Steve Jobs' Testimony Expected to Play Major Role in iPod Antitrust Lawsuit Posted: 01 Dec 2014 08:31 AM PST Apple this week is scheduled to appear in court and face accusations that it deliberately crippled competing music services and players in an iPod class action lawsuit from 2005, reports The New York Times . The trial will feature testimony from Steve Jobs, whose emails and a videotaped deposition taken before his death will play an important part in the plaintiffs' case.
The email testimony is expected to paint Steve Jobs as an aggressive businessman who worked hard to ensure the success of the iPod and iTunes. This success often came at the expense of smaller competitors, which were not allowed to connect to Apple's popular iPod ecosystem. In one already released email, Jobs addresses Apple's lack of support for the-then upcoming MusicMatch music store.
Part of the case also involves Apple's interactions with RealNetworks, which devised a workaround in 2004 that allowed content from its music store to be played on the iPod. In an angry statement released to the media, Apple accused RealNetworks of hacking the iPod and threatened to disable this functionality in future iPod software updates. To counteract Jobs' testimony, Apple is expected to argue that updates to the iPod and iTunes were designed to improve the platform for the consumer and not cripple competing devices. The company also likely will point out that the price of the iPod has gone down over the years, despite Apple's alleged monopolistic behavior. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
 |
10% of Consumers 'Very Likely' to Buy a Smartwatch in 2015, Suggesting 24M Apple Watches Posted: 01 Dec 2014 07:39 AM PST According to a new survey conducted by analysts at UBS, interest in the smartwatch market is continuing to grow ahead of the Apple Watch launch early next year. Of the 4,000 respondents asked to partake in the survey across four different countries, about 10 percent cited that they are "very likely" to buy a smartwatch in the next year. Based on projections of Apple's iPhone sales and the current installed base of iPhones compatible with the Apple Watch, the analysts predict Apple will sell 24 million Apple Watches within the first nine months.
 Based on an estimate of 240 million iPhones compatible with Apple Watch being in customers' hands by the end of 2015, UBS suggests this could translate to 24 million Apple Watches sold in the first 9-12 months of availability, depending on supplies. In a smaller survey of customers who registered as very likely to purchase a smart watch, the Apple Watch placed second to the Samsung Gear in buying intentions, although UBS expects those positions to reverse once the Apple Watch becomes available.
The Apple Watch is set to launch in "early 2015", reportedly in the according to an internal video from retail chief Angela Ahrendts. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
 |
T-Mobile Discounting Select iPhone Models, Including 64GB iPhone 6, by $100 for Cyber Monday Posted: 01 Dec 2014 06:51 AM PST T-Mobile is offering a significant discount on its iPhone lineup for Cyber Monday, most notably taking $100 off the 64GB model of the new iPhone 6. Instead of just a straight cash discount, the carrier is offering a memory upgrade that boosts the storage of the smartphone without additional cost to the customer.
T-Mobile's promotion runs until midnight Pacific Time tonight. This offer is one of several promotional pushes by the carrier designed to attract new customers to its cellular network. Earlier this year, T-Mobile introduced a generous $350 per line termination fee bonus and phone buyback program to customers who switch carriers. It also recently launched an iPhone "test drive" program that allows customers to try an iPhone on T-Mobile for seven days without cost. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
 |
Apple Stores Once Again Coloring Logos Red in Recognition of World AIDS Day Posted: 01 Dec 2014 12:28 AM PST As it has done for the past three years, Apple is once again recognizing December 1 as World AIDS Day at its retail locations by coloring their Apple logos red for the occasion. Several Apple Stores in the United States and the United Kingdom are expected to change the color of their logos, with images from Twitter showing that the company's store in Sydney, Australia has already adjusted its logo.
The Apple Store in Sydney, Australia (Image credit: @AusNewsNetwork) Last week, Apple announced a new campaign for World AIDS Day 2014 done in collaboration with (Product) RED which saw the launch of a special Apps for (RED) section in the App Store and a donation initiative. The Apps for (RED) section is active until December 7 and contains 25 well known apps with the proceeds benefiting the Global Fund to fight AIDS. All of Apple's customers who purchased a select Apple product on Friday, November 28 received a special (RED) iTunes gift card, and during December 1, Apple will donate a portion of every sale at its retail and online stores to the Global Fund to fight AIDS. Apple sells a number of (Product) RED items where a percentage of the profits are donated to the Global Fund to fight AIDS. Throughout the past, those items have included iPod nanos and shuffles, iPad Smart Covers, iPhone Bumpers, iPhone cases, and more. This past June, (Product) RED announced that Apple had contributed $75 million to the Global Fund to fight AIDS. Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment