Rumors of an iPad 3 this year are apparently greatly exaggerated, Amazon re-reconsiders its licensing stance, and it’s the patent troll that launched 1000 suits. The remainders for Tuesday, April 12, 2011 are on the case.
Rumors about new iPad specifications not taken seriously by component makers (DigiTimes)
The, er, ever-reputable DigiTimes says that there will be no new iPad 3 in 2011, based on word from component manufacturers. The reasoning? Those companies have not yet received orders for the parts that would go into a supposed next-generation iPad. Pretty solid, I’d say, except what if the new iPad has no parts. Did you think of that, guys? Huh? Did ya?
Amazon Letter To Labels: Cloud Drive Locker Has Boosted MP3 Sales (Billboard)
Internet retail giant Amazon has flopped back, telling music labels once again that it don’t need no steenkin’ license for the music that users upload to the company’s Cloud Player service. But, maybe—just maybe—Amazon allows, it might sort of kind of possibly want to do stuff in the future that could conceivably maybe require licenses, so, uh, stay in touch. And don’t sue. Yeah. That.
Priceline founder takes aim at Apple, more than 100 others in patent suit (AppleInsider)
Walker Digital, owner of Priceline.com, has filed suit against Apple and more than 100 other companies for—anybody? anybody?—ding ding ding: patent infringement. Walker apparently holds more than 400 patents filed in the ’90s on a variety of inventions. “Unfortunately,” said Walker Digital CEO Jon Ellenthal, “many of these companies have refused to engage in meaningful negotiations that acknowledge the market value they derive from the use of our property.” Only one man can resolve this dispute; perhaps it’s time to call in… the Priceline negotiator.
Product News:
FontExplorer X Pro 3 – Version 3.0 of Linotype’s Mac font utility adds a Character Toolbox that lets you filter your fonts for specific characters, the ability to compare fonts by paper and ink usage, a transparent slide show feature that lets you overlay fonts to find the right one, and more. Full license $79, upgrade from version 2.x for $29.
Delegate 2 – The 2.0 update to app4mac’s to-do list manager for the Mac brings a global view of all opened lists, improved sharing of lists, and a better interface. The feature-limited lite version is free; the full version is $30.