Apple has abandoned claims to the Newton trademark, says Patently Apple. In searching through documents at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, the site discovered that the CIPO deactivated the Canadian Newton trademark on February 12th. While Apple could still conceivably protect and use the Newton name in the US, the Canadian and US markets are so closely intertwined that this is unlikely.
In a new interview with the BBC, one-time Apple CEO John Sculley gives fresh commentary on several Apple-related topics, among them the prospect of an Apple-made TV set. "I think that Apple has revolutionized every other consumer industry, why not television? I think that televisions are unnecessarily complex," he says. "The irony is that as the pictures get better and the choice of content gets broader, that the complexity of the experience of using the television gets more and more complicated. So it seems exactly the sort of problem that if anyone is going to change the experience of what the first principles are, it is going to be Apple."
Rumors are swirling that Apple is coming close to unveiling a new, seven-inch iPad to give consumers another tablet option for those that want to be a bit more mobile. The device would reportedly boast the same basic features, but the biggest difference would be the 2.7-inches of screen real estate lopped off the new model. But is it really as exciting a prospect as some make it out to be?
Apple tonight began airing its first iPad TV ad since it began selling the tablet last month. The 30-second spot is a rapid-fire tour of features that proudly claims that the iPad is "already a revolution... and it's only just beginning."
Apple's rumored tablet may have the option of a pen for input, a US patent filing published today suggests. The application for a patent on getting ink data from "pen-aware computer systems" shows an example device with slight interface cues from the Newton, such as the bottom icon tray, but with a significantly different design and a different engine. Apple in the description makes clear that the technology would be an improvement on the writing systems implemented in the defunct PDA.
Apple has rehired a former employee, Michael Tchao, to serve as the vice president of product marketing after a 15 year hiatus, according to the New York Times. Spokesman Steve Dowling confirmed that Tchao will report to Phil Schiller, the senior vice president of worldwide product marketing.
Apple chief Steve Jobs has spent "almost all" his time since his return to work developing the heavily rumored tablet device, according to sources close to the company. Those "people familiar with the matter" tell the WSJ that the executive is committing a level of attention to the project not seen since the original iPhone's development. The sheer control has reportedly been a shock to some workers, who during Jobs' roughly six-month medical leave had some relative freedom on projects.
Newton Peripherals on Wednesday announced the release of its MoGo Mouse for Netbooks. Smaller still than the company's already low-profile mice, the wireless presenter mouse is just 0.2 inches thick and half an ounce light, using Bluetooth 2.0 to communicate with a matching Bluetooth USB adapter. When not in use, the mouse is stored in a similarly thick holster that optionally sticks onto the outside surface of any netbook.
Newton Peripherals on Tuesday released its MoGo Talk Bluetooth headset for notebooks. The ultra-thin headset comes with a frame that lets it slide into a notebook's ExpressCard slot for storage and charging. The headset itself uses a flexible thin-rubber eartip that conforms to a wearer's ear for comfort, instead of the more common earbud or earloop, while multiple eartip sizes are included for a custom fit.
Newton this afternoon rolled out its first peripheral made just for iPhone users. The MoGo Talk case protects the back of an iPhone 3G or 3G S but has a shallow slot to fit a bundled MoGo headset. The in-ear Bluetooth earpiece not only stows away but also charges through the slot to let owners charge both the iPhone and the headset with a single cable. Despite the thin size, it has a talk time of about four hours.
