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Brazilian 'iPhone' Trademark Lawsuit Ends With Apple and IGB 'Close To Settlement'

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gradiente_iphoneForbes reports that Apple and Brazilian company IGB have agreed to end their lawsuit over the iPhone trademark in Brazil, and are close to reaching a settlement agreement.

According to Brazil’s largest daily, Folha de São Paulo, both companies have agreed to end the lawsuit over iPhone and come to some sort of “pacific agreement,” the paper reported on Saturday. Apple has paid millions for its exclusive use of the word iPhone in the past and will likely pay IGB as well.

IGB had applied for the "iPhone" trademarke in Brazil in 2000, years before Apple's phone was launched, and was granted the trademark in 2008.

Apple challenged the trademark on the basis that IGB had failed to use the trademark until it was close to expiration, but the Brazilian Industrial Property Institute ruled in IGB's favor after it launched a low-cost Android smartphone using the iPhone brand late last year. Apple took the matter to court, but has now withdrawn the legal action after IGB suggested that it was open to selling the trademark.

Apple's current use of the "iPhone" name in Brazil is not currently being hampered while the dispute plays out, with the company being allowed to continue selling the iPhone under its popular name and Apple retaining control over the iPhone name for other categories of use such as software.

Apple is expected to make a cash settlement for exclusive rights over the name in Brazil. It previously settled a dispute over the iPad trademark in China for $60 million, but there is no word yet on a settlement amount for the Brazilian case.

Related Forum: iPhone
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Philips Releases Open APIs and SDK for iOS Controlled Hue Lighting System

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TechCrunch reports that Philips has created an official developer program for its Wi-Fi connected Hue home lighting system, which includes an SDK for iOS and APIs to allow hardware and software developers to integrate Hue into their products.

Hue, which is exclusive to iOS, allows users to control LED lightbulbs via the iPhone and an accompanying bridge that uses the ZigBee communication protocol.

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"We're now at a point where there are already about 10 applications that have been shared and built from the unofficial developer community for new applications around Hue," explained George Yianni, Hue System Architect in an interview. "Now what we want to do as Philips is we actually want to help and grow and encourage this community, and give them tools and proper documentation. Also, we want to give them commitment that this is the API and we’re going to support it and it won’t change overnight."

Though Hue-integrated third party apps such as last week’s Ambify have been released, these solutions do not use official APIs. According to Yianni, the unavailability of official APIs is the main reason that the Hue has yet to be integrated into additional apps and connected home devices.

The new Hue tools are freely available for all developers interested in creating a product or an app that connects to the system.

Philips plans to add additional functionality to the Hue in the future, focusing on geofencing, scheduling, and other sensor capabilities. The company is also working on expanding the Hue line with new lightbulb types.

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Mozilla Will Not Release an iOS Version of Firefox Due to Apple's Limitations on Third-Party Browsers

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firefoxCNET reports that during a talk at SXSW, Jay Sullivan, Mozilla's vice president of product, said that the company has no plans to release an iOS version of Firefox because of technological limitations imposed by Apple.

The nonprofit Mozilla, which pulled Mozilla Firefox Home from Apple's App Store in September 2012, is not currently building a version of its Firefox browser for iOS, nor does the company plan to, said Sullivan, speaking on a mobile browser wars panel at South by Southwest Interactive moderated by CNET Senior Reporter Seth Rosenblatt.

The sticking point for Mozilla is not being able to carry over its sophisticated rendering and javascript engines to iOS. Essentially, the organization doesn't feel like it can build the browser it wants to for Apple's platform, Sullivan told CNET.

Mozilla's stance on a Firefox browser for the iPhone is not new. In 2010, the company announced that it did not plan to create a standalone browser for the iPhone, citing the same technical and logistical restrictions that would prevent the company from creating an acceptable mobile experience via iOS.

Apple's Safari uses the speedy Nitro JavaScript engine exclusively, while restricting third-party browsers to UIWebView, which gives Safari a significant performance boost over other browsers.

Mozilla did create an iOS application called Firefox Home, which allowed Firefox users to sync Firefox history and bookmarks with a Webkit-powered web viewer.

The company also experimented with a stripped down version of Firefox called "Junior," which was designed to simplify the iOS browsing experience. That project has yet to see a public release, and Mozilla ended up removing Firefox Home from the App Store in September.

Other major players continue to compete with Safari, despite the imposed limitations. Opera has long had the Opera Mini browser in the App Store, and Google released a Chrome app for iOS last summer.

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Tweaked Apple TV Contains Die-Shrunk A5 Chip, Not A5X

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appletv32_a5Back in late January, an update to the Apple TV software revealed a new "AppleTV3,2", with FCC documents for the device showing up the following day. By digging into the software files for this new device, it was discovered that the device appeared to be using an A5X chip rather than the single-core A5 chip found in the third-generation Apple TV.

This conclusion was based on the chip carrying an identifier of S5L8947 compared to the S5L8945 seen on the original A5X. A similar move was made when Apple rolled out a die shrink of the A5 in the third-generation Apple TV last year, shifting from the original S5L8940 to the smaller S5L8942.

According to Apple, this latest Apple TV update was designed to be invisible to users, offering no changes in features.

Apple's tweaked third-generation Apple TV, which carries a part number of A1469 compared to an A1427 part number for the original version, has now begun making its way into Apple's retail store stocks, and we have purchased one and cracked it open to examine its internals.

Most notably, the tweaked third-generation Apple TV does not contain an A5X chip. Instead, it contains an A5 chip like its predecessor, although the new chip is considerably smaller than the previous one.

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The original A5 chip introduced in 2011 for the iPad 2 was built on a 45-nanometer process, measuring 10.09 mm by 12.15 mm, while the first die-shrunk A5 introduced in 2012 for the third-generation Apple TV and the tweaked iPad 2 measured 41% smaller at 8.19 mm by 8.68 mm.

This new A5 found in the tweaked third-generation Apple TV is considerably smaller still, with our measurements putting the chip at just 6 mm by 6 mm.

We do not know for sure what Apple is using to produce this even smaller A5, but it is very possible that the company is piloting a 28-nanometer process from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for this new chip. Such a move would be a major development, making this A5 the first iOS device processor to be manufactured by a company other than Samsung. Samsung is also moving to a 28-nanometer process for its fab in Austin, Texas where it produces chips for Apple, but the facility will reportedly not be ready for mass production at that scale until late this year.

TSMC has been rumored to be coming on board for A6X chip production for the current iPad, as well as for future chips using even smaller processes.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater
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Apple CEO Tim Cook 'May Testify' in E-Books Antitrust Lawsuit

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ibooks iconApple CEO Tim Cook may testify in the e-books antitrust lawsuit filed against Apple and book publishers by the United States Department of Justice, reports Bloomberg.

The lawsuit was originally filed in April of 2012, and has focused on the so-called 'agency model' for pricing ebooks that Apple attempted to negotiate with a number of publishers. Apple had pushed for the agency model in an attempt to dilute Amazon's power in the book market, where it had offered vast discounts, even sometimes selling books at a loss, in order to attract customers who would make other purchases through the site.

But the Department of Justice believes that the agency model as implemented by the publishers at Apple's behest amounts to collusion, with contracts between Apple and the publishers including language that prevented the publishers from offering lower pricing to competitors than they did to Apple. Contrary to the government's claims of an anti-competitive impact from the agency model, Apple and several of the publishers have argued that the move has fostered competitiveness by limiting Amazon's stranglehold on the book market.

The Department of Justice has settled with all of the book publishers initially accused, while Apple remains the main target of the suit.

Tag: Tim Cook
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PayPal Creates iOS SDK to Integrate Checkouts and Payments Directly in Apps

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PaypalPayPal today introduced a new mobile SDK that allows iOS app developers to integrate PayPal checkout and mobile credit card payment mechanisms directly into their apps.

Currently, iOS developers can include PayPal payment buttons into their apps, but users are redirected to Safari to complete their transactions. Now, users will be able to pay without ever leaving the app, including using PayPal's card.io technology that allows users to pay with a credit card by taking a picture of it rather than manually entering the credit card number.

Apple does something similar in iTunes 11 with iTunes Gift Cards.

Mobile SDK – Everyone knows that mobile is changing the way consumers shop and pay, and no one more than developers who must have a mobile presence to compete in today’s environment. We’re launching a mobile SDK so that developers can deliver great experiences for their customers by reducing friction when it comes to payments. Customers never leave the developer’s app experience to pay and they have more choice in the way they want to pay – simply click a PayPal button or scan a credit card using our card.io technology. We’re making it available for iOS developers first, but we’ll expand to other platforms soon.

PayPal promises more APIs and capabilities through the rest of 2013.

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Launch Center Pro Updated with New Actions and Redesigned Action Composer

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launchcenterprologo.pngLaunch Center Pro today received its first major update. The app, which was released last summer, creates shortcuts to functions within apps. As an example, it can be used to create a shortcut to send a message to a specific person or search Yelp with a predetermined search term.

Update 1.1 adds new in-app actions, allowing users to use preset text and group messaging, along with improved Text Expander support for URLs and a reorganized action composer.

-In-app messaging actions — group messaging and preset text
-In-app email actions — attach last photo taken or attach photo from the clipboard
-Clipboard actions — place text on clipboard, place last photo on clipboard, convert text on clipboard, and x-callback-url support
-Expanded Text Expander support — snippets can now be expanded automatically while launching an action
-New Tweet action — tweet last photo taken
-Reorganized Action Composer
-Bug fixes and other enhancements


Launch Center Pro is normally priced at $4.99, but to celebrate the update, the app has been discounted to $2.99. It can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

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15-Inch Retina MacBook Pro Users Experiencing Fan Issues Related to SanDisk SSDs?

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retina_macbook_pro_15_fanEarlier this week, Geek.com highlighted a growing a number of complaints from owners of Apple's 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro regarding overactive fans. The issue has been noted in our forums and is the subject of a lengthy thread in Apple's discussion forums. From one report:

My first instance of runaway fans was under the lightest of conditions, having only one browser open only a few tabs and a cool computer. The fact it was cold is what is so alarming. Out of nowhere the fans spun up to a roar, stayed there for a few minutes, then decelerated back down to idle. Every so often this happens, usually daily, and it's horribly annoying on a high quality well engineered computer.

From the list of reports flowing in, users suspect that Apple's recent shift to using SanDisk solid-state drives in the Retina MacBook Pro may have something to do with the issue, although it is likely a software issue rather than a hardware one.


Apple support staff have offered mixed responses to the issue, with some customers receiving replacement machines while others have been assured that the behavior is normal. If the issue is indeed a software one as is suspected, Apple should be able to fix it relatively easily with an update pushed out to owners of the affected machines, but it is unclear whether Apple is working on a fix at this time.

(Photo from iFixit)

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tag: SanDisk
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro
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Alleged Apple eBay Store Offers Better Deals than Apple Refurb Store

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In late 2012, a new Apple seller appeared on eBay, offering Apple-certified refurbished products. The storefront, known simply as Refurbished-Outlet, is believed to be run by Apple itself.

As 9to5Mac pointed out in November, the Refurbished-Outlet seller makes the same promises that Apple does when selling refurbished products on its online Apple Store, with a full one-year warranty and a quality inspection by Apple.

Refurbished-Outlet has quietly sold over 10,000 Apple products, and as of late (via dealnews) the store has been selling products at a steep discount, offering cheaper prices than can be found in Apple's own "Special Deals" refurbished store.

For example, Refurbished-Outlet was previously offering a 13-inch MacBook Air with a 128GB SSD for $899. Apple charges $999 for the same refurbished setup. Currently, Refurbished-Outlet has an 11-inch MacBook Air with a 1.8Ghz processor, 4GB RAM and a 256GB HD for $949, while the same laptop is $1,049 from the Apple Store.

A fourth generation 32GB iPod touch can be purchased from Refurbished-Outlet for $179, which Apple normally charges $209 for. A 32GB Wi-Fi + Cellular third generation retails for $599 in the Apple Store but can be purchased for $549 from the eBay store.

refurbishedoutlet
Though Refurbished-Outlet offers some products at discount, several share price listings with Apple's official refurbished store. For example, the 2.4Ghz 17-inch MacBook Pro with 4GB RAM and a 750GB hard drive is $2,079 on eBay, and $2,079 in the Apple Store.

Prices are unpredictable and inventory changes on a daily basis, but the Refurbished-Outlet does offer significant discounts on Apple-certified refurbished products. Neither Apple nor eBay have confirmed that Apple is running the store directly.

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Ambify for iOS Sets Philips Hue Lights to Music

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AmbifyAn iOS developer has made an app to sync the Philips Hue iOS-controlled LED light bulbs with music.

The $2.99 Ambify pulls tracks from the music library on an iPhone or iPad and plays them while simultaneously controlling the colors and brightness of the Philips Hue lights, creating a rave-like atmosphere with blinking multi-colored light bulbs synced to the music.

Ambify - the Hue enabled jukebox turns music into light using Philips Hue Smart Bulbs.

Being the first of it's kind, Ambify combines the simplicity of a jukebox with the endless new possibilities offered by Philips' Hue System.

It's a s simple as starting the app, selecting your lamps and choosing a playlist.
Ambify then applies our nifty algorithms to analyse and visualise your music in real-time using the lamps you've previously selected.


Ambify for iPhone and iPad is available for $2.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]

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Monetization of Social Networking Apps Taking Off on iOS

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Social networking apps have climbed nine places year-on-year in the App Annie rankings of monthly revenues (via The Next Web), moving from 12th place last January to third place in January 2013.

As of January 2013, the Social Networking category ranked third in monthly revenues, behind only Games and Productivity in the iOS App Store. And that’s up 87% compared to January 2012 monthly revenues, representing 3% of total iOS App Store revenue. Its growth is impressive and nowhere near its ceiling.

The study data shows that the messaging and dating apps are registering as the most significant revenue generators among social networking apps, with LINE, WhatsApp Messenger, and Zoosk leading the way in various countries.

app1
Notably, Apple's Find My Friends made a climb from 17th place to 2nd in downloads, while Facebook Messenger overtook the main Facebook app to take first place. App Annie attributes the rise of Find My Friends to the App Store splash screen introduced in iOS 6 that encourages users to download several free apps from Apple, including Find My Friends.

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As is true for many aspects of Apple's business, China was one of the fastest-growing markets for social networking apps, with the United States and China now combining to account for half of all social networking downloads worldwide.

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iOS Devices Still Account for Vast Majority of In-Flight Internet Use

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Infographics released by in-flight Wi-Fi service Gogo (via CNET) reveal that iOS devices continue to dominate customer use with an 84% share, although Android use has grown significantly in the last two years.

gogo_2013_1
As further evidence of the post-PC trend, the majority of access - though only just - is on tablets, accounting for 35% of usage compared to 33% for laptops. When it comes to iOS devices, iPads are used more often than iPhones.

gogo_2013_2
Web-browsing is the top activity for Gogo users, with email, social networking, news and weather completing the top five slots.

Gogo is available on Air Canada, Air Tran, Alaskan Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, United, US Airways, and Virgin America, with over 1,500 commercial airplanes and over 5,000 business jets equipped for the service.

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More Claims of Apple Using Qualcomm's Snapdragon Chips for Lower-Cost iPhone

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Earlier this year, analysts from Detwiler Fenton claimed that Apple's rumored lower-cost iPhone would use a Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm rather than one of Apple's own A-series chips, arguing that the ability to integrate Bluetooth and Wi-Fi directly into the main chip would allow Apple to save on costs.

China Times (spotted and translated by Japanese blog Mac Otakara) now cites an unnamed source making the same claim. The report says that TSMC has been contracted to produce the Snapdragon chip using its 28-nanometer process.

cpu-master
The report also suggests that another cost-saving measure for the low-cost handset would be to offer 3G only, rather than LTE. There are separate versions of Snapdragon with 3G and LTE, giving Apple the option of either mobile data technology. From a Google translation of the original China Times article:

Supply Chain Industry revealed that Apple's low-cost iPhone uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon single-chip, initially only support 3G without support for 4G LTE single-chip native support for WiFi and Bluetooth wireless networking capability, so do not need to increase the wireless network mode group. Of this chip commissioned TSMC foundry to 28 nm.

As we noted when this rumor surfaced the last time, Apple would seem much more likely to simply use older generations of its existing chip lineup in a cheaper iPhone in order to save on costs, and reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that Apple will do exactly that by using the current A6 chip in the lower-cost iPhone while moving on to a more powerful A7 chip in the iPhone 5S.

Tag: China Times
Related Forum: iPhone
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Apple Exploring Wireless Charging for iPhone as Early as 2013?

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Digitimes is reporting that both Apple and Samsung are expected to introduce wireless charging solutions for their "flagship models" of smartphones in 2013.

NewImage20

While their "industry sources" pinpoint Qi inductive charging as the technology to be used by Samsung, Apple appears to be working on their own version of wireless charging.

Apple is likely to adopt the wireless charging technology developed internally, but it remains unknown if the next-generation iPhone will come with built-in wireless charging capability or with other attached accessories, said the sources.

Samsung's solution is said to be likely an add-on accessory to replace the back-cover of their smartphones. Palm used a similar back-cover replacement option for their short lived Touchstone wireless charging system for the Palm Pre. Digitimes' sources, however, weren't clear if Apple's solution would be built-in or an additional accessory.

Speculation has linked Apple to wireless charging solutions before, but Apple's Phil Schiller downplayed that possibility in late 2012. When questioned by AllThingsD about wireless charging systems:

As for wireless charging, Schiller notes that the wireless charging systems still have to be plugged into the wall, so it’s not clear how much convenience they add. The widely-adopted USB cord, meanwhile, can charge in wall outlets, computers and even on airplanes, he said.

Apple has previously been shown to have done research into magnetic resonance charging technology which is distinct from the more commonly used inductive wireless charging.

Digitimes has a mixed record with Apple rumors, so Apple's likelihood of incorporating such technology so soon remains uncertain.

Related Forum: iPhone
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GroupMe Updates App With Ability to Split Costs and Collect Payments from Friends

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groupmelogoGroupMe today updated their group chat app to version 4.1, adding a gallery view and a feature called Split, which allows users to split costs and collect money from their group.

The company detailed potential uses for the feature on its blog:

You can start a Split within any of your groups, just like you can attach a photo or a location. You bought concert tickets for everyone in the group? Attach a Split and get your money back right away, instead of waiting to get cash in person. Buying a group gift? Attach a Split with the total price, and with each person who chips in, the price per person will go down. Collect your money whenever you’re ready.

groupmesplit

Although the person who creates the Split is not subject to any fees, contributors to the Split will have to pay a 4% fee plus $0.99, which covers credit card processing fees and a small GroupMe convenience charge. However, GroupMe is waiving the fees from today, March 7, until the end of SxSW Interactive on March 12.

GroupMe is a universal app that's available in the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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Apple Updates Keynote, Numbers and Pages for iOS with Bug Fixes

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Apple today released minor updates for its suite of iWork apps for the iPhone and the iPad. The iOS versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote have all been updated with minor stability improvements and bug fixes.

iwork

This update contains stability improvements and bug fixes.

The last major update to the iOS apps came in early December, adding several significant improvements.

Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for iOS are all available from the App Store for $9.99.

Direct iOS Links: Pages, Numbers, Keynote

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Facebook Updates News Feed With Inspiration from Mobile Devices, Rolling Out Over Several Weeks

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In a media event today, Facebook announced significant changes to the way its signature News Feed is displayed to users on desktop, smartphones and tablets. The company has increased the size of shared images and video content, while also introducing several different sub feeds to allow readers to focus on certain content like photos, music, or pages you like. In addition, the newsfeed will have the same look and feel where its accessed, whether across the desktop, smartphone or tablet. Devices 1

Today we're announcing a new version of Facebook designed to reduce clutter and focus more on stories from the people you care about. You see all the stories you saw in your News Feed before, but with a fresh new look. We've completely rebuilt each story to be much more vibrant and colorful and highlight the content that your friends are sharing. Photos, news articles, maps and events all look brighter and more beautiful.


Facebook is aiming to "give everyone in the world the best personalized newspaper we can," according to founder Mark Zuckerberg. Users can sign up for a waiting list (scroll to the bottom) to get early access to the improved News Feed on the desktop, while smartphone and tablet versions will be rolling out over the next several weeks. Note: MacRumors readers can "Like" MacRumors on Facebook to get our news updates in your Facebook feed.

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Google Releases Location Discovery App 'Field Trip' on iOS

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Google today released its location discovery app Field Trip for the iPhone. Previously an Android app released in the fall, Field Trip is designed to direct users to local points of interest.

The app runs in the background and uses Bluetooth or a popup notification to alert users when there are "cool, hidden, and unique things" nearby. Field Trip offers information on landmarks and historical facts along with recommendations on the best places to eat and shop.

fieldtrip

Discover thousands of interesting places/experiences that fall under the following categories: Architecture, Historic Places & Events, Lifestyle, Offers & Deals, Food Drinks & Fun, Movie Locations, Outdoor Art and Obscure Places of Interest around you.

Choose from three different modes to set frequency of Field Trip notifications. See "Field Trip" worthy places around you on a map, by tapping on cards in map view to pull up enthralling points of interest around you

Go on a Field Trip while you drive. Field Trip can detect when you're driving and automatically "talk" about interesting places and experience around you.

Came across an amazing story or restaurant? Mark it as a favorite to easily come back to it at any point.

Capture the memory of a special place, by sharing a wondrous discovery through email and social networks such as Google+, Twitter and Facebook.

Wondering where the gem that you recently discovered is? Find your discovered field trip cards in the "recent" section.

Field Trip utilizes information from partnerships with Thrillist, the Food Network, Zagat, Arcadia, Atlas Obscura, Daily Secret and pulls in information from sites like Cool Hunting WeHeart and Remodelista to offer a wide range of recommendations and suggestions.

Field Trip for the iPhone can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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