Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The iPhone 5 News Blog News Feed

The iPhone 5 News Blog News Feed

Who’s Your Daddy? Apple Concedes Smartphone Intellectual Property Dispute To Nokia, Agrees To Pay Royalties

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 09:01 AM PDT


iphone 5 versus nokiaFor quite a long time now, we’ve all known that Al Gore invented the internet. Now we also know that Nokia invented the smartphone. This revelation comes on the heels of news that Apple and Nokia have settled their long-standing intellectual property dispute over smartphone technologies, with Apple conceding an undisclosed one-time settlement, as well as quarterly royalties on iPhone sales that could amount to as much as $162 million dollars per quarter — ad infinitum.

FT.com‘s Andrew Ward reported today that the settlement between the two technology giants would put an end to all of the patent battles and litigation that Nokia has levied against Apple and vice-versa. Not to be confused with Nokia’s more recent attempt to gain access to iPhone 5 designs, this settlement puts an end to a much larger legal battle over the intellectual property of smartphones in general. Andrew Ward explains: “The dispute had been the most high-profile in a series of legal battles between technology companies over the intellectual property behind the fast-growing market for internet-enabled smartphones and tablet computers.”

In short, if the patent lawsuits were seen as battles, then Apple settling this lawsuit by agreeing to pay royalties on what they now admit to be Nokia technologies is nothing less than Apple losing the war.

For all intents and purposes, Nokia invented the smartphone. (Insert moue here.)

And Nokia is making sure to capture as much press from the win as possible: "We are very pleased to have Apple join the growing number of Nokia licensees," said Stephen Elop, Nokia chief executive. "This settlement demonstrates Nokia's industry leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market."

Ouch.

From a marking and public relations standpoint, it is a fall from grace for Apple, who seeks to portray itself as a product and technology leader in the smartphone market. Quite often, Cupertino passes on third-party technology because it is deemed to be “not Apple” and not home-grown. Losing this lawsuit, however, puts Nokia in a position to frame Apple as a second-tier smartphone designer who is simply using Nokia innovation to pilot its own products — and paying Nokia licensing fees to use that technology.

To think that 1% of all iPhone revenues will now go to Nokia each quarter means that there is more Nokia in our iPhones than we ever wanted to believe.

Android Next?

Given Nokia’s recent decline in sales, litigating profits by proving their technologies were stolen may be the Finnish company’s new strategy for remaining a viable competitor in the smartphone market. And they’re not even ashamed to admit it: “Mr Elop recently told the Financial Times that Nokia planned to use its intellectual property rights ‘more strategically’, reinforcing speculation that the company could look to challenge rival handset makers over patents used in Google's Android smartphone platform.”

In the end, all of the world’s most popular smartphones might be paying homage to Nokia.

Apparently they invented the smartphone as we know it. Who knew?


Rumored Verizon iPhone 5 Limitations Render it “iPINO” (iPhone In Name Only)

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT


New rumors abound that Verizon hasn’t sussed out OTA and 3G FaceTime calls with Apple, making the purported Verizon version of the iPhone 5 badly in need of Viagra. Read how Verizon needs to get with the program, or else their customers are going to be left feeling iPhone 5-impotent with an “iPINO” iPhone.

Ah yes — iPINO.

No, this isn’t Apple’s new take on a Napa-inspired Pino Grigio. It’s going to be the new scarlet letter branded across Verizon’s effort to become a viable iPhone schlepper in the U.S. if rumors are true, and that they won’t be able to handle what the iPhone 5 is ready to dish out. Rumor has it that the iPhone 5 will be rolling out OTA software updates — over wi-fi and 3G — as well as the ability to make FaceTime calls on the 3G network. Apple has held up its end of the bargain by putting the technology into place on both iOS 5 and whatever corresponding iPhone 5 prototype has made it to the top of the heap at Cupertino. And it appears that AT&T is up to the task in meeting the carrier needs of this newfangled technology.

Verizon, however, is proving to be another story.

Ars Technica‘s Chris Foreman reports that “While iOS 5 contains support for 3G FaceTime calls and over-the-air iOS updates, users on Verizon’s network may not be able to use the feature in the fall” and that “While iOS 5 is capable of making FaceTime video calls over 3G networks—a major improvement over the previous WiFi-only limitation—it will apparently be up to individual carriers to support it. 9to5 Mac’s source indicated that Apple and Verizon have not yet reached a deal to enable it on its EV-DO 3G network. The same is also true for iOS 5′s upcoming support for OTA software updates; it will naturally work via WiFi, but the “delta” updates promised at last week’s WWDC keynote should, in many cases, be small enough to download comfortably over 3G. Reportedly, Apple and Verizon are “still working out the kinks regarding support” for the feature.”

C’mon, Verizon!

The inability to talk and web at the same time on your Verizon iPhone is dubious enough, but if the second-largest mobile carrier in the United States fails to sort out the ability to meet the demands of the iPhone 5 upgrades in the Fall of 2011, then it can be argued that the GSM/CDMA hybrid designs will be moot, and that there will be an “AT&T iPhone 5″ and “Verizon iPhone 5,” just as there is for the iPhone 4. Fostering this “two species” paradigm with the iPhone brand does not help the iPhone’s overall performance in the smartphone market. Sure, it might help AT&T retain its position as service leader for the iPhone, but when it comes to iPhone versus Android, having Cro Magnon and Neanderthal iPhone 5s divides and conquers in the minds of prospective first-time buyers.

Apple is also complicit in this lack of iPhone 5 uniformity, should it come to pass.

I have a keen “cynical business practice” radar, and when Apple gets sloppy with its mobile carrier partners like this, I begin to question their sincerity and committment to being a product leader in the smartphone market. There should be some sort of capabilities standard for being an iPhone carrier, and if the carrier cannot or will not keep up with Apple’s innovations, they shouldn’t be allowed to continue on as a partner in selling the iPhone.

If Apple allows Verizon to sit out on retooling for OTA and FaceTime, then I sense a cynical business practice on the part of Apple; it would seem that on-boarding Verizon for the iPhone was all about tapping their subscriber numbers, will little consideration of whether or not their technological standards could cut the mustard.

All in all, there’s a real pall of negativity that has settled back down around the iPhone 5. Where there was hope and intrigue from iOS 5, we now have downgraded iPhone 5 features and rumors of shoddy upgrading on the part of Verizon. Lets hope that all of these negative vibes are being seeded by none other than Apple’s PR department in a pitch to lower our expectations so that they can blow our minds when the iPhone 5 launches.

Yeah — doing that would be a cynical business practice, too. But at least we’d end up with a great iPhone 5 at the end of it all.

Next iPhone In Final Testing Stages — Report

Posted: 13 Jun 2011 08:56 PM PDT


Lead columnist Charles Moore reports on the latest testing and production news surrounding the iPhone 5, and what is being said about its purported features.

9To5Mac is reporting that an Apple source they’ve found reliable in the past tells them that the next-generation iPhone has reached the final testing stage and is now being field-tested by high-level Apple and wireless carrier execs, with the current plan shooting for a September launch. However, the word is thatApple and Verizon have not yet reached agreement on FaceTime over 3G for the Verizon network, and the companies are still ironing out kinks associated with support for iOS 5′s over-the-air updates, the latter which ” may or may not be delayed past fall 2011.” Verizon’s iPhone 4 CDMA version has Apple’s FaceTime software disabled, a decision speculatively attributed to the wireless provider’s concern about the Apple software’s high data demands, and the scuttlebutt is that 3G FaceTime on Verizon is not a lock yet either, and 4G video chat even less so, with over-the-air updates for the iPhone 5 also an outstanding point of contention

More Tidbit iPhone 5 Details Emerge

DailyTech blogger Jason Mick suggests that Apple’s decision to push its major iPhone upgrade release date this year to September from June — if indeed a September release does materialize, will be costly for Apple, which he notes has already fallen behind Google’s Android OS in U.S. and worldwide sales.

Mick notes that the iOS 5.0 SDK refers to two new iPhone hardware versions designated “N94″ and “N93,” with the former reportedly supporting both a GSM and CDMA chips as well as the dual-core A5 ARMv7 CPU that powers the iPad 2.

The purpose of the N93 is more murky, but may refer to a model tailored for Sprint and/or T-Mobile in the U.S., as we reported on the weekend.

Mick also reports that the iOS 5.0 SDK indicates that the iPhone 5′s rear-facing camera will remain a 5 megapixel resolution unit, and will not support the 8 megapixels that have been rumored.

The Register’s Tony Smith ponders whether the September iPhone will actually be the iPhone 5 or a souped-up iPhone 4 tweaked to match the upgrade from the 3G to the 3GS, with some insider information sources hedging their bets by referring only to the “next-generation iPhone,” although Smith thinks that even if it does turn out to be a souped-up iPhone 4 Apple will probably call it the iPhone 5 regardless.

4G LTE Interference With GPS Reception Discovered

In other news of the day, HardMac’s Lionel comments on a Wall Street Journal report that tests conducted on the LightSquared determined that that the LTE signal can cause serious interference with the signals of GPS and other devices. Resolving that problem could lead to more holdups.