Set your calendars – Apple announces WWDC keynote for June 11th – 10am PST. Why should we be excited? iOS 6 and a possible new mapping app – Apple’s exodus from Google Maps is upon us. Most likely there will be no new hardware announcements but we’re hoping the boys from Cupertino and Devs have been up to some new shenanigans. Stay tuned!
Source: Apple
Now that Intel has released their new Ivy Bridge chipset, Apple is set to refresh their laptop and desktop computers and the chatter is that this will happen in June – at WWDC 2012. That should bring a smile to people that have been waiting to upgrade, especially those waiting for new iMacs as it’s been about 370+ days since the last major refresh.
Set in the Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by authorities who want a cut of their profits…
Right on the heels of a massive blow-out Q2 earnings call, Apple today announced the dates for WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The annual conference will start June 11th and run through the 15th – get your tickets today because last year it sold out the first day tickets were available. Additianlly, Apple has added a new “Student Scholarship” program for young app developers:
Apple announced its Q2 2012 earnings after the market closed on tuesday and while investors have been nervously chatting about Cupertino’s falling stock price, Apple had another record breaking quarter. Oh, by record breaking, I mean they essentially have $110 billion in short term assets and cash – $12.4 billion more than they had the previous quarter. Let’s get to the specifics:
…“World is over?” is instigated by “2012 End of Days” predictions and attempts to transcend preexisting concepts and logics via art languages and perspectives. The exhibition is based on the duo-concept of the “end of days” and the “future”. The exhibition consisting of these two elements is also suggesting that perhaps whether or not the end of days is upon us is based on the mentality and action of people today. A slight change in the mindset could ultimately alter the future of the world. The title of the exhibition, “World is over?”, is intended to act as a warning and to call upon people’s collective awareness and for them to discover the focus and important context this exhibition is attempting to present…
There are DSLR cameras and then there’s the highly anticipated Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Canon’s newest upgrade to its already ultra popular-professional 5D line is the Mark III – complete refinement/advancement to the already award winning photo/video features of the Mark II. The camera is built around a brand new 22.3-megapixel full-frame Canon CMOS sensor, a high-performance DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processor, a 61-point High Density Reticular Autofocus (AF) System and six frames-per-second (fps) continuous shooting speed.
Building upon the trailblazing success of the EOS 5D Mark II, the EOS 5D Mark III also incorporates enhanced video features for professionals in the fields of cinematography, television production and documentary filmmaking, including better noise reduction, longer recording times and a built-in headphone jack for audio monitoring. The EOS 5D Mark III is Canon’s answer to hundreds of thousands of advanced amateurs and emerging professionals looking for a compact, high-quality camera system to help them achieve their artistic vision, whether it be through still or video imagery…
Video: The Mark III improves greatly on existing Canon video technology and is a perfect addition for video professionals, both in television and film. This new model captures 1080p Full HD video at 24p (23.976), 25p, and 30p (29.97) fps; 720p HD recording at 60 (59.94) and 50 fps; and SD recording at 30 (29.97) and 25 fps – giving flexibility and choice to professionals. Additionally, new H.264 video compression formats simplify and speed up post-productions, so you spend more time in the field and less behind the desk.
CMOS Sensor: Canon’s new 22.3-megapixel full-frame Canon CMOS image sensor brings unparalleled power to the table, allowing more sensitivity and less noise while shooting RAW, JPG and Video.
The low-light capability of the EOS 5D Mark III is evident in its incredible ISO range and image quality in poor lighting conditions. Adjustable from ISO 100 to 25,600 within its standard range, the new model also offers a low ISO 50 setting for studio and landscape photography and two extended ISO settings of 51,200 and 102,400, well suited for law enforcement, government or forensic field applications.
DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processor: Canon’s breakthrough Digic 5+ processor is 17x faster than the previous Digic 4, the increase in speed allows for higher quality images but also extra (never before had) features like: “ …six fps continuous shooting, HDR and Multiple Exposure modes, in-camera RAW processing, a comparative playback function, Scene Intelligent Auto mode, two forms of movie compression, and support for high-speed UDMA 7 Compact Flash memory cards…”
Canon is scheduled to release the Mark III in March but with great features, comes a hefty price tag: $3,499. Like we said before, the 5D Mark III is a prosumer and professional DSLR but that won’t stop us from dreaming. The Mark III is total refinement to Canon’s EOS 5D line, this includes features, abilities and a new line of accessories – from the ground up. This will defiantly go on our wish list but first, we have to do something about winning that damn lotto. If you want the full Canon press release for the Mark III – Simply Click Here.
Source: Canon
Once again, Apple has smashed analyst predictions and has released Q1 2012 revenue of $46.33 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.06 billion. What does that mean? Apple is still essentially printing mountains of money and their cash/short term/long term assets amount to almost $100 billion. Here is the break down:
So where did all that cash come from, well Apple and its massive retail presence was super busy over the holiday quarter, selling: 37.04 million iPhones in the quarter – 128 percent unit growth Yr/Yr, 15.43 million iPads during the quarter – 111 percent unit increase Yr/Yr, 5.2 million Macs during the quarter – 26 percent unit increase Yr/Yr and 15.4 million iPods – 21 percent unit decline Yr/Yr. Tim Cook, Apple’s C.E.O. had this to say at the earnings call:
…We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs. Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline…
Not surprisingly, Apple iPhone 4S is the big story here – generating 53% of the quarters revenue. Weirdly, the 4S was widely written off, both by the press and tech journalists but it seems the public had no issue with its non-upgraded exterior look. Additionally, 58% of revenue is now taken in by international sales, China quickly becoming Apple’s new cash cow.
Besides hardware, Apple also generated cash from its services, like the iTunes store, App Store, retail stores and iCloud services, here is some interesting numbers for those revenue streams: 85 million iCloud users - 140 million App Store downloads on Christmas Day alone - 110 million visitors to Apple Stores. If you want more technical details about Apple’s Q1 2012 results – here is a recording of their live stream – Click here. So, where do we go from here and what does Q2 2012 look like?
We are very happy to have generated over $17.5 billion in cash flow from operations during the December quarter,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2012, which will span 13 weeks, we expect revenue of about $32.5 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $8.50…
Source: Apple – Source: MacRumors – Source: New York Times
CES 2012 has had some big surprises but one of the biggest came from Google yesterday and it dealt with Android ICS. Google has released a statement and has created a specific website to “help” developers develop “better” for ICS:
…To help you in that mission, we’re introducing Android Design: the place to learn about principles, building blocks, and patterns for creating world-class Android user interfaces. Whether you’re a UI professional or a developer playing that role, these docs show you how to make good design decisions, big and small.
The Android User Experience Team is committed to helping you design amazing apps that people love, and this is just the beginning. In the coming months, we’ll expand Android Design with more in-depth content. And watch this blog for a series of posts about design, and invitations to Google+ hangouts on the topics you care about most…
Essentially, all the crap apps in Android Market (70%) – Google wants to help devs make them look/act better for Ice Cream Sandwich. This has been a very serious issue for Google and the Android Platform. It’s open source nature makes it susceptible to poor coding and ugly design and this can be easily seen in the Android market. Think of this as cliff-notes for Android devs. While Google hasn’t set theses guidelines in stone (you don’t have to follow them as a dev) it seems like they are once again trying to restrain Android – In my opinion, they sound close it down completely and have a professional / secure / safe / design friendly ecosystem like Apple. After all, android isn’t that “open”.
Source: Google
The Sony Xperia S is a much anticipated return to classic Sony Design and with the lack of “Ericsson” on the branding, it looks like Sony has turned over a new leaf. While the European Xperia S is the step brother to the American Xperia Ion, their similarities stop there and it looks like the Xperia S sports some breathtaking design – including the transparent stripe at the botton, revealing the radio antenna.
But let’s put beauty aside and talk about specs and how the Xperia S stacks up against other Android handsets – specifically if it is running ICS – Specs: 720p Zero-Air-Gap Display, 4.3-inch Chassis, 1.5GHz Dual-Core CPU, 12-Megapixel Rear Camera, Android 2.3 Gingerbread-Update To Ice Cream Sandwich, PlayStation certification – Full Specs Here. All in all, this phone is a strong showing for a Post-Ericsson Sony and a welcomed return to a company that has brought us so many great consumer electronic devices. Check out the hipster video below for more fun:
Source: Sony
Apple is scheduled to announce Q1 earnings on January 24th – this will include the “Holiday Sales” and should be Apple’s highest grossing quarter in company history. Apple wrote this on their investor page:
Apple’s conference call webcast discussing Q1 – 2012 financial results will begin at 2:00pm PT/5:00pm ET on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.
Please note that comments made during this call may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. For more information on the factors that could influence results, please refer to Apple’s SEC filings
Many will be looking at Apple’s iPhone and iPad sales – especially the latter in relation to a possible slow down due to Amazon’s Kindle Fire Device. So set your calendars, if you’re into that sort of thing or if you own Apple stock…
Source: Apple
Nokia World has come and gone and while some tech writers were underwhelmed by the Lumia 710 & 800 – Nokia’s Kinetic Device was widely under reported. Essentially, the tech is a gorgeous screen that can be twisted across its horizontal axis, as well as its vertical axis. The applications here are endless, especially for situations calling for high tech equipment that are durable and which can withstand torquing - such as a smartphone in my jean pocket. While we don’t have release dates or much information regarding the mythical Kinetic Device - it does remind us of another device we covered earlier this year – check it out.
