MacRumors

Apple's blitz of retail store openings continues this week, with ifoAppleStore reporting that the company is set to open three new stores in three different countries this Saturday. The openings come after Apple opened five new stores this past weekend as part of a push to open over 30 new stores between July and September.

The stores opening this week include a new location in Berkeley, California, as well as locations in Leganés, Spain near Madrid and Basingstoke, United Kingdom.

- 4th Street (Berkeley, California): The latest of more than a dozen stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, the new Berkeley store is just three miles from Apple's Bay Street store in nearby Emeryville and is about 2.5 miles from the University of California, Berkeley.

- Parquesur (Leganés, Spain): Located in a large suburb southwest of Madrid, the store will be Apple's second in the Madrid area and third in Spain. The store is actually closer to central Madrid than the existing Xanadu store.

- Festival Place (Basingstoke, United Kingdom): Located about 50 miles southwest of central London and 30 miles northeast of Southampton, the new store is in a large mall near the center of town and will be the 31st Apple retail store in the United Kingdom. The closest existing Apple retail store is The Oracle, approximately 15 miles away in Reading.

HBO has been a popular programming source for iTunes Store users since its debut three years ago due to the premium cable channel's highly-regarded original programming. As noticed by one MacRumors reader, the iTunes Store has just begun offering HD versions of a number of HBO shows, adding another option for those looking for higher-quality content.

Among the shows now available in HD: Big Love, Bored to Death, Carnivale, Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 7), Deadwood, Eastbound & Down, Entourage (Seasons 3–7), Flight of the Conchords (Season 2), The Life & Times of Tim, Hung, Rome, Six Feet Under (Seasons 3–5), The Sopranos, True Blood

As with most HD content on the iTunes Store, episodes carry a $1.00 premium over their respective standard-definition versions. Most HBO content is priced at $3.99 HD and $2.99 SD, although some shows come in at $2.99 HD and $1.99 SD. The new HD offerings appear to be available in the United States and Canada.

Reuters briefly reports that Android smartphone manufacturer HTC has struck back at Apple with a new patent lawsuit targeting not only iOS devices but also Macs. The suit was filed in United States District Court in Delaware.

Smartphone maker HTC Corp sued Apple Inc on Tuesday, claiming infringement of three patents through Apple's sale of Macintosh computers, iPhones, iPads and other devices.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware seeks to halt Apple's importation and sale of infringing products in the United States. It also seeks compensatory damages, triple damages for willful infringement, and other remedies.

The lawsuit addresses the following patents:

- 7,765,414: Circuit and operating method for integrated interface of PDA and wireless communication system
- 7,672,219: Multipoint-to-point communication using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing
- 7,417,944: Method for orderwire modulation

HTC was the first Android handset manufacturer to be targeted by Apple in the current web of patent lawsuits, with Apple having filed suit back in March 2010. Last month, an International Trade Commission judge ruled in favor of Apple in an initial determination, setting the stage for a more thorough review by a panel of judges and increasing pressure on HTC to settle the lawsuit.

Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt contacted Walter Isaacson and got some more details on Steve Jobs' biography that is due on November 21st. The above cover is described by Isaacson:

"The cover," writes Isaacson in private e-mail, "is the Albert Watson portrait taken for Fortune in 2009. The back is a Norman Seeff portrait of him in the lotus position holding the original Macintosh, which ran in Rolling Stone in January 1984. The title font is Helvetica. It will look as you see it, with no words on the back cover."

Isaacson also clarified to Elmer-DeWitt the moving forward of the publication date was not due to any health concerns or decline. The book was mostly completed in June, and is now "all done and edited".

The publisher describes the biography as being based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years. Meanwhile, hundreds of interviews were also conducted with family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues.

Slowly and surely, more iPhone 5 parts seem to be leaking into the wild. MacPost has spotted two new claimed iPhone 5 parts from different online suppliers. The new parts include a camera lens replacement for the iPhone 5, as well as replacement headphone jacks for the iPhone 5.

The headphone jacks come in two colors: white and black, suggesting that Apple will be offering the iPhone 5 in at least the same two colors as they offer the iPhone 4.

Apple has always produced black and white headphone jacks to maintain the consistency of appearance of their iPhones even on the small amount of the interior of the jack visible. For some reason, these parts (along with the sensor flex cable) seem to be amongst the first to leak. Similar parts leaked in the weeks leading up to the iPhone 4 launch back in 2010:

The camera lens replacement for the iPhone 5 sounded like it could be more interesting, but no details are offered for the part.

Apple had previously been rumored to be launching the iPhone 5 in white as well. The iPhone 4 was originally announced to come in both black and white, but production issues delayed the white iPhone 4 until the following April. The iPhone 5 is widely expected to launch in October.

Over the weekend, there had been a lot of interest in what appeared to be a 3G-capable MacBook Pro with an extendable antenna. The original eBay auction reached as high as $70,000 before being removed from the site. The listing was removed at the request of Apple. The seller, however, joined our forums, and provided additional photos and details about the unit.

Much of the initial commentary was about the look of the antenna, but it was actually felt to be nicely designed by the seller of the notebook. He wrote, "really in person it seems quite well designed, and not out of place with the rest of Apple's look."

The seller describes the antenna as "quite tiny" and attributes some of the initial reactions to the bad angle. It is said to protrude about 2" from the display when extended. Most notably, it's actually attached to the MacBook Pro with magnets, and can come off. This is shown in the following photos:

Apple has used magnets in their power cords for a number of years to help prevent damage from users accidentally tripping over cables. Apple applied this same design theory to the antenna. Apple had actually applied for a patent on this kind of magnetically attached and extendable antenna back in 2008, and recently republished.

In the patent application, Apple explained the reasoning behind the external antenna. According to Apple, metal enclosures, such as in the MacBook Pro, have a high conductivity which poses a challenge when designing an internal antenna.

The antenna may exhibit improved transmission and reception efficiencies when the antenna is placed in an extended position away from the conductive housing

They also acknowledge that external antennas that permanently protrude have an unattractive appearance and may be susceptible to damage. Their solution was to offer this retractable antenna design. When not in use, the antenna can be stowed and take on the look of the rest of the case design, and when extended, can break away with magnets to avoid damage to the computer.

Obviously, Apple decided against pursuing the design ultimately, but its very interesting to see an actual prototype of a concept that Apple had also submitted a patent for back in 2008.

Apple has started selling the OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive, intended for users without a broadband connection.

As noted by 9to5Mac, the USB thumb drive is available for sale on Apple's online store for $69.00. Apple had pre-announced that they would be selling the USB stick back in July. The USB stick offers the full OS X Lion installation without any need to download it over the internet:

OS X Lion is available on a USB thumb drive for installation without the need for a broadband Internet connection. Just plug the drive into your USB port and follow the instructions to install. OS X Lion is also available for a lower price as a digital download from the Mac App Store.

Earlier this month, Apple released a downloadable utility that would let users create a Lion recovery partition. That partition, however, still required you to download Lion from Apple's servers.

At $69.00, this USB option costs $39.01 more than the corresponding digital version through the Mac App Store. OS X Lion also remains available on the Mac App Store for $29.99.

Digitimes claims that Apple has canceled its iPad 3 supply schedule for the second half of 2011, which means the iPad 3 won't be launching until 2012:

Apple was originally set to launch its iPad 3 in the second half of 2011 with a supply volume of 1.5-2 million units in the third quarter and 5-6 million in the fourth quarter, but Apple's supply chain partners have recently discovered that the related figures have all already been deleted, the sources pointed out.

Sources seem to believe that poor yields of the new 9.7" 2,048 by 1,536 pixel Retina display are the reason for the delay.

Sources from panel players also pointed out that the 9.7-inch panel with high resolution requires a much larger backlight source and a single edge light bar is hardly able to reach satisfaction levels. Due to iPad 3's requirements over the physical thinness, rich color support and toughness will all conflict with the panel's technology restrictions; therefore, this could cause a delay in the launch.

This may finally put an end to iPad 3 rumors that seemed to crop up persistently for a fall release. Rumors had suggested it would be the iPad 3 would receive a high resolution retina display. In fact, Apple may have been preparing for the possibility as far back as January with the inclusion of double-resolution artwork for the iBook application.

It also adds some credence to rumors from TiPb last week which said the iPad 3 will be released "early next year" and that the iPhone 5 would launch on October 7th.

Work has begun on Apple's massive new retail store in Manhattan's historic Grand Central Terminal as the company works quickly to try to open the store in time for the holiday shopping season. As noted at last month's approval for the project, Apple will be able to move forward on a very tight construction timetable due to the fact that only minimal changes to the building itself are permitted.

Earlier this month, one MacRumors reader passed along a photo showing the closed off stairway to the former Metrazur restaurant where the Apple retail store is being constructed, suggesting that at least preparatory work was underway to close the restaurant and turn the site over to Apple's contractors.

Another reader has now passed along new photos showing work underway, and while the view from the concourse below the store is primarily of scaffolding and plastic tarps, it is clear that things are moving forward.

We've been told by an employee at Grand Central Terminal that crews have already demolished the kitchen area of the former Metrazur restaurant and are working to turn it into a storage room for the Apple retail store.

In addition, Apple has reportedly indicated that it is planning to open the store in time for the "Black Friday" shopping rush, which falls on the day after Thanksgiving in the United States and represents the kickoff to the holiday shopping season. Black Friday falls on November 25th this year, and Apple is said to possibly be shooting for a grand opening on November 12th, in line with the previously-reported four-month construction timeframe with respect to last month's project approval.

Thanks, Beau & Mike!

Last week, Apple made news with its victory over Samsung that saw courts issue a preliminary injunction barring Samsung from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 anywhere in the European Union except the Netherlands following an infringement complaint filed by Apple over the Galaxy Tab's design.

Computerworld now reports, however, that an investigation by its Dutch affiliate Webwereld.nl has discovered [Google translation] a significant flaw in a key piece of evidence used by Apple in the case. According to the report, a key exhibit comparing the appearance of the iPad 2 to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 utilizes an inaccurate or distorted image of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that makes it seem more similar in appearance to the iPad 2 than it actually is.

Specifically, the image of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 shows an aspect ratio of approximately 1.36 compared to 1.30 for the iPad 2, whereas the Galaxy Tab 10.1 actually carries an aspect ratio of 1.46. (It should be noted that the term "aspect ratio" is used here to refer to the dimensions of the actual device, not the screen.)

Photographic evidence submitted by Apple, found on page 28 of the German complaint, shows two pictures: the iPad 2 and the alleged Galaxy Tab 10.1, accompanied by Apple's claim that the "overall appearance" of two products is "practically identical."

But the picture Apple submitted of the Tab is inaccurate and does not match the real Galaxy Tab 10.1, Webwereld discovered. Further investigations have verified this assessment. The Galaxy Tab due on the European market is taller and more oblong than the iPad 2. However, the shape of what Apple claims to be a Tab 10.1 resembles the iPad very closely.

The inaccuracy is of key importance due to the fact that Apple's case centers on the Galaxy Tab's design being "practically identical" to the iPad, and any misleading evidence presented to support that stance could considerably damage Apple's case.

It is unclear whether the image has actually been intentionally manipulated to make the Galaxy Tab 10.1 appear more similar to the iPad, as some sources have suggested that Apple may have utilized an image of an early Galaxy Tab 10.1 prototype. Regardless of whether the image is obsolete or doctored, the German court responsible for the injunction is not likely to take kindly to the error when a full hearing on the matter is conducted beginning on August 25th.

Update: As John at Edible Apple and others have pointed out, Apple's evidentiary submission is not limited to the inaccurate comparison photo, as Apple did also offer a number of other exhibits in support of its case, including some showing actual side-by-side photos of the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 rather than just promotional images. Consequently, it stands to reason that the judge's decision was not based entirely on the flawed comparison, although the inclusion of inaccurate information in Apple's submission certainly is a curious one.

Back in February 2010, it was revealed that former Time managing editor Walter Isaacson was working on the first authorized biography of Apple CEO Steve Jobs, a book that earlier this year was announced as set to be released in early 2012 under the title "iSteve: The Book of Jobs". But the planned title proved unpopular with a number of people, and last month it was noted that Isaacson had received approval to change the title to a simpler "Steve Jobs", with publication set for March 6, 2012.

It now appears, however, that publication may have been moved up a bit, as the book's page at Barnes & Noble has been updated with a release date of November 21, 2011, as noticed by AllThingsD. An image of the book's cover has also been added to the page. The photo of Jobs used for the cover is a black-and-white version of of the image found on Jobs' page in Apple's recently-revamped company leadership pages.

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues this book chronicles the rollercoaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

According the book's overview as submitted by the publisher, Jobs has cooperated with the book and has not asked for any control over the final product. He has reportedly left no topic off-limits for the book and has not even requested the right to read it before publication, suggesting that the book will yield the most open look at Jobs' personal and professional life yet published.

Amazon is also offering pre-orders for the book and showing the cover, although the book's page there continues to show the previous March 6, 2012 release date.

Adobe today announced the launch of a beta version of new website-building tools codenamed "Muse" that will allow users to easily create websites without needing to know HTML. Being compared in some ways as an advanced version of Apple's phased-out iWeb software, Muse is targeted at print designers with little or no experience in web design.

Plan your project — Easy-to-use sitemaps, master pages, and a host of flexible, site-wide tools make it fast and intuitive to get your site planned out and ready for design.
Design your pages — Combine imagery, graphics and text with complete control, flexibility and power (almost as if you were using Adobe InDesign).
Add interactivity — Drag and drop fully customizable widgets like navigation menus and slide shows, embed HTML code snippets to include things like Google Maps, enable tool tips, rollovers and much more.
Publish your site — Preview your site with Muse to see how it looks and test how it works. Then convert to a live website using Adobe for hosting, or export the HTML for hosting with a provider of your choice.

Adobe Muse offers users familiar with such products as Illustrator, InDesign, and Dreamweaver an easy transition to HTML-free web design, with customizable drag-and-drop widgets being complemented by embeddable code from sites like Google Maps and Facebook to extend the functionality.

As Macworld notes, users will not be required to use Adobe's hosting service for projects created in Muse, but the company is planning to introduce new features such as blogs, contact forms, and shopping carts that would require users to utilize Adobe hosting if they wish to take advantage of the features.

Muse is currently in a free public beta phase, with the official version set to launch early next year. Muse will be a subscription-based product, with pricing set at $20 per month or $180 per year. Adobe notes that it intends to roll out new features for Muse on a regular basis ("probably quarterly"), making a subscription model a better option than Adobe's traditional system of standalone purchases of major versions released every 18-24 months.

BGR reports that Apple appears to already be testing a 4G LTE-enabled iPhone with carriers, as evidenced by a special internal carrier test build of iOS carrying a property list file for LTE compatibility.

While we can’t confirm that the upcoming fifth-generation iPhone will be able to support 4G LTE, we can now exclusively confirm that Apple’s carrier partners are testing iPhone models with LTE capability. BGR has obtained evidence of an internal iOS test build from one of Apple’s major carrier partners, and buried in the firmware is a property list (.plist file) for LTE.

The iPhone 5 is expected to support HSPA+ technology for GSM networks, which is being marketed by many carriers as "4G", but carriers are also beginning their rollouts of 4G LTE networks that will bring even faster data speeds. Apple has indicated, however, that it has been reluctant to adopt LTE technology so far due to a lack of appropriate chipsets, with size, power and other issues forcing design compromises that Apple has been unwilling to make. LTE chips suitable for Apple's needs are reportedly set to debut in early 2012.

It should come as no surprise that Apple has been testing LTE technology for the iPhone as it seeks to find the proper time to deploy the functionality. Apple has notably been conservative in adopting the latest cellular technology standards, as evidenced by the original iPhone debuting with only EDGE capabilities when a number of carriers had already begun building out their 3G networks.

Google today announced that it will acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, giving the Android developer a significant new hardware arm to help drive the platform forward. The deal brings $40 in cash for Motorola Mobility's shares, a 63% premium over Friday's closing price.

Larry Page, CEO of Google, said, “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”

While Google will be able to make a direct move into the hardware business with Motorola Mobility, the company claims that Android will remain an "open platform" and that it will continue to support all vendors offering Android products.

Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, said, “We expect that this combination will enable us to break new ground for the Android ecosystem. However, our vision for Android is unchanged and Google remains firmly committed to Android as an open platform and a vibrant open source community. We will continue to work with all of our valued Android partners to develop and distribute innovative Android-powered devices.”

In a blog post regarding the deal, Google CEO Larry Page reveals that Google felt compelled to make the acquisition in order to address the patent threats facing the company with a number of companies having recently cooperated to acquire large patent pools that could threaten Android.

We recently explained how companies including Microsoft and Apple are banding together in anti-competitive patent attacks on Android. The U.S. Department of Justice had to intervene in the results of one recent patent auction to “protect competition and innovation in the open source software community” and it is currently looking into the results of the Nortel auction. Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.

Google plans to run Motorola Mobility as a separate business and expects the transaction to close by the end of the year or early next year after appropriate approvals from Motorola Mobility shareholders and regulatory authorities.

Update: In a conference call discussing the acquisition, Google revealed that it will be acquiring 17,000 patents and an additional 7,500 filed patent applications in the deal, substantially strengthening its position in the mobile patent arms race.