Hasta La Gadget!

Apple is said to be working on a content delivery network (CDN) all its own, according to new information reported last night by the Wall Street Journal. Cupertino wants to build a large network capable of driving more data to its customers, for the purposes of providing improved streaming offerings for its television products.

Apple is making its way down a path that has already been walked by other major Internet content players including Google, Facebook and Netflix, each of which has invested heavily in network infrastructure in order to support the vast amount of media being streamed via their online portals and products.

The WSJ report also notes that building its own CDN will help Apple manage its growing iCloud service usage, as well as hosting and delivering content from the iTunes and App Stores, both streamed and downloaded. Apple has managed to accumulate enough bandwidth from web providers to allow it to move “hundreds of gigabits per second,” however, according to Bill Norton, CSO for the International Internet Exchange, speaking to the WSJ, and that likely means they’re laying the groundwork for much bigger plans beyond existing needs.

The biggest advantage for Apple in building its own CDN might come from improved quality and reliability of services. Apps, movies and music would all potentially download faster if Apple controlled the entire chain, for instance, since it has to spend less time dealing with third-party players outside of its corporate domain, which invariably add delays, miscommunications and possible points of failure into the mix.

WSJ also notes that Apple has been on a bit of a hiring spree when it comes to adding talent specializing in both TV content and CDN tech: Lauren Provo, a Comcast exec came on board in September; Jean-François Mulé, a former VP at a TV research and dev company is another recent hire; the company is also building a roster of CDN specialists, the report suggests.

Netflix’s decision to do the same, which was detailed by GigaOM back in June 2012, was cited as a key factor in the company’s evolution as its streaming volumes increased. It gave Netflix a more direct relationship to the Internet service providers who were the ones tasked with getting their shows to their audience, and Netflix cited YouTube as the archetypical example of how at a certain point of volume, the economic case for doing it yourself becomes overwhelming.

Apple continues to add new content channels to the Apple TV with fair frequency, which adds to its streaming media load, and recent reports suggest that there’s even more coming on the horizon, with a potential SDK for new Apple TV hardware. This WSJ report suggests that’s a very real, very immediate possibility, and offers one more hint that TV may soon be something more akin to a core product line at Apple.

Apple has received a patent from the USPTO (via AppleInsider) for a method of wireless induction charging that can perform different actions based on the orientation of the device as it’s laid on the charing mat or pad. The patent application was originally published back in September, 2012, and we covered it then, but it’s interesting to revisit in light of recent reports about Apple using induction tech in iWatch prototypes.

The New York Times said earlier this week that Apple is working on versions of the iWatch that use induction charging to power up, so that users won’t have to plug them in. The idea is likely that charging yet another digital device has to be as easy as possible for consumers, who already have to deal with keeping their phones, tablets and computers juiced up and ready to go.

Apple has a number of patents related to this tech, which is already in use among various Android OEMs as well as Nokia in its Lumia line. Apple has yet to release a device that makes use of the tech, however. An iWatch is a good candidate because of its specific battery challenges, and this positional function switching could potentially apply to a smartwatch, too. You could see triggering an alarm or sleep mode by docking an iWatch in a certain way for overnight charging, for instance, or maintaining an active state for mounting when you’re at your desk and working.

Induction charging is far from a lock for a wearable for Apple (nor is the Apple wearable itself, in fact), but Apple is definitely investing in R&D around the tech. And however it addresses it, power management will be a key differentiating factor for any Apple smartwatch, I’d guess, so turning it into a value-add feature with orientation-based actions is an idea with a lot of potential.

This article was written on June 26, 2007 by CyberNet.

I think we’re going to be all iPhoned out by the time Friday gets here! The news today is that AT&T and Apple have FINALLY announced the service plans for the iPhone, and surprisingly, they’re much more reasonable than I ever expected.

Yesterday the speculation was that prices would run similar to those for BlackBerry users with a price range of $84.98 and $179.98. Fortunately for those of you who plan on getting an iPhone, the BlackBerry pricing isn’t even close to what iPhone users will be offered.

Besides being affordable, they’re also pretty simple because each plan is actually three plans bundled together. It’s simple. They all include unlimited data, visual voicemail, 200 SMS, and the standard roll-over minutes and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling that AT&T offers. So here it is, official prices straight from AT&T and Apple:

• $59.99 for 450 minutes
• $79.99 for 900 minutes
• $99.99 for 1,350 minutes

The only other charge will be a fee of $36 to activate the phone, and family plans will also be an option.

See, I told you it’s affordable! I think that’s by far the best service plan I’ve seen that includes unlimited data (email, web), so way to go Apple and AT&T. While the phone isn’t exactly affordable for the majority, at least service plans are.

Regarding the service plans, Jobs is quoted as saying:

“We want to make choosing a service plan simple and easy, so every plan includes unlimited data with direct Internet access, along with Visual Voicemail and a host of other goodies.We think these three plans give customers the flexibility to experience all of iPhone’s revolutionary features at affordable and competitive prices.” And yes, he did say “Goodies.”

While I still won’t be seen standing in any iPhone line on Friday, I must say that they did a great job of coming up with simple plans and affordable prices. I guess the cheaper plans will help people justify spending so much on the phone itself? Remember, a two year contract is required, and you can activate your phone via iTunes. This ensures that you get the experience of un-boxing the phone instead of some AT&T rep. doing it for you. More info on that here.

Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

Apple might seem as though they have come out on top of Samsung in their legal tussles, although it did cost them a pretty penny while they’re at it (which is a pittance compared to the amount of money that they would receive in return from the South Korean company). Well, it seems that the tables have been turned this time around, as the University of Wisconsin has just sued Apple. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which happens to be the patent licensing arm of the University of Wisconsin, has filed a lawsuit that alleges how Apple’s A7 processor has infringed upon a university-developed patent which improves “the efficiency and performance of contemporary computer processors.”

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University Of Wisconsin Sues Apple Over A7 Chip original content from Ubergizmo.

It goes without saying that with each release of a new iPhone, you know for sure that there will be plenty of media attention focused on it, not to mention folks queuing up early at Apple Stores to be the first in their city to pick one up. Having said that, the next generation iPhone would be known as the iPhone 6 – at least for now, and South Korean securities firm KDB Daewoo Securities Research has apparently sent the hardware specifications of the iPhone 6 to its customers. How true the specifications list is remains to be seen, especially when one knows that a company like Apple is more often than not secretive with their items.

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Alleged iPhone 6 Specifications Spotted original content from Ubergizmo.