Archive for August 10th, 2011

According to DigiTimes report, Apple has turned to suppliers other than LG Display (specifically Chimei Innolux and Samsung) because of some issues with 9.7-inch panel produced by LGD for the iPad 2. Apparently LG Display has failed to meet Apple’s July orders for around 1 million units and also it hasn’t fulfilled requirements in impact tests, during which backlight units of iPads 2 failed. Reportedly Apple has suspended its orders for new displays with LG, which until now has been the largest manufacturer of display panels for iPad 2.

Read the rest of this entry »

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Apple and 5 of the 6 major book publishers: Hachette, HarperCollins, MacMillan, Penguin, and Simon & Shuster. The lawsuit claims that they "colluded to increase prices for popular e-book titles to boost profits and force e-book rival Amazon to abandon its pro-consumer discount pricing."

From the lawsuit:

In November 2007, Amazon revolutionized the book publishing industry by releasing the Kindle, a handheld digital reader for electronic books or “eBooks.” A major economic advantage to eBook technology is its potential to massively reduce distribution costs historically associated with brick-and-mortar publishing. But publishers quickly realized that if market forces were allowed to prevail too quickly, these efficiency enhancing characteristics would rapidly lead to lower consumer prices, improved consumer welfare, and threaten the current business model and available surplus (profit margins). So, faced with disruptive eBook technology that threatened their inefficient and antiquated business model, several major book publishers, working with Apple Inc. (“Apple”), decided free market competition should not be allowed to work – together they coordinated their activities to fight back in an effort to restrain trade and retard innovation. The largest book publishers and Apple were successful.

This lawsuit alleges that as a "direct result of this anticompetitive conduct as intended by the conspiracy, the price of eBooks has soared" and "bring claims under federal and state antitrust laws to enjoin the illegal conduct and to obtain damages."

Facebook has just launched Messenger app that extends its Messages service. This app will allow sending Facebook messages to your Facebook contacts and text messages to your phone’s contacts. In addition to messages the app will allow you to send pictures as well.
Read the rest of this entry »

After a district court in Dusseldorf, Germany, granted a preliminary injunction, Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been barred from distribution in the European Union (except for the Netherlands, because a separate lawsuit in the Netherlands is already underway). Apple spokesperson Kristin Huguet confirmed the injunction to Bloomberg:  ”It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging. This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”

Apple alleged that the Galaxy Tab imitates the iPad and infringes on various intellectual property rights owned by Apple. Apple asked the Landgericht (district court) of Düsseldorf, Germany, to order an injunction under which Samsung is threatened with fines of up to EUR 250,000 (US$ 350,000) for each violation or imprisonment of Samsung’s management for up to two years in the event of continued infringement. Those are standard sanctions under German tort law for contempt of a preliminary injunction.

Last week, Samsung had to delay the launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia in response to Apple's request for a preliminary injunction in that country.

In June Apple began upgrading the plaza and glass cube at its iconic flagship retail store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The company plans to invest in upgrading about $6.6 million.  Customers still have access to the store through a covered passageway. Apple plans to remove the glass cube and work on drainage, pavers, and bollards on the plaza. The company is going to completely replace the cube’s glass panels with new and larger panels.  As Apple says, the appearance of the renovated Fifth Avenue Store will be much cleaner, and visually more seamless. Detailing the upgrades in an informational notice, Apple shows off past and present examples of the Fifth Avenue retail store, showing a reduction in glass panels from 90 to just 15 large strips (three vertical panes on each side and three on top).

We're simplifying the Fifth Avenue cube. By using larger, seamless pieces of glass, we're using just 15 panes instead of 90.