Apple’s IP chief leaves for patent troll Technicolor

By Ed Sutherland on Jun 19, 2013

After sparking its long-running patent war with Samsung, Apple’s intellectual property chief has left to head a similar job at a French media company. Boris Teksler, who in 2012 testified Samsung was copying iPhone technology, left his job of four years Wednesday.

Teksler had no immediate comment on why he left to become president of the Technology Group for Technicolor, a media and entertainment company based in France.

Technicolor’s CEO said the former Apple IP chief was well-suited to the firm’s plans for expanding use of patents… Read More

 

Apple’s key ‘rubber banding’ patent validated by US Patent Office

By Cody Lee on Jun 13, 2013

Apple’s ‘rubber banding’ patent has been under heavy scrutiny in recent months, invalidated twice by the US Patent Office. It used the patent, which pertains to a software feature that allows content to ‘bounce back’ during scrolling, in its big $1 billion victory over Samsung.

But good news today for the Cupertino company. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (or USPTO) has said it will issue a re-examination certificate that confirms the formerly invalidated invention, clearing up any doubts of the patent’s weight or validity… Read More

 

Apple devices top Android on 3G networks

By Ed Sutherland on Jun 12, 2013

We’ve always contended that while Android has a numerical advantage over Apple’s iOS, the iPhone and iPad see much greater usage.

More evidence of that belief: more than half of all 3G cellular traffic comes from Apple devices.

When combined, the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 account for about 53 percent of all 3G cellular traffic. Adding the iPad boosts the number to nearly 60 percent, according to a firm that analyzes cell network traffic. Where is Android? Samsung’s Galaxy S, S2 and S3 combined make up a bit over eighteen percent of 3G traffic… Read More

 

Prosecutors cautiously optimistic Activation Lock in iOS 7 could curb urban iPhone theft

By Ed Sutherland on Jun 11, 2013

Apple’s Monday announcement that its new iOS 7 would include an ‘Activation Lock’ comes just days before the iPhone maker is to attend a Smartphone Summit. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón say they await details of the new iPhone feature.

After being stung by reports that it is not doing enough to prevent a rash of iPhone thefts, Apple argued Activation Lock would prevent thieves from using a stolen handset… Read More

 

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 dead in the water

By Ed Sutherland on Jun 7, 2013

Following clickbait dead-in-the-water headlines which spelled doom for Apple on overzealous analysts projecting overly optimistic iPhone sales, it’s now Samsung’s turn to feel Wall Street’s wrath. So, is Samsung’s smartphone business running out of steam?

That’s the question Wall Street is pondering as investors punish the South Korean firm after orders for its flagship Galaxy S4 had supposedly dropped by as much as thirty percent.

Friday, Samsung shares slid by more than six percent after more than $12 billion was sliced from the Android maker’s market capitalization. Can Samsung stop the downward spiral, perhaps offering a stock buyback as Apple did? Or are we seeing only the latest signs of an industry-wide slowdown in demand?

Either way, the old saying about people living in glass houses seems all the more pertinent… Read More

 

Aping Apple…

By Ed Sutherland on Jun 5, 2013

In an irony likely not lost on executives in Cupertino, at a time when China is becoming Apple’s chief market, a Chinese smartphone maker is earning the reputation as the ‘Apple of the East.’

Xiaomi, which makes Android-powered lookalikes of the iPhone, is led by a young, brash and wealthy CEO who appears to be the second-coming of Steve Jobs.

From his jeans and dark shirt wardrobe to his company’s $1 billion balance sheet, Xiaomi’s Lei Jun, sees Apple as the template for moving China from the cheap rip-offs of yesterday to the Fortune 500 of tomorrow, according to a New York Times profile published Wednesday… Read More

 

Apple to appeal U.S. import ban on older iPhones and iPads

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 5, 2013

Apple’s legal fight against Samsung yesterday took a turn for the worse with the United States International Trade Comission (ITC) rather surprisingly having found the iPhone maker guilty of infringing on a 3G cellular patent asserted by Samsung. This means Apple is now facing a U.S. import ban on older iPhone and iPad models, including the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS and 3G iPads.

The ban should go into effect within 60 days unless vetoed by the White House during a Presidential Review period. In light of the development, Apple of course plans on appealing the ruling because Samsung’s invention is basically a standards-essential patent and as such shouldn’t be asserted against rivals to seek import bans… Read More

 

Apple and others face questioning over stolen smartphone ‘epidemic’

By Ed Sutherland on Jun 5, 2013

First Apple and Samsung were sent an angry letter by New York’s Attorney General over efforts to curb growing thefts of smartphones.

Now the state’s top prosecutor wants a face-to-face meeting next week with representatives from Apple, Samsung, Google and Microsoft, saying they must find a way to solve what’s being described as an “epidemic”.

“It’s time for manufacturers to be as innovative in solving this problem as they have been in designing devices that have reshaped how we live,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Wednesday. But can handset makers really create such an effective kill-switch that would disable phones and cut thefts? Read More

 

ITC finds Apple guilty of infringing Samsung patent, bans certain devices

By Cody Lee on Jun 4, 2013

This is huge. The United States International Trade Commission just ordered a US import ban against older iPhones and iPads, after finding Apple guilty of infringing on a cellular standard-esential patent asserted by Samsung.

The ban, which encompasses a number of various iOS device models including the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS and 3G iPads, will go into effect within 60 days unless vetoed by the White House during a Presidential Review period… Read More

 

comScore: Apple increases lead as top US smartphone maker

By Cody Lee on Jun 4, 2013

While Wall Street analysts and investors seem pretty content with the ‘Apple is doomed’ meme, the numbers continue to fall in Apple’s favor. The company’s mobile devices are still wildly popular and selling out in droves— particularly here in the US.

Market research firm comScore published a new report today regarding the state of the US smartphone market. And not only does it show that Apple is leading in smartphone marketshare in the country, but it’s growing faster than the competition… Read More

 

Apple patents S Beam-like device transfers

By Ed Sutherland on Jun 4, 2013

A 2009 Apple patent application is gaining renewed attention, not only because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today issued a patent to the iPhone maker, but how the technology could keep pace with smartphone rival Samsung.

At issue is finding a way to easily transfer data between handsets and desktop computers. The patent, titled “System and method for simplified data transfer” describes how two Apple devices could wirelessly sync data using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, a system as yet unavailable in Apple products but part of Samsung’s S Beam feature on select NFC-enabled Galaxy devices… Read More

 

Galaxy S4 not hurting ‘resilient’ US iPhone sales

By Ed Sutherland on May 31, 2013

Listening to much of the tech press, you might get the impression Samsung’s new Galaxy S4 would further erode Apple’s share of the smartphone market. One Wall Street firm ended the week on a contrary note, telling investors iPhone sales in North America “remain resilient” and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is only selling slightly better than its predecessor.

The analyst firm Detwiler Fenton expects Apple will sell a cool thirty million iPhones during the June quarter amid expectation the nine-month-old handset would lose market share to its South Korean rival… Read More

 

Apple retains mobile ad lead, but Samsung getting more clicks

By Ed Sutherland on May 31, 2013

A mixed-message on the state of mobile advertising is out today. In an announcement expected to hearten both the iOS and Android camps, a UK ad firm reports Apple retains its lead in mobile ad share, while mobile ads rendered on devices by rival Samsung are increasingly being clicked.

Combined, Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch account for more than a third of all ad requests handled by the UK-based Adfonic. However, Samsung – with just twelve percent of the mobile ad share – finds the first quarter 2013 click-through-rate on ads served by its Android devices increasingly stronger than Apple… Read More

 

After Samsung makes Smart Scroll popular, Apple renews gaze detection work

By Ed Sutherland on May 30, 2013

Apple apparently is renewing efforts to add the ability for the iPhone to detect whether or not it has your rapt attention. It’s not enough that you’re holding the smartphone, the company now wants to be sure you are looking at the phone’s screen.

Originally seen as a way to save battery life, iPhone gaze detection may be Apple’s latest bid to keep up with rival Samsung.

Apple’s patent application, filed in 2013, adds to an earlier 2008 filing and describes ’Electronic Devices with Gaze Detection Capabilities.’

The technology uses the iPhone’s front-facing camera along with the device’s accelerometer to detect when you look away from the screen or put the phone down. Glancing away would automatically pause any running videos while also dimming the screen… Read More

 

Apple going back to Samsung as LCD panel supplier

By Cody Lee on May 28, 2013

It appears that the bad blood between Apple and Samsung isn’t enough to keep the two from working together. Despite previous reports that the iPad-maker is trying to distance itself from its rival, it has reportedly returned a large chunk of its LCD panel business back to Samsung… Read More

 

Apple claims Google Now violates its Siri patents, adds Galaxy S4 to suit

By Christian Zibreg on May 22, 2013

A week ago, news broke that Apple mulled adding Samsung’s latest Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone to its patent infringement case against Samsung Electronics. It’s not terribly surprising then that Apple has now filed a motion asserting that both the Internet giant’s head-turning Google Now feature and Samsung’s Galaxy S4 handset violate its two Siri patents and five other inventions… Read More

 

Sony could spin off entertainment biz to better compete against Apple and Samsung

By Christian Zibreg on May 22, 2013

The ailing Japanese giant Sony could spin off its entertainment business amid heightened competition from the consumer electronics giant Apple and the South Korea-based conglomerate Samsung, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The news gathering organization writes the CEO Kazuo Hirai confirmed Sony’s board will discuss a proposal by U.S. hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb to spin off up to twenty percent of its movie, TV and music division because Sony has “fallen behind powerful rivals” such as Apple and Samsung in terms of both profitability and innovation… Read More

 

Apple remains most valuable brand

By Ed Sutherland on May 21, 2013

You might have thought all the punishment Apple has taken on Wall Street would show up in how consumers view the company’s brand – and you’d be wrong. A new survey again ranks Apple as the most valuable brand, easily outdistancing its arch rival Google. Indeed, Apple is still seen as the ‘gold standard’ when it comes to brands, according to market research firm Millward Brown… Read More

 

Consumer Reports ranks Galaxy S4 its new top-rated smartphone

By Christian Zibreg on May 21, 2013

Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, has been declared our “new top-rated smartphone” in a barrage of tests conducted by Consumer Reports, an influential U.S. magazine published monthly by Consumers Union since 1936.

Yup, that’s the same publication that gave Apple’s iPhone 5 a thumbs-up shortly following its September 2012 introduction only to rank it one of its worst high-end devices available on the larger U.S. carriers in its February 2013 issue. So, what Galaxy S4 features did Consumer Reports editors single out as particularly appealing? Read More

 

Apple offers iPhone discount to India’s students

By Ed Sutherland on May 20, 2013

In yet another attempt to capture the nascent smartphone market in India, Apple is now promoting discounts for students. Students can receive $144 on an iPhone when they trade in their old smartphones. Apple and Samsung have engaged in a marketing struggle, both rolling out installment plans to encourage Indian buyers of rival smartphones.

The iPhone maker also announced a cash-back deal when Indian consumers use American Express to purchase an iPhone 4, 4S or 5 before June 10, according to a Monday report… Read More

 
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