Apple (AAPL -0.9%) roundup: 1) In spite of the iPhone's growing Japanese sales, top local carrier NTT DoCoMo (DCM) continues to play hardball regarding an iPhone deal. Its stated reasons range from Apple's purchase requirements to a wish to pre-install its services. 2) A month after Google scooped up Waze, the USPTO has published an Apple patent application for a crowdsourced traffic/navigation service relying on route ratings and user reporting. 3) A couple of other patent applications: one for self-adjusting earbuds supporting noise cancellation, and one for flexible battery packs that could be used in an iWatch.