Has Apple found its new processor soul mate? Is your iPad passcode opening you up to prying eyes? Does Paul Allen’s patent suit stand a chance? Is Apple planning on Thunderbolting one of its main peripherals? Will the remainders for Friday, July 15, 2011 answer even one of these questions?
TSMC in trial manufacture of Apple chips – source (Reuters)
The ever-elusive “source familiar with the matter” (boy, they get around don’t they?) reports that,
as previously suggested, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has indeed begun trial manufacturing of Apple’s A6 processor. Apple’s previous chips, the A4 and A5, were produced by Samsung, but in the aftermath of the two’s
messy legal woes, it looks like Cupertino’s got a brand new silicon squeeze. But any deal between Apple and TSMC would be dependent on the results of this first date trial run.
Hacker’s App Automates Over-The-Shoulder iPad Spying (Forbes)
Did you know that your iPad’s keyboard glows briefly when you enter your non-numeric passcode? One South African security expert noticed that detail, and, of course, came up with a piece of software that can analyze video of you typing and thus figure out your password. Joke’s on you guys, though—I don’t use a password. Ha!
Paul Allen Lawsuit Put On Hold As Patents Are Questioned (paidContent.org)
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s attempt to sue every major tech company under the sun—except, of course, Microsoft—has run into some trouble, as a U.S district judge has ruled that U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will indeed have to reexamine the patents in question. Sadly, the case will likely take an even sharper turn for the worse when the examiners discover that the patent filing is actually just Allen’s unpublished sci-fi novel.
That Time Playboy Interviewed Steve Jobs (Gizmodo)
A reprint of a lengthy interview with Apple CEO and co-founder from 1987. The best part? When the interviewer asks Steve what he thinks about the Mac being called “the world’s most expensive Etch A Sketch.” Some things never change.
Apple’s Upcoming Hardware Refresh to Include Thunderbolt LED Display, Not MacBook (MacRumors)
Word on the Internet says that a new Thunderbolt-enabled Apple Cinema Display that will soon replace the current Mini DisplayPort version. The update has supposedly been confirmed by revised product shots culled from Apple’s site, which show the new display in a variety of compromising connections. Man, any more clues and this will read like a Dan Brown novel—except, you know, much better written.