01/04, 8:00pm
Award for using iOS device as flash drive also
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has given Apple a total of 13 patents today, covering a wide range of topics from the design of the Thunderbolt Display to the (at the time) revolutionary interface for managing lists in iOS. The latter is an important patent that may be leveraged in future litigation, as most other smartphone competitors have copied it fairly closely in their own implementations. Apple was also given a patent for its now-discontinued Bluetooth headset.
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09/06, 6:35pm
Thunderbolt Display should be at retail this week
Details have surfaced Tuesday that Apple should be delivering the Thunderbolt Display to stores this week. Both official Apple stores and third-party chains should have the 27-inch screen soon, MacRumors said. Online pre-order customers haven't received shipping notices yet, but Electronista has heard of shipping estimates of September 15.
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12/02, 9:15pm
Cable hints at Light Peak support
The US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a patent for a new power adapter that integrates fiber optics for data transfer. Images associated with the filing appear to show a MagSafe connector modified to carry a single fiber-optic cable or multiple channels. Rather than terminating the cable at a power adapter, the system utilizes a data adapter with connections for USB, RJ-45, and DVI.
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11/30, 3:10pm
Plaintiff claims Apple was aware of defects
A new lawsuit accuses Apple of neglecting the safety of its MagSafe power adapters, according to AppleInsider. At the core of the dispute is a fire that hit a Connecticut family's home on May 23rd, 2008; the plaintiff cites the Glastonbury town fire marshal as tracing the incident back to the "external system components" of a MacBook Pro. The case is being pursued by an insurance firm, the Great Northern Insurance Company, which paid the fire victims over $75,000.
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10/18, 6:55am
Battery will continue to be sold without adapters
HyperMac has announced that it will cease selling its external battery supply unit with MagSafe adapters. According to Sanho, the parent company of HyperMac, the move is in direct response to the lawsuit brought against it by Apple. In its open letter, notably bereft of references to the MagSafe trademark, HyperMac states that ‘As part of our ongoing comprehensive negotiations with Apple regarding a wide array of technologies and issues, we have decided to cease the sale of Macbook charging cables and car charger on November 2, 2010.’
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10/09, 8:25am
Apple bringing Macbook charging tech to iPhone?
The US Patent & Trademark office has published a new Apple patent for a MagSafe adapter that it may apply to the design of future mobile devices. The sketches (below) appear to depict a device that could fall into the same category as Apple’s iPhone and iPad. The MagSafe adapter works by sending a power current through five pins, which corresponds to the five pins noted in connector 62 in the diagrams.
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10/07, 7:25pm
Older MacBooks can now use newer chargers
Apple has posted a MacBook SMC firmware update for certain MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks released between 2007 and 2008. The download resolves an issue that had prevented the older notebooks, equipped with L-shaped MagSafe connectors, from properly charging with newer 60W or 85W power adapters.
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07/09, 5:25pm
Apple targets three for copying MagSafe design
Apple on Thursday sued three US resellers for allegedly infringing on the patents behind the MagSafe power adapters for the MacBook and MacBook Pro. The Northern District of California complaint accuses Brilliant Store, Hootoo and Sunvalleytek International of selling copies such as the "AC Adapter MagSafe" without permission. The companies involved in some cases have made it clear both that they sell the actual power bricks as well as the duplicates.
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