The long dispute between Apple and Amazon over the term "App Store" has come to an end, with Apple agreeing to end the lawsuit with promises from Amazon not to countersue, reports Reuters.
"We no longer see a need to pursue our case," Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. "With more than 900,000 apps and 50 billion downloads, customers know where they can purchase their favorite apps."
Martin Glick, a lawyer for Amazon, said in an interview, "This was a decision by Apple to unilaterally abandon the case, and leave Amazon free to use 'appstore.'"
Apple and Amazon's disagreement arose after Amazon debuted the "Amazon Appstore" in March of 2011, three years after Apple launched its own App Store. Apple sued just days after the Amazon Appstore was made available, asking the court to prevent Amazon from using the term as it tarnished the reputation of the Apple App Store.
Amazon responded with a request to throw out the trademark suit, calling the "app store" term generic, a position that Microsoft also took when Apple's trademark was originally filed.
Early this year, Amazon successfully had a portion of Apple’s lawsuit dismissed, following claims last year that Apple had failed to demonstrate "real evidence of actual confusion" between app stores, suggesting that Apple was "not likely to prevail" in the suit.
Yelp is adding a new local delivery ordering option to its iOS app, allowing users to order and pay for food right within the app. The company is partnering with local delivery services, beginning in San Francisco.
The service will start out in San Francisco through partnerships with food delivery startup Eat24 and Delivery.com, including 100 local businesses. Stoppelman described this as a “staging” before the platform enters new verticals and markets. The goal was to make it as scaleable as possible, and there are already a slew of other partners signed up. Ultimately people will be able to book home and personal services as well.
The updated description for the Yelp app says the delivery options will "be rolling this out to more locations in the coming weeks".
A welcome screen discovered in the iOS 7 beta suggests that Apple's iWork and iLife iOS applications may be available for free when the OS launches this fall, according to German site ifun [Google Translate].
The download screen is similar to this one that was discovered in the iOS 6 beta last year. It encourages customers to download free Apple apps to "get the most out of your iPhone."
iPhoto and iMovie are available on the App Store for $4.99 each, while Pages, Numbers and Keynote are $9.99. GarageBand is missing from the screen, but there is no reason to think it would not go free as well.
The launch of iWork for iCloud at WWDC in June suggested that iWork could become free, as no pricing was mentioned at the show. Offering Apple's polished iWork and iLife applications for free -- much like iLife apps have always been free with the purchase of a new Mac -- would be a strong differentiator for the iPhone and iPad.
Earlier today, the U.S Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent to Apple (via AppleInsider) addressing in-vehicle navigation and information systems based on touchscreens offering tactile feedback. The feedback would allow users to operate their vehicle's systems in a safer manner while keeping their eyes on the road.
The disclosed invention, including co-pending applications incorporated by reference, contains unique embodiments which allow one to interact, by feel, with a display, called herein a "programmable tactile display". It encompasses two main focus areas: A display having features commonly associated with a touch screen, but in a new form which can be sensed in several tactile manners, as well as visually. A tactile selection or adjustment means, such as a knob, slider, or switch, programmable in its tactile or visual nature, and generally operated in conjunction with the touch screen just described.
The inventor listed on the patent is Timothy Pryor of Windsor, Ontario, and as we investigated his background we discovered that he is responsible for a concept he calls "Digital Dash", emphasizing a tactile display using knobs and switches that can be dynamically reconfigured via software to provide a multitude of functions based on whatever aspect of the navigation or information system is needed.
Pryor's concept for a reconfigurable "Digital Dash" with tactile input methods
The Reconfigurable Tactile Display (RTD) Control Interface offers a multifunctional display and control surface that answers the needs of stylists, product planners, engineers, and most importantly, consumers. Using the same display and control surface, the RTD dramatically changes its appearance and functionality with just a change of software. It features real knobs switches and sliders, which contribute to its intuitiveness and ease of use. [...]
Consumers can benefit from a personalized control layout and software graphics configuration. Graphics may cover the entirety of the RTD, and these can easily change colors and design. The RTD offers all the telematics and digital entertainment options of other multifunctional solutions while remaining intuitive and easy to use.
Pryor's concept for a reconfigurable "Digital Dash" with tactile input methods
In examining Pryor's previous patents, we discovered that Apple acquired the rights to a number of his patents and patent applications related to the technology, as well as future patents derived from those works, back in March 2010. A copy of the assignment agreement was filed with the patent office shortly after.
Other patents related to the "Digital Dash" initiative include methods for sensing touch inputs on displays such as vehicle navigation systems, as well as additional details on how in-vehicle displays can be dynamically reconfigured.
Apple's "iOS in the Car" vision for iOS 7
With the technology detailed in these Digital Dash patents dating back to before their 2010 acquisition by Apple, other options for vehicle integration have of course become possible, with Apple having focused on Siri as a means for interacting with navigation and other services while in the car. Apple rolled out an "Eyes Free" mode for Siri in iOS 6 last year, although carmakers are only just getting around to building support for the feature. Apple is becoming even more ambitious in iOS 7 with "iOS in the Car", which would allow iOS devices to take over in-car displays via AirPlay to provide seamless integration.
Shortly after Apple seeded iOS 7 Beta 3 to developers earlier today, user Hamza Sood (via 9to5Mac) discovered toggles in the beta's "Accessory Developer" settings that allow for iOS 7's "iOS in the Car" initiative to work over Wi-Fi in addition to USB.
iOS in the Car is an initiative Apple revealed at its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote that provides enhanced iOS integration in automobiles, displaying iOS on in-car monitors to make calls, get messages, look at maps and more.
While it was largely assumed that iOS in the Car would work over a wired USB-to-30-pin or USB-to-Lightning connection, it now appears that iOS in the Car may be available at great convenience with users not having to take their devices out of their pockets or bags to instantly connect to their automobiles, which would have to be outfitted with AirPlay or Wi-Fi to take advantage of the feature.
Major car manufacturers that plan to support iOS in the Car include Honda, Acura, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Infiniti, Ferrari, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia, Volvo, Opel and Jaguar. The feature is expected to roll out in 2014 following the launch of iOS 7 this fall.
Pandora Radio app for iOS to make music listening a more user friendly experience on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with the ability to auto-mute, better buffering and more.
Now when a user mute his or her device, the app will automatically pause the song being playing so that users don't miss any of their music. The app also has improved buffering, which will help deliver stutter-free music playback in areas with poor reception or Internet connectivity, according to Pandora. Other improvements include better linking and general bug fixes:
What's New in Version 4.4
- Stuck with a flaky connection? We've improved playback buffering to keep your favorite music stutter-free. - Never miss another great song: if you mute your phone, we'll pause your music for you. - More links to more of what you love: all the URLs that work on Pandora.com now work just as well on your phone. - Bug fixes and improvements to keep your music playing as it should.
Last month, a new entry in the results database for popular benchmarking tool Geekbench 2 appeared to reveal Apple's next-generation 13-inch MacBook Pro. Many observers had expected the update to come at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference last month, but Apple has yet to release the new machines.
A new Geekbench result posted earlier today now appears to reveal Apple's next-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro, carrying a code name of "AAPLJ45,1". As with the 13-inch model, it is not clear whether this machine is a Retina or non-Retina model, although Apple has been rumored to be leaving the non-Retina models without any further updates as it seeks to phase out the line in favor of an all-Retina lineup.
The benchmarked 15-inch MacBook Pro, which carries one of Intel's new Haswell processors and 16 GB of RAM, received a Geekbench score of 12497, roughly in line with the current generation of the machine. But as was seen with the MacBook Air released last month, Haswell's biggest benefit comes in efficiency, with Apple being able to boost the battery life on those machines to up to 12 hours.
The chip included in the benchmarked machine is a Core i7-4950HQ running at 2.4 GHz and offering Intel's new high-end Iris Pro 5200 integrated graphics. Intel's promotional materials for Iris previously showed graphics performance gains of 2-2.5x for this i7-4950Q with Iris 5200 compared to the i7-3840QM with HD Graphics 4000 found in the current stock high-end Retina MacBook Pro.
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro has, however, historically also included a dedicated graphics chip for improved performance, although it is unclear exactly what Apple's plans are in this regard for future generations. With Intel's integrated graphics seeing significant increases in performance, it is possible that Apple could, at least on some models, forego a dedicated graphics chip in order to push battery life even higher.
As with the 13-inch model benchmarked earlier, this 15-inch model is running a custom build of OS X Mavericks, in this case 13A2052. The machine is also running a Boot ROM dated June 24.
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro currently offers 7 hours of battery life, and while Apple may not be able to duplicate the 80% increase in battery life seen with the MacBook Air's switch to Haswell due to other power-hungry components such as the MacBook Pro's Retina display, the company may still be able to offer substantial battery life improvements in its new machines.
Update 8:53 AM: Primate Labs' John Poole tells MacRumors that Geekbench does collect GPU information, and that this machine does NOT appear to have a discrete GPU in addition to the integrated Iris 5200 graphics from Intel. Poole notes that it is possible that Geekbench could have failed to pick up the presence of a discrete GPU, as Primate Labs is still working out issue with that feature of the software, but that all testing so far has indicated that Geekbench should see the discrete GPU if it is present, even if it has been turned off for the benchmarking run.
After releasing the third beta of iOS 7 this morning, Apple has seeded the third Developer Preview of OS X Mavericks to developers.
The third iteration of the OS X Mavericks beta comes two weeks after Apple seeded the second version to developers, focusing on performance enhancements and bug fixes.
OS X Mavericks is slated for release this fall and includes new features like a tabbed Finder, full screen dual monitor capabilities, Safari improvements, and a new Maps app. Developers can receive the update via the Software Update tool in the Mac App Store.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is heading to the prestigious Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho for the second year in a row, according to Reuters. Last year, Cook said he was "looking forward" to meetings with media executives attending the conference.
In the past year, Apple has made a number of media-related moves, including launching iTunes Radio, bringing WatchESPN, HBO GO and others to the Apple TV. The company is also rumored to have a deal with to bring The CW to the Apple TV as well.
Tim Cook and Akamai CEO Paul Sagan at Allen & Co. conference (Credit: Paul Sakuma/AP)
Steve Jobs was occasionally found on the invitation list for the Sun Valley conference, including as late as 2010, but his last appearance at the event came in 2005.
At the consumer electronics showcase in June, olloclip unveiled a new telephoto lens accessory designed to complement its existing three-in-one iPhone lens solution.
The telephoto lens, which comes equipped with a circular polarizing filter, is constructed of glass and doubles the magnification of the iPhone lens. Like the company's other lenses, the telephoto lens snaps onto the iPhone 5 or the iPhone 4/4S. The accompanying polarizing filter can also be used with olloclip's existing lenses but cannot be purchased separately.
DP Review has posted a photo with the lens, showing the magnification in action:
Normal shot on left, telephoto version on right
The upcoming telephoto lens will be released in July and will retail for approximately $100. olloclip's existing lenses (including fisheye, wide-angle, and macro) can be purchased for $69.99.
Apple is being sued in a new class action suit (via GigaOM) led by Florida lawyer Scott Weiselberg, who accuses the company of allowing customers with older devices supporting only standard definition films to pay for and download higher quality content.
This class action involves defendant Apple, Inc. ("Apple") and its deceptive business practice of charging a premium price for the rental of HD content programs (e.g., movies, etc.) to consumers on early versions of Apple devices that Apple knew could not play HD content, and which only played the less expensive standard definition ("SD") content that Apple downloaded at the time of the rental.
As a result, millions of customers were deceived into paying the $1 premium for HD content rentals for their SD Apple Mobile Devices.
According to the filing, Weiselberg rented and downloaded the high definition version of the movie "Big Daddy," before discovering that his iPhone did not support HD playback. HD content is often offered at a premium in the App Store, and Weiselberg says that he was "tricked" into paying an extra $1 for the content.
While SD and HD content is clearly marked in the App Store, Weiselberg was not aware that his phone could not play HD content, and within the filing, he suggests that Apple should have automatically recognized the device type and prevented the purchase of HD content from an SD-only phone.
HD playback was first introduced in 2008, alongside iTunes 8.0. At that time, older iPhones and iPod touches were not able to support the new format, allowing some mistaken purchases to be made. Apple has since changed the download process, introducing warnings and preventing HD content from being downloaded by SD device, but Weiselberg believes that SD options are still too difficult for users to find.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages, plus interest, sustained by the Plaintiff and the Class, as well as legal fees.
Apple today released the third beta of iOS 7, which brings a number of improvements and bug fixes to the operating system. According to the release notes, double notifications have been resolved and AirPlay issues have also been fixed.
Several other minor enhancements have been bundled into the release, as noted by our forum members:
Redesigned Fonts - Fonts across a number of apps appear to have been tweaked to be thicker, using Helvetica Neue Regular instead of Ultra Light. This is most noticeable in the Messages app, where text appears to be bolded, but it can also be seen in the Weather app, the Notification Center, and the Settings menu. Panic co-founder @cabel has provided a GIF that demonstrates the differences.
Safari - Safari has had the .com button removed and replaced with a simple period button. The .com, .net, and .org domain extensions can be accessed by holding down on the button.
Status Bar - The Status Bar, which provides information on cellular connection strength, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and battery life has had its size slightly increased for better readability on the lock screen.
Lock Screen - When playing music, the lock screen will now display the time.
Music App - The Music app has seen a slight redesign with new icons and rearranged controls. Ratings have also been re-added.
Podcasts - Apple's Podcasts app is now functional.
Calendar - In the monthly view, the Calendar app has been updated to display small gray dots on days where events are scheduled.
Siri - A number of MacRumors forum members have noted that Siri’s voice now sounds more natural.
New App Download Animation - When installing an app, iOS 7 users will see a new animation that does away with download bars in favor of a more organic circular download timer.
Control Center - The clock located in the Control Center has seen yet another redesign, this time appearing in the original dark format that was removed during beta 2 in favor of a thinly outlined version.
Additional features in iOS 7 beta 3 will be added here as they are discovered. Apple is likely to continue pushing regular updates for iOS 7, bringing minor performance boosts and changes ahead of the operating system's public release, which is expected to come in the fall.
Twitter updated its official iPhone and iPad apps today. The most significant change is that all the official Twitter apps now sync the status of direct messages, meaning that DM's will not show up as 'unread' on multiple devices even after they've been read.
The Twitter app also delivers "richer search results" and a new feature to discover new accounts to follow.
What's New in Version 5.8
New to Twitter for iPhone and iPad: when you read a Direct message it will be marked as read in all of your official Twitter apps, including twitter.com, mobile.twitter.com, Twitter for Mac, Twitter for Android and TweetDeck. When you read a message on another official Twitter app, it will be marked as read on iPhone and iPad.
We’ve also made more improvements in this version: • It’s easier to join conversations with a new reply composer in the Tweet details view on iPhone • Find new accounts to follow by tapping the new people button in the navigation bar • Richer search results indicate when there are new Tweets for your query and show account results with bios and social context • Report unwanted Tweets via the “More” button
The official Twitter for Mac client was also updated with new notifications in the @Connect timeline when tweets have been retweeted or favorited, as well as the new DM status syncing.
Exactly two weeks after releasing the second beta of iOS 7 to developers, Apple has just pushed out a third beta version for testing. The update is arriving as both an over-the-air update to existing beta testers and through the iOS Dev Center.
The new beta arrives as build 11A4414e, up from the second beta at build 11A4400f. Apple has also released a third developer preview of Xcode 5.
A report from late last month had indicated that the third beta was scheduled to arrive today, although many have regarded the two-week interval as an obvious prediction given Apple's past release history. Apple typically runs on 2-3 week intervals for releasing developer builds of its major iOS operating system versions.
iOS 7 is scheduled for release in the fall of this year, with updates to Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPad mini all expected around the same time. If past history is any indication, iOS 7 should be made available to the public just a few days before the launch of the next-generation iPhone.
Direct links for paid members of Apple's iOS developer program:
Apple for many years offered Mac customers the ability to save $100 on eligible printer purchases, but the company discontinued that program in early 2012 as the devices have become less popular with the proliferation of digital access to documents through smartphones, tablets, and other means.
But as noted by 9to5Mac, Apple is once again promoting printers with new in-store displays and an instant discount program offering up to $50 on HP printers. While the in-store promotion is apparently set to roll out tomorrow, the company has already quietly begun offering the printer discounts, with models such as the Photosmart 7520 ($149.95) already having been reduced by $50 and the Photosmart 6520 ($119.95) having been reduced by $30.
Some printers appear to have been reduced even more, with the Officejet Pro 8600 Plus ($229.95) dropping by $70.
Even some Epson models have seen small price drops, with the Expression Premium XP-600 ($129.95) seeing a $20 discount and the WorkForce WF-2540 ($119.95) seeing a $10 discount.
According to promotional materials, the special discounts on the HP printers are valid through September 6, with the program coinciding with Apple's Back to School promotion in a number of countries. That program offers education customers iTunes Store/App Store gift cards worth $100 with the purchase of a new Mac or $50 with the purchase of a new iPhone or iPad.
Research firm Kantar Worldpanel has released a new report (via The Next Web) highlighting U.S. smartphone sales over the March-May period, finding that Apple's share of the market rose by 3.5 percentage points compared to the prior-year period. The report attributes that growth to the iPhone becoming available on T-Mobile USA, the last of the four major U.S. carriers to begin offering the device.
Consequently, with Android remaining unchanged (+0.1%) to date this year, the gap between the two leading operating systems has decreased, according to data released today by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.
Through the 3 month period ending May 2013, Android continues to lead smartphone sales at 52%. Close behind is iOS with 41.9% of sales. Windows remains in third with 4.6% of sales, up 0.9% versus the same period last year.
According to the report, the iPhone 5 was the best-selling smartphone at T-Mobile during the quarter, despite not having launched until the middle of the survey period. The iPhone's 31% share of T-Mobile smartphone sales was still well short of the device's 60% share of sales at AT&T and even its 44% share at Verizon, but with the device only having been available for half of the quarter, a more realistic measure of the iPhone's popularity among T-Mobile customers will come in future quarters.
Digitimes reports that Apple has finalized plans for its fifth-generation iPad, targeting a September launch for the redesigned device that is rumored to be taking design cues from the iPad mini with narrower side bezels and a thinner body.
Since upstream suppliers have mostly finished preparing for the production of the new 9.7-inch iPad, there is unlikely to be any changes in terms of specifications for the device. [...]
Although suppliers have not yet received a firm mass production schedule from Apple and are mainly shipping products for pilot production, the sources pointed out that pilot production is already able to satisfy demand for the initial launch. Therefore, the sources expect Apple to give its shipment estimates at the end of July or early August.
The report indicates, however, that plans for the next-generation iPad mini remain unsettled, with Apple still working to incorporate a Retina display into the device. If the company does elect to bring a Retina display to its next iPad mini, the device could see a launch very late this year. The report also indicates that Apple has been pushing to reduce the width of the iPad mini's side bezels even further.
Today's claims are very similar to ones made in an early June report from Digitimes indicating updated iPad and iPad mini models may not appear simultaneously, with the iPad mini trailing the iPad by several months.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also indicated that issues related to a Retina display were likely to result in a later-than-expected launch for the next iPad mini. Kuo's modeling back in April had estimated that the device could be updated some time in the September-November timeframe, while he believed that the full-size iPad would see shipments ramping in August or September.
Analysts at NPD DisplaySearch have also been expressing uncertainty about Apple's plans for its second-generation iPad mini, with their most recent report last month indicating that they expect Apple to launch a thinner non-Retina iPad mini late this year, with a Retina update coming relatively soon after in early 2014.
As first noted by The Verge, a number of popular paid App Store apps have been discounted to free for the first time in their histories today.
While no specific announcement regarding the sales has been given, Wednesday marks the App Store's fifth anniversary and it is possible that Apple will be rolling out a special promotion in honor of the occasion. With no additional information available, it is currently unknown how long these sales will last.
Last week, Apple sent out commemorative posters to members of the media in celebration of the App Store's fifth anniversary, and less than two months ago Apple celebrated 50 billion downloads since the store's opening.
Update: Apple has now officially launched its "5 Years of the App Store" promotion [App Store link] featuring the above apps.
From the 500 apps available at launch in 2008 to the more than 900,000 at your fingertips today, it's been a remarkably prolific five years for the App Store. To celebrate, we're giving everyone five landmark games and five groundbreaking apps for a limited time. Plus, look back at the key moments that have made the App Store the world's most innovative destination for apps.
The feature also includes a timeline of milestones similar to that seen on the promotional posters sent to members of the media last week.
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