MacRumors

AT&T said today that it will begin supporting the iPhone 5's wideband audio -- or 'HD Voice' -- feature later this year, reports All Things D.

The technology provides for significantly better call quality, when the network and both devices support it. T-Mobile said it will be supporting it at launch on the iPhone 5, with AT&T the second U.S. carrier promising to support HD Voice.

Speaking on Monday, AT&T senior VP Kris Rinne said that the carrier will roll-out its own support for the technology later this year as it begins to route voice calling over its LTE network.

"HD Voice is part of our voice over LTE strategy," Rinne said, speaking at the VentureBeat Mobile Summit in Sausalito, Calif.

When Gizmodo tested the iPhone 5 on T-Mobile at that carrier's launch event, it reported that HD Voice call quality was "a bit richer, and definitely fuller… a noticeable improvement." All Things D mentioned that Sprint was considering implementation of HD Voice at some point in the future as well.

(Image from The Verge)

San Francisco district attorney George Gascón told the SF Examiner (via AppleInsider) that an Apple representative told him the next two generations of iPhones have already been developed and that Steve Jobs was involved in their development, saying "they preceded Tim Cook".

After Jobs passed away, it was reported that Apple had four years of product plans in the pipeline that Jobs had personally approved, matching nicely with the above claim.

Gascón said he also spoke with the Apple representative, a government liaison named Michael Foulkes, about the possibility of a 'kill switch' in iOS devices that could permanently disable them if they were stolen. He said he was "underwhelmed" with the discussion, saying the Apple rep seems to be "trained in the art of doing a lot of talking and saying nothing."

Major U.S. carriers agreed last year to develop a database that would allow stolen mobile phones to be disabled and deny them voice and data service, but law enforcement officials would like to see phone makers on board with a similar service as well.

A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that users cannot legally resell songs they have purchased on iTunes, reports All Things D. The case in question is a lawsuit between Capitol Records and music startup ReDigi, which wants to create a marketplace for owners of digital music to sell their libraries.

ReDigi argued that 'first-sale doctrine' should apply to digital purchases in addition to physical ones, but the court did not accept that argument. First-sale doctrine holds that individuals are able to sell their legally purchased books or CDs to other parties.

However, here, the Court cannot of its own accord condone the wholesale application of the first sale defense to the digital sphere, particularly when Congress itself has declined to take that step. Accordingly, and for the reasons stated above, the Court GRANTS Capitol's motion for summary judgment on its claims for ReDigi's direct, contributory, and vicarious infringement of its distribution and reproduction rights. The Court also DENIES ReDigi's motion in its entirety.

The Judge granted partial summary judgement to Capital Records, but has ordered both sides to submit a joint letter to the court by April 12, "concerning the next contemplated steps" in the case. We have uploaded Judge Richard J. Sullivan's full decision to Scribd.

Apple filed for several patents recently that suggest the company is at least considering ways for users to resell, lend or inherit digital content. The company has made no indications that it would make such a service available, however.

As happens every year on April 1, today is April Fools' Day, and readers should be wary of hoaxes and claims at both news and rumor sites. Today also represents Apple's 37th anniversary, with their partnership having officially been founded on this day in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

As has become tradition, a number of today's pranks have focused on Apple, and here are a few of the more interesting ones to surface so far today.

RunKeeper for iPad

For those users not content with the small iPhone screen to help track their runs, RunKeeper has announced RunKeeper for iPad.

We’re always trying to do more to make running and getting in shape easier and more intuitive.

In the process, we’ve discovered that for many of our users, the phone screen is just too small to get all that important real-time fitness information into one convenient place.

iPlay Game Console

IGN today shared a "promotional video" for a new "iPlay" game console from Apple, including a numbers of features such as motion control and an extensive library of launch titles.

iWatch

TechCrunch points to a video from AppleInsider.ru showing off Apple's "iWatch" project, which actually turns out to just be a premium-priced wrist strap to allow users to attach their iPhones and iPads to their wrists.

Orange Teardown

Tired of tearing down Apple products to examine their internals and assess their repairability, iFixit has moved on to a different fruit with its new Orange teardown.

MacRumors has not participated in April Fools' Day prank news stories in the past, and have no plans to breakout from that tradition this year. All news stories posted on our site today are real.

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.