A bit of bad news reached the Cupertino-based company Apple when it lost in a trademark dispute in the People’s Republic of China. This problem offshore started with Proview’s Taiwanese subsidiary selling the iPad and IPAD trademarks to a UK-based company called IP Applications which the latter later on sold to Apple. This happened back in the early 2000.

It has been reported that IP Applications sold the name to Apple to the tune of $55, 000. Although this did not pose as a problem before, it might pose as a problem next year when the Cupertino-based company launches the third generation tablet PC –the iPad 3 among other products that the company is rumored to bring to the market. It will be a problem in the coming years too.

While publications are busying themselves with reports on when the iPad 3 will come out and what its features will be, the development offshore is likely causing distress at the Apple headquarters.

According to the verdict of the Shenzhen Municipal Intermediate People’s Court in China, Proview is the company that can legally use the trademark in the Asian country. A possible solution is for Apple to think of a new name for its tablet PC range if it still wants to take advantage of the Chinese market. Regarding taking advantage of that market, Apple will definitely do something just to sell the third generation iPad in the said country, analysts say. Profit after all is the bottom line. With this news, Apple might be coming up with a new name for the tablet PC right about now and might even market it as a limited edition type of gadget because it is under a different name. Whatever happens though, Apple loyalists will find a way to buy the iPad 3.

If you haven’t heard, Barnes & Noble just came out with their response to Kindle. The beefier Nook is an award winning tablet and may be a better choice, analysts say. But as more and more tablets are out in the market, consumers are left confused.

Amazon’s Kindle however was just released and the tablet PC has now made its way into the hands of tablet fans. Whatever your opinion is regarding these tablets, Robert Cernansky in his article “Amazon Kindle Fire Vs Apple iPad Vs Android – A Tablet Choice for Everyone” said that Amazon’s Kindle Fire is a, “real threat to the sovereignty of the iPad.” This may be true but this bout will be decided by consumers. With so many Apple fanatics abound, it is difficult to say whether which tablet will win this year’s round. One however has to establish which tablet PC works best and which one will work best for you.

If you go to the Barnes & Noble store, you will find that the bookstore is selling Nook Simple Touch which according to CNT in June that it is the best e-ink reader. Nook Color on the other hand was dubbed by msnbc.com as the “best value in the tablet world” i.e. during its heyday. Barnes & Noble’s newest Nook is making quite a buzz in the World Wide Web. A wonderful device for HD entertainment, the Nook tablet sold at $249 is definitely a good buy. Amazon’s Kindle Fire on the other hand is putting up quite a fight. Since it is relatively more popular than the Nook Tablet, it might get more sales, analysts say. However, it is still too early to tell but many wonder what consumer reports say about the newest tablets in town. And another question is, is whether iPad will be sailing through this as smoothly as Apple expects.

Apple fans are jumping ship because of the battery problems of the iPhone 4S and its striking similarity to the standard Apple iPhone 4. Although this similarity was expected, many fans are still very disappointed, reports say.

With the news of an iPad 2S functioning as a stopgap for the iPad 3, many are now thinking that this might be the end of the gadgets giant especially now that the competition are releasing beefier gadgets. However, everything is much better with an Apple, so they say so it is basically consumers who will be holding the cards. Will Apple remain no.1 in the heart of consumers? A lot of rumor mongering is going on but to be fair, no one is sure what will happen next. It will depend solely on how Apple will play the game. One thing is for sure though, the competition is playing ball and they can’t be stopped.

Former Apple fans are now thinking of buying an Android instead of getting another Apple iPhone though. It was widely circulated that buyers of the 4S jumped ship from competitors BlackBerry and the Androids but analysts say that there might be a turn around in the very near future since the new smartphones from Samsung are making waves.

With the newly released S2 Skyrocket following the Nexus, some are thinking that these phones might do better performance-wise as compared to any Apple iPhone. One thing is certain though, the batteries of these smartphones last longer than that of the 4S. Rumors say that Apple will be releasing the iPhone 5 soon but this will depend on the frenzy going on with the 4S because as long as many people are still salivating for the said  smartphone, Apple will have no reason to hasten production for the iPhone 5 –the gadget that they promised their users months ago.

This may be a nightmare for many an iPhone 4S users but it’s true, the battery seems to have a problem. This apparent glitch does not affect everyone of course but it is prevalent enough to irk quite a few users.

The issue has been getting enough media attention these past few days that many iPhone 4S users are alarmed. The poor battery life issue of the newly released iPhone may be its Achilles’ heel, reports say.

At Apple’s support forums, a lot of iPhone 4S users started discussing battery problems a day after the release of the new Apple gadget. To date, there are now over 185 pages of comments regarding the issue making it rather problematic for the technology giant.

“I am disappointed, this will probably be my last iPhone.”, says one user who pre-ordered the new iPhone. Contrary to the official specs of the phone which should have enough juice for 8 hours, the iPhone 4S only lasts 4 hours or even less.

Experts believe however that the problem may not be the battery itself but with the new operating system from Apple since it has a lot of apps on, it basically consumes a lot of juice.

Does your battery stink? This is now a common question in threads allover the web. The question of course refers to the battery problem of the new iPhone.

Although not everyone is affected,  there are definitely plenty of threads where people are voicing their concerns regarding their newly-bought iPhone 4S.

iPhone 4S users are now looking for a quick fix to get their batteries to last longer. Meanwhile, Apple has not yet addressed the issue publicly. Could this be the end of the technology giant? Many feared that Steve Jobs’ passing is a big factor when it comes to the company’s general popularity, its sales and investor relations but now, the iPhone 4S just might be the signal for the end of Apple’s reign.

photo via product-reviews.net

The figurehead of Apple and one of the most influential men in the technology market Steve Jobs died this October due to a rare kind of pancreatic cancer.

Jobs passed away just hours after the unveiling of Apple’s latest smartphone –the iPhone 4S. Following Steve Jobs’ resignation as CEO, Apple had ample time to get a glimpse of what lies ahead. One has to note that expectations for the launch of the iPhone 5 was rather high but the company experienced a bit of negative feedback when it unveiled an upgrade –the iPhone 4S.

The dismay for being served a smartphone that was barely different from its predecessor the Apple iPhone 4 has caused quite a drawback but no one doubts the giant because sales are still looking good.

The danger with Apple’s strategy of replacing its handsets with yet another new one, according to experts, is that their former loyal customers might be distracted by other handsets released by competitors which include Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus released as the Ice Cream Sandwich phone.

Apple Stumbles

Upon Jobs’ death, investors started shying away from the technology giant. The reluctance of Tim Cook to step into Steve Jobs’ shoes somewhat added to the tumble. In fact, according to the BBC, the share price for Apple has tumbled 5% making the absence of Jobs felt oh-so-abruptly.

It is interesting to note that when Jobs announced his leave of absence because of his sickness, a number of investors pulled their investments from the technology giant.

Lost

Many investors have voiced their fears that without Steve Jobs, the company will spiral to the dumps while its competitors are speeding up when it comes to releasing the sleekest gadgets one can find.

However, telecom analyst Nitin Bhat said in an interview with the BBC that the impact will not be that much and that this will only be in the short term since Apple has a plan in place.

A pico projector allows you to project videos or movies on to a wall or screen from another media device. Combining an iPhone, iPad, or iPod with the pico projector technology seems like a natural fit, but will Apple ever add the capability of a pico projector into any of their devices?

In my opinion, I don’t think the iPhone or iMac will ever have a pico projector but I could possibly see Apple adding the pico technology to the iPod touch. The only questions I would have for Mr. Jobs would be, Is there room within the thin iPod for a pico? And is this technology necessary? Sure, it would be cool to project a movie that I just purchased from the iTunes store on to a wall and watch it, but would I have to sacrifice the slim, sleek design of the iPod Touch to add in this capability?

What I think could happen:
Apple could design a small projector lens that attaches directly to the iPod and connects to earphone port. Since the iPod has speakers built in already, they would only need the lens connection.
Why I think this is a good idea:
Apple is known for making accessories to use the full capabilities of your iPhone, iPad or iPod so they could easily market the pico projector add-on. I think that if Apple would use the pico technology this is the most realistic outcome.

Apple made the huge announcement yesterday that the iPod Blog predicted,  the iPad 2! The iPad 2 will still be available in 16gb, 32gb, or 64gb but now you have your choice of white or black.

March 11, you can own the iPad 2. Less than a year after the original iPad was announced, Apple completely redesigned the original iPad, making it 1/3 thinner and even faster with an A5 dual core chip. One of the most well designed pieces of technology, has been improved upon with the addition of a front facing camera for FaceTime and a rear facing camera that shoots HD video.

The coolest thing about the iPad 2 has to be the choice of white or black. Will the white iPad be as popular as the white iPhone?  Check out all of the new innovations here

It’s 2011 and a new year means new segments on the iPod Repair Blog. This new segment is called “Gotta Have It” and it will introduce accessories that I just gotta have.
The first accessory on the list is the Ticker from Switcheasy. I have been a big fan of Switcheasy from the day I opened my first Rebel case for my iPhone and I haven’t look back since. The Ticker is designed to be used with the iPod Nano and gives you a completely new experience. I found that it is great for runners and is less cumbersome than an armband. The wristband is shock resistant and fits securely to your wrist and uses of polycarbonate push through buttons to control your musical journey. Also, with the Nano clock feature, the Ticker serves double duty as a wrist watch.

iTunes Ping is a social network for music that allows you to follow your favorite artists and friends to find out what they are listening to and discover new artists. Ping allows you to find out what your friends are listening to and downloading on iTunes

Naturally, when you think about social media and sharing, Facebook is the first medium that comes to mind. Apple AND Facebook teaming up? Everyone uses iTunes and everyone uses Facebook, it’s match made in heaven, right? Wrong. According to reports on Business Insider, Facebook and Apple continue to have trouble working out the details. Although Facebook CTO Bret Taylor is “Very confident” that Facebook and Apple will work out the kinks and figure out how to integrate Apple’s Ping into the Social Network.

Ping is a service that allows you to follow your favorite artists and become part of their inner circle. Apple’s social music network also keeps you up to date with your favorite artists with status updates and photos that you can add comments to. The integration of Ping into the latest update of iTunes is seamless, Ping is already built into the iTunes app on your iPhone and iPod Touch. This allows you to access artist updates from anywhere. Also, Ping gives lets you know what your favorite artists are listing to on their iPod.

I like the idea but it still looks like some kinks need to be worked out.

Steve Jobs will give a free case to everyone with an iPhone 4

If you keep up with Apple news, and since you are reading this blog I assume you do, you have no doubt heard of the “death grip” that causes major antenna and reception problems with the iPhone 4. I am feeling a little snarky with this post because I purchased the iPhone 3Gs with the option to upgrade to the iPhone 4. I debated whether I should just make the switch and get the latest iPhone but looking back I am glad I stayed with the 3Gs.

In a press conference at Apple’s Cuppertino campus, Jobs announced that to combat the antenna problems, Apple would provide customers with free cases. This is a great PR move for Apple. Instead of deflecting the problem and blaming AT&T, (not like they didn’t try) Jobs solved the problem by giving away free cases. Now there is a new problem, not enough bumper cases. The highly sought after bumper case is already is shortage and now that Apple is giving them away, they are going to need millions more. Jobs solved this problem by giving customers a choice of cases.

Bottom line, I like the message that the guy in the video is delivering, if you don’t want an iPhone 4 don’t buy one, if you bought one and you don’t like it…bring it back.