(This is my next)
Apple won't be the only one (reportedly) introducing new hardware this fall: According to invitations received by This is my next and others on Friday, Amazon's set to unveil on September 28 in New York City. Details are slim, but general speculation is that the company plans to reveal its first tablet computer. Really, as long as they don't announce that Amazon is splitting its mail and ebook service in two and renaming the former, I'll be happy. (Nobody wants to order hardcover books from .)
(Ars Technica)
Lookie here: Apparently Apple has added support for a quad-core ARM processor into the compiler source code for Xcode, the company's app development program. What does this mean? Any number of things. My personal favorite: Developers have too much free time on their hands if they're digging through Apple's source code rather than actively working on their own applications.
(EFF)
"When the government comes knocking, who has your back?" Among other companies, Apple and Dropbox, according to a missive posted Thursday on the Electronic Frontier Foundation's blog. Both companies have joined the Digital Due Process coalition, which focuses on overhauling the government's outdated surveillance and privacy laws in regards to electronic communication. Unfortunately, just because Apple may have your back against Congress, I'd be wary about relying on the company in, say, a bar fight. (Although, who knows. There may be .)
(VIA Technologies)
What would Friday be without some hot new legal action against everyone's favorite Cupertino fruit company? In this round, Taiwanese x86 processor manufacturer VIA ("Very Innovative Architecture") Technologies is alleging that Apple's iOS devices (and Apple TV) are infringing upon several of its microprocessor patents; as such, VIA has filed a complaint with both the ITC and a lawsuit in the US District Court of Delaware. The patents cover such fascinating technology as "double operand load," "bi-directional conversion," "transfer of integer and floating point data," and "the ability to file angry lawsuits years after infringing devices have been on the market."
(AppleInsider)
VIA's not the only one with a beef against Apple, oh no: Top dog in this match goes to South Korean electronics giant Samsung. On Friday, the company declared that it was tired of being "passive" in legal battles with Cupertino, and planned on becoming "more aggressive" in the coming months. First move: Replace all the lawyers with attack dogs. With bees in their mouths. And .