MacRumors

We've been following Apple's efforts to open retail store locations in Sweden for some time, noting last November that the company had filed for a business registration certificate. The company began hiring for its new stores in February, although the locations for those stores were not disclosed at the time.

Over this past weekend, 99mac reported [Google translation] that a new location listing in Swedish search engine and mapping service Hitta.se has revealed Apple's forthcoming store in the Täby Centrum shopping center in Stockholm. According to sources, the store is scheduled to open on September 15.

IDG.se followed up [Google translation] with a visit to the shopping center, where it discovered the under-construction store covered by Apple's traditional black construction barrier emblazoned with the Apple logo and the URL for company's Swedish site.

Apple is reportedly working on several other Swedish retail store sites, with a location in Malmö said to be planned for an October 25 opening and a second Stockholm site also said to be under consideration.

Sweden appears set to become the 14th country with an Apple retail store presence, with the company counting China and Hong Kong as separate markets. Unlike Apple's high-profile entry into the Netherlands earlier this year with a flagship store, the first Swedish store appears to be of the more standard mall-based variety, although with a very wide storefront indicating that it should be of substantial size.

The Verge reports that Google has officially responded to Friday's ruling in the Apple vs. Samsung case that saw a jury award Apple over $1 billion in deciding that Samsung had infringed upon Apple's patents and trade dress.

In its statement, Google attempts to distance itself from the controversy somewhat, indicating that most of the issues addressed in the trial do not relate to Android itself. The issues instead deal with Samsung's specific software implementations and its hardware design decisions. Google writes:

The court of appeals will review both infringement and the validity of the patent claims. Most of these don't relate to the core Android operating system, and several are being re-examined by the US Patent Office. The mobile industry is moving fast and all players - including newcomers - are building upon ideas that have been around for decades. We work with our partners to give consumers innovative and affordable products, and we don't want anything to limit that.

Some of the key pieces of evidence weighing in Apple's favor in the jury's mind were in fact 2010 memos and conversations between Google and Samsung that included Google "demanding" Samsung make changes in its implementation of Android over concerns that it was too similar to Apple's iOS. From one internal Samsung email describing Google's concerns:

“I am notifying you of the team leader’s directives from the executives’ meeting yesterday,” the message begins. The sixth item on the list addresses a need to “respond to the issue of design similarity for the S series,” which Samsung designer Kim Jin Soo testified was a reference to the company’s S series of smartphones.

“Google is demanding distinguishable design vis-à-vis the iPad,” according to the e-mail. “Consider design distinguishability for the items demanded by Google while maintaining the current design, and in regards to each carrier’s demands.”

With the Korea Stock Exchange having just opened for trading for the first time since the ruling, Samsung's stock is currently trading down 7%. Apple's stock rose nearly 2% in after hours trading Friday following the ruling.

Part leaks claimed to be for the next-generation iPhone continue to surface as the all-but-confirmed September 12 media event introduction approaches, with the latest batch of photos showing what appears to be the most completely assembled front panel seen yet. The new photos, which were highlighted by Apple.pro [Google translation], were posted to a Photobucket account that previously posted photos of measurements showing that the third-generation iPad would be thicker than the iPad 2, as well as the first leaked photo of the next-generation iPhone front panel in white.

The latest set of photos posted to the account shows a nearly fully assembled front panel with even more parts than seen in last week's leak of the front panel with the LCD attached. The new photos show not only the LCD attached to the front panel but also the home button installed and secured by a metal bracket, the shielding frame for the display that was first seen as a standalone part earlier this month, and the front-facing camera installed behind additional shielding.

Increasing numbers of parts are leaking in ever more complete states of assembly, offering good looks at the overall appearance and layout of the next-generation iPhone.

While the front of the device will appear very similar to the iPhone 4S/4 with the exception of a taller screen and slight tweaks in the locations of the camera and sensors, it is the rear of the device that seems to be generating the most discussion. The forthcoming iPhone appears to incorporate a unibody design that will incorporate a two-toned rear/side shell featuring a large metal section in the center paired with two strips of glass or plastic at the top and bottom that will allow for transmission of the numerous types of signals necessary for the device's operation.

Note: Watermarks have been obscured due to political statements contained within them.

Update: Mac Otakara points out that the unknown square-shaped feature visible at the top may be a near field communications (NFC) chip.

CNET reports that production has begun on 13.3-inch, 2560x1600 displays that will be incorporated into Apple's forthcoming smaller Retina MacBook Pro.

Production has begun of a 2,560-by-1,600 pixel density display that will land on a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro, NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told CNET.

"The supply chain indications are that it's for a MacBook Pro 13.3 -- not a MacBook Air," said Shim.

Displays are being made by Samsung, LGD, and Sharp, he said.

Shim indicates that launch supplies for the new 13-inch Retina displays will be higher than seen for the 15-inch displays incorporated into the first Retina MacBook Pro released back in June, reflecting the greater popularity of the 13-inch models compared to their larger siblings.

"With 15.4 it's production of a few hundred thousand units versus one to two million for the 13.3," he said. That 13.3-inch production began in the third quarter.

Apple has been rumored to be looking to launch the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro in October, and with mass production of the displays for the forthcoming machines now underway, it seems that Apple may be on track to meet that timeframe.

While Samsung has already issued an official statement vowing to fight on against Apple in court cases and to innovate with its products following the $1 billion judgment against the company, The Korea Times reports that executives at the company are "reeling in shock" at the decision.

Samsung executives were still reeling in shock Sunday, but provided no clear hint on the company's next move in the showdown with its industry archrival. It's widely expected that Samsung will appeal, but the outlook for success in the appeal now looks rather murky.

"It's absolutely the worst scenario for us," a senior Samsung executive said as he rushed into the company's compound in southern Seoul.

Inside the building, Choi Gee-sung, former Samsung Electronics CEO and now the head of Samsung Group's corporate strategy division, was holding an emergency meeting attended by Shin Jong-kyun, the company's mobile devices chief, and Lee Dong-joo, lead marketing official.

Both Apple and Samsung will be making post-verdict motions in the case, with Samsung seeking to have Judge Lucy Koh overrule the jury's decision before filing an official appeal while Apple is likely to seek a tripling of the damage award based on rulings that Samsung's infringement was willful. Apple will also be pursuing injunctions barring the sale of Samsung devices found to infringe Apple's patents.

Two weeks ago, BGR reported that AT&T was planning for a launch of the next-generation iPhone in late September, instituting an "all-hands-on-deck policy" for the last two weeks of the month and into October.

That news was followed last week with word that Verizon had instituted its own vacation blackout for September 21-30, bolstering claims that the new iPhone will launch in the United States on Friday, September 21.

TechCrunch now reports that AT&T's vacation blackout period has been pinned down to the same September 21-30 timeframe seen at Verizon. According to the report, AT&T staff will be training up for an "iconic release" scheduled for that time, with all indications pointing to the next-generation iPhone as the device in question.

According to an AT&T sales rep, AT&T staff has been given a vacation blackout from September 21 to September 30, just like Verizon employees. Our source also mentioned that blue carrier employees are undergoing training for an “iconic release.”

Sounds like the next-gen iPhone to me.

Apple is expected to introduce the next iPhone with a media event on September 12, with availability in the United States apparently set for nine days later. Several other major countries are likely to see a launch on that same date, with other markets following quickly in subsequent weeks.

Apple is reportedly also preparing to launch its "iPad mini" in the coming months, but the company is said to be planning a separate media event for October to introduce that product.

Reuters and CNet have interviewed members of the Apple / Samsung patent trial jury who awarded Apple over $1 billion in damages over patent infringement claims against Samsung.

Reuters spoke with jury foreman Velvin Hogan who explained that they found Apple's arguments persuasive about the need to protect innovation. Furthermore, Hogan says it was "absolutely" clear based on Samsung executive testimony that the infringement was purposeful.

In the CNet interview with another Apple v. Samsung juror, Manuel Ilagan reiterated that it was "clear there was infringement". When asked for specifics, he said:

"Well, there were several. The e-mails that went back and forth from Samsung execs about the Apple features that they should incorporate into their devices was pretty damning to me. And also, on the last day, they showed the pictures of the phones that Samsung made before the iPhone came out and ones that they made after the iPhone came out. Some of the Samsung executives they presented on video [testimony] from Korea -- I thought they were dodging the questions. They didn't answer one of them. They didn't help their cause."

Both jurors claim that their decision was deliberate and not rushed. According to Ilagan, the process was helped by the experience within the jury pool. Hogan, the jury foreman, had previously worked as an engineer and holds a patent himself. Meanwhile, others on the jury were said to also have engineering and legal experience.

In determining the award amount, Hogan reports that they felt Apple's demands of $2.75 billion was "extraordinarily high", especially taking into account the uncertainty in Apple's ability to have sold significantly more iPhones due to component supply constraints. That said, Hogan told Reuters they did want a send a message.

"We didn't want to give carte blanche to a company, by any name, to infringe someone else's intellectual property," Hogan told Reuters a day after the verdict.

Japanese blog Macotakara claims to have additional details about Apple's upcoming 7.85" iPad and the next generation iPod nano.

First, the site reports that the new smaller iPad device will indeed be called "iPad mini":

According to Asian source, the name of Apple's new product, which are expected to have 7"85' and called as iPad mini, will be named as "iPad mini" officially. This source expects that "iPad" logo will be printed on back of case same as "iPod" is printed on iPod nano and iPod touch, and it means one new product will be added on iPad's product brand genre.

Next, the Japanese blog also believes the next iPod nano may come with Wi-Fi capabilities in order to enable iTunes in the Cloud support:

Next iPod nano may equip Wi-Fi antenna on side of that case, and support iTunes Music Cloud in order Apple to provide a iconic product to promote the largest Music Store in the world.

Wi-Fi access would allow iPod nano users to redownload any past music, movies or TV shows onto their device when connected to a hotspot.

Macotakara again notes the mysterious holes found on the back casing of iPod Touch and offers a guess at NFC capabilities, but has no clear answer. Overall, Macotakara has had a mixed track record with their rumor reports.

Following a hint from The Loop's Jim Dalrymple suggesting that Apple's "iPad mini" will be introduced at a second media event following the next-generation iPhone event all but confirmed for September 12, AllThingsD now backs up the claim with its own sources saying that Apple is planning for an iPad mini introduction in October.

Apple’s next generation iPhone and its so-called “iPad mini” will debut at two separate events this fall, rather than a single one as has been widely speculated, according to several sources. [...]

Only after the next generation iPhone is out the door and on sale will Apple announce the smaller iPad it’s been working on. That device, which is expected to have a display of less than eight inches, will be uncrated at a second special event, which sources said is currently scheduled for October.

AllThingsD has a reliable track record when it comes to leaking Apple media event plans, and when paired with Dalrymple's past history it seems likely that Apple will indeed be holding two separate events in the coming months to introduce the next-generation iPhone and the company's smaller iPad.

While part leaks for the next-generation iPhone have been plentiful, similar leaks for an updated iPod touch have been harder to locate, with a front panel showing an opening for a larger 4-inch display having been the only known leak so far.

Back in late July, Mac Otakara reported that the device would adopt the A5 system-on-a-chip found in the iPhone 4S, as well as a buffed aluminum shell. The report also claimed that there is a mystery hole in the lower portion of the rear shell, with a rendering based on the rumors showing the feature located in the lower center of the device.

GizChina now posts photos of what is said to be a case for the next-generation iPod touch, seemingly showing a less-tapered design. The case shows a widened rear camera hole that the report suggests could hint at the addition of an LED flash as seen on the iPhone. The current iPod touch does have a microphone in that location, however, and the opening in this new case may simply be to accommodate the same feature.

The new case also shows the "mystery hole" described in the Mac Otakara report, but it is located in the lower corner of the rear shell rather than in the center.

As you can see from the photos these cases suggest that the next generation iPod touch will have a new design (at least to the rear) and seem to be have a much less pronounced taper to the edges when compared to the current iPod touch 4.

The cases could also give away possible details as to the spec of the 5th generation iPod touch 5. The hole around the camera area to the left for example looks to have been elongated and tapered to fit around a possible LED flash to help with low light photography, and there is also the appearance of a new ‘mystery hole’ in the lower left hand side of the case.

The report speculates that the mystery hole could be for a speaker or microphone of some sort, but there have yet to be any part leaks to provide additional hints at its function.

As with the tapered iPhone cases seen in 2011, case companies are sometimes incorrect in their designs, and thus part leaks such as those seen for the next-generation iPhone are regarded as much more significant. But in the absence of major part leaks for the next iPod touch, cases bearing a new design are currently one of the only pieces of evidence available for fueling speculation and discussion of a potential redesign for the device.

Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed corporate Apple employees tonight after the massive win from their patent litigation against Samsung. The email, republished by 9to5Mac, is quoted here:

Today was an important day for Apple and for innovators everywhere.

Many of you have been closely following the trial against Samsung in San Jose for the past few weeks. We chose legal action very reluctantly and only after repeatedly asking Samsung to stop copying our work. For us this lawsuit has always been about something much more important than patents or money. It’s about values. We value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making the best products on earth. And we do this to delight our customers, not for competitors to flagrantly copy.

We owe a debt of gratitude to the jury who invested their time in listening to our story. We were thrilled to finally have the opportunity to tell it. The mountain of evidence presented during the trial showed that Samsung’s copying went far deeper than we knew.

The jury has now spoken. We applaud them for finding Samsung’s behavior willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn’t right.

I am very proud of the work that each of you do.

Today, values have won and I hope the whole world listens.

Tim

A jury found that Samsung had willfully infringed on both Apple's patents and trade dress for the iPhone and issued a verdict of over $1 billion in damages to be paid to Apple.

Now with the verdict of the Apple vs. Samsung patent lawsuit fallen clearly on Apple's side, the next step will be a hearing on preliminary injunctions to stop sales of the infringing Samsung devices. The Verge reports that the hearing will take place on September 20th after Apple submits its requests by August 29th, giving Samsung two weeks to respond.

Meanwhile, The Verge's Nilay Patel, a former lawyer, speculates on the overall consequences of the verdict. Patel, of course, expects Apple to file preliminary injunctions to bar the sale of infringing devices. In the long term, he expects that other Android manufacturers will start making changes to both UI and physical appearance in response to the verdict.

In the long term, we're sure to see lots of UI behaviors change across Android — most companies have already moved away from the bounceback scrolling behavior protected by the Apple patent in this case, and we're sure to see tap-to-zoom and multitouch scrolling behavior affected on new devices as well. We're also sure to see new handsets adopt highly differentiated designs, as Apple has proven both its design patent and trade dress claims are strong enough to persuade a jury.

Meanwhile, All Things D points out that Samsung will certainly pursue the appeal process to attempt to overturn the outcome.

NYTimes reports on the responses from Apple and Samsung about today's patent verdict which found largely in favor of Apple and resulted in an over $1 billion verdict against Samsung.

Apple's spokesperson Katie Cotton:

We are grateful to the jury for their service and for investing the time to listen to our story and we were thrilled to be able to finally tell it. The mountain of evidence presented during the trail showed that Samsung’s copying went far deeper than even we knew. The lawsuits between Apple and Samsung were about much more than patents or money. They were about values. At Apple, we value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making the best products on earth. We make these products to delight our customers, not for our competitors to flagrantly copy. We applaud the court for finding Samsung’s behavior willful and for sending a loud and clear message that stealing isn’t right.

Samsung issued this statement:

Today’s verdict should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a loss for the American consumer. It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices. It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies. Consumers have the right to choices, and they know what they are buying when they purchase Samsung products. This is not the final word in this case or in battles being waged in courts and tribunals around the world, some of which have already rejected many of Apple’s claims. Samsung will continue to innovate and offer choices for the consumer.

The jury found that Samsung owes Apple $1.05 billion in damages for willfully infringing on Apple's intellectual property.

After three days of deliberations, the jury reached a unanimous verdict in the Apple vs. Samsung trial. The jury found largely for Apple, ruling that Samsung had willfully infringed on both Apple patents and trade dress for the iPhone -- though notably the jury found in favor of Samsung on questions regarding its tablets. The jury found that Samsung owes Apple $1.05 billion in damages for willfully infringing on Apple's intellectual property.

Apple's stock price rose to an all-time high, more than $675 per share, in after-hours trading following the verdict.

The three-week trial has resulted in interesting testimony and evidence from both sides, including looks at early iPhone and iPad prototypes, Apple and Samsung mobile device sales numbers in the U.S., and an internal Samsung memo that examined what the company needed to change in its Galaxy line of smartphones to compete with the iPhone.

The 9-person jury was asked to fill out a 20-page jury form with more than 700 questions across 33 groups. They were required to come to a unanimous decision on each question and court-watchers didn't expect a verdict until at least next week.

The following is our liveblog as the verdict was written:

The jury was asked to fill out a form covering 33 separate questions regarding patents, trade dress, and antitrust.

On the first claim, regarding the '381 "bounce back" patent, the jury finds Samsung guilty on all counts. Samsung infringed on Apple's patent on a wide variety of products.

On Apple's "pinch and zoom" '915 patent, the jury found that Samsung infringed on all but three products.

For the "double-tap to zoom" '163 patent, the jury found that Samsung infringed on a wide number of products, but not all.

The jury found that Samsung took actions that it knew or should have known were infringing across the '381, '915, and '163 patents on most, though not on all, counts.

For the '677 patent, covering Apple's trade dress registration of the look of the front of the iPhone, the jury found that Samsung did infringe on most devices, but again, not all.

For the D'087 patent, covering Apple's trade dress registration of the look of the back of the iPhone, the jury found that Samsung did infringe on some devices, but not all.

For the '305 patent, covering the trade dress registration of the iPhone's home screen, the jury found that Samsung infringed across most devices.

For the D'889 patent, covering the trade dress registration of the iPad's appearance, the jury found that Samsung's tablets do not infringe -- one of the first victories for Samsung.

On the question of whether Samsung Korea knew or should have known it was inducing US subsidiaries to infringe on the D'677, D'087, D'305 and/or D'889 patents, the jury found in favor of Apple across a wide number of phones and patents, though not on the '889 patent regarding the iPad. These two questions are significant for Apple to receive damages.

On the question of whether Samsung's infringement was willful, the jury again found for Apple on a number of patents and devices.

Finally, the jury ruled that all of Apple's patents are valid.

Regarding trade dress, Apple has proven that its unregistered iPhone 3G trade dress was protectable, and the jury found that a number of Samsung phone models violated Apple's trade dress, though not all of them.

Overall, the jury is finding for Apple on most counts.

Regarding damages, the jury finds that Apple should be awarded $1,051,855,000 in damages for willfully violating Apple's patents and trade dress.

Next up are Samsung's claims against Apple.

The jury has found for Apple regarding its alleged infringement of Samsung's utility patents on every claim, however Apple did not prove they were invalid. The jury did not award Samsung any damages.

Finally, Apple did not prove that Samsung violated antitrust obligations regarding its FRAND patents.

Apple did prove that Samsung is barred from enforcing its '516 and '941 patents.

Update: CNet provides a nice breakdown of patents and the devices found to infringe.