News from category ‘rumors’

Apple demonstrates interest in improving OLED technology for future iPhone and iPad displays that will provide better battery life for such devices.  Earlier this week AppleInsider revealed a new patent application filled by Apple. The title of the patent is "Power Efficient Organic Light Emitting Diode Display" and describes different ways that could improve battery life, for example, displaying the color white.

OLED displays consume less power than traditional displays. This is possible because OLED technology is light emissive rather than light transmissive. But OLED displays, despite all their advantages, are less efficient that it is used for displaying a screen that is largely the color white, because an OLED panel has to utilize a range of color channels for every pixel on the display. Doing this can be power intensive and make the device inefficient.

For example, certain applications, such as word processing, spreadsheet design and use, database design and use, e-mail, and other business or productivity applications, typically utilize dark or black alphanumeric characters on a white background, such as to simulate writing or printing on a sheet of paper. As a result, these applications may cause the display of large expanses of white background with relatively little area devoted to the non-white alphanumeric characters. Such applications, therefore, may make the use of OLED displays unsuitable or undesirably power intensive for battery powered and/or portable electronic devices, such as handheld devices.

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According to legal documents filed by Apple, the European Commission is investigating Samsung's patent litigation to determine if its use of 3G-related patents violates competition laws. Apple has argued that those patents are essential to basic device operation and must therefore be licensed under FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) terms.

Samsung has launched an aggressive, worldwide campaign to enjoin Apple from allegedly practicing Samsung's patents. Samsung has sued Apple for infringement and injunctions in no fewer than eight countries outside the United States. Indeed, Samsung's litigation campaign and other conduct related to its Declared-Essential Patents is so egregious that the European Commission recently has opened an investigation to determine whether Samsung's behavior violates EU competition laws.

Moreover, the European Commission issued a statement related to the investigation, noting that it asked both Apple and Samsung to provide it with information on patents.

The Commission has indeed sent requests for information to Apple and Samsung concerning the enforcement of standards-essential patents in the mobile telephony sector. Such requests for information are standard procedure in antitrust investigations to allow the Commission to establish the relevant facts in a case.

A number of complaints regarding problems with echo on the iPhone 4S when used with a headset, with calls is growing. Moreover, the problem seems to appear on different phone models and carriers.

When using the Apple hands free headset with the phone during a call, I get an echo problem. It does not occur immediately. It can very from 30 seconds into a call and as far up to 9 mins in before it begins the annoying echo. If I unplug the headset it goes away but will return when I plug the headset back in. I have tried 3 brand new iphone 4s headsets with the same problems. So far I have tried rebooting, and also restored phone back to factory original settings as a new phone and still no resolution. I have been told by the other person on the line a screech sound is made then the echo begins.

Other issue that affects both incoming and outgoing calls is static on iPhone 4S call. The issue also occurs on multiple handsets as users exchanged devices at Apple retail stores in attempts to address the problem

The third problem involves users experiencing no audio on a subset of outgoing phone calls.

Picked up a Verizon iPhone 4S - 32GB and on about 1 in 10 calls I get no outbound audio when dialing. Call shows the timer counting as if the call is progressing but absolutely no ring back and cannot hear the party on the other end when they answer.

Digitimes claims that Apple plans to completely overhaul its iPad, iMac, iPhone and MacBook Air lines in 2012, saying nothing about MacBook Pro, Mac mini, Mac Pro and iPod lines.

Apple plans to completely overhaul its product lineups, including iPad, iMac, iPhone and MacBook Air, in 2012 and is expected to finalize order volumes for key parts and components for the next-generation iPad in December, according to sources in the upstream supply chain.

The iPhone is most likely to be redesign. The iPhone 4S has the same design as the previous generation iPhone 4. So it is quite reasonable to suggest that the iPhone will receive a new design. As for iMac, its design hasn’t been changed for some years. And it’s unclear how drastically it would be changed. The iPad is expected to become thinner in 2012. Some analysts believe that Apple’s tablet could finally receive Retina display. Finally, the MacBook Air. The notebook will certainly receive new design next year. There are rumors about a 15" Air-like design. Moreover, the Air and Pro lines is expected to be merged into one, but the Air form factor will dominate the consumer market in the near future.

Yesterday we reported that Apple senior vice president for retail Ron Johnson left Apple and took CEO position at J.C. Penney. And Apple has been still looking for his successor. Cult of Mac now claims that Steve Cano has been promoted to the position of senior vice president for retail.

Apple’s new retail boss boss isn’t just some suit, though. He’s one of the first retail employees Apple ever hired, a California surfer dude who has climbed from the sales floor to the very top rung of Apple management.

According to our source, Apple is replacing Johnson with his long-time lieutenant, Steve Cano.

Cano began his career at Apple ten years ago as manager of the Palo Alto retail store, then he open the SoHo store in New York City, last seven years he worked on Apple's international retail efforts.

But Apple denies appointment of Cano. The company has said that the search for a replacement for Ron Johnson continues.

Two months has already gone since the moment when Tim Cook was appointed Apple’s CEO. The Wall Street Journal decided to take a look at his management strategy and found out some differences between his style and that of Steve Jobs.

In recent weeks, Mr. Cook has tended to administrative matters that never interested Mr. Jobs, such as promotions and corporate reporting structures, according to people familiar with the matter. The new chief executive, 50 years old, has also been more communicative with employees than his predecessor, sending a variety of company-wide emails while addressing Apple employees as "Team," people close to the company said.

Cook made significant changes in Apple’s education division. As a result the division was divided into marketing and sales divisions and then reintegrated with the company's broader arms focused on those aspects of the business. Another corporate-level change is recently-announced charitable matching program that calls for Apple to match employee donations up to $10,000 per year, a change from the Jobs who was reportedly against giving money away. Cook seems to recognize quickly expertise and achievements of his employees, and ready to promote them, such as with the promotion of Eddy Cue.

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Digitimes suggests that Apple's next iPad should enter mass production soon with a launch set for March 2012. But this new product won’t be a “real” iPad 3 rather an updated iPad 2. The “real” iPad 3 is expected to be launched no earlier that the third quarter of 2012. Although Digitimes does not provide any distinction as to what qualifies as a "real iPad 3", the site claims that it would be thinner than the iPad 2 and offer longer battery life.

The most obvious difference between the updated iPad 2 and the “real” iPad 3 is an ultra-high resolution Retina display that is rumored to be implemented in the iPad 3. Rumors about Apple’s plans to build in such display in their devices have been circulating for months. But the most recent reports indicate that Apple's suppliers are finding it challenge to produce such high density displays. Anyway Apple could change their plains at any moment.

Rumors have it that there are Apple TVs that can run Hulu Plus app inside Apple. The app is full-featured and can be rolled out to Apple TV users. Actually, the app has been completed at least month ago, but there are some political issues standing in the way of launching Hulu Plus for Apple TV. Apple appears to have some consideration that the Hulu Plus could decrease iTunes TV sales.

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Rumors about release of the native Gmail application from Google have been circulating for about three years since Apple launched the App Store. Bloger, MG Siegler claims that Google “is on the verge of launching their native Gmail app” and have likely already submitted it to Apple for review. If the company approves the application, it should be released soon.

The native Gmail app will likely bring other key functionality as well: like Priority Inbox and one-click starring of messages. Other possibilities include some of the stuff Google is about to roll out for Gmail proper: like contact icons, better threading, and deep searching functionality. Maybe there will even be some Google+ integration, which Google is also hard at work on for Gmail.

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Last week, Apple released its annual financial report for fiscal 2011, revealing some interesting facts. Moreover, the report includes some Apple's planned capital expenditures for fiscal 2012

The Company’s capital expenditures were $4.6 billion during 2011, consisting of approximately $614 million for retail store facilities and $4.0 billion for other capital expenditures, including product tooling and manufacturing process equipment, real estate for the future development of the Company’s second corporate campus, and other corporate facilities and infrastructure.

The Company anticipates utilizing approximately $8.0 billion for capital expenditures during 2012, including approximately $900 million for retail store facilities and approximately $7.1 billion for product tooling and manufacturing process equipment, and corporate facilities and infrastructure, including information systems hardware, software and enhancements.

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A security firm Sophos, released a report which claims that a new Trojan horse was found to be hidden in a Mac OS X application, Graphic Converter 7.4.

The new Trojan called DevilRobber can steal sensitive user data, usernames and passwords, and take control of the computer’s GPU to generate Bitcoins, a form of currency used online, and is capable of spying on users by taking screenshots of their activity and sending the images online. DevilRobber, also known as "OSX/Miner-D," also runs scripts that can copy information “regarding truecrypt data, Vidalia (TOR plugin for Firefox), your Safari browsing history, and .bash_history” to a dump.txt file. The malware is also able to search for “pthc” files (the term means pre-teen hardcore pornography). And probably that is one of its secondary features to find traces of child abuse on affected computers that could be used against owners of such computers, for example.

Sophos suggests that users may notice that their computers have been attacked by the Trojan. This may affect overall computing performance when the Trojan steals GPU resources. The company asks users not to download software from unreliable sources. Though, common anti-virus programs are able to detect the Trojan.

Last week it was reported that after pricing information on Intel's upcoming Sandy Bridge E processors surfaced, Apple’s potential options for Mac Pro line update in early 2012 began to clear up. Apple has not updated the Mac Pro line since mid-2010, and Intel’s delays in new processors have pushed their update out from this year to first quarter of 2012.

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Apple has already started work on the version 10.8 of Mac OS X. Just in July the company launched the version 10.7 of OS X Lion, which included many new features and was the first Mac OS X version to be sold through the Mac App Store.

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Macotakara reported that Apple is allegedly testing a new thin-and-light 15-inch MacBook to add it to its lineup in the near future. Apple now is finishing up a taste phase. According to Asian source, Apple already finished development of an LCD test component for the new laptop.

The next Apple’s notebook is believed to be a next-generation MacBook Pro without a built-in optical disc drive. That means that the new notebook will undergo significant changes in design in 2012. Moreover, earlier this year, there were some rumors about drastic redesign of the MacBook Pro line. Last week, ahead of the holiday buying season Apple quietly updated its MacBook Pro models, adding slightly faster Intel Sandy Bridge processors, as well as improved AMD Radeon graphics. The new MacBook Pro may boast about Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge processors. Moreover, Intel has already begun production of new processors.

Sources close to Microsoft revealed that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer allegedly blocked its former data center manager Kevin Timmons from joining Apple after reportedly being hired by the company in April to oversee iCloud operations. Microsoft even threatened legal action against Apple.

Timmons is said to offer Apple a plan to lower the operating cost of its existing data centers. Apple agreed to hire him, but Ballmer asked him to stay at Microsoft. Then a rumored call from Ballmer threatening legal action ended Timmons' would-be deal.

Earlier this year it was reported that Timmons had been hired by Apple in April and was thought to have been tapped to oversee Apple's iCloud at the company's North Carolina data center. But on October 12, when the service rolled out,  this position was occupied by  Scott Noteboom, Yahoo's former vice president of data center engineering. Timmons is said to take job as the new CTO of CyrusOne.