Mac users are happy to accept the changes which Apple make and deem necessary in order to provide us with a great experience when using their hardware and software products. Deep down we don't always agree with them, especially when upgrading from an older version of iOS or OS X, only to find one of your favorite features being removed, but we live it due to our faith and belief that the experts know what they are doing. On the other hand, some people can't live with it. They see it as a company flexing their corporate muscle to force their will upon us.
September is nearly upon us and we are waiting with our fingers crossed in the hope that Apple take it upon themselves to push out some official invitations to their purported September 12th media event to allow us all to rest a bit easier in the knowledge that we will indeed be getting a new gadget in the next few weeks. Until that happens, we will have to console ourselves by flicking back over the numerous part and component leaks which we have seen in the last few months, which also give us a pretty good idea of what to expect from the sixth-generation iPhone.
After a well-documented and rather grueling court hearing, Apple has prevailed over its Korean-based rival Samsung in a number of patent disputes, and with a settlement of over a billion dollars having been dished out in the Cupertino's favor, a few of the nine-person jury have given their accounts of why they came to the decision that Apple was indeed just with its lawsuits.
Japanese Apple blog Macotakara - a little hit and miss when it comes to inside information - seems to believe the smaller iPad will definitely receive the "mini" moniker, while the iPod nano will be treated to some Wi-Fi connectivity - allowing users to connect to the cloud in order to access music.
Up until this week, it had been presumed Apple would announce the next iPhone, iOS 6, and a new, smaller iPad at a single event, but John Gruber - as informed as ever on the ins and outs of the Cupertino company - leaned towards the idea of the smartphone dropping first in September, with the "iPad mini" following in October.
Apple looks set to request that the courts ban certain Samsung smartphones or tablets from sale in the United States, with a final hearing set to take place towards the end of September.
The disagreements between Apple and Samsung had been bubbling away for quite some time, with the the companies first coming to blows relating to alleged patent infringements approximately 18 months ago. It isn't any secret that the two companies have been locked in a San Jose courtroom in California, with their legal teams presenting evidence and testimony to the judge and nine jurors in an attempt to show that they have been wronged in some way by their rivals in the smartphone and tablet market.
The purported iPad Mini has been circulating in the rumor mill for several months, and the device - now thought to be releasing a couple of weeks after the next iPhone - will certainly ramp up the pressure on competitors already struggling to to match Apple's 9.7-inch model.
The most interesting thing about the recently purportedly leaked fully assembled housing of the “new iPhone” - besides the larger, more elongated display - is its two-tone metal back. It looks brilliant and is, of course, much more durable than the glass back of the iPhone 4 and 4S. Now, thanks to a conversion kit, you can enjoy a similar back design on your iPhone 4 / 4S. Check it out after the jump.
Samsung, currently entangled in a high-profile lawsuit with fellow electronics manufacturer Apple, has spent quite a considerable portion of this year protesting its innocence, for its Cupertino rival has been accusing it of copying several design and software patents.
