With the iPad poised to be another money making device for Apple, you might be interested in a few of their devices that did not do so great.
Fox News has a pictorial history of Apple’s not so popular devices. Click here.
How many did you own?
The great thing about Apple is there is always an interesting rumor floating around about an upcoming gadget or event. As I noted in an earlier post, Apple is rumored to announce a new tablet device based on its popular iPhone format. Now it is rumored that Apple will halt it’s exclusive partnership with AT&T.
A post today on Apple Insider reported that another site, HotHardware.com, has information from an “anonymous inside source” that AT&T will lose their iPhone exclusivity on Wednesday, when Apple is also expected to introduce its long-awaited touchscreen tablet. The article indicate that AT&T may lose it stranglehold on the service for the device, it is also tired of the iPhone being a data-hog and continually causing problems to the cell provider’s network. Since the sources are anonymous, please read the articles yourself and make your own decisions (Apple Insider – HotHardware.com).
Even if all of the rumors are wrong, you have to admit that Steve Jobs and the folks at Apple are always keeping people guessing about what’s next. I know I will be watching the announcements closely.
When I say pirates, I don’t mean the swashbuckling type – I mean those individuals that sneak camcorders into the local cinema and record movies or distribute “cracked” copies of DVDs on the street or over the Internet. For years, Hollywood has claimed that “pirated” movies would ruin the industry and keep people out of theaters.
A recent article from the Electronic Frontier Foundation suggests that the cries of studio executives are blown out of proportion. The article says that Star Trek, the most downloaded movie of 2009, still made a net profit of over $100 million. The article also states that in a year when “internet piracy” was at its highest, Hollywood broke records at the box office.
As 2009 comes to a close, there is no evidence out there that “Internet piracy” is leaving us with fewer creators or fewer copyrighted works, even if you limit yourself to considering works being created by “professionals” employed by movie studios. And once you factor in all the new, noncommercial or semi-pro creators who have been empowered by the very same Internet technologies that Hollywood is blaming for “piracy,” well, it seems clear that creativity is alive and well, and that Hollywood’s demands for drastic overhauls of copyright law and broadband policy are disconnected from reality. (Full article).
Don’t get me wrong. I am NOT suggesting that anyone go out and record movies and post them on the Internet or try and sell bootlegged DVDs out of the back of a car. What I would like to see is a less draconian approach to digital rights management (DRM). There is no reason people should have to violate the law just to make backup copies of movies or music that they own.
What are your experiences with DRM? Tell me about it.
The above photo is an artist’s concept. NOT A REAL MAC!
Media outlets are buzzing about the idea of a new Apple tablet computing device. Rumors have increased that Apple will release this new gadget at the end of January. The Wall Street Journal reported that it could start shipping as early as March. Here is a link to one of the WSJ articles. Here is an AP article.
The idea of an Apple tablet device has been around for a while. The image above is just one artist’s idea. Here are some more cool concepts.
I enjoy Twitter just as much as the next person. In fact, you can follow me at twitter.com/jjhelp or click on the tab to the left. But would I buy a device that does nothing but send and receive tweets? No!
If you’re interested in picking up a TwitterPeek, you can buy it exclusively on Amazon.com for $99 or $199, depending on your desired service plan.
Click here to read more about the device.
Below you can watch Engadget.com Editor-in-chief Josh Topolsky preview the TwitterPeek mobile device on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
I was surprised to hear the announcement that Los Angeles City Council had unanimously agreed to shift the county over to cloud computing and Google Apps starting next year. It is reported that a pilot program will begin as soon as 2010.
I was surprised because it was done without much opposition. Even with the obvious security issues facing having all of you data accessible from the Internet, the Los Angeles Chief Technical Office, Randi Levin, stated he felt the application services were adequate for the needs of the county.
During Tuesday’s city council debate on the issue, Los Angeles CTO Randi Levin went to bat for the cloud-based service, reassuring members that Gmail was safe and advanced enough for government use.
Makes me think of the phrase “good enough for government work.”
Even with the reassurances of the CTO, LA City Council voted to include a penalty if the system was breached and data was stolen. I’m sure Computer Services Corporation, the company that secured the $7.25 million deal, will work diligently to put safeguards in place to protect information.
If the project is successful it will spur the movement to cloud computing for other governmental agencies and business. If there are problems and high profile security issues that could dramatically slow the movement to the clouds for everyone.
Barnes & Noble’s has just introduced the “nook,” a new e-book reader to go alongside Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader. This new device sports a 6 inch E-ink screen and a color touchscreen to navigate content. According to preliminary information, the “nook” weighs 1 ounce more than a Kindle and has a battery life less than that of the Amazon device. However, it does offer the ability to play MP3 files through its built-in speaker.
The one feature that Barnes & Noble’s is touting most, is the ability of “nook” owners to share e-books based purchased. Copies of purchased books can be sent to friends who have installed the “nook” eReader software on their PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod or other selected device.
Yesterday’s post talked about how technology companies might lead the economy out of the economic recession. And in line with that, Apple computers (APPL) reported higher than expected earnings. Much like IBM and AMD, these better than expected returns are due to higher demand for laptop computers, iPods and iPhones.
Surprisingly, the number of iPhone’s was lower than expected. However, analysts say that is due to the fact that Apple could not keep up with demand for a large portion of the quarter.
Many on Wall Street think that Apple is poised to do even better over the coming year. This is based on the opening of China to the iPhone and anticipated new products such as a netbook and tablet computer
A review of this morning’s headlines indicates that recovery in the technology sector may be underway. After a stellar third-quarter, Google stock prices are soaring again and it looks like the company will be investing in new hires as well as new technology. Read the article.
IBM has also indicated that it sees a bright future on the horizon for technology despite a slump in tech sales. The company reported a 7% drop in sales for July through September, but a 14% increase in profits has made IBM revise its 2009 outlook for the second time. Read the article.
AMD, the chip manufacture, has also announced that sales were better than anticipated. The company produces 20% of the worlds microprocessors. It said that shipments rose due to an increase in the demand for laptop computers. Read the article.
While many pundents have announced that the economic recovery is upon us, and some indicators like those listed in the articles above seem to agree, many Americans are waiting to see it for themselves. What do you think?
DropBox
Put your files into your Dropbox on one computer, and they’ll be instantly available on any of your other computers that you’ve installed Dropbox on (Windows, Mac, and Linux too!) Because a copy of your files are stored on Dropbox’s secure servers, you can also access them from any computer or mobile device using the Dropbox website.
You can easily share entire folders or photo albums with Dropbox. Simply put the folders you want to share in your Dropbox, and invite people to them. You can also send people links to specific files within your Dropbox. This makes Dropbox perfect for team projects.
Try DropBox it’s Free!
