Type of Article: MacTech Blog

By Rick Sutcliffe

The Spy observes with each passing month that business and the economy seem driven, not by stereotypical hard-nosed logic surrounding bottom line considerations, but by inertia, emotion, and untrammeled greed.

Microsoft Corp. is working on meshing Skype into its large product portfolio after acquiring the Internet calling service for US$8.5 billion, reports “The New York Times” (http://macte.ch/uh024). The goal is to provide “superior Skype experience on products as various as Windows PCs and Xboxes.”

An Apple patent (number 20120133301) for an active enclosure for a computing device has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. It revives an idea mentioned in previous patents for computer hardware that gives feedback depending on the task on which you’re working. In fact, the patent even mentions multi-colored iMacs, which apparently references the early incarnation of Apple’s all-in-one desktop.

The Federal Communications Commission is eyeing a change in its definition of a “multichannel video programming distributor” that may pave the way for an Apple Internet TV service.

According to “ZDNet” reporter Sean Portnoy, MVPDs to date have been limited to companies like Comcast, DirecTV and Verizon, the commission is mulling whether online companies like Hulu or Netflix could fall under that definition.

Apple has applied for a patent (number 20120137028) involving a method and system for transferring status information between a media player and an accessory.