Type of Article: MacTech Blog

An Apple patent (number 20120224710) for a wireless headset device that includes an earbud assembly and a primary housing assembly, fixed to the earbud assembly, has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Apple has filed a patent (number 20120225677) with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for synchronizing mobile and vehicle devices — especially in regard to mapping features.

Per the patent, location information is received at a mobile device from the memory of a vehicle device. The mobile device is updated based on the location information. Sensor data is received from at least one sensor measuring movement of the mobile device, and an estimated location of the mobile device is calculated based at least in part on the location information and the sensor data.

Strategy Analytics’ (www.strategyanalytics.com) latest tablet survey — which covered six countries across three continents– found that demand for 7-inch screens among future tablet owners was slightly stronger than for current iPad owners.

The “Strategy Analytics Tablet & Touchscreen Strategies Service Report” found that 10-inch screens remained the most popular preference across all countries. However, across all six countries, 20% of the sample of 923 tablet owners (including iPad owners) would prefer a 7-inch screen device for their next purchase.

An Apple patent (number 20120227006) for a configurable input device has popped up at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. It shows that Apple is working on methods and systems related to having an input device configured according to a position of a user’s hand relative to the input device.

Two new Apple patents show that the company is investigating further haptic feedback and electronic percussion input methods for its devices.