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Apple has dropped out of the Top 20 list in world's largest survey of consumer trust. Apple's 21st ranking in the Ponemon Institute's Most Trusted Companies for Privacy Study is its lowest ranking in three years. The survey asks consumers to name and rate organizations they believe are most committed to protecting the privacy of their personal information.

Apple fell from 8th place in 2009 to 12th in 2010, 14th in 2011 and 21st in 2012. Apple was not the only major company to find itself having been knocked out of a top-20 place, being joined by both Google and Facebook.

The Ponemon Institute is careful to point out that the survey reflects consumer perceptions of privacy, rather than actual privacy practices. Apple Insider notes that Apple has tightened its privacy controls in a number of ways following revelations that the Path app was uploading users' address books without permission. Apple now requires apps to obtain explicit permission from users before contact information can be accessed. Apps also seek permission before using accessing location data.

Both Apple's App Store and Google's Android Market were criticised by the FTC in December for failing to disclose to parents ways in which data might be shared from children's apps.

Judge Lucy Koh ruled in a court filing (via The Verge) tonight that Samsung did not willfully infringe Apple patents. This decision denies any additional damages to the $1.05 billion awarded to Apple last August.

As this is the sum total of Apple's arguments and evidence that Samsung's infringement was willful, the Court cannot conclude that Apple has met its burden to show willfulness by clear and convincing evidence.

Samsung argued that they had reason to believe that Apple's patents were invalid and therefore did not willfully infringe Apple patents - Samsung basically didn't believe they did anything wrong. Judge Koh believed that Samsung's argument was reasonable enough to rule out willful infringement but not strong enough to overturn the validity of Apple's patents.



Judge Koh also denied Samsung's bid for a new trial, saying that "the trial was fairly conducted, with uniform time limits and rules of evidence applied on both sides." She went on to write that "a new trial would be contrary to the interests of justice."

If Samsung had been found to be willfully infringing Apple patents their penalty might have ballooned well over $1.05 billion that they must pay Apple. In December, Judge Koh had denied another Samsung retrial request based on juror misconduct. The decision is yet another milestone in the long saga that is Samsung v. Apple.

AnandTech has found that new Apple TV will use the same WLAN+Bluetooth antenna/chip combo that the iPhone 5 uses as well as an A5X processor rather than the A5.

The unreleased Apple TV revision was first suggested by an iOS 6.1 firmware release for a previously unseen AppleTV3,2 model. Then, a new FCC application revealed that the new Apple TV would have slightly smaller dimensions than the currently shipping model.


AnandTech writes:

Instead of the A5R2 SoC (S5L8942) inside the Apple TV 3,1, this new device contains an A5X SoC (S5L8947) as shown in the screenshots I've taken of the Restore.plist file, though there are numerous others. It's entirely possible that Apple is again using different bins of the A5X, it's not possible to tell whether CPU or GPU cores are fused off at this point from my digging through the IPSW.

The A5X chip (with Quad-Core graphics) was originally introduced to power the new Retina Display screen of the iPad 3.

It was in the current Apple TV that Apple first used the 32-nm (die shrunk) A5 chip. It was believed at the time that Apple had used the Apple TV has a test platform to start ramping up that new 32-nm A5 processor before they started using it more broadly to power the still-for-sale iPad 2.

It seems likely that Apple will follow the same pattern with this new A5X -- first ramp up production in the Apple TV, and later extend its use to the new iPad mini. The next iPad mini is believed to include a Retina display. Apple will need to upgrade the iPad mini's CPU/GPU in order to be able to accommodate the extra pixels of such a display.

Best Buy is offering Apple's June 2011 Airport Extreme Base Station -- the current model that Apple sells new for $179 -- for $89.99 as its deal of the day.

Apple sells the same device refurbished for $139.

Originally released June 2011

The sleek, easy-to-use AirPort Extreme Base Station with simultaneous dual-band support is the perfect wireless access point for home, school or small business. It offers fast, 802.11n Wi-Fi access for Mac computers, PCs and Wi-Fi devices such as iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV.

Best Buy is offering Apple's June 2011 Airport Extreme Base Station -- the current model that Apple sells new for $179 -- for $89.99 as its deal of the day.

Apple sells the same device refurbished for $139.

Originally released June 2011

The sleek, easy-to-use AirPort Extreme Base Station with simultaneous dual-band support is the perfect wireless access point for home, school or small business. It offers fast, 802.11n Wi-Fi access for Mac computers, PCs and Wi-Fi devices such as iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV.

Best Buy is offering Apple's June 2011 Airport Extreme Base Station -- the current model that Apple sells new for $179 -- for $89.99 as its deal of the day.

Apple sells the same device refurbished for $139.

Originally released June 2011

The sleek, easy-to-use AirPort Extreme Base Station with simultaneous dual-band support is the perfect wireless access point for home, school or small business. It offers fast, 802.11n Wi-Fi access for Mac computers, PCs and Wi-Fi devices such as iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV.

The FCC has published paperwork, discovered by Engadget, that Apple filed late last week on what appears to be a new model of the Apple TV. This follows on yesterday's revelation that iOS 6.1 included support for an as yet unrevealed AppleTV3,2 model.

Engadget writes:

While the diagram pictured above doesn't suggest any major changes to the device's appearance, it does list some slightly smaller measurements: 93.78mm square compared to the 98mm of the current model. That's certainly not the biggest of differences, but the measurements in previous Apple FCC filing have been spot on. The model number, A1469, is also one that we haven't seen before, but the documents unfortunately don't offer much else in the way of details (only confirmation of the same WiFi capabilities as the current-gen Apple TV).

In the middle of this month, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo -- who has been accurate in the past -- posted his expectations for Apple's various product launches this year. He expected a new Apple TV model late in the first calendar quarter, which lines up with the filing.

THX, the company behind Lucasfilm's audio/visual reproduction standard for movie theaters, A/V equipment, and more, has released a new iPhone app to assist consumers with calibrating their HDTV's and home theater setups. The app is currently free for one week, but will rise to $1.99 after.


THX prefers that users connect the app to their television via Apple's official HDMI adapter, but AirPlay Mirroring can also be used for the visual tests -- audio tests won't work over the AirPlay protocol.

But those that do try out THX's method will be rewarded with modest improvements. In our tests, it worked as advertised. Speaking to The Verge, company reps made clear that Tune-Up isn't meant to be a substitute for having a professional visit your home for a thorough calibration. Instead, it's a tool that can (fairly quickly) help your new TV look better than it did the first time you turned it on. And as an added bonus, you'll be able to play the famous "deep note" that moviegoers hear before THX-certified movies in lossless audio.

THX tune-up is a free download on the App Store for 1 week, before rising to $1.99. [Direct Link]

Last week, Apple pulled the 500px photo sharing app from the App Store over concerns about "artistic" nude photographs on the service.

Today, according to reports from both TechCrunch and 500px's Twitter feed, the app has returned to the store.

The app returns with an age-gate warning, advising that the content in the app is for 17+ audiences, and also adds a new “Report Photo” button to help users quickly tag things they find offensive for potential removal from the network.

The app still has a category for “Nude” photos for logged in users, however, which is an impressive allowance on Apple’s part

The return of the app follows the removal of Twitter's Vine as an 'Editor's Pick' on the App Store after a pornography scandal on that platform.

500px is a free download on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Microsoft today announced the launch of its latest Office software suite, updating its applications for Windows machines to new 2013 versions and launching a new Office 365 subscription option.

While the $99-per-year Office 365 option allows for installation on up to five computers, Mac users will continue to receive Office 2011 applications until an updated version of Office for Mac becomes available. Office for Mac versions typically follow about 12-18 months behind their Windows counterparts.

Office 365 Home Premium is available in 162 markets in 21 languages and includes the following:

- The latest and most complete set of Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access

- One license for the entire household to use Office on up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs or Macs, and Office on Demand available from any Internet-connected PC

- An additional 20 GB of SkyDrive cloud storage, nearly three times the amount available with a free SkyDrive account

- 60 free Skype world calling minutes per month to call mobile phones, landlines or PCs around the world

- Future upgrades, so you always use the latest time-saving technology

Office 365 Home Premium is priced at $9.99 per month or $99 per year, while college and university students, faculty, and staff are eligible for Office 365 University priced at $79.99 for a four-year subscription.

Aside from the Office 365 subscription plans, Windows users are also offered the option of standalone Office 2013 packages including Office Home & Student ($139.99), Office Home & Business ($219.99), and Office Professional ($399.99). There are no ongoing costs with the standalone installations, and a version of Office typically remains current for three years.