Ed Sutherland

Apple: DOJ’s revised e-book remedies a ‘broadside’ favoring Amazon

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 27, 2013

Even after the end of a formal antitrust trial, both sides in ebook pricing case continue to argue. Apple said the Department of Justice's latest version of proposed penalties are a "broadside" favoring rival Amazon. The comments by Apple's legal team came as the government and the iBooks company hammer out details largely in public.

Apple's remarks centered on the DOJ's insistence that an outside antitrust monitor be named to ensure against anticompetitive practices in the ebook industry. In July, Apple was found guilty of ebook price-fixing and colluding with publishers against Amazon...

Apple patents sees iDevices becoming DJ for silent discos

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 27, 2013

Combine the huge iTunes library of songs with the social aspect of sharing and you have a bit of an idea what might be behind a patent granted to Apple Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The patent, which describes a 'Coordinated group musical experience,' takes a riff off a trendy activity known as 'silent discos,' where people gather to listen to a DJ's music wearing headphones, rather than blaring mega-decibel volumes. Does the patent address a glaring technology need? No, but it does remind us of Apple's own quirky roots...

Apple patent turns iPhone into smart home remote

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 27, 2013

The introduction of numerous media devices - from your television to DVD player and stereo - coupled with the growth of smart homes would seem to cry out for Apple-like simplification. It just so happens, there is a patent for that. Apple has patented a way to control your home media collection right from your iPhone.

The patent, filed a half-decade ago by the creator of the iTunes Remote app, uses "scenes" to adjust your home multimedia to fit settings like "Romantic Movie Night", "Dinner," or simply "Relax."...

FBI and DHS label Android primary malware target

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 26, 2013

A number of Android security problems pose a threat to law enforcement officers using the Google mobile operating software.

According to an unclassified government report, 44 percent of Android users continue to use older versions of the software, opening themselves to numerous security threats, including malware infestation and malicious text messages.

According to the report, obtained from a group promoting public access to government data, Android is the "primary target" of security attacks, with 79 percent of threats...

Apple and Samsung responsible for 55 percent jump in mobile display profits

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 26, 2013

When Apple or Samsung score a win, leading the cheering section may be all the parts manufacturers building components for the popular smartphones. A case in point: mobile display manufacturers, who saw a 55 percent jump in profits between 2012 and 2013.

Increased demand for iPhone and Galaxy handsets meant revenue of $33.3 billion for the mobile display device industry in 2013, according to researcher NPD Display Search. The two handset makers are also driving demand for more complex mobile device technology, including AMOLED screens predominantly used on Samsung devices and TFT LCDs found on iOS devices...

Bloomberg: Japan’s largest carrier wants iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C – but with strings

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 26, 2013

A new report gives a bit more hope to Apple's push to widen its base of iPhone global carrier partners. The finance head of Japan's largest carrier NTT DoCoMo hints Apple's upcoming colorized iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C models could be sold in this tech-obsessed nation to its customers. However, if Apple wants this plum, it may have to play second fiddle to its Android rival, Samsung.

Although most recent attention has been on China, NTT DoCoMo is the lone hold-out in Japan, making the iPhone sold by every major Japanese carrier. In September, Apple is expected to unveil its next-generation iPhone 5S and possibly the budget-minded iPhone 5C in September...

DOJ: Apple used in-app purchases as club against Amazon

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

The U.S. Department of Justice Friday tweaked its ebook settlement offer, including emails between Steve Jobs and Apple's marketing head. The revised settlement charges Apple altered its in-app purchasing policy "to retaliate against Amazon for competitive conduct that Apple disproved of."

The email exchange between Jobs and marketing chief Philip Schiller discussed how to counteract an Amazon commercial showing how the internet retailers app allowed ebooks to be read on either the iPad or the Kindle...

Android a frequent favorite in discount stores – until iPhone 5C arrives

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 23, 2013

Discount shoppers are more apt to buy an Android smartphone than an Apple iPhone. Indeed, Android handsets are three times as likely to be sold through discounters such as Walmart and Costco than Apple's smartphone, new research indicates. The numbers are just the latest from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), providing insight into where and by whom Apple and Android devices are purchased...

Gold iPhone could pave way for Apple riches

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

All the chatter over whether a gold (or champagne) iPhone would be a good move on Apple's part has served to highlight a glaring gap in our global knowledge.

What started out last week as a report on the economic value of a golden iPhone, quickly morphed into suggestions that gold was a preferred color in China - even a 'lucky' color for consumers there. Now comes the coup de grâce of the color debate: a comparison of auto tints...

Apple and Google push Nintendo and Sony into No. 3 spot in mobile gaming

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 22, 2013

We've seen how mobile killed traditional music, draining sales from retail CD stores. Console games appear headed for the same fate. Worldwide revenue for handheld console makers fell during the second quarter of this year, pushing companies like Nintendo and Sony into third place behind the first-place Apple App Store and No. 2 Android-based Google Play.

According to a joint report by research firm IDC and app analytics company App Annie, consumers spending on mobile games in the Google Play store rose during the quarter as Android games picked up 1.6 percent of the market between the first and second quarter of 2013. The Google Play store has taken steps to attract more gaming dollars by tailoring its service for developers...

Reuters profiles Apple’s Cook as ‘methodical’ and unafraid of tough decisions

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 22, 2013

Apple CEO Tim Cook, often compared to the iPhone maker's mercurial co-founder Steve Jobs, is pictured in a new profile as a nuts-and-bolts technocrat able to balance a softer corporate image with the ability to make hard choices. After two years at the helm of the consumer electronics giant that is Apple, Cook is being described as a "methodical" and "no-nonsense" guy not afraid to make tough decisions.

Ahead of launching a new version of the flagship iPhone, Reuters speaks with Cook's co-workers and colleagues, showing the Apple CEO is "as different as could be from that of his predecessor"...

First Steve Jobs Schools open in Netherlands with iPad focus

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 22, 2013

A month after the educational concept of schools based on the iPad was first unveiled, the first seven 'Steve JobsSchools' have opened in the Netherlands. The Apple iPad is central to the groundbreaking educational effort, creating a "virtual school" with standard iOS apps tailored to meet the needs of students, parents and teachers.

While two of the schools expect to see the iPad replace text books, school schedules and traditional courses for all grades, the majority will initially start with early learners, according to the foundation promoting the effort...