iphone blog

March 12, 2010

iPad: 50,000 sales in 2 hours, Apple TV bumped, mysterious app icon

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 7:00 pm

By Slash Lane

Published: 02:00 PM EST

The introduction of the iPad Friday morning sold an estimated 50,000 units in two hours, and also bumped Apple’s “hobby,” the Apple TV, from the front page of its online store. Also, a mysterious icon included in iPad promotional pictures gains attention, and Apple has expanded its site to explain features of the coming hardware in greater detail.

iPad sales estimated at 25,000 per hour

After it went on sale at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Friday, the iPad is estimated to have sold 51,000 in its first two hours. As discovered by Philip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune Brainstorm Tech, users at the Investor Village AAPL Sanity Board took their order numbers and attempted to crack the code to figure out total sales.

Victor Castroll, analyst with Valcent Financial Group and member of the AAPL Sanity Board, has been monitoring the spreadsheet and came up with the calculation of 51,000 units in the first two hours.

iPad preorder bumps Apple TV from front page of online store

In accepting preorders for the iPad on Friday, Apple made some minor adjustments to the front page of its online store. As a result, the Apple TV product and its accompanying picture were bumped and are no longer featured atop the store’s main page.

The Apple TV used to be featured prominently alongside the company’s line iPods, the iPhone and Macs. Now users must scroll down and find it in the left column under the “For iPod” heading.

Last month, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said his company still views the Apple TV as a “hobby,” and noted that sales of the product simply don’t compare to the consumer markets for smartphones, computers and MP3 players. Cook said he doesn’t believe the Apple TV will remain dormant, but it may take time for the potential market for the device to grow.

“Because our gut says something is there, we’re continuing to invest in this,” Cook said. “But today, it’s still just a hobby.”

Last October, Apple released the 3.0 software update for Apple TV, featuring a redesigned main menu that made navigating content simpler and faster. It also added support for the new iTunes LP and iTunes Extras formats.

Apple Store

Mysterious app icon gains attention

Apple updated its Web site with new pictures of the iPad Friday, and one screenshot in particular garnered attention from readers due to its inclusion of a mysterious icon. Included on the home screen Web page, the picture shows an icon on the far right of the device in landscape mode, and the application is not shown in any other screenshots.

Though the text is too small to read clearly, the icon appears to show the logo for the publication National Geographic. It’s likely that the icon is for a digital version of the magazine, to be sold through Apple’s iBookstore.

National Geographic

Apple expands on iPad features

As preorders began Friday, Apple also fleshed out the official iPad section of its Web site, adding greater detail on the iBooks application, 3G data subscriptions with AT&T, and more.

As before, all of the built-in applications on the iPad have their own page describing their function. Apple also has special dedicated pages for the iBooks application, which must be downloaded from the App Store, as well as the $9.99 Keynote, Pages and Numbers software.

A page devoted to 3G access on the iPad describes how users can start and cancel a no-contract data plan with AT&T direct from the device at any time. As was revealed at the product’s unveiling, the data plans run $15 per month for 250MB of data, or $30 per month for unlimited access.

iPad 3G

Apple also updated its total number of applications available on the App Store to 150,000. When the iPad was first announced, the company advertised that more than 140,000 applications would be available for the device at launch.

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iPad: 50,000 sales in 2 hours, Apple TV bumped, mysterious app icon

Apple turns iPad mute button into screen rotation lock

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 3:45 pm

By AppleInsider Staff

Published: 10:45 AM EST

Apple revealed a minor tweak to the iPad hardware when preorders began Friday morning, with a button previously designated for audio muting changed to a “screen rotation lock.”

As first noticed by Jim Dalrymple at The Loop, the switch, located just above the volume controls on the right side of the device, is now devoted to locking the screen orientation in its current state. Previously, the switch was used to mute the iPad.

One of the features Apple has touted with the iPad is that it can be used from any orientation the user sees fit. The new feature will prevent users from having the screen rotate unexpectedly as they use the device while browsing the Web, reading an e-book, or accomplishing any other task on the 9.7-inch screen.

“There isn’t even a single orientation,” Jony Ive, senior vice president of design with Apple, said in the iPad’s initial promotional video. “There’s no up, there’s no down, there’s no right or wrong way of holding it. I don’t have to change myself to fit the product. It fits me.”

Like with the iPhone and iPod touch, the internal accelerometer of the iPad automatically adjusts the display to fit the orientation by which the user is holding the device. The iPad allows even more functionality than with the previous products, granting users the ability to turn the iPad completely upside down, with the home button up top, if they so choose.

iPad screen rotation lock

Because the iPad has a focus on reading e-books and newspapers, many users will undoubtedly use the device as they would a physical book or newspaper — objects that are sometimes read by users laying on their side. The screen rotation lock would prevent the device from shifting as a user moves around.

Additional physical inputs on the device are the on/off and sleep/wake button, volume up/down controls, and the home button.

Apple began accepting preorders for the iPad Friday morning. Purchases for the device, scheduled to ship April 3 for the Wi-Fi-only model, are limited to two per customer.

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Apple turns iPad mute button into screen rotation lock

Open source community ‘hopelessly confused’ by Apple-HTC suit

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By Neil Hughes

Published: 10:25 AM EST

Analyst Charlie Wolf with Needham & Company said Friday he believes the open source community, which has backed Google’s Android mobile operating system against the iPhone, has the wrong take on Apple’s patent lawsuit against rival handset maker HTC.

Wolf, in a new note to investors, said the open source community is “hopelessly confused.” He said the open source movement came from the academic community, where ideas are freely exchanged. But things don’t work like that in the business world.

“There’s a critical difference between the free exchange of ideas and the free exchange of software,” Wolf said. “In the academic world, the entire value of an idea accrues to its author in the form of reputation, citations, invitations to speak at conferences, and possibly an appointment at a prestigious university. In the open source world, no value accrues to the writer of a particular piece of software.”

Wolf said although some have suggested Apple’s lawsuit with HTC comes directly from Steve Jobs, he doesn’t believe that’s the case.

“The lawsuit is not about psychology,” he wrote. “It’s about economics. Apple has every right to sue to protect its intellectual property. That’s what our patent system is all about.”

Earlier this month, Apple sued HTC, alleging that the smartphone manufacturer has been in violation of 20 iPhone-related patents relating to user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. The complaint, filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission, has asked for sales and importation of all HTC handsets in the U.S. to be halted.

Apple’s lawsuit specifically mentions the Google Android mobile operating system, and lists a number of Android-powered handsets, including the Nexus One and myTouch 3G. Some Windows Mobile smartphones were also named in the suit, but were targeted for their use of digital signal processing hardware decoders.

Google has come out in defense of its partner HTC, stating that the search giant stands behind the Android operating system “and the partners who have helped us to develop it.” Wolf has previously said he believes Apple has better than 50-50 odds of coming out victorious in its suit against HTC.

Similarly, analyst Shaw Wu with Kaufman Bros. previously said he believes Apple’s “very large war chest” will likely force some competitors to either take out features or pay royalties to the iPhone maker in order to use patented technologies such as multi-touch.

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Open source community ‘hopelessly confused’ by Apple-HTC suit

Apple limits iPad preorders to two per customer

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By Sam Oliver

Published: 08:45 AM EST

Apple on Friday began accepting preorders for its multimedia iPad — both the Wi-Fi and 3G models — with reservations limited to two per customer and free hardware delivery on the April 3 launch date.

The iPad starts at $499 for the 16GB model with only Wi-Fi. The 32GB model costs $599 and the 64GB option runs $699. All three, if purchased via the Apple online store, will be delivered for free on April 3.

The models with both 3G and Wi-Fi carry a $130 premium, with the 16GB model costing $629, 32GB for $729 and 64GB for $829. Those models are due to ship in late April.

Apple noted if Saturday delivery is not available in a customer’s area, the iPad will be delivered on April 5.

The company also has an option to reserve the iPad for in-store pickup. The device will be available on April 3 at Apple’s retail stores from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The iPad also comes with complimentary telephone technical support for the first 90 days. The hardware, including the rechargeable battery and all accessories, carries a one year warranty. Coverage can be extended to two years with a $99 AppleCare protection plan.

iPad 1

Customers can also purchase accessories for the iPad, though shipping times are currently varied. The iPad Case, which runs $39, and the iPad Dock, for $29, are both expected to ship by April 3. The iPad Keyboard Dock is scheduled to ship in mid-April and costs $69.

The $29 iPad 10W USB Power Adapter ships in late April, while the $29 iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter ships by April 3. Finally, the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic, which cost $79, ship within 24 hours.

iPad 2

The iPad box includes the device, a dock connector to USB cable, 10W USB Power Adapter, documentation, and a SIM eject tool with the 3G model. Mac users must have Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later, while PC users can run Windows XP with Service Pack 3 or later. Both require iTunes 9.0 or later.

First announced in January, the iPad is Apple’s long-awaited tablet device. It runs a new version of the iPhone mobile operating system and employs the same multi-touch interface that made the device one of the best-selling smartphones in the world.

In addition to browsing the Web, listening to music and watching movies, the iPad can also be used to purchase and read books, magazines and newspapers which will be available through the iBookstore, part of the iBooks application available for download through the App Store.

The iPad is 0.5 inches thick and weighs 1.5 pounds. It also reportedly delivers battery life of up to 10 hours. The device sports a 9.7-inch display and includes a 1GHz custom Apple-built A4 processor with the CPU and graphics on one chip.

The device has access to the App Store that has seen more than 140,000 applications released for the iPhone and iPod touch to date. Many of those applications will run on the iPad, though developers can write new, iPad-specific software for the hardware’s larger form factor. This week it was revealed that nearly 17,000 have been confirmed by developers to be compatible with the iPad. About 40 of those require the iPad 3G, which includes a GPS receiver.

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Apple limits iPad preorders to two per customer

Nokia, Apple courtroom showdown to wait until mid-2012

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 1:05 pm

By Katie Marsal

Published: 08:05 AM EST

The legal battle over mobile technology patents between handset makers Apple and Nokia will likely drag out for years, with both companies looking for a court hearing to be held in 2012.

The trial date with the U.S. International Trade Commission was revealed in a court filing obtained by Reuters this week. It noted that the date raises “the spectre of a prolonged legal struggle.”

When the battle between the two giant companies began last fall with Nokia suing Apple over alleged patent violations, some said if Apple countersued, the battle between the two Goliaths could last two or three years. Sure enough, only months later, Apple filed a countersuit against Nokia, accusing the Finnish company of its own list of patent infringements.

In January, the ITC agreed to investigate Apple over the complaints lodged by Nokia. Weeks later, the U.S. commission announced it would also investigate Nokia over Apple’s claims.

Reuters noted that Apple originally accused Nokia of infringing 13 patents the Cupertino, Calif., company owns. However, the suit has since been revised to remove four from the list.

Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray has said he believes Nokia seeks a 1 percent to 2 percent royalty on every iPhone sold. That would amount to about $6 to $12 per handset in compensation for intellectual properties related go GSM, 3G and Wi-Fi.

While Nokia first provoked Apple with a lawsuit last fall, Apple recently began its own patent-related pursuit against handset maker HTC earlier this month. The iPhone maker filed a suit with the ITC accusing HTC of infringing on 20 patents related to the handset’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware. Some believe the lawsuit is meant as an indirect attack against Google’s Android mobile operating system.

The ITC has been busy with Apple lately. The U.S. commission is also investigating a complaint from camera maker Kodak, which has accused Apple of infringing on patents related to the previewing of images and processing them at different resolutions. Kodak believes Apple’s iPhone infringes on those inventions.

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Nokia, Apple courtroom showdown to wait until mid-2012

March 11, 2010

Barnes & Noble announces intent to release iPad e-reader app

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — @ 6:15 pm

By Slash Lane

Published: 01:15 PM EST

Bookseller Barnes & Noble revealed Thursday its plans to release its bookstore and e-reading software for the iPad with an application that would compete with Apple’s own iBookstore.

The free Barnes & Noble eReader application was released last July and now offers more than a million different titles. The company said it will release a new, iPad-specific version of the software around the time the iPad launches.

“Designed specifically for the iPad,” the company said, “our new B&N eReader will give our customers access to more than one million eBooks, magazines and newspapers in the Barnes & Noble eBookstore, as well as the existing content in their Barnes & Noble digital library. (That includes eBooks and content customers have downloaded to their nook eBook reader.)”

Because the Barnes & Noble eReader application would compete with Apple’s own iBookstore, it is unknown whether the Cupertino, Calif., company would actually allow the bookseller’s new third-party application to be released on the App Store.

Apple’s iBooks e-reader application, which includes access to the iBookstore, will not come standard on the iPad. Instead, users will have to download the iBooks application from the App Store onto their iPad.

Barnes & Noble competitor Amazon released its own Kindle application for the iPhone and iPod touch last year. The online retailer has not yet announced any plans for an application for the iPad.

Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble also have their own black-and-white e-ink readers, dubbed the Kindle and Nook, respectively. One recent study found that consumer interest in the Kindle dropped sharply after Apple introduced its multimedia iPad, which features a full color LCD screen. The iPad goes on sale in the U.S. on April 3, and pre-orders begin Friday.

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Barnes & Noble announces intent to release iPad e-reader app

Apple tweaks App Store, e-book categories prior to iPad launch

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — @ 5:00 pm

By Sam Oliver

Published: 12:00 PM EST

Apple has been making last-minute changes to its App Store and iBookstore leading up to the April 3 launch of the iPad, according to a new report.

Citing data from San Francisco mobile media research firm Busted Loop, Forbes reported Thursday that Apple has designated 20 categories for books on its iBookstore, which will be available for download on the iPad. That number has been whittled down from about 35 categories that were listed in February.

The categories include “Fiction & Literature,” “Comics & Graphic Novels,” “Reference,” “Romance,” and “Cookbooks.” The top-level categories include more than 150 sub-categories, such as “Manga” under the comics section.

Apple has also reportedly gone through and deemed some applications as compatible with the iPad as developers update their existing software on the App Store. Developers have been given the option to test iPad compatibility when they update their applications, and so far only 16,700 of the more than 140,000 applications on the App Store have been deemed compatible.

Given the fact that the Wi-Fi-only iPad lacks a GPS receiver, Apple has also flagged certain applications as “iPad Wi-Fi” and “iPad 3G.” About 40 of the 16,700 certified applications are iPad 3G-only, the report said.

The report also made note of the “explicit” category that Apple temporarily enabled for the App Store. The tag was quickly removed, and one source with the company said that though the company is considering an option in the future, “It’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

Busted Loop found that the “Explicit” category was renamed to “Test” after it gained attention on the Internet.

As the App Store has swelled with software, Apple has worked to make combing through the tens of thousands of options simpler and easier. Last September, the Cupertino, Calif., company introduced a “Genius” system that recommends new applications to users based on the software they already have installed.

Last summer, the company also allowed developers to add keywords to appellations, to make searching within the App Store easier and more accurate. Developers can enter words and characters, separated by commas, which are used in searching the store for the iPhone and iPod touch.

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Apple tweaks App Store, e-book categories prior to iPad launch

Apple sees 98% iPhone growth as Microsoft, Google prepare for battle

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — @ 3:15 pm

By Neil Hughes

Published: 10:15 AM EST

Worldwide smartphone shipments stormed back last quarter with 37.2 percent in growth, and Apple’s iPhone led the way with a 97.9 percent year-over-year surge in shipments. But the real coming battle in the mobile market, according to one analyst, lies between Microsoft and Google.

Analyst Charlie Wolf with Needham & Company provided a breakdown of the expanding smartphone market, which in the holiday quarter rebounded from just 5.6 percent growth over the previous four quarters. While Apple saw the greatest success, Nokia’s shipments also jumped 37.3 percent and Research in Motion saw a spike of 41.2 percent.

While the recession has softened and the smartphone market is recovering, Wolf is now looking to the future and the fiercely competitive handset business.

“Events since the beginning of 2010 have turned the market into a land grab not dissimilar to the California gold rush in the 1800s,” Wolf wrote. “Everyone is chasing the iPhone which has taken on an aura that far exceeds the phone’s market share. The aura stems from the disruptive design and functionality of the first iPhone, and it has been reinforced by the remarkable success of the iPhone App Store.”

The analyst said he believes the smartphone market has turned into a “land grab” that is “virtually certain” to lead to a brutal battle between Microsoft and Google. He said Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Series won’t kill the iPhone, which exists in a class by itself, but it will be a potential “Android killer.” Windows Phone 7 Series, Wolf said, is evidence that Microsoft “finally gets it.”

Wolf 1

“Microsoft has delivered on the necessary condition for success — a smartphone operating system that should enable it to play in the same sandbox with Apple, Google and BlackBerry,” he wrote. “We’ve frequently criticized Microsoft’s inept efforts in delivering a user-friendly smartphone operating system. Such criticisms are now in the past.”

The real coming smartphone battle, he said, lies between Google’s Android mobile operating system and Windows Phone 7. Android has a few advantages, in that it licensees do not have to pay any fees, and it allows manufacturers to differentiate their phones from other Android devices with custom interfaces. But Android also has no presence on the enterprise market, where Microsoft and its entrenched position with Windows will play to the Redmond, Wash., company’s advantage.

“A major battle between Microsoft and Google to win the hearts and minds of the smartphone vendors who are building devices for both platforms appears inevitable.”

Wolf 2

Microsoft is also expected to extend its new Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system to non-phone devices such as the rumored Zune HD2 portable media player. The first phones running Windows Phone 7 Series are expected to arrive by this holiday.

Wolf also spoke of the success BlackBerry has found “out of the limelight,” and the struggles faced by Palm despite the company’s “superior platform.”

“We have little confidence in a material acceleration in Pre sales because Palm simply does not have the financial resources to market its devices at a level comparable to its competitors,” he wrote. “But miracles do occur occasionally.”

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Apple sees 98% iPhone growth as Microsoft, Google prepare for battle

Apple’s iPhone 4.0 software to deliver multitasking support

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — @ 1:45 pm

By Kasper Jade and Prince McLean

Published: 08:45 AM EST

Apple this summer will go a long way towards silencing critics and catering to one of the most prevalent demands of its iPhone user base, when it introduces a multitasking solution through the handset’s 4.0 software update that will finally allow several third party apps to run concurrently and in the background.

People with a proven track record in predicting Apple’s technological advances tell AppleInsider that the Cupertino-based company has developed a “full-on solution” to multitasking on the iPhone OS but offered no specifics on how the technology would optimize resource conservation and battery life — two of the most critical issues surrounding the matter, alongside security.

From a user-facing perspective, Apple plans to deliver a multi-tasking manager that leverages interface technology already bundled with its Mac OS X operating system, according to those same people. It was requested that specifics be withheld at this time, as the iPhone Software 4.0 remains under development and reportedly has a quite ‘way to go’ before it’s ready for prime time.

Today’s iPhone 3.x software is a fully preemptive multitasking operating system, but it artificially restricts apps (other than specific ones bundled with the system by Apple) from running in the background.

Not a technical issue

Controversy over “multitasking” within the iPhone OS has been brewing ever since Apple launched iPhone 2.0 with the ability to run third party software titles. While often reported as begin a technical flaw, the iPhone OS really has no problem with multitasking.

The system’s phone, SMS, email, iPod, voice recorder, Nike+, and certain other bundled apps can continue in the background while the user launches another app. However, third party titles obtained from the App Store (including apps from Apple, such as Remote or iDisk) can not be launched at the same time.

This behavior is prevented by the iPhone OS’ security model, which is designed to close the current app whenever the user returns to the Home screen or accepts an incoming call. This design prevents apps from being able to run in the background without the user knowing, and therefore erases any real potential for spyware, adware and viruses.

Enabling multitasking

By jailbreaking the system, the iPhone OS security model is compromised via an exploit, allowing the user to launch and run multiple apps. This also opens the door to both malware and widespread piracy, both of which have been contained by the default security system put in place by Apple.

While this has resulted in a secure platform and a commercially viable App Store for both users and developers, many vocal critics have cited a variety of examples of apps or features that can’t work within these constrains.

Among these apps begging for background execution are: Pandora-style Internet radio; third party instant messaging features that are available at all times just like SMS or email; and Loopt or Google Latitude type apps that report the user’s location at regular intervals.

New in iPhone 4.0

There are a number of ways Apple can address these needs. First is by allowing third parties to launch apps that actually run all the time in the background, just like the bundled Mail, SMS, iPod, or Voice Memos.

This isn’t a technical problem for the multitasking iPhone OS, but does introduce new issues for users. Because the iPhone OS doesn’t present a conventional windowing user interface, launching multiple apps requires the addition of a new interface mechanism that allows users to intuitively switch between apps without introducing too much new complexity.

The iPhone OS is intended to create mobile devices that are easy to use, not just small versions of the complex PC model of the 1990s. Apple mocked the unfriendly and complex Task Manager of Windows Mobile at the launch of iPhone 2.0. Today’s Android users similarly find themselves diddling with resource and memory management to optimize battery life and performance.

Existing background-capable apps in iPhone 3.x paint a bar across the top of the screen that allows the user to return to that background app (such as a phone call, voice memo, or Nike+ session) when finished with their secondary foreground app. But that solution isn’t going to scale to multiple apps all running at once.

Other multitasking issues to fix

In addition to a new graphical interface for switching (handled by the Dock in Mac OS X), a multitasking third party app model would also require a way for apps to communicate with each other or prioritize resource allocation. One reason why the iPhone and iPod touch are emerging as a successful mobile games platform is due to the fact that the iPhone OS’ one-app model means that games can be more complex and sophisticated and yet still perform well on a mobile device.

Gaming has largely failed to take off on other mobile platforms because titles are limited to simplistic experiences, as they must either run in a poorly-performing layer of abstraction (such as the Adobe Flash/Flash Lite, Microsoft Silverlight, or Sun Java/Android Dalvik runtimes), or target a native platform that lacks an installed base big enough to attract significant development.

Installing lots of background processes will inevitably eat up battery life and performance, so adding multitasking features that are valuable without creating a mess for users to deal with requires solving a variety of non-obvious problems that are very apparent on other mobile platforms that claim to deliver functional multitasking.

Potential solutions include saving the state of and parking the foreground app, or scaling down the execution of a background app, so that multiple app execution does not overwhelm the limited resources available on mobile devices. Either one would allow the user to quickly switch between running apps without seeing much downside. Today’s iPhone OS requires a brief layover to the Home screen before jumping from the current app to launch another one.

More system RAM and faster processors will also help to improve the experience of users who want to quickly switch between multiple apps.

One of the most requested features for the iPhone, multitasking has been falsely rumored to arrive on Apple’s handset numerous times (1, 2, 3) over the last year, but never came to be.

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Apple’s iPhone 4.0 software to deliver multitasking support

Apple looking to improve exercise routines with ‘virtual competitor’

Filed under: appleinsider — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 1:25 pm

By Neil Hughes

Published: 08:25 AM EST

A new patent application from Apple describes an exercise motivation feature that presents a “virtual competitor,” providing an “interactive and engaging experience” for fitness enthusiasts.

The application revealed this week, entitled “Real-Time Interaction with a Virtual Competitor While Performing an Exercise Routine,” notes that while there are currently a variety of methods designed to push athletes farther, some people want something even more engaging.

Fitness enthusiasts sometimes need new sources of motivation, such as when training indoors during inclement weather,” the application reads. “Modern health clubs partly serve this need by providing television monitors and music to entertain members using treadmills, stationary bicycles, elliptical trainers, and other fitness equipment. Products like the Nike+iPod Sports Kit provide workout-based voice feedback, motivational media, and the ability to share workouts among Nike+community members.”

The application describes a networked system that could download a workout file associated with the virtual competitor. The system could also determine the performance of the athlete using the iPod or iPhone, and compare their performance with that of the virtual competitor.

Such a system could track the “performance metrics” of the user in both physiological terms, such s heart rate, blood oxygen content and temperature, and non-physiological performance indicators, like speed and distance.

As for the competitor, the system could display visual cues, such as location, via GPS, on Google Maps, demonstrating the user’s position relative to the virtual opponent. The system could also be done audibly, allowing a runner to focus on their performance.

“For example, as user… passes the 2-mile mark, an audible cue played through the headset… may announce a 2-mile split of 10:27,” the application reads. “If user… has a lead… cues may be played if the lead is less than a predetermined distance. For example, if the lead is less than 100 feet, an audible cue may be played, such as ‘He’s right behind you.’ For smaller leads, an audile cue may be the sound of footsteps thumping.”

If a user were running indoors on a treadmill, cycle, or elliptical machine, the virtual competitor system could be turned into a game, where the runner can conduct “tactical maneuvers,” tracked with a camera, that can be use to complete certain actions. The competitor, represented by a virtual avatar, could potentially be crowded out by the user with a hands-free mouse, and such actions in the game could earn the runner points.

Virtual competitor

The invention is credited to Allen P. Haughay Jr., Jeffrey T. Lee, and Irwin W. Graves Jr. It was filed for on Sept. 9, 2008.

Apple has shown a great deal of interest in fitness products over the years, particularly in its patent applications. The described technology has been as specific as a sole wear-out sensor for shoes, and as broad as a digital lifestyle fitness companion akin to a more advanced version of the company’s Nike + iPod sport kit.

Last September, Apple updated its iPod nano with a built-in pedometer that keeps track of steps taken and calories burned. Nike also released a heart rate monitor for the hardware.

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Apple looking to improve exercise routines with ‘virtual competitor’

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