Fortune recently published an article by Adam Lashinsky titled “Inside Apple” that provides dozens of insights into the business and culture at Apple, as well as the mindset of its CEO, Steve Jobs. There are several juicy quotes and facts in it pulled from interviews with Apple employees, including Jobs’ reaction to the botched MobileMe and iPhone 3G launch in 2008. When the launch didn’t go as planned, Jobs called the MobileMe team into a town hall meeting and said the whole group was “tarnishing Apple’s reputation.” Jobs went on, “Can anyone tell me what MobileMe is supposed to do?” Upon hearing a response, Jobs wondered aloud, “So why the f*** doesn’t it do that?” Lashinsky also also discussed a speech that Jobs gives to employees rising to the rank of vice president, dubbed “Difference Between the Janitor and the Vice President.” In it, Jobs tells the new VP that it’s OK for a janitor to make excuses when things go wrong — but a VP doesn’t have that luxury. “Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering. [That] Rubicon is crossed when you become a VP,” Jobs reportedly says during the speech. Lashinsky’s story is available in the latest issue of Forbes, which can be purchased in print, on the iPad for $4.99 or through Amazon’s Kindle store.

[Via MacStories]

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Apple blog Patently Apple is reporting that Cupertino’s fruit company has filed two separate lawsuits against Motorola for patent infringement, specifically around multi-touch IP. The infringing products? The Motorola DROID, DROID 2, DROID X, CLIQ, CLIQ XT, BackFlip, Devour, Devour i5, and Charm 1. That is just about every Android Motorola handset in the United States. Apple’s lawsuits cover six specific patent infringements, and we have them listed out after the break. Someone needs to tell all these tech companies to hide their kids, hide their wives, and hide they husbands, too, ‘cuz everybody gettin’ sued out here.

[Via 9to5Mac]

One: Apple, Inc patent titled: Ellipse Fitting for Multi-Touch Surfaces: Patent Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for simultaneously tracking multiple finger and palm contacts as hands approach, touch, and slide across a proximity-sensing, multi-touch surface. Identification and classification of intuitive hand configurations and motions enables unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.

Two: Apple, Inc patent titled: Multipoint Touchscreen: Patent Abstract: A touch panel having a transparent capacitive sensing medium configured to detect multiple touches or near touches that occur at the same time and at distinct locations in the plane of the touch panel and to produce distinct signals representative of the location of the touches on the plane of the touch panel for each of the multiple touches is disclosed.

Three: Taligent, Inc patent titled: Object-Oriented System Locator System: Patent Abstract: A method and system for adding system components (documents, tools, fonts, libraries, etc.) to a computer system without running an installation program. A location framework is employed to locate system components whose properties match those specified in search criteria. The framework receives notification from the system when system components whose properties match the search criteria are added to or removed from the system.

Four: Apple, Inc, patent titled: Touch Screen Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Determining Commands by Applying Heuristics: Apple’s invention generally relates to electronic devices with touch screen displays, and more particularly, to electronic devices that apply heuristics to detected user gestures on a touch screen display to determine commands.

Five: Apple Computer, Inc. patent titled: Method and Apparatus for Displaying and Accessing Control and Status Information in a Computer System: Apple’s invention generally relates to the field of computer systems; particularly, the present invention relates to displaying a status and control function bar or window to enable access of user selected indicia to a computer system user.

Six: Apple Computer, Inc. patent titled: Support for Custom User-Interaction Elements in a Graphical, Event-Driven Computer System: Apple’s invention relates to graphical, event-driven computer systems, more particularly to custom interactive user-interaction elements in a computer system having a window-based graphical user interface.

Apple is asking for an injunction, damages, royalties, and legal costs for the lawsuits.

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With only five days until Apple’s Back to Mac press event, the rumors are flying in thick and fast. Speculation around Apple’s refreshed MacBook Air is growing daily, and there are some new reports that just surfaced. Earlier in the week, the 11.6-inch display rumor popped up again, but last night, Engadget received some photos on what they believe to be an early prototype for the new MacBook Air. Except… the unit pictured in the photo seems to house a 13.3″ screen. Additionally, the machine appears to run the same under-powered Core 2 Duo seen in the current generation, though it is possible since the laptop was not in final form, the internals have been upgraded.

Earlier in the week, Apple Insider rumored that the new MacBook Air computer would contain no conventional hard disk drive or solid-state drive. The new Air would supposedly opt for a high capacity “SSD card” instead. AppleInsider has also followed up on their original report with some new information, and from what one of their sources is telling them, Apple will actually launch both rumored models — 11.6″ and 13.3″ display notebooks.

So guys, is this the new MacBook Air we are looking at?

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Is it possible that the Apple iPhone might actually, finally be coming to the nation’s largest carrier? In a research note from Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Jeffrey Fidacara, he claims that his channel checks with Apple’s suppliers indicate that Cupertino’s finest is readying a production run of over 3 million CDMA-flavor iPhone devices in December. If you’re up on your rumors, this would coincide with reports that Apple has ordered CDMA chips from Qualcomm for December production. Lastly, it also links up with rumors that Apple is planning on launching the phone on Verizon Wireless in January, as early as CES’ keynote with Big Red CEO Ivan Seidenberg. Tired of the Verizon iPhone news? It’s only going to get worse once the darned thing is released, unfortunately… Poll below!

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Today, T-Mobile USA delivered second quarter of 2010 results, and we have broken it down for you. First off they are reporting actual service revenues of $4.70 billion, up from $4.63 billion in Q1 — OIBDA of $1.42 billion compared to $1.39 billion in Q1. T-Mobile USA’s customers dropped by 93,000 in the second quarter which was a bigger decline than the 77,000 customers the carrier lost in the first quarter of 2010. T-Mobile CEO Robert Dotson chimed in with the following:

In the second quarter of 2010, customers embraced T-Mobile USA’s industry leading value which makes it simple and affordable for consumers to trade-up to next generation products and services.

T-Mobile is hanging around 33 million total subscribers in the US, and has experienced a pickup in data revenues as more and more consumers chose 3G data plans and services for their 3G-enable devices. We can’t remember a time when T-Mobile had an absolutely amazing killer hero product, and we can’t help but think how literally most of T-Mobile’s struggles would be solved by a visit from a handset from Cupertino.

Could this be the rumored upgrade to the Apple MacBook Pro? It certainly looks similar to the recently leaked image from Germany, not to mention jiving with the aesthetic changes that have been all but confirmed by folks close to the project. At the same time, we have to remain skeptical of any Apple product leaks, as the fanboy community will do just about anything to stoke the flames of anticipation leading up to an inevitable product launch. Notice the dock icons on the trackpad, as well as the beveled edges on the bottom side of the notebook. Could Apple really be planning on implementing the LED-equipped glass touchpad that has been batted about for so long? Time will tell, and chances are good that this shot is a mere photoshop monkey job, but if this does turn out to resemble the new portables from Cupertino, would this be something on your Christmas wishlist?

Thanks, stagueve!

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