Business Insider is reporting that Apple has asked for, and received, a permit for self-driving cars from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Apple was added to the list of permit holders that are allowed to participate in the Autonomous Vehicle Tester Program in California on Friday, joining companies like Google, Tesla, BMW, Honda, Ford, Nissan, and other companies currently testing such technology.
Swiss watch maker Swatch is under fire for allegedly capitalizing on successful Apple marketing. The watchmaker is being taken to court for emblazoning "Tick different" on certain watch models, a phrase Apple claims is a play on its 1990s "Think Different" ad campaign.
Lodged last week, Apple's complaint is being adjudicated by the Swiss Federal Administrative Court, reports Watson. In order to successfully argue its case, Apple will have to prove that at least 50 percent of consumers associate "Think Different" with Apple branding.
Apple is being represented by Zurich law firm Lenz & Staehelin, which filed a concurrent, but unsuccessful, complaint with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.
Responding to Apple's accusations, Swatch CEO Nick Hayek said any similarity between the two campaigns is coincidental. Hayek asserts "Tick different" has its roots in a Swatch campaign from the '80s that carried the phrase "Always different, always new."
To read the rest of the AppleInsider.com article, click here.
Mid Monday morning, AT&T announced that it will be buying a company called Straight Path for $1.6 Billion Dollars.
The purchase is part of the company's quest to help build their soon to be available 5G wireless network.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved 28 and 39 gigahertz frequencies for 5G wireless use, and Straight Path is one of the largest holders of that spectrum.
The purchase could give AT&T, which was the original exclusive partner for Apple's iPhone, a leg up on its wireless competitors— chiefly Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint.
Straight Path was motivated to sell after a settlement with the FCC earlier this year. According to Bloomberg, the company misrepresented the progress of utilizing the spectrum it owned, and as a result agreed to transfer its spectrum licenses by early next year.
AT&T and its competitors are gearing up to launch fifth-generation networks in the U.S. in the coming years. 5G aims to be the successor to the current 4G LTE standard, and it's likely that future iPhones will include 5G connectivity once the networks are established and appropriate wireless chips are available.
AT&T expects its 5G network to provide speeds between 10 and 100 times faster than an average LTE connection, measuring bandwidth in gigabits rather than megabits. Latency could be as low as 1 to 5 milliseconds.
According to entertainment publication Variety.com, Apple has made a deal with the cast of Saturday Night Live to produce some upcoming TV and other content ads.
Apple has struck a deal with NBC to have “Saturday Night Live” create commercial content slated to appear in a few weeks’ time. The show’s work for the large consumer-electronics company will look different than its Verizon efforts, according to two people familiar with the situation. Apple did not respond to queries seeking comment.
The ads are scheduled to appear during the April 8th and April 15th shows.
