apple news/media reports
11/22/2007, 7:10pm, EST
Thursday, November 22nd
Six new patents: Apple + Nike built-in?
The US Patent and Trademark Office today published six Apple patents, five of which revolve around the Apple + Nike initiative, and the sixth being related to optical media. Apple is looking to create an adapter to use with 8cm optical discs, so that they function inside of the 12cm-formatted drive slots that occupy most of the Cupertino-based company's computers. Two models appear in the patents, one that snaps together out of separate pieces, while another relies on a telescopic motion to close the adapter around the disk.
The Apple + Nike patents consist of the following: "Integrated Media Jukebox and Physiologic Data Handling Application", "System Including Portable Media Player and Physiologic Data Gathering Device", "Calibration techniques for activity sensing devices", "Portable media device with workout support", and "Communication protocol for use with portable electronic devices". The patents could potentially point to an iPod with a built in workout monitor that accepts voice commands, according to the details provided.
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Um... Apple... these CD adapter things aren't new. Why do you need to patent a new design for something that costs under a penny to manufacture in the old-style?
http://www.amazon.com/Memorex-3-Inch-DVD-Adapter-3-Pak/dp/B000M52EW0
The success of Apple is good not because they will drive Microsoft out of the OS market (not gonna happen) but because their success is finally pushing the computer industry to do more than feed us the same old crap built on standards that were developed back when 32 bit processing was a dream.
It's not re-inventing the wheel, It's more like realizing wheels work better with tires, & then that tires are better if they are filled with air rather than being solid rubber. I get so sick of this throwing around of "re-inventing the wheel".