I'm not an IP attorney, but it was fascinating to watch the reports from the recent Apple versus Samsung trial. Why does Apple fight these battles (aside from the obvious fact that it won that last trial)? Charles Duhigg and Steve Lohr of the New York Times try to provide some answers in an interesting article on Apple's use of patents in litigation. And now, the rest of the news of note from the past week:
- San Francisco attorney Deanne Katz of FindLaw's Technologist tells the story of ride-sharing apps that received cease-and-desist letters from the State of California on the grounds that they are taxis.
- JuryStar is an iPad app that can be used to assist with jury selection. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the app, the developers (Nancy and Boyd Patterson) are giving away a "Litigation iPad Survival Kit" worth $1,800 to one lucky winner. Click here for the details.
- I see that Nancy Patterson also has a helpful list of 118 iPhone and iPad apps for litigators on her Litig8r Tech blog.
- Evan Koblentz of Law Technology News reports on the new iPad app from Thomson Reuters called Global Business Law.
- Daniel Eran Dilger of Apple Insider compares Apple's iOS 6 Maps app with the alternatives, noting that there are some real advantages to Apple's new maps, especially considering that Apple is just starting in this field.
- Alan of Art of the iPhone explains the new VIP feature in Mail in iOS 6.
- Kit Eaton of the New York Times recommends some good games for the iPhone 5.
- There have been rumors and speculation of a Microsoft Office app for the iPad ever since there has been an iPad. This week, someone with Microsoft's Czech subsidiary stated that the app would be out in early 2013, but then a company spokesman from the main office stepped in to say: "The information shared by our Czech subsidiary is not accurate. We do not have anything further to share at this time." So who knows. Gregg Keizer of Computerworld has more details.
- My office uses Microsoft Outlook so I don't use Google Calendar, but if you do, you might want to check out Calendars from Readdle, which was upgraded to version 3.0 this week. I haven't tried the app myself, but Readdle has a good reputation for high-quality apps.
- Nick Wingfield of the New York Times reports that an iPhone game developer in Finland called Supercell has two apps that are free to download but have in-app purchases, resulting in the company grossing over $500,000 every day. Every day? Apple gets 30% of all app profits, so that's $350,000 a day for the company.
- That made me think of about a story from Brad Stone, Adam Satariano, and Peter Burrows of Businessweek that I mentioned last week. That story about Tim Cook running Apple mentions that after Bob Mansfield, Apple's Senior VP for Hardware Engineering, announced his retirement, Cook enticed him to stay on by offering Mansfield $2 million a month to be a consultant. That sounds like a lot, but it translates to about $67,000 a day — only half of what Apple gets every day from just those two Supercell apps. And there are over 750,000 apps in the App Store.
- In related news, if anyone else feels like paying someone $2 million a month, my contact information is on this website. I play both the piano and the ukulele, so you'll get lots of entertainment for your investment.
- And finally, the larger screen on the iPhone 5 is nice, but what if you want a REALLY big screen for your iPhone? Then the fine folks at Oh Need have you covered with their $68 Mini Cinema for iPhone 4/4S. It combines the high-tech iPhone with an old-school magnifying glass and gramophone horn. No batteries required! (via Cult of Mac)
