Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Apple
    • Apple

    Apple Seeks Patent for Translucent Windows

    By
    Matthew Hicks
    -
    May 17, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Apple is seeking a patent on a method for rendering translucent-appearing windows, technology that appears similar to features Microsoft has been previewing for its next major Windows release.

      Apple Computer Inc.s patent application, which dates back to November 2003, was published Thursday on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices Web site. By law, most patent applications become public record within 18 months of being filed, a patent office spokeswoman said.

      According to the filing, the patent covers a method in which “information-bearing windows whose contents remain unchanged for a predetermined period of time become translucent.” The translucency would intensify the longer a windows content remains unchanged, the patent application states.

      The patent filing was first reported last week by The Mac Observer.

      For its next Windows operating system, code-named “Longhorn,” Microsoft Corp. has demonstrated translucent-appearing windows, said Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Kirkland, Wash.-based Directions on Microsoft.

      Such a feature is part of the Aero user interface system in Longhorn, he said. The Redmond, Wash., software maker demonstrated Avalon (the graphics presentation system within Longhorn), as well as Aero, which runs atop Avalon, earlier this month during the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Seattle.

      Representatives from both Apple and Microsoft declined to comment on the patent application. Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple has yet to be granted the patent, a process that can take years and can end without a patent being issued.

      While the patent could pit Apple against Microsoft, Rosoff said he doesnt expect an intellectual-property fight between the companies. More likely, he said, the companies would work out a cross-licensing arrangement.

      “Microsoft in the last couple of years has been pretty judicious about patents and about having patents in place and arranging swaps,” Rosoff said. “I would be surprised if this turns into any sort of fight.”

      /zimages/4/28571.gifRead more here about Microsofts patent battles.

      The two companies do have a history of battling over key aspects of their operating systems. More than a decade ago, in 1992, Microsoft and Apple faced off in a copyright case. Apple had sued Microsoft over its use of such elements as windows, icons and menus in its Windows operating system. Microsoft eventually won.

      The two companies also reached an unexpected agreement in 1997, in which Microsoft invested $150 million in Apple and agreed to continue developing versions of its Office productivity suite and Internet Explorer Web browser for the Mac operating system.

      That five-year deal ended almost two years ago, and Microsoft has since stopped developing IE for Mac but has continued updating its Office for Mac suite.

      /zimages/4/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms Macintosh Center at http://macintosh.eweek.com for the latest news, reviews and analysis about Apple in the enterprise.

      /zimages/4/77042.gif

      Be sure to add our eWEEK.com Macintosh news feed to your RSS newsreader or My Yahoo page

      Matthew Hicks
      As an online reporter for eWEEK.com, Matt Hicks covers the fast-changing developments in Internet technologies. His coverage includes the growing field of Web conferencing software and services. With eight years as a business and technology journalist, Matt has gained insight into the market strategies of IT vendors as well as the needs of enterprise IT managers. He joined Ziff Davis in 1999 as a staff writer for the former Strategies section of eWEEK, where he wrote in-depth features about corporate strategies for e-business and enterprise software. In 2002, he moved to the News department at the magazine as a senior writer specializing in coverage of database software and enterprise networking. Later that year Matt started a yearlong fellowship in Washington, DC, after being awarded an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship for Journalist. As a fellow, he spent nine months working on policy issues, including technology policy, in for a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He rejoined Ziff Davis in August 2003 as a reporter dedicated to online coverage for eWEEK.com. Along with Web conferencing, he follows search engines, Web browsers, speech technology and the Internet domain-naming system.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×