Brandon Ashmore of Mentor, Ohio downloaded word game Say the Same Thing from Apple's App Store and in the process, set a new record and won a $10,000 gift voucher. The milestone was passed on Wednesday at 2pm PT and on Thursday, Apple officially confirmed both the achievement and the details of the lucky winner. However, as well as Ashmore, who is now $10,000 richer -- at least in apps terms -- the 50 people who downloaded apps immediately after the milestone was achieved will also be receiving $500 app gift cards.

Germany's patent court invalidated Friday a patent held by Apple -- and contested by rivals Motorola and Samsung -- on its "slide to unlock" function for smartphones, but the ruling can still be appealed. The federal patent court ruled that the the horizontal swiping gesture was not a technical innovation in itself and therefore did not meet requirements of European patent law. The aim of the function was to make it easier for users to unlock their smartphone easier and not solve a specific technical problem, the court argued. Apple can still appeal the ruling.

The latest update of Web embeds from Vine will allow people to share their creations on to web pages. As announced on their official blog, co-founder Don Hofmann states, "Embedded posts are available in two distinct styles and can be created from a post's page on vine.co, or by using the latest version of our mobile app."The new option allows for simple and postcard style available for embed in 320px, 480px, and 600px.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has apologised to Chinese consumers after the US technology giant was subjected to a barrage of criticism in state-run media over alleged "arrogance" and double standards. China is Apple's second-biggest market, and its iPhones and other products -- many of them made in the country -- are highly popular, although it faces fierce competition from South Korea's Samsung.