Apple’s iPad sales in China may quickly come to a screeching halt. Proview Technology and Apple have been in and out of court for some time on the matter of who owns the ‘iPad’ trademark. A Chinese court ruled recently that Apple is not entitled to use the iPad trademark. This means that Apple will either change the name of it’s tablet PC or pay a huge sum of money to Proview Technology.

Between 2002 and 2004, Proview trademarked IPAD in European Union, China, Mexico, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2006 Proview sold the trademark to a 3rd-party which turned out to be a company working under Apple. Soon after the deal was struck, the two companies began to argue whether China was included in the deal.

This was a result of Apple suing Proview for the IPAD trademark in China. Now that Proview has won, the company has stated that they will begin to take legal action against iPad resellers as well as consider suing Apple for trademark infringement in return.

Read the whole story at China Briefing

According the reports from the Mac Observer, Apple is currently working with supplier overseas to build pre-production components for the nect-gen iPad. The key component being a 9.7-inch, 2048 x 1536 pixel display.  rumor has it that Apple has ordered parts that roughly translate to 1.5 million iPads for the next quarter year.

The Wall Street Journal. “Suppliers will ramp up production and try to improve the yield rate for the new iPad in the fourth quarter before its official launch in early 2012.”  The only concern for Apple and it’s competitors, will consumers wait for the iPad 3, skipping the holiday season or will an Android-based tablet PC be the preferred choice.
 

With the Holiday season picking up and Apple holding the top spot as having (arguably) the best smartphone and tablet PC on the market, it’s no wonder that knock-0ff and fake iPads are trying to be past as the real deal.

MarkMonitor Inc., a company that specializes in brand protection tells us that nearly 18k fake iPad and Android devices were for sale on a single day in July across 23 sites. What’s more, over 5,000 sellers were trying to peddle the fake devices, many coming from China.

As retailers begin to unleash an onslaught of sales and discounts for eager holiday shoppers, suspected counterfeits are inevitably going to make a stronger presence as well. Those who have had a trying year may look for the deepest discounts and settle for a less than reputable site to buy from. Have you spotted a fake iPad? Let us know and more importantly, let the proper authorities know.

Recent analysts suggest that Apple may be working on a lower-end version of the iPad to be released early next year. Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White recounts a feeling of eminence or a foreshadow of something bad to come while visiting with technology supply chain companies at a trade show in China.

Brian also spoke to Apple suppliers which he felt pointed towards a “iPad Mini”, not necessarily smaller in screen size but smaller in price.

“Our research is pointing to the unveiling of a lower priced iPad in the first few months of 2012 that is aimed at expanding the company’s market potential by tapping into a more price sensitive consumer segment,” the analyst wrote. “Essentially, this ‘iPad mini’ will also fend off the recently announced Amazon Kindle Fire that addresses the low-end tablet market with a $199 price tag but could lead to bigger tablet ambitions from the online retailer in the future.”

[via FoxNews]

Although iOS5 has some neat new features and gestures, the real show stealer is the announcement of the iPhone 4S. Starting at $199 and order-able on October 7, the new and improved iPhone 4 will have the same look and feel as it’s predecessor but the parts have been much improved.

A quick rundown of the hardware:

• dual-core A5 CPU
• new dual-core GPU
• revamped antennae for less dropped calls
• dual-mode GSM and CDMA for global roaming
• 8-megapixel camera
• 1080p video recording with improved stabilization and face recognition

What the full details? Engadget has been reporting non-stop on the ‘Let’s Talk iPhone’ event.

Many analysts conclude that Apple is in no rush to release the next-generation iPad. Hopefuls entertain the thought of unwrapping an iPad 3 this Holiday season but may be sorely disappointed.

With the lack of solid competition in the tablet computer arena, Apple may hold off till the first or second quarter of 2011 before unveiling the iPad 3. With a lack of real info on the next iPad, many still expect Apple to release a new iPhone.

A recent Wall Street analyst suggest that Apple could surprise us with an iPhone 5 and an improved iPhone 4 (iPhone 4 Plus). J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz says “Our research indicates that there will be an iPhone 5 based on a lighter, thinner form factor that is GSM + CDMA capable, i.e., a ‘world-mode’ smartphone. A second device (4-plus) based on the current iPhone 4 but with some minor improvements could target the midrange and focus on China,” Moskowitz wrote. “As for the current iPhone 4, we expect it to subsume 3GS as the lower-end offering.”

After a price listing error occurred on Sears retail site, selling the 16GB iPad 2 for $69 and the 32GB version for $169, Sears has released the following statement:

Dear Valued Customer: We want you to know that, unfortunately, today one of the Marketplace third party sellers told us that they had mistakenly posted incorrect pricing information on two Apple iPad models on the Marketplace portion of the website. If you purchased either of these products recently, your order has been cancelled and your account will be credited.

GSM On Sale is the third-party vendor that Sears mentioned. It’s also worth mentioning that Sears terms and conditions let consumers know that if there is ever a case where a price error occurs, Sears has the right to cancel any resulting orders.

This response has many consumers who thought they were getting an incredible deal, less that satisfied. In-fact, some consumers are down-right enraged by Sears actions and feel that the price should be honored and the detriment of GSM On Sale.

There’s still a week left to enter our free iPad 2 giveaway, click the link to find out how to enter!

After footage of the game leaked onto the Internet, Trendy Entertainment decided to release their own official footage of the game. The footage shown in the YouTube video above is running on the iPad 2 with the Unreal Engine 3.

The controls shown are not the final controls but more thrown together code in-order to demonstrate the gameplay. Trendy Entertainment notes that the game will be a survival horror with classes-based gameplay and elements of RPG. Although the game will have co-op mode, its unclear if it will be turn-baded on one iPad or taken online.

“It’s been far too long.” can be read at the top of the page and behind it is a simple chronological display of short spurts of insights onto where Comex is at in his mission to bring all iPad owners a fresh jailbreak. Jailbreaking your iPad can allow many more applications and tasks to run allowing a deeper and more functional iPad.

The prize: (1) 16GB iPad 2 WiFi in either black or white. This contest is open to US residents only. There are two ways to enter. Enter both ways to increase your chances of winning!

1. Leave a comment here letting us know why you’d like to win (use valid email!)
2. Follow us on twitter @FreeiPadGear and tweet or retweet the following message: FIG is giving away a free iPad 2! Follow @FreeiPadGear and RT for your chance to win! http://ow.ly/5dgYW #Giveaway #Contest

Update: The entry period has come to an end. Stay tuned for a new post that will announce the winner!