Type of Article: MacTech Blog

Apple has filed a patent (number 20120231778) for microphone proximity detection that may relate to the new beam-forming, directional microphone system in the iPhone 5.

A mobile communications device contains at least two microphones. One microphone is located away from the handset receiver and serves to pick up voice of a near end user of the device for transmission to the other party during a call. Another microphone is located near the handset receiver and serves to pick up acoustic output of the handset receiver (a far end signal).

Today at 10 am (Pacific) Apple will hold a special media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. The invite sent to the media says simply that, “It’s almost here.” Here’s what I see being announced:

The next gen iPhone, of course, is a no-brainer. The only shock will be if Apple doesn’t announce a new version of its smartphone. I’ve long doubted that it would be dubbed the “iPhone 5,” but now it seems obvious that it will be. Why? Look carefully at the graphic from the media invitation …

An Apple patent (number 8265450) for the creation and management of voicemail greetings for mobile communication devices has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Apple has won a patent (number 8264820) for a handheld computing device and handheld music player. It’s for the iPod nano.

New research commissioned by Crucial.com, which provides memory upgrades, provides some insight into the frustration experienced by Americans when it comes to the overall performance of their computers.