Apple Loses A7/A8 Patent Lawsuit, Could Owe University of Wisconsin Up to $862 Million

Last year, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), which protects the University of Wisconsin’s intellectual rights and patents, sued Apple for infringing on one of its processor patents. According to the lawsuit, Apple used the University’s technology in its A7, A8, and A8X processors included in the 2013 and 2014 iPhone and iPad lineup.

A Wisconsin jury today found Apple guilty of infringing on the patent owned by WARF, reports Reuters, and as a result, the Cupertino-based company could be forced to pay up to $862 million in damages. The jury also ruled that the patent was valid, negating Apple’s argument that it was invalid and no infringement had taken place.

Cupertino, California-based Apple denied any infringement and argued the patent is invalid, according to court papers. Apple previously tried to convince the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to review the patent’s validity, but in April the agency rejected the bid.

According to a recent ruling by U.S. District Judge William Conley, who is presiding over the case, Apple could be liable for up to $862.4 million in damages.

Granted in 1998, the patent in question covers a method for improving processor efficiency and is titled “Table based data speculation circuit for parallel processing computer.” It lists several current and former University of Wisconsin researchers as inventors.

Now that the jury has decided Apple used the university’s technology in its processors, the trial will move on to decide the damages owed. Following that, there will be a third trial phase to determine whether Apple willfully infringed on the patent, which could significantly increase the damages owed.

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has also filed a second lawsuit against Apple for the same patent, accusing the company of using the technology in the A9 and A9X found in the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and iPad Pro.

Apple Sponsoring 2016 ‘Fashion in an Age of Technology’ Met Gala

The Metropolitan Museum of Art today shared details on its annual 2016 Gala and Costume Institute exhibition, which will be sponsored by Apple with Jony Ive serving as a co-chair. The theme for the 2016 event, which will take place on May 2, is “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.”

The Met Gala, held each year, is a fund raising event that benefits the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute. The theme chosen for the gala each year reflects the theme of the Costume Institute exhibition and dictates what Met Gala attendees should wear. Last year’s theme was “China: Through the Looking Glass.”

According to Vogue, this year’s event will focus on the dichotomy between handmade haute couture and machine-made fashion, featuring more than 100 pieces of fashion. Techniques like embroidery, pleating, and lacework will be juxtaposed with technologies like laser cutting and thermo shaping.

The intersection of technology and fashion is a fitting choice for the year Apple is sponsoring the event, as the company came out with its first fashion item, the Apple Watch, in 2015.

“Traditionally, the distinction between the haute couture and prêt-à-porter was based on the handmade and the machine-made,” explains Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute. “But recently this distinction has become increasingly blurred as both disciplines have embraced the practices and techniques of the other.”

The 2016 Met Gala, in addition to being sponsored by Apple, will be hosted by co-chairs Jony Ive, Taylor Swift, and Idris Elba. Anna Wintour, Nicolas Ghesquiére, Karl Lagerfeld, and Miuccia Prada will serve as honorary chairs.

Image via Vogue

Review: The Gamevice Turns Your iPad Mini Into a Portable Gaming Console

There are a wide range of Made for iPhone Apple-certified controllers on the market these days, but the Gamevice is unique because it turns the iPad mini into a portable gaming console. The controller fits on either side of the iPad mini, plugging directly into the Lightning port for a lag-free, reliable gaming experience.

There are several similar controllers for the iPhone, but the Gamevice is the only option that lets you hold the iPad mini while playing, so there’s no need for a stand or a flat surface to rest the tablet on. I went hands-on with the Gamevice to see how it compares to more standard controllers on the market, and while I wasn’t impressed with the size, I did enjoy the gameplay experience.

Design

The Gamevice consists of two halves of a controller that are held together with a soft, flexible piece of rubber. The left side of the controller has an analog stick, a d-pad, and a power button, while the right side of the controller has a second analog stick, a pause button, and four action buttons in a familiar ABXY Xbox-style layout. There are also two sets of trigger buttons on each side of the controller. Design wise, the Gamevice looks like the product of a mating between the Xbox One controller and the Wii U GamePad.

Made of a lightweight matte black plastic, the controller exterior feels a bit cheap, but if it were made of a heavier material, it would be too heavy to hold for long periods of time. Materials wise, I’d say it’s on par with many of the other Made for iPhone game controllers on the market, but the buttons/analog sticks are superior quality and feel much better underhand. In fact, I’d suggest this is the MFi controller with a feel closest to the Xbox One controller because of how much it borrows from Microsoft.

The analog sticks are smooth and easy to use, reminiscent of the analog sticks on an Xbox One controller, and they have rubber around the top for a solid grip. The action buttons also reminded me of an Xbox controller, and while they sound very clicky when pressed (as do the triggers), they’re smooth and easy to press with no sticking. TheThe major addition to the 21.5-inch iMac line is the new high-end model that now includes a 4K Retina display to complement the 5K Retina iMac that’s been around since last year.d-pad is a standard four-direction pad and not one of the circular directional pads that are on many other similar controllers.
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Microsoft Updates Office 2016 Apps With Security Fixes, Feature Improvements

Microsoft today released updates for each of its Office 2016 apps, introducing feature improvements, security enhancements, and bug fixes to Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. All apps have been updated with a security fix for vulnerabilities that could allow remote code execution should a user open a specially crafted Office file.

All of the apps have also gained new Chinese and Japanese default fonts and improvements to the Visual Basic Editor that allows users to add modules and references and use debug shortcuts. Other fixes and improvements are listed below:

Outlook
– Improved VoiceOver support for weather in the Calendar feature.
– Email address is now included in the default message attribution when you reply and -forward.
– Message list is now displayed correctly when you switch folders by having the Reading Pane turned off.
– Improved Reminders functionality to reduce CPU consumption.
– Improved use of advanced search operators for non-English languages.

Word
– Ribbon extensibility. Use ribbon customization XML to customize the ribbon the way that you want it.
– Custom paper sizes in Page Setup are now supported.
– Find/Replace is corrected to move to the next matched word when Track Changes is turned on.
– Fixed crashes that occur when you use Mail Merge together with Outlook.
– Headers/Footers: Page numbering: Number of Pages option is corrected to display numbers greater than two digits.

Excel
– Ribbon extensibility. Use ribbon customization XML to customize the ribbon the way that you want it.
– Improved support for pasting from external applications.
– Scroll bars now correctly respect OS X scroll bar settings

PowerPoint
– Ribbon extensibility. Use ribbon customization XML to customize the ribbon the way that you want it.

It is not clear if today’s Office 2016 update fixes problems that Office users have been having with Office 2016 and OS X El Capitan, as Microsoft does not outline specific fixes for those issues in the software release notes. Problems with Office 2016 and OS X El Capitan include frequent crashing, inaccessible email, and an inability to open some apps.

Microsoft has also released an update for Office 2011 that preserves ribbon customization in documents and allows calendar events with online meeting details to be edited in Outlook for Mac and opened in Outlook for Windows. Microsoft previously released an Office 2011 update that fixed issues users were having with OS X El Capitan.

The updates can be downloaded through Microsoft’s AutoUpdate tool which is available within each app. The updates are available for OS X Yosemite and later.

Hardwell to Perform Live at Apple Store in Amsterdam This Week

Dutch electro-house DJ Hardwell, one of the most popular EDM artists worldwide, has announced on Twitter that he will be talking about his career and performing a special live set at the Apple Store in Amsterdam on Thursday, October 15 at 7:15 PM local time.

Hardwell’s set will be recorded for broadcast on Beats 1 radio on Apple Music. Apple is accepting a limited number of reservations for the free performance on its Dutch website. You must have an Apple ID to make a reservation.

Apple Stores often hold free events with authors, actors, musicians, filmmakers and other notable individuals. Hardwell will be one of the more famous guests, with more than 2.4 million Twitter followers and his debut album United We Are peaking at No. 2 on Billboard’s electronic music charts.

Pad & Quill Review: Timber Catchall and Nightstand Provide Elegant Apple Watch Charging Solutions

The charging stand has been one of the most popular and ubiquitous third-party accessories for the Apple Watch since the wearable device launched in April. A handful of well-known manufacturers have launched their own versions of a charging solution for the Apple Watch, including Pad & Quill with its Luxury Pocket Stand which debuted alongside the new Apple wearable earlier in the year.

Pad & Quill has now expanded its lineup of Apple Watch accessories with two new charging cradles — the Timber Catchall and Timber Nightstand — that hope to provide simple daily solutions for users to rest and charge their Apple Watches. Not only that, but each stand also offers a little extra space to store an iPhone and even the extra bands Apple Watch fans may have accumulated over the past few months.

Timber Nightstand

Pad & Quill sent me a Timber Nightstand in the lighter American Cherry color option, and the $89.95 stand is crafted with the company’s usual care to detail and sturdiness. The back of the Nightstand includes an indentation designed to cradle an extra Apple Watch band or two, while the front is meant for the Apple Watch itself. The Nightstand’s biggest feature is that it’s designed to support the Apple Watch in Nightstand mode, which displays the time and any alarm set in a sideways nighttime-friendly green display.

The Timber Nightstand is also available in a darker American Walnut variety, but that option will cost users $119.95. Both versions function identically, requiring a separate Apple Watch charging cable to be threaded through to the bottom portion of the stand so the inductive charging puck can rest inside of the Timber Nightstand. There’s also a small rubberized strip placed right below the carved out portion on the front of the stand so that the Apple Watch’s stainless steel or aluminum won’t directly come in contact with the Nightstand’s wood and get scuffed or scratched.
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TD Canada Trust Lends Credence to Apple Pay Launch in Canada Next Month

Just one month before Apple Pay is rumored to launch in Canada, large bank TD Canada Trust briefly provided evidence of the forthcoming launch by prematurely listing the iPhone-based mobile payments service as a method of payment on its website, as spotted by blog iPhone in Canada. The link has since been removed.

Apple Pay was briefly listed under “Ways to Pay” at the bottom of TD Canada Trust’s website, but the link now leads to a blank page. When it was live, the page said that Apple Pay will soon support TD Canada Trust debit and credit cards, with purchases subject to a $100 transaction limit like other contactless payments in Canada.

In April, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was in negotiations with the Royal Bank of Canada, TD Canada Trust, Scotiabank, Bank of Montreal, CIBC and National Bank of Canada about a potential November launch of Apple Pay in Canada. The six financial institutions combined account for more than 90% of Canadian bank accounts.

Apple Pay launched in the United States last October, and expanded to the United Kingdom in July.

TD Canada Trust has around 11 million customers in Canada.