THX – a privately held company famous audio/visual reproduction standard for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, gaming consoles, and car audio systems. THX was developed by Tomlinson Holman at George Lucas’s company, in 1983 to ensure that the soundtrack for the third Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi, would be accurately reproduced in the best venues. THX was named after Holman, with the “X” standing for “crossover” as well as a homage to Lucas’s first film, THX 1138.
The audio giants filed a lawsuit against the tech titans Apple, accusing the Apple CEO Tim Cook and Co. of infringing a patent it has for technology regarding narrow profile speakers with enhanced sound output that can be built into electronics.
According to the court filing, various types of the iPhone, iPad and iMac are offenders that used the aforementioned narrow profile speakers. An Apple Insider reveals that the new, slender iMacs are believed to use a design which is identical to the one described by THX. It includes guiding audio down a slim duct. Though it is highly unclear whether THX is out to stop the infringement or collect damages from Cupertino based firm. The Apple insider feels that both companies should settle their clash at the earliest much before the affair intensifies and moves onto a courtroom brawl.