Apple has announced details of the 2012 iTunes Festival, to be held at the Roundhouse in London, England. The event will consist of 30 nights of free concerts by over 60 artists, including the likes of Jack White, Norah Jones, and Usher; only a handful of artists have been announced so far. For 2012, the festival has been moved from July to September.
A German TV maker, Loewe AG, is denying rumors that it has been in talks with Apple about a possible buyout, according to Heise Online. A tip to AppleInsider recently suggested a deal worth $113 million, and that Loewe's board of directors were going to make a decision before May 18th. A Loewe spokesman now insists, however, that there is "absolutely nothing" to the claims.
A third Apple patent suit versus Samsung was stayed today pending the resolution of a separate required proceeding before Germany's Federal Patent Court. The stayed patent in question is a general patent that covers, amongst other things, the basic pinch to zoom interface action as found in OS X and iOS. The court that stayed the trial today is the first of two courts that operate in parallel, but on different timetables. One court is responsible for the scope of the infringement, and the other court is responsible for the validity of the patent.
Germany's Mannheim Regional Court has stayed an Apple lawsuit against Samsung over a photo gallery page-flipping patent, says FOSS Patents. The case is now waiting on the resolution of a invalidation proceeding at the country's Federal Patent Court. Regional courts are noted to stay patent infringement cases only if the defendant shows a high chance of a patent being invalidated.
Judge Janis Sammartino has scheduled July 5th as the date for deliberations on the latest chapter in the legal maneuvering between Apple and Motorola. Apple filed the countersuit in question in February with the intention of gaining declaratory and injunctive financial awards as a result of Motorola's short-lived injunction against the iPhone 4S in Germany. The July 5 hearing is likely to not be open to the public.
The Panasonic Eluga is now on sale in Germany, with the UK receiving it on April 24. Amazon.de shows the first smartphone outside of Japan from the manufacturer as available for €406 ($531) unlocked, and in the UK at around £390 ($618).
Apple and Motorola faced off in a court hearing in Düsseldorf, Germany earlier today, Dow Jones reports. Motorola is being sued by Apple over three different design concepts, as well as alleged violation of a competition law. Specifically Apple is upset over the Motorola Xoom, which it says imitates the first-generation iPad with only minor design differences. Motorola is exploiting Apple's reputation unfairly, Apple counsel told the court.
Plans for several new international Apple Store have been discovered, notes ifoAppleStore. In Germany Apple has posted jobs for two new outlets, located in Stuttgart and Cologne. A third store, in Hanover, is said to be under construction at Bahnhofstraße 5; iFun.de remarks that windows have been blacked out for construction.
European consumer groups in 11 countries -- including Italy and Germany -- have issued letters to national regulators, asking them to put a stop to the way Apple currently markets its warranties, Bloomberg reports. Apple typically markets its products as having one-year warranties unless a person buys into an AppleCare plan. Under European Union regulations, though, manufacturers are obligated to cover a product for at least two years, making Apple's marketing potentially misleading.
A German appeals court has ruled that RapidShare musit monitor the traffic being uploaded by its user to look for and try to stop pirated content. The ruling upholds three lower court decisions against the storage and sharing service. In each case, the company was told to do more to prevent any violation of any copyrights.
As expected, HTC has begun pushing Android 4.0 updates for its Sensation and Sensation XE handsets for users located in Germany. The update brings the standard set of Ice Cream Sandwich improvements, along with HTC's Sense 3.6 interface overlay.
Apple today announced the third-generation iPad at an event in San Francisco. The device's main feature is a 2048x1536 Retina Display, twice the resolution of the iPad 2, rated at 264 pixels per inch; existing apps will be upscaled automatically. Color saturation is said to be 44 percent higher. The tablet also makes the switch to a new dual-core but quad graphics processor, the A5X, which Apple says is built with the Retina Display in mind. Interface-wise the tablet has been improved with features like voice dictation.
Apple has won a ruling in a German appeals court, undoing a temporary ban secured by Motorola on some iPhone and iPad models in the country, according to Bloomberg. The court says that Motorola must accept a recently-revised licensing offer from Apple. "At the current state of the proceedings, it is to be assumed that Motorola Mobility would violate its duties under antitrust rules if it continues to ask Apple to stop the sales," a court statement reads.
Apple has set an official date for the opening of the Amsterdam Apple Store. The location is scheduled to open Saturday, March 3rd at 10AM, situated in the Hirsch Building at Leidseplein 25. Regular hours will run from 9AM to 9PM Monday through Wednesday, 9AM to 10PM Thursday through Saturday, and 11AM to 7PM on Sunday. The shop will be Apple's first in the Netherlands, based in the same building as regional operating offices.
The iPad 3 will ship to Germany on March 23rd, local news site iFun.de claims to have learned. The assertion challenges ones made elsewhere that the country would only get the tablet in April. A March 23rd date would be roughly consistent with recent reports suggesting a product reveal in the first full week of March, followed by a launch in the US and/or several other countries mid-month.
Apple's Time Capsule routers are seeing delays or shortages in different parts of the world, notes 9to5Mac. The company's online stores in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, and France are sometimes seeing delivery times of one to three weeks for 3TB models, or one- to two-week delays for 2TB routers. Third-party vendors Amazon and Best Buy are out of 3TB models, and some Australian Apple Stores may be completely out of stock.
Apple has expanded an iPhone and iPad recycling program to the UK, France, and Germany, accounts say. In the US, people can trade in old iPhones and iPads for Apple gift cards. The program is operating differently in the new countries, where people are instead getting cash deposited directly into their bank accounts.
Samsung has reportedly unveiled a new Galaxy Tab model, the 7.0N. The tablet is a new version of the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab, but does have some modest upgrades, including a forward-facing speaker and the inclusion of Android 3.2 by default. An Android 4.0 update is promised in the future. The tablet's main purpose though is the presence of a 10.1N-style metal frame, a design trait Samsung has been using to deflect Apple legal action in Germany.
A Mac news site in Germany called iTopNews has taken photos of the construction going on around what will be Berlin's first Apple retail store, located in a historic century-old building that was once named the "Vienna." The building has been curtained without activity for some months, and largely empty since a Dali exhibit there in 2008. It will be the ninth store in Germany.
A German government agency that oversees privacy issues has reportedly approved Google's implementation of facial recognition technology. Although the same agency has warned that it will take action against Facebook for using similar technology, the regulators are said to be less concerned with Google's opt-in approach.
Apple has quietly confirmed plans for its first Berlin store. Local websites ifun and Macerkopf report that the company has posted job listings for the outlet, calling for a full range of retail workers. Although Apple isn't specifying the exact location of the store, construction and black barricades have been spotted at Kurfürstendamm 26, the site rumored for almost a year.
Following a botched rollout on Wednesday, Apple has today officially expanded iTunes Match to Canada and the UK. In Canada the service costs $28 a year, while in the UK annual pricing is set at £22. Unlike regular iCloud options, iTunes Match allows a person to mirror and remotely access their entire music library, regardless of whether the content is on iTunes.
Global iPlayer will make it to the iPhone and iPod touch on December 8th, the BBC has announced. The paid video-on-demand service has been available on the iPad for about five months. A list of countries getting the iPhone app on the 8th includes Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Germany's Bavarian State Authority for Data Protection has sent a letter to Apple, formally requesting information about Carrier IQ, says the head of the government body, Thomas Kranig. "We read in the press about the privacy concerns the software may pose and decided to ask Apple about the details," he explains. "If Apple decided to cease the use, all the better."
Apple could take a $2.7 billion hit if it loses one of its patent disputes with Motorola, the company has claimed to a German court. In the case at hand, Motorola is suing Apple over an email sync patent. Apple has not stated a justification for the $2.7 billion figure, but put it forward as the amount the court should require as collateral from Motorola should the latter party win its case.
Apple is opening its eighth German Apple Store on Thursday, at 9:30AM local time. The outlet will be based in the Main-Taunus-Zentrum shopping mall in Sulzbach, on the outskirts of Frankfurt. It is in fact approximately 10 miles from the Große Bockenheimer Straße location in downtown Frankfurt, the country's financial capital.
Apple has unveiled plans for an iOS 5 Tech Talk World Tour. Apple experts are scheduled to visit nine cities during the tour, including Berlin, London, Rome, Beijing, Seoul, São Paolo, New York City, Seattle, and Austin. Events will start in Berlin on November 2nd and end in Austin on January 23rd. Registration for January 13th's New York City event is already full.
Apple will release the iPhone 5 in five countries on Friday, October 14th, claims Japanese site Macotakara. Specifically the device is expected to launch in the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan. The timing is consistent with accounts that Apple is blacking out the 14th and 15th for Apple Store workers looking to go on vacation, and past reports pointing to a launch sometime between the 7th and the 15th.
At least two new Apple Stores are set to open this Saturday, checks confirm. The first is a Jungfernstieg location in Hamburg, Germany, which will represent the first time Apple has built more than one outlet per city in the country. Reports originally called for the shop to debut on the 10th, but the opening may simply have been delayed a week, for whatever reason.
Apple has announced that two more international store openings will occur alongside the Burlington, Ontario launch happening this Saturday. In Germany the company is unveiling an Augsburg outlet, located within the City-Galerie. The opening will mark just the sixth for the country, which has still to see an Apple Store in the capital of Berlin, though plans are underway.
Deutsche Telekom will soon start selling iPad 2s in its stores, Dow Jones reports. While the carrier has offered iPad data plans for some time, the actual tablets have been sold elsewhere, whether through Apple Stores or third-party retailers. DT's in-house iPad sales will cover five different countries, including stores in Germany, Austria, Greece, Poland and the Netherlands.
Apple should launch its second store in Hamburg, Germany on September 10th, sources are claiming. Supporting the idea is Tuesday's removal of the scaffolding in front of the outlet, which was previously in place for about six months. The Jungfernstieg outlet is still concealed by a black construction curtain, but the tip of an Apple logo can be seen sticking out from behind.
Despite the significant marketing efforts Nokia has put behind its MeeGo flagship handset, the N9, the company appears to be shrinking its launch plans to include fewer countries. After admitting that there is no intention to bring the N9 to the US or the UK, the company has told MobiFlip the device will not be heading to Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
Samsung has quickly responded to its loss against Apple in German courts, where a judge approved a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Although the decision in Germany is widely viewed as a threat to Galaxy Tab distribution throughout the entire European Union, Samsung suggests the move is not yet final and will not have an affect on the other legal battles the company is fighting against Apple in other markets.
Two new Apple Stores have been confirmed. Coming this Saturday is the Valencia Town Center location in California. Regular hours will run 10AM to 9PM Monday through Saturday, and 11AM to 6PM on Sunday; a steady stream of workshops has already been scheduled. The outlet will be Apple's 49th in the state, representing the largest concentration of Apple Stores in the US. The next closest state, Texas, has only 17.
Online shipping times for the white iPhone 4 are stretching out in a number European countries. Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland and the UK are some of the major countries now listing a delay of a flat five days. Black iPhones are more readily available, shipping in the space of a day or two.
The German government has joined groups requesting an explanation for an unprotected location history file in iOS 4, says Reuters. The country's consumer protection ministry is asking Apple to answer "a string of open questions," namely "where, for how long, and for what purpose the data is saved, who has access to it, and how it is protecting against unauthorized access." An Apple Germany spokesman has so far refused to comment.
A grand opening for the first Dresden, Germany Apple Store is scheduled for this Thursday, Apple has announced. The shop is located at the Altmarkt-Galerie, and on Thursday will be open for extended hours of 8AM to 10PM. Similar extensions are planned for Friday and Saturday; Friday hours will run from 9:30AM to 10PM, while Saturday hours will stretch from 9:30AM to midnight.
Two more Apple Stores are confirmed for Europe, reports say. The first is coming to Madrid, Spain, where a shop will open by the end of the year in the Parquesur mall, located within the city's southern suburbs. The mall is said to be one of the largest in Europe, with over 230 vendors. The new outlet will be roughly 10 miles away from the Xanadu Apple Store, and only 7 miles away from the upcoming Puerta del Sol location downtown.
Apple has removed the Nazi Party anthem from the German version of the iTunes Store, Reuters reports. Called the Horst Wessel Lied, the song is officially banned in Germany except for educational purposes. It was nevertheless sold in the country by Apple and Amazon until a regional newspaper, the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, drew attention to the matter on Wednesday. The piece is still available in other countries' iTunes Stores.
The sudden medical leave announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs this morning is already having an effect on stock trading, according to Reuters. The agency reports that Apple shares fell 7.5 percent on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by 2:38PM GMT; futures on the S&P 500 SPc1 and the NASDAQ NDc have slipped 0.3 and 0.9 percent, respectively. The impact of the announcement has been muted by Apple's decision to make it on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when US markets are closed.
Apple has settled on a place to build a Berlin Apple Store, local sources are quoted as saying. The location has been narrowed down to the Kurfürstendamm, in the western half of the city. Specifically Apple is said to have secured a former movie theatre across from the Hard Rock Cafe, giving it access to 5,000 square feet of indoor space.
A bevy of new Apple Stores are in the works for 2011, a report says. At least several of these are forecast to open in Italy by the middle of the year, including one in Bologna, a previously unexpected outlet in Florence, and a second Milan location. Possible addresses for the Milan and Florence stores remain unknown.
Apple has posted People's Choice shortlists for iTunes Best Album & Song 2010, a voting competition being run by Apple. Some of the eligible albums include Lungs by Florence + The Machine, Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons, and Immersion by Pendulum. A few of the songs on offer include "Pack Up" by Eliza Doolittle, "Telephone" by Lady GaGa, and "Ridin' Solo" by Jason Derülo.
Confirming recent media claims, Apple has announced plans for a European iAd expansion. The network will officially expand to the UK and France and December, with Germany following in January. As in the US, the initial roster of advertisers consists of high-profile corporations. The list so far includes: L’Oréal, Renault, Louis Vuitton, Nespresso, Perrier, Unilever, Citi, Evian, LG Display, AB InBev, Turkish Airlines and Absolute Radio.
Just one day after Google was found to be in violation of UK regulations for its Street View data collection methods, the company is now under fire in Germany for failing to blur images that should be hidden. The Street View feature, which just launched in Germany, was supposed to prevent users from viewing properties that owners had opted out of the program.
At least several of Apple's European online stores are offline, investigation shows. The UK, French, German, Spanish and Swedish stores are all down as of about noon Eastern time, with no indication of when they might return other than "soon." Countries in other continents, such as Canada and the United States, are notably unaffected.
Prices for the Mac mini have been slashed in many regions around the world, Apple is said to have confirmed. Macerkopf notes that in Germany, for example, the cost of a base-level 2.4GHz Mini with a 320GB hard drive has fallen €100 to sit at €709. A Snow Leopard Server edition of the computer now starts at €999, as compared to a previous €1,149.
Apple is now selling unlocked versions of the iPhone 4 and 3GS in its German retail and online stores. An 8GB 3GS is €519, while 16 and 32GB iPhone 4s are €629 and €739, respectively. Although a 3GS should ship in one to two weeks, both iPhone 4 models have a minimum two-week wait, in contrast with the US.
Shipping times for the MacBook Pro have changed from 24 hours to two days in the UK, a MacNN reader observes. The wait is present for other MacBook models as well, including the Air and the basic plastic version. Two-day delays can also be spotted in the French and German online Apple Stores.
