23 Oct 09 Apple Seeks Patent On Operating System Advertising

patentpundit writes "On April 18, 2008, Apple Computer applied for a patent relating to an 'invention' that allows for showing advertisements within an operating system. The first named inventor on the patent application is none other than Steve Jobs. The patent application published and became available for public inspection on October 22, 2009. If implemented, the invention would make it possible for advertisements to be displayed on a variety of devices, including desktop computers, cell phones, PDAs, and more. In one alarming aspect, the device could be disabled while the advertisements run, thereby forcing users to let the advertisement run its course before the system would unlock and allow further use. In an even more invasive scenario, explained in the patent application, the user could be required to do something, such as click to continue, in order to verify that they are actively watching the advertisement and haven't simply walked away while the ad runs. Whether Apple would implement such an invention is unknown, but it is possible that they think there are others out there who might want to implement such invasive advertising. It is possible Apple wanted to get ahead of the curve and file this patent so that if any company is silly enough to engage in Big Brother advertising, then Apple will get a royalty. I sure hope this is not the future of advertising."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Tagi: ape computer, adverting, simy, steve jobs, big brother, desktop computers, inventor, pdas, royalty, curve, operating system, patent, apple

31 Dec 09 Apple tablet rumor party: Fox News, former Google China president, and the 'iGuide'

No words can stress how much we're sick of Apple 'iSlate' rumors right now, but when someone with powerful links speaks up, we gotta take note. Kai-fu Lee -- former Google China president -- has joined the Apple rumor mill by leaking what he claims to be insider knowledge of the device. Now, we've heard a lot of this same noise before: sub-$1000 price, an iPhone-like appearance, 10.1-inch multitouch screen, video conferencing, cellular connectivity, 3D graphics and virtual keyboard. What really got our attention is Lee's link with Foxconn -- the Apple OEM is one of the main contributors to Lee's post-Google investment venture, Innovation Works, so there's a good chance that Lee's spoken to someone overlooking the manufacturing of a certain Apple device. Of course, we can't abide Lee's final proclamation that "Apple expects to produce near ten million units in the first year!" This is pretty bold considering Apple's only sold five million portable computers so far this year (and ten million was the number of iPods sold in Q3 2009 alone), but hey, who knows if Steve Jobs has already worked out a subsidizing plan with some carriers to lure us all?

Continue reading Apple tablet rumor party: Fox News, former Google China president, and the 'iGuide'

Apple tablet rumor party: Fox News, former Google China president, and the 'iGuide' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The iPhone Blog, CNET  |  Kai-fu Lee's microblog, Fox News, Mac Rumors  | Email this | Comments
Tagi: apple tablet, china president, fox news, iphe, virtual keyboard, insider knowledge, somee, news former, google, mac rumors, portable computers, multitouch screen, steve jobs, rumor mill, milli, good chance, ipods, q3, kai, ly

28 Jan 10 Apple pitches $499 iPad, takes on Amazon

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc CEO Steve Jobs took the wraps off a sleek tablet that it called the iPad, pitching the new gadget at a surprisingly low price to bridge the gap between smartphones and laptops.
Tagi: ape inc, ipad, amazon, steve jobs, reuters, pitches, gap, wraps, gadget, laptops, ceo, apple

29 Jan 10 Apple Can Be Sued by Investors, Court Rules

A New York pension fund can try again to sue Apple chief executive Steve Jobs and other officers and directors over a stock options plan that allegedly led to stock losses, a U.S. court ruled on Thursday.
Tagi: stock losses, steve jobs, apple, investors

29 Jan 10 Apple's A4 iPad chip could find a home in iPhones

Apple's A4 chip, being used in the iPad, could ultimately provide a speed boost to future versions of the company's iPhone, analysts said on Thursday.

Apple introduced on Wednesday the iPad handheld device, which has a 9.7-inch diagonal screen and is designed for browsing the Internet, playing games, reading e-books and viewing video content. The product fits somewhere between the iPhone and MacBook laptop, said Apple CEO Steve Jobs at a press event.

Tagi: iphe, ipad, versis, speed boost, e books, browsing the internet, steve jobs, handheld device, a4, laptop, ceo, apple, games