MacRumors

TmoNews reports that T-Mobile USA has issued an internal memo announcing that it will release a new carrier update on April 5 that will add LTE support for unlocked iPhones running on its network. The update will also bring Visual Voicemail and other features to the devices.

The T-Mobile Carrier Update is a minor iOS software update that enables official iPhone support by T-Mobile. When installed, the software update enables a handful of capabilities like Visual Voicemail, MMS Settings and Network/Device optimizations that customers do not have access to today.

On April 5, the software update will begin being pushed via OTA to all iPhone devices on the T-Mobile network with iOS 6.1.x or higher.

The software update for existing handsets will come one week before T-Mobile officially begins offering the iPhone, although it has for a number of years catered to iPhone users seeking to bring their unlocked devices to the carrier.

While existing T-Mobile customers using unlocked iPhones will be able to access LTE speeds in just a handful of cities, the carrier is working on rapidly building out its LTE network. Existing users will also continue to have some limitations on network access, as Apple will be releasing a tweaked iPhone 5 as part of the T-Mobile launch, with the new hardware providing full compatibility with T-Mobile's network including AWS Band 4 frequencies that are unsupported by iPhone devices sold to date.

Band 4 is where much of T-Mobile's 3G network is housed, an issue that has long forced iPhone users on the carrier to fall back to slower EDGE networks on Band 2. T-Mobile has been working hard to shift its 3G network over to Band 2 to provide greater 3G compatibility for existing customers, but the transition is not yet complete.

Last October, a court filing in the U.S. lawsuit between Apple and Samsung revealed that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) had issued a preliminary decision ruling that all of 20 claims of Apple's "rubber banding" patent were invalid.

The patent, which addresses the ability for content displayed on iOS devices to "bounce back" when the user scrolls to the top or bottom of the page, had been successfully used by Apple in its lawsuit against Samsung that yielded a $1 billion judgment.

At the time, we noted that the decision by the USPTO was merely a preliminary one and that it would be revisited in numerous other reviews and appeals as Apple continued to plead its case. FOSS Patents now notes that Samsung has filed another court document revealing that the agency has followed up with a new decision reviving three claims from Apple's patent but once again rejecting the other 17 claims, including the key one used against Samsung.

The latest decision, which according to Samsung was published by the patent office "on or after March 29", is a final Office action -- which gives it more weight than the first one, but "final" isn't really final in this process as I'll discuss further below. [...]

Apple now has two months (which can be extended) to respond. Again, the word "final" sounds more definitive than this really is. Sometimes the Central Reexamination Unit reconsiders such "final" decisions. Even if it doesn't, this "final" rejection can and certainly will be appealed to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), sort of an appellate division within the USPTO. The PTAB can make a final decision as far as the USPTO is concerned, but frequently remands a matter to the Central Reexamination Unit. And a final-final USPTO decision can then be appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. It will take years before a truly final decision on the validity of this patent issues.

The validity of the rubber banding patent is just one of the difficulties facing Apple as the $1 billion verdict against Samsung continues to be challenged. Last month, Judge Lucy Koh voided nearly half of the judgment due to a jury error that made it impossible for corrected damages to be calculated for the affected devices and patents. As a result, Koh ruled that a new trial must be held to establish correct damages for those devices, with the result potentially including either a smaller or larger award for Apple. Samsung is of course also seeking to appeal the judgment in its entirety, with Apple and Samsung arguing over whether the appeal or the new trial addressing corrected damages should proceed first.

Apple yesterday updated its investor relations page to note that it will announce its earnings for the second fiscal quarter (first calendar quarter) of 2013 on Tuesday, April 23. The earnings release typically occurs just after 4:30 PM Eastern Time following the close of regular stock trading, and the conference call is scheduled to follow at 5:00 PM Eastern / 2:00 PM Pacific.

MacRumors will provide running coverage of the earnings release and conference call.

The release will provide a look into the strength of iPhone 5 and iPad mini sales into their second quarter of availability amid reports of weakening sales at the company. Apple's stock has taken a bit of a beating in recent months with Goldman Sachs dropping AAPL from its 'conviction list' and continuing concerns about Apple's ability to innovate without Steve Jobs. Apple's stock is off nearly 15% since last quarter's earnings call.

Apple reported strong results three months ago with iPhone and iPad sales both up significantly year over year.

Last quarter Apple changed how it provides guidance, choosing to offer a range of guidance for what the company believes it can achieve, rather than a point prediction. Apple provided guidance for the second quarter of fiscal 2013 for revenue of between $41 and $43 billion and gross margin between 37.5% and 38.5%.

Taiwan's Economic Daily News reports [Google translation, via Mac Otakara] that "high-ranking officials" at Samsung have disclosed that the firm has yet to receive orders for an A7 chip to be used in the iPhone 6 next year. The lack of contact with Apple about an A7 chip is reportedly leading to speculation at Samsung that Apple has shifted its orders for the chip to Taiwan Semiconductor Company (TSMC).

According to the report, Apple and Samsung are currently operating under an exclusive supply contract for A-series chips, but that contract is set to expire in June. With that expiration, Apple will be able to shift production to TSMC, which is pressing forward on plans for its smaller and more efficient 20-nanometer process. TSMC is said to be about two months ahead of schedule on beginning installation of production equipment for 20-nm chips.

Today's report is in line with previous rumors claiming that Apple and TSMC have essentially completed the initial design for a 20-nm A7 chip with shipments currently scheduled for early next year.

As we noted previously, assuming that rumors of a 2014 launch for a 20-nm A7 chip are accurate, Apple will need to use a different solution for its 2013 iOS device models, with options including a die shrink of the current A6 chip from 32-nm to 28-nm, a more substantially revamped A6 chip, or an early A7 chip based on a 28-nm process.

Last month, comedy site Funny or Die announced that it will be releasing iSteve, a 60-75 minute movie based on the life of Steve Jobs, on April 15. The film stars Justin Long, who gained fame among Apple fans for playing the role of "Mac" in the popular "Get a Mac" advertising campaign, in the role of Jobs.

With less than two weeks to go before the film's debut, Funny or Die has now released a teaser trailer for iSteve. The 90-second trailer offers only a brief glimpse of Long as Jobs, instead opting for a focus on audio clips from the film.

iSteve is just one of three films focusing on Steve Jobs due for release, with Ashton Kutcher's Jobs having premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January but experiencing a delayed public release and Aaron Sorkin's Sony-backed film drawing on material from Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Jobs yet to begin production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.