MacRumors

Billboard reports that Apple has hired Elliott Peters, a senior vice president and head of digital legal affairs at Warner Music Group, to manage the company's legal team overseeing iTunes and MobileMe services in Europe.

According to an internal memo obtained by Billboard, Peters is taking on the role of corporate attorney director for iTunes Europe and Internet services, based in Luxembourg, where he will manage the European legal team for iTunes and MobileMe services. He's been with WMG since 2000.

According to the memo, Peters has "had a hand in almost every major WMG digital deal" since his appointment as the company's first digital lawyer in 2003.

Apple will almost certainly be able to draw on Peters' experience and connections as it reportedly continues to work toward a cloud-based iTunes, allowing users the ability to store their iTunes libraries on Apple's servers and stream them to a variety of Internet-connected devices. Major music labels have reportedly balked at Apple's plans, arguing that such a use is not permitted under current licensing deals and maintaining the position that cloud-based music hosting should come with an increase in the compensation they receive from Apple for iTunes Store sales.

Nokia and Apple, which have been involved in a patent dispute for over a year that has seen both parties file lawsuits and U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) complaints against each other, are finally headed to a courtroom after ITC staff issued a memo supporting Nokia in its defense against Apple's claims, Bloomberg reports.

"The evidence will not establish a violation" of Apple patent rights, the staff, which acts on behalf of the public as a third party in the case, said in a pre-hearing memo released yesterday. Apple is asking the ITC to block imports of Nokia phones into the U.S., claiming they are infringing four patents.

In their examination of the case, ITC staff determined that certain aspects of Apple's patents cited in the lawsuit should be found invalid, while other patents have not been infringed by Nokia's devices.

A decision from ITC Administrative Law Judge Charles Bullock is due in February, and while he is not required to follow the advice of ITC staff, their findings will clearly carry significant weight in the case.

The ITC has yet to take a position in Nokia's suit against Apple, which is scheduled to go to trial at the end of this month.

Related federal court cases covering the patent dispute have been on hold since March of this year pending the outcome of these ITC lawsuits.

According to Symphonic Distribution, Apple has informed music labels that it is preparing to extend the length of iTunes Store song previews in the United States to 90 seconds for songs that are at least 2 minutes and 30 seconds long. Shorter songs will continue to offer the current 30-second samples.

We are pleased to let you know that we are preparing to increase the length of music previews from 30 seconds to 90 seconds on the iTunes Store in the United States. We believe that giving potential customers more time to listen to your music will lead to more purchases.

Apple's email notes that by continuing to offer their music on the iTunes Store, labels are indicating their acceptance of the new terms. Consequently, any labels who do not wish to agree with the terms must withdraw their music from the iTunes Store.

CNET had reported just two days before Apple's music-focused media event on September 1st that such a change was coming, but it failed to materialize at the event. In a follow-up article, CNET later discovered that the change had been held up by licensing issues, which appear to have now been resolved.

ifoAppleStore reports that Apple has quietly discontinued its "Personal Shopping" service that had enabled customers to make appointments at Apple retail stores for one-on-one assistance with testing out and purchasing Apple products.

All references to the service have been erased from the company's Web site, and the Personal Shopping link now re-directs surfers to the main Retail page. Individual stores pages and the Apple Store app have also been updated. According to sources, the change became effective yesterday and stems from the belief that every customer should receive the same attention and amount of service.

Introduced in mid-2007 as part of a broader revamp of its retail store support, training, and purchasing programs, Personal Shopping had allowed customers to schedule appointments up to 14 days in advance and ensure the attention of a retail store Specialist to assist them in a no-commitment arrangement.

Update: As of this writing, Apple's Personal Shopping service remains a snippet link in Google search results for "Apple retail store", despite the fact that the link now simply redirects to the main retail page. This should change as Google re-crawls the site and discovers the revised link structure.

One of the features missing on the new Apple TV launched in September has been support for iTunes Extras and iTunes LPs, two sets of enhanced content available on select iTunes Store purchases.

When you purchase an album with iTunes LP, you receive the songs from the album, plus special features such as lyrics, photos, videos, credits, and more. When you buy a film with iTunes Extras, you'll receive the featured movie and chapter selection along with special features such as movie stills, deleted scenes, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage.

Introduced with iTunes 9 in September 2009, iTunes Extras and iTunes LPs made their way to the original Apple TV with the Apple TV 3.0 software update the following month. But with a move to iOS for the new Apple TV, that compatibility has gone missing.

One MacRumors reader, Conor Winders of Redwind Software, recently emailed Apple CEO Steve Jobs to ask about the future of iTunes Extras and iTunes LP on the new Apple TV, and Jobs offered a customarily-brief reply:

Q: I've been a massive fan of the original Apple TV since it launched, in fact I have 2 of my own and have bought a fair few as gifts over the years. So as soon as the new Apple TV was released I bought one. Overall it's a fantastic update for me as I always stream from my Mac mini anyway. But here's the kicker - Where are iTunes Extras and iTunes LP gone? I've purposely been buying content with those features just for my Apple TVs. And now the features are unusable on my new box?! Is there an update coming to fix this?

A: Coming.

Sent from my iPhone.

It is unclear when we might be able to expect support for iTunes Extras and iTunes LP to come to the new Apple TV, but an update for the device is expected alongside the imminent iOS 4.2 update for other iOS devices in order to support AirPlay streaming functionality.

If iTunes Extras and iTunes LPs do make the transition to the new iOS-based Apple TV, it seems natural that they could also make their way to other iOS devices such as the iPad at some point. The iPad was seen as a strong opportunity for Apple to promote iTunes LPs in particular, offering users the ability to experience the enhanced content on a tablet-sized screen right in their hands, but iTunes LPs remain unsupported on the iPad and limited to only iTunes on Mac and PC.

Availability of the iPhone 4 continues to improve in the United States, with the company's online store now offering shipping estimates of "within 24 hours" for new orders. After spending much of the summer with three-week shipping estimates, supplies of the iPhone 4 began to increase in early October with a move to 5-7 business day shipping estimates. Estimates improved once again to 1-3 business days in recent weeks before making the final move to the minimum possible window today.

iPhone 4 shipping estimates in many other countries, where the company is typically selling unlocked and/or unsubsidized phones online, are registering with estimates of up to two weeks for new orders.

Over the weekend, Cult of Mac noted that there appears to be a rising number of complaints from users of the new MacBook Air regarding kernel panics, video distortion and other issues that could be related to defective logic boards.

Apple Discussion forum user, DanRyb, basically stated that his 11-inch model would randomly display "weird colors in vertical lines" extending across the entire screen and the machine would freeze. He was forced to power cycle the computer in order to recover.

Another forum user, Hobokendippy, reported that his 13-inch model had crashed three times twice with a blank screen and once with the screen distortion reported by DanRyb.

One user has posted a video to YouTube showing a display issue with the new 11-inch MacBook Air.

In addition to the video distortion, Cult of Mac staff have reported several kernel panics experienced on both the 11-inch and 13-inch models, although the extent of the problem is not yet known.

Macworld chimes in today with its own report on the issue, offering a firsthand experience with similar issues:

Sadly, I can personally confirm these issues: Just two days after unboxing my 11-inch Air - the base model with 4GB of RAM - the notebook randomly cut to a gray screen during Screen Sharing and only a reboot could cure it. In the ensuing days, I've seen my Air's screen turn a variety of colors: gray again, tan, gray-black, and - on Monday - blue! (Let's everyone get their Blue Screen of Death jokes out of the way now, please.)

As I was working on something different in every instance, it was hard to say exactly what triggered the crashes, though Screen Sharing has been the culprit at least twice. Neither a PRAM nor SMC reset did much to help.

While the issues do not yet appear to be affecting all MacBook Air machines and some number of defective units is to be expected, the growing number of complaints suggests that the new machines may be experiencing a higher-than-normal rate of failure. Apple did issue a software update addressing graphics issues on the new MacBook Air just as it was released, but several users have reported experiencing these graphics-related problems even after applying the update.

CNNMoney.com reports that a new iOS application from Skyfire that converts Flash-based video to HTML5 has been approved by Apple and will go live in the App Store on Thursday. The app, which will be priced at $2.99, activates a function that allows Flash video content in the browser to be sent to Skyfire's servers, converted to HTML5, and sent back to the device for display.

The app won't translate games or other non-video content that runs in Flash, however. Still, Glueck estimates that the number of websites and videos that Skyfire will open up to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users is in the "millions."

As Apple has maintained its prohibition against Flash on the iOS platform, HTML5 has gained momentum, particularly in Web-based video. Even Adobe has demonstrated an early-stage tool for converting Flash projects to HTML5, looking to cater to developers attempting to create sites compatible with multiple platforms that do not always support Flash.

Bloomberg reports on new data from research firm Strategy Analytics showing that Apple held a 95% share of the tablet market in the third quarter of 2010, leaving only 2.3% for Google's nascent Android platform.

Global tablet sales rose 26 percent from the previous period to 4.4 million units, with Apple selling 4.19 million iPads, the company said in a statement. Android's share of the market declined to 2.3 percent from 2.9 percent.

With a slew of high-profile companies just now preparing to enter the tablet market, however, Apple will soon face stiffer competition.

"The tablet wars are up and running," said Strategy Analytics Director Neil Mawston in the statement. Android and other operating platforms "are trailing in Apple's wake and they already have much ground to make up."

A new survey from ChangeWave Research has taken a crack at assessing customer interest in the tablet market, finding its target audience of professionals and early adopters still iPad-focused, with 80% of those surveyed saying they would be most likely to purchase an iPad. Research in Motion's PlayBook, set for launch next year, ranks second with 8% of customers looking to purchase one.

ChangeWave also found that iPad owners in its survey group are very pleased with the device, with 72% registering as "very satisfied" and an additional 23% as "somewhat satisfied".

Overall, ChangeWave has seen interest in netbooks flagging as tablets gain momentum, with only 13-14% of survey respondents over the past few months looking to buy a netbook, down from a peak of 24% in mid-2009.

Apple yesterday released a new iPad commercial entitled "iPad is Electric", airing the ad on primetime television and posting it to the company's iPad site and YouTube page.

The new commercial offers the same soundtrack as several earlier ads and follows the same of theme of displaying a series of quick shots of the iPad's capabilities interspersed with corresponding single-word descriptions relevant to the "iPad is..." theme: cinematic, elementary, academic, full-size, presenting, bought, sold, fantasy, and electric.

In mid-May, Apple released its "What is iPad" commercial, harkening back to an earlier ad for the Newton nearly twenty years ago. Apple then shifted gears, however, releasing the current string of iPads with "iPad is Delicious" in mid-August and "iPad is Musical" in early September.

Apple has quietly dropped the price of the Mac mini in international markets this morning. According to Macerkopf.de, the change is reflected in all markets not priced in U.S. dollars, though Australia seems unaffected.

In the UK, prices of the two Mac mini models dropped from 649 to 599 and 929 to 879, while in other European countries prices dropped from 809 euro to 709 euro and 1149 euro to 999 euro. Prices in the U.S. remain unchanged at $699 and $999 for the two Mac mini models.

Apple's new iOS 4.2 GM comes with a few additional changes. The multitasking bar now adds both Volume and Brightness controls for fast access. Also pictured is the new AirPlay button (on right).

We're hesitant to read too much into this just yet, but there has been one interesting change in iOS 4.2 noted first by a tech company in Southern California. The new MobileMe account setup in iOS 4.2 GM (left) allows you to log into MobileMe settings using an Apple ID. Apple even offers a link to create a free Apple ID right there. Apple ID logins don't seem to work yet, so we're not sure what the intended purpose is. Apple may simple be linking Apple IDs and MobileMe accounts for a consolidated login. However, the a more fanciful interpretation is that Apple would allow any user access to some of the currently pay-only MobileMe features.

Apple has released the Golden Master (GM) version of iOS 4.2 to developers this evening. The GM build is typically the final shipping build that will eventually reach customers. According to MacStories, AirPlay has returned as a feature to YouTube playback -- a feature that was inexplicably missing in the last developer release.

Apple originally detailed the upcoming features of iOS 4.2 back in September. The focus of the update will be to bring the iPad up to speed with other iOS 4.x features such as multitasking and folders, but it also introduces a few new features across all devices. New features include:

- Printing: Print mail, photos, web pages, and more directly to a printer on a wireless network.
- AirPlay: Wirelessly stream videos, music, and photos from iPad to the new Apple TV, and stream music to AirPlay speakers or receivers, including AirPort Express.

iOS 4.2 was expected to be released in November, and with the GM release, Apple appears to be on target.

TechCrunch reports that both Apple and Google are in early talks with mobile payments company Boku. Boku is a startup company that has partnered with mobile carriers to allow customers to purchase goods using their mobile phones.

Customers simply enter their mobile phone number when looking to purchase an item and a confirmation message is sent to their device. The resulting charges are then added to your wireless monthly bill. It would eliminate the need for the use of credit cards for online transactions. According to Boku, their carrier partnerships allow them to service over 1.6 billion customers worldwide. In the U.S., all the major carriers (including AT&T) are listed.

Discussions are described in the early stages, but possible acquisition prices are in the 9-figure range:

It's too early to tell. But like the AdMob purchase, a potential M&A deal would involve a transaction for a nine-digit sum according to one source. We are unable to pinpoint an exact price at this stage of the negotiations, but our source says Apple, for one, could end up spending at least $250 million (and up to $450 million) to acquire BOKU.

Even a $250 million purchase price would only be a small dent into Apple's $50 billion cash reserves.

Retail store chain Target today announced that it will begin carrying the iPhone as of November 7th in its 846 stores that offer Target Mobile centers. Target will carry both the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS, and will offer quick, on-the-spot activation.

"At Target we continue to offer our guests the best in electronics so we're happy to add iPhone to our Target Mobile offerings," said Mark Schindele, senior vice president, merchandising, Target. "With expert support from Target Mobile specialists and in-store activation, our guests will be able to leave the store with a new, working iPhone3GS or iPhone4 in-hand."

Target began selling the iPad in early October, and thus it is no surprise that the retailer has picked up the iPhone as well. Rival Wal-Mart has been selling the iPhone since December 2008, and launched iPad sales just a few weeks after Target.

CNET reports that Apple appears to have settled a trademark lawsuit over the term 'iAds', reportedly paying a firm in excess of $1 million for the rights to the name it has used for its mobile advertising platform for the past several months. The revelation comes in an apparent slip from Consor Intellectual Asset Management, a firm that helps companies worth intellectual property issues, in the form of a promotional posting in which Consor touted its role in achieving the settlement for a client.

We've seen Apple caught up in plenty of these trademark disputes before and just like many of those, this one was settled without a peep from either party about the terms. That likely would have been the last of it but on Thursday, Consor, a company that helps evaluate intellectual property, posted a release to the Web titled "Consor Intellectual Asset Management Secures Success for Four Clients."

In a teaser line under the headline, the company wrote: "iAds, a 7-figure settlement from Apple Computer in a trademark infringement case."

Oddly, when CNET contacted Consor about the deal, the company initially denied that any such announcement had been made. Upon being informed that the information was freely available on the web, a Consor representative claimed that some of the information "wasn't accurate".

The most likely explanation for Consor's attempts to distance itself from the release is that it erred in publishing details what was intended to be a confidential settlement with Apple over the trademark issue, although it is possible that Consor was in fact incorrect about the amount of money involved.