By Graham K. Rogers

Opening Gambit:

Apple Stuff

The dispute over the iPad name took a couple of turns after the weekend. We mentioned before that several emails had been found as well as documentation that appeared to indicate that Proview had sold the name. This was ignored by a lower Chinese court as it was the Taiwan branch that had done that transaction, despite there being evidence that company personnel in mainland China were well aware of what was transpiring. There is of course some follow up to this.

One step is being taken by Apple who, probably tired of being the center of attention over the past couple of weeks on this and other matters, is now turning and, Michael Kan on PCWorld reports, has threatened to sue Proview for defamation: misleading statements that could damage the U.S. tech giant's business in China. Ouch, ouch. As this business in China is now measured in billions of dollars that would be an awful lot of damage. Damages more like. What Kan's report misses is that point about Proview being broke and needing an influx of cash (hopefully from Apple) to stay solvent.

Some other points first. On Monday we heard from AppleInsider (which has a picture of the ugliest Internet Personal Access Device you may have ever seen) about the lower court ruling on the stopping of iPad sale.

And then early in the week we now hear that Proview is taking a "Can't we all just get along?" stance (like Jack Nicholson in Mars Attacks) and now wants to sit round a table for talks according to Jon Russell on The Next Web. This has a familiar ring to it with several weird regimes taking similar shrill approaches, only to come to the table in the end and get most of what they wanted in the first place. Mikey Campbell on AppleInsider had some more on this apparent attempt at reconciliation on the eve of a court hearing in Shanghai and (surprise) there may be an out of court settlement. Their lawyer had probably told them that Shanghai is more like the real world and that they should take the money and run.

As a note, Slash Lane on AppleInsider suggests that in this dispute certain other manufacturers see a chance for themselves to make some ground, especially in the huge Chinese market. If your major competitor is not allowed to sell, you could become number 1. Slim chance. Apple will come to the table with some loot (less now than Proview might have got before if it had not been greedy) and the dispute will all be settled amicably (well that's what they will all say).

Back to Foxconn. You didn't think that was over yet, did you? We mentioned earlier in the week about the "Nightline" special that ABC was putting together and they have released a 90-second preview of the documentary by Bill Weir when Apple invited them in. This is available embedded in an article by Sam Oliver on AppleInsider. For me the most interesting part (and perhaps the most indicative) was at 00:56 in the preview when we view the crowds lining up for jobs at Foxconn. When the gates are open, there is a massive rush of humanity desperate to sign up. Can't be that bad, can it? The clip is only a couple of seconds, but Weir's commentary continues a bit longer. The section reminded me of Chaplin's Modern Times with a similar desperation for jobs at the end of the Great Depression. Chaplin is last through the gate.

On Wednesday morning the BBC had some comment on the ABC story and a clip of 2:40 online. There were some interesting points about fatigue and boredom among the young workforce and great play was made of the suicide nets. Weir did mention that the number who killed themselves was lower than the national average (not many people do that), but rightly added the fears about the clustering -- this is sometimes seen in groups of students -- that prompted the use of nets. One point: the report tells us of all the teenagers working at the factory, but later discusses a named individual who cannot afford to live with her own children. It is not clear where those children are, or if she came to Foxconn because she could not afford to do this, although the claim is about low pay at Foxconn: so why do so many want to work there? I hope to see more of this.

Another proactive development from Apple concerns some of the other suppliers and Apple is expected to allow 3rd party environmental inspections to begin next month according to Jeff Blagdon on The Verge.

When I was in San Francisco in 2007 for the iPhone launch Greenpeace made a lot of noises about Apple's "green" credentials. They also made a lot of noise with their smelly generators parked just round the corner from the main Apple store in San Francisco just off Market Street. Since then, we have moved from plastics and polycarbonates to Aluminum and glass -- recyclable materials -- and Greenpeace is much happier. Apple's own uses of green technologies took a leap this week when it was announced that there was to be a solar array at the North Carolina data center, according to Steven Sande on TUAW (among others): the largest end user-owned solar array and non-utility fuel cell installation in the U.S. Well, it would be, wouldn't it?

On Tuesday afternoon I read on Al Jazeera news of a factory explosion in China that had left many dead. I checked the name -- Angang Heavy Machinery -- which makes steel in Anshan in Liaoning province. This is not one of Apple's suppliers, but can you imagine the horror and anguish if it had been. I expect that within a day or so, you will be able to find nothing online about this tragic event.

Lots of sites, including Jim Dalrymple on The Loop, had the news on Monday that China Telecom will start selling the iPhone 4S on 9 March with reservations online starting 7 days before. Let's hope they have the crowds under control this time.

There are still some more interesting revelations appearing about Mountain Lion, Apple's next version of OS X. Electronista tells us that Mail is to have a number of changes such as a VIP function (I would put my mother in there if she used email). We also read that the RSS function is missing although it it not clear if this was removed as part of the early build. I cannot say I ever used it much. There are some useful screenshots in the article.

Something I use a bit is Growl and I bought the most recent version from the Mac App Store. There have been a lot of comments on Apple's Notifications features in Mountain Lion, with some using the term, "Sherlocked" to highlight the way Apple has in the past picked up on some of the better ideas leaving original developers with dust. Chris Herbert on MacStories compares Growl and Notifications and reports that while there are some similarities -- I also see similarities to the way iOS 5 notifies me of events and arriving mail -- there is enough of Growl that it will still have a place.

The most stunning news -- it suggests a total overhaul of many components of the OS -- was the suggestion made by some, including Lily of Apple Bitch that iTunes is to have a total revamp and the component parts are expected to become separate apps.

A really good analysis of most of the changes to come, including a good look a the revisions expected and hoped for concerning iTunes was written by Matthew Janssen on his blog: "Apple can create a much more enjoyable media experience on the Mac by splitting iTunes into 5 apps: Music, Videos, Books, iTunes U, and iTunes Store just like on iOS." As ever we are indebted to MacDaily News for the original link. There was also information on this from Andrew Wray on iMore.

One of the odd things to come out of the announcements around Mountain Lion was the way some outlets that had always had preferential treatment in the past seemed to miss out; and most noticeable was the NYTimes, although David Pogue did have a pre-announcement version some 7 days before like all the others in favour. He just did not get the one on one interview with an Apple exec.. Online sources have been parsing this and suggesting that the NYTimes story on Foxconn was the problem, although that does not explain why some others were not given these one on one sessions. Peter Cohen on The Loop examines the events and who was missing what, concluding that the media may hold itself in higher esteem than others (certainly than Apple) and the company -- in this case Apple -- has the right to control its own message. He comments particularly on Jason O'Grady who may have a major case of sour grapes.

We are fairly certain that an iPad 3 is on its way (or iPad 2S, maybe) but what form it will take is less sure. Federico Viticci on MacStories brings together some of the rumours and as well as rehearsing some of the probables and possibles, plus some details of the technologies that should be involved, highlights the two main theories of what the coming iPad may be. Maybe.

I saw a Tweet on Tuesday evening from a local user who had spotted an item in MacRumours on the installation of MS Office that the Daily has been using. After the comments we saw earlier in the week concerning the way that the iPad has demonstrated users don't actually need Microsoft to be productive (something I have known for a number of years) it strikes me as being too little, too late. The screenshot came from a Tom Warren item on The Verge. Of course, one wonders if they may have problems with the app store approval process.

BY Wednesday morning the denials were out and Josh Lowensohn reports that Microsoft says, "The Daily story is based on inaccurate rumors and speculation." So there. Bogus; or is this a Microsoft smokescreen? We also later read a report on MacNN that tells us the claim is that the screenshot is not authentic, but that MS declines further comment on any iOS development of Office. David Pierce on The Verge suggests us that, if the Tweet from MS is right, it will all be clear in the coming weeks.

We are also expecting a real iPhone 5 this year, unless Apple surprises us all and misses 5, going straight on to 7 or something (this has been done with iLife and iPhoto remember), which would totally upset those who think they know. AppleBitch has a sensible look at the next phone and suggests that it will arrive in Fall (autumn if you are like me) which could mean another December release here unless Apple speeds things up. The article also comments that Apple is now apparently tied to an annual revision. Sounds about right.

Talking of those who think they know: I was at an Immigration office this week for one of those admin necessities that being an alien imposes on one, when a new arrival appeared with his Thai handler. They -- or rather he (she just listened) -- talked about the iPhone which he was going to buy as it would work with CDMA in the US as that was all they had (bear with me). My eyes were closed in the sun, but my ears were not. I listened for the next 5 minutes to a most tedious and ill-informed description of Apple, Steve Jobs and the direction of the company. Where do these people get their information?

I read late on Tuesday in an article by Sam Oliver on AppleInsider that there are signs that a new MacBook Air could be on the way. Sam has the reasons why this is expected, and some of the expected technology that we may be seeing. One of the ideas he covers is the possibility that has been mentioned before that the line will expand to include a 15" version.

I mentioned on Monday my soaked iPhone 4 and current water detection methods with the expectation that Apple was looking to improve on these. Mike Schramm on TUAW has a diagram and some information about a patent Apple has applied for that can tell if the iPhone has been soaked before you take it back to the store.

The iPhone can also protect from bullets. Seriously. A Dutch contractor was shot, we read in an item by Victor Agreda Jr. on TUAW, and the bullet went through his iPhone first before entering his body, but with insufficient velocity to reach the heart. However, as Victor writes, "although body armor is pricey, it's still cheaper per square inch than covering yourself in iPhones."

Half and Half

Apache stirs. After 6 years, Iain Thomson reports on The Register, the Apache Software Foundation has released an update to the server software. Doesn't OS X use that?

Although Facebook is the most well-known sharing site, there is also Flickr which seems to me more concerned about pics than gossip. Electronista is reporting that there is to be a major overhaul to the site. As I am less-enamoured than ever with Facebook, I will think about making my Flickr account more active.

Other Matters

Although some do not want to admit this, Foxconn do make devices for a lot of other manufacturers. We are told by Brooke Crothers that Amazon is looking to the company to make a 10" version of its Kindle Fire device.

I had email from Barnes & Noble on Wednesday morning with information about the new Nook tablet which is on offer for $199 (8GB). There is a 16GB version for $50 more. The older machines are still available with the Nook COlor down to $169 and the Nook SImple Touch at $99.

Dell has reported its financial results and (not a surprise really) profits have dropped by 18% according to Electronista: down to $764 million; so it is not dead yet. The consumer group took the greatest hit -- especially in the US -- in line with the general trend in computer sales of late.

Local Items

There is also a load more free music on Somtow's World, where this week I found a long comment from S.P. Somtow -- Feet of Clay -- on the late Kukrit Pramoj whose apparent plagiarism was well-known. Somtow argues that while he most certainly did steal plots especially Wyndam's The Midwich Cuckoos he made the content totally his and totally Thai, thus building on them. The main problem was that MR Kukrit would never admit to the borrowings and always insisted he had come up with clones of these important works by coincidence. Sounds like some of my students.

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs.