Appeals Court Throws Out $368 Million Verdict Against Apple in VirnetX Lawsuit [iOS Blog]

Back in 2012, patent holding company VirnetX won a patent lawsuit against Apple over virtual private networking (VPN) connectivity related to Apple’s FaceTime video calling feature. VirnetX was awarded $368.2 million after a jury trial.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today threw out the decision, reports The Wall Street Journal, ruling that the verdict was influenced by the instructions given to the jury during the trial.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a specialized Washington-based court that handles patent appeals, ruled the verdict was “tainted” by erroneous jury instructions in the case. The court also held some trial testimony from a VirnetX expert should have been excluded from the case.

Despite siding with Apple and reversing some of $368 million verdict, the court did rule that Apple infringed on some of the claims in VirnetX’s patents, which means damages will need to be redetermined.

As a result of today’s appeals court verdict, Apple and VirnetX will go back to trial court for further proceedings, further drawing out a lawsuit that first began in 2010.

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Foxconn Factory Worker Detained Over iPhone 6 Shell Leaks

A Foxconn worker is being detained after being accused of stealing six iPhone 6 rear shells from the factory line and reselling them to an unidentified party in Shenzhen, China, reports The Wall Street Journal, citing details in Chinese newspaper Taihang Daily. The thefts started in late July and netted the 40-year-old male factory worker a total of 6,000 yuan ($960).

The suspect, identified only with the surname Qiao, allegedly responded to an advertisement that offered to purchase “parts from Apple Inc. at high prices.” Qiao snuck out his first shell on July 24 and shipped the product to an address in Shenzhen.

“On July 24, according to the article, Qiao hid one shell in his pocket and successfully avoided the security check by leaving at the peak of quitting time, when lots of workers swarm out of the factory at the same time. He sent the shell to an address in Shenzhen via a local courier service and received his money couple days later.

Apparently encouraged, he stole another five shells that month and sent them to the same buyer, the article said.”

Foxconn reported the thefts to local police in mid-August, who identified Qiao within 20 days through the use of video surveillance, employee records, and courier service logs. Foxconn told CNET in a statement that Foxconn expects its employees to follow the company’s strict Code of Conduct.

“As a matter of company policy, Foxconn does not comment on any aspect of our work for any customer,” a Foxconn Technology Group spokesperson told CNET in an e-mailed statement. “However, we can say that we have a strict Company Code of Conduct that our company and our employees are expected to follow and we do not hesitate to take the appropriate action, including bringing matters to the attention of the relevant law enforcement authorities, should we determine that this Code has been violated.”

Numerous components from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were leaked in the months leading up to Apple’s September announcement event. Detailed photos and videos of the shells provided a glimpse into the design of the two handsets, while internal components hinted at NFC and other features that ultimately appeared in the final device.

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NFC on the iPhone 6 is limited to Apple Pay, at least for now

If you were hoping to use NFC on the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus to pair with your camera or share files with friends… well, you’ll have to keep waiting. Apple has confirmed to Cult of Mac that the new iPhones’ near field wireless is currently limited to use with Apple Pay. In other words, you won’t see it used either for core iOS features or in third-party apps, at least not in the near future. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the technology will go to waste in the long run. We already know that the Apple Watch can unlock your hotel door, so the crew in Cupertino isn’t averse to letting developers use NFC for tasks beyond payments. And if you’ll recall, Apple initially limited its Touch ID fingerprint reader to unlocking the iPhone and making iTunes purchases before opening it up to developers in iOS 8; it wouldn’t be surprising to see expanded NFC support on the iPhone once Apple is more comfortable.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

Comments

Via: 9to5Mac

Source: Cult of Mac

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Apple Approving iOS 8-Optimized Apps, but Extensions Not Working Properly Yet

Following last week’s iPhone and Apple Watch media event, Apple officially invited developers to begin submitting their iOS 8 apps for App Store review ahead of tomorrow’s public release of the new operating system. While a number of developers have been tweaking their apps to work better with iOS 8 over the past few months, the major step forward comes as apps begin to support the new functionalities supported in iOS 8.

Apple has already begun approving some of these iOS 8-optimized apps, but a few high-profile developers are finding that some of their highly anticipated extensions are not working properly in the updated apps being distributed through the App Store. While only a small subset of iOS users are affected due to limited distribution of the iOS 8 golden master released to developers last week, the issue has been a concerning one for developers trying to diagnose it.

One example is OmniFocus 2 for iPhone [Direct Link], which will include an extension to add an OmniFocus list of tasks to the “Today” view in Notification Center. In the iOS 8-optimized version of OmniFocus 2 released over the weekend and a bug fix released yesterday, the Today view is currently not being properly populated with data from OmniFocus itself.

A similar issue is occurring with popular calculator app PCalc [Direct Link], and both issues appear to be related to code signing on Apple’s end. PCalc developer James Thomson has been in touch with Apple and received word that the company is indeed working on the problem.

All indications are that this is a problem Apple will thankfully be able to fix without requiring developers to submit new versions of their apps, and presumably the company will have it fixed in time for the public release of iOS 8 tomorrow.

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iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Launches in China May Be Delayed Until 2015 [iOS Blog]

Apple may be forced to wait until 2105 to launch the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in China, according to a report in 21st Century Business Herald [Google Translate]. If true, the delay could have consequences for the company both in terms of customer momentum in the critical Chinese market and overall earnings projections.

Sources with knowledge of the situation told 21st Century Business Herald that Apple’s latest iPhone models have failed to receive the necessary approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). This certification is required for Apple to begin selling the iPhone in the Asian country. A re-application date for approval has not been determined, leaving Apple’s Chinese iPhone 6 debut uncertain.

Apple unveiled the iPhone last week, announcing launch dates of September 19 for its first wave of markets and September 26 for a second wave of countries. Noticeably absent from either list was China, which is a region of significant growth for Apple. For the past year, Apple consistently has reported increased revenue growth from China, with plans to double its retail footprint and build out its channels in the coming years. Apple last year touted its progress in China, with the company having worked hard to ensure the iPhone 5s and 5c launched in the first group of countries.

Initially, this year’s China delay may impact Apple’s important holiday quarter and affect its stock price over the coming months as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus expand to other countries except China. Demand for the iPhone 6 in China is high, with carriers having prematurely accepted pre-orders of the phone ahead of Apple’s announcement.

Due to such demand, Apple will have to battle the gray market in which resellers purchase iPhone 6 units in other countries, import them into mainland China and then sell the phones to wealthy Chinese consumers at exorbitant prices. iPhone 6 models already have started to appear in China ahead of this week’s global launch.

Over the long term, the delay may have a beneficial effect on subsequent quarters, which usually show a decline in iPhone sales and company revenue. If Apple were to launch the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in January 2015, the company may forestall this slump due to a spike in sales from Chinese consumers.

This delay also may help Apple balance supply and demand of the iPhone, which is selling out quickly in the regions that are currently accepting pre-orders. A 2015 launch would help Apple meet the current demand and ensure it has ample supply for a major Chinese launch at the beginning of next year.

Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus go on sale this week starting Friday, September 19 in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK. A second round of sales will begin September 26 in 20 additional markets, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, and more. Contract pricing starts at $199 for the 16 GB iPhone 6 and $299 for the larger 16 GB iPhone 6 Plus.

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Apple Restricting Use of NFC Antenna in iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to Apple Pay

The NFC antenna found on Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will only be used with the company’s “Apple Pay” mobile payment solution and will not be available to developers for use in third-party apps, reports Cult of Mac. The confirmation comes by way of an Apple spokeswoman, who also declined to comment on future plans for the technology’s use in other instances.

The move is similar to the Touch ID sensor’s debut on the iPhone 5s last year, as Apple restricted its use to iTunes purchases and device unlocking. However, Apple announced at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference that developers would be able to integrate Touch ID into their iOS 8 apps. It is possible that Apple will allow NFC to be used with third-party apps at some point in the future, however it appears that the company is focused on polishing the technology for use with its own services.

Apple Pay will first launch in the United States next month as an update to iOS 8, and will be featured in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus as well as the Apple Watch when it launches next year. The service will be compatible with American Express, Mastercard and Visa credit/debit cards, with 220,000 U.S. retail stores listed as partners. Apple will also be launching an Apple Pay API for developers to integrate the service into their apps.

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PayPal Launches Ad Subtly Attacking Apple for Recent iCloud Photo Leak [iOS Blog]

Following the unveiling of Apple Pay last week, PayPal has gone on the offensive, taking out a full page ad in The New York Times that slams Apple for its recent iCloud photo leak while promoting PayPal’s own security.

“We the people want our money safer than our selfies,” reads the ad first shared by Pando Daily. “PayPal, protecting the people economy.”

The ad alludes to a recent attack on celebrity iCloud accounts, which saw hundreds of celebrity photos released on the Internet. Since the attack, Apple has gone to great lengths to point out that the leak was tied to weak usernames and passwords rather than an iCloud security breach, as the incident occurred just before plans to unveil Apple Pay.

The company released a public statement after an investigation, and then Tim Cook did an interview with The Wall Street Journal to let users know about plans to broaden the use of two-factor authentication and to send security emails when a device is restored, iCloud is accessed, or a password change is attempted.

On its Apple Pay website, Apple also goes into detail about the security of the service, pointing towards unique Device Account numbers, the iPhone’s Secure Element, and the ability to put a phone in Lost Mode if it goes missing, protecting all information including payment data.

Apple also says that all transactions are private, as the company does not store any details at all. Payment information is also directly stored on a device (within the Secure Element) and not in iCloud, making it inaccessible from a remote location.

Apple doesn’t save your transaction information. With Apple Pay, your payments are private. Apple doesn’t store the details of your transactions so they can’t be tied back to you. Your most recent purchases are kept in Passbook for your convenience, but that’s as far as it goes.

It’s no surprise that PayPal has launched an ad that subtly attacks Apple as it is facing significant competition from the company. In addition to allowing users to make purchases in retail stores with their iPhones, Apple Pay also lets users buy items in supported apps using a credit card or debit card connected with an iTunes account.

PayPal works in a very similar way, letting users attach a credit or debit card and then make purchases through the service, alleviating the need to enter credit card details. Major credit card companies, banks, and multiple retailers are also already on board with Apple Pay.

App developers have been instructed to use several different payment platforms in their APIs, including Authorize.Net, Chase Paymentech, CyberSource, First Data, Stripe, and TSYS. Noticeably absent is PayPal, though the service’s credit card processing subsidiary, Braintree, has pledged support for Apple Pay.

PayPal has had its own security issues in recent months, most recently facing a significant problem with its two-factor authentication system.

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U2’s ‘Songs of Innocence’ Accessed Over 33 Million Times Since Start of iTunes Promotion [iOS Blog]

Six days after it began offering U2’s latest album “Songs of Innocence” for free to 500 million iTunes customers, Apple has announced (via the Associated Press) that over 33 million customers have accessed the record.

In a statement, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software and Services Eddy Cue called the numbers record-breaking, and said that the numbers include users who downloaded the album from their iTunes account, streamed it, or used iTunes Radio to listen to it.

Earlier this morning, Apple also released a tool for customers to delete the U2 album off of their iTunes accounts, as some users were upset with it being added to their devices without their knowledge.

Last Friday, it was reported that Songs of Innocence was downloaded 2 million times after three days of being made available. The album will be free for iTunes customers until October 13.

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