Apple

Apple eyes wireless charging via the iPad's Smart Cover

iPad owners may one day be able to wirelessly charge their tablets without the need for a separate charging station.

Published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple's patent application called "Integrated Inductive Charging In Protective Cover" describes a method of using the iPad's Smart Cover itself as the wireless charger.

The cover would be built with inductive power coils and possibly a battery, both of which could provide juice to the iPad. Charging the tablet this way would be a simple matter of closing the cover, which would then power the iPad … Read more

Apple Store app gets new shipping options

Apple has updated its Apple Store app with two handy new options for buyers.

Released yesterday, version 2.5 of the app now lets you see whether an item that you order online can be delivered to your local Apple store.

Simply tap on the Check Availability link after you choose an item. Enter your city or ZIP code. The app shows you a list of the closest Apple Stores. Tap on one of the listed stores, and the app tells you if the item can be shipped there.

The app also offers more flexibility in where and how you … Read more

Apple delays iTV to next year, Jefferies says

Remember the Apple TV that supposedly was launching this year? Well, that's not happening, investment banking firm Jefferies said today.

Apple has been rumored to be developing a television set (or drastically updated set-top box), but it's unclear what the product will look like or when it will launch.

The iTV launch has been postponed again, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said today in a note to investors. He had expected an Apple TV event in March, followed by a launch in September or October. However, he now believes the launch will happen sometime next year as the company'… Read more

Tablet shipments now expected to hit 190 million this year

A predicted surge in sales of smaller, lower-cost tablets will bump up the number of shipments this year, according to a new report from IDC.

The research firm now expects global tablet shipments to rise to 190.9 million in 2012, up from its prior forecast of 172.4 million. IDC also sees an average rise in shipments of 11 percent from now through 2016, leading to more than 350 million tablets shipped by the end of 2017.

"One in every two tablets shipped this quarter was below 8 inches in screen size," IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani said … Read more

Researchers highlight potential security risk to iOS users

Android usually gets smacked around for playing host to mobile malware, but iOS isn't totally immune, according to researchers at Skycure Security.

iOS profiles, aka mobileconfig files, are used by mobile carriers to configure key settings for e-mail, Wi-Fi, and other features. But these files could be abused by attackers to sneak past Apple's normally tight security and and hijack a mobile device, the security firm revealed in a blog post today.

The process would be similar to that of a typical malware infection.

An attacker might tempt users to visit a malicious Web site by promising something … Read more

How Samsung broke away from the Android pack

As successful as Samsung's Galaxy S franchise is now, it's easy to forget the Korean consumer electronics giant's first attempt at the American smartphone market was met with an apathetic shrug.

The U.S. launch of the first Galaxy S smartphone took place at a gallery on the west side of Manhattan more than two years ago. When it came time for J.K. Shin, head of Samsung's mobile business, to formally announce the Galaxy S flagship smartphone, a black cloth cover was pulled back to unveil not one, but four different devices with the forgettable … Read more

Early iPhone prototype sported 5x7-inch screen

Two years before its debut, the iPhone was as large as an iPad Mini.

A 2005 prototype of the iPhone was five inches wide and seven inches tall, according to images leaked to blog site Ars Technica through a former but unnamed Apple employee. The employee apparently worked on several hardware projects for Apple in the early 2000s and was able to check out the early iPhone versions.

Though it matched the size of an iPad Mini, the iPhone prototype wasn't quite as svelte. The prototype was around two inches thick compared with the Mini at just over a … Read more

Apple may be close to resolving Brazilian iPhone trademark fight

An iPhone trademark dispute between Apple and Brazilian telcomm firm IGB Eletronica could be one step closer to a resolution.

Both companies have reportedly decided to settle their legal skirmish and reach a peaceable agreement, says Brazilian news site Folha de Sao Paulo as cited by Forbes.

Lawyers for the two companies had filed a court document late last month asking that any legal action be suspended for 30 days as the two sides try to settle the matter, according to Folha de Sao Paulo.

In December, IGB Eletronica unveiled a lineup of devices branded IPHONE, claiming it has had exclusive rights to the name … Read more

Judge: We can't rely on what Apple tells court in privacy suit

Apple must detail for a court what it's doing to produce documents in a privacy suit, a judge ruled, saying he has already "refereed" this particular dispute and that he can no longer believe what the company tells him.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal issued the order March 6 after the plaintiffs in the case accused Apple of withholding documents it had been ordered to turn over. He noted that while the plaintiffs "presented to the court little more than suspicions that Apple has withheld responsive documents," Apple provided enough evidence on its … Read more