MacTech Blog
TweetFollow Us on Twitter

MacTech Blog

Jan 26
Steve Jobs' name appears on interface-related...

The late Steve Jobs' name is listed as an inventor on a new patent at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Patent number 20120023434 regards an user interface for providing consolidation and access.

Methods and systems for providing graphical user interfaces are described. To provide greater access and consolidation to frequently used items in the graphical user interface, a user bar is established which includes a plurality of item representations.

To permit a greater number of items to reside in the user bar, a magnification function can be provided which magnifies items within the user bar when they are proximate the cursor associated with the graphical user interface. The inventors are Bas Ording, Steven P. Jobs and Donald J. Lindsay.

Here's Apple's summary of the invention: "According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, these and other drawbacks and difficulties of conventional GUIs are overcome by providing a simple, consolidated and...

| Read more »
Jan 26
Apple patent is for magnetically implemented security...

A new Apple patent (number 20120023597) for magnetically implemented security devices has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. It relates generally to programmable magnetic devices, and more particularly to security for computing devices and peripherals that may be provided by programmable magnets.

Security devices and methods of securely coupling electronic devices and peripherals are provided. In one embodiment, a peripheral has a first coded magnet on a first surface of a first device. The first coded magnet has at least two different polarity regions on the first surface. A second coded magnet on a second surface of a second device is also provided.

The first coded magnet is configured to securely provide data to a device associated with the second coded magnet, if the first and second coded magnets' patterns are keyed to one another. The inventors are Brett Bilbrey, Aleskandar Pance, Peter Arnold, David I. Simon, Jean Lee, Michael D. Hillman,...

| Read more »
Jan 26
Apple eyeing SDK for iAP accessories

A new patent (number 20120023199) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is considering a software development kit (SDK) for iAP [in-application programming] accessories. It relates generally to communication between an accessory and a mobile computing device and in particular to using accessory and/or application specific protocols for such communications.

Embodiments of the present invention provide various communication techniques for communication between a mobile computing device and an accessory. An accessory protocol that is generic to the mobile computing device can be used for some communication. An application executing at the mobile computing device can communicate with the accessory using an application communication protocol. In some embodiments, the application communication protocol can be different from the accessory communication protocol.

In other embodiments the application protocol may only be recognized by the application and...

| Read more »
Jan 26
Apple patents reflect work on even better displays

A plethora of patents at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office show that Apple is working on several methods of improving the displays across its product lines.

Patent number 20120019152 is for ambient light calibration for energy efficiency in display systems. It involves a method, system, and apparatus that can be used to operate a display device in an energy efficient manner. The energy efficient display device can effectively and efficiently compensate for changes in ambient light incident at a display screen of the display device using an internal ambient light sensor to provide control signals to a backlight driver. David W. Lum is the inventor.

Patent number 20120019152 involves a display brightness control based on ambient light angles. Methods and devices are provided for controlling the brightness of a display for an electronic device based on ambient light conditions. In one embodiment, an electronic device may employ one...

| Read more »
Jan 26
Should Apple do more to help the US economy?

Once upon a time Apple boasted that its products were made in America. That's changed. And the question is: should Apple do more to support the U.S.. economy?

A recent "New York Times" story (http://macte.ch/MofNt) notes that almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold in 2011 were manufactured overseas. The company earned over US$400,000 in profit per employee -- more than Goldman Sachs, Exxon Mobil or Google. With that kind of moolah, couldn't Apple bring more jobs to our country?

Depends -- as does most things in life -- on how you look at it. As the "Times" notes, President Obama and others are "vexed" that high tech companies like Apple that are rolling in money don't help American jobs as other famous companies, such as General Motors and General Electric, did in the past.

Apple employs 43,000 people in the United States and 20,000...

| Read more »
Jan 25
iCloud, iOS device sales fueling Mac sales

According to the latest data from Gartner and IDC, Apple continues to gain market share in the personal computer industry. In fact, it's the fastest growing company among the top five US computer makers (see http://macte.ch/4Lanv).

I expect this to continue, thanks to the popularity of iOS devices and the apparent huge success of iCloud, Apple's cloud service. iClouds lets you sync calendars, contacts, email, bookmarks and more across multiple OS X and iOS X devices When it comes to iTunes -- one of Apple's crown jewels (though it needs an overhaul as it's become too bloated) -- iCloud´s purchase history lets you re-download purchased content from any device at any time.

That's very cool and very convenient. What's more, as more and more customers get used to using an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and storing all their data in iCloud, chances are good that they'll eye a Mac when they make their next...

| Read more »
Jan 24
Apple patents involve LED backlight, antenna, more

Among several patent wins today, Apple has been granted a patent (number 8,100,544) by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for a LED backlight for display systems. It relates generally to device display systems, and more particularly to an LED backlight with highly uniform color for illuminating display systems.

The invention is for an LED backlight method for display systems comprising receiving a plurality of light emitting diodes categorized into a plurality of bins, wherein each bin references a separate range of white point colors, and determining an optimal order for mounting the plurality of light emitting diodes at spatially distributed positions, the plurality of light emitting diodes comprising white point colors associated with separate bins, wherein the optimal order of the plurality of light emitting diodes produces a light of a desired white point color when the light outputs of the plurality of light emitting diodes are mixed. The inventors are Wei Chen,...

| Read more »
Jan 24
iBooks Author looks good -- now how about iBooks on...

I've had a few days to play around with the iBooks Author app Apple announced last week. It's pretty cool -- and only underscores my conviction that Macs are going to be around for a loooong time. They'll be creating the bulk of the content we'll be consuming on iOS devices.

iBooks Author is a tool for creating iBooks textbooks (also announced last week). It's a free download at the Mac App Store. The textbooks you create are designed to be read on iOS devices via the iBooks app and the new iTunes U.

That's all well and good, but I'd still like to see iBooks, the iBookstore and iTunes U available on Mac OS X, as well as Newsstand. I want to be able to buy books, textbooks and magazines and have them -- via iCloud -- synced across all my iOS and OS X devices so I can read them whenever and wherever I choose.

What's more, I'm a bit disappointed that Apple didn't incorporate the iBooks Author features into Pages. It would have made the word processing/document...

| Read more »
Jan 23
Mobile device royalties approaching the $20 billion...

The GSM, WCDMA, and LTE royalties on cellular phones will continue to grow for the next few years, but are starting to flatten out. GSM handset royalties are already playing a much less significant role for royalty revenues, with GSM/WCDMA/LTE handset royalties becoming increasingly significant.

GSM/WCDMA handset royalties hold the lion’s share because of the size of the 3G handset market, according to new data from the ABI Research Group (http://www.abiresearch.com). Bilateral roaming agreements may cancel out a lot royalties paid, but what is left is still significant and can weigh heavily on handset vendors with rising market share but weak patent portfolios.

For GSM/WCDMA handsets, vendors pay anything from less than 4% if they have a very strong patent portfolio to well into the teens. The average paid, weighed by market share, will fluctuate between approximately seven and eight percent...

| Read more »
Jan 20
Android market not fragmented? Perhaps a new naming...

Recently, Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, took issue with the idea that the Android mobile operating system is fragmented, arguing that it's a differentiation between devices rather than a fragmentation. If that's indeed the case, then let's have a new naming system; more on that in a moment.

The difference, as Schmidt explains it, is that differentiation means manufacturers have a choice. They're going to compete on their view of innovation, and try to convince consumers that their innovation is better than somebody else's whereas fragmentation is quite the opposite, he says. Not surprisingly, some company analysts beg to differ, pointing out the ever-increasing incompatibilities between OS and apps across different Android devices and other problems with Android.

So if Schmidt thinks that Android is different for innovation needs, and if the developers/consumers see mounting incompatibilities, then perhaps we need to start talking about a different...

| Read more »
Jan 19
Patent shows Apple has big plans for Siri

A new Apple patent (number 20120016678) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that the company has big plans for Siri, the voice-activated personal assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. Siri was introduces last October along with the iPhone 4S.

The new Apple patent is for an "intelligent automated assistant" system that engages with the user in an integrated, conversational manner using natural language dialog, and invokes external services when appropriate to obtain information or perform various actions. The system can be implemented using any of a number of different platforms, such as the web, email, smartphone, and the like, or any combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the system is based on sets of interrelated domains and tasks, and employs additional functionally powered by external services with which the system can interact. The inventors are Thomas Robert Gruber, Adam John Cheyer, Dag Kitilaus, Didier Rene Guzzoni,...

| Read more »
Jan 19
Apple patent is for enhanced image capture sharpening

An Apple patent (number 20120013775) for enhanced image capture sharpening has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Apparently, Apple continues to investigate ways to improve the digital camera functions on its iOS devices.

Per the patent, an image capture sharpening subsystem for a digital camera includes a capture sharpening processor and a memory that stores values for a capture sharpening amount. The values for the capture sharpening amount are a function of position on an image sensor of the digital camera. The capture sharpening processor receives a first value for a pixel in an image captured by the image sensor and a position value for the pixel on the image sensor.

The capture sharpening processor determines a pixel sharpening amount from the values for the capture sharpening amount stored in the first memory according to the position value. The capture sharpening processor applies a capture sharpening process to the pixel to provide a second...

| Read more »
Jan 19
Apple patents involve manufacturing processes

Apple has been granted two patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, both involving manufacturing processes.

Patent number 20120011690 is for a removable fixture for a manufacturing device. The invention relates generally to manufacturing devices and processes, and more particularly to devices and methods for accurately locating removable fixtures in a manufacturing system.

Per the patent, a CNC system can include a cylinder adapted to rotate about, travel along, and deliver a force in an axial direction, an extension coupled to a distal end of and extending outward from the elongated component in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a removable fixture adapted to receive the axial force and to be moved and positioned thereby along a plane (i.e., two directions) substantially perpendicular to the axial direction.

The fixture has a central opening along the first direction adapted to receive the elongated component,...

| Read more »
Jan 19
What will be announced at Apple's education event...

Apple will hold an education event today at 10 am (Eastern) in New York City at the Guggenheim Museum. So what's on the agenda?

Of course, only Apple execs know for sure, but the betting company Paddy Power (http://www.paddypowerpic.com) has taken bets on what the subject will be. 
Given the theme of the event it’s unsurprising that the clear favorite is for the announcement concern electronic/digital textbooks at 1/6 odds, followed by the iPad Lite at 6/1 and the iPad 3 at 9/1. 

Further down the list its 14/1 odds that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook will be waxing lyrical about the return of the iMac desktop while an announcement on the iiPhone 5 and an "Apple Robot Teacher" prop up the market at 20/1 and 40/1 respectively.



Yours Truly is giving the odds of an iPad Lite, iPad 3, iPhone 5, new iMac and Apple Robot Teacher (what the heck is that?) as nil. I think Apple will beef up its iBook app...

| Read more »
Jan 18
Apple granted patent for episodic TV content

Apple has been granted a patent (number 8099665) by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for "organizing and sorting media menu items." It hints at a) the rumored Apple HDTV (the "iTV"), b) an Apple TV (the set-top box) update, or c) both.

The patent is for a method of organizing episodic content that includes identifying a list of items associated with episodic content and sorting the list of items based on at least episode order upon a prompt. The inventors are Rainer Brodersen, Rachel Clare Goldeen, Jeffrey Ma, Mihnea Calin Pacurariu and the late Steve Jobs.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "Media devices, such as digital video and audio players, can include multiple functions and capabilities, such as playing stored content, browsing and selecting from recorded content, storing and/or receiving content selected by a user, and the like. These various functions can often be grouped according to content types, e.g., movies, music, television...

| Read more »
Jan 18
Kids who read digitally comprehend as well as those...

In what can only be good news for Apple's iBookstore (which will almost certainly be part of Apple's education announcement/s tomorrow) and other ebook vendors,  a recent study indicates that children who read books on digital e-readers such as the iPad and Kindle comprehend what they've read as well as children who read paper books.

The report "Student Comprehension of Books in Kindle and Traditional Formats," was released by Michael Milone, Ph.D., for Renaissance Learning, a leading provider of technology-based school improvement and student assessment programs for K12 schools. Results of the study indicate that parents and educators can rest easy knowing that students comprehend books they read digitally as well as they comprehend books read in a print format.

In this study, fourth-grade students were asked to read books selected from a list of popular fiction titles. Students then alternated between options, reading approximately 50 percent of the books on the...

| Read more »
Jan 18
Retrevo report: CES tech that could make your gear...

By Andrew Eisner

We’re just back from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the consumer electronics extravaganza in Las Vegas where we saw some amazing new gadgets and gear including new TVs, tablets, smartphones and new high tech automobiles. Much of the technology we saw may not be available for some time (if at all) but we did see some trends that will sooner or later make many of your high tech possessions obsolete.

Future TVs will be sharper

A year ago at CES 2011 we saw just a few 4K resolution HDTVs but at this year’s show we saw lots more. Full HD is defined as 1920 x 1080 but he next generation standard will double that to 3840 x 2160 which they are calling 4K (4K x 2K). Just as everyone who saw HD when it first came out could see a big difference between its higher resolution and older standard definition TVs, once you see 4K TVs you’ll want one. Yes, it will take new production equipment, new distribution methods and...

| Read more »
Jan 17
Apple plans for exercisers to wear a 'smart...

A new patent (number 8099258) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is working on a "smart garment" for exercises and athletes. It builds upon the idea behind the Nike iPod Sport Kit.

The invention relates generally to performance monitoring. More particularly, methods and apparatus electronically pairing an authorized garment and a sensor that receives data from the garment are disclosed.

Per the patent, a sensor authenticated to a garment transfers information, either wirelessly or wired, to an external data processing device. Such information includes location information, physiometric data of the individual wearing the garment, garment performance and wear data (when the garment is an athletic shoe, for example). The external data processing device can be portable digital media players that are, in turn, in wireless communication with a server computer or other wireless devices. The inventors are Brett G. Alten and Robert Edward Borchers....

| Read more »
Jan 17
Many mobile OS vendors are going to be left behind

U.S. smartphone adoption is expected to surge to 175 million devices by 2015, but even in a booming market, many mobile OS vendors have an uphill battle ahead, according to new data from the Yankee Group finds (http://www.yankeegroup.com). Apple, however, isn't one of them.

In its new report, "The Runaway Smartphone Landscape," Yankee Group cautions that while Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android are sitting pretty with two-thirds of the market, HP’s webOS, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Nokia’s Symbian are being left behind. As expected, iOS and Android dominate. Over 80%of consumers intend to buy an iPhone or Android-powered device over the next six months. iOS is the only contender set to win share over that time frame.

RIM and Microsoft are struggling to sell new smartphones -- even to their current base. Twenty percent of U.S. consumers own a RIM BlackBerry, but only 12% intending to buy a...

| Read more »
Jan 17
Apple patent involves app management on mobile devices

An Apple patent (number 8099332) for an user interface for application management for a mobile device has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

This specification describes technologies relating to user interfaces for mobile devices. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include the actions of receiving a touch input to access an application management interface on a mobile device; presenting an application management interface; receiving one or more inputs within the application management interface including an input to install a particular application; installing the selected application; and presenting the installed application. The inventors are Steve Lemay and Sean Kelly.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "Conventional mobile devices are often dedicated to performing specific functions. For example, a mobile phone provides telephony services, a personal...

| Read more »
Jan 16
Mobile platforms have big impact on email viewership

Mobile devices, especially the iPad, are having a major impact on email viewship. No surprise there, as the Apple table is disrupting lots of areas.

Return Path (http://www.returnpath.com), an email certification and reputation monitoring company, has announced the findings from its second global report on the impact mobile is having on email viewership. The study looks at data from April 2011 to September 2011 and examines rapidly shifting trends.

In this latest report, Return Path data shows a pattern of increasing usage that’s hard to ignore as email opens on mobile devices grew by 34% compared with the previous six month period. While webmail maintains its status as the most popular platform for reading email, mobile is showing huge growth rates whereas the relative number of opens on webmail and desktop decreased by 11% and nearly 9.5%, respectively.

With the slick email interface of...

| Read more »
Jan 14
Compact digital camera gets faster with Ricoh CX5

By Daniel East

How is it possible to take a compact digital camera that for most people is already perfect and improve upon its stellar features? It seemed as if this line had reached its pinnacle with the CX4 (http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc), but in true Ricoh style, they weren’t about to let "good enough" suffice.

The new CX5 (US$329) is quite remarkable and there really are some new features, but it all comes down to one word: speed. The CX5 is, by far, their fastest and most impressive incarnation of this body type to date. The new hybrid autofocus is impressive in nearly any situation.

From macro to magnified, the mechanism is smooth and extremely quick, allowing the capture of your subject as your eye sees it -- when it sees it -- and it’s rated at just over 0.2 seconds for either wide-angle or telephoto shooting. Ricoh’s new Super-resolution technology subtly enhances...

| Read more »
Jan 13
Moms most likely to have tablets, smartphones

Perhaps Apple should offer its iDevices in pink, as well as other colors. According to new data from the 2012 Cozi Family Outlook survey (http://www.cozi.com), Moms are more likely than dads to have a tablet (35% vs. 20%) or a smartphone (72% vs. 68%).

Kids aren’t far behind, with 62% reporting at least one of their children has a mobile phone, smartphone or tablet, according to Cozi, a free web and mobile service designed to "simplify family life."

The fast growth of technology among the younger set becomes especially clear when compared against historical figures. In the 2011 Cozi Family Outlook survey, only 9% of children had smartphones. This year’s results show the total has more than doubled to 19%.

The 2012 Cozi Family Outlook also showed that today’s families have an average of three desktop or laptop computers in their homes. They don't say how many of those are Macs. But I'd bet the...

| Read more »
Jan 12
Apple eyeing motion-based 3D interface for iOS devices

A new patent (number ) for a "Sensor Based Display Environment" at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is working on a motion-based 3D interface for its iOS devices. Although, from reading the patent, there seems to be no reason why the technology couldn't also be implemented on the Mac.

According to the patent, a three-dimensional display environment for mobile device is disclosed that uses orientation data from one or more onboard sensors to automatically determine and display a perspective projection of the 3D display environment based on the orientation data without the user physically interacting with (e.g., touching) the display. Patrick Piedmonte is the inventor.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "Modern computer operating systems often provide a desktop graphical user interface ('GUI') for displaying various graphical objects. Some examples of graphical objects include windows, taskbars, docks, menus and various icons...

| Read more »
Jan 12
Apple patent is for techniques, systems for supporting...

A new Apple patent (number 20120011227) for techniques and systems for supporting podcasting has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Improved podcasts and techniques that facilitate their use are disclosed. The improved techniques can pertain to creating, publishing, hosting, accessing, subscribing, managing, transferring, and/or playing podcasts. According to one aspect, a client application can subscribe to podcasts and then automatically monitor the podcasts for updates to be downloaded. In the event that user interest in a podcast becomes inadequate, downloading of further updates can be restricted.

According to another aspect, a podcast can be subscribed to through use of a portable subscription file. According to still another aspect, podcast feeds can be enhanced to include segment elements and other metadata. The inventors are Anne Jones, Thomas Dowdy, Jeffrey Robbin, Mike Wiese and Stephen Davis.

Here's Apple's background and summary...

| Read more »
Jan 12
Apple working on ways to improve battery life when...

A new patent (number 20120008538) for "mobile network device battery conservation system and methods" at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is working on ways to improve battery life for its devices that can connect wirelessly.

Per the patent, the battery life of a mobile device operating in a wireless network environment is extended by terminating network communication activities after a specified period of time. Network communication activities may be restored when any one of a specified number of user actions are detected. The inventors are Eric Albert, Nate Begeman, Evan Doll, Charles Dominguez, Scott Herz, Dan Keen, David Myszewski, Mallory Paine and Rob Yepez.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "The invention relates generally to mobile wireless devices and, more particularly, to a system and methods for extending the battery life in a network capable mobile device. As used herein, the term 'network' refers to those...

| Read more »
Jan 12
Outlook for TV sales improving in 2012

Consumer demand for TVs has been softer than expected in 2011, but showing signs of improvement late in the year. But things are expected to get better this year, which could bode Apple if, as rumored, Apple decides to release its own HDTV (dubbed by many the "iTV").

Iventory pressure plagued the industry through much of early 2011 and led to a sharp reduction in shipments to retailers. The result is that global TV unit shipments are expected to rise only 0.1% in 2011. According to the latest forecast released in the NPD DisplaySearch (http://www.displaysearchcom) "Advanced Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report," growth is expected to improve in 2012, rising 2% to 254 million units.

"Global economic conditions have improved in 2011, but more slowly than expected, and consumers in mature TV markets like Europe face continuing uncertainty, which is leading to very cautious spending...

| Read more »
Jan 11
3D TV gaining momentum -- well, in some places

Don't count 3D TV out yet -- or dismiss a 3D "iTV" at some point in the future. While the 3D TV industry is truly global, regional differences are increasing.

For 3D, the most enthusiastic regions are Western Europe and China, while the mix of 3D in North America actually declined in the third quarter of 2011 (Q3’11), according to a new study by NPD DisplaySearch.

"We were surprised to find that 3D appears to be a far more popular feature in China than North America, and the penetration rate was two times higher in the last quarter," says Paul Gray, director of TV Electronics Research, NPD DisplaySearch (http://www.displaysearch.com/). "Our report also indicates that North American and Japanese 3D penetration is lower than the Middle East."

The report finds that North American consumers favor large, inexpensive TV sets with fewer features, unlike other regions. If Apple is...

| Read more »
Jan 10
The iMac's still the winner -- and future champ...

Apple's laptop line -- particularly the MacBook Air -- gets most of the computer PR love from the company these days, but the iMac is quietly winning its market.

In the the all-in-one (AIO) market the stalwart of Apple's desktop line has about one-third of the computer industry market. The AIO market grew 39% to 14.5 million units worldwide in 2012, according to DisplaySearch (http://www.displaysearch.com). The iMac accounted for 32.9% of shipments in the third quarter, the research firm estimates.

DisplaySearch believes that the market will reach 23.3 million units by 2014. The iMac looks to continue to lead the pack. Apple's closest competitor is Lenovo, with 22.7% of AIO sales.

So what can we expect from the iMac this year?

A redesign of some sort? Perhaps. A height-adjustable monitor? Maybe, but I'm dubious.

A 30-inch screen to accommodate a rumored iMac with...

| Read more »
Jan 10
Apple wins patents for audio data storage, more

Apple has been granted eight patents by the US Patent & Trademark Office, involving, among other things, audio data storage (most likely involving iCloud), channel state logic and more.

Patent number 8095375 involves an universal container for audio data. Per the patent, storing audio data encoded in any of a plurality of different audio encoding formats is enabled by parametrically defining the underlying format in which the audio data is encoded, in audio format and packet table chunks.

A flag can be used to manage storage of the size of the audio data portion of the file, such that premature termination of an audio recording session does not result in an unreadable corrupted file. This capability can be enabled by initially setting the flag to a value that does not correspond to a valid audio data size and that indicates that the last chunk in the file contains the audio data.

State information for the audio data, to effectively denote...

| Read more »
Jan 09
One billion HTML5 phones projects to be sold in 2013

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics (http://www.strategyanalytis.com), worldwide HTML5 phone sales will surge from 336 million units in 2011 to 1 billion units in 2013. Call it a belated victory for the late Steve Jobs, who much preferred HTML5 over Flash.

HTML5 -- preferred by Apple over Flash -- is a language for structuring and presenting content for the Web and is a core technology of the Internet originally proposed by Opera Software. Every new Apple mobile device and every new Mac -- along with the latest version of Apple’s Safari web browser -- supports web standards including HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript.

HTML5 has quickly become a high-growth technology that will help smartphones, feature phones, tablets, notebooks, desktop PCs, televisions and vehicles to converge through cloud services, according to the research group.

"We forecast worldwide...

| Read more »
Jan 06
Apple working on new cooling methods for Macs

Apple is working on a new method and apparatus for cooling electronic devices (mainly Macs), according to a new patent (number 20120002342) at the US Patent & Trademark Office.

Embodiments in the patent provide various apparatus and techniques for deflecting or redirecting a flow of ionized air generated from an ionic wind generator. In general, a deflection field generator can be located proximate to the path of the flow of ionized air. The deflection field generator is configured to generate an electromagnetic field, which deflects a least a portion of the flow of ionized air to a different path and may possibly increase local heat transfer. The inventors are Jean L. Lee and Richard Blanco.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "Many modern electronic systems generate a large amount of heat, and a variety of different cooling mechanisms may be used to cool these electronic systems. For personal electronic systems, such as computers and other...

| Read more »
Jan 06
What could Apple be planning for rumored 'media-...

According to "All Things D" (http://macte.ch/RD2wJ), Apple is planning a media-related event to be held in New York later this month. I'm certain it won't involve an iPad 3, iPhone 5 or iTV. So what might Apple be unveiling?

It's likely that Apple plans to beef up its iBook app and iBookstore, which lags behind the Kindle's offering. On the other hand, I'd be shocked if Apple offered iBooks on any platforms beyond OS X and iOS. Did I say OS X? Yes, at long last I think the iBookstore and iBook app will be available on the Mac. You'll be able to purchase books on any OS X or iOS device and have it "pushed" to all your other devices via iCloud. Ditto for the mags available at Newsstand.

Apple will probably announce a plethora of new book titles, as well as new magazines available at Newsstand. I also wouldn't be surprised to see the company make a major push into the digital textbook realm, promoting the...

| Read more »
Jan 05
Apple backlight patent hints at 'iTV'...

An Apple patent (number 2012002110) for dynamic backlight adaptation for black bars with subtitles may hint at what Apple has planned for the rumored "iTV" (an Apple-branded HDTV) and perhaps an iMac with television features (see http://www.macnews.com/2011/12/09/imac-tv-functionality-im-there).

In the patent, embodiments of a system that includes one or more integrated circuits are described. During operation, the system receives a video image, that when displayed, includes a picture portion, a non-picture portion, and a subtitle which is superimposed on at least a subset of the non-picture portion, where the non-picture portion has an initial brightness value.

Then, the system scales the brightness of pixels corresponding to a remainder of the non-picture portion of the video image to have a new brightness value...

| Read more »
Jan 05
Apple patents involve Thunderbolt cables

Three Apple patents involving cables -- and apparently Thunderbolt technology -- have appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Thunderbolt is an interface for connecting peripheral devices to a computer via an expansion bus. Thunderbolt was developed by Intel and brought to market with technical collaboration from Apple.

Patent number 20120005496 involves power distribution inside a cable. The invention -- shown in the first graphic -- involves circuits, methods, and apparatus that provide for the powering of active components in connector inserts at each end of a cable may in various ways. For example, where a host is coupled to a device that is not self-powered, the host may provide power for circuitry at each end of the cable.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the device may request higher voltage from the host, such that more power can be delivered. In these cases, the device may regulate the voltage received from...

| Read more »
Jan 05
Technology could mean 3D iTV, Macs

If Apple does indeed launch its own line of television sets (the much rumored "iTV"), I suspect somewhere down the road the company will offer a 3D version. Heck, probably 3D Macs, too.

Apple isn't going to mess around with ugly, bulky 3D glasses. But Stream TV Networks (http://streamtvnetworks.com/) has announced that it will unveil its new Ultra-D technology at CES 2012. Ultra-D is a "next generation 3D without glasses display technology that surpasses all 3D viewing experiences offered to date," boasts Mathu Rajan, CEO of Stream TV Networks.

Developed by Stream TV Networks, the Ultra-D technology is strictly proprietary and leverages custom hardware, middleware techniques and software algorithms to create autostereoscopic 3D imagery. Rajan says this technology will provide consumers with access to 3D content by enabling real-time conversion of 2D content into 3D autostereoscopic (...

| Read more »
Jan 04
My predictions for 2012: the Mac desktop

This is the final part of a six-part op-ed series in which I make my predictions for Apple's product line-up for 2012. Today we'll look at the company's Mac desktop line-up.

The Mac desktop that receives the Big Love from Apple in 2012 will be the iMac. The Mac mini will continue to be updated. As for the Mac Pro, my tea leaves say it will receive one last update in the spring -- this will be the last upgrade for the high-end tower before it fades into oblivion.

Basically, the iMac has more than enough power for 99.9% of all users. And with Thunderbolt, Apple figures the iMac -- and the Mac mini -- offer plenty of expandability options.

During Apple's last earnings call of 2011, the company said that 22% of its revenue comes from Macs -- of that, 74% comes from laptop sales. On the desktop side, the iMac takes the Lion's share, though Apple won't say just what percentage of desktop sales it tallies. This means the Mac Pro is increasingly a niche product whose...

| Read more »
Jan 03
My predictions for 2012: the Mac laptop

This is part five of a six-part op-ed series in which I make my predictions for Apple's product line-up for 2012. Today we'll look at the company's Mac laptop line-up.

There have been rumors of a 15-inch MacBook Air. My crystal ball says it's coming, along with a 17-inch version. In fact, the entire Mac laptop line will evole into Airs. The 11-inch and 13-inch models will be dubbed MacBook Airs, and the 15-inch and 17-inch versions will be called, simply, MacBook Pros.

All models will come in the svelte design the current Air line-up is famous for. All will ditch built-in optical drives and sport only solid state drives. Apple will expect those who want an optical drive to buy its US$79 SuperDrive. Need more storage? Apple will tout the power of Thunderbolt for that and promote Thunderbolt drives from several companies, which will finally arrive on the scene in greater numbers. The price tag on the pricey drives will drop a bit.

Apple’s future MacBook Airs and...

| Read more »
Jan 03
The Northern Spy: a measure of health?

By Rick Sutcliffe

Our persispacious reader may have noticed that this column is a little late. Chalk that up to health issues, including bouts with a rather violent gastroenteritis over Christmas, ongoing sciatica that make standing up and sitting down difficult, and a nasty cold. The joys of getting old. Ah, but what's a little pain? It never hurt anyone. The top line: brevity shall be the order of the month.

Corporate pain seems the lot of once stalwarts Kodak, Sony, and RIM, all of whom have fallen on times that get harder with every passing month. Kodak seems to be unable to sell patents to save the company, and barring some last minute reprieve, appears destined for the bankruptcy courts. Sony, dragged down by the cutthroat TV business, has been unable to make a profit in nearly a decade, and has no immediate prospect of a turnaround. The inevitable reorganization and shrinkage is going to be painful, but the Spy feels that it...

| Read more »
Jan 03
Patent involves sharing data between iOS devices, Macs

Apple wants to make it easier to share and store data between a handheld device and Macs, per a patent (number 8090767) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

A method is described that involves detecting the presence of a pairing partner. Prior to establishing a paired relationship with the pairing partner, a user is prompted to verify himself/herself. In response to the user properly verifying himself/herself, the paring partner is paired with. The pairing includes invoking a remote storage protocol that contemplates a network between the partners to establish on a first of the partners access to non volatile storage resources for general use.

The non volatile storage resources are located on a second of the partners. The second of the partners is a handheld device that provides wireless cell phone service, wireless Internet service and music playback service. The inventors are Mitch Adler and Jonathan Jay Andrews.

Here's part of Apple's background on...

| Read more »
Jan 03
Apple working on headset with wired, wireless modes

Apple is working on a wireless communication headset with both wired and wireless modes, according to a new patent (number 8090132) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Per the patent, the wireless headset can include a headset connector assembly that can be coupled to a cable connector of a cable, which can in turn be connected to a telephone. When the wireless headset is coupled to the telephone, it can advantageously be operable to exchange audio information with the telephone through the cable, receive electrical power from the telephone through the cable, or both.

In addition, the cable connector can advantageously be coupled to the wireless headset without obstructing airflow to a microphone that is located in the headset connector assembly, through use of apparatus of the invention located on the cable connector, such as an acoustic tunnel, a microphone-speaker pair, or a microphone that is coupled to control circuitry operable to disable the microphone...

| Read more »
Jan 03
Apple patent involves virtualization of graphics...

A new patent (number 8089488) at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is eyeing ways to make it easier for hardware and software to share graphics resources.

Via the patent -- entitled "virtualization of graphics resources" -- graphics resources are virtualized through an interface between graphics hardware and graphics clients. The interface allocates the graphics resources across multiple graphics clients, processes commands for access to the graphics resources from the graphics clients, and resolves conflicts for the graphics resources among the clients. The inventors are John Stauffer, Bob Beretta and Ken Dyke.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "A graphics kernel driver typically interfaces between graphics client drivers and graphics hardware to assign graphics resources to each client driver and to administer the submission of graphics commands to the graphics hardware. Each client driver has explicit knowledge of the...

| Read more »
Dec 30
My predictions for 2012: the Apple TV and iTV

This is part four of a six-part op-ed series in which I make my predictions for Apple's product line-up for 2012. Today we'll look at the company's Apple TV and the rumored iTV.

I was one of those who long doubted that Apple would enter the TV market. I've changed my mind -- or perhaps I've merely been worn down by the constant rumors about the Apple HDTV (the iTV). Either way, I'm forecasting that we'll see one in late 2012.

However, I don't think the Apple TV -- the set-box top -- is doomed. I think it will updated to 1080p quality and continue to be sold for those who can't afford the iTV, which will doubtless carry a considerable price tag. It will also offer some, if not all, of the features of the iOS that will power the iTV.

The latter will be a full-fledged television set that will be offered in versions ranging from 42 to 55 inches which will run a special version of iOS. I also think that Apple will offer at least one 3D option, figuring they can do...

| Read more »
Dec 29
Greg's Bite: The high tech race to mediocrity

By Greg Mills

I just read an article where the author listed both the smart and stupid moves Microsoft made for the year. I was struck by the lack of anything revolutionary coming from the intellectually challenged Redmond campus. The Kinect video game sensor more or less topped the list of recently smart moves made by Ballmer. Even Kinect was purchased technology rather than innovation that came out of the massively funded R&D efforts at Microsoft. Microsoft has entered the "declining to irrelevance" phase of tech company evolution.

Steve Jobs famously declared the PC dead and predicted the mobile OS in tablet form was the future of computing. Many would beg to disagree, but the falling numbers in the PC industry prove him right as rain. HP came close to pulling the plug on PCs due to a declining profit margins that may entirely disappear soon.

I was furious that my daughter's school spend money on new PCs rather than iPads. I told the...

| Read more »
Dec 29
Future Apple devices may recognize your face

Future OS X and iOS devices may recognize your face when you look at them, if an Apple patent (number 20110317872) for "low threshold face recognition" comes to fruition.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, are disclosed for reducing the impact of lighting conditions and biometric distortions, while providing a low-computation solution for reasonably effective (low threshold) face recognition. In one aspect, the methods include processing a captured image of a face of a user seeking to access a resource by conforming a subset of the captured face image to a reference model.

The reference model corresponds to a high information portion of human faces. The methods further include comparing the processed captured image to at least one target profile corresponding to a user associated with the resource, and selectively recognizing the user seeking access to the resource based on a result of said comparing....

| Read more »
Dec 29
Apple patent is for flash control for electronic...

A new Apple patent (number 20110317991) at the US Patent & Trademark Office shows that the company is eyeing ways to improve the cameras in its iOS devices. The patent is for a flash control for an electronic rolling shutter.

A scene ambient lighting indication is obtained. An integration time interval and a flash pulse-on time interval for taking a picture is then set. The set integration time interval is shorter when the indication is bright than when the indication is dark; and the set flash pulse-on time interval is longer when the indication is bright than when the indication is dark.

An image is captured using the set integration time interval and the set flash pulse-on time interval in accordance with an electronic rolling shutter (ERS). Other embodiments are also described and claimed. Richard Tsai is the inventor.

Here's Apple's summary of the invention: "An embodiment of the invention is an electronic camera with electronic rolling shutter (ERS...

| Read more »
Dec 29
My predictions for 2012: the iPod

This is part three of a six-part op-ed series in which I make my predictions for Apple's product line-up for 2012. Today we'll look at the company's iPod.

The iPod no longer gets the big love and attention it once did. That goes to the iPhone and iPad, products that have evolved from the iPod and cannibalized some of its sales. Despite this, Apple's MP3 player remains dominant in its market and has years of life left.

But there'll be fewer models to choose from. Per my crystal ball, the iPod shuffle and iPod classic have seen their last updates and will quietly disappear in 2012.

The iPod nano won't have any major redesigns (no iOS support, for example). A few bells and whistles will be added. Pricing will drop a bit or else Apple will up the storage capacity slightly and keep prices steady.

The iPod touch is the top dog in the iPod world and will continue to be one of Apple's shining jewels. It will finally get cameras on a par with the iPhone, as well...

| Read more »
Dec 29
Apple patents involve authentication, modulus...

An Apple patent (number 20110320814) for a system and method for authentication has appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. It involves a means of providing authentication based on a process that utilizes, in one aspect, a physical theory or a physical value such as time and in another aspect, a random value.

The proposed scheme utilizes new algorithms that introduce randomness using a physical value for authentication. An exemplary method includes sharing an initial state value S(0) with a sender and a receiver, generating a sender S(t, v) based on a parameter t and an identifier v and based at least in part on the value S(0). The method includes generating a receiver S(t, v) from S(0) based on the parameter t and the identifier v wherein the parameter t is related to a physical value in authenticating the identifier v based on a comparison of the sender S(t, v) and the receiver S(t, v). The process of generating the sender S(t, v) and the receiver S(t, v)...

| Read more »
Dec 28
My predictions for 2012: the iPad

This is part two of a six-part op-ed series in which I make my predictions for Apple's product line-up for 2012. Today we'll look at the company's tablet, which I think will evolve into a family of products.

The iPad 3 will arrive sometime between late February and early March. The design will be the same, though just slightly thicker to accommodate more storage and a high-res screen. The iPad 3 will come in a model with 128GB of solid state storage; the iPad 2 tops out at 64GB.

When it comes to displays, the next gen iPad will boast an HD display with a screen resolution of 2048 x 1536. Other spiffy features will include wireless charging technology, Siri support, 1GB of RAM and an A6 processor. Oh yes, and better cameras -- though not as good as the iPhone's.

Per my crystal ball, the iPad 3 will come in the following price points (for Wi-Fi only versions, add another $100-$125 for Wi-Fi plus 3G models): 16GB, $399; 32GB, $499; 64GB, $599; and 128GB, $699...

| Read more »
Dec 27
My predictions for 2012: the iPhone

Today I'm launching a six-part op-ed series in which I make my predictions for Apple's product line-up for 2012. Today we'll look at the company's smartphone.

We'll see the iPhone 5 arrive no later than June. I predict that will sport a redesigned form factor with a four-inch, 960x540-pixel qHD screen and an ARM 6 processor with a quad-core.

The good news: it will be screamingly fast and the screen will look great. The bad news: all those iPhone cases you have -- and some accessories -- will no longer fit.

The iPhone 5 will also, per my crystal ball, sport 1GB of RAM and offer HSPA+ support. The latter will allow for theoretical download speeds of up to 21Mbps. However, storage capacity will remain the same, with the next gen iPhone being offered in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models. On the bright side: despite some nifty new features and a redesign, the current pricing structure will remain intact. I don't foresee any major changes in the smartphone's cameras....

| Read more »
 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Dropbox 193.4.5594 - Cloud backup and sy...
Dropbox is a file hosting service that provides cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud, and client software. It is a modern workspace that allows you to get to all of your files, manage... Read more
Google Chrome 122.0.6261.57 - Modern and...
Google Chrome is a Web browser by Google, created to be a modern platform for Web pages and applications. It utilizes very fast loading of Web pages and has a V8 engine, which is a custom built... Read more
Skype 8.113.0.210 - Voice-over-internet...
Skype is a telecommunications app that provides HD video calls, instant messaging, calling to any phone number or landline, and Skype for Business for productive cooperation on the projects. This... Read more
Tor Browser 13.0.10 - Anonymize Web brow...
Using Tor Browser you can protect yourself against tracking, surveillance, and censorship. Tor was originally designed, implemented, and deployed as a third-generation onion-routing project of the U.... Read more
Deeper 3.0.4 - Enable hidden features in...
Deeper is a personalization utility for macOS which allows you to enable and disable the hidden functions of the Finder, Dock, QuickTime, Safari, iTunes, login window, Spotlight, and many of Apple's... Read more
OnyX 4.5.5 - Maintenance and optimizatio...
OnyX is a multifunction utility that you can use to verify the startup disk and the structure of its system files, to run miscellaneous maintenance and cleaning tasks, to configure parameters in the... Read more

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Zenless Zone Zero opens entries for its...
miHoYo, aka HoYoverse, has become such a big name in mobile gaming that it's hard to believe that arguably their flagship title, Genshin Impact, is only three and a half years old. Now, they continue the road to the next title in their world, with... | Read more »
Live, Playdate, Live! – The TouchArcade...
In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show we kick things off by talking about all the games I splurged on during the recent Playdate Catalog one-year anniversary sale, including the new Lucas Pope jam Mars After Midnight. We haven’t played any... | Read more »
TouchArcade Game of the Week: ‘Vroomies’
So here’s a thing: Vroomies from developer Alex Taber aka Unordered Games is the Game of the Week! Except… Vroomies came out an entire month ago. It wasn’t on my radar until this week, which is why I included it in our weekly new games round-up, but... | Read more »
SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘MLB The Show 24’...
Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for March 15th, 2024. We’re closing out the week with a bunch of new games, with Sony’s baseball franchise MLB The Show up to bat yet again. There are several other interesting games to... | Read more »
Steam Deck Weekly: WWE 2K24 and Summerho...
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. The busy season has begun with games we’ve been looking forward to playing including Dragon’s Dogma 2, Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition, and also console exclusives like Rise of the... | Read more »
Steam Spring Sale 2024 – The 10 Best Ste...
The Steam Spring Sale 2024 began last night, and while it isn’t as big of a deal as say the Steam Winter Sale, you may as well take advantage of it to save money on some games you were planning to buy. I obviously recommend checking out your own... | Read more »
New ‘SaGa Emerald Beyond’ Gameplay Showc...
Last month, Square Enix posted a Let’s Play video featuring SaGa Localization Director Neil Broadley who showcased the worlds, companions, and more from the upcoming and highly-anticipated RPG SaGa Emerald Beyond. | Read more »
Choose Your Side in the Latest ‘Marvel S...
Last month, Marvel Snap (Free) held its very first “imbalance" event in honor of Valentine’s Day. For a limited time, certain well-known couples were given special boosts when conditions were right. It must have gone over well, because we’ve got a... | Read more »
Warframe welcomes the arrival of a new s...
As a Warframe player one of the best things about it launching on iOS, despite it being arguably the best way to play the game if you have a controller, is that I can now be paid to talk about it. To whit, we are gearing up to receive the first... | Read more »
Apple Arcade Weekly Round-Up: Updates an...
Following the new releases earlier in the month and April 2024’s games being revealed by Apple, this week has seen some notable game updates and events go live for Apple Arcade. What The Golf? has an April Fool’s Day celebration event going live “... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Apple Education is offering $100 discounts on...
If you’re a student, teacher, or staff member at any educational institution, you can use your .edu email address when ordering at Apple Education to take $100 off the price of a new M3 MacBook Air.... Read more
Apple Watch Ultra 2 with Blood Oxygen feature...
Best Buy is offering Apple Watch Ultra 2 models for $50 off MSRP on their online store this week. Sale prices available for online orders only, in-store prices may vary. Order online, and choose... Read more
New promo at Sams Club: Apple HomePods for $2...
Sams Club has Apple HomePods on sale for $259 through March 31, 2024. Their price is $40 off Apple’s MSRP, and both Space Gray and White colors are available. Sale price is for online orders only, in... Read more
Get Apple’s 2nd generation Apple Pencil for $...
Apple’s Pencil (2nd generation) works with the 12″ iPad Pro (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th generation), 11″ iPad Pro (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation), iPad Air (4th and 5th generation), and iPad mini (... Read more
10th generation Apple iPads on sale for $100...
Best Buy has Apple’s 10th-generation WiFi iPads back on sale for $100 off MSRP on their online store, starting at only $349. With the discount, Best Buy’s prices are the lowest currently available... Read more
iPad Airs on sale again starting at $449 on B...
Best Buy has 10.9″ M1 WiFi iPad Airs on record-low sale prices again for $150 off Apple’s MSRP, starting at $449. Sale prices for online orders only, in-store price may vary. Order online, and choose... Read more
Best Buy is blowing out clearance 13-inch M1...
Best Buy is blowing out clearance Apple 13″ M1 MacBook Airs this weekend for only $649.99, or $350 off Apple’s original MSRP. Sale prices for online orders only, in-store prices may vary. Order... Read more
Low price alert! You can now get a 13-inch M1...
Walmart has, for the first time, begun offering new Apple MacBooks for sale on their online store, albeit clearance previous-generation models. They now have the 13″ M1 MacBook Air (8GB RAM, 256GB... Read more
Best Apple MacBook deal this weekend: Get the...
Apple has 13″ M2 MacBook Airs available for only $849 today in their Certified Refurbished store. These are the cheapest M2-powered MacBooks for sale at Apple. Apple’s one-year warranty is included,... Read more
New 15-inch M3 MacBook Air (Midnight) on sale...
Amazon has the new 15″ M3 MacBook Air (8GB RAM/256GB SSD/Midnight) in stock and on sale today for $1249.99 including free shipping. Their price is $50 off MSRP, and it’s the lowest price currently... Read more

Jobs Board

Early Preschool Teacher - Glenda Drive/ *Appl...
Early Preschool Teacher - Glenda Drive/ Apple ValleyTeacher Share by Email Share on LinkedIn Share on Twitter Read more
Senior Software Engineer - *Apple* Fundamen...
…center of Microsoft's efforts to empower our users to do more. The Apple Fundamentals team focused on defining and improving the end-to-end developer experience in Read more
Relationship Banker *Apple* Valley Main - W...
…Alcohol Policy to learn more. **Company:** WELLS FARGO BANK **Req Number:** R-350696 **Updated:** Mon Mar 11 00:00:00 UTC 2024 **Location:** APPLE VALLEY,California Read more
Medical Assistant - Surgical Oncology- *Apple...
Medical Assistant - Surgical Oncology- Apple Hill WellSpan Medical Group, York, PA | Nursing | Nursing Support | FTE: 1 | Regular | Tracking Code: 200555 Apply Now Read more
Early Preschool Teacher - Glenda Drive/ *Appl...
Early Preschool Teacher - Glenda Drive/ Apple ValleyTeacher Share by Email Share on LinkedIn Share on Twitter Read more
All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.