Apple and Microsoft sues Google and most big Android manufacturers

Many companies including Microsoft, Apple, Sony, Ericsson, and BlackBerry filed lawsuits again Android manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, LG, Huawei, Asustek, and ZTE, as well as other Android manufacturers. All the lawsuits target Google as well, if only indirectly, and one mentions the company by name, saying its core money-maker, Adwords, violates a 1998 patent.

The company is called Rockstar, and was established as a consortium in 2011, to bid on the trove of technology patents left behind by the bankrupt Canadian technology company Nortel. Back then, Apple, Microsoft, BlackBerry, Ericsson, and Sony teamed up to bid for almost 6,000 of Nortel’s patents, many covering mobile technology. The so-called Rockstar Bidco consortium eventually won the acution, with a bid of $4.5 billion. The other big competitor in the auction was Google, who bid $4.4 billion before giving up. Later, Google bought Motorola for $12.5 billion, and its own treasure trove of patents was reportedly one of the main reasons behind the acquisition.

Rockstar was widely expected to attempt to monetize the 6,000 patents it bought from Nortel, and this week the company made its first move by filing lawsuits against Google, Asustek, HTC, Huawei, LG Electronics, Pantech, Samsung, and ZTE. The suits were filed in the Eastern District of Texas, a district that is well known for favoring plaintiffs in patent cases.

The complaint against Google involves six patents related to serving ads in a search engine describing “an advertisement machine which provides advertisements to a user searching for desired information within a data network”. The technology isn’t related to mobile, but it’s a frontal attack to Google’s bread and butter business, AdWords. The oldest patent precedes Google’s founding, being awarded in 1997, while the newest was awarded in 2011.

Rockstar attacked the group of Android manufacturers with a batch of seven diverse patents, including ones that pertain to navigation through electronic interfaces or to an integrated message center. The stakeholders of Rockstar claim that the consortium acts independently. And, because Rockstar doesn’t have any operations of its own, Google, and other companies in its sights, can’t retaliate with a countersuit, like Samsung did with Apple.

Because Rockstar is a distinct entity, it can even sue companies that its owners have patent agreements with – for instance, Apple and HTC signed a 10-Year patent licensing deal, but that didn’t shelter the Taiwanese company from Rockstar’s suit. Sony, as a stakeholder in Rockstar and a major Google Android partner, is also in an interesting position.


Patent lawsuits can take years to finalize, and it’s not clear yet if the patents that Rockstar yields as a weapon against Google and Android OEMs are essential to their business. In other words, there’s a long way to go before these lawsuits have any tangible effects. However, the fact that Rockstar has finally commenced its attack should be worrying for consumers, who have absolutely nothing to gain from it.

Star Wars R2-D2 Really Smart Safe

                                 Star Wars R2D2 Smart Safe

 If you have valuables, then R2 is the droid for the job. He also lights up and makes sounds. He’s exactly the droid you are looking for.

"An extremely well put-together little droid."

You can say that the most accomplished astromech droid ever in terms of its lifespan would be R2D2, having made an appearance in just about all of the Star Wars shows, The "Star Wars R2D2 Smart Safe" works great as it is able to integrate itself seamlessly with your smartphone, be it of the Android or iOS persuasion. The Star Wars R2D2 Smart Safe relies on sensor based technology.This officially licensed product is powered by a trio of AAA batteries, so make sure you always have spares around the house!

Iphone 5 Nano Sim – What it Means for the Product ?

Nano Sim card is the next generation sim card which is being designed, patented and standardized by the apple computers.Nano Sim cards come under the 4FF (Fourth form factor) standard. To better understand what its means and  the evolution of sim cards we have a comparison of Mini Sim Vs Micro Sim vs Nano sim. What exactly nano sim will benefit the mobile device manufacturers is it will help them reduce the sim card slot dimension which will inturn help them design more slimmer phones which the market is hungry. Its almost confirmed that Iphone 5 will be designded to accomate so as like the Micro sim for Iphone 4S.

Normal Sim (Mini Sim) vs Micro Sim vs Nano Sim

As you may clearly see from the above picture the normal sim or the mini sim we are using covers  around 375 mm square of space, where as the micro sim cut it more than half intelligently removing a lot of plastic space, but Apple was very late to communicate this to the market which led may operators cut there normal mini sim to accomodate to the device and poorly plan there micro sim supply. Whereas very latest of the lot the Nano sim which is of 4FF standard is only 108 mm square dimension almost half micro sim. as you may see there is virtually no plastic part and only the chip is left with. One good thing is as you may see from the three pictures the evolution was only by cutting the plastic part wheras leavinmg the chip intact so we can very well assume we will be getting all the sophistication which is there in mini sim in micro and nano sim cards, this confirmed by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) which sets the standards for the sim cards.

Iphone 5 Nano Sim – What it Means for the Product

As we are certain that the Iphone 5 will use the the nano sim card, but what will the benefit nano sim card bring to the Iphone 5, First and foremost it will help save the design space which in turn will help Apple to reduce the size of Iphone 5. Looking from the design its very compatible for the sim locked phone which the Apple and the operators promoters will love on the other hand end users like us who love to unlock may face some kind of pain do it. For unlocked users also  it will tempt you to stick with single operator.

Apple’s iPhone will be the first consumer device to adopt the Nano SIM standard, just as the iPhone 4 popularized the Micro SIM card.

What do you think, will the next iPhone will feature Micro SIM or Nano SIM?

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Samsung asks iPhone users,"Can your phone do this ?"

Samsung hits the streets to challenge iPhone users with Galaxy Note

Samsung marketing executive Younghee Lee recently said she wants consumers to be “obsessed with the company and its products.” The ironic thing is that her company Samsung is obsessed with Apple and its iPhone. In a new series of web videos called Street Challenge, Samsung once again goes after iPhone users and asks them if their phone can do things the Galaxy Note can.

Read more ....

Compared to Samsung’s Super Bowl ad, this clip actually does a good job of highlighting the unique features of the Note’s S-Pen and showcases some real examples of what it can do. Check out the video below and let us know what you think.

Speaking of the Super Bowl ad, Samsung has actually been uploading a bunch of awesome videos for the Galaxy Note. The first 60-second clip below would have probably cost about $10 million less to produce than their 90-second ad, and it does a much better job of showing off the product.

So, anyone pick up the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note yet?

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Apple Products are banned… ??

Wing the declaration by the company to withdraw an array of 39 of its products from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Green Hardware Certification. The city, which is very well known for its environmental concerns, may prohibit government agencies and municipal officials from buying new Apple computers.

San Francisco’s chief information officer Jon Walton told the BBC that the city has a long tradition of following the policy of purchasing the EPEAT-certified IT devices. Apple may have dropped following the EPEAT standards anticipating its new hardware designs that would not satisfy the criteria laid for the registry to EPEAT. EPEAT CEO Robert Frisbee said that Apple itself has confirmed their designs to be no longer consistent with the EPEAT requirements.

The EPEAT list identifies, certifies and rewards those companies and products that possess certain environment-friendly traits, one among which is the ability to be recycled. Many of Apple’s devices are hostile to recycling, such as MacBook Pro with retina display which is almost impossible to disassemble.

Meanwhile, according to Apple’s spokesperson, the company takes a comprehensive approach to measuring the environmental impact the products have and all the products meet the energy efficiency standards put up by the U. S. government.

But the government official says that Apple comes in front in other environmental issues also that are not considers by EPEAT, such as the emission of toxic materials.

In the year 2010, San Francisco has spent over $ 45, 000 on Apple products. Though the figure is negligible when compared to the total $ 65 billion purchase Apple has every year, the ban can cast a significant mark on the sales, especially if the other municipalities and institutions follow the trend. Since EPEAT has close ties with the U. S. government more and more official bodies would be forced to stop the purchase of Apple devices.

Apple’s decision would also resonate further as a number of environment-conscious schools and corporations have decided to purchase only EPEAT-friendly electronic devices.

What is EPEAT? Read on

The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is a comprehensive environmental rating that helps the consumers to identify eco-friendly computers and other electronic devices. The EPEAT, backed by the U. S. government, was conceived and developed through collaboration of stakeholders from the business, advocacy and academic fields.

EPEAT certification is given to electronic devices according to certain criteria, which comprises of two sections: required criteria and optional criteria. In order to get registered into the EPEAT list, the products should meet all the required criteria and some of the optional criteria and the products are rated Bronze, Silver and Gold according to how many optional criteria they fulfill.

EPEAT makes it easy for the environment- conscious customers to buy eco-friendly products. It is also a chance for the manufacturing companies to showcase their greener and cleaner products.

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Google, Amazon, Apple Battle Over Web Domains

The full list of new Internet address endings was unveiled Wednesday, in a shake-up designed to increase consumer choice and make the Web a safer and more trusted place to do business.  

The full list of new Internet address endings was unveiled Wednesday, in a shake-up designed to increase consumer choice and make the Web a safer and more trusted place to do business.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) said 1,930 applications had been made, including 901 from North America, 675 from Europe and 17 from Africa. The cost of an application is $185,000.
The new system dramatically expands top-level domains from the familiar .com, .org, .edu or country codes like .fr, .de and .it.




“This is an historic day for the Internet and the more than 2 billion people around the world who depend on it. The Internet is about to change for ever,” said Rod Beckstrom, President and CEO of Icann.
“If even three-quarters of these applications are approved, the number of top-level domains will expand four-fold.”

Applications range from .aaa to .zulu. Inevitably, both .porn and .sex were applied for, but so too were .love and .lol.

The top five contested domains were .app (13), .home (11) .inc (11), .art (10) and .blog (9).
Tech companies including Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. all applied to run their own registries. Amazon was among the most voracious, submitting 75 applications including .author, .book, .circle, .like, .news and .shop.

Even the Vatican, through the Pontifical Council for Social Communication, bought up the .catholic registry, as well as the same word in Arabic, Cyrillic and Chinese. There were 116 applications for non-Roman script extensions, including the Arabic for bazaar. There was only one application in Hebrew, for the transliteration of “.com.”

In reply to questions about trademark disputes, Mr. Beckstrom said there were nine ways in which complaints could be resolved, including the ability for a rapid take-down system.
Some corporations have criticized Icann’s system, raising concerns that companies will need to buy many more defensive addresses or even full domain names to protect their trademarks. Damian Herrington, lawyer in DLA Piper’s Intellectual Property and Technology practice, said in an emailed statement. “While procedures for resolving conflicts and protecting certain rights holders have been provided for, it remains to be seen how these will work in practice,” he said. “Given the uncharted territory, high levels of investment involved and the messy start to the procedure, future court litigation involving applicants, other rights holders and/ or Icann seems inevitable.”

Charlie Abrahams, VP for San Francisco-based MarkMonitor, said some of the generic top-level domains were contentious. “.sucks may be seen as little more than corporate blackmail. Is it in the interests of the internet?,” he said. Mr. Abrahams suggested corporations might be forced to buy the name simply to stop others from using it.

The allegation was denied by John Berard, a spokesman for Vox Populi Registry Inc., one of three companies contesting the name. He said that if successful in acquiring the domain, it would be used for companies to engage in debate with disgruntled customers. “We are trying to create a new hub between consumers and companies. It will be a real advantage because companies have been seeking this kind of input and consumers have been looking for a way to be heard.”
Peter Dengate-Thrush, until recently chairman of Icann, but now behind a domain-registering service, welcomed the changes.

“The domain name system was set up in the 1980s when the Internet was much smaller. This is another step in bringing the internet to the people,” Mr. Dengate-Thrush said.

He said the new system improved confidence among consumers. “Say you are buying Nike products. If you see something ending in .nike you know they are dealing with the genuine goods. If there is a question of sending money or making a complaint, then the consumers and traders are going to be that much safer,” he said.

David Green, head of global digital marketing for KPMG, said that the new domain-name system would make the Internet safer. “All of the applicants have applied for the right top operate their own secure part of the Internet. They can determine who is in and who is excluded. Secondly these new registry databases have a layer of security called DNSSEC, so the point-to-point communication is a lot more secure,” Mr. Green said.

The announcement of the applications is just the first stage. All applications need to go through vetting and testing before the name will be granted. Applications will be done in four batches. The 231 domains that are disputed (more than one applicant) will go through a process to determine who will be awarded the name.
The first of the new names isn’t expected to be live until the first quarter of 2013 at the earliest.

Apple's war with Google heats up

When Apple Inc kicks off its annual conference for software developers on Monday, all the power players in the Apple universe will be on hand, save the one that is in many ways driving the agenda: Google Inc. 

More than ever, the consumer electronics juggernaut finds itself in a pitched battle with the online search giant - in smartphones, cloud computing and the never-ending competition for the hearts and minds of the best software developers.

Apple is expected to announce its own mapping application, challenging the position of Google Maps as one of the most-valued features on the iPhone. It will unveil closer integration of its iPhone apps and iCloud storage service with all its devices, the latest riposte in its battle with Google's Android smartphone software.

When Apple Inc kicks off its annual conference for software developers on Monday, all the power players in the Apple universe will be on hand, save the one that is in many ways driving the agenda: Google Inc.
More than ever, the consumer electronics juggernaut finds itself in a pitched battle with the online search giant - in smartphones, cloud computing and the never-ending competition for the hearts and minds of the best software developers.

Apple on Monday is expected to announce its own mapping application, challenging the position of Google Maps as one of the most-valued features on the iPhone. It will unveil closer integration of its iPhone apps and iCloud storage service with all its devices, the latest riposte in its battle with Google's Android smartphone software.

It may promote the latest in Siri, the voice interface that the company thinks can continue to set the iPhone and the iPad apart from the Android pack.

And there will likely be a new line of Macintosh laptops too - underscoring the leverage that a full line of hardware products can bring to what is mainly a software war with Google.

Apple is looking to differentiate its mobile devices from Google's Android by further enticing consumers deeper into its app ecosystem, said Carolina Milanesi, analyst at Gartner Research.

"It's all about loyalty and basically leveraging the opportunity of selling more to them," she said. "I don't think the consumers in the mass market are necessarily tied into the Android ecosystem in the same way that consumers on the Apple side are."

Battling in many arenas, the rivals employ different weapons. Apple's vise-like grip on its ecosystem - with the closely managed app store and its seamless integration with the hardware - stands in sharp contrast to Google's free-for-all approach.

An Apple computer is shown on Google's company campus in Mountain View, California February 9, 2010.

The open system approach, reminiscent of Microsoft Corp's hugely successful strategy of creating standard-setting software that runs on a variety of hardware, has allowed Android to capture the market lead in smartphones (albeit with nothing close to Apple's profit margins).

Android has also helped create several potent hardware rivals to Apple. Samsung Electronics' Android-driven Galaxy S III is drawing favorable comparisons to iPhone and Amazon.com Inc's cheaper Kindle Fire is challenging Apple in tablets and digital content.

Apple's expected move to replace Google Maps with its own mapping application is a particularly dramatic example of how the rivalry between the companies has been evolving.

Google has invested huge sums in its mapping technology over the years, and about half of its map traffic now comes from iPhones and iPads. Among other things, the traffic from those devices reveals valuable location data that helps improve the mapping service and provides features like real-time traffic reports.

Apple has spent three years preparing to take mapping back. It has integrated technology from acquisitions such as 3D mapping company C3 Technologies, Canadian startup Poly9 Group and mapping service Placebase, said ISI analyst Brian Marshall.

"As Apple builds out its Siri service, they build out the iCloud infrastructure and more capability into its operating system, location data is going to become important," said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.
"This could help their advertising business too."

MULTI-PRONGED BATTLE

In what was seen as a pre-emptive move against Apple's upcoming maps service, Google on Wednesday showed off its own mapping capabilities, including soon-to-be-launched 3D features.

While Google executives avoided any comment on the possibility of being ousted as a default service on Apple devices, one executive said the integration with Google's search engine provides a mapping service that is far more useful than a product that simply uses a "geocoder.

Apple began to use its own geocoder - technology that uses geographic coordinates to create a digital map - for the Google-based maps on its smartphones late last year, a move that was seen as a precursor to Apple using its own map software.

Another software upgrade that fans and developers are hoping for is Siri, a popular voice-enabled personal assistant service that Google has yet to match.

The service could come out of its beta testing phase and show up on the iPad when Apple unveils iOS6 or the next version of its mobile operating software.

Siri, which has been plagued with connectivity and other issues, is still in beta test version.

Apple's global war on Google and Android in the courts is one sign of how seriously it is taking the potential threat. The consumer device giant is seeing limited success, though, in courtrooms for various patent infringement cases it has against Android manufacturers.

Apple said this week it is mulling a legal order to stop the U.S. launch of Samsung Galaxy S III phone later this month. Samsung is one of the biggest Android phone manufacturers.

In another of the many lawsuits worldwide pitting Apple against Motorola Mobility, now owned by Google, a federal judge canceled a scheduled trial as neither could prove damages. That decision particularly hurts Apple because the iPhone maker was seeking an injunction barring the sale of Android products, said Brian Love, a professor at Stanford Law School.

"The Android side is likely thrilled to simply have the case go away," Love said.
Apple declined to comment on the case.


MACBOOK REDESIGN IN THE WORKS


Where Apple has the upper hand is in its hardware - groundbreaking in design, vastly popular with consumers for its ease of use.

The redesigned MacBook laptops to hit the stage next week are expected to include high-definition screens and Intel Corp's Ivy Bridge cutting-edge processors. Some even expect the iPad's "retina" display to show up on the MacBook line.

This would be Apple's first big redesign of the MacBook Pro since mid-2009. With the new lineup, it hopes to fend off budding competition from rival manufacturers who are pushing a spate of new, thinner laptops called "Ultrabooks."


Windows 8, a new version of Microsoft's flagship operating system that runs on tablet computers as well as PCs, will bolster PC makers' ability to offer premier computers rivaling Apple's MacBook line.

Already, about 20 touch-enabled ultrabook designs with various styles of foldable, detachable or sliding keyboards running the new Windows 8 system are in the pipeline.

The MacBook line generated 13 percent, or about $5 billion, of Apple's fiscal second-quarter revenue. Unit sales of the aging lineup were up 7 percent from the previous year but were down 23 percent sequentially.



 Whatever the case, Apple fans and partners can look forward to a fairly action-packed week.
"Apple is very serious about getting far in front of Windows 8 and Ultrabooks," said Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes. But "software and services will be the focus, with major enhancements to Maps, iCloud and Siri, which developers and users can take advantage of."

Microsoft takes on Apple with plans to bring Xbox gaming to tablets and smartphones as firm launches 'next-generation smart TV'

Microsoft has revealed plans to bring its Xbox gaming service to tablet computers and mobile phones.
New software called 'Smart Glass' will let console owners use their phone or tablet as a remote control for their games console, and to see information about shows as they watch.
They can also 'beam' video and music from their phone to their Xbox.

Launch: Microsoft's Phil Spencer speaks at the Xbox briefing event in Los Angeles on Monday

Network: Future versions of the console will work with smartphones, tablet computers and televisions

Smart Glass: The new technology is believed to be an attempt to compete with the likes of Apple

Connected: The next generation of televisions is expected to be hooked up to the internet by default

Browser: A new version of Internet Explorer is designed to work with the XboxSpectacle: R&B star Usher performed at the Microsoft event which came ahead of the E3 convention

Anticipation: Queues for the Microsoft media briefing show the excitement around the new Xbox launch

'Every TV becomes smart next-generation TV,' said Xbox's Don Mattrick at a glitzy press conference which featured a performance from rap star Usher.
It comes as Apple is also believed to developing a smart TV which some analysts say could be on sale early next year.

Xbox showed a demonstration of its technology using HBO show Game of Thrones, with users seeing a map of the show's locations which changed in real time as the episode progressed.
The software is set to be launched later this year, and is expected to be free for console owners.

'This is a breakthrough in entertainment that makes all your devices work together,' said Mark Witten of Xbox live. 'Xbox Smart Glass works with TV, phone and tablet.'
Microsoft also revealed it is releasing a version of its Internet Explorer web browser for the console, which will let users use a phone or remote as a trackpad to navigate web pages.
The company also unveiled a new music service for its Xbox console designed to take on iTunes and Spotify.
Called Xbox Music, it is set to launch later this year, and will also work on phones and tablets running Microsoft software.
It will allow users to download and listen to music through their living room TV, as well as on their mobile. The firm also showed the service running on tablet computer, but refused to reveal any details of pricing.
The firm also showed off a raft of new games for its Xbox console at the E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles, including a new version of the hugely popular Halo and Call of Duty.
Microsoft has also signed a deal with Nike to create a new fitness game using the Kinect camera, which can track players as they work out, and even let them work out with others.
'Nike plus Kinect training will give you access to the same training as our elite athletes,' said Nike's Stefan Orlando.
'You can earn fuel points, and be reminded via your phone every time you are due a workout.'

Steve Jobs Hated iMac, Wanted to Call it ‘MacMan’

Instead of an iMac, you might have a MacMan — if it wasn’t for Kevin Segall.

In an excerpt from his upcoming book published by Fast Company, Segall, the man behind Apple’s ‘Think Different’ campaign tells the story of the first time he saw the iMac.

In true Apple form, Jobs made everyone invited to a meeting wait to see the computer, then whipped a gray sheet off the device to reveal the computer that would put Apple back on the map.

“The group let out a collective “holy cow” and simply tried to absorb and appreciate what we were seeing–because it shattered every idea of what computers were supposed to look like,” Segall write in the excerpt. “It was a colorful one-piece computer that showed off its inner circuitry through a semitransparent shell.

“I’d like to believe we were all so smart that within seconds we were convinced that we were witnessing the start of a miracle resurgence. But it wasn’t quite like that.”

Once the computer was on the fast-track to production, the group was called together once again to come up with a name for the revolutionary device. Segall recounts Steve Jobs saying to the group, “We already have a name we like a lot, but I want you guys to see if you can beat it. The name is ‘MacMan.’ ”

After comparing the name to both Sony’s Walkman and the popular arcade game PacMan Segall suggested the name that finally stuck: iMac. Keeping the Mac in the name to let you know who made the computer, and adding the i to indicate that the computer was designed to be used on the internet.

The iMac name was not originally a hit with Jobs. It took a few attempts and a little persuasion to get him to stray from the MacMan name.

Jobs also had the new name silk-screened onto the model of the computer to see how it looked before finally settling on the name, one that would define not only that computer but a legacy of i products in the future.

Would the iMac have been as successful if it had been named MacMan? Let us know your thoughts in the comments

Apple’s WWDC 2012 kicks off June 11th

Apple has just announced that the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference will take place in San Francisco from June 11th to June 15th. Apple is providing over 100 sessions on iOS and OS X, in addition to a student scholarship program. Press release is after the break.

UPDATE: Tickets for WWDC 2012 have sold out in less than two hours.

CUPERTINO, Calif., Apr 25, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Apple(R) today announced that it will hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) June 11 through June 15 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. At this year’s five-day conference, developers will learn about the future of iOS and OS X(R), allowing them to build incredible new apps. WWDC will also feature more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers as well as the popular Apple Design Awards, a showcase of the most outstanding apps from the past year.

“We have a great WWDC planned this year and can’t wait to share the latest news about iOS and OS X Mountain Lion with developers,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The iOS platform has created an entirely new industry with fantastic opportunities for developers across the country and around the world.”

Developers will be able to explore the latest innovations, features and capabilities of iOS and OS X Mountain Lion and learn how to greatly enhance the functionality, performance, quality and design of their apps. Developers can even bring their code to the labs and work with Apple engineers, applying development techniques and best-practices to enhance their apps.

Activities at Apple’s WWDC 2012 include:

– more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers on a wide range of technology-specific topics for developing, deploying and integrating the latest iOS and OS X technologies;

– 100 hands-on labs staffed by more than 1,000 Apple engineers providing developers with code-level assistance, insight into optimal development techniques and guidance on how they can make the most of iOS and OS X technologies in their apps;

– the opportunity to connect with thousands of fellow iOS and OS X developers from around the world–last year more than 60 countries were represented;

– engaging and inspirational lunchtime sessions with leading minds and influencers from the worlds of technology, science and entertainment; and

– Apple Design Awards which recognize iPhone(R), iPad(R) and Mac(R) apps that demonstrate technical excellence, innovation and outstanding design.

Please go to the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2012 website (developer.apple.com/wwdc) to purchase tickets, as well as for updates and more information.

Developers who are unable to attend this year’s conference can access and watch all technical sessions from the Apple Developer website (developer.apple.com/videos) as soon as they are posted for free.

Samsung, Amazon emerge as Apple’s only tablet rivals… but barely

More than 100 media tablets were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2011 as the industry struggled to respond to Apple’s iPad. The company’s tablet burst onto the scene less than a year earlier, and Apple’s rivals saw a tremendous opportunity in the revival of the consumer tablet market. Few success stories emerged, however, and new tablet models were few and far between a year later at CES 2012.

Apple’s success in the space continued, however, and the Cupertino, California-based company found even more success with its second- and third-generation models. Apple sold 3 million iPads during the tablet’s first 80 days of availability in April 2010, and its most recent iPad sold 3 million units in just three days.

While a number of companies continue to push forward in the tablet market, a recent survey conducted by ChangeWave found that Apple’s only competition comes from two sources — Amazon and Samsung — and neither company poses what might be considered a substantial threat. ChangeWave surveyed 2,893 consumers to gauge North American tablet demand, and the firm found that Apple’s iPad is still the overwhelming leader in the space.

Among consumers looking to purchase a tablet in the next 90 days, 73% said they will purchase Apple’s iPad. Amazon’s Kindle Fire was the iPad’s nearest rival in terms of demand, garnering interest from only 8% of respondents. Just 6% of those surveyed said they had plans to purchase a Galaxy Tab model from Samsung, and no other tablet vendor saw interest from more than 3% of respondents.

“When it comes to consumer demand for individual manufacturers, 73% of planned tablet buyers are still reporting they’ll purchase an iPad,” ChangeWave analysts said in their report. “And while that’s down a bit from the extraordinary demand levels seen at the time of the March new iPad launch, it’s a clear sign that Apple’s massive domination of the market is continuing going forward.”

The firm continued, noting that despite being the iPad’s closest rival among respondents, demand for Amazon’s Kindle Fire dropped by two-thirds in May compared to when the tablet launched last November. A recent report from IDC stated that Amazon’s share of the tablet market tumbled to 4% in the first quarter this year, down from 16.8% in the prior quarter.

Microsoft set to release Office for iOS and Android tablets in November

BGR has learned from a reliable source that Microsoft is currently planning to release the company’s full Office suite for not only Apple’s iPad, but for Android tablets as well. The company is targeting November of this year for both launches. Additionally, our source has seen Microsoft Office running on an iPad first-hand and has said that it looks almost identical to the previous leak from The Daily a few months back, despite the fact that Microsoft flat out denied that the app was authentic. It is also plausible that Microsoft Office will be coming to the iPhone and iPod touch rather than only the iPad, as we’re told the loading screen in the app clearly said “Office for iOS” and not just iPad.

Microsoft Said To Introduce Office For IPads

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is preparing to release its first-ever version of its Office software forApple Inc. (AAPL)’s mobile devices this year, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

The software will make the word-processing program Word and spreadsheet-maker Excel available on Apple’s iPad tablets and iPhones, said the people, who requested anonymity because the product hasn’t been made public.

Enlarge image

Adding Office software onto the iPad is key to Microsoft’s growth, particularly in the corporate market. IPads accounted for 97 percent of tablets bought by businesses in the first quarter, according to a survey of users by Good Technology Inc., a maker of wireless-device security technology. Devices that run Microsoft software and compete with the iPad won’t be available until later this year.

The software could either be preloaded on some devices or sold as an application at Apple’s App Store. There will be competition: The top-grossing app last Christmas was Google Inc.’s Quickoffice, a productivity tool for viewing and editing Office documents.

Another app, CloudOn, which lets consumers use Word, Excel and PowerPoint on tablets, has had more than 1 million downloads, and raised about $10 million in venture capital, CloudOn Inc. Chief Executive Officer Milind Gadekar said in an interview. The startup has always expected Microsoft to come out with its own version of Office for tablets and hopes to win customers with extra features, Gadekar said.

Tablet sales will climb 85 percent to 126.6 million units this year, according to IHS iSuppli Research . IPads accounted for two of every three tablets sold in the first quarter, according to data compiled by ABI Research and Bloomberg.

Mobile-Phone Presence

Microsoft has been making an effort to increase its presence on mobile devices. The Redmond, Washington-based company struck a deal with Nokia Oyj to place its Windows operating system on Nokia’s handsets and earlier this year Microsoft showed off a version of the system run on ARM processors, which are found on most mobile phones.

The company will release the next version of Office, called Office 15, in the coming months, according to Microsoft. Microsoft’s business division reported $5.81 billion in revenue last quarter, a 10 percent increase from a year ago, as demand for Office 2010 remained strong.

The Boy Genius Report said on May 23 that Microsoft is planning to release Office for Apple and Android mobile devices in November.

Apple may ditch Google maps in next version of iOS

Apple and Google are known to fight on occasion, so we shouldn't be surprised that the two are having a little tiff over maps right now. But let's review what's going on.

As the folks at the Wall Street Journal point out, "the iPhone and Google Maps have seemed like ideal digital bedfellows" ever since they got together in 2007. The iPhone has relied on Google Maps — the search engine giant's map service — in order to keep Apple fanboys and fangirls from getting lost in the real world.

But, based on recent reports, Apple may finally be ready to ditch Google's resources for its own. According to BGR's Jonathan Geller, iOS 6 — the next version of Apple's mobile operating system — will bring 3-D mapping features which use mapping technology developed by Apple. The Wall Street Journal explains that the Cupertino-based company may preview iOS 6 during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote on June 11 2012.

According to current and former Apple employees who've spoken with the Wall Street Journal, "Apple has been hatching the plan to evict Google Maps from the iPhone for years." Over time, Apple has "quietly acquired at least three cutting-edge map companies, melding their technology with its own" and begun developing its own proprietary mapping service.

Google isn't standing by idly, of course. The company is holding a press event on June 6 — mere days before Apple's keynote event — during which Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps and Google Earth, will show off "the next dimension of Google Maps."

The latest technologies in iOS and OS X

With six technical tracks and more than 100 sessions and labs, we’ve got you covered.

Essentials

iOS and OS X deliver robust frameworks that enable developers to create beautiful and feature-rich applications. Sessions for iOS developers will explain how to develop fluid and realistic interfaces and take full advantage of the iPad’s Retina display. They will cover best practices using essential frameworks like UIKit and Core Data, and teach essential tips for how to improve your app’s performance and stability.

Sessions for OS X developers will cover Mountain Lion extensively and help you master Cocoa frameworks like AppKit to provide a contemporary and consistent user experience, CoreText to enable multi-lingual text handling and display and show you how to push your OS X applications even further using advanced multi-touch gestures and layer-backed views for smooth high-performing animations.

Learn techniques to reduce your development time and enhance your application’s visual design while also preparing your applications for new markets by making the most of Accessibility and Internationalization.

App Services

There are a wealth of additional frameworks and services beyond UIKit and AppKit that exist to extend your app’s functionality and go beyond the user’s device. Learn how your application can integrate with iCloud so that your users can seamlessly access documents and data from all of their connected iOS and OS X devices.

Explore new opportunities for generating revenue with StoreKit, by letting the user unlock functionality, download game content, subscribe to services, sign up for automatically renewed subscriptions, and much more—all within a custom storefront presented in your app. Hear from experts about how you can leverage Core Location and Map Kit on iOS to let users find others, locate places of interest, and explore the world around them. Discover how to integrate with Twitter, Contacts, and Calendar to make content in your app more personally meaningful. Find out how you can send emails or text messages from within your own UI without disrupting the flow of your application. Understand how to use push and local notifications to keep users up to date at all times or alert them to important events

Developer Tools

Xcode gives you professional-strength tools for building state-of-the art OS X and iOS applications. See how to get the most out of Xcode and build better apps faster and more easily. Dive deep into Apple’s next generation compiler technology. Understand performance analysis with Instruments. Explore what’s new in iTunes Connect. Master powerful workflows for navigating and editing source code in Xcode. Learn how Schemes make it easier to test, debug, and profile your code. See how Xcode’s distribution workflow makes it easy to prepare builds for testers, submit apps to iTunes Connect, and symbolicate logs, and sign your apps with Developer ID. Learn from performance experts how you can use Instruments to find CPU, I/O, or memory bottlenecks and understand how to fix them so your app will perform at its best.

Graphics, Media, and Games

iOS and OS X deliver an unparalleled lineup of technologies and tools for creating innovative graphical applications, engaging audio and video experiences, compelling games, and media-rich books.

Extend the viewing experience of your app with AirPlay. Learn new ways to use the Graphics tools. Discover how to create top-notch books for iBooks. Dive into specialized frameworks such as OpenGL, OpenCL, OpenGL ES, GL Kit, Scene Kit, Core Animation, Core Graphics, and Core Image and learn to how to deliver rich 2D and 3D graphics, smooth animations, fast parallel computation, and stunning photo, video, and image effects.

Tap into the state-of-the-art AV Foundation APIs for capturing, editing, playing, and streaming audio and video media. Understand the key ingredients of the best games and learn about using Game Center to create an incredible gameplay experience. Learn the best practices to streamline book creation and deliver the best experience for your content.

Safari and Web

Safari and WebKit have evolved to support an even wider range of the latest and greatest open web technologies, which you can use to deliver sophisticated interfaces and interactions throughout iOS and OS X. Discover new features and learn the best practices for using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create web pages, embed web content in native apps, and build first-class Safari extensions. Explore new web technologies that let you deliver cutting-edge rich media experiences. See how to optimize your web code for optimal display and performance, regardless of the app it’s viewed in or the display it’s viewed on. Learn how to create a Safari extension that serves as a companion to your website or OS X app, or that enhances the user experience on any website. Master new features in Safari’s integrated developer tools to streamline your development and craft high-performance code.

Core OS

At the heart of iOS and OS X are powerful Core OS low-level frameworks and services. The Core OS sessions give you the practical knowledge you need to harness these technologies. Understand the secure coding practices involved in designing, building, and testing apps that defend their code and data from malicious attack. Learn how to create trusted code-signed apps for Gatekeeper in Mountain Lion.  Hear all the details about sandboxing for your Mac App Store apps.

Get expert advice on implementing secure, high-performance networking and learn how to use the latest tools to measure performance and diagnose network problems. Learn detailed technical information about external accessories, local and network file systems, inter-process communication, power management, device drivers, and kernel topics. Understanding when and how to use the low-level frameworks is essential if you want to achieve the best possible performance, battery life, and overall stability for your app.