision wants you to say no, no, nano. They'd rather have you buy their media player, the Opus II, despite the fact that it looks nearly exactly like that more well-known iPod from Apple.

The Opus II has a tiny yet usable 65k CSTN screen, measuring in at 1.5 inches. You can play movies on there if you've brought your reading glasses along with you. You can also listen to music, lots of formats of music: MP3, WMA, WMV, WAV, and ASF. That's a lot more than the nano will allow. And you'll definitely appreciate the 4GB of internal memory, which equates to about 2,000 songs, give or take a few downloads.

You can even listen to FM radio, with no accessories needed. It even sports a built-in voice recorder with rechargeable lithium-polymer battery.

Want a low price? The Opus II has one at US$116."

Today @ PC World Cisco Cuts Apple Some Slack

Today @ PC World Cisco Cuts Apple Some Slack: "Late yesterday, Cisco gave Apple another extension on the deadline to respond to its lawsuit concerning the iPhone name.
Apple was hit with a trademark infringement lawsuit from Cisco Systems the day after it unveiled a new cell phone under the name iPhone at January's Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
Cisco says its Linksys division owns the trademark on 'iPhone' and filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court for Northern California seeking an injunction against Apple using the name."

Samsung takes on Apple - 12 Feb 2007 - Technology

"Samsung has unveiled a new mobile phone that features some of the sleek design and functions of Apple's much-hyped iPhone.
Samsung's Ultra Smart F700 will be exhibited at today's 3GSM World Congress, a telecommunications exhibition in Barcelona, Samsung spokeswoman Sonia Kim told news agency the Associated Press (AP) on the weekend."

Apple targeted in mobile music - vnunet.com

"Mobile network operators and music companies are joining forces to make sure that Apple's domination of the download market is not extended to mobile music.
Together they have launched a mobile music service that will give users unlimited downloads for £1.99 a week with data costs included across Europe and the Asian markets. For £2.99 users can also use a Mac or PC for downloads.
The software, dubbed MusicStation, has been developed by British firm Omnifone and will be preloaded onto new handsets from Nokia, Motorola and others. So far 23 mobile network operators, who have subscribers in 40 countries and a total customer base of 690 million subscribers, have signed up."

Omnifone MusicStation: Apple iTunes challenger

"Omnifone MusicStation: Apple iTunes challenger
Omnifone, a British mobile music company has launched a new music download service which is specially designed for owners of music playing capable mobile phones.
This could become a potential challenger for the Apple iTunes service if Apple indeed allows iPhone owners to buy and download songs on the move.
The company said in a statement that this newly launched service will be an “all you can eat” service that will enable users to download new songs from dozens of major music labels for a weekly cost starting at 1.99 pounds."

The Day Steve Jobs Killed Apple and Other Anecdotes - OSNews.com

"'Ten years ago to this very week, Steve Jobs killed Apple. Or he began to take apart many of the projects and organization that many inside and outside the company thought of as Apple's value to the computing industry. This event was the announcement of the company's infamous spring 1997 reorganization, which continued step-by-step throughout the spring. For the company's long-suffering developers and ISVs, push came to shove at the annual WWDC, where Steve Jobs revealed his plans for Apple's future direction. Today, with the iPod-influenced haze over of recent Apple history as well as the success of Apple's retail strategy and the Intel-Macintosh transition, we forget that some of that 'future' talked up in 1997 never happened.'"

VoIP Watch: Cisco and Apple..Just Say I

"Here's three reasons why...and it starts with the concept of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.'
1. Apple is the enemy to Microsoft and Microsoft and Cisco are not friends.
2. Cisco's biggest partner is IBM and IBM and Microsoft are really not friends.
3. Microsoft's biggest partner is HP and HP is not Cisco's friend.
Those are very good reasons why it would pay both Apple and Cisco to be working together.
From the Apple perspective it makes even more sense.
1. Anyone building a PC is their enemy.
2. Apple wants to get into the business and enterprise market and no one has better access in that channel than Cisco via IBM."

YouTube - Apple Lisa

St. Paul Pioneer Press | 01/10/2007 | Tech snacks: New kiosks dispense gizmos

"You can't buy pop or chips here, but you can get an iPod. High-tech local kiosks from Zoom Systems serve up tech gadgetry and more. Here's the skinny on those newfangled Zoom Shops. "

Apple to set up shop in downtown Sydney - BizTech - Technology - smh.com.au

Apple to set up shop in downtown Sydney - BizTech - Technology - smh.com.au: "Apple is finalising plans to build its first official retail stores in Australia, with at least one set for Sydney.
Recent media reports have suggested the iPod maker is also planning to open a shopfront in Melbourne, but the company would not confirm or deny this.
'We have submitted "

AppleInsider | Briefly: Preloaded iPods, Wal-Mart movies, Apple stores

"A truce struck between the two most famous Apple companies has cleared a path to iPods pre-stuffed with content, just as Wal-Mart takes its latest potshot at iTunes' throne with its own web store. Meanwhile, two decidedly more physical Apple stores are on their way.


Apple Corps settlement paving the way for preloaded iPods?"

EETimes.com - Apple releases Vista-compatibility patch for iTunes, but problems remain

EETimes.com - Apple releases Vista-compatibility patch for iTunes, but problems remain: "Apple has released a patch designed to fix a compatibility problem between its iTunes music player software and Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system.
Apple's iTunes Repair Tool for Vista 1.0, posted to the computer maker's Web site over the weekend, is designed to 'repair permissions for important files required by iTunes to play your iTunes Store purchases,' according to Apple.
In blog postings, iTunes users who upgraded their personal computers to Windows Vista reported receiving error messages when attempting to play songs on their PCs that were purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store. "

TidBITS: Apple Ships 802.11n Base Station and Enabler

The AirPort Extreme Base Station with 802.11n is now shipping. The software enabler required to update existing Macs that have 802.11n technology built in is included with the base station, and can now also be purchased from the Apple Store for $2 (see "Two Bucks for 100 Mbps 802.11n Enabler," 2007-01-22). All Macs with Intel Core 2 Duo processors (except the 17-inch 1.83 GHz iMac) or Xeon processors can be updated to 802.11n, including Mac Pro desktops that had the AirPort Extreme option added. Apple isn't offering 802.11n options for any older Macs; third-party adapters will be required.

YouTube - A Closer Look At The iPhone

ITworld.com - Apple and Nike sued over Sport Kit

ITworld.com - Apple and Nike sued over Sport Kit: "Apple and Nike are being taken to a Denver court by PhatRat Technology over claimed patent abuse."

Apple and the Beatles

"The Beatles on Monday buried their latest trademark dispute with US technology company Apple, removing one of the obstacles to a potential deal that could finally see the Fab Four’s music appearing on the iTunes music store.
The two sides did not comment on whether a digital music deal, which has been widely anticipated, would follow. However, Neil Aspinall, manager of Apple Corps, which owned the trademark to The Beatles’ music label, hinted at the possibility of a future commercial relationship. “We wish Apple Inc. every success and look forward to many years of peaceful co-operation with them,” he said."

Article here

CSCO and AAPL

Cisco and Apple have declared a temporary truce in the legal battle over the iPhone trademark to give themselves until February 15 to resolve the matter outside of court. The Silicon Valley companies pushed back Apple’s deadline for filing a response to the suit in US federal court in Northern California.
“Apple and Cisco have agreed to extend the time for Apple to respond to the lawsuit to allow for discussions between the companies with the aim of reaching agreement on trademark rights and interoperability,” a joint statement read.

9NEWS - Business - Article - Apple: iTunes users should wait on Vista

"Apple Inc. (AAPL) is urging some iPod and iTunes users to hold off on upgrading computers to Windows Vista, warning that the iTunes music software may not work well with the new operating system from rival Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) "

Apple warns iTunes users to wait on Vista until compatibility fix - USATODAY.com

Apple warns iTunes users to wait on Vista until compatibility fix - USATODAY.com:

"Apple Inc. is urging some iPod and iTunes users to hold off on upgrading computers to Windows Vista, warning that the iTunes music software may not work well with the new operating system from rival Microsoft Corp.
Apple said iTunes may work with many Vista computers, but the company knows of some compatibility problems and recommends that users wait until it resolves the issues with an iTunes update in the next few weeks, the company said in a statement provided Friday by spokesman Derick Mains. The iTunes software is key to synching music on computers with iPod portable players."