Whether product releases are out of season or at full-blown launch phase, seldom a week goes by where Apple doesn't see at least one new patent approved, and although it can often be difficult to keep track of them, a new one - United States Patent Application 20120250914 - is of particular interest.
Although there's little doubt Apple has delivered the goods on countless occasions with regards to its product ranges, it's fair to say that at times, the Apple brand / logo has carried a sizeable chunk of total sales. Brand power is certainly not infallible, but it is a real reflection on a company's marketing ability, and although Steve Jobs - one of the best sellers / marketers of Apple-branded products - unfortunately passed away an year ago, the brand of the company he left behind is as strong as ever, with an estimated value now eclipsing that of every other company in the world bar Coca-Cola.
Cupertino, California-based Apple today unveiled a handful of intriguing new job postings, and one which sticks out in particular is that which seeks an “SoC Modelling Architect / Lead” - somebody to help take the company's mobile processor, or system-on-chip, to the next dimension.
Whenever a new smartphone hits the market, there are a few key areas we, as consumers, focus our attentions on. Storage space, camera quality, processor speed, design, display size - these are all factors we tend to take into consideration - however, in line with the widespread push to look after the planet, more and more consumers are looking to see which smartphone is the least harmful to the environment.
Although speculation regarding the so-called "iPad Mini" has, for the most part, been quiet recently due to the release of Apple's iPhone 5, the rumor mill is back in business, and along with the easily-attainable Chinese mockup of the device which has been doing the rounds frequently, UkrainianiPhone has released some shots of the device unseen in the wild hitherto.
The iPhone 5 has certainly had its moment in the limelight, and with Windows Phone 8 looming, a lot of the focus is no turning towards the initial batch of devices arriving for Microsoft's upcoming platform. In order to further entice consumers away from Apple's offering and towards its upcoming Lumia range, Nokia has put out an advertisement in which it takes a shot at the same old, black and white configurations offered with the iPhone 5.
Apple Vs Samsung Patent Spat And iPhone 5 Launch Both Saw Boost In Galaxy S III Sales, Study Reveals
Apple and Samsung, fierce competitors in a number of categories and markets, are primarily the vendors of the two biggest smartphones, and after the pair fought a brutal patent war in San Jose, the outcome saw sales of the Korean company's flagship Galaxy S III increase significantly. Moreover, the release of Apple's iPhone 5 - which sold in record numbers with 5 million units pushed on the first weekend alone - also saw consumers flock for the Galaxy S III, presumably having assessed the Cupertino's offering and deciding to opt for the quad-core handset.
In countries like the USA, smartphones are mostly sold at a subsidized rate. On the face of it, paying $199 for a high-end smartphone may seem cheap, but since it always comes with a postpaid contract with your wireless carrier that can last up to three years, it isn’t always the case. As a matter of fact, it’s been shown over the years that buying a subsidized phone with a contract is actually more expensive in the long run compared to getting an unsubsidized, factory unlocked phone and choosing your own prepaid plan on your network of choice.
A few weeks ago, Samsung sent a note to U.S. Courts stating that they believed that the iPhone 5 infringed upon multiple patents and that they expected to take Apple to the court over it after carefully analyzing the device. We discussed this in detail in an earlier post. Today, as expected, Samsung has filed a lawsuit against Apple.
The iPhone 5 has been in the public domain for over a week now, and during that period it has managed to shift over five million units, showing just how popular the device is going to be. The initial popularity doesn't detract from the fact that a number of users have been experiencing issues with the sixth-generation device, one of which is centered entirely around a purple glare appearing on images taken with the 8-megapixel rear-facing camera on the handset. In a rather surprising email response, an AppleCare customer support agent has issued a response to one disgruntled photography fan.
