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Hardware MacBook Pro News Patents

Apple patents point to effort to reduce noise on MacBook Pro fan modules

You know the fans on your MacBook Pro? They’re about to get quieter. Per the United States Patent and Trademark Office, a trio of patent applications discovered on Thursday reveal how the asymmetric fan blade spacing used in the newest MacBook Pro with Retina display models quiet the spinning impeller without sacrificing performance. The three […]

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News Patents

Apple, Google reportedly partnering on $500 million bid for Kodak’s patents

Apple and Google may not always see eye to eye on matters, but both of them know a deal when they see one. Per Bloomberg, Apple has reportedly teamed up with Google to offer a bid for Kodak patents worth over US$500 million. On Friday, the news site cited two sources familiar with Kodak’s ongoing […]

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News Patents

Apple exploring wireless charging, over-the-air electricity technology

This could lead to something interesting. Per FreePatentsOnline, a new patent application reveals Apple’s interest in a “realistic and practical approach” to wireless power, providing over-the-air electricity to low-power devices within a distance of one meter. Apple’s interest in wireless charging technology was detailed in a new patent application published this week by the U.S. […]

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iPhone News Patents

Apple looking into quieter “vibrate” function for future iPhone handsets

Your iPhone might get a bit quieter soon. Per the United States Patent and Trademark Office and AppleInsider, Apple is investigating ways to make the iPhone’s “silent mode” truly silent by monitoring audible sound levels generated by a phone’s vibrator and adjusting the mechanism if it becomes too loud. Since the earliest days of portable […]

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News Patents

Apple patent shows interest in developing dual-function headphones

This could get really interesting. Per AppleInsider, a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday shows that Apple presented an invention for a “dual-mode headphone” which can transform from a normal set of earbuds to a more robust speaker system. First filed for in 2011, the proposed system incorporates the usual […]