Apple's 7-Inch Tablet Will Be Named iPad Mini, Says Report

Apple's much-rumored iPad Mini will in fact be called the iPad Mini.

At least, that's the latest from Apple blog site Macotakara. Citing info from an "Asian source," the Japanese site said the 7.85-inch tablet is expected to sport the familiar iPad logo on the back.

If true, this means that news reports and blogs speculating about the tiny tablet actually got the name right. Apple sometimes surprises its audience with its choice of names. Those of us expecting an iPad 3 earlier this year were treated simply to the iPad or the new iPad, perhaps not the ideal name but certainly unexpected.

The purported iPad Mini will pop up in October, according to a report in AllThingsD. Citing several unnamed sources, ATD's John Paczkowski said that Apple will host two separate product launches for its newest devices.

The iPhone 5 is expected to debut on September 12, ATD says, with actual sales to start September 21. Apple will then announce the new iPad the following month.

That report contradicts earlier rumors pointing to a single September 12 launch event for both the new iPhone and iPad Mini. But holding separate events would make sense as it gives both products their moment to shine.

Though the attention is on the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, the iPod lineup may also be up for a refresh.
The iPod Nano will receive Wi-Fi connectivity and support for a cloud-based iTunes service, according to Macotakara's source.

The next iPod Touch also sports a "mysterious hole" next to its iSight camera, which Macotakara speculates could be used for near-field communication, or NFC.

Apple, Samsung Locked in Standstill in Patent Case

Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) reported they made no progress toward narrowing their dispute over smartphone and computer tablet patents, increasing the chances a jury will decide the matter starting Aug. 21.

The companies said yesterday they weren’t able to narrow the scope of claims at issue in the lawsuit in out-of-court talks.

The judge overseeing the case in federal court in San Jose, California, asked the parties to try to simplify the dispute, while also ordering the chief executives of the two companies to talk one more time before a jury begins deliberating.

“I think it’s too late to hold out much hope that the parties will settle before the jury comes back,” Mark Lemley, a Stanford University law professor, said yesterday by e-mail after the companies’ reported to the court. “When there is a settlement -- and there will be -- it will be a global deal involving more than just this case.”

Suits over technology patents between the companies are active on four continents. Lemley said the patent portfolios for both sides are too deep and broad not to settle and there’s a risk that both parties could face injunctions blocking the sale of their products. Apple is seeking to make permanent a preliminary ban it won in court in San Jose on U.S. sales of a Samsung tablet, and to extend the ban to Samsung smartphones.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh last week directed the companies to report no later than yesterday on whether “there has been some successful horse trading” to streamline and simplify claims in the case.

Koh said she remained “pathologically optimistic” a settlement could be reached. Barring such an agreement, she said, she hoped to simplify the matter for jurors, who are to begin deliberating Aug. 21.
Joint Statement

“The parties have met and conferred about case narrowing, but have not been able to narrow their cases further,” according to a joint filing signed by attorneys on both sides. The filing didn’t refer to talks between the CEOs, Tim Cook at Apple and his counterpart at Samsung, Kwon Oh Hyun.

Adam Yates, a spokesman for Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung, declined to comment on yesterday’s filing. Kristin Huguet, a spokeswoman for Cupertino, California-based Apple, also declined to comment.

Apple sued Samsung in April 2011, accusing it of copying patented designs for mobile devices, and Samsung countersued. The case is the first to go before a federal jury in a battle for dominance in a smartphone market valued by Bloomberg Industries at $219.1 billion.

The case is Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., 11- cv-01846, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Jose).