Apple becomes fourth largest handset maker by volumes, says IDC

As T-Mobile loses its iPhone exclusivity in Germany to O2 and Vodafone, Apple has begun offering the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 unlocked without a contract to German customers, with the 16GB iPhone 4 model selling for 629 euros.

Apple has never quite explained the reason for the repeatedly delayed white iPhone, announcing only that the white version is "more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected."

A summary on the recent exchange between Apple and RIM chiefs.

The patents are related to Motorola's key products which include Droid, Droid2, Droid X, Cliq, Cliq XT, Back Flip, Devour A555, i1 and Charm. Motorola Mobility claims that a controversy over the patents-in-suit exists between the parties but also claimed that it has not infringed on any of the patents.

the big questions facing the nation's top wireless carrier ahead of its possible introduction of Apple Inc.'s phone next year: Can the company's network withstand millions of iPhone users?

A new mobile device activation report from Good Technology shows that Apple's iPhone and iPad and smartphones based on Google's Android operating system are being adopted by consumers to help with their enterprise work.

Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu: "Our sources believe these likely represent new high-end and low-end iPhone models to complement its current iPhone 4...One possibility we are picking up is a ?嚙練ini' or ?嚙緯ano' iPhone with a smaller candybar form factor leveraging technology in its new mini touchscreen iPod nano."

The new iPhone would be similar in design to the iPhone 4 currently sold by AT&T but would be based on an alternative wireless technology called CDMA used by Verizon. The phone, for which Qualcomm is providing a key chip, is expected to be released in the first quarter of next year.

Motorola alleges that Apple's iPhone, iPad, iTouch and some Macintosh computers illegally use Motorola's technology.

"The iPad did not seem destined to be a runaway product success straight out of the box," Bernstein Research analyst Colin McGranahan wrote, according to CNBC. "By any account, the iPad is a runaway success of unprecedented proportion."

As of August 10, Android phones represented 32% of the smartphones sold this year. In comparison, Apple iPhones accounted for 25% of devices sold and RIM BlackBerry handsets represented 26% of sales.

Reports in China claimed that Apple is planning to switch its baseband allegiance to Qualcomm for the fifth-generation iPhone and second-gen iPad.

It has only been a few months since Apple's iAds went live, but the service is taking away shares from perennial mobile-advertising leaders Google, Microsoft, and Nokia.

The add-on device, which just went on sale in China, has been billed as a more affordable option for users wanting to get their hands on an iPhone, but lack the budget.

Apple has quietly announced that it would stop offering free cases to all iPhone 4 buyers at the end of September, which Consumer Reports said it "unacceptable".

Research firm ComScore reported that of top 5 platforms, only Google Android grew in market share, from 12% to 17% of the US smartphone market in May to July. Microsoft, RIM, and Apple all lost shares, while Palm hovered at 4.9 percent.