Rob Mead at Tech.co.uk shared some of the "secrets" that were revealed at the Apple shareholder's meeting at Cupertino, California.

Third-party apps for iPhone. First, it seems that the iPhone will be open to third-party applications. Apple CEO Steve Jobs had said that the Apple iPhone wouldn't be open to third-party applications, that it would be a closed system based on Mac OS X (the goal was to make sure that the iPhone wouldn't be buggy). But it now seems that Mac developers are free to make apps for the iPhone.

Leopard delay. Steve Jobs also said that the delay of the launch of the Mac OS X Leopard operating system, the next version of Mac OS X, was partly due to the iPhone. According to Jobs, the issue isn't money; the issue is talent. It seems that Apple has dedicated a lot of time and talent to the iPhone, and there just wasn't enough left over for the Leopard. "I wish developing great products was as easy as writing a check," said Jobs. "If so, then Microsoft would have great products."

The smaller and innovative iPhone. It looks like there's a smaller iPhone on the way. Apple has made an application to the US Patent & Trademark Office for a sleek little device with a display on each side (patent number 0070103454). This "Back-Side Interface for Handheld Devices" has a rather interesting concept:

An electronic device uses separate surfaces for input and output. One of the surfaces (e.g. the bottom) includes a force-sensitive touch-surface through which a user provides input (e.g. cursor manipulation and control element selection). On a second surface (e.g. the top), a display element is used to present information appropriate to the device's function (e.g. video information), one or more control elements and a cursor. The cursor is controlled through manipulation of the back-side touch-surface. The cursor identifies where on the back-side touch-surface the user's finger has made contact.

In other words, the new iPhone is a dual-screen set-up with a touch screen. Hm. That reminds us of the Nintendo DS (over 40 million units sold worldwide).

Apple and the mobile phone market. Jobs also said that Apple really has to look deeper into the mobile phone market. In 2006, there were 135 million MP3 players and 200 million PCs sold. But in that same year, there were 1 billion mobile phones sold. That's a big market to explore.

If Apple thinks that the mobile phone market is worth exploring, then we at QJ.NET wish Apple the best. Several of us love our iPods, and if Apple's iPhone can do for mobile phones what the iPod did for "mobile audio and video," then we don't mind the Leopard delay at all.

 

Heads up, iPod users! The future generations of Apple's uber-successful iPod mp3 players might just get the touch-screen treatment as a US patent was granted on the concept to Apple Corporation.

The patent describes an "electronic device uses separate surfaces for input and output. One of the surfaces (e.g., the bottom) includes a force-sensitive touch-surface through which a user provides input (e.g., cursor manipulation and control element selection)."

This development caps a long-standing rumor that Apple is planning to go touch-screen. If the patent makes it to design integration, the iPod should get even more popular as touch-screen controls have proved appealing to a wide audience. It is still uncertain whether video iPods will be among those units which will get the technology integrated, but it certainly does show a lot of promise to take Apple's innovative ways a step further up the rest.

According to Mac News Network, Apple's recent patent application clued in a couple of images detailing the Mac OS X Dashboard and its ability to be manipulated in a 3D fashion. In addition to being able to flip the Dashboard to reveal several other faces of multiple Dashboards, each new face will sport different assortments of widgets as defined by the user of the system.

While it's a novel idea, the concept looks just as similar to Beryl, a breath-taking interface modification for users of supported flavors of Linux. In a similar fashion, Beryl allows Linux users to flip their entire desktop to reveal other different faces of the cube, and each new face also sports a different assortment of windows as set by the user.

Mere "coinkidink"? We'd like to say yes, but then the Apple patent doesn't rip off the concept of "Vista-killer" desktop interface to level against Microsoft's Aero interface. You can hop to the article in MacNN through the "Read" link below, but before you do, check out a demo of just what Beryl does and judge for yourself. Thanks to w00styl3 for the video.

Back in October 2005, Apple filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office about "System and method for computing a desktop picture." Last Thursday, details of the said creation were published for the first time with credits going to employees Ralph Brunner, Imran Chaudhri, and Mark Zimmer.

Accordingly, the Mac OS X operating system will be enhanced with the addition of active desktop pictures, or desktop backgrounds that can include motion graphics. These, then, will alter themselves depending on user actions or the time of the day. The technique will reduce requirements for both VRAM and RAM because static picture files will no longer be used.

Apple went on to explain that since the pictures are being computed quickly by a GPU, they now can be made to move on demand. Part of its patent reads,

This includes movement, for example, when logging in, logging out, and transitioning to and from a screen saver, providing a seamless experience. It can also include slow movement, such as seen when a soft tree shadow is cast, with the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze, or slow movement over time, or concerted movement to mark the passing of time (e.g., a noticeable change to pattern or color every hour).

The "active desktop" patent has many potential uses based on the way Apple described it. Some of the other features include computation of several gradations over time hence mimicking the changes in the color of the sky. As if all of these are not enough, Apple also hinted that users can further enhance the experience using an editing tool.

As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the foregoing examples are provided as just a few examples of the many types of events that may be used to trigger a change in the desktop picture, and are not intended to be an exhaustive list. It will be appreciated that various other types of events may be used to trigger a change in the desktop picture and are within the scope of the present invention.

Apple recently filed a patent on what could be some kind of total home entertainment system that will read music and video from just about every medium from iPods, computers or stand-alone DVD players.

The device may be an enhancement to the already-released Apple TV or may also be an entirely different device in itself. It was also speculated that the device may record media or stream data similar to a Slingbox.

The patent says that this Apple concept is segmented - divided into different modules - and has a central hub coordinating the exchanges. Of course, the user will be able to call the shots in a multitude of ways. Theories that a mouse and keyboard, a remote control or the iPhone can be used to direct everything have surfaced, although no confirmations have been made.

If Apple follows its innovative tradition of allowing third parties to create products that will enhance the system, firms will be likely to get in a rush to capitalize on this market opportunity. Still, everything's still just a patent at this point and a lot of modifications may still be made. We'll keep you posted for new developments. If you want to read more about this new Apple brainchild, follow the read URL.

  

Back in December 2006, we shared with you Apple Corporation's patent for a "hybrid lower computer mouse" which is basically an upgrade of its wireless mouse. As development for the accessory continues, it's becoming imminent that the patent is not just to fix the short battery life of the said peripheral because as you will see, it's capable of a whole lot more.

According to Brian Huppi, the same brilliant designer behind iPhone's interface, the next-generation Apple mouse design can switch between operational modes based on the way a user holds the device's enclosures. Huppi further explained,

The method generally comprises first sensing in which hand position the mouse is being held, each hand position indicating a corresponding mode of operation of the mouse. If the mouse is being held in a first hand position, the mouse performs according to a first mode of operation, whereas if the mouse is being held in a second hand position, the mouse performs according to a second mode of operation.

Brian Huppi then shared that Apple is thinking that the first mode of operation is going to be cursor-based where cursor movements can be seen and used on the display screen. The second mode, on the other hand, could be a scrolling and/or panning movements on the display screen.

Now, if you're wondering how the heck the mouse is going to figure in all of those, Huppi mentioned that the new mouse is configured in such a way to provide command information. This will inform your Mac as to which mode of operation (GUI movements) will be implemented. The designer took note,

The command information is generally provided by a switch arrangement that is actuated by the user during manipulation of the mouse, i.e., the user may switch between cursor movements and scroll/pan movements," he wrote. "For example, the switch arrangement may activate the cursor movements when the hand is positioned proximate the modal areas and it may activate the scroll/pan movements when the hand is positioned away from the modal areas (or vice versa).

Ever heard of Google X? That's the Google webpage that has an Mac OS X interface. It was a project from the Google Labs but it was pulled down after a day.

The interface is pretty cool, but then it turned out that Apple holds the patent for the design. After it was quietly taken down - no official Google or Apple statements were made - around 50 mirror sites turned up like mushrooms sporting the same interface. We may never see an official Google X - but then you never know.

By the way, it has a nice page footer too. "Roses are red. Violets are blue. OS X rocks. Homage to you."

It's back to the courts for Apple's crack lawyer team again. InfoWorld reports that the Cupertino-based company is among those being sued by a little-known Texas firm for infringing on an mp3-related patent.

The suit by Texas MP3 Technologies, filed February 16 in Marshall, Texas, alleges that Apple, Samsung, and Sandisk are infringing on U.S. patent 7,065,417. The patent was awarded in June 2006 to former iPod chip maker SigmaTel, and covers "an MPEG portable sound reproducing system and a method for reproducing sound data compressed using the MPEG method."

According to InfoWorld, SigmaTel sold the patent to a Dallas-based patent licensing agency shortly after receiving rights because it felt the agency was better equipped to take advantage of its potential value. SigmaTel said it had retained international rights to the patent and has insulated its customers from any legal action associated with the patent.

InfoWorld said that it is still unclear whether Texas MP3 Technologies is the Dallas-based company that bought the patents from SigmaTel or whether it acquired them from somewhere else. In the lawsuit, Texas MP3 Technologies said that it is the "assignee of all rights" of the patent and holds "all rights of recovery."

While Apple and iPhone trademark">Cisco may have already settled their differences, the iPhone could very well come under fire again. According to Tech2, Quantum Research has threatened to sue Apple if it finds that the company has infringed on its touch-screen patent.

Quantum, a UK based touch-sensor manufacturer, is currently checking the iPhone for any indications that Apple is using any of their patented touch-screen technologies. Duncan Bryan, licensing director at Quantum Research said that the iPhone's description suggests that it uses a rear-surface touch screen and has proximity sensing which can tell if it is held to the ear. Both are Quantum capabilities.

Tech2 notes that this is Quantum's second attempt to warn Apple about patent infringement. Quantum filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against the Cupertino-based company in December 2005 over Apple's use of Quantum's patented charge transfer technology in the iPod Nano's wheel control. The December 2005 suit is still under process.

Take a bite out of this one. Try a cursory search for an "Apple Phone" in the patent office (you could try Google Patents), and one of the items that pops out (the first, in fact), dates back to the 1980s. It's an Apple Phone alright, but it ain't exactly touch-screen.

  

This is one of the set of patent drawings for "the ornamental design for a telephone, as shown and described," filed in 1982 by Denni F. Rivette, et. al. We guess the only connection this patent has to Apple is Rivette, et. al.'s acknowledgement that the aesthetic design for the phone is taken from the trademark Apple logo (it's there in the patent). We don't know if this was a design commissioned by Apple or the inventors are just giving Jobs due props (most likely the latter - the 80's weren't the iAge).

Still, looking back all these years, one can only imagine if Apple thought of capitalizing on its Apple image. Of course, back then, its image wasn't about all things i- (like iPod, iMac, iTunes, iWantEverythingSuffixedBy"Pod", iTV, iPhone...).

Hey, we're actually quite amused.