iPhone 4S Launches, Samsung Fails at Banning Apple Products

Every week, makes news with technology developments, business deals and, more often than not, 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
Apple was able to ban Samsung products in Germany and Japan. but Samsung had no such luck retaliating against Apple in the Netherlands. On Friday, a Dutch court turned down Samsung’s request for an injunction against all Apple mobile products that use 3G technology. Samsung has also filed patent infringement claims in both France and Italy.

New Products
The eagerly awaited iPhone 4S launched today. A formed at Palo Alto’s Apple Store on University Ave. But the wait was far more than an hour at many other Apple stores. Steve Wozniak at the Los Gatos Apple Store around 2 p.m. on Thursday to wait in line for his newest model, and pay tribute Steve Jobs, who was his longtime friend and colleague. Around the country, many others also camped out overnight in front of Apple stores.

On Wednesday, the iCloud went live. Unlike its similar service MobileMe, it’s free versus $100 a year. The synchronizing service keeps your documents, address book, and calendar updated on all of your gadgets. It also automatically stores anything you buy from Apple on all of your devices.

Business Deals, and Other News
A memorial service for Steve Jobs is being held on Oct. 16 at Stanford, but open by invitation only. Apple has invited “Silicon Valley luminaries,” to attend, according to the Wall Street Journal. Apple also plans to host an event for its employees to celebrate Steve Job’s life at its Cupertino headquarters on Oct. 19.

Surprise, surprise: Apple was deemed the “most valuable global brand” in a European study of more than 3,000 companies in 24 countries. Google staked out the second spot, while Microsoft came in third place. The top ten companies were all U.S. based.

Another prominent analyst has chimed in with a prediction about Apple’s success. By the end of the year, he predicts that smartphones will make up 18 percent of Apple’s market share.