MacRumors

Apple has given a public statement following the Supreme Court's decision to effectively strike down [PDF] California's voter-approved ban on gay marriage, as well as ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional [PDF].

The company, which previously joined a statement filed with the Supreme Court encouraging it to strike down the laws, gave this statement to AllThingsD:

Apple strongly supports marriage equality and we consider it a civil rights issue. We applaud the Supreme Court for its decisions today.

A number of other tech companies have expressed support for the ruling, as well. Google put an easter egg in the search results for 'gay', while Instagram featured pictures of celebrations about the rulings on its blog.

Apple has long been in favor of gay rights, frequently saying it was a 'civil rights issue'. The company donated $100,000 to the 'No on 8' campaign in California and has long given health benefits to same-sex couples, even where it is not required by law.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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Both JetBlue and American Airlines have announced they are issuing iPads to all pilots to replace the heavy paper manuals in flight phases.

American says it is the first major commercial carrier to deploy Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) throughout their entire fleet, and the airline has decided to discontinue paper revisions of pilot flight manuals.

The airline estimates it will save more than 400,000 gallons of fuel per year, worth $1.2 million at current prices.

JetBlue announced today that it has also received FAA approval to issue iPads to its pilots, with some added capabilities that are unique to the airline. Because JetBlue is introducing in-flight Wi-Fi across all its aircraft, its pilots will be able to receive real-time weather and document updates in-flight.

Following a successful trial phase with approximately 60 pilots over several months, JetBlue already has begun giving all 2,500 pilots a fourth-generation 16 GB Wi-Fi capable Apple iPad. While JetBlue has been approved for a decade to use a PC-based laptop in the cockpit – called an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) – the iPads will offer new capabilities and conveniences, especially as JetBlue implements Ka-Band satellite Wi-Fi.

JetBlue pilots will use WSI Optima for weather updates, Comply365 for digital documents, and a third app for aircraft performance, weight and balance calculations. JetBlue will roll out its electronic flight bags over the next three months.

Back in 2010, photos of a prototype iPhone 4 appeared on Gizmodo nearly two months before the device was officially unveiled by Apple. Gizmodo obtained the device from a person, later identified as Brian Hogan, who was allegedly handed the phone by another patron after it was left on a stool at a Redwood City, California bar by an Apple engineer testing the new iPhone.

Investigations by Apple's security team and law enforcement focused on Hogan and his friend Sage Wallower, who acted as a middleman in shopping the device to several technology blogs, as well as Gizmodo reporter Jason Chen, who had several computers and other devices seized as part of the investigation.

Ultimately, Gizmodo and Chen were cleared of all charges while Hogan and Wallower were sentenced to probation, community service, and restitution of $250 after pleading no-contest to theft charges. The charges were related to a more than century-old California law requiring finders of lost property who can identify the likely owner to attempt to return the property.

As noted by The Next Web, Hogan has now spoken out on the situation in an "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit.

In the session, Hogan claims that he was taken advantage of by Gizmodo, which failed to pay an alleged $3,000 bonus to Hogan predicated on Apple confirming the device was genuine. Gizmodo had paid $5,000 up front for the device, but Hogan notes that he spent much more than that on legal fees related to his defense.

Hogan expresses regrets about how he handled the situation initially, noting that he should have simply left the phone with management at the bar to allow them to attempt to return it to its owner. Still, he points out that in the heat of the moment it was easy to make the decision he did make.

I would have done lots differently looking back now, but how does anyone know what do do in that situation, let alone the 21 year old version of myself. What would you have done if you thought you had an unreleased iPhone? [...]

Short answer is yes definitely [regretting taking the phone]. I also regret how I handled the situation from an early stage, I let it get completely out of my hands and into everyone else's.

Finally, Hogan shares some additional details on the situation, highlighting the stress the publicity caused for his family and his relationships and discussing how his roommate had assisted investigators while he was away from his apartment attempting to maintain a low profile in the wake of publicity from the situation.

As noted by The Verge, Apple has launched a new page on its website highlighting some of the features in iOS 7 targeted at business users.

iOS 7 provides enhanced security, powerful new ways to configure and deploy devices at scale, and features to help businesses purchase, distribute, and manage apps with ease. Features including per app VPN, enterprise single sign on, App Store license management, and new mobile device management (MDM) configuration options are just some of the new capabilities in iOS 7 that provide more for organizations of all sizes.

Among the features highlighted by Apple:

- Manage which apps and accounts can be used to open documents
- Configure individual apps to automatically connect to VPN when opened
- More flexible management of App Store licenses for companies
- New configuration options and streamlined enrollment for mobile device management (MDM)
- Single sign on for authenticating corporate credentials across apps
- Passcode protection of data in third-party apps
- Mail improvements
- Server caching of software purchases and downloads for more efficient distribution

Apple regularly address enterprise adoption of the iPhone and iPad during its quarterly earnings conference calls, noting during its most recent call that according to one study iOS devices are currently accounting for 77% of enterprise device activations. Nearly all of the Fortune 500 companies have piloted or deployed iPhone and iPad with new authorization from the U.S. Department of Defense to use iOS devices on secure military networks, boosting the status of iOS as a secure platform.

Apple has posted a similar page highlighting iOS 7 features for education users. Many of the same features as those highlighted for business are included on that page, with AirDrop, Apple TV enhancements, and iTunes U and iCloud backup for students of all ages unique to the education page.

Apple today launched its online store in Russia, bringing direct ordering of its full lineup of products to the world's ninth most populous nation. The launch is being promoted with a large banner on the main Apple page for Russian visitors.

Apple was reported last August to be preparing to begin direct sales in Russia, with the possibility of brick and mortar retail stores following in the future. Apple was reportedly unhappy with its distribution network in the country, particularly with regard to the iPhone, and those distribution issues appear to have spurred Apple to launch its own direct sales there.

Evidence of Apple hiring team members for the Russian online store appeared earlier this year, with those positions based in Cork, Ireland. The company does, however, have a presence in Moscow where it handles iTunes Store, marketing, business sales, carrier relations, and other functions.

In addition to a complete redesign and a slew of new features, Apple's iOS 7 offers a number of APIs for developers, including several camera improvements like zoom capabilities for video.

According to 9to5Mac, iOS 7 beta 2, which debuted yesterday, added a new function that allows developers to access image detectors to locate facial expressions within photos.

While face recognition was originally introduced with iOS 5, the new APIs can detect distinct expressions like smiles and blinking, functionality that is found in several basic point-and-shoot cameras.

Since the iPhone's debut, Apple has worked hard to improve both the camera hardware and software of its devices, so it is no surprise that iOS 7 will offer multiple camera enhancements for developers. Each iteration of iOS has included new features, such as the volume shutter controls that debuted with iOS 5 and the panorama capabilities added with iOS 6.

Apple's camera expansion efforts have largely paid off, with the iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 ranked as the three most popular cameras on photo sharing site Flickr. The iPhone's camera was also the highlight of a recent Apple advertising campaign.

Along with software improvements in iOS 7, Apple's next generation iPhone is also expected to feature several photo-focused enhancements. The iPhone 5S is rumored to have a higher megapixel camera and a dual LED flash that was revealed in device photos earlier this week.

Inventories of the Apple Thunderbolt Display are dwindling at some third-party resellers, according to a report from MacTrast. The site spoke to a number of retailers including MicroCenter, Fry's, CDW, Best Buy, MacConnection, and others.

Several stores said they had limited stock, while a number more said they were backordered or otherwise completely out of stock. One retailer, Adorama, went further, saying the Thunderbolt Display was "no longer available".

MacTrast called their customer support line and were told that "the manufacturer is no longer allowing us to order new inventory for this item, and it has been removed from our system".

Shortages of products at third-party resellers can occasionally be an indicator of a future refresh or discontinuation, but for a low-volume product like the Apple Thunderbolt Display, we can get mixed messages.

For example, this past January, AppleInsider reported similar shortages of the Thunderbolt Display at third-party resellers, but 6 months later, there is no replacement for it.

Regardless, redesigned Thunderbolt displays are expected at some point, perhaps alongside the new Mac Pro which is expected later this year. Potential features for a revamp include Retina capabilities, support for Thunderbolt 2, USB 3.0, and the MagSafe 2 connector that was introduced last year. The display may also be redesigned with the thinner profile and new display assembly process that Apple introduced with the new iMac late last year.

Back in April, Facebook and HTC teamed up to unveil the first “Facebook Phone,” which turned out to the HTC First equipped with Facebook's "Home" software, which brought an integrated Facebook experience to the device.

Both Facebook Home and the HTC First turned out to be unpopular with Android users, with the software garnering quite a few negative reviews in the Google Play store and AT&T deciding to drop the price on the phone from $99 to $0.99 shortly after its release.

According to AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega, though the HTC First failed to catch on, it wasn't an entirely negative experience for the company. "We sold a bunch more when we lowered the price," he told CNET in an interview on Monday. "We sold everything we had on that." Despite the fact that Vega says AT&T has sold all of its HTC First phones, they remain in stock both on the website and in stores, making the phone's official status unclear.

Vega declined to discuss how many units AT&T has managed to sell thus far, but he did compare AT&T's experience with the HTC First to Apple's experience with the Motorola ROKR.

Introduced in 2005, the Motorola ROKR featured iTunes integration, offering users a way to play music purchased from the iTunes Store. It came equipped with a music player similar to Apple's iPods, but like the HTC First, it experienced lackluster sales and was discontinued the next year.

Two years after the failure of the ROKR, which was Apple's first foray into the phone market, the iPhone was released. Vega is confident that Facebook may have a similar experience and told CNET that AT&T is committed to continuing to work with the company.

"We have a great relationship with Apple just like we have a great relationship with Facebook," he said. "We look forward to working with them to make Home better."

Apple is continuing its new 'Designed by Apple' branding campaign with a new two-page print advertisement spotted by 9to5Mac in the Toronto Star. It's likely the print campaign will extend to other newspapers as well.

The text in the ad is identical to that used on Apple's website for the campaign.

Along with this new print ad, Apple has been running the new 60-second 'Our Signature' spot in a wide television campaign, and it's been reported that other ads in the campaign will be following in the coming months.

Update: Apple's "Designed by Apple" feature page contains four different background images, and it appears that Apple is indeed running corresponding print ads in various newspapers, with a different version appearing in the Chicago Tribune.

Reuters reports that Samsung is in preliminary talks with European Union regulators in order to settle antitrust charges stemming from the company's use of standards-essential patents in litigation against Apple. Samsung could have faced fines of up to $17.3 billion, but any settlement would apparently result in no fine and no admission of wrongdoing.

"Samsung has been involved in settlement discussions for several months now. Samsung wants to settle," said one of the sources, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The sources said it was still too early to say if the discussions would result in a settlement.

Samsung has come under criticism for using standards-essential patents in litigation, as such patents are required to be licensed under reasonable terms in order to allow competitors to offer products supporting industry standards. Many regulators and observers believe that such patents should not be used to pursue injunctions preventing competitors from selling their products, even while licensing agreements have not yet been reached.

Samsung had dropped its lawsuits against Apple back in December "in the interest of protecting consumer choice", although it was clear that the European Commission was pressuring Samsung over its use of the patents in court.

Google's Motorola Mobility unit has come under similar scrutiny from European regulators over its use of standards-essential patents in lawsuits against Apple.

In other Apple-Samsung patent lawsuit news, Bloomberg reports that Apple has lost its appeal in a Japanese case in which it claimed that Samsung infringed upon a patent related to synchronizing music and video data with servers. Samsung had prevailed in an initial trial back in August.