Year: 2012

iTunes is the target of a new lawsuit

Oliver Haslam ∙ March 29, 2012

Apple is today finding itself on the wrong end of another lawsuit, with iTunes this time feeling the full force of America's somewhat broken patent system. As is the done thing these days, someone claiming to own a patent that may be infringed upon by a large company is seeking damages for said infringement.

According to a report in Computer World, a man named Benjamin Grobler believes that iTunes, along with Sony's PlayStation Network, infringes upon a patent he owns which covers a "data vending system."

This system allows the central hosting of apps, movies or music, with information on what a customer has already purchased already also being part of the system. Sound familiar? Yup, that's iTunes in the Cloud, then...

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The FLA publishes initial report on Foxconn factories: they aren’t sweatshops

Cody Lee ∙ March 29, 2012

Today, the Fair Labor Association published its highly anticipated report on the working conditions inside Foxconn's factories. Apple joined the FLA earlier this year amidst an onslaught of criticism that it was neglecting its supplier responsibilities.

We've heard horror stories about what goes on inside the facilities where our iPhones and iPads are made — most of which depicted a sweatshop-like atmosphere with underaged workers. But the FLA's report paints a different picture...

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In China, security guards fight over Apple’s upcoming “world’s biggest store”

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 29, 2012

The world's biggest Apple store inside a shopping mall? Pictured above is the huge Parkland Mall shopping mall in Dalian, China, reportedly slated to become the home to the company's biggest retail outlet to date. The obligatory sign is already outside the mall and it reads “Apple’s World’s Biggest Flagship Store will be coming soon”.

Need more evidence? Well, only a flagship Apple store in the making could provoke crazy mall wars as a rival shopping center dispatched its security team to push down Apple's barricades outside the Parkland Mall.

It's all caught on tape and included below for your viewing pleasure...

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Apple researching iSight cameras with 3D imaging and facial gestures recognition

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 29, 2012

According to a patent filing that surfaced today in the US Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) database, Apple is researching a much-improved camera for mobile devices that could recreate 3D models of scanned objects as well as capture gestures and facial expressions. It works with both stills and video and employs one or more dedicated cameras to capture 3D objects.

The system is based on new depth-detection sensors, such as LIDAR, RADAR and laser, that create stereo disparity maps in 3D imagery. With the ability to both capture and recreate 3D images, this killer imaging system could elevate the already powerful imaging capabilities of the five-megapixel iSight camera on the new iPad and its eight-megapixel counterpart found on the iPhone 4S.

Can we have this on the iPhone 5, please?

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Forget wallet-case combos, this money clip attaches directly to your iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ March 29, 2012

If you're looking for a way to combine your wallet with your iPhone's carrying case, there are dozens of options. We've even covered a number of wallet-case combos right here on iDB.

But if you haven't come across a case that tickles your fancy, you might want to check this out. The iPhone Money Clip, made by Poddities, attaches directly to your iPhone 4 or 4S...

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Tweetbot developer confirms Apple is now rejecting apps over use of UDIDs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 15, 2024

A report on Monday alleged Apple began rejecting third-party iOS apps that make use of Unique Device Identifiers (UDIDs). Today, developer Paul Haddad confirms that a new build of his Tweetbot app failed to pass Apple's requirements due to its use of UDIDs. Haddad received an email from the company that cites section 17.1 of the App Store Review Guidelines.

It states “apps cannot transmit data about a user without obtaining the user’s prior permission and providing the user with access to information about how and where the data will be used”.

With this app rejection, I think we can safely conclude that developers are now wise to drop UDIDs from their apps. Better late than never, if you ask me...

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One in three smartphones sold in the US is an iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 29, 2012

A new survey out of Nielsen today says nearly one in three of all smartphone users in the United States have an iPhone, or 32.1 percent. For comparison, 48 percent opted for an Android device, or nearly one in two. As for recent acquirers who got their smartphone within the last three months, 43 percent bought an iPhone versus 48 percent for Android.

Together, the two platforms pretty much own the entire US smartphone market. More important than this, in my opinion, is the overall U.S. smartphone penetration rate which approached the psychologically important 50 percent milestone during the month of February. How is smartphone penetration important?

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iOS earns Google four times the revenue of Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

Though Google does not profit directly by giving away Android software to phone vendors, they do take 30 percent cut on app sales, just like Apple. This is peanuts compared to Google's indirect, mobile advertising-based revenues. Understandably, of course, as Google's ad-based business model benefits from people using their many services on the go, such as maps and search.

The more people use Google on their handsets, the higher advertising revenues the company pulls. At Android's scale, it's easy to think that Google gets more revenue from Android phones and tablets than Apple's iPhones, iPads and iPod touches.

According to a newspaper article today, based on court documents, Android’s total revenue from the launch of handsets at the end of 2008 through to the end of 2011 was $543 million. Still, Google made four times as much revenue during the same period on iOS devices.

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Tim Cook views Android litigation as “a necessary evil”, not a thermonuclear option

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 11, 2017

Remember how Steve Jobs told his biographer Walter Isaacson that he is willing to wage a "thermonuclear war" on Android because it's "a stolen product"? Having already spent an estimated 100+ million dollars on war on Android, Apple certainly means business. Sadly, the larger contest between Apple and Google is nowhere near resolution.

According to a fascinating cover story by Bloomberg, Apple is in it for the long run. The company is well-aware that many people have yet to choose a smartphone, a decision which usually entails loyalty to that phone's operating system. Yup, it's all about the same ol' lock-in.

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‘UsefulIcons’ adds quick shortcuts to your Home screen

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 29, 2012

We've seen something like this before, but you can never have too much of a good thing, right?

UsefulIcons is an upcoming jailbreak tweak that promises to add convenient shortcuts to your Home screen.

The various shortcuts cover everything from Voice Control/Siri, to respring and flashlight functionality. It's safe to say that this tweak will yield a varied amount of shortcuts, and you'll find at least some of them to be, well, useful...

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Use ‘ClipboardEdit’ to edit your clipboard from Notification Center

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 29, 2012

Sometimes original ideas are hard to come by, whether you're a jailbreak developer, or an App Store developer.

For that reason I see tons of duplicate apps and tweaks that essentially replicate what has already been available.

With that in mind, even if I don't totally understand the purpose of a specific tweak, I still appreciate one that tries to do something different and original.

This is exactly how I feel about ClipboardEdit. It's a tweak that's certainly original, but I'm not exactly sure how I would use it, or why it would be even be needed...

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