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Apple wants to control everything in your home via NFC
A newly revealed patent application can be summed up simply: Apple wants to enslave every electronic device under your roof.
(Credit: Patently Apple)
An Apple patent application published yesterday reveals that the company has seriously looked into the notion of using near-field communication to allow its devices to take over your home, from the garage door to your gaming console.
The patent was originally filed in April of 2010 and is quite lengthy, with dozens of illustrations showing Apple products (largely the iPhone) using mostly NFC to act as a remote control to turn various household devices like televisions, projectors, standalone cameras, and DVRs into their slaves.
No, I'm not saying Apple has applied to patent digital slavery -- unless you already consider yourself a slave to Apple products in your house, in which case this patent could certainly tighten your iShackles while also making them a lot more comfy and amazing.
The banal title of the patent is "System and Method For Simplified Control of Electronic Devices," and while that string of words is yawn-inducing, it's also pretty accurate. The idea here is for Apple to control all your home's electronic devices, right down to your sprinkler system, by connecting them to a Mac or iOS device (or both) using NFC, RFID, or whatever other means of communication is available.
Many of the interactions described in the patent involve an iOS device and an Apple TV (the currently available set-top variety), including the interesting notion of being able to control games on an existing console, like an Xbox, using the iPhone touch screen.
This patent application was filed a full year before the similar Android @Home concept was introduced at Google I/O in 2011 (an idea that has rarely been heard from since). Not everything Apple patents makes it to market, of course, so it's possible this vision of a household indentured to Apple could also fade away. But with a new iPhone and the spectre of an Apple HDTV on the horizon, I imagine we'll be hearing more about some of these ideas soon, and many consumers will happily embrace their new forms of bondage.
A newly revealed patent application can be summed up simply: Apple wants to enslave every electronic device under your roof.
(Credit: Patently Apple)
An Apple patent application published yesterday reveals that the company has seriously looked into the notion of using near-field communication to allow its devices to take over your home, from the garage door to your gaming console.
The patent was originally filed in April of 2010 and is quite lengthy, with dozens of illustrations showing Apple products (largely the iPhone) using mostly NFC to act as a remote control to turn various household devices like televisions, projectors, standalone cameras, and DVRs into their slaves.
No, I'm not saying Apple has applied to patent digital slavery -- unless you already consider yourself a slave to Apple products in your house, in which case this patent could certainly tighten your iShackles while also making them a lot more comfy and amazing.
The banal title of the patent is "System and Method For Simplified Control of Electronic Devices," and while that string of words is yawn-inducing, it's also pretty accurate. The idea here is for Apple to control all your home's electronic devices, right down to your sprinkler system, by connecting them to a Mac or iOS device (or both) using NFC, RFID, or whatever other means of communication is available.
Many of the interactions described in the patent involve an iOS device and an Apple TV (the currently available set-top variety), including the interesting notion of being able to control games on an existing console, like an Xbox, using the iPhone touch screen.
This patent application was filed a full year before the similar Android @Home concept was introduced at Google I/O in 2011 (an idea that has rarely been heard from since). Not everything Apple patents makes it to market, of course, so it's possible this vision of a household indentured to Apple could also fade away. But with a new iPhone and the spectre of an Apple HDTV on the horizon, I imagine we'll be hearing more about some of these ideas soon, and many consumers will happily embrace their new forms of bondage.
Apple bulks up mobile security with $356M AuthenTec buy
Apple's Cupertino campus.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
Apple is getting serious about mobile security.
The Cupertino, Calif., company has agreed to acquire security technology company AuthenTec for $356 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission made by AuthenTec.
The $8-a-share offer for AuthenTec represents a 58 percent premium over its Thursday closing price of $5.07.
CNET contacted Apple for comment. We'll update the story when the company responds. An AuthenTec spokesman confirmed the deal but said it wouldn't be adding any more detail.
Apple is just the latest company to get swept up in the increasing interest in mobile security. With increasing reports of mobile malware, viruses, and other threats, the wireless industry has stepped up its defenses. Carriers such as AT&T and Sprint Nextel are increasingly talking about security as the next big service, while a number of mobile security firms have sprung up in recent years.
AuthenTec makes fingerprint sensors and identity management software that's deployed in mobile devices, computing and networking companies, service providers, and governments. It counts Samsung Electronics, LG, Cisco Systems, and Motorola among its customers. Earlier this month, Samsung tapped AuthenTec's virtual private network security to power its business-class smartphones and tablets.
Although Apple's iPad stole the show in the company's latest earnings report, its iPhone is the breadwinner.
Between April 2010 and March 2012, Apple was able to secure gross margins of 49 percent to 58 percent on U.S. iPhone sales, according to Reuters, which obtained the data from court documents unsealed yesterday and filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Apple's iPad, on the other hand, generated gross margins of 23 percent to 32 percent between October 2010 and March 2012.
Apple does not provide gross margin figures on individual products, deciding instead to share it on a companywide level. However, the company has revealed many more details about its business in court filings, including how it generates such healthy profits.
It's worth noting that gross margins do not translate to the actual profit Apple generates off the sale of each device. Gross margin is simply the difference between the revenue Apple generates and the cost of the product. From there, other fixed and variable costs are added to the device's expenses to arrive at a final profit.
On a companywide scale, Apple's margins are similarly impressive. During the company's last-reported quarter, ended June 30, its gross margin came in at $15 billion, representing about 43 percent of its revenue. In other words, aside from iPhones and iPads, its margins across its entire product line appear to be quite high.
From there, Apple has been able to keep its costs down, providing for extremely high profits. Earlier this week, the company reported an $8.8 billion profit on its $35 billion in revenue. Both figures were up over the $28.6 billion in revenue and $7.3 billion profit Apple generated during the same period last year.
And as for those devices? Apple sold a record 17 million iPads during the last quarter, and a whopping 26 million iPhones.