Type of Article: MacTech Blog

There are rumors that Apple is working on its own Internet radio/streaming music service. A new Apple patent (number 8280863) may add some weight to the rumor.

Apple has filed a patent (number 8281244) with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for an user interface for media playback. It seems to involve potential changes to the iTunes interface.

Apple’s much-maligned iOS Maps obviously needs work. Lots of it. Always glad to be of assistance to Apple, following is a list (thanks, in a great deal, to my pal, J. Scott Anderson) of improvements that could be made:

° A Mac App Store version for Mac OS X. It would let you make editing and correction suggestions right from your desktop/laptop.

° A “Map New Road” function. This is a mode you could turn on when driving so that you can map a road not currently on the Maps application.

Apple has been awarded a patent (number 8280465) by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for a wireless adapter for interfacing between an accessory and a device. It seems to involve an adapter for the Lightning port on the iPhone 5.

The invention involves circuits, methods, and apparatus that provide compatibility among incompatible accessories and portable media players. One example provides an adapter having a connector receptacle to mate with an accessory’s connector insert and a connector insert to mate with a portable media player’s connector receptacle.

Apple has been granted a patent (number 8279175) by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for a mouse with embedded touch sensors — in other words, the Mighty Mouse.

Per the patent, the mouse is configured with touch sensing areas capable of generating input signals. The touch sensing areas may for example be used to differentiate between left and right clicks in a single button mouse. The mouse may further be configured with force sensing areas capable of generating input signals.