Submitted by Jon Reed on
Apple v Samsung part two came to an end on Friday after four weeks of testimony and three days of jury deliberation. Though Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) was awarded $119 million in damages for Samsung's multiple patent infringements, it can hardly be considered a victory, as the company sought $2.2 billion in damages. Samsung's counterclaim that Apple infringed on some of its patents netted it a meager $154,000. Of greater consequence than the damages awarded is the fact that this verdict opens the door for Apple to try to block Samsung from selling any of its devices that were found to infringe upon Apple patents in the U.S.
Apple's Q2 earnings report showed that iPad sales had fallen just over 16 percent from the year ago quarter. According to analysis by market research firm IDC (International Data Corporation), the slump is industry-wide and is likely to continue
over the next year. The firm cited larger display, or "phablet," phones as a major contributing factor.
If larger display phones are hurting iPad sales, Apple can take solace in Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty's survey that leads her to believe iPhone sales could jump 30% once the company releases two iPhone 6 models with larger displays later this year. Almost half of those surveyed said they would choose an iPhone over competing smart phones if it had a larger display.
Former Burberry CEO, Angela Ahrendts officially joined Apple this week as the company's new Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores.Apple also hired CEO of indoor positioning startup Wifarer, Philip Stanger, last week. The move lends credence to expectations that there will be major mapping upgrades to iOS 8.
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On Tuesday Apple issued a sale of $12 billion in U.S. bonds, making it the second largest sale in the company's history. The capital will be used in the company's share buyback effort, which stands at $90 billion through the end of 2015.