Apple unveiled iBooks 2 and a plan to improve the U.S. education system, while debate over the Stop Online Piracy Act ignited across the country.
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Apple Unveils IBooks 2, Gains on Android
Android’s overall market share dropped by 12 percent in the weeks following Apple’s release of the iPhone 4S, which launched to record-breaking sales in October of 2011. Loyal Apple fans proved they’re willing to wait for preferred devices, and leached precious points away from Android’s diminishing lead in the U.S. smartphone market.
That loyalty extends into the business sector. A study by IDG revealed more and more workers are choosing their iPads as their go-to business device, as the decline of RIM’s BlackBerry in the business world leaves an open spot for Apple to fill with their popular hardware.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company unveiled iBooks 2 in New York City on Friday, along with a two-part initiative to improve the U.S. education system with digital textbooks and free textbook-crafting software. Apple also partnered with textbook companies like McGraw-Hill to offer lower prices on digital textbooks to U.S. schools.
Apple also has big plans for Siri, filing a new patent application signaling the voice recognition software could be included in many upcoming products and services including computers, tablets, televisions, cameras, and vehicles.
Abroad, the company plans to improve working conditions in its China-based factories, after audits raised concerns about worker safety and pollution. The company is rapidly expanding its product line in China, and addressing concern over underage workers and environmental hazards in the country’s factories could give the company’s reputation a boost.
Both Apple and Samsung are coveting HzO’s “WaterBlock” technology, which debuted at CES last week. The innovative system coats each individual piece of circuitry inside a mobile device, rendering it completely waterproof, a feature likely to become popular with consumers.
In legal news, Apple filed suit in Germany seeking to ban several Samsung smartphones and tablets, fueling the ongoing legal battles between the two rival companies. Apple has long contended that Samsung’s Galaxy devices “slavishly” copy its designs, and shows no signs of backing down in its fight to protect its patents.
Samsung Loses to Apple, Beefs Up Battery Life for 4G
Samsung sought to block Apple’s devices from being sold in Germany, but a German court ruled against the phone maker. The decision is a blow to Samsung, which still has four lawsuits and six patent claims pending against Apple in litigation that spans 10 countries.
Meanwhile, Samsung announced it will sell $ 1 billion in U.S. bonds to fund mobile processor manufacturing operations and finance production of next-generation OLED flat-screen displays. The plans are part of a massive global expansion, as the company tries to diversify its product line and appeal to a wider variety of consumers.
The South Korea-based company will also boost its smartphones with super-powered batteries that will last an entire day without needing to be recharged. The new batteries will be slightly larger, but will prolong the life of mobile devices on speedy, battery-draining 4G networks, giving Samsung a competitive edge with consumers.
Motorola Triumphs Over Apple
Motorola won a significant advantage over Apple in its own litigation with the iPad maker. An International Trade Commission judge ruled Motorola Mobility’s phones don’t violate three of Apple’s patents, a rare loss for Apple and a boost for Motorola.
T-Mobile Partners with Wal-Mart, Tweaks Data Plans
T-Mobile is refocusing its energies on budget-conscious value plans after its failed merger with AT&T. The carrier will partner with Wal-Mart to offer unlimited data plans for $ 45 per month, but customers might be unhappy with the slow speeds offered by the plans.
The Bellevue, Washington-based company will also offer new and existing customers 5-gigabytes and 10-gigabytes of uncapped data a month starting on January 25 and lasting through March, another move to lure back customers lost during the period of uncertainty surrounding the failed merger.
AT&T Increases Data, Prices
AT&T will also give customers an extra gigabyte of data, but it will cost them. The carrier reports data usage on its network rose by 40 percent in the past year, and the changes will better serve customers as data consumption continues to ramp up overall in the industry.
Sprint, HTC Remove Carrier IQ
Wireless carrier Sprint and handset-maker HTC are working together to remove controversial Carrier IQ software from their mobile devices, as privacy concerns mount over the data collection service. The two companies plan to replace Carrier IQ with a similar, but more secure, information service.
Google Gains Advantage over Oracle, Wins Top Honors from Fortune Magazine
A U.S. District Judge canceled the upcoming March trial between Google and software maker Oracle, saying Oracle needs to lower the amount it’s seeking in damages. Oracle sued Google for $ 2.6 billion last June on the grounds the Android operating system infringes on Java patents, but judge William Alsup feels that amount is unrealistic, lending Google an upper hand in the court battle.
In other legal news, evidence brought by the U.S. Department of Justice proves Google and Apple, along with several other companies, entered into “no poaching” agreements to prevent the respective companies from recruiting one another’s employees. Such pacts violate antitrust laws, and though several cases alleging collusion already settled out of court, participating companies could face backlash over the newly public evidence.
They can’t leave to go work at Apple, but according to Fortune Magazine, Google employees wouldn’t want to anyway. The magazine named Google the number-one company to work for in 2012, an honor that could help the company lure top tech talent to its Mountain View, Calif.-based headquarters.
However, Google’s big budget, which increased by 29 percent in 2011, offset revenue in spite of booming services like Google+. The decreased profit margin disappointed shareholders, but top Google execs see the expense as a future investment.
Microsoft Increases Revenue, Nabs Instagram
Microsoft’s revenue is also on the rise, up 5 percent this quarter to $ 20.5 billion. The tech giant’s video game division, including the Kinect and Xbox systems, contributed to the gains, and analysts are optimistic about the company’s new line of Nokia Lumia Windows phones, which will debut in the U.S. this spring.
Windows managed to nab popular photo-sharing app Instagram for its new phone line, a boost for the new operating system’s app market, which currently lags behind Apple and Google Android with a fraction of their offerings.
The software giant also formed a patent licensing deal with South Korea’s third largest cell phone maker, Pantech. The phone maker joins fellow companies like Samsung, HTC and LG, all of which pay a per-device fee to Microsoft to run the Android operating system.
Amazon Changes Publishing Industry with E-book Lending
Amazon e-book lending soared in December along with Kindle Fire sales, and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library lent 295,000 titles to Amazon Prime members since its November launch. Combined with the Kindle Direct Publishing Program, where authors can self-publish their books, the Amazon marketplace presents big challenges for the traditional print publishing industry.
HP Goes Futuristic with Touchscreen Wall
Hewlett-Packard unveiled the VantagePoint, a 132-inch multi-touch wall it will market to business users later this year. The pricey technology, expected to retail for $ 125,000, could also pop up in public places like shopping malls and parks, encouraging businesses to snap up the suite for their own offices.
Facebook Bolsters Security, Preps for IPO
Facebook is publicly criticizing the alleged masterminds behind Koobface, a malware program aimed at stealing valuable information from the social networking site. The cooperative’s members reportedly earned $ 2 million from their scams last year, and Facebook is urging its users to protect themselves against more attacks.
The social networking giant is also prepping for its upcoming Initial Public Offering by boosting content, adding 60 popular apps to its interface. The new additions include Pinterest, Ticketmaster, eBay, and Foursquare, and more are soon to come.
Twitter Acquires Summify, Brings Viewers Back to Television
Meanwhile, Twitter acquired news start-up Summify to boost its new “Discover” tab, as the social networks ramp up offerings to keep users on their sites and remain competitive.
Live broadcasts like the Golden Globes also bring TV viewers to social networking sites and vice versa, proving the two mediums are mutually beneficial. Viewers gravitate toward live updates and trending topics, and networks are catching on, employing more interactive features during awards shows in particular.
The White House Opposes SOPA, EU Scrutinizes Google
The White House voiced opposition to the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, going against the entertainment industry’s wishes, but siding with internet giants like Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Twitter, and eBay.
Wikipedia, WordPress, and other web sites blacked out their services to protest the legislation, which they say will censor the Internet, fueling the debate and making a bold statement to legislators.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice shut down file-sharing service Megaupload on charges of piracy, saying the site is responsible for “more than half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners.” The site’s demise adds yet another dimension to the raging piracy debate.
The European Commission is increasingly scrutinizing Google over antitrust practices, a hindrance to the search giant in its attempt to acquire Motorola. If Google is found guilty, the European Commission can employ a range of penalties against the company, including a fine of up to 10 percent of Google’s global revenue.
Hackers Breach Zappos, Protest SOPA
Online shoe store Zappos is warning customers to change their passwords after hackers filched information including email addresses, home addresses, and phone numbers from more than 24 million users. The massive security breach highlights the need for enhanced consumer protection, and might urge wary customers to return to brick-and-mortar stores if they keep occurring.
Meanwhile, hacktivist collective Anonymous infiltrated web sites belonging to the FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, Recording Industry of America, and the Motion Picture Association of America, among others, in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act. The group’s tactics, however, could work against them, proving the point of the opposition in support of the bill to prevent hacks similar to those the group itself performs.
News Under the Sun is a weekly column rounding up all the events in the mobile industry. Want the news but don’t want it every day? Subscribe to our weekly Facebook or Twitter page.
NUTS: Apple Unveils IBooks 2, SOPA Divides Industry originally appeared at Mobiledia on Sat Jan 21, 2012 2:26 pm.
