Judge moves to kill PsyStar’s countersuit

Upstart Florida-based Mac clone maker has until Dec 8 to amend their claim, but the wording of the preliminary ruling from the bench indicates their chances are looking slim nevertheless. In fact, the words “road kill” come to mind.

AppleInsider reports that Judge William Alsup has rejected the basis for Psystar’s counter suit [...]

Apple Incorporates HDCP (Copy Protection) in New Laptops
Image: http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/11/18/apple-incorporates-hdcp-copy-protection-in-new-laptops/) Image: http://images.macrumors.com/article/2008/11/18/111656-hdcp2.jpg Apple’s new unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros appear to incorporate (http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/11/17/apple-brings-hdcp-to-a-new-aluminum-macbook-near-you) a version of copy protection known as HDCP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCP). HDCP is most well known for preventing the unauthorized copying across HDMI but is also used for the DisplayPort which is found in Apple’s new MacBooks and MacBook Pros. —Quote— bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a form of digital copy protection developed by Intel Corporation to prevent copying of digital audio and video content as it travels across DisplayPort, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Gigabit Video Interface (GVIF), or Unified Display Interface (UDI) connections, even if such copying would be permitted by fair use laws. —End Quote— Ars Technica describes how one unibody MacBook owner ran into this copy protection: —Quote— When my friend John, a high school teacher, attempted to play Hellboy 2 on his classroom’s projector with a new aluminum MacBook over lunch, he was denied by the error you see above. John’s using a Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter, plugged into a Sanyo projector that is part of his room’s Promethean system. —End Quote— HDCP tries to prevent unauthorized transmission of protected digital content by only requiring HDCP to HDCP connections. In this case, the DisplayPort-to-VGA connection is not HDCP aware. As a result, the MacBook refused to play the video. At this time, it appears only a portion of the iTunes movie content is HDCP encoded as some movies will playback without any issues. Apple has stated it plans on incorporating DisplayPort into all future Macs and Displays. The inclusion of HDCP/DisplayPort may shed some light onto Apple’s comments about Blu-Ray licensing which was described as “a bag of hurt”. Apple’s inclusion of Blu-Ray playback into Macs could conceivably require support for HDCP. Article Link: Apple Incorporates HDCP (Copy Protection) in New Laptops (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/11/18/apple-incorporates-hdcp-copy-protection-in-new-laptops/)

Apple’s new unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros appear to incorporate a version of copy protection known as HDCP. HDCP is most well known for preventing the unauthorized copying across HDMI but is also used for the DisplayPort which is found in Apple’s new MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

Quote:

bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a form of digital copy protection developed by Intel Corporation to prevent copying of digital audio and video content as it travels across DisplayPort, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Gigabit Video Interface (GVIF), or Unified Display Interface (UDI) connections, even if such copying would be permitted by fair use laws.

Ars Technica describes how one unibody MacBook owner ran into this copy protection:

Quote:

When my friend John, a high school teacher, attempted to play Hellboy 2 on his classroom’s projector with a new aluminum MacBook over lunch, he was denied by the error you see above. John’s using a Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter, plugged into a Sanyo projector that is part of his room’s Promethean system.

HDCP tries to prevent unauthorized transmission of protected digital content by only requiring HDCP to HDCP connections.

In this case, the DisplayPort-to-VGA connection is not HDCP aware. As a result, the MacBook refused to play the video.

At this time, it appears only a portion of the iTunes movie content is HDCP encoded as some movies will playback without any issues. Apple has stated it plans on incorporating DisplayPort into all future Macs and Displays. The inclusion of HDCP/DisplayPort may shed some light onto Apple’s comments about Blu-Ray licensing which was described as “a bag of hurt”. Apple’s inclusion of Blu-Ray playback into Macs could conceivably require support for HDCP.

Article Link: Apple Incorporates HDCP (Copy Protection) in New Laptops

Apple exec pushed for Linux iPhone

An established blogger covering Apple’s business claims the company’s iPod head pushed for the firm to use open source system Linux at the heart of the iPhone. The gossip has emerged in coverage of Tony Fadell’s departure from Apple.

The report comes from John [...]

MacBook users petition Apple for FireWire

Over 16,000 people have signed a petition, and the industry association tasked with building out and promoting the connection standard is up in arms. Can Steve Jobs and Apple afford to ignore such a groundswell of protest?

Our friends at the 1394 Trade Association report that Mac users have started a [...]

Apple Stands Up for Equal Rights with $100K Contribution to Defeat Prop. 8 in California