Apple: App Store turns 1; NC server farm investment; new lawsuit
Apple's App Store celebrates its first birthday this week. Meanwhile, the company's investment in rural North Carolina could conceivably double to $2 billion in the coming years. And a new lawsuit claims that iPods, as well as Wiis and PSPs, tread on patented technology.
Happy Birthday App Store
The App Store will official have a year under its belt later this week, and to celebrate, Apple is highlighting some of its favorite games and applications. These include the likes of E*Trade Mobile, MLB At Bat 2009, Brushes, Pandora Radio, Let's Golf, Rolando, and Real Racing.
"Light a candle and cue the music," the company said. "Okay, forgive us for sounding like doting parents, but we're just so proud -- having watched the App Store go from a promising newcomer to full-fledged revolutionary."
In just under 12-months, the App Store has surpassed milestones that might have at one time seemed unfathomable, the most notable of which include 1 billion downloads by users and 50,000 approved applications for developers.
Apple's NC investment could double
As expected, North Carolina's Catawba County on Monday afternoon announced that Apple has selected the 183 acre Catawba Data Park in Maiden as the site for its future $1 billion data center.
If all goes according to plan, development of the 500,000-square feet building could begin as early as next month. Construction efforts are expected to employ about 750 workers and run through late 2010.
Both Maiden and Catawba County also agreed Monday to give Apple another $7.3 million in incentives on top of the $46 million in tax breaks the electronics maker is expected to reap over the next 10 years.
Scott Millar, president of the Catawba County Economic Development Corp, also said there's a reasonable chance Apple's plans for the data farm and investment in rural North Carolina could double to $2 billion in the coming years.
Apple hit with new patent suit
Apple, along with Nintendo and Sony, were sued last week in an Arkansas district court on the grounds of patent infringement.
According to Dow Jones, Newport Beach, Calif.-based Shared Memory Graphics LLC "alleges Apple iPods and iPod Touch music and video players, Nintendo's motion-controlled Wii and Sony PSP and PS2 game consoles uses two graphic accelerator systems patented by the company."
The pair of patents, acquired by Shared Memory from holding company Alliance Semiconductor in 2005, reportedly "escribe ways in which microprocessors fine-tune graphics by balancing the flow of data from various sources."
Happy Birthday App Store
The App Store will official have a year under its belt later this week, and to celebrate, Apple is highlighting some of its favorite games and applications. These include the likes of E*Trade Mobile, MLB At Bat 2009, Brushes, Pandora Radio, Let's Golf, Rolando, and Real Racing.
"Light a candle and cue the music," the company said. "Okay, forgive us for sounding like doting parents, but we're just so proud -- having watched the App Store go from a promising newcomer to full-fledged revolutionary."
In just under 12-months, the App Store has surpassed milestones that might have at one time seemed unfathomable, the most notable of which include 1 billion downloads by users and 50,000 approved applications for developers.
Apple's NC investment could double
As expected, North Carolina's Catawba County on Monday afternoon announced that Apple has selected the 183 acre Catawba Data Park in Maiden as the site for its future $1 billion data center.
If all goes according to plan, development of the 500,000-square feet building could begin as early as next month. Construction efforts are expected to employ about 750 workers and run through late 2010.
Both Maiden and Catawba County also agreed Monday to give Apple another $7.3 million in incentives on top of the $46 million in tax breaks the electronics maker is expected to reap over the next 10 years.
Scott Millar, president of the Catawba County Economic Development Corp, also said there's a reasonable chance Apple's plans for the data farm and investment in rural North Carolina could double to $2 billion in the coming years.
Apple hit with new patent suit
Apple, along with Nintendo and Sony, were sued last week in an Arkansas district court on the grounds of patent infringement.
According to Dow Jones, Newport Beach, Calif.-based Shared Memory Graphics LLC "alleges Apple iPods and iPod Touch music and video players, Nintendo's motion-controlled Wii and Sony PSP and PS2 game consoles uses two graphic accelerator systems patented by the company."
The pair of patents, acquired by Shared Memory from holding company Alliance Semiconductor in 2005, reportedly "escribe ways in which microprocessors fine-tune graphics by balancing the flow of data from various sources."
Comments
Apple hit with new patent suit
Apple, along with Nintendo and Sony, were sued last week in an Arkansas district court on the grounds of patent infringement.
According to Dow Jones, Newport Beach, Calif.-based Shared Memory Graphics LLC "alleges Apple iPods and iPod Touch music and video players, Nintendo's motion-controlled Wii and Sony PSP and PS2 game consoles uses two graphic accelerator systems patented by the company."
The pair of patents, acquired by Shared Memory from holding company Alliance Semiconductor in 2005, reportedly "escribe ways in which microprocessors fine-tune graphics by balancing the flow of data from various sources."
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
Is it just me or does anyone else think that it's time to scrap the patent system? The abuses are more damaging than actual infringements.
Sod patents!
All inventions should benefit all humankind.
No exclusivity. Everyone should have access to all.
I'm with the Chinese!
Sod patents!
All inventions should benefit all humankind.
No exclusivity. Everyone should have access to all.
Then, only altruists will innovate. And, since no one is truly an altruist.......
Wow, a patent suit that WASN'T filed in Texas. Amazing!
A patent suit that was filed in Arkansas. Even more amazing!
Wow, a patent suit that WASN'T filed in Texas. Amazing.
Yeah another back water hicksville I'm sure. They don't dare file it in Orange County where they do business. It's got to be a hick town so they can buy off the judge and jury and whole damn town.
You know they are going to do it.
Well, I'm a dollar short and a day late, but can't help but wonder why NC? I'm sure the folks in rural Oregon would love to have Apple come around. Oh well. The way things are in California, were I live, Apple would be better off in Alaska. At least the servers would stay in a cool environment.
East coast is far enough away from the west coast that they don't share any of the same infrastructure. Should there be a power grid or backbone failure in one location it is unlikely to affect the other.
How would this lawsuit even be valid? Dont the wii,ipod,and ipod touch , all use video processors from other companies?
even if they do. who is to say that all those companies didn't steal the same prior art.
the crux of this will be in whether whether it was the basic idea or the actual technique.
Well, I'm a dollar short and a day late, but can't help but wonder why NC? I'm sure the folks in rural Oregon would love to have Apple come around.
the guess is that they want an East Coast center so they can spread out the growing traffic to the itunes store, mobile me etc. and there is likely already a server bank in Cup at or near headquarters. Plus NC has some appealing tax breaks and such (same thing happened in the film/tv industry a few times. example. Dawson's Creek)
I'm with the Chinese!
Sod patents!
All inventions should benefit all humankind.
No exclusivity. Everyone should have access to all.
Sorry, socialism has never worked despite current attitudes.
Sorry, socialism has never worked despite current attitudes.
Read "Main Currents in Marxism" by Leszek Kolakowski, and you might just change your mind about what "socialism" actually means and its relevance to the modern (post-Soviet era) world.
Read "Main Currents in Marxism" by Leszek Kolakowski, and you might just change your mind about what "socialism" actually means and its relevance to the modern (post-Soviet era) world.
Gee. That's helpful. [/sarcasm]
Seriously: if you'd like someone to read this, how about a preview/precis on what it means and its relevance? For starters: does the article say it's still relevant?
Judge: "Good enough for me. Case closed."
I'm with the Chinese!
Sod patents!
All inventions should benefit all humankind.
No exclusivity. Everyone should have access to all.
Yeah, so one company spends lots of $$$ on R&D and the rest can just come and get it?
And you freaking dumb?