Apple Files iPhone5.com Case with WIPO

A complaint has been filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on behalf of Apple Inc. regarding the domain name iphone5.com. The Cupertino, California-based technology giant selling world’s most craved-for smartphone has filed a complaint with the aforementioned IP-centric group to secure iphone5.com, a domain currently owned by a forum hosting discussions about (what else?) the next-generation iPhone. Labeled “Case D2012-0951,” the complaint is not publicly disclosed in its entirety. However, all the necessary details are available at wipo.int to make an idea about Apple’s intentions. The group mistakenly references the iPhone maker as Apple Computer, Inc., a dubbing Apple has forgone for over a decade. The company is called Apple Inc. The change was necessary soon after Steve Jobs' "second coming" in 1997 to symbolize the widened scope to other products, not just computers. The case (or complaint) is labeled “active,” meaning Apple may or may not be able to secure the iphone5.com domain (though the chances for the latter scenario are notably slimmer). The company acted similarly in the past, securing domains like iphone4.com after the iPhone 4 had debuted. However, this time around Apple is seeking to nab iphone5.com ahead of its next smartphone’s debut. While most press outlets still refer to the next-generation Apple smartphone as “iPhone 5,” Apple has offered every indication that its name may not include any numbering. At a special event in March, Apple unveiled the third-generation iPad calling it not the iPad 3, but “the new iPad.” Apple had named the predecessor “iPad 2.” Pressed to comment on their change of heart, Apple officials said they didn’t want to become predictable. Not that the next iPhone’s dubbing isn’t predictable now that we know Apple has done away with the numbering (“the new iPhone,” anyone?). http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple-Files-iPhone5-com-Case-with-WIPO-267946.shtml

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iPhone 5 In-Cell Display Spells Loss for TPK, Wintek - Report

Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes cites industry sources with knowledge of Apple’s short term plans reporting that TPK Holding and Wintek are to see less profits because of new technologies adopted by the Cupertino giant for its next-generation iPhone. Specifically, the two touch panel vendors "are expected to see their shipments of touch panels for iPhones decline 15-20% sequentially in the second quarter," the sources estimated. The reason is Apple moving the iPhone 4S into the final stage of its product life cycle, the sources reportedly said, adding that "Apple is likely to adopt in-cell touch solutions for its next-generation model." The in-cell panels are reportedly made by Sharp and Toshiba Mobile Display (TMD). In-cell touch technology allows the touch layer to become part of the panel, which enables Apple to reduce the thickness of this component. Current technologies employed by TPK and Wintek make the touch layer an independent module. Hence, it is estimated that “suppliers such as TPK and Wintek will be no longer able to receive touch module orders for the next-generation iPhone,” the sources said. However, the same DigiTimes reported last month that TPK had already responded to Apple’s move by kicking off development of TOL (touch on lens) single-glass solutions. TPK was quoted at the time as saying that TOL technology will be “more suitable for the production of high-end customized devices and that the market will accommodate more than one technology.” It remains to be seen whether or not Tim Cook will keep TPK on board for the next iPhone. Apple’s sixth generation iPhone, or the iPhone 5, as it is still referred to in the press, will likely debut in fall, around the same time the iPhone 4S launched last year. Apple is believed to have phased out hardware announcements from its WWDC 2012 keynote, with the company having increased focus on software in the past events. However, many pundits believe Apple is set to launch an all-new range of Macs at this year’s conference. http://news.softpedia.com/news/iPhone-5-In-Cell-Display-Spells-Loss-for-TPK-Wintek-267926.shtml

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