Apple Accused of Helping Drivers Evade DUIs; Apple Makes Guinness Book of World Records; and Supply Shortages at Chinese Plant

Every week, Apple makes news with technology developments, business deals and, sometimes, controversies.

That’s where our weekly "Core Bytes" column on Apple comes in. We’ll relay the past week’s news highlights from our favorite backyard tech giant.

Controversies
Many associate the term ‘App store’ with Apple. But Microsoft, HTC, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson all filed formal “declarations of invalidity” against Apple’s trademarks for “App Store” or, ahem, “Appstore” with the Community Trademark Office in Europe. Amazon filed a similar complaint in April, counter-suing Apple after it sued them in its use of “Appstore” for mobile devices. The five companies feel ‘Appstore’ is too generic of a term, a cyber equivelent to a phrase such as “book store.”

Apple and Google have come under scrutiny this week for carrying “DUI checkpoint” apps. Senator Charles Schumer grilled both companies about apps such as “Fuzzalert” and “Buzzed” at the Privacy and Technology Subcommittee, stating they have 30 days to yank the apps from their stores. Schumer said that these companies should not sell apps which aid their users in evading the law.

The iFlow Reader (by BeamItDown Software) is ceasing operations on May 31, citing Apple as the culprit for their demise. The company said it could no longer operate at a profit margin once Apple started requiring that they give them 30 percent of the selling price of any iOS app. They argued that Apple will now monopolize the market for iOS apps, as the price--required of other eBook sellers--is too costly.

New Products
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple 16 patents for its products this week. They included the iOS virtual keyboard, a cover flow, a newly released iPad cover design, and iLife’s iDVD application, which allows users to create Web Clip Widgets for iOS devices.

The new iPhone 4 is now available in white. Apple is currently offering free shipping to those who purchase it online.

Business Deals and Developments
Joining the likes of the largest hamburger commercially available (319 pounds, by the way) and most toes on a cat (28), Apple now has a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Its achievements are slightly less freakish: the iPhone 4 was named the world’s fastest selling portable gaming system. The App Store, with over 6.5 billion downloads since July 2008, is also the most popular downloadable app service in the world.

Shortages of labor and materials at Apple’s Chengdu, China plant are expected to affect the shipping of the iPad2 and iPhone4 in Apple’s second quarter. The earthquake in Japan has affected the supply of power outlets and amplifiers to the plant.

In with the old: An iTunes Beatles catalogue, as well as the resurgence of vinyl records, have been credited by Nielsen as accounting for a 1.6 percent increase in total music sales in 2011. Digital music sales through services such as iTunes also comprised half of all transactions that occurred from January 1 to May 8 of this year.