MacRumors

Over the past several weeks, state-run media and other outlets in China have criticized Apple over the company's warranty practices in the country.

The company had posted a letter to customers defending its practices as going above and beyond requirements of Chinese law, but as noted by Business Insider, Apple has now posted a new letter from CEO Tim Cook [Google translation] announcing changes to its warranty policy. From the Google translation:

We are aware that, due to the lack of external communication in this process and lead to the speculation that Apple arrogance, do not care or do not attach importance to consumer feedback. We express our sincere apologies for any concerns or misunderstandings this gives consumers.

In order to further improve the level of service, we are implementing the following four major adjustment:

- Improved iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S repair policy
- Provide a concise and clear on the website of the official Apple repair and warranty policy statement
- Increase the intensity of the supervision and training of Apple Authorized Service Provider
- Related issues to ensure that consumers can easily contact Apple Feedback Service

Apple's previous policy for iPhone 4 and 4S warranty repairs had frequently involved issuing customers new handsets but swapping their existing back plates onto the new hardware, with the replacement handsets carrying warranties lasting 90 days or until the expiration of the original one-year warranties from the customers' initial purchases.

The policy had received criticism from those arguing that the replacement devices essentially amount to brand-new hardware and should carry longer warranty coverage. Under Apple's revised policies announced today, the company has heeded those complaints and when it swaps out customers' devices for replacement ones, they will be entirely new devices and carry fresh one-year warranties.

Apple has also made it more clear to customers what its standard repair policies are in China, with main parts such as motherboards receiving two-year coverage while other components receive one-year coverage. In addition, Apple has increased training for authorized service providers in China in order to ensure that they are fully aware of Apple's new and continuing warranty policies. Finally, Apple has also rolled out a new feedback form to provide a simpler mechanism for Chinese customers to contact Apple about service concerns.

Over the weekend, Patently Apple reported that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had refused Apple's trademark application for the term "iPad mini". While some such as The Verge's Nilay Patel were quick to note that the refusal was simply a first office action that is nowhere near final, the refusal does offer an interesting glimpse into the thinking of patent examiners.

The examiner's primary objection to Apple's application takes the view that the term is "merely descriptive" rather than creating a unique brand name that is worthy of protection. The examiner argues that all elements of the name, including "i", "Pad", and "mini" are not unique to the product being named.

The term “IPAD” is descriptive when applied to applicant’s goods because the prefix “I” denotes “internet.” According to the attached evidence, the letter “i” or “I” used as a prefix and would be understood by the purchasing public to refer to the Internet when used in relation to Internet-related products or services. [...]

The term “PAD” is also descriptive of the applied for goods. The term “pad” refers to a “pad computer” or “internet pad device”, terms used synonymously to refer to tablet computers, or “a complete computer contained in a touch screen.” [...]

The term “MINI” in the applied for mark is also descriptive of a feature of applicant’s product.Specifically, the attached evidence shows this wording means “something that is distinctively smaller than other members of its type or class”.

The examiner goes on to suggest a means by which Apple could argue for uniqueness, noting that the company would have to specifically claim that its existing "iPad" trademark has acquired distinctiveness. This would appear to be a trivial argument for Apple to make, but it seems that it did not do so in its initial "iPad mini" application.

The examiner also notes that Apple should include a disclaimer noting that it is only attempting to claim a trademark on "mini" when used as part of the entire "iPad mini" term, as other companies should be permitted to use the descriptive term "mini" for their own products.

As a secondary objection, the patent examiner ruled that Apple's specimen submitted with the application was insufficient to prove that it was for a product being offered for sale. Apple's specimen showed the iPad mini overview page as it appeared at launch last year, with the examiner arguing that the "iPad mini" text and the "Buy Now" button were not in close enough proximity.

The mark and picture of the goods on the specimen are not sufficiently proximate to the “buy now” tab, and it is thus unclear what consumers would be purchasing by clicking on this tab.

As with the prior objection, the examiner in this case offers Apple several means to rectify this issue, including using an alternative specimen that more clearly shows the item is being offered for sale as of the date being claimed in the application, or a shift to an "intent to use" application that requires no initial specimen and instead requires that Apple simply show that at some later date it did indeed offer the item for sale.

Following today's rumor that Apple was quietly polling developers at this week's Game Developers Conference about support for a forthcoming gaming controller for iOS devices, the ever-reliable Jim Dalrymple has quickly quashed that report.

As usual, Dalrymple provides no additional comment beyond a simple "Nope", but his selective quoting of the source material suggests that he is denying any current plans for an Apple-branded controller.

"Long rumoured – and hoped for – GDC 2013 has finally provided confirmation that Apple will release its own dedicated game controller."

Nope.

Dalrymple has solid connections at Apple and has on numerous occasions and with 100% accuracy either confirmed or denied specific rumors. Prior to today, his most recent such statement came last month when he nixed a claim of a television-related Apple media event scheduled Apple for this month.

Negotiations between Apple and record companies regarding Apple's rumored 'iRadio' music service are progressing, The Verge reports as one tidbit in a larger article about the music industry in general.

The last report about Apple's streaming music service came earlier in March when Apple was reported to be offering half the royalty rate that Pandora pays for a similar product.

Much has been written about Apple's plan to launch a Pandora-esque service this year. Now multiple music industry insiders have told The Verge that significant progress has been made in the talks with two of the top labels: Universal and Warner. One of the sources said "iRadio is coming. There's no doubt about it anymore." Apple is pushing hard for a summertime launch.

It has been reported in numerous publications that Apple wanted to launch its service sometime in 2013, but was having difficulties negotiating royalty rates that were satisfactory to both sides.

That Universal and Warner are the companies claimed to have made the most progress with Apple is noteworthy -- Universal was the last of the four major labels to sign onto Apple's iCloud service, while Warner has been wary of cloud-based services in the past.

Pocketgamer reports that Apple spoke with a number of developers at the Game Developers Conference this week about providing game support for a new, official iOS game controller. Apple was rumored to have a physical game controller in the works for the iPhone last year, but nothing has yet seen the light of day.

Of course, there's no official word yet, but Apple has been active during the conference talking to developers about its plans and ensuring plenty of games will support the joypad at launch.

It's been operating a meeting room at the show, albeit booked under a pseudonym company name to avoid media attention.

However, speaking anonymously, multiple developer sources have confirmed the news to PocketGamer.biz.

Back in 2008, Apple applied for a patent relating to a Wiimote-like controller, but there is no indication that patent is related to this effort.

There are a number of third-party game controllers including the iCade line and an Atari Joystick. However, these third-party efforts have been hampered by a lack of widespread support from developers.

MacRumors had heard previously that Apple had originally supported accessory makers in their quest to make official dock-connector game controllers, but then the approval process was mysteriously halted. Some had speculated at the time that Apple was working on their own game controller solution.

For what it's worth, none of our GDC contacts have heard anything to corroborate the Pocketgamer story, and there is no indication of when or if such a controller might launch.

Update 1:33 PM: The Loop's Jim Dalrymple has quashed the rumor, responding to Pocketgamer's report with a simple "Nope".

Apple has long had a partnership with Best Buy for dedicated "Apple Shop" sections in many of the electronics retailer's stores, but a new report from Geek.com indicates that those Apple Shops will soon be joined by similar Samsung shops, with the upcoming Galaxy S4 launch serving as the impetus for the first round of store rollouts.

Geek.com has been told that the first wave of high traffic Best Buy locations will soon be receiving instruction to remove two aisles next to their mobile department and prepare to install a new Samsung store. This new section will be dressed in large Samsung signage and offer custom demo stations for many of Samsung’s products. Locations with the new section will be issuing special training sessions for employees in the mobile department, focusing heavily on how to show off Samsung-specific features.

The report indicates that the Galaxy S4 will be the featured attraction of these shops, although Samsung's full line of smartphones and tablets will be on display.

Apple and Samsung have of course become bitter rivals in the mobile device market, with Samsung rapidly establishing itself as the dominant manufacturer of Android-based devices and surpassing Apple in a number of metrics related to the smartphone market. Samsung has been tackling Apple head-on with its advertising, increasing its spending and sparking concerns that Apple needs to step up its game.

With the addition of high-profile shops inside Best Buy stores, Samsung has no doubt been able to leverage its recent successes in hopes of continuing that momentum for the Galaxy S4 and its other smartphone and tablet devices.

M.I.C. Gadget reports that Apple has been hit with a new lawsuit in China, with the state-owned Shanghai Animation Film Studio claiming that Apple has permitted sales of its movies without authorization. Given that Apple does not directly sell audio or video content through the iTunes Store in China, it appears that the issue relates to the films being made available through third-party App Store apps.

Shanghai Animation Film Studio, China’s first and official animation factory, sued Apple for hosting applications containing unlicensed versions of their works on its App Store that were available for download, demanding a total compensation of 3.3 million yuan (around $530,000 USD) from Apple for violating the copyrights of their 110 works.

The South China Morning Post has more on the situation, noting that Apple declined to comment and that officials from the animation studio made only a brief statement about the matter.

"We want to keep tight-lipped on this case because, as we see it, it's just a litigation in which we want to get compensation [for our product]," said an official from the Shanghai studio. "It's a sensitive period now since Apple is a big multinational company and it is surrounded by controversies on its practices in China."

The lawsuit is the latest in a long line of legal troubles for Apple in China, which includes a patent lawsuit over Siri that gained news earlier this week and a case late last year in which Apple lost an $82,000 judgment over unauthorized sales of a Chinese encyclopedia through the App Store. The highest-profile case in China has been the dispute over the "iPad" trademark in the country, with Apple agreeing to a $60 million settlement in that case last year.

Facebook today invited members of the press to an Android-related event on April 4, and TechCrunch reports that the event will likely see the debut of the long-rumored Facebook phone. According to reports, the device would be an HTC handset running a Facebook-modified version of Android.

If true, the move would turn Facebook into an Amazon-style competitor in the smartphone market for Apple, as Amazon has heavily modified Android for its own Kindle Fire tablet devices.

There have been persistent rumors of Facebook working on a smartphone, with Bloomberg reporting in 2010 that the phone would be based on a "stripped-down" version of Android. Last year, the New York Times reported that Facebook was hiring former Apple iPhone and iPad engineers to work on a "Facebook phone."

TechCrunch highlights one of the key reasons why Facebook would want to create a smartphone device of its own:

With deeper control of a modified operating system would come huge opportunities to collect data on its users. Facebook knows that who you SMS and call are important indicators of who your closest friends are. Its own version of Android could give it that info, which could be used to refine everything from what content you’re shown in the news feed to which friends faces are used in ads you see.

Facebook currently has two of the more popular free apps in the App Store with Facebook and Facebook Messenger. Recently, the company has updated its main Facebook app to add free VoIP calling in a number of countries.

Apple today rolled out a new advertising theme for the iPad on its website, highlighting a number of reasons why people love their iPads. The campaign follows on a similar one for the iPhone that launched a couple of weeks ago.

The 'Why iPad' pages mention positive J.D. Power rankings for the device, percentages of companies and school districts using the iPad, the 300,000 apps available for the iPad, the quality of the materials used in building it, the Retina display for the iPad as well as the smaller size of the mini, 10-hour battery life, and the two cameras built into the devices.

It's unclear why Apple waited to launch the 'Why iPad' page rather than launching it simultaneously with the companion iPhone page. The campaigns seem to be in response to an advertising blitz from Samsung that has shown some gains for the company in the past year.

Alongside today's new marketing push to try to win back professional video editors, Apple has released updates for Final Cut Pro X, Motion, and Compressor. While Motion and Compressor have seen mostly minor tweaks and bug fixes, Final Cut Pro X has received a somewhat more substantial update including support for the new Sony XAVC codec up to 4K resolution.

- Final Cut Pro [Mac App Store]

What's New in Version 10.0.8

- Support for Sony XAVC codec up to 4K resolution
- Option to display ProRes Log C files from ARRI ALEXA cameras with standard Rec. 709 color and contrast levels
- Resolves an issue where some third-party effects generated green frames during render
- Resolves performance issues that could occur with certain titles and effects
- Time reversed clips render in the background
- Ability to use key commands to adjust Clip Appearance settings in the timeline
- Ability to view reel number metadata located in the timecode track of video files
- Mono audio files in a surround project export with correct volume levels
- Drop zones no longer reset to the first frame of video after application restart
- Fixes a performance issue which resulted from selecting multiple ranges on a single clip
- Fixes an issue where the Play Around function did not work properly on certain clips when viewed through external video devices

- Motion [Mac App Store]

What's New in Version 5.0.7

- Resolves an issue where some third-party effects generated green frames during render
- Resolves performance issues that could occur with certain titles and effects
- Fixes a stability issue when splitting layers in the timeline
- Fixes an issue where launching a plug-in with a check box could require multiple clicks
- Fixes a stability issue with CoreMelt plug-ins

- Compressor [Mac App Store]

What's New in Version 4.0.7

- Removes 1GB file size limit for uploads to Vimeo
- Fixes a stability issue when playing back certain MPEG-2 files
- Fixes a stability issue in Qmaster when processing multiple jobs

In addition to the updates for the core Final Cut apps, Apple has also released an updated set of ProApps QuickTime Codecs for Final Cut Pro X users.

Callet World is suing case-maker Hex over that company's Solo Wallet iPhone case and credit card holder. Callet alleges Hex's case is a direct copy of a case design that Callet holds a design patent for.

Callet has sued both Hex and Apple in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for violating a design patent of Callet's design of a iPhone case and credit card holder. The company accuses Hex of manufacturing the infringing design, and Apple for selling it. Apple does not carry the Callet in its stores.

Defendants’ Solo Wallet Case and Pretty Sweet Solo Wallet Case products are exemplary. The copying is so pervasive, that the defendants’ products appear to be Callet World products with the same rectangular shape with rounded corners, integral card holder on the outwardly facing side of the phone cover, and gently curving edges on the back and side. Hex had many options in developing its products. Indeed, earlier Hex products did not embody the same Callet World designs. On information and belief, Hex chose to infringe Callet World’s patent rights through the design of its Solo Wallet Case, Pretty Sweet Solo Wallet Case and similar products and it did so willfully.

Callet is asking the court for a judgement that the defendants have willfully infringed on the patent, an order enjoining them from continuing to infringe on it, and a judgment award to compensate Callet for financial damages.

It appears that Callet's claim is primarily with Hex and that Apple is being targeted here because it has deep corporate pockets. Like many major corporations, Apple is sued numerous times each year over a wide variety of matters.

MacRumors has uploaded the full initial filing on Scribd.