Editor’s Note: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Norway bars Apple from taking aerial photos of Oslo (GMA News)
Norway’s intelligence agency has blocked US company Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) from flying over Oslo to take 3D aerial photos for its map application, citing national security, officials said Tuesday. “I can confirm that Apple was not authorised to take aerial photographs because the level of detail in the shots is considered too high for some of the restricted zones,” a spokeswoman for the Norwegian National Security Authority (NSM), Mona Stroem Arnoey, said. “We have however presented Apple with alternative solutions, including buying photos from Norwegian suppliers or from the Norwegian map authorities,” she said.
Carl Icahn, the never-shy hedge fund titan, today waded into another hotly contested debate: whether Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is on the way up or still headed down. Icahn revealed that he controls a large position in the Cupertino, Calif.-based company and considers the stock to be “extremely undervalued.” In addition, Icahn says he spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook today, and true to form, he wasted no time in sharing his thoughts with Cook. “Discussed my opinion that a larger buyback should be done now,” Icahn writes in a new Twitter message, the latest medium used by the activist investor in his continued efforts to shakeup corporate America. “We plan to speak again shortly.”
Samsung Losses to Apple Give IPhone Maker Edge in Talks (Bloomberg)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s patent-infringement victory over Samsung Electronics Co. could go far in bolstering its claim of copying and providing an advantage in any settlement between the world’s two top smartphone manufacturers. The U.S. International Trade Commission on Aug. 9 said Samsung infringed two Apple patents and issued an order banning imports of products using the iPhone maker’s multitouch features and headphone jack detection. President Barack Obama’s administration could overturn the import ban on public policy grounds, as it did Aug. 3 in an order against older iPhones.
Icahn targets Apple in latest tweet (CNBC)
Apple extends takeback program for unofficial iPhone chargers to Europe (ZDNet)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is offering consumers in the US, China and now Europe and Australia discounts on its own device chargers when they drop in counterfeit or third-party adapters. Customers can purchase Apple-made adapters for iOS devices, which usually cost $19 in the US, at a roughly $10 discount when they return a third-party adapter to one of Apple’s retail stores or its authorised service providers. Apple announced the program for the US and China first, but has now extended it to the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia and Japan.
Apple Holds Sale on Movie Collections in U.S. iTunes Store [Updated] (Mac Rumors)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is currently holding a sale on movie bundles in the U.S. iTunes Store, offering heavy discounts on collections of both SD and HD versions of films. The bundles include film collections of popular franchises such as the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Spider Man. Last week, Apple launched movie support for iTunes in the Cloud in eight new countries, including Japan and Italy. The service was first launched for music in June 2011 in the United States, with movie and TV show support in March 2012.
Oracle’s Larry Ellison says Apple’s best days are over (San Jose Mercury News)
Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) CEO Larry Ellison, never one to mince words, on Tuesday made clear to Charlie Rose on “CBS This Morning” that he thinks Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s best days are behind it. Calling its late co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs “irreplaceable,” Ellison said “Apple won’t be nearly as successful” without him at the helm. Yes, the world’s third-richest man likes and respects Apple CEO Tim Cook. But without Ellison’s old friend Jobs around anymore to ride herd over Apple’s mad-genius workforce, he insists the company’s future is dimmed.
iPhone 5 Explodes in China: Chinese Woman Suffers Eye Injury After Apple Inc. iPhone 5 Explodes [Report] (Latinos Post)
An iPhone 5 exploded on a woman’s face after she used the Apple device for over 30 minutes. According to China’s Da Lian Evening News, and translated via ZDNet, the Chinese woman was using her iPhone 5 at her workplace when she felt the smartphone’s screen becoming warmer. After using the device for almost 40 minutes, the woman, whose family name is Li, tapped on the touchscreen to end the phone call, but the display was unresponsive. Then, following a few more taps, the screen exploded. Li was sent to a hospital where her eyeball was inflamed and red. Debris from the iPhone 5 hit her eye, which resulted in a scratched cornea.
Apple’s new iPad 5 won’t employ Haswell processor (Stabley Times)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is using the new Intel Haswell chip in its MacBook Air, but despite the low power nature of the new processor designed for tablets, it won’t go anywhere near the iPad 5. Frustrated with the lack of sufficiently low power chips on the market, Apple began designing its own A-family processors four years ago for use in its iPads and iPhones. While chip makers Intel and AMD have since come around to the notion of making super low power chips which allow mobile devices to have physically small batteries and therefore be thin and light overall, Haswell still doesn’t come close enough to tempt Apple to discard its own A7 processor for the iPad 5.
Apple to release iPhone 5S and 5C on October 25 (GSMArena.com)
Over the weekend, we brought word of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s anticipated September 10 announcement date for its new iPhone models, the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. Now, an October 25 release date has been tipped as well – that’s when we will allegedly see the two new Apple smartphones on the store shelves. The Apple iPhone 5S is expected to feature an improved 8MP camera sensor with f/2.0 aperture, which should result in better low-light shots. There’s also hints of an alleged fingerprint scanner on the home button, and a heftier battery inside, which should bump up the weight slightly over the current iPhone 5.
