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Patent War: Apple Wins EU Tab 7.7 Ban

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Apple wins an EU-wide preliminary injunction banning sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 tablet as the Düsseldorf regional court decides the devices infringes on Apple design rights.

Apple vs SamsungHowever Samsung can still continue selling the larger Galaxy Tab 10.1N-- the revised model Samsung released to work around earlier design infringement accusations. The Düsseldorf court had already decided in favour of the 10.1N variant back in February 2012

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 ban theoretically covers all EU countries except Germany, where a ban against the tablet is already in place.

However earlier in July a UK high court decided Samsung tablets are less "cool" than the iPad, and therefore do not infringe on Apple tablet patents.

Apple's Q3 Disappoints Wall Street

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Wall Street sometimes gets too greedy-- despite fiscal Q3 2012 revenues reaching $35 billion and profits worth $8.8bn (up from $7.3bn in Q3 2011) Apple misses Wall Street estimates, causing analysts to declare the quarter a bust.

AppleInternational sales account for 62% of Q3 2012 revenues.

Strong earnings, but not strong enough for Thomson Reuters analysts expecting revenues worth $37.2bn.

Mind, iDevice numbers see Q-o-Q declines-- Q3 iPhone sales reach 26 million, up by 28% Y-o-Y but down by -26% sequentially, maybe due to continual rumours on the next iPhone model. Meanwhile iPad sales reach 17m with 86% Y-o-Y growth.

Intel's Biggest Surprise

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OK, maybe we should count the iPad as the top product that caught Intel by surprise. But the next biggest surprise, and this one more positive for Intel, is the come-back of the All-in-One.

All ino ne PCWho would have guessed that All-in-One would have a resurgence?

The All-in-One essentially replaces a desktop, so Kirk Skaugen, VP and GM of the PC client business group has responsibility for the Intel All-in-One market.

He says OEMs already have 18 Thin Mini-ITX motherboards in development. Many of these will be available at the end of the quarter,  opening up the all-in-one to the Intel system builder channel.

“Our goal is 100% growth on all-in-ones,” Skaugen says. You can bet Window 8 will also fuel growth in this category.

Go Intel on All-in-One PCs

The Shrinking iPhone 5 Connector?

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Will Apple accessory sellers get an additional revenue boost through the iPhone 5? According to Reuters the iPhone 5 will carry a new, smaller version of the now-ubiquitous Apple dock connector.

small iphone connectorTwo anonymous sources of the "familiar with the matter" variety say the iPhone 5 will ship with a 19-pin connector instead of the proprietary 30-pin port, in order to "make room for the earphone moving the bottom."

The 30-pin Apple port might be something of an icon, but it also takes space-- being 21mm wide, it is much larger than the likes of microUSB, which offers more power in less space.

The change might annoy the Apple faithful, but it also means extra business in the shape of a whole new iDevice accessory ecosystem. Canalys remarks a change in connector dock "represents an opportunity for accessory vendors."

Chinese accessory makers are already making iPhone cases fitting the supposed new design, complete with earphone socket on the bottom and a "guarantee" of correct dimensions.

Rumours on smaller connector docks are nothing new-- back in May 2012 9to5Mac.com presented photos of "next-gen metal iPhone backs," also with a smaller connector device and bottom earphone socket... as well as what looks like a, different, taller display.

We will know what the new iPhone looks like once Apple actually reveals the thing (probably?) around October 2012.

Go What's Up Dock? Apple to Shrink iPhone 5 Connector (Reuters)

Go Next Gen Metal iPhone Backs Photos (9to5Mac.com)

Canon Reflects on Mirrorless Cameras

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Canon announces the EOS M-- the first take on the fast-growing "mirrorless" camera segment from a company best known for bulkier single-lens-reflex (SLR) models.

Canon EOS M"Mirrorless" cameras lack conventional mirror-based viewfinders (using a digital equivalent) allowing for lighter, more compact bodies with the capability for intechangeable lenses.

The EOS M has an 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor and uses lenses from the Canon SLR range, as the use of "EOS" name indicates. It ships with either a standard 22mm lens or a higher-magnification zoom lens.

The mirrorless segment is possibly the next big thing in digital photography-- IDC predicts WW mirrorless camera shipments will reach 6.43 million units with 60% Y-o-Y growth. All the major camera vendors (including NIkon, Sony, Panasonic and Samsung) already sell mirrorless models.

Canon ships the EOS M from September 2012 in Japan, with overseas markets to follow.

Go Canon EOS M

Go Mirrorless Hopes for Cameras

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