Apple’s stock value has been pummeled the last 6 months – Samsung has been supercharging its ad campaign against Cupertino and the unicorn like magic that always surrounded Apple has begun to fade (for some) – so what does the company that brought us the ipod, iphone and ipad have in the pipeline?
Both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal think it’s going to happen but is Apple really going to go after the wrist watch market? iPod – iPhone – iPad…..iWatch – is that the fabled device roadmap and what would this new device look like?
Rumors are heating up again concerning Apple’s possible move into the TV market, specifically concerning an Apple iTV product. Two articles, one describing a Best Buy survey about possible pricing of the mythical TV set and a separate article by a Jefferies & Co. analyst’s speculation that the iTV will be Apple’s next major hardware play.
Best Buy Survey: The questionnaire entitled: “Be one of the first to get the all new 42″ Apple HDTV at Best Buy for $1499. Apple finally reinvents what a TV can do:” Whether this is some kind of inside knowledge of a future device or not, the survey goes on to detail some interesting specs/details about the “unicorn” TV set:
Analyst Speculation: A Jefferies & Co. analyst is “speculating” (as they always do) that Apple’s iTV set will be Cupertino’s next big hardware play. While there is absolutely no sourced information, analyst Peter Misek recommends buying Apple stock (shocker) because:
…User-generated video from customers who use iPads and iPhones as recorders may also play a role, giving Apple “the ability to leverage content into a YouTube-like model,”….
Apple biggest problem with introducing an iTV device will be content. Licensing content from Hollywood, Major Networks and private content creators like HBO/Starz/etc will be extremely costly – not to mention the anger they will face from distribution companies like Comcast and Dish Networks, which will leverage their power against Apple. That said, Apple might have something up their sleeves, as they do have exclusive content on iTunes, which is On Demand – Maybe Steve Jobs did “Crack it!”
Source: AppleInsider – Source: Bloomberg
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.
Johnny on the spot! Looks like everyone is lucky excpet for Apple TV & Verizon iPhone users, as Apple issued an iOS update for most of their mobile devices. iOS 4.3.1 addresses several issues: “Occasional graphics glitch on iPod touch,” – “Bugs related to activating and connecting to some cellular networks,” – “Image flicker when using Apple Digital AV Adapter with some TVs,” – “Issue authenticating with some enterprise web services.”
If you’re jailbroken, stay away until the Dev Team can sort you out but if you’re not, get upgrading. On a side note, people are experiencing a slight increase in battery life and even though Apple doesn’t mentions it in the release notes, it’s always welcome.
Source: Apple.com
“Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 has become the World’s fastest selling consumer electronic device in the history of electronic market.” Stated windowslifestyle.com and rightly so, as the Guinness World Records had anointed the Microsoft peripheral with the lofty title. Who got crushed while Microsoft sold an avg. of 133,333 units per day, for a total of 8 million units (starting Nov. 4th 2010) – well, how about the iPhone and the iPad! Microsoft is on a complete tear, selling over 10 million kenect units, as of this article and while people complain about the fact that it isn’t a stand alone device (peripheral for the XBOX 360) the record rightfully stands…….but for how long? Apple’s iPad 2, released this last Friday, is selling faster than free gold, so Redmond…..enjoy it while it lasts.
Source: Windowslifestyle.com
I am not trying to startle but rather inform. It seems that the technology applied in medical devices such as pace makers and automatic drug releasing implants for human use, are threatened by computer viruses.
The vulnerability of human medical implant devices are caused by a few factors. Typically, these devices don’t have inter-accessibility to the wider realm of the web and the platforms that we are all networked on. But things seem to be changing thanks to devices, R&D, and what may be direct or indirect marketing by some large companies. The fantastic abilities of devices such as the iPhone and software for it are merging these two arenas of main stream technology and medicine. This hazard has been flagged by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJOM, 2010; 362:1164 – 1166) Dr. William Maisel and Tadayoshi Kohno write; “that the complex and sophisticated features of medical devices have created a susceptibility to security breaches that could compromise the performance of such devices and the safety and privacy of patients.” The use of the iPad and its application in the medical management software realm has spread as if it were destined to be in the hands of doctors all along. Simply sated – threats are a concern.
A young boy from Milan, Italy fell off the waiting platform and on to the subway rails, distracted by his handheld device. It can be clearly seen in the video above that the boy was so engrossed in his gameplay, that he wonders right off the platform. Luckily for him, an off duty police officer jumped down to where he fell and lifted him to safety – thank God no train was due to arrive. We’ve seen the same thing with mobile phones (Below) and obviously this points out the real dangers of driving while using mobile devices, if walking is too difficult. NEXT!!
Source: Engadget.com