Tag Archives: apple

eBook Pricing under Scrutiny by FTC

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ipad-ebook-VIA WIRED-COM

via Wired.com

Amazon, with their aggressive ebook pricing model during the launch of the Kindle, scared publishers that they could wield incredible control over the book retailing space – squeezing out competition like Borders, Barnes & Nobles and others.

The FTC is warning Apple and other Publishers of their need to respond to an industry-wide pricing ‘agency model,’ in which the publishers control the price of the books, providing a 30% cut to the reseller of the title. Apple was the one who pushed for this pricing structure and is even recounted within Steve Job’s biography according to a Wall Street Journal report.

“The five publishers facing a potential suit are CBS Corp.’s Simon & Schuster Inc.; Lagardere SCA’s Hachette Book Group; Pearson PLC’s Penguin Group (USA); Macmillan, a unit of Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH; and HarperCollins Publishers Inc., a unit of News Corp., which also owns The Wall Street Journal.

Spokespeople for the five publishers and the Justice Department declined to comment. Apple, which introduced a new version of its iPad tablet Wednesday, declined to comment.”

Source: Wall Street Journal
Photo Credit: Wired

Using your phone as a hard drive – PATENTED by Apple?

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Patents are a disaster in the United States – and around the world as we exert our influence for international patent registrations. Today Apple was granted a number of new patents, according to a Patently Apple post, and some of them really just make me really upset. PATENTS are supposed to be original inventions that would not be obvious to someone within the field. Right? Okay…

One of the patents Apple was granted includes ‘list management,’ or basically moving things around on screen, like the order of a list. Their claim to uniqueness here is obviously the fact that they allow for additional ‘wiggle room’ (my words) in order to properly handle finger based input, which isn’t as precise as stylus input. Okay, well, put a row of tongue depressors with things written on them horizontally on the table before you.

Now, rearrange them.

That is one of Apple’s patents which was issued.

The other, referred to only in an AppleInsider post, is purportedly for using a phone as a hard drive. RUFKM? HELLO!?!?! ANY USB device which will act as a storage device makes this possible. It’s not something APPLE came up with for Lords sake.

IS ANYONE REALLY WORKING AT THE PATENT OFFICE OR ARE THEY JUST RUBBER STAMPING?

I don’t get it. Does anyone else understand this insanity of BLATENTLY OBVIOUS THINGS being patented?

Pattern Matching is Patented – Well Kinda

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Data Detectors as integrated into the Apple OS (Courtesy AppleInsider)

Patent litigation in the mobile sector has heated up in the last two years with everyone suing everyone else, trying to grow the market position along the way. The ITC has been blocking the import and sale of various products in countries around the world, and the heat of this war has only begun.

Seems that a recent ITC decision was in the favor of Apple for their patent on ‘Data Detectors.’ Basically, pattern matching. If a phone # is detected, you can click it to call or other actions; likewise with an email address, hyperlink, or other data standardized format you can think of (UPS tracking ##, UPC codes or Zip codes).

Well, yep, Apple has a patent on that. Yep. You heard it right, seems they have been using it within their operating system for some time, and while it only seems logical to me that anyone would find it the obvious thing to do when a specific, identifiable data pattern is recognized. Like, an address and how it will automatically open in Google Maps.

As the patent wars heat up, more and more patents are coming to light which just seem ridiculous. This is yet another example. To me, it’s only logical. I get upset that my Android phone doesn’t understand the data elements in an email or text message correctly and DOESN’T link me to the most obvious place. To me, it’s a basic extension of human behavior. We see a phone ##, we dial it.

I mean, they invented it? Really? INVENTED IT? C’mon, it’s common sense!

Screenshot Graphic from AppleInsider

App Store: Trademark or Common Term?

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imageApple’s recent suit against Amazon for their use of the term ‘App Store,’ as well as several other websites, continues to frustrate me.  You see, I am involved with the filing of  trademarks in the company I work for, and often, things are said to be too “generic.”  App Store, ‘cmon, there is nothing quite as common.  It’s like saying ‘billard parlor’ or ‘smoking den.’

Apple is a company who relies on their intellectual property to protect their designs, formats and in many cases the ‘secret sauce’ which allows them to succeed.  In this case, they’ve gone a bit far.  Microsoft has filed an opposition against the filing with the USPTO, however it will be a bit before that comes to any conclusion.  Until then we just have to wait and see what happens.  Amazon hasn’t seemed to rush to change the name of their store, which houses applications (apps for short), so I’m hoping that this mark gets the official boot from the USPTO and life for those slinging their wares or trying to make a few bucks with their own personally developed apps. 

Source/Image credit:  Huffington Post

Jailbreak your iPhone 4 through JailBreakMe.com

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image Not that long ago, it took a little prowess to jailbreak, or unlock from Apple’s grip, an iPhone.  But over time, it became more and more easy, now, all you have to do to jailbreak the iPhone 4 — just visit http://www.jailbreakme.com.

The browser based installation tool will allow you to enjoy the freedom of loading apps that Apple wouldn’t approve, apps that make your phone things do that they may not want you to as well.  But heck, it’s your phone, and you should be able to do what you want with it.

And the Library of Congress agrees.  It’s easier than ever before, and reportedly also works on the iPad, running iOS 4. So just do it!

Source:  AppleInsider

US Copyright ruling says Jailbreaking your iPhone is OK

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Computerworld_Jailbreak_rulingWhile Apple thought they would lobby to ensure that ‘jailbreaking’ (or placing your phone under your own control instead of that of Steve Jobs) violates copyright, since the process purportedly requires they use parts of the Apple bootloader in order to ensure it’s circumvention of Apples “lockdown” on apps and other features.

“When one jailbreaks a smartphone in order to make the operating system on that phone interoperable with an independently created application that has not been approved by the maker of the smartphone or the maker of its operating system, the modifications that are made purely for the purpose of such interoperability are fair uses,” Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights, wrote in the ruling approved by the Librarian of Congress.

This ruling is great — first of all, it solidifies that the CONSUMER is the owner of the cellphone, and once purchased, should be under your control.  If you wish, you can ‘unlock’ it to run applications you desire, or as far as I can see, you can unlock a phone to use it on your carrier of choice.

Steve will have to figure out a new approach to aggravate people’s lives aside from locking their phones, utilizing undefined rules for app store qualification, or testing the latest phone with a previous model’s case, not allowing them to fully test the reception issues experienced with a traditional death grip (or simply said, holding your phone securely).

It’s a good day!

Source:  Computerworld

For once Mr. Jobs – you win

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iPho (cough) iPhon (cough) iPhone! I SAID IT! C’mon Microsoft, I have this on my iPod Touch for Lord’s sake. C’mon…

A Microsoft employee showed possible applications like enlarging and shrinking photos and navigating a map of San Diego by stroking the screen.

but, it gets funnier… Continue reading →