iLounge

Apple has posted a notice on its Investor Relations page noting that it will be offering a live audio webcast of CEO Tim Cook’s presentation at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference. According to the notice, Cook will speak at approximately 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time/12:30 p.m. Pacific Time. As noted by Mac Rumors, Cook has spoken at the event several times in the past, and while offering occasional insight into Apple’s business, he has never used the event as a platform for an announcement. [via @setteB.IT]

Apple nabbed the top spot in the 13th Harris Poll Reputation Quotient (RQ) study, which measures corporate reputation among U.S. companies. The study measures six dimensions that comprise reputation and influence consumer behavior, including Social Responsibility, Emotional Appeal, Financial Performance, Products & Services, Vision & Leadership, and Workplace Environment. Apple scored the highest reputation score in the study’s history—85.62—by being the top-ranked company in the latter four categories, while Whole Foods was tops in Social Responsibility, and Amazon.com won the Emotional Appeal category. Overall, Apple was trailed in the rankings by previous leader Google, with a score of 82.82, Coca-Cola, with a score of 81.99, Amazon, with a score of 81.92, and Kraft Foods, which earned a score of 81.62. The study is based on surveys of more than 17,000 members of the American general public.

Rokform has debuted its new Rokbed Fuzion case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The Fuzion is a hybrid two-piece case, featuring a CNC machined T-6 aluminum upper frame, an injection molded polycarbonate lower frame that detaches for phone insertion/removal and for docking access, open access to all ports, controls, and cameras, and a removable, hi-tensile wrist lanyard that attaches to the side of the case below the volume buttons. Rokform’s Rokbed Fuzion case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S is available now in a variety of colors and sells for $79.

According to new data from The NPD Group, Apple was the top consumer electronics (CE) brand in the U.S. in 2011, based on revenue. As noted in a press release, Apple was the only company in the top five to see a sales increase, posting a 36 percent rise over 2010, besting Hewlett-Packard, which came in second place and saw sales decline three percent, and Samsung, which came in third on a sales decline of six percent. Sony and Dell rounded out the top five, seeing sales declines of 21 percent and 17 percent, respectively. Notably, Apple accounted for 19 percent of all sales dollars in the fourth quarter, meaning almost one of every five dollars spent on consumer electronics during the holiday quarter in the U.S. went to the Cupertino-based company. The company was also the third-largest CE retailer by revenue in the U.S. in 2011, behind only Best Buy and Walmart, and ahead of Staples and Amazon.

Incase has teamed with renowned street artist Shepard Fairey on its new Snap Case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Part of the Shepard Fairey collection, the Snap Case features a snap-on design, hardshell construction, and offers direct access to all ports, controls, and cameras. It is available in one of four designs—Elephant, Lotus, Black Yen, or Red Yen — and sells for $40.

Apple has been sued by a small Swiss-based company over wireless interaction between the iPhone and the Apple TV. According to an AppleInsider report, a company named SmartData filed suit against Apple in the Northern District Court of California, alleging that Apple infringed on a patent related to “wireless computing technology” called Zukero. The report claims that SmartData’s patent for a “modular computer” describes a wireless system consisting of a “pocket sized” unit to store data and run programs, a second data input device with wireless connectivity that serves as an interface, and a third element that is a television screen.

Specifically, the suit claims infringement when the iPhone and Apple TV are used together via Apple’s Remote app; it also says that Apple willfully infringed on the patent, as SmartData contacted Apple regarding the patent in July 2004, and reportedly negotiated a potential licensing agreement until mid-2006, at which point Apple allegedly ceased communication with the company. SmartData is seeking damages, a permanent ban on the infringing products, and a trial; the company does not make any devices itself, and is currently shopping around its Zukero patent, according to the report.

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was honored with a Special Grammy Award over the weekend, and Apple senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue was on hand to accept the award in his stead. Mac Rumors reports that upon accepting the Trustees Award, Cue said, “On behalf of Steve’s wife, Laurene, his children, and everyone at Apple, I’d like to thank you for honoring Steve with the Trustees Grammy Award. Steve was a visionary, a mentor, and a very close friend. I had the incredible honor of working with him for the last fifteen years”.

“Accepting this award means so much to me because music meant so much to him. He told us that music shaped his life…it made him who he was. Everyone that knows Steve knows the profound impact that artists like Bob Dylan and The Beatles had on him”, he continued. “Steve was focused on bringing music to everyone in innovative ways. We talked about it every single day. When he introduced the iPod in 2001, people asked ‘Why is Apple making a music player?’ His answer was simple: ‘We love music, and it’s always good to do something you love.’ His family and I know that this Grammy would have been very special to him, so I thank you for honoring him today.” As noted in the report, the Grammy marks the second time Jobs and Apple have been honored by The Recording Academy, as Apple itself won a Technical Grammy in 2002.

ThinkGeek has introduced its new iCade 8-bitty game controller for iOS. Designed to resemble classic console controllers, the 8-bitty connects to the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch via Bluetooth, offering a fully-functional d-pad and eight buttons, just like the larger iCade. The controller is powered by two AAA batteries and is fully compatible with all iCade games, including the Atari Greatest Hits app for iPad. ThinkGeek’s iCade 8-bitty game controller for iOS will be available later this year and will sell for $25.

Apple has announced that the Free Labor Association (FLA) has started to conduct special voluntary audits of Apple’s final assembly suppliers—including Foxconn facilities in Shenzhen and Chengdu, China—at Apple’s request. According to a press release issued by the company, a team of labor rights experts led by FLA president Auret van Heerden began the first inspections Monday morning at the facility in Shenzhen known as Foxconn City. As part of the inspections, the FLA will interview “thousands” of employees, seeking information on working and living conditions, inspect manufacturing areas, dormitories, and other facilities, and conduct an extensive review of documents related to employment procedures, all with the full cooperation of Apple. The release claims that the FLA’s findings and recommendations from the first assessments will be posted in early March on its website, with similar inspections of Quanta and Pegatron facilities to be conducted later this Spring. When completed, the FLA’s assessment will cover facilities where more than 90 percent of Apple products are assembled.

“We believe that workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment, which is why we’ve asked the FLA to independently assess the performance of our largest suppliers,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “The inspections now underway are unprecedented in the electronics industry, both in scale and scope, and we appreciate the FLA agreeing to take the unusual step of identifying the factories in their reports.”

Apple has filed a new federal lawsuit against Samsung in the U.S., accompanied by a motion seeking a ban on sales of the Galaxy Nexus. FOSS Patents reports that Apple filed both in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California; the preliminary injunction filing has been released, while the main complaint has not yet entered public record. According to the report, Apple is asserting four patents in its injunction request, including the “data tapping” patent which led the International Trade Commission to order an import ban against HTC, a patent related to Siri and unified search, a new slide-to-unlock patent, and a word completion patent. The report notes that unlike Apple’s prior motion for an injunction against Samsung products—which was denied by Judge Judy Koh, to whom the new case has also been assigned—this filing is based on strong technical patents, as opposed to the design-related patents asserted previously. The move to block the Galaxy Nexus in particular is notable, as the device was developed by Samsung in close cooperation with Google, and serves as the flagship device for Android 4.0, meaning that “Google cannot deny its undivided responsibility for any infringement findings”.

AT&T has doubled its upgrade fee from $18 to $36. In a statement to Engadget, the company confirmed the increase, stating, “Wireless devices today are more sophisticated than ever before. And because of that, the costs associated with upgrading to a new device have increased and is reflected in our new upgrade fee. This fee isn’t unique to AT&T and this is the first time we’re changing it in nearly 10 years.”

A number of major retailers are out of stock of the second-generation Apple TV, suggesting that the set-top box may soon be replaced by a new model. Citing a Best Buy source, 9to5Mac reports that the retailer is out of stock at the source’s store, and will not be receiving any more units as Apple TVs are no longer shipping to the stores. Further checks of Best Buy’s online store, as well as those of Amazon, Target, and Buy.com all showed the device as being either out-of-stock, unavailable, or, in the case of Amazon, listed with a claim of “usually ships in 2-5 weeks”. During Amazon’s time window, Apple is expected to hold a special media event for its next-generation iPad—and at which it could easily announce a new Apple TV. The device is still available from Apple-focused retailers MacMall and MacConnection, and is also available directly from Apple.

Retailer Meijer has significantly dropped the price of the 16GB iPad 2 ahead of the rumored arrival of the next-generation model. AppleInsider reports that the big-box store’s weekly ad for February 12-18 touts the 16GB iPad with Wi-Fi as being priced at only $429—a $70 discount off the typical retail price—and notes that “all iPads [are] on sale”. The promotion is being offered on a “while supplies last” basis, suggesting that the sale may be part of a move by the retailer to clear out inventory ahead of the new model’s arrival. Apple is expected to announce its next-generation iPad early next month.

Apple has filed a new lawsuit against Motorola Mobility in an attempt to prevent further litigation. Florian Mueller of FOSS patents reports that the suit, filed in the Southern District of California—close to where Qualcomm is based—claims that Apple, by way of the iPhone 4S’ use of a Qualcomm chip and an existing Motorola-Qualcomm patent licensing agreement, has every right to use Motorola’s patents in the handset. Should that prove true, Motorola may be guilty of breach of contract, which could result in damages awarded to Apple. In any case, a win by Apple is likely to derail any other lawsuits filed by Motorola against Apple over the iPhone 4S, both in the U.S. and internationally.

The latest edition of iLounge Weekly, our weekly newsletter covering all things iLounge, will be arriving in subscribers’ inboxes Monday morning. iLounge Weekly is a summary of the week’s best news, reviews, and feature articles we’ve published, and it also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies. There’s still plenty of time to sign up and receive this week’s edition — just use the simple form below to submit your email address, if you haven’t done so already.

IMPORTANT: Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Earthlink and others, make sure we don’t end up in your spam box. Please accept emails from iLounge.com. Thank you.

Also, don’t forget to enter our iBattz Mojo Power Card Giveaway. In our Giveaway of the Month for February, iLounge and iBattz are giving away one of ten iBattz Mojo Removable Power Card battery packs. To enter, simply fill out and submit the form on the giveaway page—the giveaway will end on February 29, 2012 at 11:59PM Pacific Time. Good luck!

iBackFlip Studios has announced the launch of its new iBackFlip Somersault for the iPad and iPad 2. The Somersault is a sling-style backpack featuring a unique swiveling design that allows it to be moved from the front to back for easy use, a unique reversible design that allows it to serve as a platform for iPad use, embedded magnets for compatibility with the iPad 2’s auto sleep/wake functionality, two medium storage compartments, a smart phone pocket, a large main storage area with room for a MacBook Air, a camera access flap, removable shoulder straps, dual utility hooks, and a stylus holder. The iBackFlip Somersault for the iPad is available now and sells for $100.

Motorola Mobility, which recently won its second patent ruling against Apple in Germany, has lost its bid for a third. Bloomberg reports that the Regional Court in Mannheim has rejected a Motorola suit accusing Apple of infringing upon a patent involving the use of mathematical sequences in mobile telecommunications. When delivering the ruling, Presiding Judge Andreas Voss said that Motorola didn’t show that Apple is violating the patent. Two more cases between the two companies are pending in German courts, according to the report. [via MDN]

Apple is said to be in “crunch mode” when it comes to picking the apps it will demonstrate on-stage at the launch of its next-generation iPad and feature in new advertisements for the device. Citing sources with knowledge of the matter, The Next Web reports that the process of soliciting demonstrations from app developers and picking demonstrations to use at the live event is continuing at an increased rate as Apple seeks to finalize its lineup. As expected, the report claims that the company is focused on graphics-oriented applications with high-definition assets that will be able to take advantage of the device’s expected Retina display. The report goes on to say that some apps are being forwarded to TWBA/Chiat/Day for possible inclusion in the initial commercial spots, with that process entering its final phase, as well.

Apple has started to air two new TV advertisements for the iPhone 4S. Like prior commercials for the 4S, the new spots, entitled “Rock God” and “Road Trip”, spotlight the device’s Siri voice-activated virtual assistant. The former shows a teen using Siri to find a guitar, songs to learn, keep a list of possible band names, and schedule band meetings, all before asking the phone to call him by the titular nickname. In the latter, a couple uses Siri to plan a Road Trip from NYC to Santa Cruz, CA, find places to eat, find directions, ask questions about roadside attractions, find gas stations, and ultimately remind them to take such a trip again. Both ads are available for viewing on Apple’s website via the above links or in embedded form below.

SpaceSampler is a new smart audio convolution app from Periscope Audio Lab that allows users to apply filters to recorded audio and share the resulting files online, essentially doing for audio what apps such as CameraBad and Instagram do for photos. Users can apply filters from an included comprehensive collection of high quality Impulse Response filters captured from real gear and acoustic spaces to add a wide variety of effects to any type of audio source. The app provides a fast convolution algorithm with a simple, intuitive interface allowing users to record their own audio and then quickly and easily apply filters. Users can choose between WAV and MP4 formats for encoding and the resulting files can be shared via e-mail MAPI Audio Copy, Dropbox or SoundCloud. A built-in recording browser is included for easy file management and recordings can also be reloaded to create multi-layered effects. SpaceSampler requires an iPhone 3GS/4/4S or third- or fourth-generation iPod touch running iOS 4.3 or later and is available from the App Store for $1.