By Brandon Bailey, Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --Apple has patented a new design for a digital video camera that could potentially compete with the rugged portable cameras made by GoPro, a move that sent GoPro's stock tumbling.
GoPro shares dropped more than 12 percent on Tuesday after reports of the new patent surfaced on tech blogs and financial wires.
Apple has not announced any plans for the patent, which covers a design for a remote-controlled, digital camera that can be attached to a helmet, surfboard or scuba mask.
But as first reported by the blog "Patently Apple," the company's application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says Apple's design improves on aspects of GoPro's camera. Apple says GoPro's camera "can cause excessive wind resistance and presents a high profile that is more susceptible to damage."
Representatives for Apple Inc., based in Cupertino, California, and GoPro Inc., based in San Mateo, California, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Patent office records show Apple first applied in 2012 for the patent, which was granted Tuesday.
But one tech analyst cautioned against reading too much into the filing. "Apple develops and patents lots and lots of technology all the time. Only a fraction of it ever sees the light of day in commercial products," said Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research, who tracks consumer tech products.
Apple already has developed sophisticated camera technology for its iPhones and iPads, added Dawson, who said he doubts the company would want to sell a stand-alone camera unless it could be tied in with Apple's broader family of products and services.
Still, the news seemed to make some GoPro investors nervous.
"Anytime Apple enters a market, it can be bad news for existing players," Dawson noted.
Go Pro's shares ended down $6.91 to $49.87.
Apple shares gained 97 cents, or slightly less than 1 percent, closing at $110.22.
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads — essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More