Type of Article: MacTech Blog

If the next gen iPhone is 4G LTE-enabled, it will arrive at the perfect time. LTE smartphones will top 65 million units in 2012, led by the anticipated LTE-enabled “iPhone 5” (though I bet it will be simply called “the new iPhone”) and Samsung’s LTE smartphones, according to ABI Research (http://www.abiresearch.com).

Several Apple patents have appeared today at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Following is a summary of each.

Patent number 20120094684 is for location based operation of a wireless mobile system. Per the patent, operating parameters of a wireless mobile communication device can be adjusted to comply with requirements defined by a local regulatory regime. Location information can be received by the wireless mobile communication device and be used to determine local operating requirements.

Interpret (http://www.interpretllc.com/), a cross media research firm, has released “Tablet Computers: Post-PC Wonderland or Utopia?,” a report that examines whether Steve Jobs’ “post-PC era” statement is a marketing ploy or a likely reality.

Apple has been granted a patent (number 8159399) for antenna diversity systems for portable electronic devices — namely, iOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad.

Per the patent, antenna diversity systems are provided for portable electronic devices that have wireless communications circuitry and environment sensors. The wireless communications circuitry may include multiple redundant antennas that operate in one or more overlapping radio-frequency communications bands. The environment sensors and redundant antennas may be used in implementing an antenna diversity system.