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Apple filed suit against Motorola Mobility in a San Diego court on Friday. At issue are patents licensed by Motorola from Qualcomm. Apple argues that a German lawsuit filed by Motorola violates the terms of that licensing agreement.

Apple vs. Motorola
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Tablet toting road warriors rejoice!OnLive Desktop for iPad is here, bringing Windows and Microsoft Office to the tablet in your lap. Vern Seward takes a look and shows us the pros and cons in this week’s Free on iTunes.

OLive on your iPad
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Apple rolled out its MacBook Air configurations for the education market on Friday to replace the now-discontinued 13” MacBook. The company has introduced several different bundles of its MacBook Air that start the device at US$929 for an 11” model when purchased in lots of five.

MacBook Air
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Display News Briefs: More from Friday February 10th, 2012

The HintBattle Pocket Bulge With The Hint for iPhone

How can you reduce pocket bulges and still carry your iPhone and essential wallet contents? Here’s a hint. Vern Seward take a look at Waterfield Design’s Hint iPhone 4 wallet/case hybrid in this edition of Just a Peek.

The Hint
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The MacBook Pro Crystal BallApple Reportedly Bringing MacBook Air Styling to Pro Line

Apple is working on bringing the ground breaking style of its MacBook Air notebooks to the MacBook Pro product line, according to online reports. Unnamed sources said that Apple will be dropping optical drives and moving to SSDs in order to deliver MacBook Pro performance in the MacBook Air form factor.

The MacBook Pro Crystal Ball
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Internet SecurityThe Hidden Gotchas of Browser Security

Particle Debris takes a minor detour into the world of browser security, and the discussion will open your eyes, especially if you do online banking. But there are also some goodies: the Apple rumor that just won’t go away, a Wi-Fi Flash drive, an amazing graphic of what mobile phones looked like before Apple took a bite out of the market and possible confirmation that every MacBook Pro…. well, just read on.

Internet Security
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Apple's Money BagAnalyst: Paying a Dividend Makes Sense for Apple

Paying a dividend makes sense for Apple, according to Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu. In a research note to clients obtained by The Mac Observer, Mr. Wu argued that a yield between two percent and three percent would be attractive to investors and not threaten Apple’s still growing cash hoard that was worth US$97.6 billion at the of the last quarter.

Apple's Money Bag
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iMac 27-inch 2.93GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 processor:  $1,999

The Deal Brothers found a deal on the refurbished iMac 27-inch 2.93GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 processor for $1,999. This system was originally released in July of 2010, and it ships for free.

27" iMac

Theodolite 2.6.1Theodolite App for iOS is Breathtaking

There are apps, and there are apps. Every once in a while, an app appears that’s so beautiful, so technical, and so completely exploits the Apple iDevice that it takes one’s breath away. This is one of those.

Theodolite for iOS
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Mizuho Securities Starts Apple Coverage with $635 Target

Financial analyst Abhey Lamba started covering Apple for Mizuho Securities this week with a target price for the company’s stock at US$635, and a prediction that the Mac and iPhone maker’s earnings per share could hit $50 by the end of the fiscal year in September.

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Forum Poll: Are You Planning on Buying a New iPad?

Sources are saying Apple will unveil the iPad 3 in early March and ship the new version of its multimedia tablet a week or so later. Are you planning on buying the new iPad when it ships? Take today’s TMO Forum poll and let us know.

Forum Discussion

iBooks AuthorCompetitors Size up Apple’s iBooks Author

In January, Apple released a new OS X app called iBooks Author. It’s designed to assist authors and publishers with the compilation of books, especially textbooks for Apple’s iBooks app. But how does it stack up as an author’s tool? Can it replace other writing tools for authors? TMO asked two developers of major writing tools to size up iBooks Author from a competitive perspective.

iBooks Author

image credit: Apple

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Apple Scores a Win in Motorola Patent Fight

A German court ruled on Friday that Apple hasn’t infringed on a Motorola Mobility patent related to using mathematical equations in mobile communication. The ruling marks a change in the court’s pattern since it previously ruled that Apple is, in fact, violating two other Motorola Mobility wireless communication patents.

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Apple Highlights Siri in Two New iPhone 4S Ads

Apple rolled out two new iPhone 4S commercials Thursday evening, and like previous ads for the most recent version of the combo iPod and smartphone, both show off Siri voice control.

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OS X Lion: Replacing the “Show/Hide” Button in Finder

Some of you probably used the little pill-shaped button in previous versions of Mac OS X. Some of you may have never noticed it was there (until you accidentally hit it, that is). Melissa Holt misses being able to use that funny little thing in Lion to make some Finder windows more accessible, and because of that, she’s going to show us how to use keyboard shortcuts to replicate those old functions. She may also gnash her teeth a little bit that she needs to find workarounds like this, but that’s neither here nor there.

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Thursday February 9th, 2012

Activists handing over petitions to Apple store employeesApple Store Graciously Receives Workers’ Rights Petitions

As promised, a group of activists handed over petitions concerned with manufacturing workers’ rights to the Apple store in New York’s Grand Central Terminal. The petitions were organized by SumofUS and Change.org and represented 250,000 signatures.

Activists handing over petitions to Apple store employees
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Apple Fans in ChinaChinese Apple Fan Makes Awesome Mac Costume

Now that Apple is making big strides in China, we’re seeing what happens when that culture gets a chance to run with the idea of being huge fans of the company. Today, we have a photo of two Apple fans in the city of Chongqing, one of whom appears to be a Steve Jobs impersonator, while the other is sporting a very cool costume made out of Macs.

Apple Fans in China
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MGG 380: Managing Your iTunes Library, iOS Time Zone, Syncing & More

Dave and John kick off February’s first Premium episode with discussion about portable iTunes libraries (and their associated woes!), discussing the nuances of setting your iOS Calendar to properly handle time zones, and some quick tips about how to read console logs. Then it’s off to some Cool Stuff Found and more. You won’t want to miss this episode, so sign up today (it’s just US$25 for 6 months of extra episodes!), download, and enjoy!

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Canaccord ChartCanaccord: Apple Claims 80% of Q4 Mobile Handset Profits

Apple claimed a staggering 80 percent of all mobile handset profits during the December quarter, according to Canaccord analyst Michael Walkley. The analyst said that Apple achieved this remarkable feat, even though it had only 8.1 percent of the market. Samsung claimed another 15 percent of those profits, leaving the next top six companies to scrap it out for the remaining 5 percent.

Canaccord Chart
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Mac Pro 2.66GHz 12-Core Intel Xeon: $4,249

The Deal Brothers noted that Apple is offering a deal on a 12-Core Mac Pro, the refurbished 2.66GHz model originally released in August of 2010. It’s priced at $4,249 and ships for free.

Mac Pro

Apple’s Stock Makes Run on $500 - 01:07 PM ET
AAPL Chart for Midway Through February 9th, 2012Apple’s Stock Makes Run on $500

Shares in Apple Inc. leapt by more than four percent in heavy trading Thursday. In the early afternoon session, the stock was up more than four percent and knocking on the door of a US$500 per share price point.

AAPL Chart for Midway Through February 9th, 2012
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FBI Releases Steve Jobs Dossier: Driven & Deceptive

Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs was in the running for a presidential cabinet appointment under the first President Bush in 1991, and the FBI has released its background investigation file on the man. According to the people the agency interviewed, Mr. Jobs was driven, deceptive, and would be great for the job.

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Reader Discussion: Apple, the Trillion Dollar Company

Apple’s market value keeps rising, and has even climbed up above Exxon Mobil to become the most valuable company in the world — at least on paper. Today one TMO forum reader is asking how long it will be before Apple becomes a trillion dollar company. Chime in and share your thoughts.

Forum Discussion

Ted Landau Discusses Macworld|iWorld, OS X 10.7.3 on MacNotables

TMO columnist and popular author Ted Landau joined Chuck Joiner on the MacNotables podcast to talk about the recently completed Macworld|iWorld Conference along with issues some users are having after upgrading to OS X 10.7.3.

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Apple Planning March iPad 3 Announcement

Apple is apparently ramping up for an iPad 3 announcement event in the first week of March. News of the planned media event comes courtesy of unnamed sources who also say Apple will unveil the next generation multimedia tablet in San Francisco.

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Foxconn SwaggSecApple Supplier Foxconn’s Servers Hacked

Apple supplier Foxconn has reportedly been hacked, exposing the usernames and passwords of the company’s clients and employees, according to online reports. Hacker group SwaggSec claimed credit for the breach, which temporarily allowed outsiders to access Foxconn’s network.

 

Foxconn SwaggSec
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Wednesday February 8th, 2012

White MacBook Finally Meets Its End - 10:46 PM ET
White MacBookWhite MacBook Finally Meets Its End

The white MacBook, discontinued for consumers last July but available for educational purchases since then, has finally met its end. Made known on Wednesday, Apple has notified resellers that the iconic laptop is now classified as “end of life,” ceasing official sales.

White MacBook
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Apple & Microsoft: On The Same SideMicrosoft Echos Apple’s Call for FRAND Standards

Microsoft issued a statement today in support of industry standards and the licensing of the essential patents that go into those standards. This echos a recent letter sent by Apple to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute that touched on the lack of licensing standards and the lawsuits that result from the situation.

Apple & Microsoft: On The Same Side
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U.S. Air Force & the iPadAir Force Might Replace Manuals with 18,000 iPads

The U.S. Air Mobility Command (AMC) is looking for a few good tablets (with apologies to the Marine Corps) to replace bulky flight manuals and flight charts. The logistics arm of the Air Force announced that it will be purchasing up to 18,000 iPads or other tablets as part of its effort to reduce its reliance on paper manuals.

U.S. Air Force & the iPad
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Vonage MobileVonage Mobile for iPhone Offers Free Texting, Calls

Vonage launched a new app for the iPhone called Vonage Mobile that allows users to send free text messages and make free calls to other Vonage Mobile users. The app puts the company in direct competition with Skype and raises the stakes for carriers looking to protect their existing business model.

Vonage Mobile
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Artist's Rendition of Path Snaking Your Address BookiPhone App Path Uploads User Contact Lists to Servers [Update]

Path, a unique social networking app for iOS and Android that allows users to share many aspects of their daily lives with others, has recently been revealed to be sharing even more: the user’s contacts list with Path’s servers. [Update: The developers of Path have issued an apology, deleted all data collected, and released a new version of its app that asks for permission before accessing your Address Book.]

Artist's Rendition of Path Snaking Your Address Book
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13” MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Dual-core Intel i5:  $1,019

The Deal Brothers found a deal on the refurbished 13” MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Dual-core Intel i5 for $1,019. This system was originally released in October of 2011, and it ships for free.

13" MacBook Pro

TAB802Akron’s TAB802 Table Mount For iPad Is Sturdy

The TAB802 Table Clamp Mount For iPad is sturdy and rugged and fits a multitude of table sizes. You’ll get your money’s worth.

 

Akron’s Table Mount For iPad
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Paul McCartney Live Streaming Event on iTunesPaul McCartney to Stream Live Performance on iTunes, Apple TV

Apple announced on Wednesday that it will be offering a free stream of Paul McCartney performing his new album, Kisses on the Bottom, through iTunes and the company’s Apple TV settop box. The performance takes place on February 9th at 10:00 PM EST, and will be streamed live from Capitol Studios.

Paul McCartney Live Streaming Event on iTunes
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Sprint Activates 1.8M iPhones, 40% are New Customers

Sprint activated 1.8 million iPhones during its fourth fiscal quarter or 2011, and some 40 percent of those activations were for new customers.

By · 2 Comments
Reader Discussion: Email App Feature Wish List

Apple’s Mail app offers loads of features for email users on the Mac, but it doesn’t offer every feature everyone wants — nor, it seems, does any other app. Today TMO readers are talking about email app features and what they want out of their apps.

Forum Discussion

Apple to EU: Set FRAND Licensing Standards

Apple is hoping to convince the EU’s European Telecommunications Standards Institute to set guidelines for how patents that cover industry standards are licensed. In a letter to the organization, Apple’s legal team said that the lack of licensing standards has led to lawsuits that otherwise could’ve been prevented.

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iCal: Moving Events Between Calendars - 08:45 AM ET
iCal: Moving Events Between Calendars

Switching iCal events from one calendar to another shouldn’t be a painful process. Melissa Holt believes that from the very bottom of her black, evil—er, we mean kind and generous heart. Because of that, she’s taken it upon herself to show everyone a couple of easy ways to accomplish the task. Here’s how you can make iCal just a tiny bit more user-friendly.

By · 2 Comments

Tuesday February 7th, 2012

iPhone with no BlackBerry symbolHalliburton Moving from BlackBerry to iPhone

Halliburton is the latest to deal Research in Motion a blow by announcing a plan to phase out BlackBerry phones and replace them with iPhones over the next two years, according to a report out of Canada.

iPhone with no BlackBerry symbol
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Apple TV in CanadaReport: Apple Talking to Canadian Carriers About iTV

As rumors and speculation about an Apple television set continue to heat up, Toronto-based Globe and Mail reported that Apple is talking to Canadian carriers Rogers and Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) about being Canadian launch partners for such a product. Citing unnamed sources, the newspaper went so far as to say that both carriers had prototypes in their labs.

Apple TV in Canada
By · 1 Comment

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