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INTEREST: Apple’s iPad Dominated PC Market During Holiday Season
by billing 12 Feb '13

12 Feb '13

...from: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/apples-ipad-dominated-pc-market-du… FEBRUARY 6, 2013, 3:43 PM12 Comments Apple’s iPad Dominated PC Market During Holiday Season By BRIAN X. CHEN Jeff Chiu/Associated Press Customers at an Apple store in San Francisco in November. The iPad is defined as a tablet, but you might as well call it a personal computer. Over the holiday season, about one in six people buying computers around the world bought Apple’s tablet, according to research from Canalys. The report, released Wednesday, said that when tablets were included, worldwide PC shipments over the fourth quarter increased 12 percent compared with the previous year. Apple led the computer market with 22.9 million iPads and 4.1 million Macs sold. Hewlett-Packard was in a distant second place with 15 million PCs shipped, and Lenovo shipped about 14.8 million computers. Amazon and Samsung are quickly gaining traction in the computer market with their tablets. Amazon shipped 4.6 million tablets, including its Kindle Fire, over the quarter, and Samsung shipped 7.6 million. Over all, tablet shipments accounted for about one-third of the PC market over the quarter. IDC, the research firm, reported similar numbers on PC shipments over the fourth quarter, but did not include tablets in its analysis. Typically research firms don’t count tablets as a PC, because they are quite different from traditional laptops and desktops. But when sales of these two categories are stacked side by side, the numbers give perspective for how quickly the tablet is dissolving the old-school PC. The Canalys report certainly makes the late Steve Jobs sound prescient. When he introduced the iPad 2 in 2011, he said tablet devices were ushering people into a “post-PC” era: A lot of folks in this tablet market are rushing in and they’re looking at this as the next PC. The hardware and the software are done by different companies. And they’re talking about speeds and feeds just like they did with PCs. And our experience and every bone in our body says that that is not the right approach to this. That these are post-PC devices that need to be even easier to use than a PC. That need to be even more intuitive than a PC. And where the software and the hardware and the applications need to intertwine in an even more seamless way than they do on a PC.

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INTEREST: Japan & smart phones: iPhone, BlackBerry 10
by Wayne Billing 07 Feb '13

07 Feb '13

....from: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/07/nikkei-blackberry-to-stop-selling-phones… Nikkei: BlackBerry to stop selling phones in Japan, no longer able to justify the cost (updated) By Donald Melanson posted Feb 7th, 2013 at 2:15 PM75 It looks like Japan won't be a part of BlackBerry's BB10 launch plans now or anytime in the foreseeable future. According to a report from Nikkei, BlackBerry has decided to stop selling phones in the country, at least in part because it wasn't able to justify the cost of making the necessary language modifications to its new operating system. As Nikkei also notes, however, BlackBerry has seen a particularly steep drop in market share in Japan, where it now stands at just 0.3 percent. We've reached out to BlackBerry about the news and are awaiting comment. Update: We've received a statement from BlackBerry confirming that it has no plans to launch to launch BB10 devices in Japan at this time, although it adds that it will continue to support its customers in the country. The complete statement is as follows: We are in the process of launching BlackBerry 10 globally in key markets and we are seeing positive demand for the BlackBerry Z10 in countries where it has already launched. Japan is not a major market for BlackBerry and we have no plans to launch BlackBerry 10 devices there at this time. However, we will continue to support BlackBerry customers in Japan. ...from: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/10/12/business/iphone-continues-to-ro… IPhone continues to rock Japanese cellphone market BY KAZUAKI NAGATA STAFF WRITER • OCT 12, 2012 Since arriving in Japan in 2008, Apple Inc.’s iPhone series has won the love of many Japanese cellphone users long accustomed to phones heavily customized for the domestic market. The iPhone shock could have even more repercussions, as the September debut of the iPhone 5 appears to be changing the landscape of Japan’s telecommunications industry. Softbank Corp. made a surprising move last week to acquire eAccess Ltd., the country’s fourth-largest carrier and operator of the Emobile brand, to reinforce its network infrastructure and gain a competitive edge over its rivals, especially KDDI Corp. The competition between Softbank and KDDI — the two iPhone providers in Japan — has been escalating. Meanwhile, NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s biggest carrier, has been trying to differentiate itself from the others but is struggling to keep customers from defecting to the iPhone camp. DoCoMo insists it will stick with its non-iPhone strategy and provide its own original services. “If you ask me whether the iPhone 5′s influence over this business merger (with eAccess) is big, yes,” Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son stressed at a hastily called news conference Oct. 1 where he announced the acquisition of eAccess. Softbank, the third-largest carrier, has valued eAccess shares at ¥52,000, almost three times the premium, and will pay about ¥180 billion. With the move, Softbank will acquire 4.2 million Emobile subscribers. When combining the subscribers of PHS operator Willcom, also part of the Softbank group, the number of Softbank subscribers will total 39 million and surpass KDDI’s roughly 36 million. Getting a boost from iPhone sales, Softbank has posted record operating profits for seven consecutive years. It posted ¥675 billion in operating profit for its latest business year, more than 10 times the fiscal 2005 figure. [...] While the competition between Softbank and KDDI has attracted public attention, DoCoMo has lately been left out of the spotlight, except for media headlines about its struggles. Before it started selling iPhones, KDDI was the carrier lagging behind the others in the smartphone competition. But since it started selling iPhones last October, it has been No. 1 in terms of getting users of other carriers to defect. The statistics indicate DoCoMo is losing customers to the others. In terms of business results, the iPhone impact has not been large. DoCoMo has been turning a bigger profit than Softbank. But DoCoMo officials said if the situation continues, earnings will be affected. Seeing thousands of people lining up for an iPhone, “we are really jealous as we don’t get to see such scenes even though we have provided a variety of devices lately,” said Michio Fujiwara, director of DoCoMo’s corporate strategy and planning department. Still, it is unlikely the iPhone will join DoCoMo’s lineup anytime soon. This is because the iPhone would interfere with DoCoMo’s long-term business strategy, which focuses on strengthening more original Internet-based services within its network, one that can be used by any of DoCoMo’s smartphones. Apple’s strict control over the iPhone wouldn’t fit DoCoMo’s strategy. Plus, some services overlap. For instance, while DoCoMo runs its own voice concierge service, Apple provides a voice assistant service called Siri. Also, if it decided to sell iPhones, Apple would likely require that they account for more than half of DoCoMo’s total smartphones sold, according to former DoCoMo President Ryuji Yamada. Thus, if DoCoMo decides to provide iPhones, “we might become just a network infrastructure provider,” which means the carrier wouldn’t be able to gain significant profits from its software content, DoCoMo strategist Fujiwara said. DoCoMo has focused on providing smartphones that run on Google’s Android operating system, which can be customized freely by handset makers and carriers. When thinking about gaining customers, iPhones may be an option, but “to realize our long-term vision, Android has more potential,” Fujiwara said.

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INTEREST: Android Malware Hacks Your PC and then Eavesdrops On Your Microphone
by Wayne Billing 07 Feb '13

07 Feb '13

Maybe "Terrifying" is a bit overboard...... ...from: http://gizmodo.com/5981248/terrifying-android-malware-hacks-your-pc-and-the… Terrifying Android Malware Hacks Your PC and then Eavesdrops On You With Its Microphone [cid:8E33A935-18A3-472E-9C23-819323F2306A] Eric Limer It's one thing when malware attacks your phone, but it's another when that same malware hops over to your PC and then uses it to listen in on all your conversations on top of just messing with your phone. A newly discovered Android app—one that's in the Google Play store—can do just that<http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/02/03/android-malware-emerges-on-google-…>. Beware. Full size<http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18diz8q6ybm2vpng/original.png> [cid:A3683608-AA2A-43CA-82F0-C5CF2C317DD4] The sketchy app, which masquerades as a "cleaner" app called DroidCleaner, was discovered by Kaspersky<http://www.securelist.com/en/blog/805/Mobile_attacks>, and if it infects you, its tendrils will wrap themselves around a seriously impressive number of things. Here's a list of abilities it has just on your phone: * Sending SMS messages * Enabling Wi-Fi * Gathering information about the device * Opening arbitrary links in a browser * Uploading the SD card's entire contents * Uploading an arbitrary file (or folder) to the master's server * Uploading all SMS messages * Deleting all SMS messages * Uploading all the contacts/photos/coordinates from the device to the master But that's not where it ends, no no no. When it runs, the app also downloads three files to the root directory of your SD card, and then when your phone gets connected to a computer in USB drive mode, a backdoor runs on your PC. From there it can control your microphone to eavesdrop on you and send the recordings back home to the mothership, but little beyond that. The Windows component of the malware isn't nearly as apt as its Android counterpart. Fortunately, as Kaspersky notes<http://www.securelist.com/en/blog/805/Mobile_attacks>, AutoRun on external drives should be disabled by default if you're running a relatively current version of Windows. And folks who aren't are this malware's bread and butter. Tech-savvy folks like you, dear reader, are probably not too at risk of being hit with this, but there are plenty of people out there who are right in its sights, and if nothing else, it shows that Android malware is evolving into a scary beast. But if you're careful out there and use your head, you should stay relatively safe. [Kaspersky<http://www.securelist.com/en/blog/805/Mobile_attacks> via The Next Web<http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/02/03/android-malware-emerges-on-google-…>]

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INTEREST: Report: Apple: No.1 mobile phone vendor in US
by Wayne Billing 03 Feb '13

03 Feb '13

...from: http://9to5mac.com/2013/02/01/report-apple-has-become-the-1-mobile-phone-ve… Report: Apple has become the No.1 mobile phone vendor in US for the first time ever<http://9to5mac.com/2013/02/01/report-apple-has-become-the-1-mobile-phone-ve…> [cid:01328534-0DDC-43F7-B491-FBA86D85441B]Seth Weintraub<http://9to5mac.com/author/sethweintraub/> * iOS Devices<http://9to5mac.com/category/ios-devices/> FEBRUARY 1, 2013 / 12:48 AM * SHARE<http://9to5mac.com/> * 15 COMMENTS<http://9to5mac.com/2013/02/01/report-apple-has-become-the-1-mobile-phone-ve…> [Screen Shot 2013-02-01 at 12.40.29 AM]. According to research firm Strategy Analytics<http://blogs.strategyanalytics.com/WDS/post/2013/02/01/Apple-Becomes-Larges…>, Apple overtook Samsung to become the No.1 phone vendor in the United States in Q4 2012. The report, released this evening, shows that Apple sold 17.7 million iPhones in the quarter against 16.8 million for Samsung and 4.7 million from No. 3 LG. That’s not smartphones. That’s phones. Samsung has been the No. 1 vendor for phones in the U.S. for 5 years. Apple’s sold more than one out of every three phones in the quarter in the U.S., a feat made even more remarkable when taken with the fact that Samsung and LG sell a great deal of feature phones and very inexpensive low-end smartphones. Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne_Billing@umanitoba.ca>

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Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 3
by Andre Worms 01 Feb '13

01 Feb '13

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 3 (14.3.0) This update fixes critical issues. For detailed information about this update, please visit the Microsoft Web site. Applies to: Office 2011, Office 2011 Home and Business Edition, Word 2011, Excel 2011, PowerPoint 2011, Outlook 2011, Office for Mac Standard 2011 Edition, Microsoft Office for Mac Home & Student 2011, and Microsoft Office for Mac Academic 2011 Known issues for installation of Office 2011 File Name: Office2011-1430UpdateEN.dmg Date Published: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 Size: 106 MB Andre Worms IT Support Specialist Help and Solutions Centre Client Services, IST University of Manitoba (204) 474-8400 Andre.Worms(a)ad.umanitoba.ca

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FYI: JAVA on OS X: Safari's blocked it; FireFox to block all plugins
by billing 31 Jan '13

31 Jan '13

"No amount of talking or smoothing over [Java's security problems] is going to make anybody happy or do anything for us. We have to fix Java." - Milton Smith, Sr. Principle Product Security Manager - Java at Oracle (conference call with worldwide Java User Group, January 25th, 2013) ....from: https://blogs.oracle.com/theaquarium/entry/oracle_speaks_up_on_java Oracle Speaks up on Java Security By reza_rahman on Jan 25, 2013 As many of you are keenly aware, there has been a veritable media firestorm around the recent Java vulnerability. As you know, the vulnerability pertains to Java on the browser, not server-side Java, desktop Java or emdedded Java. You may also have been frustrated with Oracle's relative silence on the issue. Hopefully it comes as some relief that Oracle is now starting to openly speak up on the issue. The lead for Oracle Security Martin Smith and Doland Smith from the OpenJDK team very recently had a conference call with worlwide JUG leaders. The recordings of the meeting is available [at http://java.net/downloads/jugs/Jan24_JUGLeaderCall.mp3]. This was a frank two-way discussion with Java community leaders about Java security, bundled software installers, openness, communication and the technical/journalistic quality of recent press coverage in some venues. As Donald and Martin indicate on the call, we can expect this to be the tip of the iceberg of what will be done on the Java Security and communication fronts. We encourage you to participate in this crucial dialog and provide your feedback. John Spragge offers his opinions on these very issues in his intelligent, insightful blog post: A passionate defence of Java's virtues. We think it is well worth a read if you are a fan of GlassFish, Java EE or Java. = - = - = - = How to disable the Java web plug-in in Safari: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT5241 = - = - = - = ...from: https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2013/01/29/putting-users-in-control-of-pl… Mozilla Security Blog Putting Users in Control of Plugins JAN 29 2013 Mozilla is changing the way Firefox loads third party plugins such as Flash, Java and Silverlight. This change will help increase Firefox performance and stability, and provide significant security benefits, while at the same time providing more control over plugins to our users. Previously Firefox would automatically load any plugin requested by a website. LeveragingClick to Play Firefox will only load plugins when a user takes the action of clicking to make a particular plugin play or the user has previously configured Click To Play to always run plugins on the particular website. More User Control Users should have the choice of what software and plugins run on their machine. Click to Play allows users to easily choose if they wish to run a plugin on a particular site. Users can also configure sites to never run plugins or conversely always run plugins. This change puts the user in control. Increased Performance & Stability Poorly designed third party plugins are the number one cause of crashes in Firefox and can severely degrade a user’s experience on the Web. This is often seen in pauses while plugins are loaded and unloaded, high memory usage while browsing, and many unexpected crashes of Firefox. By only activating plugins that the user desires to load, we’re helping eliminate pauses, crashes and other consequences of unwanted plugins. Significant Security Benefits One of the most common exploitation vectors against users is drive by exploitation of vulnerable plugins. In this kind of attack, a user with outdated or vulnerable plugins installed in their browser can be infected with malware simply by browsing to any site that contains a plugin exploit kit. We’ve observed plugin exploit kits to be present on both malicious websites and also otherwise completely legitimate websites that have been compromised and are unknowingly infecting visitors with malware. In these situations the website doesn’t have any legitimate use of the plugin other than exploiting the user’s vulnerable plugin to install malware on the their machine. The Click to Play feature protects users in these scenarios since plugins are not automatically loaded simply by visiting a website. In addition to the security benefits provided by Click to Play Mozilla also strongly recommends that users keep their plugins up to date. The following website can be used to determine if plugins are current. https://www.mozilla.org/plugincheck/ Implementing this change Our plan is to enable Click to Play for all versions of all plugins except the current version of Flash. Click to Play has already been enabled for many plugins that pose significant security or stability risks to our users. This includes vulnerable and outdated versions of Silverlight, Adobe Reader, and Java. More specifically, our next steps are the following: 1. Click to Play old versions of Flash (versions <=10.2.*) and slowly add more recent insecure Flash versions to the Click to Play list. Note: The most current version of Flash will NOT have Click To Play. After we complete final UI work: 2. Click to Play current versions of Silverlight, Java, and Acrobat Reader and all versions of all other Plugins. During this change we will monitor the results and feedback of the new settings and UI to ensure we’re providing a quality experience and delivering the many benefits of Click to Play to Firefox users. Michael Coates Director of Security Assurance Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca

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FYI: THX Tune-Up for your home theatre
by Wayne Billing 31 Jan '13

31 Jan '13

...from: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/thx-tune-up/id592624594?mt=8 Open iTunes to buy and download apps. Description THX tune-up (TM) allows you to properly adjust your TV, projector and speakers, helping you get the most out of your entertainment system. THX tune-up features custom video test patterns, carefully selected photos and tutorials to help you adjust and confirm the best picture settings on your display based on your room lighting. Using special test sounds, THX tune-up also lets you check your external speakers to make sure they are working in phase and are connected properly for 2-channel stereo or 5.1 surround sound systems. THX tune-up is completely interactive and you will be able to go through it at your own pace and in any order. Use your iPad 2 (or later) or iPhone 4 (or later) to connect to your display or sound system with an AppleTM Digital AV Adapter and HDMI cable or through a wireless Apple TV. To get started, locate the adjustment buttons on your television and audio video receiver (AVR) remote controls and then simply follow the THX app tutorials which will walk you through your “THX tune-up.” The app offers tips about your remote control, room lighting, viewing distance and other helpful advice. Video adjustments • Aspect ratio – ensure your TV displays shapes and sizes correctly • Brightness – make certain shadow details and night scenes are clearly visible • Contrast – confirm white detail is distinct on your television • Color – make sure colors are bright and vibrant but not cartoonish • Tint – check skin tones look natural and are not too green or red THX tune-up uses your iPad or iPhone camera to set color and tint with a special built in color filter. Just point your device camera at the TV screen and see if your color or tint is adjusted correctly. Audio adjustments • Speaker assignment – ensure speakers are connected to the correct AVR output and intended sound is coming from the correct speaker • Speaker phase – confirm that positive and negative speaker wires are connected correctly and all speakers are in phase Extras • Turn “moo can” on and tilt the iPhone or iPad to hear your device “moo” • Play extraordinary THX trailers (just like the ones in THX Certified cinemas) to show off your newly tuned TV and sound system to friends and family • Show off your audio system with the push of a button by playing “THX Deep Note” in 5.1 surround sound, just like in the theater • Have a question for THX, or just want to provide feedback? Ask Tex! Founded in 1983 by legendary director George Lucas, THX was born out of the desire to improve cinema audio and video capabilities. Since then, THX has taken this knowledge and translated it to other areas – including the home. THX believes everyone should have the best possible viewing and listening experience, regardless of the size and cost of the system they own. [cid:E873A856-49CF-4232-9CBD-88BF0ADEBAFD] [cid:683F31B7-0AF4-4EA5-B64F-85D74AA4CC37] Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne_Billing@umanitoba.ca>

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INTEREST: BlackBerry 10 Release Today Critical to Research in Motion
by billing 30 Jan '13

30 Jan '13

...from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/technology/blackberry-10s-debut-is-a-crit… BlackBerry 10 Critical to Research in Motion By IAN AUSTEN Published: January 29, 2013 FACEBOOK TWITTER GOOGLE+ SAVE E-MAIL SHARE PRINT REPRINTS OTTAWA — Research in Motion’s introduction on Wednesday of a new BlackBerry phone will be the most important event in the company’s history since 1996, when its founders showed investors a small block of wood and promised that a wireless e-mail device shaped like that would change business forever. Enlarge This Image Eric Risberg/Associated Press Thorsten Heins, chief executive of Research in Motion, demonstrated functions of the BlackBerry 10 in California. Now with just 4.6 percent of the global market for smartphones in 2012,according to IDC, RIM long ago exchanged dominance for survival mode. On Wednesday, the company will introduce a new line of smartphones called the BlackBerry 10 and an operating system of the same name that Thorsten Heins, the president and chief executive of RIM, says will restore the company to glory. But Frank Mersch, who became one of RIM’s earliest investors after seeing the block of wood, is far less excited by what he sees this time around. “You’re in a very, very competitive market and you’re not the leader,” Mr. Mersch, now the chairman and a vice president at Front Street Capital in Toronto, said of RIM. “You have to ask: ‘At the end of the day are we really going to win?’ I personally think the jury’s out on that.” The main elements of the new phones and their operating system are already well known. Mr. Heins and other executives at RIM have been demonstrating the units for months to a variety of audiences. App developers received prototype versions as far back as last spring. While analysts and app developers may be divided about the future of RIM, there is a consensus that BlackBerry 10, which arrives more than year behind schedule, was worth the wait. Initially RIM will release two variations of the BlackBerry 10, one a touch-screen model that resembles many other phones now on the market. The other model is a hybrid with a keyboard similar to those now found on current BlackBerrys as well as a small touch screen. The real revolution, though, may be in the software that manages a person’s business and personal information. It is clearly designed with an eye toward retaining and, more important, luring back, corporate users. Corporate and government information technology managers will be able to segregate business-related apps and data on BlackBerry 10 handsets from users’ personal material through a system known as BlackBerry Balance. It will enable an I.T. manager to, among other things, remotely wipe corporate data from fired employees’ phones while leaving the newly jobless workers’ personal photos, e-mails, music and apps untouched. The system can also block users from forwarding or copying information from the work side of the phone. Messages generated by e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, instant messaging and LinkedIn accounts are automatically consolidated into a single in-box that RIM calls BlackBerry Hub. Charles Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research, called the new phones “beautiful” and described the operating system as “a giant leap forward” from RIM’s current operating system. Ray Sharma, who followed RIM’s glory years as a financial analyst but who now runs XMG Studio, a mobile games developer in Toronto, has been similarly impressed. But both men are among many analysts who question the ability of BlackBerry 10, whatever its merits, to revive RIM’s fallen fortunes. “If it’s good, it will help inspire the upgrade cycle,” Mr. Sharma said. “But it has to be great in order to inspire touch-screen users to come back. If it’s good, not great, I will be concerned.” Mr. Golvin was more blunt. “They’ll need to prove themselves in the face of a simultaneous onslaught of marketing from Microsoft, not to mention the continued push from Apple plus Google and its Android partners,” he wrote. “This is a gargantuan challenge for a company of RIM’s size.” In the year since he took over from the founders, Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, Mr. Heins has certainly remade RIM. He cut 5,000 jobs in a program to reduce operating costs by about $1 billion a year. Along the way, he also replaced RIM’s senior management and straightened out its balance sheet. While unprofitable, RIM remains debt-free and holds $2.9 billion in cash. With BlackBerry 10, RIM not only started over with its operating system, it also rebuilt the company through acquisitions. Its core operating system comes from QNX Software Systems, the design of the user interface is largely the work of the Astonishing Tribe in Sweden while other main components, like the touch-screen technology, came from smaller companies that are now part of RIM. Integrating all of those acquisitions, analysts and former RIM employees say, added to the delays that plagued BlackBerry 10. Now that the new phones are finally here, Mr. Heins is counting on RIM’s remaining base of 79 million users globally to eagerly upgrade. But where those customers reside may be as important in their numbers in determining the success of that plan. In the United States, which leads the world in setting smartphone trends, about 11 million BlackBerry users switched to other phones between 2009 and the middle of last year, according to an analysis by Horace Dediu on Asymco, a wireless industry blog he founded. Until the final months of 2012, RIM continued to increase its subscriber base through sales of low-cost handsets to less developed countries like Nigeria and Indonesia. Although BlackBerry 10 will be made available worldwide, the initial phones will be too expensive for a majority of BlackBerry fans in those regions. RIM may also have confused its loyalists, particularly in North America and Europe, in the run-up to the BlackBerry 10 debut. Many of those users stuck with BlackBerrys because of their physical keyboards. But public demonstrations for BlackBerry 10 were centered on the touch-screen-only version and its virtual keyboard. While some corporations have remained loyal to BlackBerry, RIM not only has to sell them on the new handsets, it also must persuade them to upgrade server software to accommodate the new operating system, a costly and time-consuming process. Companies whose employees continue to use older BlackBerrys will have to run two separate BlackBerry servers. Mr. Heins’s pitch to those corporations is that the BlackBerry 10 server software will also allow them to manage and control data on employees’ Android phones and iPhones. But any corporation or organization that allows those phones to connect with its systems long ago installed mobile device management software from other companies, including Good Technology and SAP. RIM is likely to find that the competition in device management software is as severe as it is in the handset business. This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: Correction: January 30, 2013 An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Frank Mersh is the chairman and a vice president at First Street Capital in Toronto. Mr. Mersh is the chairman and a vice president at Front Street Capital in Toronto. Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca

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INTEREST: Microsoft Reports Drop in Profit, Sales
by billing 25 Jan '13

25 Jan '13

...from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/technology/microsoft-reports-drop-in-prof… Microsoft Reports Drop in Profit By NICK WINGFIELD Published: January 24, 2013 FACEBOOK TWITTER GOOGLE+ SAVE E-MAIL SHARE PRINT REPRINTS SEATTLE — Microsoft’s biggest product in decades, Windows 8, helped lift sales of the company’s flagship operating system business, but not enough to rejuvenate overall growth. Enlarge This Image Don Emmert/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Microsoft’s pop-up store in Times Square was set up for the fall release of its Surface tablet, which was available only in the company stores until recently. Microsoft, based in Redmond, Wash., said on Thursday that its profit declined 4 percent in the holiday quarter as its entertainment and office divisions posted double-digit declines in revenue. While Microsoft has a sprawling portfolio of technology products, like the Xbox game console and programming tools, Windows 8 was its star offering over the holidays, the product’s first quarter on the market. Windows 8 features one of the most radical redesigns of the operating system, with a tile-based interface intended to take better advantage of computers with touch screens, including tablets. Apple’s iPad has been nipping into sales of low-end laptop computers for some time, a trend Microsoft and its partners in the PC business desperately want to stop. There have been mounting signs in recent weeks that sales of new computers running Windows 8 have been sluggish. This month, IDC reported that worldwide PC shipments declined 6.4 percent in the fourth quarter, as Windows 8 failed to reverse a slide in PC sales that continued throughout most of 2012. Microsoft’s sales of Windows, which powers the vast majority of personal computers, appeared to be healthier than those numbers would indicate. It said its revenue from its Windows business, which accounts for more than a quarter of total company revenue, rose 24 percent to $5.88 billion for the fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31. Those figures, however, included revenue from Windows sales before the product was officially available last November. Microsoft was required to defer that revenue because of accounting rules. Without it, Windows sales would have grown only 11 percent. While sales of Windows tend to closely track the performance of the PC market, Microsoft also sells Windows 8 upgrades to people who already have PCs. For the first time last quarter, the company’s Windows business also included sales of Microsoft’s own tablet computer, Surface, which it was not offering in the same period a year earlier. In an interview, Peter Klein, the chief financial officer of Microsoft, said that in some cases, sales of Windows 8 were hurt by the limited availability of computers with touch screens that more fully exploit the capabilities of the software: “We need to do more of those.” “I think we’ve learned a lot,” Mr. Klein said. “Business PCs are growing faster than consumer, emerging markets are growing faster than developed.” He declined to say how many Surface tablets Microsoft had sold, but he suggested the number was small because of the limited retail distribution of Surface, which was only available in Microsoft’s own stores until recently. The company said its net income for the quarter was $6.38 billion, or 76 cents a share, compared to $6.62 billion, or 78 cents a share, in the same period a year earlier. Revenue rose 3 percent to $21.46 billion from $20.89 billion a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, on average, had expected Microsoft to report earnings of 75 cents a share and revenue of $21.53 billion. The company’s shares were down 0.4 percent in after-hours trading. Microsoft’s results showed far more vitality in areas in which the company caters to big business customers, rather than consumers — a market that has eluded Microsoft many times over the years. Its best performing business was its server and tools division, which had a 9 percent increase in sales in the quarter. While its Office suite of applications showed weakness overall, as some customers delayed purchases ahead of the release of a new version of the product, business revenue from that division was up 2 percent and consumer revenue declined 2 percent, excluding deferred revenue. Other consumer-oriented divisions struggled, including entertainment and devices, the group dominated by the Xbox game console, which had an 11 percent decline in sales. Microsoft and its partners sold four times as many Windows Phones during the holiday quarter as they did a year earlier, Mr. Klein said. That is good news for Microsoft’s struggling mobile phone initiative, though the company still has a negligible share of the market. Revenue from Microsoft’s online services, which Bing is a part of, grew 11 percent, but the division continues to hemorrhage money. “It shows that Microsoft is evolving really into an enterprise software company,” said Bill Whyman, an analyst at ISI Group.

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INTEREST: Apple reports the largest corporate earnings in the history of the earth, stock down 10%
by Wayne Billing 23 Jan '13

23 Jan '13

…from: http://9to5mac.com/2013/01/23/apple-reports-the-largest-corporate-earnings-… Apple reports the largest corporate earnings in the history of the earth, stock down 10% Apple today posted its earnings for the final quarter of 2012, which was ‘disappointingly’ the largest corporate earnings year in human history by a tidy margin, causing many investors to panic as Apple clearly circles the drain in what will be the first step in a short road to the demise of the most valuable company in the world (If Exxon hasn’t indeed surpassed it tomorrow morning). Apple’s 13.1B in earnings this quarter was the 4th largest of all time according to the same metric. Apple stole the top-ranking spot on the corporate earnings list from ExxonMobil, who held the top three spots until this quarter, and was previously ousted by Apple as the world’s most valuable company. Apple’s stock has dropped nearly 11% in after-hours trading during the hour and a half earnings call, costing the company $50 billion in market value.

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FYI: Fwd: [C-REPS] REMINDER Wireless Access Update
by Wayne Billing 23 Jan '13

23 Jan '13

IST is making some changes in the wireless security. This will force an "accept this new certificate" dialog when you connect. The only information given is for Windows XP, Windows 7, and iOS devices. Presumably the same challenge will be given for an OS X machine using wireless connections. This change is happening tonight. Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne_Billing@umanitoba.ca> Begin forwarded message: From: Help and Solutions Centre <support(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:support@umanitoba.ca>> Subject: [C-REPS] REMINDER Wireless Access Update Date: 23 January, 2013 12:11:57 CST To: <ist-alerts(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:ist-alerts@lists.umanitoba.ca>>, um-compureps _lists.umanitoba.ca <um-compureps(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:um-compureps@lists.umanitoba.ca>>, <all-students(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:all-students@lists.umanitoba.ca>>, <all-employees(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:all-employees@lists.umanitoba.ca>> Information Service and Technology would like to inform users of an upcoming change to wireless access. There will be an update performed on January 23rd, 2013. When users first connect to wireless following the upgrade a new validation certificate message will be displayed. Please see the sample screenshots below. NOTE: You MUST ACCEPT the new certificate to be able to successfully use the wireless network. Windows XP [cid:image001.png@01CDF4B4.D61CBA70] Windows 7 [cid:image002.png@01CDF4B4.D61CBA70] iPhone / iPad [cid:image003.png@01CDF4B4.D61CBA70] Please contact the Help and Solutions Centre at 204 474 8600 for further information and assistance. IST Help & Solutions Centre 123 Fletcher Argue 204-474-8600 support(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:support@umanitoba.ca> To sign up for IST-Alerts please visit the following link: http://lists.umanitoba.ca/mailman/listinfo/ist-alerts Updated information is also available on Facebook, Twitter and the IST Blog. Please visit http://umanitoba.ca/ist/help and click on the corresponding links. _______________________________________ um-compureps mailing list um-compureps(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:um-compureps@lists.umanitoba.ca> http://lists.umanitoba.ca/mailman/listinfo/um-compureps

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INTEREST: Google phone by FOXCONN coming….
by Wayne Billing 17 Dec '12

17 Dec '12

...from: http://cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_42351.html Foxconn Allegedly Manufacturing Amazon’s Smartphone Model 2012/12/14 Taipei, Dec. 14, 2012 (CENS)--Foxconn International Holdings Ltd., an affiliate of Hon Hai Group, has allegedly manufactured a new smartphone model for Amazon on an exclusive basis, according to industry sources. Some smartphone parts makers involved in the supply of Amazon’s new smartphone model, which is scheduled to be launched between the second quarter and the third quarter of 2013 at a unit price of US$100-200, said that Foxconn is expected to ship as many as five million units of the new device in the year, given the fact that Amazon has shown ambition to extend its business reach to the fast-growing market after succeeding in diversifying from e-books and readers to tablet PCs to drive its growth. In fact, Foxconn has reportedly actively scrambled for Amazon’s contract order for the smartphone model earlier, in order to seek a new driver for its handset shipment after witnessing its major customers, such as Nokia, bested by other smartphone vendors. Now that Foxconn is reportedly working on Amazon’s smartphone, a couple of Taiwanese parts suppliers maintaining close business ties with the electronic contract manufacturer, including J Touch Corp. and Young Fast Optoelectronics Co., Ltd. (touch panel makers), are very likely to share the huge business pie. Market observers pointed out that Amazon has emerged as one of the most competitive players in the global market for mobile Internet devices, mostly thanks to its low pricing strategy. Backed by its huge loyal consumer base and successful marketing strategies, the U.S. brand is believed to quickly gain its ground in the segment for smartphones in the short term. In addition to the upcoming budget-priced smartphone model, the U.S. brand has been developing a new-edition Kindle Fire, which is scheduled to land on the market in the third quarter of 2013 and will be allegedly supplied by Quanta Computer Inc. and Compal Electronics Inc. (by Steve Chuang) Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne_Billing@umanitoba.ca>

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FYI: Fwd: [C-REPS] Discontinuation of Wireless 802.11b support
by Wayne Billing 04 Oct '12

04 Oct '12

Begin forwarded message: From: IST Help & Solutions Centre <support(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:support@umanitoba.ca>> Subject: [C-REPS] Discontinuation of Wireless 802.11b support Date: 4 October, 2012 10:56:23 CDT Information Services and Technology would like to inform users that 802.11b wireless support will be discontinued at 8am on Tuesday October 9th. Over the past four weeks, IST has been monitoring the wireless network for any 802.11b devices. Out of 8,000 wireless clients only three 802.11b devices had been identified. 802.11b was the first generation of the IEEE Wifi standard introduced in 1999. Most of the 802.11b-only clients are now being phased out in favor of 802.11a/g/n devices. 802.11g/n clients are greatly impacted by the presence of 802.11b clients using the same access point. The mechanism that allows the older and newer technologies to coexist reduces the overall efficiency of the wireless network. We thank you for your understanding. Should you have any questions or concerns please contact the IST Help & Solutions Centre. Updated information is also available on Facebook, Twitter and the IST Blog. Please visit http://umanitoba.ca/ist/help and click on the corresponding links. Thank you -- Help and Solutions Centre Information Services & Technology University of Manitoba 123 Fletcher Argue Ph: 474-8600 support(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:support@umanitoba.ca> Fax: 474-7983 http://umanitoba.ca/ist To view our hours of operation, or a map to our location, please see: http://www.umanitoba.ca/ist/help/schedule.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Help and Solutions Centre will never ask you to disclose your password to us nor will send you attachments without prior contact and approval. --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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INTEREST: EU set to charge Microsoft over 2009 breach
by Wayne Billing 27 Sep '12

27 Sep '12

As the release of Microsoft's Windows 8 approaches ...from: http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/27/microsoft-eu-idINDEE88Q06L20120927 EU set to charge Microsoft over ruling breach * Tweet<http://twitter.com/share> * Link this * Share this * <http://digg.com/submit?style=no&url=http%3A%2F%2Fin.reuters.com%2Farticle%2…> * Email * Print Related Topics * Tech »<http://in.reuters.com/news/technology> Stocks PICTURE GALLERY<http://in.reuters.com/news/pictures> <http://in.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=INRTR38E39> [Chai Time] Chai Time<http://in.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=INRTR38E39> >From the common man to celebrities, India’s tea-drinking tradition unites all. Slideshow<http://in.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=INRTR38E39> * Floods hit northeast India<http://in.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=INRTR38CT5#a> * Indian Graffiti<http://in.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=INRTR38E8E#a> * Psy's Gangnam style<http://in.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=INRTR38FYE> * Paris Fashion Week<http://in.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=INRTR38G0A> * Eating in India: Paan<http://in.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=INRTR38FA7> » Click here for more slideshows<http://in.reuters.com/news/pictures> [Monitors running Windows are pictured at the press center of the annual news conference of Bayer in Leverkusen February 28, 2012. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender/Files] By Karolina Slowikowska and Foo Yun Chee WARSAW/BRUSSELS | Thu Sep 27, 2012 5:49pm IST (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp will be charged for failing to comply with a 2009 ruling ordering it to offer a choice of web browsers, the European Union's antitrust chief said on Thursday, which could mean a hefty fine for the company. U.S.-based Microsoft's more than decade-long battle with the European Commission has already landed it with fines totalling more than a billion euros. The Commission, which opened an investigation into the issue in July, is now preparing formal charges against the company, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said. "The next step is to open a formal proceeding into the company's breach of an agreement. We are working on this," Almunia told reporters at a conference in Warsaw. "It should not be a long investigation because the company itself explicitly recognised its breach of the agreement," he said. This is the second time Microsoft has failed to comply with an EU decision. If found guilty of breaching EU rules, it could be penalised up to $7.4 billion or 10 percent of its revenues for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012. U.S. chipmaker Intel holds the record for the biggest ever fine at 1.06 billion euros, which was imposed in 2009 and represented 4.15 percent of its 2008 turnover. Keen to avoid more regulatory problems, Microsoft, the world's largest software company, has blamed the latest run-in with the EU watchdog on a technical glitch. Microsoft declined to comment on Thursday. MAKING AN EXAMPLE OF MICROSOFT Antitrust experts said regulators may use the case to deter other companies which do not follow through on their commitments. "They (regulators) would be looking to make an example, given the size or the company and the long-running saga. The size of the fine could be fairly significant," said antitrust lawyer Rachel Bickler at Brussels-based Nabarro. Market share of Microsoft's Internet Explorer in Europe has roughly halved since 2008 to 29 percent so far this year as it has lost clients mostly to Google's Chrome. Chrome controls 29.3 percent of the European browsing market, while Mozilla's Firefox has 30.3 percent of the market, according to web research firm Statcounter. Microsoft agreed nearly three years ago to allow European consumers better access to rival browsers in its Windows software, settling an antitrust case and avoiding a penalty. The company acknowledged its mistake in July, saying it was now distributing software with the browser option and also offered to extend the compliance period for an additional 15 months. Almunia also warned Google of a lengthy legal process ahead if it does not do more to soothe concerns that it may have undermined competitors. "If remedies offered by Google can eliminate our concerns, we will succeed in reaching an agreement. Otherwise, the legal road is a long one," he said on the sidelines of a forum on competition in the Polish capital. Google is in talks with the Commission to resolve concerns about its business practices, following complaints from Microsoft and other rivals.

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Fwd: [C-REPS] Ipad2 and ios6: WiFi problems?
by Wayne Billing 26 Sep '12

26 Sep '12

Some few WiFi connection problems have been reported after an upgrade to iOS6. Here's a discussion of some related issues that took place on another discussion list at the UofManitoba that may prove interesting to the Apple List as well.... Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 474-6649 474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne_Billing@umanitoba.ca> Begin forwarded message: Subject: Re: [C-REPS] Ipad2 and ios6 Date: 26 September, 2012 08:29:58 CDT To: Doug Hamilton <Doug.Hamilton(a)ad.umanitoba.ca<mailto:Doug.Hamilton@ad.umanitoba.ca>> Cc: um-compureps _lists.umanitoba.ca <um-compureps(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:um-compureps@lists.umanitoba.ca>> To add some empirical evidence...... due to matters unrelated to these concerns, I've had one iPhone and several iPads all with iOS6 that have not encountered WiFi problems since the upgrade..... but, then, we've got pretty solid WiFi signals "round here".... Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 474-6649 474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne_Billing@umanitoba.ca> On 2012-09-21, at 16:23 , Doug Hamilton wrote: Hello: This issue appears to be stemming from a check the iOS does to determine if it has a Internet connection, which involves successfully loading this URL (http://www.apple.com/library/test/success.html). Needless to say, this site was getting pounded into the dust on the day iOS 6 was released, and has resulted in some aggravation (to say the least). The problem usually presents thusly, [images.jpg] Rob mentioned the following, steps… • Open "Settings" and then choose -> general -> reset -> reset network settings Alternatively this may also fix the problem, 1. Open the "Settings" app. 2. Select "Wi-Fi", press on the small blue arrow next of the network you wish to join. 3. Scroll to the bottom and setting the HTTP Proxy to "Auto" 4. Lastly, try loading any webpage in Safari. Basically, you just need to get the iPad on-line once to load that URL mentioned above, and you should be good from then on. It may require taking your iPad home to use a more basic WiFi setup (i.e. not our WPA2-Enterprise) to achieve this connection. Hope this helps those still experience connectivity issues. Cheers ------------- Doug Hamilton, BA, MA, ASP Senior Apple Computer Consultant Computers-on-Campus; Univ. of Manitoba 204-474-6196 (Ph.) 204-474-7556 (Fax) http://www.umanitoba.ca/bookstore/computers/ On 2012-09-21, at 3:13 PM, Robert Dvorski <Robert.Dvorski(a)ad.umanitoba.ca<mailto:Robert.Dvorski@ad.umanitoba.ca>> wrote: Anyone see any wifi problems on iPad2 and ios6? I have an iPad in front of me that won't see any wifi networks. So far I've done power off/on and reset all settings. Googling the issue shows up various complaints about wifi and ios6.. Any input be great. - Sent from my Blackberry Robert V. Dvorski Shared Services Supervisor Help & Solutions Centre - Client Services Information Services & Technology University of Manitoba robert.dvorski(a)ad.umanitoba.ca<mailto:robert.dvorski@ad.umanitoba.ca> (204) 474-9865 _______________________________________ um-compureps mailing list um-compureps(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:um-compureps@lists.umanitoba.ca> http://lists.umanitoba.ca/mailman/listinfo/um-compureps [cid:79FD4AD5-DC08-46E5-9CE0-6F123D35A5C6@cc.umanitoba.ca][cid:EA620F49-6FCD-48E5-8E12-5CC47DF00178@cc.umanitoba.ca][cid:87A94E13-014A-4E7A-8B2C-37960E6D794F@cc.umanitoba.ca] _______________________________________ um-compureps mailing list um-compureps(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:um-compureps@lists.umanitoba.ca> http://lists.umanitoba.ca/mailman/listinfo/um-compureps

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INTEREST: Microsoft’s Lost Decade
by Wayne Billing 29 Jul '12

29 Jul '12

….from: http://m.vanityfair.com/business/2012/08/microsoft-lost-mojo-steve-ballmer BUSINESS<http://m.vanityfair.com/business> August 2012 Microsoft’s Lost Decade Once upon a time, Microsoft dominated the tech industry; indeed, it was the wealthiest corporation in the world. But since 2000, as Apple, Google, and Facebook whizzed by, it has fallen flat in every arena it entered: e-books, music, search, social networking, etc., etc. Talking to former and current Microsoft executives, Kurt Eichenwald finds the fingers pointing at C.E.O. Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates’s successor, as the man who led them astray. By Kurt Eichenwald<http://m.vanityfair.com/contributors/kurt-eichenwald> [cid:F5BF3918-6F8F-42A9-B72F-7DFD5424C44A] Photograph by Dan Gluskoter/EPA/landov. YOU TALKING TO ME? Microsoft C.E.O. Steve Ballmer delivers the keynote address at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, on January 9. To the saccharine rhythm of a Muzak clip, Steve Ballmer crouched into a tackling stance and dashed across a ballroom stage at the Venetian Las Vegas. A 20-foot wall of video screens flashed his name as the 55-year-old Microsoft chief executive bear-hugged Ryan Seacrest, the ubiquitous television and radio host, who had just introduced Ballmer’s keynote speech for the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show. More than 150,000 techies and executives were swarming the city’s hotels last January in the annual bacchanalia of cutting-edge gizmos and gadgets. Attendees ran from one vendor to the next, snapping up fistfuls of freebies, inhaling flavored oxygen, and rubbing elbows with stars such as LL Cool J and Justin Bieber. But this night, an air of discomfort filled the Palazzo Ballroom, where Ballmer was about to give the show’s opening presentation, one delivered by Microsoft’s C.E.O. for 14 of the previous 17 years—the first 11 by Bill Gates and the rest by Ballmer. Weeks earlier, the company had declared that this would be its final keynote—and, worse, that it wouldn’t even be back next year as an exhibitor to showcase new innovations. The timing for big news about its products, it said, didn’t match that of the annual high-tech pageant. Rumors had swirled throughout the day that Ballmer planned to go out in a blaze of glory, offering a peek at a yet-to-be-released stunner from a company whose recent innovations had too often been lackluster or worse. Instead, what emerged was a gonzo spectacle, structured as a confab between Seacrest and Ballmer. Cookie Monster showed up, as did a gospel choir that belted out a bizarre song composed entirely of random tweets shot into cyberspace by who-the-hell-knows. As for announcements of quantum leaps into the technological future: nothing. Ballmer applauded the still-long-awaited Windows 8 operating system (which as of this writing is available only as a release preview online). He burbled about his expectations for Xbox, the game console that successfully competed with Sony PlayStation. Out came Windows Phone 7 again, which, despite widespread praise from users, had experienced bleak sales results. A demo followed, which proved an embarrassment; the device’s voice-to-text messaging failed and then another glitch forced a Microsoft staffer to reach for a different phone. The media response was dismal—the company’s last presentation, a prominent blogger wrote, was a “cruel joke.” Microsoft’s low-octane swan song was nothing if not symbolic of more than a decade littered with errors, missed opportunities, and the devolution of one of the industry’s innovators into a “me too” purveyor of other companies’ consumer products. Over those years, inconsequential pip-squeaks and onetime zombies—Google, Facebook, Apple—roared ahead, transforming the social-media-tech experience, while a lumbering Microsoft relied mostly on pumping out Old Faithfuls such as Windows, Office, and servers for its financial performance. Amid a dynamic and ever changing marketplace, Microsoft—which declined to comment for this article—became a high-tech equivalent of a Detroit car-maker, bringing flashier models of the same old thing off of the assembly line even as its competitors upended the world. Most of its innovations have been financial debacles or of little consequence to the bottom line. And the performance showed on Wall Street; despite booming sales and profits from its flagship products, in the last decade Microsoft’s stock barely budged from around $30, while Apple’s stock is worth more than 20 times what it was 10 years ago. In December 2000, Microsoft had a market capitalization of $510 billion, making it the world’s most valuable company. As of June it is No. 3, with a market cap of $249 billion. In December 2000, Apple had a market cap of $4.8 billion and didn’t even make the list. As of this June it is No. 1 in the world, with a market cap of $541 billion. How did this jaw-dropping role reversal happen? How could a company that stands among the most cash-rich in the world, the onetime icon of cool that broke IBM’s iron grip on the computer industry, have stumbled so badly in a race it was winning? The story of Microsoft’s lost decade could serve as a business-school case study on the pitfalls of success. For what began as a lean competition machine led by young visionaries of unparalleled talent has mutated into something bloated and bureaucracy-laden, with an internal culture that unintentionally rewards managers who strangle innovative ideas that might threaten the established order of things. By the dawn of the millennium, the hallways at Microsoft were no longer home to barefoot programmers in Hawaiian shirts working through nights and weekends toward a common goal of excellence; instead, life behind the thick corporate walls had become staid and brutish. Fiefdoms had taken root, and a mastery of internal politics emerged as key to career success. In those years Microsoft had stepped up its efforts to cripple competitors, but—because of a series of astonishingly foolish management decisions—the competitors being crippled were often co-workers at Microsoft, instead of other companies. Staffers were rewarded not just for doing well but for making sure that their colleagues failed. As a result, the company was consumed by an endless series of internal knife fights. Potential market-busting businesses—such as e-book and smartphone technology—were killed, derailed, or delayed amid bickering and power plays. That is the portrait of Microsoft depicted in interviews with dozens of current and former executives, as well as in thousands of pages of internal documents and legal records. “They used to point their finger at IBM and laugh,” said Bill Hill, a former Microsoft manager. “Now they’ve become the thing they despised.” Today, Microsoft stands at a precipice, an all-or-nothing opportunity that may be Ballmer’s last chance to demonstrate to Wall Street that he is the right man with the right plan to lead the sprawling enterprise into the future. With Surface, the recently unveiled tablet, Windows 8, Windows Phone 7, Windows Server 2012, and Xbox 720 in the offing, he could be on the verge of proving his strategies—including last year’s controversial, $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype. But whether these succeed or not, executives say, the Microsoft of old, the nimble player that captured the passions of a generation of techies and software engineers, is dead and gone. “I see Microsoft as technology’s answer to Sears,” said Kurt Massey, a former senior marketing manager. “In the 40s, 50s, and 60s, Sears had it nailed. It was top-notch, but now it’s just a barren wasteland. And that’s Microsoft. The company just isn’t cool anymore.” Cool is what tech consumers want. Exhibit A: today the iPhone brings in more revenue than the entirety of Microsoft. No, really. One Apple product, something that didn’t exist five years ago, has higher sales than everything Microsoft has to offer. More than Windows, Office, Xbox, Bing, Windows Phone, and every other product that Microsoft has created since 1975. In the quarter ended March 31, 2012, iPhone had sales of $22.7 billion; Microsoft Corporation, $17.4 billion. …complete article at: http://m.vanityfair.com/business/2012/08/microsoft-lost-mojo-steve-ballmer

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INTEREST: MacWorld's take on Microsoft's SURFACE tablet announcement
by billing 27 Jun '12

27 Jun '12

….from: http://www.macworld.com/article/1167334/looking_at_microsofts_surface_from_… Looking at Microsoft's Surface from an iPad perspective Impressive as some features may be, Microsoft’s tablet won’t threaten the iPad by Lex Friedman, Macworld.com Jun 19, 2012 1:00 pm Microsoft on Monday unveiled its new Surface, a tablet computer it says is “coming soon,” and one clearly aimed at competing directly with the iPad. The Surface is a touchscreen tablet with a 10.6-inch high definition screen. It will run Windows 8 Pro or Windows RT (more on that in a moment)—using the tile-based operating system familiar to Windows Phone users. What Microsoft demonstrated on stage at its press event looked interesting. At least, some of it did. There were clever bits of innovation—most specifically, the Smart Cover-esque Touch Cover and Type Cover. Each connects magnetically to the Surface to protect its screen, and each can trigger the same sleep/wake behavior that the iPad Smart Cover (and now, the Smart Case) achieves. The innovative part is that the covers double as keyboards for the Surface: The thinner Touch Cover uses a multitouch keyboard—the keys don’t move under your fingers, but you can rest your fingers on them without typing. The thicker Type Cover uses actual buttons. No one outside of Microsoft has had the chance to use one of the Surface covers in tandem with a functioning Surface just yet, so it’s hard to say how well the setup works. Still, integrating a keyboard into the cover is an awfully clever idea, and Apple has never been shy about improving upon innovations from elsewhere—see the original Mac OS, the iPod, and Notification Center for examples from three different eras in the company’s history. Some Surface elements, however, don’t seem likely to catch Apple’s eye: The integrated kickstand seemingly defines the Surface as a landscape-orientation only device, and isn’t compatible with the smooth aesthetic Apple favors. Of course, we won’t really know how good (or not) the Surface is until we can truly get our hands on a functioning version of the device. In the near-term, though, while Apple might be intrigued, I doubt Cupertino is ablaze with panic in the aftermath of Microsoft’s Surface unveiling. For one thing, the Surface is saddled with various elements that scream “Microsoft.” Most prominently, it will be sold with two different underlying architectures: an Intel-based model running Windows 8 Pro, and an ARM-processor-based model running Windows RT. Both models will be heavier than the iPad, though the Windows RT version may end up being slightly thinner than the iPad, Microsoft says. Only the Windows 8 Pro surface can run regular Windows apps in addition to touch-optimized ones. The two models will come in different size configurations. iPad purchasing isn’t without complexity of its own: Customers need to choose whether to get Wi-Fi-only models or cellular versions, and then between two different cellular carriers in the U.S. Microsoft didn’t announce any plans to include cellular connectivity in the Surface. Both Surfaces will feature a USB port, Mini DisplayPort, and a micro-SD card slot. There’s plenty of real-world use for those ports, but again, it’s exceedingly unlikely that Apple would add such features to the iPad—so those likely don’t intimidate Apple much, either. And, true to Microsoft’s seeming goal to satisfy all use cases, the Surface will ship with a stylus, too. In truth, though, Apple’s head start here is enormous. The App Store includes 225,000 third-party apps for the iPad; there are currently zero third-party apps designed for the Surface. While Microsoft will surely court the largest app makers and encourage them to develop for its platform, that’s not always an easy sell. For some customers, a tablet must run some flavor of Windows to interest them. Apple’s never going to win those customers over, and needn’t worry about them. For everyone else, there’s the iPad, a series of also-ran not-iPads, and the better-faring ebook tablet market dominated by the Kindle Fire and Nook Color. Microsoft’s Surface will need to get a wide customer base to motivate app makers to develop for it—the same Catch-22 that continues to hamper acceptance of Windows Phone. And there are two other key elements that the Surface still lacks: a ship date and a price. The former isn’t too important; no tablet maker has yet threatened the iPad’s strong hold on the market, and Microsoft can’t really get further behind than “very, very behind” as it already is. The price point, though, is hugely significant. If Microsoft can’t compete with the iPad’s $499 starter price—let alone the iPad 2’s $399 price tag—it’s hard to imagine how, barring huge as-yet-unannounced innovations, it could threaten Apple much at all. Now, if your core business model is making Yet Another Android Tablet that looks like an iPad but is demonstrably inferior, I think you’re right to feel a bit nervous that Microsoft is making a play here. And I wouldn’t be shocked if the ultrabook market finds that Windows customers prefer the Surface’s approach. So even if Apple needn’t be worried just yet, I think a few of the competitors it shares with Microsoft ought to be. [On the surface, Lex Friedman is a Macworld staff writer.]

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INTEREST: INTEL broadens its reach in wireless realm
by Wayne Billing 18 Jun '12

18 Jun '12

INTEL (the chip maker) recently announced its first cell phone, the: "...3G-enabled Xolo X900<http://www.xolo.in/> running Android [on an INTEL Atom chip] will go on sale in [India] on April 23 and cost 22,000 Indian rupees, or about $425, without a cellphone plan..." - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2403300,00.asp This week Intel announced they will be purchasing 1,700 wireless technology patents for $375 million from InterDigital. This purchase is said to include aspects of technologies relating to 3G, WCDMA, HSDPA, HUSPA, LTE and 802.11 WiFi connections. …from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/18/us-interdigital-intel-idUSBRE85H1… Intel to buy InterDigital patents for $375 million [The Intel logo is advertised on the side of a computer box as a customer pushes a shopping cart at an electronic store in Phoenix, Arizona November 4, 2009. REUTERS/Joshua Lott] NEW YORK | Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:26pm EDT (Reuters) - InterDigital Inc said on Monday it had agreed to sell to Intel Corp about 1,700 wireless technology patents for $375 million, sending InterDigital shares up 29 percent. The companies said they expect the deal to close in the third quarter. Intel is currently pushing to expand its chip business beyond computers and into mobile devices. InterDigital said in January it would keep looking for buyers for its patent portfolio after it failed to find one for the whole company. In July 2011, InterDigital said it was looking into a possible sale of the company or its patents in the hope that other big patent deals would boost its value. InterDigital shares were up $6.73 or 29 percent at $29.61 on Nasdaq<http://www.reuters.com/finance/markets/index?symbol=us!comp> after the news. (Reporting By Sinead Carew<http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=sinead.carew&>; Editing by Maureen Bavdek and David Gregorio<http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=david.gregorio&>)

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INTEREST: One nano-SIM to rule them all: new, smaller SIM coming to phones and tablets
by Billing Wayne 02 Jun '12

02 Jun '12

…from: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/06/one-nano-sim-to-rule-them-all-apple-… One nano-SIM to rule them all: Apple submission approved as standard The ETSI decision will open the door for thinner and more capable phones. by Jacqui Cheng - June 1 2012, 11:55am CDT Apple wants to put old and busted SIMs in a landfill and replace them with a newer, smaller nano-SIM. The nano-SIM design proposed by Apple has been approved by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), opening the door for the creation of even smaller SIM cards and the continued shrinking of smartphone hardware. ETSI announced its decision on Friday morning, choosing Apple's submission over proposals from Motorola, RIM, and Nokia. The new SIM card design is the fourth form factor (4FF) and is 40 percent smaller than the micro-SIM that is currently popular in today's cell phones. The exact dimensions of the nano-SIM will be 12.3mm wide, 8.8mm high, and 0.67mm thick (0.48" x 0.35" x 0.03"), according to ETSI. And, when it hits the market, it will be packaged so that it's backwards compatible with slots designed to fit the current micro-SIM. This will enable the new SIM to work with older handsets while phone manufacturers work to develop newer hardware that can take advantage of the smaller dimensions. "Today's SIM card designs take up a significant amount of space inside a mobile device," ETSI said in a statement. "This space is more and more valuable in today's handsets which deliver an ever-increasing number of features." Although Apple's design had the support of a number of European cell carriers, the competition among the companies was quite fierce. RIM, Nokia, and Motorola all argued that their own designs would cause less damage to a handset when inserted, therefore making them superior to Apple's design. Nokia even went so far as to say that it would refuse to license Apple's standards-essential patents if it won. "We believe that Apple is mis-using the standardization process, seeking to impose its own proprietary solution on the industry and using ETSI merely to rubber stamp its proposal, rather than following established principles and practices," Nokia said in a statement in March of this year. "We have informed ETSI that, if Apple's proposal is selected, then Nokia will not license its relevant patents to that standard." This was despite the fact that Apple wrote in a letter to ETSI that it would offer royalty-free licenses for its nano-SIM design. Still, Apple did end up making some changes to its design last month in response to the controversy, as did RIM and Motorola. In fact, both sides ended up inching toward each other so much with their modifications that Apple's newly approved design is only different from RIM/Motorola's in minuscule ways. Both 4FF SIMs are the same dimensions on the outside, but RIM/Motorola's differs because it has a notch that would allow handsets to use "push-push" designs instead of sliding trays for the SIM cards. ("Push-push" allows you to push the SIM into the slot, and then push it again in order to get it to pop out.) (Update: this paragraph originally stated that Apple's design was the one with the notch, which was backwards. It has since been corrected.) ETSI didn't specifically name Apple as the winner in its announcement on Friday, but as noted byMacworld, the winner of the ETSI decision was identified by a member of the committee, Giesecke & Devrient. ETSI has also declined to comment on how the decision was made, which is unfortunate since many argue that the notched design would have been superior to the tray design. "We now have an ETSI standardized format for 4FF," the group said in a statement to The Verge. "It's no longer a question of one company or another, the industry has collectively made a decision." As for what the decision means for consumers, some will care about the shrinking SIM specifications and most others will remain completely oblivious. What most consumers will see in the coming years will be smaller and thinner handsets—as we know from various teardowns of popular smartphones, manufacturers tend to pack them as tightly as they can with components in order to keep physical size to a minimum. A 40-percent-smaller SIM means phone manufacturers can continue to reduce handset bulk, or even add newer components that might need a little more space. As for Nokia, it seems the company has come around from its original position on Apple's design—sort of. "Nokia continues to believe that the selected nano-SIM proposal is technically inferior and not suitable for a number of applications, but the ETSI Smart Card Platform Technical Committee has now made its decision," the company said in a statement. "As Nokia believes that ETSI has taken steps to address Nokia's original concerns over the standardization process, we have advised ETSI that we are prepared to license any Nokia patents which are essential to implement the standard, on [fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory] terms."

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Apple Details iOS Security Features in New Guide
by Andre Worms 01 Jun '12

01 Jun '12

Article https://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/apple-details-ios-security-features-new-… PDF http://images.apple.com/ipad/business/docs/iOS_Security_May12.pdf Andre Worms IT Support Specialist Help and Solutions Centre Client Services, IST University of Manitoba (204) 474-8400 Andre.Worms(a)ad.umanitoba.ca

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INTEREST: Tim Cook: the modern tablet, only the best, "We’re going to double down on secrecy on products…"
by billing 29 May '12

29 May '12

…from: http://allthingsd.com/20120529/live-apple-ceo-tim-cooks-first-time-in-the-h… Liveblog: Apple CEO Tim Cook in the Hot Seat at D MAY 29, 2012 AT 5:00 PM PT While he has presided over a number of events since taking over as Apple CEO last year, Tuesday night promises to offer a new look inside the mind of Tim Cook. Cook, as Steve Jobs did several times during his career, is taking the stage at D: All Things Digital for an in-depth sit-down with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg. Cook’s appearance will kick off the conference, which runs through Thursday in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. There’s a ton to talk about, from Cook’s vision for the company to Apple’s plans for the living room and his views on China’s labor practices. The onstage interview won’t be livestreamed, but AllThingsD will have live coverage starting around 6:30 pm PT. 5:48 pm: So, Tim Cook probably won’t hit the stage until close to 6:30, but there will be some fun opening festivities once the conference kicks off at 6:00 p.m. So grab a beverage and come back to your computer, tablet, e-reader or other device of choice. 6:00 pm: The crowd is being asked to take a seat. 6:07 pm: Things are kicking off with News Corp. COO Chase Carey. Carey notes it has been 20 years of @waltmossberg ‘s tech column, 10 years of D: All Things Digital and 5 years of AllThingsD.com 6:09 pm: And here come Walt and Kara, preceded by clips from the first 10 D conferences. Man, Kara has had some great hair styles over the years. Interesting trivia: the signature on-stage chairs have been there since the first year, but they were black at D1 and red ever since. 6:12 pm: Now, the real Walt and Kara take the stage. “That was like a cavalcade of bad haircuts for me,” Kara said. To celebrate 10 years they bring out a Safeway cake (missing a piece) along with a party popper. “That’s crappy,” Kara said. We are unimpressed, Kara tells the actor. Out comes Jane Lynch, harassing Rupert Murdoch for his poor planning. “I have a back-up plan as I always do,” Lynch said. Cue the gospel choir. Yes, we have an actual gospel choir kicking off D10. That’s how we roll. They are singing an amazing rendition of the Beatles “A hard day’s night.” I think this is a sign Apple will announce a deal with the Beatles. Oh wait, they already did that. 6:19 pm: Naturally, now there is a marching band. It’s a marching band from a local high school in Palos Verdes, Calif. playing “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Now, this is an entrance. 6:20 pm: More trivia: the actor that brought out the original dud of a cake was actorLarry Scott who played Lamar Latrell in the Revenge of the Nerds movies. Jane Lynch intros her good friend, “Kate,” err Kara along with Walt. 6:22 pm: And, here he is, Apple CEO Tim Cook. “I would have never agreed to follow that act if you had told me,” Cook said. On his time as Apple CEO “I’m loving every minute of it.” He says he’s never been as amazed by all”the things I cannot talk about today.” The juices are flowing and we have some incredible things coming out. 6:25 pm: Cook talks about the reception that the iPad is getting from people of all ages, across consumers, business and education. The iPad has just been unbelievable. It’s just the first inning. It’s only been two years. As for the Mac, it continues to outgrow the market quarter after quarter. Walt notes that is admittedly from a small base. “We’re never going to make the most personal computers. I don’t see that. But we are going to continue to make the best.” 6:26 pm: Cook credits the iPod for introducing many, many people to the Mac. Cook noted that was largely just in the developed world, but the iPhone is what took the company into China, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Russia. “The world opened all of a sudden.” The iPad is continuing that. “The world has met Apple,” he said, adding that it is just the first question. So what’s the second inning? What’s on tap for Apple’s developer conference. “That’s a great question,” Cook said. “I’m not going to answer it.” He does promise that people will like it. Cook reckons that there are a lot of people that use their iPad more than their computer. Cook says he does, and he loves his Mac. 6:29 pm: Walt points out that Microsoft is taking a different approach, putting a single operating system on tablets, PCs and devices that are a hybrid of the two. What’s wrong with that? Cook: “In my view the tablet and the PC are different. You can do things with the tablet if you are not encumbered by the legacy of the PC.” Cook says that isn’t the only way to do tablets but says Apple’s approach doesn’t require all that. “We didn’t invent the tablet market,” he notes. “It was there. We invented the modern tablet.” Cook says that supporting the past requires lifting leg weights. “Products are about trade-offs and you have to make tough decisions. You have to choose.” Microsoft, for its part, has pitched Windows 8 as a “no-compromise” operating system. 6:32 pm: Cook makes his analogy of merging the toaster and the refrigerator, saying that someone may merge the two but it won’t be Apple. That’s not what is coming next week, he says. If you merge the two the PC isn’t as good as it can be, nor is the tablet. 6:33 pm: Walt: How is Apple different with you as the CEO? “I learned a lot from Steve. It was absolutely the saddest days of my life when he passed away.” At some point late last year, I sort of, somebody kind of shook me and said, it’s time to get on. That sadness was replaced by hhis intense determination to continue the journey.” 6:34 pm: What did I learn from him? Focus. “You can only do so many things great and you should cast aside everything else.” Cook said not accepting things good or very good but only the best. “That’s embedded in Apple.” I’m not going to witness or permit the change of that. He also taught me the joy is in the journey and that was a revelation for me. Cook also made a reference to the fact that Jobs stressed the importance of owning the key underlying technologies. As for moving on, Cook said. “I love museums but I don’t want to live in one.” 6:37 pm: Cook said he is committed to preserving the culture of Apple. “It is not that easy to duplicate, either, Cook said. “If they could, everybody would be like this,” Cook said. “You can’t get a consultant report” and change to be like Apple. 6:38 pm: Cook said that Jobs told him not to ask what Steve would have done? He looked at me with those intense eyes that only he had and said just do what’s right. “I’m doing that. Does that mean something would be different Of course. But he was the best person at doing that.” Cook notes that Jobs was well known for doing a 180-degree turn if needed, without ever letting on that he had advocated the opposite. 6:40 pm: One of the things Apple has done is start an employee charity donation matching program. Cook said that he subscribes to the notion that “to whom much is given, much is expected.” Matching employee donations allows Apple to do good without having to form lots of committees, etc. “I think we can do even more so we are looking at some things. Maybe that is a change.” Cook said Jobs knew about that program before he died. “He was for it.” He notes Apple will invest a lot in new products and stores and other things he won’t talk about. “We’ve got a little bit left over and we should share it.” So will Apple be less secret, Walt asks. “We’re going to double down on secrecy on products,” he said. But, other things, he said, Apple will be the most transparent company. Supplier reponsibility, environmental issues, etc. “In this area I want people to copy us.” 6:43 pm: On China, Kara notes, you have many critics, and not just fictional ones (a reference to Mike Daisey). Why doesn’t Apple have own factories in China? Cook: We decided a decade ago there were things Apple could do best and that there were other things that somebody else can do as well or better. “Manufacturing was one of those,” Cook said, adding later, “I think that’s still true.” As for China, Cook notes that Apple has been working to reduce overtime. That, he said, is tricky. “Some people want to work a lot. They want to move and work for a year or two and then move back to their village and bring back as much money as they can.” Apple, he said, now has 95 percent compliance and is tracking 700,000 workers in China. “I don’t know anyone else (that) is doing this,” Cook said. “We’re micromanaging this.” 6:46 pm: Walt notes Apple used to have factories in the U.S. He asks if Apple ever envisions having big manufacturing in the U.S.? “I want there to be,” Cook said. This is not well known, Cook said, but the engine for the iPhone and the iPad are built in the U.S. in Austin. The glass is made in a plant in Kentucky. There’s an intense focus on the final assembly, Cook said, but a lot of the value is in the different materials. On the assembly piece, could that be done in the U.S., “I hope so, someday,” Cook said, but he notes the tool and die industry has shrunk dramatically. “There are things we can do and that’s what we are working on,” Cook said. “We should do more semiconductor things in the U.S.” 6:51 pm: One thing that has changed a lot since the first D Conference, Cook said, is the explosion of mobile apps, which he said is a huge industry that has grown up in the U.S. “It’s big enough to be in the Bureau of Labor Statistics.” So why be in the computer business, Kara asks? “I don’t see the tablet replacing the need for all PCs,” Cook said. But, he notes it may slow the replacement cycle for computers. Kara asks about the patent wars. Is it a probelme for innovation “Well it is a pain in the ass,” Cook said. He says Apple can’t afford to paint a painting and then have someone else sign their name to it. “From our point of view, it is important for Apple not be the developer for the world,” Cook said. “We just want other people to invent their own stuff.” Walt, but lots of folks are suing Apple too. Cook acknowledges that, but says there is a difference. “The vast majority of those are on standards-essential patents,” Cook said. “This is an area where the patent system is broken today. Microsoft has a similar beef with Motorola. “No one should be able to get an injunction off a standards-essential patent,” he said. Apple has not sued anyone over standards-essential patents that we own, Cook said. This was never the intention of a standards-essential patent. If you add up all the money that people feel they are owed for such patents, he said that no one could afford to be in the phone business. “It’s kind of gotten crazy,” he said. “It’s not going to stop us from innovating but it’s overhead. It’s overhead that I wish didn’t exist.” Apple recently had court-ordered settlement talks with Samsung, but Cook said he couldn’t comment on those per the magistrate’s order. Kara: So what do you think of Google’s painting. Cook demurs. “I love Apple’s painting,” he said. 6:58 pm: How do you look at competitive landscape when it comes to smartphones, Kara asks. “I wouldn’t say we dominate it,” he said. “I’d say we have the best phone.” There are two big ones, Android and iOS, Cook said. Windows Phone is just really coming to the market, he said. “We’ll see how they do.” Then you have RIM that is still serving some large number of enterprise customers. The momentum right now are in the first two. “Will That change? Anything can change. The smartphone revolution is still in the early stages.” Huge opportunity still he said, noting in a few years there will be few phones that aren’t smart. 7:01 pm: Walt notes that Android makers are focusing on fewer models than in the past. “I wonder where they got that idea,” Cook said. What about Apple, Walt says, noting it only has one new iPhone at a time, as contrasted with the Mac and iPad. Why don’t you have more than one iPhone and more than one iPad and is there any chance you might? “Our North Star is to make the best product,” Cook said, adding that Apple doesn’t design products for schedules. There’s not a policy or commandment that ‘Thou shalt have One.’ ” “If we find that we can do more, great.” Cook notes Apple approach avoids fragmentation with one screen size and one App Store with one policy. 7:04 pm: Walt: Why not make a $99 iPhone? “Who knows what we will do in the future?” Cook said. “I am not going to conjecture.” He said that with the iPod, Apple didn’t set out to cover all the price points, but instead found it could build a lot of great products. That, he said, was the result, but not the goal. “Whenever we can do fantastic products and they yield great price points,” that’s great, he said. 7:06 pm: Kara turns to another topic — TV. Steve talked a lot in his last appearance here about wanting to change TV. Cook notes that Apple has stayed in Apple TV business even without a huge hit. “We’re not a hobby kind of company, as you know.” The company tends to put a lot of wood behind a few arrows. “We’ve stuck in this.” “It’s not a fifth leg of the stool. It’s not of the same market size of the phone business or the Mac business or the music business or the tablet business.” Sold 2.8 million last year and sold nearly that many in the first few months of the year. “This is an area of intense interest for us,” Cook said. “We are going to keep pulling the string and see where this takes us,” Cook said. 7:09 pm: Walt — what about a TV set. Cook: “You were right. I’m not going to tell you.” Walt, hypothetically, can TV be improved with just a box and leaving the panel to others? Cook: “We would look not just at this area, but other areas and ask can we control the key technology? Can we make a significant contribution far beyond what others have done in this area. Can we make a product that we all want… Those are all the things we would ask about any new product category.” Kara: Is Apple TV good enough? Cook: It’s more something where you keep pulling the string to see where it goes. Walt and Cook disagree over whether there is or isn’t a lot of content on there. Walt says that Apple is not solving every problem with the current Apple TV. “I agree,” Cook said “Kara, what question did you have,” Cook said, hoping to change the topic. Kara: How is your relationship with Hollywood? “We have very good relationships with the content owners,” Cook, said. “We don’t want their stuff to be ripped off.” Apple, he said, took the same approach with music. Cook noted that there was a generation that didn’t think it should have to pay for music but that would have led to no artists. Plus, of Hollywood, he said. “These guys have been buying Macs forever. There is a level of trust in those relationships. Steve bought us even closer because he also owned a content business for a while [Pixar].” Kara: What is their biggest complaint of Apple “I don’t know,” Cook said. “I’ve met with several of them recently. They were talking about what more we could do with them” rather than some issue. 7:16 pm: Walt: Are you working on some new kind of content business? Cook: “Kara, What question did you have?” Kara repeats Walt’s question. “I don’t think Apple has to own a content business,” Cook said. “We haven’t had an issue for the most part getting content.” “This is an area where Apple partnering well is the right approach.” The best thing Apple can do, he said, is make a great vehicle for selling content. “The consumer loves it because they can get it where they want it, when they want it.” 7:18 pm: Walt: W “Facebook is a great company. I have great appreciation for them.” Walt, but yet Twitter is integrated and Facebook is not. Why not? “I think the relationship is very solid,” Cook said. “We have great respect for them. I think we can do more with them. Just stay tuned on this one.” Are thy still onerous “They have their way of doing things, but people could say the same thing about us.” “Because you have a point of view doesn’t mean you can’t work with someone?” Kara: Do you see more acquisitions in the future? “We continue to buy companies,” Cook said. THey are not ones we seek to make public.” Kara: Don’t you have to eventually? “It depends on the amount. If I don’t have to, I won’t.” That’s part of the doubling down on secrecy. Kara: Did you look at Instagram? “We didn’t look at Instagram.” As for other big ones? “I wouldn’t rule it out. We’re not looking at a big one right now, but I wouldn’t rule it out.” We haven’t bought a company for revenue stream, he said. “It’s not how we are wired,” he said. Walt notes Apple bought Siri, which actually demoed at D before Apple acquired them. Siri, Walt said, is great when it works, but doesn’t work a lot of the time. That’s not what a lot of people have come to think about Apple products. What’s going on with that. Cook: “Customers love it. It’s one of the most popular features of iPhone 4S. But there’s more that it can do and we have a lot of people working on this. And I think you will be really pleased with some of the things you see over the coming months on this. We have some cool ideas about what Siri can do. We have a lot going on on this.” […more…]

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INTEREST: Green Apple…er…. Apple getting Greener…..
by Wayne Billing 17 May '12

17 May '12

…from: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/apple-breaks-ground-on-second-solar-farm… http://www.apple.com/environment/renewable-energy/ Apple breaks ground on second solar farm for North Carolina data center By Joseph Volpe<http://www.engadget.com/editor/joseph-volpe> [cid:001B186B-2B4C-42E2-AC50-D3705B2F6EAF] <http://www.engadget.com/editor/joseph-volpe/rss.xml> posted May 17th 2012 5:26PM [onsite_map.jpg] [cid:69939E53-D372-488D-A89D-9AE7E5D9CC4E] [cid:DCC9F988-516A-457A-81FE-93C4C0152711] [Image]<http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/apple-breaks-ground-on-second-solar-farm…> Last February, Apple<http://www.engadget.com/tag/apple/> came clean about its efforts to clean up the environment<http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/20/apples-2012-enviromental-report-reveals-…>, detailing intentions to make its Maiden, NC data facility<http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/23/apple-tells-shareholders-north-carolina-…> a greener place. That site, already home to one solar farm, is now set to host a second 20 megawatt photovoltaic array spanning 100 acres, a one-two power punch that'll jointly generate 84 million kWh annually. Combined with the company's in-development biofuel cell plant, scheduled for opening later this year, that theoretic yield should hit the 124 million kWh mark -- an amount sufficient to power nearly 11,000 households -- providing 60 percent of the center's electric demands. Still, that's not enough to adequately keep operations afloat, so for that very necessary, leftover 40 percent, the house that Jobs built plans to purchase similar clean energy from outside local sources. When all is finally up and running smoothly, the southern facility will earn the distinction of "most environmentally sound data center ever built." Or, at least until another well-heeled competitor comes along to contest that title. Now that's a friendly competition we can get behind.

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INTEREST: Security company KASPERSKY exec turns tattle-tale.....
by Wayne Billing 15 May '12

15 May '12

…..Apple has hired Kaspersky Labs (a maker of ant-virus software) to help them analyze what security vulnerabilities OS X has. The Kaspersky CTO has begun "talking out of class" about those vulnerabilities as the analysis proceeds; also, doesn't seem to know who owns JAVA and thinks Apple is responsible for fixing it……. …from: http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2174190/apple-vulnerable-claims-kaspers… Apple OS "really vulnerable", claims Kaspersky Lab CTO * * * * inShare<http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2174190/apple-vulnerable-claims-kaspers…>17 * By Stuart Sumner<http://www.computing.co.uk/author/profile/1484/stuart-sumner> 14 May 2012 Comments: 4<http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2174190/apple-vulnerable-claims-kaspers…> [apple-store-2] Apple has invited security company Kaspersky Lab to advise it on the security of its Mac OS<http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2174190/apple-vulnerable-claims-kaspers…> – according to the security provider's chief technology officer. Speaking exclusively to Computing, Kaspersky CTO Nikolai Grebennikov said his firm had recently begun the process of analysing the Mac<http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2174190/apple-vulnerable-claims-kaspers…> OS platform at Apple's request. Further reading * Apple should open up iOS within a year, says Kaspersky CTO<http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2079758/apple-ios-kaspersky-cto> * Apple releases tool to tackle Flashback malware<http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2167719/apple-releases-tool-tackle-flas…> * Apple fixes 81 security flaws with iOS 5.1 update<http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2158748/apple-fixes-81-security-flaws-i…> "Mac OS is really vulnerable," he claimed, "and Apple<http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2174190/apple-vulnerable-claims-kaspers…> recently invited us to improve its security. We've begun an analysis of its vulnerabilities, and the malware targeting it," said Grebennikov. Grebennikov claimed that, in his personal view, Apple does not take security seriously enough. "Our first investigations show Apple doesn't pay enough attention to security. For example, Oracle closed a vulnerability in Java, which was a target for a major botnet several months ago." Earlier this year, a botnet of 600,000 Macs was found to have been infected by the flashback Trojan<http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2167719/apple-releases-tool-tackle-flas…>, which exploited the Java vulnerability. "Apple blocked Oracle from updating Java on Mac OS, and they perform all the udpates themselves. They only released the patch a few weeks ago – two or three months after the Oracle patch. That's far too long," he said. Grebennikov pointed to the existence of the botnet as evidence that Apple needs help with its security. "This botnet, which the security community identified, is a huge sign that Apple's security model isn't perfect," he said. Kaspersky has often been quoted as criticising the security of various Apple platforms, and now will have the opportunity to improve at least one of them. This appears to be the successful culmination of a long-term Kaspersky strategy to work with Apple. A year ago<http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2079758/apple-ios-kaspersky-cto>, Grebennikov told Computing that Apple could not hope to keep its mobile platform iOS locked down without outside expertise. While he admitted that no iOS-specific malware has yet been identified, Grebennikov stated that he expects to see iPads and iPhones being infected by malware in the next year. "Our experience tells us that in the near future, perhaps in a year or so, we will see the first malware targeting iOS."

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INTEREST: (US) Judge Rules You Can’t Be (Definitively) Identified by Your IP Address
by Wayne Billing 11 May '12

11 May '12

…from: http://gizmodo.com/5907290/judge-rules-you-cant-be-definitively-identified-… Judge Rules You Can’t Be (Definitively) Identified by Your IP Address Common sense dictates that an IP address is just a number associated with a connection, and not a human being. Copyright crusaders aren't exactly known for loads of common sense and rationality. Thankfully, a New York judge has ruled<http://torrentfreak.com/judge-an-ip-address-doesnt-identify-a-person-120503/> that an IP address alone is not enough to pin illegal downloads on a specific person. The ruling comes in the context of mass torrent lawsuits that just dump thousands of IP addresses into the court and charge everyone associated with them. Cases like the Hurt Lockersuit filed against 5,000 people for downloading the movie. Judge Gary Brown's ruling isn't the first to point out that these cases are idiotic, since there is no practical way to efficiently tie that many address to the specific individuals doing the downloading, but it's by far the most detailed. We've embedded the full ruling below. …more info and the full ruling by Judge Gary brown can be found at the above link….

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PERSPECTIVE: Security firm claims Mac security fall short may be exaggerated
by Wayne Billing 27 Apr '12

27 Apr '12

…from: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2012/04/kaspersky-trolls-apple-claims-mac… Security firm claims Mac security is "10 years behind" Microsoft By Chris Foresman | Published a day ago Not content to dispel the "myth" that Macs are impervious to malware last week, Kaspersky Lab CEO Eugene Kaspersky is sounding the Mac malware alarm again this week. During the Info Security 2012 conference, he claimed that Apple is 10 years behind Microsoft on the security front. "I think [Apple is] ten years behind Microsoft in terms of security," Kaspersky told CBR. "For many years I've been saying that from a security point of view there is no big difference between Mac and Windows. It's always been possible to develop Mac malware, but [Flashback] was a bit different. For example, it was asking questions about being installed on the system and, using vulnerabilities, it was able to get to the user mode without any alarms." Kaspersky suggested that OS X's relatively low incidence of malware over the last decade has caused Apple to fall behind, while the abundance of viruses, worms, and trojans targeting Windows forced Microsoft to step up its game. There's some truth behind that thinking—Windows 7 is by far the most secure operating system Redmond has built. But Apple hasn't entirely rested on its laurels for the last ten years. The company has added malware detection to OS X, continued to remove default installs of popular exploit vectors like Flash and Java, and added features like address space layout randomization (ASLR) and sandboxing to prevent one application exploit from affecting the whole system. Furthermore, Apple intends to improve security in the next version of OS X, dubbed Mountain Lion. Features like ASLR and sandboxing will have a more robust implementation in Mountain Lion. Meanwhile, Apple is also adding a new feature called GateKeeper, which allows users to limit software installs to either the Mac App Store or to only verified developers. The recent hubbub over the Flashback trojan has certainly raised concerns over the security of OS X, and we agree that Apple could do more to be responsive to malware threats when they are discovered. But to suggest Apple is "10 years behind" belies the efforts it has made to secure the OS from different angles.

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