iLounge

Showing Duplicate Items in iTunes 11

• December 20, 2012
• iTunes

iTunes has long offered a basic feature for identifying duplicate tracks, however when iTunes 11 was initially released, many users were surprised to find the feature had gone missing. Regardless of whether this was intentional or an oversight on Apple’s part, it quickly returned the feature in an update to iTunes 11.0.1. If you’re missing the Show Duplicates feature, be sure you’ve upgraded to the latest version of iTunes, and then take a look on the View menu. The feature itself works in much the same way as in prior iTunes versions, filtering your list view down to only suspected duplicate tracks and then letting you deal with this information as you see fit. Keep in mind that for music tracks, however, this is based only on the track name and artist, so if you’re a collector who wants to keep multiple, complete albums you may find that you always have duplicates in your library as far as iTunes is concerned. When viewing duplicates, a status bar appears at the bottom of the iTunes window to remind you that you are in this mode, along with a “Display all” button that can be used to return to the full track view.

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FTC expands child online privacy, App Store not liable

• December 20, 2012
• Apple, Apps + Games

Following a review initiated in 2010, the Federal Trade Commission has amended its rules regarding the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), strengthening privacy protections for children under 13. COPPA was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1998, requiring online services for children under 13 to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information.

Starting July 1, 2013, parents will need to consent to the gathering of their kids’ photos, videos, and/or location information, and the consent process has been streamlined, among other changes. Notably, COPPA now explicitly covers services such as apps, plug-ins, and advertising networks, however, Apple’s App Store and competitors will not have to police apps for violations. The FTC’s action comes on the heels of a recent report criticizing the privacy practices of kids’ apps found in the App Store and Google’s Android Market. [via The Wall Street Journal]

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USPTO tentatively nixes key Apple pinch patent

• December 20, 2012
• Apple

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has tentatively ruled all claims of an Apple ‘pinch to zoom’ patent invalid, possibly affecting the $1.05 billion in damages Apple won from Samsung. Apple’s patent was rejected in a first Office action, meaning the patent could later become invalidated. Samsung brought the tentative rejection to the court’s attention, as Claim 8 of the patent was declared most valuable by Apple in the court case that ended in August. An upcoming judgment on the awarded damages is expected to be made in the near future. [via Foss Patents]

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Report: iOS 6.0.2 impacting battery life?

• December 20, 2012
• iPad, iPhone

An anecdotal report suggests iOS 6.0.2 for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini appears to be affecting battery life. The update, which aimed to fix a Wi-Fi bug, is allegedly causing unusually fast battery drain on the updated devices for some users. As with prior iOS-related battery issues, the problem does not appear to affect all users; however, a Twitter search for “iOS 6.0.2 battery” reveals a fair number of tweets about decreased battery life related to the update. It’s been noted that Apple has removed the support note for the update, which may signal another patch to address the latest problem. [via Tidbits, ZDNet]

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Report: No Apple TV set in 2013, 46- to 55-inch screens?

• December 19, 2012
• Apple

A new report out of Taiwan suggests the long-rumored Apple TV set won’t be seen until at least 2014. Though the report is of questionable veracity, it includes some interesting claims from an anonymous source at Apple manufacturing partner Hon Hai/Foxconn. According to this source, initial testing of the TV design has begun, with Apple considering 46- to 55-inch flat panel screens. As these sizes are commonly available, Hon Hai would not need to rely exclusively upon Sharp—which reportedly is focusing production on 60-inch panels—as an exclusive provider for the screens. The report suggests that some products relating to the Apple TV set could appear at CES in January, though there is little to no chance that this will happen at the 2013 show. [via Focus Taiwan News Channel]

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Apple granted patent for original iPhone

• December 19, 2012
• Apple, iPhone

Apple was awarded a design patent for its original iPhone on Tuesday. The patent is described simply as “The ornamental design of an electronic device, as shown and described.” Steve Jobs and Jony Ive are among those credited as inventors. As previously noted, Apple was also granted a key multi touch patent and a patent for reducing the size of system-on-chip architectures in its devices.

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Kodak sells patents for $525M, Apple one of 12 licensees

• December 19, 2012
• Apple

Kodak has announced the sale of its digital imaging patent portfolio for $525 million to a consortium organized by Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation, and Apple is one of the 12 licensees involved in the deal. The other licensees are Google, Microsoft, Samsung, HTC, Facebook, RIM, Adobe, Fujifilm, Huawei, Amazon, and Shutterfly. Each licensee will receive rights to the portfolio and to “certain other Kodak patents.” A recent report noted that Apple and Google made a joint $500M bid for the patents. [via The Next Web]

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Apple wins ITC patent ruling against Motorola Mobility

• December 19, 2012
• Apple

Apple didn’t violate a patent owned by Google’s Motorola Mobility division, U.S. International Trade Commission judge Thomas Pender has ruled, a finding that is subject to review by the full ITC. The patent in question is for a sensor that prevents hanging up accidentally. Pender found Motorola’s patent invalid, the second time he’s ruled Apple did not violate this particular patent. [via Bloomberg]

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Brazilian company plans ‘IPHONE’ brand smartphones

• December 18, 2012
• Apple, iPhone

Brazilian electronics makers IGB Eletronica SA announced it will sell smartphones in Brazil under the brand name “IPHONE,” to which it has exclusive local rights. The company registered the name in 2000, and secured rights to the name in 2008. The first smartphone from the company will be called “Neo One.”

It remains to be seen how Apple will address the issue, but this isn’t new territory for the company: a recent Mexican court ruling allows Apple to use the “iPhone” name in Mexico, despite a Mexican company iFone’s ability to use its name for its own products. In 2009, Apple settled a trademark dispute over the iPad name in China, paying Proview $60 million for the naming rights. [via Reuters]

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Apple releases iOS 6.0.2 update

• December 18, 2012
• iPad, iPhone

Apple has released an iOS 6.0.2 software update, which currently appears to be available only for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini.

The release notes say that the update “fixes a bug that could impact Wi-Fi.” As of now, iOS 6.0.2 is not showing up as an update for the latest full-sized iPad or iPod touch.

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Apple granted system-on-chip shrinking patent

• December 18, 2012
• Apple

Apple has been granted a new patent for reducing the size of system-on-chip architectures found in Apple devices. U.S. Patent 8,334,704 notes that a computer system’s vital components — such as a processor and memory — can be fabricated onto a single microchip, shrinking what would otherwise be a large printed circuit board full of components down to a tinier size. The patent appears to be focused on coupling processors with flash memory, while providing testing options for both, and was likely filed to protect Apple’s A-series mobile processors. [via Apple Insider]

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Samsung: U.S. ban dodged, retrial denied, Euro truce?

• December 18, 2012
• Apple

Apple has been denied a bid to ban 26 Samsung products from sale in the U.S, stemming from an August ruling in which Samsung was found to violate Apple patents. Judge Lucy Koh ruled that a sales ban would be too broad. “The phones at issue in this case contain a broad range of features, only a small fraction of which are covered by Apple’s patents,” Koh wrote. “Though Apple does have some interest in retaining certain features as exclusive to Apple, it does not follow that entire products must be forever banned from the market because they incorporate, among their myriad features, a few narrow protected functions.” Koh also noted that many of the devices targeted by Apple for the ban are no longer on sale.

Samsung, however, has been denied its request for dismissal and a new trial based on jury misconduct allegations. While Samsung alleged the Apple trial was tainted due to the juror misconduct related to jury foreman Velvin Hogan’s involvement with Seagate — Samsung acquired Seagate’s HDD division late last year — Koh disagreed. Koh determined Samsung could have resolved its concerns and issues prior to trial by exercising “reasonable diligence” in questioning Hogan.

Meanwhile, Samsung has announced it will drop injunction requests against Apple for standard essential patent infringement in Germany, France, Italy, the U.K., and the Netherlands. It’s unclear at this point if Samsung has reached some kind of truce with Apple — at least in Europe — or if this will lead to less litigation down the line. [via CNET, The Verge]

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Apple granted key multi-touch patent

• December 18, 2012
• Apple

Apple has received a patent from the US Patent Office regarding multi-touch contact. The patent, which covers apparatus and methods for tracking finger and palm contact “across a proximity-sensing, multi-touch surface,” was vital to the iPhone. It was initially filed on Nov. 14, 2006, before the iPhone’s release in 2007. Apple gained the patent upon acquiring gesture recognition company Fingerworks in 2005. [via Patently Apple]

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Apple talking with Foursquare about map data

• December 18, 2012
• Apple, Apps + Games, Navigation

Apple is discussing integrating local data from Foursquare into its Maps application, The Wall Street Journal reports. According to the report, Apple has talked to “a number of companies that collect local data” as the company works to improve Maps; iOS 6 Maps already includes local data from Yelp, but has been criticized for both errors and omissions in the point of interest data. Apple Senior VP Eddy Cue is said to be involved in the discussions.

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Apple releases software update 1.0.2 for 7th-gen iPod nano

• December 17, 2012
• Apple, iPod nano

Apple has released a new software update for the seventh-generation iPod nano. Version 1.0.2 of the iPod nano (7th generation) software reportedly addresses issues with EQ and microphone support with the Apple In-Ear Headphones and makes Bluetooth improvements, tweaks that are obscure enough to be non-obvious in initial testing. The update is available by connecting the iPod nano to iTunes via a USB connection and selecting the Check for Updates option in the iPod summary screen.

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Google Maps gets 10M downloads in first two days

• December 17, 2012
• Apple, Apps + Games, Navigation

Google has announced that Google Maps for iOS was downloaded more than 10 million times less than 48 hours after its release last Thursday. As became obvious from the App Store’s top downloads list, Google Maps became the top free app on iPhone only hours after its release, and continues to occupy the top spot as of this writing. Apple executives are said to be “seething,” as noted last week by Daring Fireball, due to both the immediate success of the well-reviewed mapping application and the troubled launch of iOS 6’s new Apple-developed Maps application, which reportedly led to the dismissals of two of the company’s software chiefs.

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Apple releases iOS 6.1 beta 4 to developers

• December 17, 2012
• Apple, iPad, iPhone, iPod

Apple has seeded developers with iOS 6.1 beta 4. The update is available to registered iOS developers as an over-the-air software update, for those with iOS 6.1 beta already installed. It is unclear what changes may be contained in the release. A new Apple TV beta and a new preview of Xcode 4.6 have also been seeded to developers. [via 9to5Mac]

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CES iLounge Pavilion grows to 500+ companies, 120,000+ square feet

• December 17, 2012
• CES iLounge Pavilion, CES, Site News

iLounge proudly announced this morning that the iLounge Pavilion—the unified exhibition area at the International CES dedicated to iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Mac products—is officially the largest in CES history, by a wide margin. Now featuring over 120,000 square feet of new products, the Pavilion will stretch from the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center to the adjacent Las Vegas Hotel, hosting a record number of exhibitors: over 500 from around the world. Both in size and exhibitors, this represents a major jump from 2012’s CES, which saw a then-record 350 third-party Apple vendors occupy 85,000 square feet of space.

The 2013 International CES officially opens on January 8, 2013. iLounge will feature live coverage before and during the show, with a brand new mini-site devoted to all of the show’s Apple-related announcements.

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China’s “first weekend” of iPhone 5 sales top 2M

• December 17, 2012
• Apple, iPhone

In an extremely rare foreign country-specific press release, Apple announced sales of more than two million iPhone 5s in China during its first launch weekend. The phone was officially launched in the Chinese mainland on Dec. 14, having been available for sale in Hong Kong since September. “Customer response to iPhone 5 in China has been incredible, setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in China,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “China is a very important market for us and customers there cannot wait to get their hands on Apple products.” iPhone 5 will be available in more than 100 countries by the end of the year; speculation regarding weak or slow mainland Chinese sales may have spurred the company to disclose early figures.

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