Apple Now Allowed to Trademark Apple Store Layout in Europe [Mac Blog]

Apple is now allowed to register the layout of its retail stores as a trademark in Europe following a ruling by the European Court of Justice, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The EU’s top court said Thursday that Apple’s flagship stores fulfilled the three criteria for a trade mark: they constitute a sign; they can be represented in a graphic; and they can distinguish the goods or services sold by one company from those of another

The company was originally awarded a trademark for its store design in the U.S. last year, and has been actively trying to extend it to the rest of the world ever since. Prior to the ruling, Germany’s patent office ruled that the particular layout of a shop cannot be qualified as a trademark, which Apple then challenged.

Currently, Apple has a total of 425 retail stores worldwide. 89 of those retail locations are spread out across Europe, and are found in countries including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Apple Sold 2 Million Apple TVs Last Year in US, Trailing Behind Chromecast and Roku

Google’s Chromecast and the Roku were the two highest-selling streaming media devices in the U.S. last year as the Apple TV fell to third place, according to new data from Parks Associates (via GigaOM).

Both Google and Roku sold an estimated 3.8 million streaming media devices last year, with Apple selling just over 2 million Apple TVs. To date, Apple has sold over 20 million Apple TVs worldwide since launching the streaming device in 2007, while Roku has sold 8 million devices since its first media box in 2008.

A Parks Associates report last year noted that 14% of U.S. broadband households were using streaming media devices. The study also stated that 37% of those surveyed households used a Roku device while 24% used an Apple TV, making the Roku the most used set-top box in the U.S.

Recent rumors have suggested that Apple is working on a next-generation Apple TV, which may feature a streaming TV service through a partnership with Comcast and other cable-box like capabilities. Some reports have also speculated that a new Apple TV may include enhanced gaming capabilities, utilizing iOS gaming controllers and an App Store ecosystem to provide a console-like experience.

Recover your stolen gold in Leo’s Fortune, now available on Google Play

One of the most critically acclaimed platform adventure games on iOS – Leo’s Fortune – is now available on Android, although it wasn’t actually supposed to release until tomorrow. If you don’t have an iOS device, you may still be familiar with the game as it was briefly shown off onstage at Google I/O this year.

The game, which received perfect scores for its iOS version from many media outlets and was the 2014 winner of the Apple Design Award, follows a teal, fluffy, mustached ball called Leopold who is searching for his fortune after it was stolen by a “cunning and mysterious thief.”

Throughout the game you take Leo, who was known as “Leopold the Golden,” Leopold the Fortunate” and “Grand Inventor of Greatest Engineering” until he was only a “fool” when his gold was stolen, on a quest through 24 beautifully designed levels and solve puzzles along the way as well.

I had a chance to play a pre-release version of the game and it really is all that people have said about it. Playing on my OnePlus One, the gameplay is fast and fluid with no lag, it is perfectly designed for a touchscreen with simple controls and the environments are extremely detailed. Some of the levels look exactly like what Donkey Kong Country would look like if it was made today and in high definition, also reminiscent of Rayman.

The only controls to the game are to either more forward or backward, jump up or push yourself down and the simple touchscreen controls are one of the game’s best qualities. There’s been too many times when I’ve tried to play a game with touchscreen controls and it was just confusing, but that’s not the case here. You can nearly effortlessly control Leo up and down hills, up steps, through loops and to press switches. It’s a platform game, which you all know what that means, but the gameplay is a little bit like classic Sonic, just not as fast paced. One way the developer went out of its way to ensure perfect controls for all, since once size doesn’t always fit all, is that you can either have invisible touchscreen controls that work wherever your fingers are on the screen or in the settings you can change it to be able to see buttons on-screen.

If touchscreen controls aren’t your thing, it also has gamepad support and the developer says that “certain game controllers and gamepads have specific minimum device requirements” and you should “check compatibility with your game controller or gamepad manufacturer.” I have a Moga Pro controller that I unfortunately couldn’t get to work with the game, but according to the Moga website, their controllers work with the iOS version.

If I had to rate the game, I’d give it a 5 out of 5, so if you’ve been searching for something new that you can get lost in, look no further than Leo’s Fortune as it’s definitely worth the $4.99 price tag.

The post Recover your stolen gold in Leo’s Fortune, now available on Google Play appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Apple Environmental Report: Carbon Footprint Down 3%, 145 U.S. Stores Now Using 100% Renewable Energy

Apple today released its 2014 Environmental Responsibility Report [PDF], posting the new information on its updated Environmental Initiatives website. The report, which covers fiscal 2013, highlights the progress Apple has made towards its environmental goals, which include reducing climate change by using renewable energy sources, using greener materials, and conserving “precious resources.”

Apple notes that its carbon footprint from energy use has dropped by 31 percent from fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2013, even though energy consumption has increased by 44 percent. The company also recalculated its 2012 emissions and found that its overall carbon footprint shrank by three percent from 2012 to 2013, its first decline.

Second, while focusing on our climate data, we decided to recalculate our 2012 emissions using our newest methodology — the same model we used to calculate our 2013 numbers. The new analysis shows that our carbon footprint actually shrank by 3 percent from 2012 to 2013. This marked the first time we’ve seen a year-over-year decline since we began tracking the numbers in 2009. While we’re excited about this progress, we know our work is far from done.

145 of Apple’s U.S. retail stores and all of its retail locations in Australia are powered using 100 percent renewable energy and energy efficiency programs implemented in its corporate offices have saved 28.5 million kWh of electricity and 751,000 therms of natural gas.

In addition, with its alternative commute programs for employees, which include a $100 transportation subsidy and biodiesel-powered buses, Apple has been able to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 15,000 vehicles. A large section of the report is also dedicated to the company’s new campus, which “will be the most energy-efficient building of its kind,” powered by 100 percent renewable energy and populated with more than 7,000 trees.

The report also highlights Apple’s commitment to recycling, its vow to use only clean, safe materials without harmful toxins, and its dedication to creating new products using less materials. Apple has now reached a worldwide recycling rate of 85 percent.

Apple ends the report with a list of challenges that it seeks to overcome, noting that its water consumption increased significantly in 2013 due to the work on its Apple 2 Campus. The company also cites the carbon emissions of its manufacturing partners as an area that it is “committed to addressing.”

Over the course of the past eight years, Apple has managed to reduce the carbon footprint of its Mac business by 27 percent, thanks to its focus on the environment. In addition to powering many of its retail stores with renewable energy, its data centers are powered with 100 percent renewable energy, as is its existing corporate location in Cupertino thanks to a 2012 energy overhaul.

Earlier this year, in celebration of Earth Day, Apple overhauled its Environmental Responsibility website and launched a “Better” video that explains its environmentally friendly values.

Chinese Court Rules Against Apple in Siri-Related Patent Dispute [iOS Blog]

Apple today faced a setback in it efforts to overturn a speech recognition patent held by Shanghai-based Zhizhen Internet Technology. According to Reuters, the Beijing First Intermediate Court ruled in favor of Zhizhen, upholding the validity of the patent and paving the way for Zhizhen’s existing infringement case against Apple to continue.

Apple said in a statement that it would appeal this decision with the Beijing Higher People’s Court.

“Apple believes deeply in protecting innovation, and we take intellectual property rights very seriously,” said a spokesman.

“Apple created Siri to provide customers with their own personal assistant by using their voice.

“Unfortunately, we were not aware of Zhizhen’s patent before we introduced Siri, and we do not believe we are using this patent.

“While a separate court considers this question, we remain open to reasonable discussions with Zhizhen.”

This patent is an integral part of an intellectual property infringement lawsuit first filed by Zhizhen against Apple in 2012. Zhizhen claims that Apple’s Siri voice assistant infringes upon patents that cover its own Xiaoi Robot voice assistant system for messaging clients.

The Xiaoi bot originated as a chat bot for MSN and similar networks, but has moved on to a number of platforms, including Android and iOS [App Store]. It has evolved to bear a striking similarity to Siri.

Zhizhen first introduced the Xiaoi Robot in 2003, filed for the related voice recognition patent in 2004, and was awarded rights to the technology in 2006.

4.7-Inch iPhone 6 Rear Shell Shown in High-Quality Photos and Video

Over the past six weeks, we’ve seen a few photos and even a video of what has been claimed to be the actual rear shell of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, showing a nearly all-metal design with separate bands presumably to accommodate the antennas at the top and bottom.

Inside of rear shell
(Click for larger)
MacRumors has now received a number of new photos and a video showing a similar version of the part. The first part comes via Feld & Volk [Facebook page], a Moscow-based company selling modified luxury versions of the iPhone. Feld & Volk says it has been working with the same factories that make spare parts for Apple products for more than six years, enabling it to get a head start on modifying the device for its customers. Feld & Volk has been using sapphire crystal on its high-end modified iPhones for several years, and says that its sapphire suppliers are the same ones Apple has begun working with more recently.

Bottom edge with holes for headphone jack and Lightning port – mic and speaker holes not yet cut
(Click for larger)
The part is shown on video and in a number of high-quality images, showing detail of the complex internals of the rear shell to accommodate the various features of the device. The part is not quite complete, with some features such as the full set of camera/mic/flash holes yet to be punched out of the shell, and Feld & Volk notes that some of physical features such as a number of screw holes shown on the part are actually from the manufacturing process and would be removed in later steps of production as the part is cleaned up.

As seen on previous leaks, the Apple logo is cut out of the shell, unlike on current iPhone models. Some have speculated that Apple may looking to incorporate a lighted logo, but more likely the company is simply planning to use a durable embedded logo as it does on its iPad models. Embedding a logo make of a non-metal material would also give the device another radio-transparent window that could be used to improve reception.
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Apple Tattled on Google to Draw FTC Attention to Similar Kids In-App Purchasing Issue

Earlier this year, Apple entered into an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission, promising to provide $32 million in refunds to parents whose children purchased unauthorized in-app items.

As it turns out, while Apple was being targeted by the FTC for letting children make in-app purchases without parental consent, the company was attempting to get Google in trouble for doing the same thing. According to a report from Politico, head Apple lawyer Bruce Sewell sent the FTC a report highlighting the same in-app purchase issues in Google’s own Play store.

“I thought this article might be of some interest, particularly if you have not already seen it,” Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell wrote to FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez and Democratic Commissioner Julie Brill, pointing to a report that criticized Google’s app store over the same issue of unauthorized purchases. The previously undisclosed email was obtained by POLITICO through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Apple has long faced issues over in-app purchases, with the company first landing in hot water with the FTC after multiple parental complaints over children over-spending within apps and several high profile stories of children spending thousands of dollars. While most of the focus has been on Apple, Google too has faced the same issues, as children were able to make purchases for up to 30 minutes after a parent entered a password, much as they could in the App Store before Apple implemented specific changes.

Apple was not happy to be singled out by the FTC over in-app purchases, as the company had previously settled a lawsuit levied at it over the issue. Under the terms of the lawsuit, Apple had agreed to provide iTunes credit and cash refunds to parents, but the FTC demanded more.

At the time, Tim Cook said the FTC’s decision to sue over a previously settled case “smacked of double jeopardy,” but agreed to the terms as it didn’t “require us to do anything we weren’t already going to do.”

Apple officially began sending emails to affected iTunes users and issuing refunds in March. Google has thus far not been targeted by the FTC.

Vimeo Revamps Apple TV Channel With Streamlined Interface, Staff Favorites, and More [Mac Blog]

Video site Vimeo today announced a revamp of its Apple TV channel, simplifying the interface, launching a new “Staff Favorites” monthly feature, and making several other enhancements. The updates focus on improving video discovery and reducing the number of clicks it takes to access videos.

Simplified navigation

We took our old menu, cut it down to the essentials, and put it at the top of the screen for easy access. Discover awesome videos, keep up with your feed, tackle your Watch Later queue, and quickly get to your own videos, likes, and collections.

Watch our favorites

Don’t have time to watch every single Staff Pick? Our monthly Staff Favorites Albums highlight the best of the best. We’ve also added the winners of our Vimeo Weekend Challenges and a bunch of curated Channels so you can watch tons of amazing videos right away.

Vimeo is also featuring its growing On Demand trailer library, which integrates with the service’s Watch Later queue to make it easy to access content across devices. Enhanced Video Detail pages also include background images and additional metadata such as audience ratings and reviews.

Content providers are increasingly embracing Apple TV as a platform for distributing their content, with roughly 40 channels now available, although many of the services are currently limited to the United States or just a handful of other countries. Vimeo, however, is available worldwide for Apple TV users.

OS X Yosemite Beta Usage Beats Mavericks’ Pace by 4x as New Features and Look Draw Testers

Apple announced OS X Yosemite last month during its worldwide developers conference and released the first beta version of the operating system to developers at the same time. According to web analytics firm Chitika, developer interest in Yosemite is high with an early adoption rate that is significantly greater than its predecessor OS X Mavericks and still growing.

Overall, the data point to a promising future for OS X Yosemite. In the short term, we expect the operating system’s usage share to grow in the wake of the release of the third Developer Preview edition on July 7, 2014. Additionally, with the increased level of developer activity thus far, along with the success of the similarly no cost OS X Mavericks, it’s very probable that OS X Yosemite adoption will outpace that of any other previous Mac desktop OS when it is released publicly later this year.

Chitika measured Mac OS X ad impressions from users in the U.S. and Canadia between June 2 and July 2, 2014. Adoption of OS X Yosemite rose quickly after release, climbing to 0.15% of total U.S. and Canadian Mac OS X Web traffic in just a few days. In comparison, OS X Mavericks last year took about 30 days to reach only 0.05% of measured web traffic.

Chitika attributes this higher adoption to curiosity about new features of OS X, especially those collaborative options that tie into iOS. Along with OS X Yosemite, Apple introduced iOS 8 with new continuity features that improve the cross-platform integration of iOS 8 with OS X Yosemite. Most notable is Handoff, which allows users to start a task on one iCloud-enabled device and easily transfer that task to another nearby device without losing changes.