John Kheit

Following up last month's article editorial regarding the iPod, it seems that Intel is introducing a new cell phone chip (see video). This single, low-power chip includes the functionality of a 300 MHz processor, 64 MB of RAM, and a digital signal processor. Such a chip would allow for the multitasking of general PDA functionality, cell phone operations, and digital audio/video recording and playback.

Lest you think I was discriminating against Apple in my examination of that company's patents, let's take a look at the brilliant designs, network technology, and Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems cooked up at Microsoft. These include both design patents and utility patents, which have two entirely different meanings. Please refer to my explanation on those differences, and how they may apply to Apple, for more information. In the meanwhile, enjoy the breathtaking and innovation shattering ornamental designs below, along with some vexing patents on such things as digital rights management

Never say never. I certainly never thought I would be writing an article about patents for The Mac Observer, but here we are. My last article on the subject drew a little bit of attention, and I think may have caused some confusion over the different kinds of patents that exist. Hopefully, this piece will help make the issues a little more clear

Apple has been busy patenting everything under the sun it seems, and some of those patents may promise interesting things to come. Others might make you stop, scratch your head and ask "huh, you can do that?" If you want to see the full list of Apple's published patents and pending patent applications, just visit the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). For those that don't crave reading through hundreds of patents, here's a quick patent round-up of user interface, program, hardware, and otherwise interesting developments from Apple

John Kheit says that for a company calling itself a provider of digital hubs, Apple has a glaring hole in its product line. This hole is one what must be filled if Apple is to succeed in this field