ITV, Britain's biggest commercial broadcaster, has written to Apple warning the company not to call its HDTV the "iTV," reports "The Telegraph" (http://macte.ch/gShvw).

Of course, Apple has never said it was planning its own branded television set, dubbed "iTV" or something else. But just in case the rumor mill is correct ITV, the broadcaster of popular period soap opera, "Downton Abbey," doesn't want to take the chance its own name might be diluted.

Adam Crozier, chief executive of Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster, raised the issue with the company when he took the job in 2010, and purportedly received assurances that Apple wouldn't muscle into its territory, at least in the UK. However, insiders fear that the world’s biggest company might take a different stance under Tim Cook, who has replaced the late Steve Jobs as CEO, notes "The Telegraph."

Apple sold a historic number of mobile devices in 2011. The IDC research group (http://www.idc.com) reports that in 2011, Apple shipped 93.2 iPhone units and sold an impressive 40 million plus iPad units. In Q4 alone, Apple sold 17.07 million iPhones, 11.12 million iPads, 6.62 million iPods but only 4.89 million Macs.

More so now than ever, mobile devices are playing a key role in the lives of consumers -- and the new found industry shows no signs of slowing down, according to Chitika Insights (http://www.chitika.com). The mobile device industry is growing so fast, that it will likely become the predominant method for consumers to access and interact with the web in the near future, according to the research group. This poses the questions: When will we see mobile traffic overtake traditional desktop traffic, and what does this mean for the...

"AppleInsider" says Apple is planning "radically designed" MacBook Pros for release this year. Quoting unnamed "people familiar with Apple's roadmap," the article says the has completed "a top-to-bottom revamp of its notebooks lineup that will see new MacBook Pros adopt the same design traits that have made its MacBook Airs an increasingly popular choice among mobile consumers."

This will purportedly include new, ultra-thin unibody enclosures that ditch optical disk drives and traditional hard drives in favor of models with lightweight chassis that employ flash-memory based solid-state drives, instant-on capabilities, extended battery life, and rely on digital distribution for software and media. Read more -- and see an "illustration of Apple's notebook lineup for the 2012 calendar year" -- at...

Call it the never-ending story. Apple has sued Samsung in Mannheim, Germany, over a patent on which a Munich court denied a preliminary injunction last week, according to "FOSS Patents" (http://macte.ch/Uuykr).

What's more, Apple has brought another U.S. lawsuit against Samsung in the Northern District of California, with a simultaneous motion for a preliminary injunction, the article adds.

On feb. 1, a German court refused Apple’s request to ban Samsung’s altered Galaxy Tab 10.1N, reasoning that the tablet had been altered enough to skirt Germany’s unfair competition law. That decision came a day after a Dusseldorf appeals court upheld Apple’s request to ban sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the predecessor model. Samsung began selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, a revised version, in Germany to get around the ban.

A lower Dusseldorf court is scheduled to rule next week on a separate case Apple filed...

Judge Andreas Voss of the Mannheim Regional Court in Germany has announced that a Motorola Mobility lawsuit over a patent declared essential to the 3G/UMTS wireless telecommunications standard has been dismissed, notes "FOSS Patents" (http://macte.ch/vyg1L).

The judge explained that the court doesn't hold Apple to infringe claim nine of EP1053613 on a "method and system for generating a complex pseudonoise sequence for processing a code division multiple access [CDMA] signal". In the court's opinion, MMI failed to present conclusive evidence for its infringement contention, "FOSS Patents" notes.

This is part of an ongoing battle between the two companies. Apple has previously alleged that Motorola infringes 24 of its patents (21 of them with Android-based phones, the remaining three with set-top boxes and DVRs), while Motorola previously asserted 18 patents against a variety of Apple products (mostly...

Scosche (http://www.scosche.com) has announced the US$149.99 bassDock -- a speaker dock for all iPad models.  The adjustable speaker dock tilts and rotates for both landscape and portrait viewing angles and features a 2.1 sound system with 40mm stereo speakers.

"The bassDock transforms the iPad into a complete entertainment system," says Kas Alves, executive vice president of Scosche Industries. "It provides the power, sound system and flexibility to make your movies, music and games come alive."

bassDock users can charge their iPad or iPad 2 while they watch, play games or listen. The dock provides 10 Watts (2.1 Amps) of power.

NewMacgadgets has introduced the PAD-Lock, its new security kit designed exclusively for the iPad 2. It's available now (http://macte.ch/9nnBT) for US$49.99

Constructed from lightweight, aircraft grade aluminum security brackets that attach to the outer diagonal corners, the PAD-Lock is engineered to allow full motion of the iPad while minimizing any additional weight. The power cable and coated steel wire security cable route underneath the iPad and out the back to provide a clean look, according to the folks at newMacgadgets.

The security brackets attach below the iPad and create a base to raise the Apple tablet one inch off the desktop. The PAD-Lock secures to any fixed object with a seven-foot black steel wire cable and 25 mm brass padlock. A universal mount is also included to provide an anchor point if a fixed object isn't available. Included rubber pads create a soft cushion between the aluminum...