It became known that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued Apple a patent for an unusual accessory designed for use with the iPhone, iPad, MacBook and other devices. It is an external flash with a wired connection via the Lightning interface and a wireless connection via Wi-Fi.
The external flash is expected to fire simultaneously with the built-in flash of this device. For synchronization, a control signal issued by the main unit containing data on the status of external and internal flashes can be used. The description says that the control signal can be the output signal to the port used for communication and charging. It can consist of pulses separated in time, which allows the transmission of data on the state of external and internal flashes.
Apple doesn't limit the use of flash to just the iPhone. According to the developers, it can be used with other products of the company, for example, MacBook or iPad. It is not yet known when the external flash will go on sale.
Apple once again failed to challenge Qualcomm's patents
A US appeals court has rejected Apple's attempt to reopen Qualcomm's mobile technology patents for the second time. The ruling prevents Apple from appealing the 2019 deal under which the company licensed tens of thousands of Qualcomm patents.
The decision was made by two of the three judges of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. A similar decision was made by another panel of the court in April this year in a similar case in the dispute between Apple and Qualcomm. Recall that in 2017, Qualcomm filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming that the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch infringe on a number of mobile technology patents, which was part of a wider dispute between the two companies. Apple has also challenged three pending patents in the United States Patent and Trademark Office Appellate Board. However, in 2020, they were declared valid after the parties signed a settlement in 2019 that awarded Qualcomm $4,5 billion and Apple continued to use the opponent's chips in its products.
Apple's appeal
However, Apple still appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The company said it faced an "unavoidable risk" of filing a lawsuit after the 6-year deadline specified in the 2019 agreement. Qualcomm responded that Apple's arguments were false, as previously agreed by the parties, and that the risk factor was nothing more than speculation.
Judges Sharon Prost and Kara Stoll agreed with Qualcomm, while Judge Pauline Newman sided with Apple. She agreed that when the license expires in 2025, Qualcomm can sue Apple again and that Apple will suffer "concrete harm because it will have to pay royalties to release a patent that it believes is invalid."
