tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/ios-7-6213/articlesiOS 7 – The Conversation2014-09-24T09:42:23Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/320512014-09-24T09:42:23Z2014-09-24T09:42:23ZAfter all these hacks, tech firms could do more – but better security starts with you<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59822/original/q8n92bxj-1411502680.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A belt and braces approach is wise.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/modernrelics/6889241086/">Modern Relics</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After various celebrities’ accounts on Apple’s iCloud servers were <a href="https://theconversation.com/novice-mistake-may-have-been-the-cause-of-the-icloud-naked-celebrities-hack-31272">hacked</a>, the company has made a point of addressing these issues. It has made <a href="https://www.apple.com/privacy/">new claims for the security of iOS 8</a>, the firm’s latest phone operating system, and for its cloud services. Similarly, Google announced the next version of its Android phone operating system will <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29276955">encrypt all data by default</a>. But what sort of security do these measures provide?</p>
<h2>Security in the hand</h2>
<p>All phones and tablets provide a device lock that requires a passcode or swipe gesture to unlock. But many owners – up to 50% – either don’t use the feature, or use a <a href="http://danielamitay.com/blog/2011/6/13/most-common-iphone-passcodes">trivial passcode such as 1234</a>. Fingerprint readers, as <a href="https://theconversation.com/iphone-5s-fingerprint-scanning-thumbs-up-or-down-18112">introduced in the iPhone 5</a>, are perhaps the way forward and through ease of use are likely to increase the number of users locking their phones.</p>
<p>While a device lock provides some protection, it’s still possible that a hacker, or the authorities, could extract data given physical access to the device. Encryption, as offered by both Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platforms, would defeat this (or make it extremely difficult) by requiring a passcode to decrypt the contents and make them readable. </p>
<p>Android has offered this since 2011, while for Apple it was introduced with iOS 7 in September 2013 for mail and data in third-party apps. With iOS 8, this is extended to the phone’s messages, mail, calendar, contacts and photos. Additionally Apple claims that it no longer stores a copy of the encryption key used, making it unable to respond to a warrant demanding access to the data, whether backed up in the cloud or on the device.</p>
<p>In the UK, police will <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/uk-police-to-start-seizing-drivers-mobile-phones-after-all-crashes-9632873.html">seize mobile phones after a car crash</a> in order to see if drivers were texting and driving. This follows a pilot scheme in which police stations equipped with specialist readers are able to swiftly <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18102793">extract the entire contents of a phone</a>. Whether this will be defeated by the encryption introduced by iOS and Android remains to be seen. Certainly the UK Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) empowers the authorities to <a href="https://theconversation.com/cloud-data-makes-life-easier-for-government-spooks-and-the-law-gives-them-a-free-pass-31696">compel a user to supply decryption keys</a> or passcodes.</p>
<p>Apple’s <a href="http://www.cnet.com/how-to/apple-pay-how-it-works-security/">new payment system</a> built around its near field communication (NFC) chip and protocol does not store or transmit credit card details. This makes it fairly secure, and should massively reduce the number of skimming techniques that are possible with other card payments, as neither the card number nor the pin code will be accessible during the payment process, stored as they are in a secure hardware chip in the phone.</p>
<h2>Security in the cloud</h2>
<p>Most smartphones now back-up data to the cloud and it was through this that hackers gained access to the images that were then leaked. There’s no evidence that Apple’s servers were hacked and compromised – unfortunately this privacy breach was made possible by poorly chosen passwords and <a href="http://www.eweek.com/mobile/what-apple-needs-to-do-to-secure-its-users.html">a weak security questions system</a> that allowed repeat guesses without raising the alarm.</p>
<p>There are files containing millions of popular passwords available on the internet and it’s likely hackers simply ran programs that tried various combinations until they succeeded – a “brute force” attack – together with answers to security questions guessed based on publicly known information. Apple has now firmed up its security procedure by introducing a maximum number of incorrect answers to security questions and notifying users when their online accounts are accessed.</p>
<h2>Security starts with you</h2>
<p>So make sure the weak link in the security isn’t you. Choose a <a href="http://xkcd.com/936">strong password</a> – it isn’t hard. Don’t use an obvious passcode, and use a fingerprint scanner if fitted. Use Apple <a href="https://www.apple.com/uk/icloud/find-my-iphone.html">Find My Phone</a> or Android’s <a href="http://android-device-manager.en.softonic.com/web-apps">Device Manager</a> so a lost or stolen phone can be locked, traced or even remotely wiped. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59815/original/hp9qnst5-1411496487.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59815/original/hp9qnst5-1411496487.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/59815/original/hp9qnst5-1411496487.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59815/original/hp9qnst5-1411496487.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59815/original/hp9qnst5-1411496487.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59815/original/hp9qnst5-1411496487.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=612&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59815/original/hp9qnst5-1411496487.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=612&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/59815/original/hp9qnst5-1411496487.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=612&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">xkcd</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For iPhones, upgrade to iOS 8 or at the very least upgrade to iOS 5 or higher. For Android, look into encrypting the device’s contents and when installing a new app be aware of what it is asking access to – don’t blindly click on messages that say “Let this app have access to…” as malicious apps could wrestle data from your phone and send it out over the internet. Some companies have a terrible reputation when it comes to privacy (for example Facebook), so be cautious of default settings.</p>
<h2>Use the best tools available</h2>
<p>Currently the best way to secure online accounts is (together with a strong password) to turn on <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5938565/heres-everywhere-you-should-enable-two-factor-authentication-right-now">two-factor authentication</a> – as offered by <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5570">Apple</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/landing/2step/index.html">Google</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150172618258920">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/2013/getting-started-with-login-verification">Twitter</a>.</p>
<p>You register a phone number, which the service will call or text with a pin number. This will be required in addition to your password to gain access. This is set up per device, for example once for your phone and once for your laptop. Trusted devices will work as they did, but someone else (or you) attempting to access your account from another device will need not only your password, but access to your phone to get the pin number the service sends.</p>
<p>Google goes further, allowing you to generate new, random passwords for each of its online services you use or each device, so that if someone compromises one password it won’t open any others.</p>
<p>While it’s a bit more of a hassle, try to have different passwords for different accounts as <a href="http://xkcd.com/792/">re-using passwords is as bad as having weak passwords</a>. Use the tools available – web browers save passwords and there are software tools such as password managers that can simplify the task – but make sure you know how they work.</p>
<p>And even at the end of their lives, computers, phones and other devices <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/article/2538325/computer-hardware/how-to-wipe-personal-data-from-cell-phones-and-pcs.html">need to be securely wiped</a> to <a href="http://ico.org.uk/for_the_public/topic_specific_guides/online/deleting_your_data">remove all traces of personal data</a> (including the passwords and financial details we’ve been so keen to protect) before being given away or sold. Not doing so is little different than handing your keys to a burglar.</p>
<p>Blaming the companies for security failures is too easy – consumers have to get wiser about locking their data away.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32051/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Barry Avery does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>After various celebrities’ accounts on Apple’s iCloud servers were hacked, the company has made a point of addressing these issues. It has made new claims for the security of iOS 8, the firm’s latest phone…Barry Avery, Associate Professor, Informatics and Operations , Kingston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/186472013-09-30T00:34:52Z2013-09-30T00:34:52ZDoes iOS 7 make you ill? Give ‘simulator sickness’ the heave<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/31970/original/g4xv8gbg-1380163624.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Apple's newest mobile operating system may play havoc with your vestibular system.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ohhector</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you feel slightly nauseated while using your iPhone or iPad, you’re not alone: you join a <a href="https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5322295?start=0&tstart=0">number of people</a> reporting that the zooming, sliding and 3D effects of Apple’s new mobile operating system - <a href="http://www.apple.com/ios/">iOS 7</a> - is a little too dynamic for their liking, giving them motion sickness.</p>
<p><a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1638996">Complaints</a> on various <a href="https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5322295?start=0&tstart=0">forums</a> include:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I thought I was going crazy today after I updated my phone and I noticed I was feeling queasy every time I used it. Now I see I am not alone! I just used my phone for about 20 minutes and now I feel like I’m going to vomit.</p>
<p>I’m now going on day three of total nausea. At first I didn’t want to believe it’s because of iOS 7, but I can’t stand even looking at non animation areas for more than a few minutes even typing this.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The physical consequence of using iOS 7 is a really good example of how mobile technologies and virtual worlds bring a number of interesting effects to the average user - and unfortunately for us, the repercussions are very real.</p>
<h2>Simulator sickness</h2>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_sickness#Simulation_sickness">Simulator sickness</a> is an acute condition of medical distress that happens in exposure to virtual environments. It starts as stomach discomfort, bodily warmth, headache, dizziness and/ or drowsiness, then proceeds to stomach distress, nausea and vomiting. </p>
<p>This is caused by a phenomenon called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusions_of_self-motion#Vection">vection</a>. Vection is the perception of self-motion (while being stationary) induced by a moving visual scene, resulting in a sensory conflict. </p>
<p>A common technique in vection research is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optokinetic_drum">optokinetic drum</a> - a black and white striped cylinder which rotates around a seated, stationary subject.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YWaGzTFRlWg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Optokinetic drum simulator.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/mil/2/3/171/">Two forms of vection</a> are commonly investigated:</p>
<ol>
<li>Circular vection: the illusion of rotation</li>
<li>Linear vection: the illusion of travelling in a straight path. </li>
</ol>
<p>In humans, movement through the environment is inferred by three principal sensory systems:</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32040/original/wk2gwpyj-1380241268.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32040/original/wk2gwpyj-1380241268.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32040/original/wk2gwpyj-1380241268.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32040/original/wk2gwpyj-1380241268.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32040/original/wk2gwpyj-1380241268.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32040/original/wk2gwpyj-1380241268.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=627&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32040/original/wk2gwpyj-1380241268.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=627&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32040/original/wk2gwpyj-1380241268.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=627&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul>
<li>vision</li>
<li>the two components of the vestibular system in the inner ear - the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semicircular_canal">semicircular canal system</a>, which detects rotational movements, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otolith">otolith organ</a> (comprising the saccule and utricle structures) which detects linear acceleration. </li>
</ul>
<p>It is now widely accepted that motion sickness is caused by <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9025818">conflicting inputs</a> between the visual and vestibular systems, or between the two vestibular systems, and comparison of those inputs with the individual’s expectations derived from previous experience.</p>
<h2>Resolving (sensory) conflict</h2>
<p>There are a number of factors which may contribute to causing or alleviating simulator sickness:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>High frequency eye movements</strong>: Alternative theories have suggested that motion sickness may arise from eye movements. Higher frequency eye movements (where a subject’s eyes flick back and forth quickly) <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7840743">increase motion sickness</a> in response to an optokinetic drum. </li>
</ul>
<p>Motion sickness can been reduced with fixation, where subjects focus on a stationary object in front of the moving stripes, preventing eye movements. This is comparable to fixating on the horizon while travelling in a moving car to decrease the effects of carsickness. But there are <a href="http://www.motion-sickness.co.uk">other researchers</a> stating that vection is controlled mainly by peripheral image motion and is unrelated to eye movements. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32002/original/d3qqsqcj-1380171888.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32002/original/d3qqsqcj-1380171888.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32002/original/d3qqsqcj-1380171888.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32002/original/d3qqsqcj-1380171888.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32002/original/d3qqsqcj-1380171888.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32002/original/d3qqsqcj-1380171888.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32002/original/d3qqsqcj-1380171888.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32002/original/d3qqsqcj-1380171888.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Zuhair Ahmad</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul>
<li><strong>Habituation</strong>: Habituation occurs when people are repeatedly exposed to virtual scenes, or over several days or weeks, and report <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141938200000299">less simulator sickness</a> along those exposures. </li>
</ul>
<p>Some <a href="http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1079786">researchers noticed</a> that many “older” people appeared to suffer from effects of motion sickness while most “younger” people showed few or no effects from their experience. Familiarity with computer games may be an <a href="http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1539004">advantage</a> to obtain habituation, especially in younger generations.</p>
<p>Being familiar with 3D simulations, even in non-stereoscopic (single eye) situations, could produce habituation to computer graphics contents, and thus result in less simulation sickness.</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>Motion prediction</strong>: There are other experiments which attempted to minimise the effect of simulator sickness in virtual reality by incorporating <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16087497">motion prediction</a>, in which the user is able to tell where the camera will move to next, or stating that visual cues (such as the horizon) are <a href="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asma/asem/2004/00000075/00000009/art00001">necessary among other factors</a> to suppress simulator sickness.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Depth perception</strong>: The ability to judge distance accurately is essential to many real-world tasks, including navigation, aiming, and shooting. Studies of direct comparisons of verbal distance estimates in virtual environments and real environments suggest that observers are <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/004269899500018U">less accurate</a> in estimating distance in the virtual than in the real world.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32003/original/qbqhym85-1380172133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32003/original/qbqhym85-1380172133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/32003/original/qbqhym85-1380172133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32003/original/qbqhym85-1380172133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32003/original/qbqhym85-1380172133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32003/original/qbqhym85-1380172133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=660&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32003/original/qbqhym85-1380172133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=660&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/32003/original/qbqhym85-1380172133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=660&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">W3155Y</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul>
<li><strong>Disorientation and head tracking</strong>: while there are many algorithms and techniques developed for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-mounted_display#Peripherals">head tracking</a>, such as sensors that allow changes of angle and orientation to be recorded on head-mounted displays, inaccuracy of head tracking might be a major reason for disorientation.</li>
</ul>
<p>It is important to investigate whether disorientation effects might be alleviated if a person has full freedom of movement, and has his or her hands present, in the virtual world.</p>
<h2>Still queasy?</h2>
<p>Improvements in mobile technology within the past decade suggest an increased need for more current device comparisons, as well as comparisons between simulator configurations and simulator sickness results. </p>
<p>We should not only investigate the impacts of the hardware, but also the quality and content of software as well - especially the accuracy of head tracking and navigation and processing of content - which may have <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2010/s2917760.htm">serious impacts</a> on human perception and cognition. </p>
<p>In the meantime, if the <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2042808/inside-the-technology-behind-ios-7s-parallax-effect.html">parallax effect </a>of iOS 7 continues to turn your stomach (and you have an iPhone 5) you could always try the “Reduce Motion” option under “Accessibility”. </p>
<p>But if you’ve an iPhone 4S or older, better hope you habituate - or resort to what others have done: downgrade to iOS 6.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/18647/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Manolya Kavakli has received funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>If you feel slightly nauseated while using your iPhone or iPad, you’re not alone: you join a number of people reporting that the zooming, sliding and 3D effects of Apple’s new mobile operating system…Manolya Kavakli, Associate Professor of Computing, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/181182013-09-15T20:42:03Z2013-09-15T20:42:03ZApple’s Touch ID: time to come to grips with a touchy subject<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/31280/original/rdtb7z52-1379042602.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Not only has the way we look at our mobile devices changed, but they're starting to look back at us.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">andres.thor</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Apple’s latest and greatest - the <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone-5s/">iPhone 5s</a> - met a <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-11/apple-iphone-models-show-shift-from-pioneer-to-emulator.html">muted reception</a> last week in San Francisco. Although the device’s admittedly <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/iphone/10300684/iPhone-5C-and-5S-Apples-evolutionary-takeover.html">evolutionary-not-revolutionary</a> updates target early adopters and <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/09/11/apples-iphone--takes-fashion-catwalk/2800263/">high-end consumers</a>, industry critics declared post-launch that its incremental set of new features means “<a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57602323-37/apples-iphone-5s-5c-debut-we-live-in-boring-times/">we live in boring times</a>”.</p>
<p>Looking at a device like this might be prosaic, perhaps, if the iPhone 5s didn’t just represent a new set of upgrades. It marks a milestone in our nascent relationship with mobile technology - a refinement of the sum of years of innovations in arguably the most <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/jan/24/smartphones-timeline">competitive product</a> sector the world has ever seen.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/iphone-5s-fingerprint-scanning-thumbs-up-or-down-18112">Touch ID</a>, Apple’s new fingerprint sensor introduced on the 5s, marks a transition point from where <em>we</em> interface with technology - clumsily typing away on <a href="http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/design/2013/05/what-happens-when-a-keyboard-goes-from-tactile-to-touchscreen/">virtual keyboards</a>, turning “pages” of e-books in our quest to simulate the <a href="http://readwrite.com/2007/07/08/the_physics_of_iphone#awesm=%7Eohgrd7qhTQmQEX">real</a>, pretending the laws of physics actually apply to pixel-based objects we move around on our four-inch screens.</p>
<p>The iPhone 5s marks the beginning of our technologies interfacing with <em>us</em>.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TJkmc8-eyvE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Apple’s Touch ID: “not just rampant technology for technology’s sake.”</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For years we’ve used mobile devices to update our Facebook profiles, discuss our lives, search for information, enjoy music, and even <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5483">check in to flights</a>. If Apple’s strategy goes according to plan, soon enough we might even use an <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/06/apple-files-imoney-patent-for-virtual-currency-digital-wallet-and-free-stuff/">iWallet</a> for many of our purchases. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Evolution-of-the-iPhone-from-the-iPhone_17565.html">Upgrade by upgrade</a>, we have been nudged ever closer to integration with these devices. In 2009, Apple gave us control of its 3GS with <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3597">voice commands</a>. With the launch of the iPhone 4S in 2011, <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-siri-ever-dream-of-electric-sheep-7645">Siri</a>, a new voice interface, enabled us to talk to our devices using everyday language. With each of these features came a powerful new chip designed specifically to handle these tasks.</p>
<p>Powerful ideas have led to applications and improved hardware to run these programs. Over the past few years, for <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/10/4714814/apple-iphone-5s-camera-specs">better or worse</a>, our personal mobile “<a href="http://techreport.com/news/24506/samsung-intros-galaxy-s4-life-companion">life companions</a>” are beginning to understand us.</p>
<h2>Biometric keychains: touch and go</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/31284/original/jg23s74k-1379045349.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/31284/original/jg23s74k-1379045349.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/31284/original/jg23s74k-1379045349.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/31284/original/jg23s74k-1379045349.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/31284/original/jg23s74k-1379045349.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/31284/original/jg23s74k-1379045349.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=673&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/31284/original/jg23s74k-1379045349.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=673&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/31284/original/jg23s74k-1379045349.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=673&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">iPhone 5s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Apple</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Does this mean that our technologies have become intelligent? Empowered? Perhaps, but it manifests to a greater degree the <a href="http://qz.com/122916/apple-iphone-5s-m7-coremotion-internet-of-things/">ambient capabilities</a> of these devices we utilise to conduct our lives. It means that we rely more than ever on our devices like the iPhone 5s to function as human beings.</p>
<p>People now make <a href="http://laughingsquid.com/i-forgot-my-phone-a-short-film-about-living-through-the-day-without-a-smartphone/">short films</a> about the trials and tribulations of making it through an entire day without their smartphone. Soon however, this fear may be fully realised: Touch ID means that without our bodies <em>and</em> our devices, access to our lives - both online as well as offline - may be impeded. As Rich Mogull from MacWorld <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2048514/the-iphone-5s-fingerprint-reader-what-you-need-to-know.html">wrote</a> last week:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Apple clearly stated that it considers phones to be keys, which indicates it’s heading down the path of making your phone, and your fingerprint, the keys to your digital life […] your physical life, too, as door locks, home alarms, [and] payment cards [are] stored on your phone […] unlocking your phone with your fingerprint to access online and real world services will someday seem entirely normal.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Ironically, our bodies now must make physical contact with devices dictating access to the real; Apple’s Touch ID sensor can discern for the most part <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2418508/Apples-iPhone-5S-cost-FINGERS-expert-warns-thieves-extremes-bypass-Touch-ID.html">if we are actually alive</a>. This way, we don’t end up trying to find our stolen fingers on the black market, or prevent others from <a href="http://www.flashscan3d.com/">3D scanning</a> them to gain access to our lives. </p>
<p>This is a monumental shift from when Apple released its first iPhone just six years ago. It’s a touchy subject: fingerprinting authentication means we confer our trust in an inanimate object to manage our animate selves - our biology is verified, digitised, encrypted, as they are handed over to our devices.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/31278/original/mzsd4syt-1379041799.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/31278/original/mzsd4syt-1379041799.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/31278/original/mzsd4syt-1379041799.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/31278/original/mzsd4syt-1379041799.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/31278/original/mzsd4syt-1379041799.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/31278/original/mzsd4syt-1379041799.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/31278/original/mzsd4syt-1379041799.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/31278/original/mzsd4syt-1379041799.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CJ Isherwood</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On the sociological forum <a href="http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/about/">Cyborgology</a>, The New Inquiry’s <a href="http://thenewinquiry.com/author/adam-rothstein/">Adam Rothstein</a> reflexively describes this new reality from a <a href="http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2013/07/08/anxiety-dream/">psychoanalytic lens</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Together, the psyche and our electronics form their own technological space. Like a new device, we slowly become familiar with it by trying it, figuring out the buttons under our fingers. The psyche is not a machine, but if we are going to use machines to alter the psyche, we should probably be digging deeper into both, to become knowledgeable users. But what is the definition of a knowledgeable user, when we are only just beginning to discover the full extent of the technology? Behind each question displayed on a screen, lies more screens, with more questions.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>The Internet of Us</h2>
<p>Before we consider reviews which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com.au/iphone-5-vs-iphone-5s-2013-9">dismiss the iPhone 5s</a> as half a step forward, let’s take a step back to think about what it represents.</p>
<p>By creating a “<a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/09/11/how-the-iphone-5s-could-be-your-universal-remote-for-life">universal remote for our life</a>” the iPhone 5s is Apple’s temporary stopgap to the coming <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-internet-of-things-16542">Internet of Things</a>. </p>
<p>As the 5s moves this reality forward, iOS design head Jony Ive has found it <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/06/economist-explains-15">impossible</a> to leave Apple’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22840833">skeuomorphic</a> (resembling real-world objects) past behind in the attempt to move to a “flat” design interface.</p>
<p>Why? Because in the 5s, Apple has succeeded in creating one of the first mass market devices capable of interfacing both purposefully and directly with our material selves as well as our physical environments. As humans, we need the real to affirm the virtual, and soon, so will our technologies. </p>
<p>So next time we grab our smartphone, we might reconsider the question media psychologist <a href="http://www.mit.edu/%7Esturkle/">Sherry Turkle</a> posed in Wired back in 1996: <a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.01/turkle.html">Who am We?</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/18118/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Albright does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Apple’s latest and greatest - the iPhone 5s - met a muted reception last week in San Francisco. Although the device’s admittedly evolutionary-not-revolutionary updates target early adopters and high-end…Jonathan Albright, PhD Candidate, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata RauLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/154762013-06-27T04:25:25Z2013-06-27T04:25:25ZHow can Apple’s redesigned iOS 7 avoid the patent wars?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26272/original/knbmgdt8-1372299225.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The new Apple operating system iOS 7 – still in its beta phase – has a radical new design and hundreds of new features. But with lawsuits erupting seemingly every other day, how do companies like Apple avoid breaching patents?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Javier Domínguez Ferreiro</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Earlier this month, Apple announced <a href="http://www.apple.com/ios/ios7/">iOS 7</a>, the most recent incarnation of its operating system for mobile and portable devices. <a href="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2013/06/10Apple-Unveils-iOS-7.html">According to Apple</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>iOS 7 is completely redesigned with subtle motion, an elegant color palette and distinct, functional layers that make it feel more alive. The typography has been refined for a cleaner, simpler look, and the use of translucency and motion makes even simple tasks more engaging. iOS 7 has hundreds of great new features, including Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop, enhanced Photos, Safari, Siri and introduces iTunes Radio, a free Internet radio service based on the music you listen to on iTunes.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But with tens of thousands patents filed around the world - and a <a href="http://www.pwc.com/en_US/us/forensic-services/publications/assets/2013-patent-litigation-study.pdf">plethora</a> of resulting lawsuits - how do iOS 7’s “complete redesign” and “hundreds of great new features” avoid stepping on other companies’ toes?</p>
<h2>Staying on the right side of the law</h2>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26281/original/3px4m4kn-1372300148.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26281/original/3px4m4kn-1372300148.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26281/original/3px4m4kn-1372300148.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26281/original/3px4m4kn-1372300148.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26281/original/3px4m4kn-1372300148.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26281/original/3px4m4kn-1372300148.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26281/original/3px4m4kn-1372300148.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26281/original/3px4m4kn-1372300148.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Abdulrahman BinSlmah</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Patents provide inventors (and investors) with legal protection for a finite number of years. That protection allows the patent holder to commercialise an invention and thereby offers an incentive for innovation. </p>
<p>Some patents, such those relating to mobile phones, computers and <a href="http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/rohwedder.html">bread slicers</a>, have been fabulously successful. They have benefited the patent holder and society alike. Others, such as patents for <a href="http://www.express.co.uk/news/science-technology/398437/Meet-the-sky-drivers-how-flying-cars-could-be-just-around-the-corner">flying cars</a>, are curiosities.</p>
<p>The cost of protecting innovation through patents varies from industry to industry. It encompasses lawyers and technology specialists who draft patent applications, seeking the maximum protection without infringing someone else’s patent. </p>
<p>It includes competitors who study approved patents looking for weaknesses in the protection - chinks in the patentee’s armour. </p>
<p>It also encompasses taking an alleged infringer to court or defending a claim of <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2274383">infringement</a>, upwards of US$1.2 million. High technology businesses often employ hundreds of patent lawyers, inhouse or in boutique and corporate law firms. That spending is rational and typically a small fraction of dollars spent on marketing.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26269/original/rh72vtpw-1372298927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26269/original/rh72vtpw-1372298927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26269/original/rh72vtpw-1372298927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26269/original/rh72vtpw-1372298927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26269/original/rh72vtpw-1372298927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26269/original/rh72vtpw-1372298927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26269/original/rh72vtpw-1372298927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26269/original/rh72vtpw-1372298927.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">nehuenmingote</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reinforcing the patent shield</h2>
<p>Apple’s iOS 7 software has not yet appeared in court, and indeed may not do so. The software is being promoted as the basis for the next generation of Apple devices and services, in particular the delivery of services via the Cloud. There hasn’t been a comprehensive public inventory but we can assume that much of iOS 7 is protected by patents. Protection covers how the software operates, for example what happens when you press a button or <a href="http://www.google.com/patents/US7469381">scroll across a screen</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26279/original/y3mzzxxn-1372300030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26279/original/y3mzzxxn-1372300030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26279/original/y3mzzxxn-1372300030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26279/original/y3mzzxxn-1372300030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26279/original/y3mzzxxn-1372300030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26279/original/y3mzzxxn-1372300030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26279/original/y3mzzxxn-1372300030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26279/original/y3mzzxxn-1372300030.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Vector Hugo</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Much Apple hardware is also protected by patents, along with protection under <a href="http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/get-the-right-ip/designs/">designs</a> law (the appearance of devices) and trademark law (the names and logos which embody billions in goodwill attributable to innovation, service and clever marketing). In an “information economy” enterprises seek to wrap the code, the plastic and the metal in patents. Competitors and some public advocacy groups correspondingly seek to unwrap the protection.</p>
<p>Some advocates have echoed US arguments about innovation and incentives, suggesting a century after patents were primarily concerned with devices such as bread slicers, ploughs, munitions, toys and corsets we need to <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/patents/report">recognise</a> that different markets have different characteristics. </p>
<p>It might be appropriate for example to give short-term protection for some mechanical devices and much longer protection for <a href="http://pharmapatentsreview.govspace.gov.au/">pharmaceuticals</a>, on the basis that the resources required for developing new drugs are very large and that a short period of protection may preclude an “adequate” return on investment and thereby serve as a disincentive for research. </p>
<p>One rejoinder has been that “big pharma” overall has been quite profitable and inadequate returns are attributable to poor management (and practices such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/you-call-it-love-i-call-it-payola-untangling-pharmas-close-ties-with-doctors-8195">pharma payola</a>) rather than inadequate law.</p>
<h2>Where does this leave Apple and iOS 7?</h2>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26280/original/57njjyqc-1372300066.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26280/original/57njjyqc-1372300066.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/26280/original/57njjyqc-1372300066.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=604&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26280/original/57njjyqc-1372300066.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=604&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26280/original/57njjyqc-1372300066.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=604&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26280/original/57njjyqc-1372300066.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=758&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26280/original/57njjyqc-1372300066.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=758&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/26280/original/57njjyqc-1372300066.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=758&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Almond Butterscotch</span></span>
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<p>An optimist might say Apple is unassailable and will correctly accrue the rewards of brilliant design and substantial investment. A realist would demur, and point to the long history of patent disputes involving Microsoft, Apple and other leading enterprises. (Research organisations such as <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-01/csiro-receives-payment-for-wifi-technology/3925814">CSIRO</a> are not immune from the pain.) </p>
<p>A salient example is the long-running dispute between Apple and <a href="https://theconversation.com/apple-wins-battle-of-look-and-feel-but-war-with-samsung-continues-9144">Samsung</a>, played out very expensively in Australian courts. The same dispute was played out, on occasion with quite different results, in <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/25/us-eu-samsung-idUSBRE95O0ES20130625">overseas courts</a>. That’s a reminder that although markets are increasingly global, patent law and competition law remain local.</p>
<p>We can expect to see Apple in the courts for as long as there is patent law. That’s inevitable in a world where intangibles such as patents have value, where there are disagreements about interpretation of particular patents and where judges sort out problems. Think of patent disputes as business as usual, rather than one-off <a href="https://theconversation.com/patent-wars-we-get-the-war-but-what-about-the-patents-2974">patent wars</a>, and if you are a lawyer look forward to the next exciting episode.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/15476/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bruce Baer Arnold does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Earlier this month, Apple announced iOS 7, the most recent incarnation of its operating system for mobile and portable devices. According to Apple: iOS 7 is completely redesigned with subtle motion, an…Bruce Baer Arnold, Assistant Professor, School of Law, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.