The iPhone 5 may have been out for a number of weeks now, but accessories and peripherals for the new device - at least from Apple - have been at something of a premium. As has been documented numerous times, there's no official dock for the new Lightning-connected device as yet, and perhaps surprisingly, no iPhone 5 cases retailing in any of Apple's Stores. While there's not likely to be a Lightning dock anytime soon, the Cupertino company's official retail stores have begun stocking cases for the brand new smartphone.
Ever since rumors first sprang up with regards to the smaller iPad, or "iPad Mini," as it is being unofficially dubbed, one of the immediate questions springing to the minds of many has been "what about the iPod touch?" After all, the so-called "iPhone without the phone part" has been the only device offering the iOS experience minus the iOS price, but with the iPad Mini combining the lower-end cost with a larger screen and a set of features easily matching the iPod touch, is there really a place left in the market for it?
Next week, Apple will be holding a special media event in San Jose, with the main spectacle widely presumed to be the iPad Mini. That's not all we're going to be seeing, though, and as well as a purported refresh of the Mac mini and iMac desktops, it looks as though iBooks will also be getting a significant update as previously speculated upon, driving the version number up to 3.0.
By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Apple media event set for October 23rd, invites for which were sent out four days ago. Although there is nothing in the invite image that suggests this (like it did with new iPad and iPhone 5), it is widely expected to be the event where Apple announces their entry to the small and economical tablet market that is currently dominated by the likes of Amazon’s Kindle Fire (HD) and Google’s Nexus 7.
Among the three technology media events set for the last week of October – Microsoft’s Surface and Windows 8 launch event on 25th, Google’s event on the 29th, Apple’s event on the 23rd is the most heavily anticipated. It is widely expected to be centered around an all-new smaller iPad which is popularly referred to as the iPad Mini.
When Apple put a Retina display into the iPhone 4, the world was stunned by its crisp visuals, and equally so with the third-gen iPad when it dropped back in March. While the MacBook Pro's Retina display certainly doesn't fail to dazzle, consumers haven't leapt to adopt the very latest addition to the Cupertino's notebook family in such high numbers.
It was undoubtedly a disappointing day for the jailbreak loving world when Nicholas Allegra (Comex) publicly announced his departure from the community as a result of accepting an internship at the company he had worked so hard to circumvent in the few years prior. We will never really know if producers of jailbreak tools and tweaks do so in the hope of becoming known by Apple and ultimately offered dream employment with the Cupertino company, but after a year working the fruit Company, Allegra is officially flying solo once again.
Although Apple's range of computers ship with set hardware specifications as standard, consumers can configure a more personalized setup thanks to the Cupertino company's built-to-order service. For example, the MacBook Pro with Retina display costs $2,799.00 over at Apple's online store, but if one wishes to bump up the storage space, processor speed or RAM, for example, this can be arranged at additional cost.
Apple might have had the most notable and high-profile win in the on-going patent battle with Samsung when a judge in San Jose ruled that more than $1 billion in damages were due to the company from Samsung, but it hasn't all been about victory for Apple who have had their fair share of patent related setbacks. One of the latest has come right from the United Kingdom where an Apple appeal to have an earlier ruling overturned has proven unsuccessful.
After putting together, filing and submitting their original request for a Passbook related trademark back in June of this year, Apple has finally been successful in securing the trademark through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Apple will be more than familiar with the process of securing a patent/trademark and will have been aware of the potential length of time it could take, but the official granting of the Passbook trademark gives the company protection against any competitor that attempts to mimic Passbook as well as the ability to invoke litigation against them.
