Apple : Apple should make the iPad a TV command center, says analyst

Apple should make the iPad a TV command center, says analyst
US appeals court lifts ban on Samsung Galaxy Nexus
First Chinese Lightning cable and dock available
Apple was warned by app developers over Maps app
iPad Mini may only come with Wi-Fi, leaked pics show Lightning connector

Apple should make the iPad a TV command center, says analyst

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Apple already has all of the tools it needs to improve its presence in the TV industry, according to one expert, who has said the iPad could play a bigger role.

Despite most of the recent speculation focusing on a fully fledged HDTV, Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes said a link-up between existing iOS devices and the Apple TV set-top box could be just as important.

He claimed the iCloud storage platform and the iPad's virtual keyboard could play nice with a new interface on the set-top box to create a TV command center, meaning Apple wouldn't even have to launch an HD set.

He said: "With iCloud, we don't see any reason why Apple wouldn't eventually allow an iPad to be an interface for the TV - to perform basic computing tasks with a virtual keyboard like checking emails and calendars, surfing websites, editing your PhotoStream and even chat with iMessage.

"These tasks would clearly infringe further on tasks usually earmarked for desktops and laptops - and the iPad and Apple TV combination doesn't even require Apple to get into the TV market."

Finding the right partner

Of course, the functionality mentioned by the analyst already exists to some extent thanks to AirPlay Mirroring.

This allows whatever appears on the iPad's screen to be viewed through Apple TV, but any new interface would need to go much further.

Reitzes added that he does think that Apple will eventually enter the standalone flatscreen market, but only when the company is able to reach accords with content providers, which so far has proved problematic.

"Over time we expect Apple will want to get into the TV market, but not until it is able to negotiate a service offering for TV - building on iTunes and iOS - that revolutionizes the market for enjoying content and computing in one platform," he told AllThingsD.

"We believe Apple will be patient until it finds the right cable TV partner to work with to promote this vision."

US appeals court lifts ban on Samsung Galaxy Nexus

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Apple's recent victory over Samsung, when a California jury awarded the Cupertino company over $1 billion of Samsung's money, is hardly the final chapter in the two tech giants' everlasting patent war.

Heck, the parties haven't even reached the epilogue yet.

In a new development, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decided on Thursday to permanently reverse a California court's previous decision to grant Apple a preliminary injunction on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone.

The injunction, which was hard-won by Apple, prevented the phone from being sold in the U.S., but the federal appeals court's panel of judges determined that the California court "abused its discretion" in granting the ban.

What does it mean for consumers?

With the sales ban on the Galaxy Nexus officially lifted, Samsung is free to sell the flagship Android phone in the U.S. as soon as it can get the device to shelves and doorsteps.

TechRadar has reached out to Samsung to determine when it plans to do so, but so far the Korean company has yet to respond.

The reversal of the injunction is certainly a victory for Samsung, though its war with Apple rages ever onward regardless.

Samsung kept its promise

Over the summer, U.S. District judge Lucy Koh decided to grant Apple preliminary sales bans on numerous Samsung devices, including the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Nexus.

At the time, Koh determined that mounting pre-trial evidence against Samsung, in particular related to Apple patents concerning Siri-like search features, justified the injunction.

"Although some consumers may be disappointed that they cannot purchase the Galaxy Nexus, the Galaxy Nexus, as Samsung itself has repeatedly insisted, is not Samsung's only smartphone product on the market," Koh wrote in a July 5 ruling.

Samsung promised to pursue the matter with the federal circuit appeals court, and it seems that move has finally paid off.

First Chinese Lightning cable and dock available

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That didn't take long. The first Chinese company has reportedly cloned the iPhone 5's Lightning cable, despite the fact that Apple embedded a tricky authentication chip.

It took iPhone5Mod.com less than a month after the phone's Sept. 12 announcement to come up with a working, chip-included cable option.

Of course, while this knock-off Lightning cable is available to order right now, it still comes from halfway around the world.

So it'll take somewhere between seven to 20 days for delivery.

Not cheaper, but a good sign nonetheless

The Lightning Cable from iPhone5Mod.com costs $19.90, meaning it really isn't any cheaper than Apple's official Lightning to USB cable.

However, it's a good sign for froogle consumers. Because the chip was replicated rather quickly, it shouldn't be long before the internet is flooded with similar 8-pin Lightning accessories.

It also opens the door for more interesting cables designs and docks. The retailer's website says that its version of the Lightning cable is illuminated.

"You can actually see the flow of current going into your iPhone 5," reads the iPhone5Mod.com website.

The website is selling a dock that allows the iPhone 5 to sit upright while syncing and charging. This accessory, also $19.90, is something Apple doesn't sell at any price.

Apple was warned by app developers over Maps app

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App developers raised concerns about the poor quality of Apple's Maps back as far back as June, it has been revealed.

Several anonymous developers revealed to CNET that it was obvious early on that the Google Maps replacement was not up to scratch and weren't shy about informing Apple through several official channels.

These developers, who now rely on the app to power features within their apps, had access to the Maps platform as soon as the Beta version of iOS 6 was outed following WWDC four months ago.

One of the developers in question said: "I posted at least one doomsayer rant after each (developer) Beta, and I wasn't alone."

Shockingly bad

The developer said that the problems were so widespread than there seemed to be no point in making individual complaints about issues.

"The mood amongst the developers seemed to be that the maps were so shockingly bad that reporting individual problems was futile.

"What was needed wasn't so much an interface for reporting a single point as incorrect, but for selecting an entire region and saying 'all of this - it's wrong.'"

Known issues

Another developer says he issued bug reports, emailed his own contacts at Apple and complained on developer support forums, yet no help, other than an admission of "known issues," was forthcoming.

The software-maker said: "During the beta period I filed bug reports with Apple's Radar system posted on the forums several times, and e-mailed multiple people within Apple's MapKit team to voice our concerns.

"This has been a frustrating experience for us and we don't care where the imagery comes from, we just would like our customers to be able to have the same experience within our app when they update from iOS 5 to iOS 6.

"Instead, the OS upgrade broke some of the features we built within our application despite being told that only the imagery would be swapped out."

Constant fire

Apple has been under heavy and consistent fire from users, developers and commentators since it made iOS 6 public in mid-September.

Of course, last month the company took the unprecedented step of making a grovelling apology to its customers, admitting that it had fallen short of its own high standards.

Apple has pleaded for patience and vowed that the app with get considerably better as more data becomes available from users, but so far little improvement has been noted.

iPad Mini may only come with Wi-Fi, leaked pics show Lightning connector

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Like so many Apple rumors circulating this year, the supposed introduction of an iPad Mini to the company's tablet family continues to gain steam.

With invites going out for a possible reveal on Oct. 10, the possibility of Apple releasing a competitor for the smaller Kindle Fire HD and Nexus 7 tablets could come to fruition before the end of the year.

Event though there have been endless reports about the look, display and release date, there's been little information about what other kinds of specs the iPad Mini may include.

New rumors have surfaced that may spread a little light on what to expect from the hardware of the iPad Mini.

Wi-Fi only?

U.K. paper The Guardian indicated in a recent write-up the iPad Mini may come in a Wi-Fi only version.

That wouldn't be unlike the Nexus 7 or standard Kindle Fire, but it would deviate from Apple's previous iPads, all of which came with the option of 3G coverage.

With a smaller, more affordable model, Apple would certainly be able to attract a large part of the market that's opted for Google and Amazon's smaller tablets, even with the purported lack of 3G or 4G coverage.

The Guardian also believes there will be an update of the new iPad, which would include the Lightning dock connector and would support 4G LTE networks.

Lightning connection

Additionally, new purported images of the iPad Mini were posted on Twitter on Tuesday, which reveal a bit more about how the iPad Mini will look.

The images, posted by 9to5Mac's Sonny Dickson, show an iPad Mini resting on top of a new iPad to show the difference in size.

The shots also reveal the iPad Mini may include a Lightning connection, which Apple recently switched over to with the iPhone 5.

These supposed images of the iPad Mini match up well with images leaked back in September, right down do the rear-facing camera, and the mysterious hole on the top rear of the device.

Apple fans are no doubt accustomed to the various rumors by now, so until we get confirmation on the iPad Mini's existence from the Cupertino-based company, make sure to keep tabs on TechRadar's rumor round up.

Yahuui Blog

Thursday, October 11, 2012