NPD Group on Thursday released the results of its Apple Ecosystem Study, which suggests that almost 25% of U.S. iPad owners are first-time Apple buyers. The firm’s data, as reported by AppleInsider, indicated that 33% of U.S. households own Apple products, with a majority owning an iPod. That number is growing beyond the 37 million American households the Cupertino-based company’s products are already found in, thanks to Apple’s flagship tablet. “iPad sales are growing much faster than any other Apple product has this soon after launch,” said Ben Arnold, director of industry analysis at NPD. “In fact, one-in-five Apple owner households has one — nearly equivalent to the number that own an Apple computer. This demonstrates the appeal of both the new form factor and Apple’s app ecosystem.” The study found that six out of ten homes with a Mac also own a Windows PC, and nearly 30% of so-called “Apple enthusiasts” own a smartphone other than the iPhone. The data comes from a survey NPD conducted in February of more than 3,000 consumers.

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On April 12th, 1976, one of three co-founders of Apple Computer sold his 10% stake in the company for $2,300. Ronald Wayne says he made the “best decision with the information available to me at the time” when he chose to sell his shares in the emerging technology firm. Unlike counterparts Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Wayne had capital on the line and stood to lose his assets if Apple went under. Had he retained his full stake in Apple to this day, it would currently be worth nearly $60 billion. Wayne went on to enjoy a long career as an engineer with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and other firms, Wired reports, and he later opened a stamp shop before retiring to Pahrump, Nevada. Apple is currently the most valuable company in the world and as of Wednesday’s close, the company’s market capitalization totalled just under $585 billion.

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Apple’s stock recently crossed the $600 mark and there are no signs that the world’s most valuable company is slowing down. According to a poll from CNBC, half of all U.S. households own at least one Apple product and residents of one-in-10 homes that lack Apple products plan to buy their first Apple device over the next year. If accurate, the survey indicates that more than 55 million homes have at least one iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac computer. Overall, the average household has 1.6 Apple devices and almost one-quarter are planning to buy at least one more in the next year. The survey also showed that the majority of Apple buyers tend to be male, college-educated and younger. Not surprisingly, the more money someone earns, the more Apple products he or she is likely to own according to the survey. Interestingly enough, 61% of households with children own an Apple device, compared with 48% of homes without kids. CNBC conducted the survey with 836 Americans alongside Hart Research between March 19th and March 22nd.

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Future versions of Apple’s iOS operating system may incorporate new fitness sharing technology, according to a patent uncovered by AppleInsider. The new technology will encourage users to be more competitive by allowing them to share and compare their performance in real-time with other users around the world. The patent, which was filed only three months ago, builds upon the functionality of the Nike+ iPod system, which allows a user to complete his or her workout and then upload and share the results with others. Apple’s solution, however, would allow users to share live data with other iOS users. Read on for more.

Apple described the technology with an example of two runners who are working out on treadmills that feed real-time stats to their iOS devices. The two runners are then able to view one another’s current pace, distance, calories burned, heart rate, blood pressure and even blood oxygen levels.

“These treadmills may be located in the same building, or they may be located in different buildings, in different cities, or even in different continents,” Apple said in the filing. “In this example, media on one media player can be shared between the two treadmills. Also, data from both treadmills can be displayed on each treadmill, thus showing the users their respective standings in the competition.”

Interestingly enough, the patent does not reference the existing Nike+ technology, which may suggest that the company is planning to distance itself from the Oregon-based sportswear giant.

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Last year a number of leaks and photos suggested that Apple had a redesigned iPod nano with an integrated camera in the works. The new device wasn’t released last time Apple refreshed its iPod family, but now another round of pictures has surfaced that lends credence to the possibility that such a device may launch in the near future. The images show a camera-equipped iPod nano complete with its signature clip design, and the device appears to be the same size as the current-generation iPod nano. It remains unclear if Apple will ever release an iPod nano with a camera but the source, Apple.pro, has published early details surrounding Apple hardware in the past that ended up panning out. Another report published Wednesday by MIC Gadget suggests that the device pictured is actually a prototype from several months ago that did not pass Apple’s tests. The site says some problems have been ironed out however, and that the new nano could become available in the coming months. Several additional pictures follow after the break.

[Via MacRumors]

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published documentation on 22 recently granted patents for Apple on Tuesday. The patents, as reported by Patently Apple, cover items including clothing technology that could be built into future running shoes, the advanced multitouch trackpads found in Macbooks, and the technology found in Apple TV. The most intriguing patent relates to Apple’s Nike + iPod product. This patent outlines a system for monitoring and controlling user exercises with a sensor inside the shoe. Unlike the normal Nike + sensors, however, the new sensors are designed to send the “tracked garment usage and detected wear patterns to the external database.” The sensor will be able to inform the user of the life of a product, and could possibly incorporate training programs using a “virtual trainer.” Read on for more.

Apple notes in the patent that the Nike + integration could go beyond running and could be used to track various outdoors activities. “Outdoors endurance activities have become very popular not only because they are enjoyable and healthy, but also because they provide opportunities for competition, camaraderie, and a structured regimen,” the patent application said. “It would be beneficial for an individual participating in an outdoor endurance activity such as running, cross-country skiing, in-line skating, or outdoor swimming to be able to monitor his or her performance in metrics such as speed, distance, slope, elevation, equipment used (thereby correlating an individual’s performance to particular running shoes, for example).”

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Apple may be secretly developing wearable iPods that offer full support for voice commands using the company’s Siri software. Details surrounding the supposed project were revealed by The New York Times on Monday. Apple is reportedly working on a “curved-glass iPod that would wrap around the wrist,” which sounds similar to a watch-like device that could replace the iPod nano and shuffle in gyms around the world. Presuming Siri support would be the same as it is on the iPhone 4S, users could command the device to play a specific song, check the weather or more. We’re even imagining deeper Siri integration where a user might be able to ask their iPod how far they have run or what their current heart rate is. Read on for more.

The New York Times also suggested that Apple’s small group of engineers working on the project have considered using the iPhone as the central information hub. So, for example, your iPhone might do all of the hard processing work while the wearable iPod is simply a means to display what you need. Google may be working on a similar project in its Google X labs, although less information is known about it. Google is said to have already hired engineers from Apple, Nokia Labs and universities to begin development on wearable products.

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Apple recently announced that it will hold its own one-day Black Friday sale this Friday, November 25th, during which it will offer “amazing iPad, iPod, and Mac gifts for everyone on your list.” It remains unclear how much Apple will knock off of its standard prices but, if your kids are among those who have the iPad at the top of their list this holiday season, this might be a sale you’ll want to take advantage of. Apple’s past Black Friday sales have offered minimal discounts, however, so expectations should be relatively low.

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Apple will kill off its iPod shuffle and iPod classic lines to instead focus on the iPod touch and iPod nano, TUAW reported recently. The rumor follows early speculation by CNET, which noted just 8% of Apple’s fourth quarter 2010 revenue was from iPod sales. Typically, Apple unveils its new iPod family in the fall of each year. However, an invitation to Apple’s October 4th press conference suggests the iPhone will be the star of this year’s show. In addition, we have heard numerous reports that Apple will make minor changes to the iPod touch this year, if any at all, and will also offer a white version. We will be reporting all of the news as it breaks on October 4th.

Read [TUAW] Read [CNET]

Foxconn and Quanta Computer, two companies that manufacture Apple products such as the iPhone and iPad, have suggested that there will be “minimal” impact on supply orders following news that Steve Jobs will no longer serve as Apple’s CEO. Reportedly, Tim Cook, who has replaced Jobs as CEO, was already working closely with the manufacturing process while Steve Jobs was out on leave. DigiTimes said that the move could affect Apple’s global brand recognition and the company’s innovation and creativity, although it will certainly take some time to see just how true those claims are. On Thursday, a number of analysts speculated that Jobs’s departure could benefit Apple’s iPhone and iPad competitors.

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An earlier report claiming Apple intends to hold a media event on September 7th to unveil new iPods or even its highly anticipated iPhone 5 are mistaken, Jim Dalrymple of The Loop reported on Friday afternoon. With a very solid track record to his credit, Dalrymple says his sources indicate that Apple will not hold any event or unveil a next-generation iPhone on that date. No information was provided in terms of when Apple’s customary September event might take place, however a separate report from TiPb suggests Apple’s next iPhone — be it the “iPhone 4S” or the iPhone 5 — will hit the market on October 7th. TiPb also reports that Apple’s third-generation iPad 3 will not launch at the same time as the next-gen iPhone, but rather next spring, in line with Apple’s traditional annual iPad release schedule.

Read [no September 7th] Read [yes October 7th]

Apple plans to hold this year’s “iPod media event” on September 7th, Japanese-language news site Kodawarisan reported on Friday. The company’s September event has historically been dedicated to the iPod line, with Apple having unveiled its latest iPod touch, iPod shuffle and iPod nano models at last year’s event. With a new iPhone model due to be released in September or October, however, it seems very likely that Apple will use its annual September media event to unveil the iPhone 5 rather than just refreshed iPods. The spotlight has moved off of Apple’s iPod lineup over the past few years — Apple even removed its “iPod” branding from the Music app in iOS 5 — so it seems highly unlikely that the company’s line of media players will continue to warrant a dedicated event. Apple is also expected to launch the new iPad 3 in the near future, though a recent round of rumors suggest that might not happen until late November or even early 2012.

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It seems like Apple can do no wrong these days, but according to Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, Apple is headed toward a decline. It goes without saying that Apple will not be able to maintain its dominance forever — every company that rises will eventually fall — but Hawkins sees Apple’s decline as beginning relatively soon. “The thing is, it may take another year or two before it starts to decline, but it has to – everything does,” Hawkins told IndustryGamers in an interview. “Everything revolves so much around Steve, and no matter how good his lieutenants are, they’re not Steve. None of us is going to live forever, though I hope he lives for a really long time.” Hawkins went on to note that games made by Digital Chocolate, the mobile game lab he left EA to launch, will “always be in the App Store,” though he says it would be great if Apple were more open. “I think it would be an incredibly positive thing for the industry if Apple decided to support all of the web standards, because then Apple could be the best about everything. Right now they make a conscious choice. They want you to be in the App Store rather than the browser, so they cripple the browser,” Hawkins griped, though he noted that the closed model hasn’t had a negative impact on Apple’s iOS business at this point.

[Via The Loop]

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A U.S. District Judge in Texas has ruled that patent holding firm Personal Audio cannot seek additional damages from Apple relating to a patent that the Cupertino-based company was recently found to be infringing. Personal Audio was awarded $8 million last month when Texas judge Ron Clark ruled that Apple’s iPod was infringing one of its patents covering playlist implementation. Following the win, the holding firm filed a second lawsuit alleging that additional Apple devices such as the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 also made illegal use of this patent. Judge Clark said Friday, however, that the $8 million in damages Apple paid in early July is all Personal Audio will see from Apple related to this patent. “The court finds that the jury’s selection of lump sum as the appropriate form of reasonable royalty clearly represents a damages award giving Apple a fully paid up license that covers all past and future use of the patented technology,” the Judge said in his decision. Personal Audio has not indicated how it will respond to the judge’s ruling.

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Amazon has updated its Kindle for iOS application with support for magazine and newspaper subscriptions. iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users can now browse, purchase, and read from more than 100 newspapers and magazines, complete with high resolution color photos, and the company confirmed that more content is on its way. Amazon customers with existing subscriptions can find recent issues under the “Archived Items” menu inside the application. The update also removes Amazon’s Kindle Store button from the the app now allows users to share quotes and passages with Facebook and Twitter friends. Kindle for iOS version 2.8 is available in the iTunes App Store for free.