A member of the media takes a photo of the new iPhone 4, showing its slim design, following the device’s unveiling by Apple CEO Steve Jobs in San Francisco, California, June 7, 2010.
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iPhone 4 gets examined internally
A member of the media takes a photo of the new iPhone 4, showing its slim design, following the device’s unveiling by Apple CEO Steve Jobs in San Francisco, California, June 7, 2010.
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iPhone 4 gets examined internally
San Mateo County District Attorney’s office tells CNET it’s filed misdemeanor theft charges against two men who allegedly sold a prototype iPhone last year to the Gizmodo gadget blog. Originally posted at Media Maverick
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Prosecutors file charges in prototype iPhone case
As we reported yesterday, Apple earlier this week filed a lawsuit against teenager Fei Lam and his parents over Lam’s sale of unauthorized white iPhone 4 parts, alleging trademark infringement and dilution. At the time, we noted that Apple had simultaneously filed a voluntary dismissal of the case, suggesting that a settlement may have already been reached.
But in an interview with Fast Company, Lam reveals that he knows essentially nothing about the lawsuit, having learned about it only as reports spread through the media yesterday. Lam notes that a settlement has not been reached, but it will obviously be a topic of discussions apparently set to be held between Lam and Apple’s lawyers “within the next month”.
Q: When did you first find out about the lawsuit? Did Apple call or send a letter?
A: I came back from school today and saw your email. Lol.
Q: So have your parents mostly been handling the case then?
A: I told Apple’s lawyer that I’m sick and to meet when I get better. That was last week. I’m [sic] been handling the whole thing
Q: So you have not settled?
A: I think that will be decided in the meeting.
According to Lam, he no longer has a lawyer representing him in the case, as he is unable to afford one. Consequently, he says that he will be meeting alone with Apple’s lawyers at their offices in New York City.
Lam notes that he did not make $130,000 in profits as some reports have claimed, although he declined to specify exactly how much he made from the venture or where those profits have gone. The initial report on his business noted that he had sold $130,000 worth of the parts, but it is unknown how much he had to pay his Chinese supplier for them.
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There has obviously been a lot of discussion about last week’s disclosure that iOS devices are maintaining an easily-accessible database tracking the movements of users dating back to the introduction of iOS 4 a year ago. The issue has garnered the attention of U.S. elected officials and has played fairly heavily in the mainstream press.
One MacRumors reader emailed Apple CEO Steve Jobs asking for clarification on the issue while hinting about a switch to Android if adequate explanations are not forthcoming. Jobs reportedly responded, turning the tables by claiming both that Apple does not track users and that Android does while referring to the information about iOS shared in the media as “false”.
Q: Steve,
Could you please explain the necessity of the passive location-tracking tool embedded in my iPhone? It’s kind of unnerving knowing that my exact location is being recorded at all times. Maybe you could shed some light on this for me before I switch to a Droid. They don’t track me.
A: Oh yes they do. We don’t track anyone. The info circulating around is false.
Sent from my iPhone
As is Jobs’ usual style, his brief comments provide little detail or information to support his claims, and his vagueness leaves things rather open to interpretation.
Android has been shown to also gather location information, but the database is limited to a much smaller list of entries and is regularly wiped by the system. Jobs’ email seems to explicitly claim, however, that Google’s location information is used to track users while Apple’s is not.
Apple responded to some questions about location tracking and privacy last July, noting that users have the ability to turn off location services entirely and that all location features require explicit authorization from the user. The Wall Street Journal has found, however, that this newly-publicized database is constructed even when location services are turned off entirely.
The Journal tested the collection of data on an iPhone 4 that had been restored to factory settings and was running the latest version of Apple’s iOS operating system.
The Journal disabled location services (which are on by default) and immediately recorded the data that had initially been gathered by the phone. The Journal then carried the phone to new locations and observed the data. Over the span of several hours as the phone was moved, it continued to collect location data from new places.
As many observers have noted, the iOS location database does not record exact GPS data, instead seeking to pinpoint the locations of Wi-Fi access points and cell towers that the device comes within range of, although the database does offer a clear general track of a user’s movements.
In the meantime, government agencies in a number of countries have launched investigations into the situation, seeking explanations from Apple and details on how users can protect their privacy.
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Apple has long offered $30 rebates on MobileMe and iWork for customers purchasing new Apple hardware, encouraging users to tack on so-called “attachments” to boost revenue for the company. In late February, the company eliminated boxed versions of MobileMe and did away with the option to bundle the service with a new Mac at a $30 discount. The rebate program for distribution through other points of sale, however, apparently remained in effect.
A similar program existed for iWork, with users able to either opt to have the software preinstalled on their build-to-order machines at a $30 discount to $49, or file for a $30 rebate on the $79 iWork if purchased through other means. That $49 discounted price for preinstalled iWork disappeared as of today, however, with Apple now charging the full $79 price for the software suite.
Apple has apparently also notified resellers that the iWork and MobileMe promotions have ended as of yesterday, requiring resellers to remove all references to the rebate programs from their promotional materials.
Apple has of course been rumored to be working on an overhaul of its MobileMe service, reportedly seeking to integrate cloud-based services that would allow users to store their media on Apple’s servers for access from a variety of devices.
A potential iWork update has been a bit more of a mystery, however, as the suite was last updated in early 2009. There had been some claims of Apple seeking to a launch “iWork ’11″ alongside the Mac App Store in January, with hints of shortages of iWork in mid-December lending credence to the theory, but an updated version has yet to surface.
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Image from Droid Life
All Things Digital reports that Google is having difficulties as it works to develop its own iTunes competitor, describing the company’s talks with major record labels as “going backwards”. Google has been working since last year to roll out a music service that would also integrate with the company’s Android platform in an attempt to rival the iTunes-iOS mobile media combination and move into cloud-based storage.
Google’s negotiations with the big music labels are “broken,” says a source familiar with the search giant’s thinking: “There’s definitely a problem with the Google music conversations.” Another industry source says Google’s top executives are reconsidering their music plans altogether. “They’ve gone backwards,” I’m told.
Some label sources have suggested that Google is continuing to negotiate and that things are moving forward, but there appears to be growing discontentment at other labels due in part to Google potentially changing its demands at the last minute and label concerns over Amazon’s new cloud-based storage service and music player launched late last month.
Apple of course is widely rumored to be working on a revamp of its MobileMe services that would allow users to store their media in the cloud and access it from any Internet-connected Apple device. The company has been said to be talking with record labels for many months now, working to get labels on board for the service that they have repeatedly said is not a permitted usage under current distribution contracts.
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Over the past few weeks, a pair of announcements have seen Time Warner Cable announce a live TV app for iPad and Amazon unveil cloud-based storage for music, two areas in which Apple has been rumored to be trying to roll out its own offerings but has yet to do so.
One of the primary barriers for Apple seems to have been its preference to try to work with the content providers, companies that have traditionally been slow to adopt new technologies and distribution methods. Ever since Apple’s December 2009 acquisition of Lala Media, observers have speculated that the company has been looking to deploy a cloud-based iTunes service.
In fact, sources such as CNET have kept a close eye on Apple’s efforts to bring music and even video to the cloud, noting a number of times that negotiations with record labels and movie and television studios have been slow to proceed and that Apple was unlikely to roll out the services without the agreement of the content providers, as the company would be likely to find itself in court without it. Apple has also been said to have pitched TV subscription plans to TV networks in a bid to circumvent traditional cable TV service, but the company saw little success with those negotiations.
Enter Time Warner Cable (itself part of a media conglomerate generating music, TV, and movie content) and Amazon, which both appear to have taken the bull by the horns and released their new services without the blessing of content providers and are now facing backlash from those companies.
Time Warner’s app, which streams live TV content to the iPad, offers 32 channels and is limited to users who subscribe to both Time Warner cable and Internet services, and is only functional through each user’s own home network, in effect serving simply as another television in the household. But the arrangement has been viewed as unacceptable by a number of content providers, with Viacom vehemently objecting to the inclusion of its channels in the application and Fox and Scripps sending cease-and-desist letters to Time Warner demanding that their channels be removed.
For its part, Time Warner Cable has rolled out a dedicated site appealing to consumers and asking for their support in the increasingly bitter battle between the cable operator and the networks over iPad app access.
A similar story took place at Amazon, where the company rolled out its Cloud Player for music earlier this week without the agreement of record labels, many of whom claim that the use is not permitted under current music licensing deals. Amazon has tried to sidestep legal issues by requiring users to upload their own copies of digital music files, appearing to believe that such a “passive” setup would be allowed under law. According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon is now going back to record labels in an effort to secure licensing deals that would allow for a more efficient system in which Amazon could house centralized libraries of music tracks with users being offered access to them on a song-by-song basis as determined by a database outlining their ownership of tracks.
It remains to be seen just which approach will prove more successful, as users rush to embrace new products and services that allow them access content on the go while content providers remain slow to respond to the rapidly-changing technological advancements. Companies like Time Warner and Amazon that are plowing ahead possess significant first-move advantage in the market, but may face hurdles of lawsuits and eroding relationships with content providers that could cause difficulties for the companies. On the other hand, Apple appears to have worked to bring all stakeholders on board before launching its offerings, but has little other than rumors and speculation to show for it so far.
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Research firm IDC today announced the release of its data on worldwide tablet shipments for the fourth quarter of 2010, pegging Apple’s share of the market at 73%, down from a 93% share in the third quarter in the face of competitors beginning shipments of their devices. Overall tablet sales more than doubled quarter-to-quarter, moving from 4.5 million in the third quarter to 10.1 million in the fourth quarter.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet and eReader Tracker, 10.1 million media tablets were shipped in the fourth quarter of 2010 (4Q10) – more than double the 4.5 million shipped in the third quarter. Apple’s share came down from 93% in 3Q10 to 73% in 4Q10, but still reflected Apple’s strong leadership position. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab was the primary competitor in the holiday season, beating other players to market and capturing more than 17% share, while a number of smaller regional players also participated.
IDC points to Apple’s imminent launch of the iPad 2 as reason to believe that the company will be able to maintain 70-80% market share moving forward. In addition, the firm called demand for the Samsung Galaxy Tab “stifled” by uncompetitive pricing and Apple’s momentum, suggesting that a high number of the shipped units moved into the distribution channels without making their way to customers.
Overall, IDC is predicting shipments of roughly 50 million units for 2011.
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Intel Also Launching ‘Light Peak’ Thursday
Tuesday February 22, 2011 06:25 PM EST; Category: MacBook Pro
Written by Arnold Kim
Prototype Light Peak connector. Photo from PCPro.co.uk
CNet reports that Intel is launching Light Peak on Thursday, February 24th,
Intel released a statement to the media today stating that on Thursday in San Francisco it will “host a…press briefing to discuss a new technology that is about to appear on the market.”
The date happens to coincide with Apple’s expected release of new MacBook Pros.
We don’t expect this to be a coincidence and perhaps explains why Apple choose to launch the new MacBook Pros on a Thursday rather than Tuesday.
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