The Tablet Winds Are Changing For Everyone, Including Apple And Microsoft

Tablets are the way of the future... right? Well that would be the case if you asked just about anyone who uses them. Some experts would say otherwise unfortunately. Tablets have come a long way since Apple came along and introduced the iPad back in 2010. Ever since that point, an entirely new category was opened up for other tech companies to come along and develop new products in. Over time that have been a few changes though. Certain companies can only stay on top for so long. We've known that Microsoft was the top dog tech company for years and years. The PC was good to go but again, times have changed. PC's aren't as sought after as they used to be. The tablet sales are also going downhill a little bit, even for Apple. So Microsoft and Apple have something to worry about now... don't they?

Well, yes and no.

Microsoft
Microsoft hasn't had the best luck lately. With the recent deal between IBM and Apple, the funeral for PC's has been set. Think about this. Just with the way that technology has gone more mobile, the days of stationary computing are gone. That's just the facts. Microsoft recently killed off it's attempts at a mini tablet with the death of the Surface Mini. This is a big deal for Microsoft. The small screen tablet market has been filled up with other companies' products, such as Apple's iPad Mini or Google's Nexus 7. Since these tablets are already well established on the market, Microsoft wouldn't be making the best investment should they've decided to release it. No one would've taken notice since they're 2 years late and the fact that their operating system's staple office programs don't work very well on small screen tablets.

Apple
Recently there have been reports of Apple's iPad sales going down. This has led experts to think that the iPad is on its way out. They couldn't be more wrong. The way that we deal with tablets is oddly reminiscent of the way that we deal with most other computing technology. Yes, I feel that tablets are basically smartphones without the phone part, but they aren't dealt with in the same manner. What I mean by this is that we deal with our tablets the same way we deal with our laptops and computers. We don't normally replace our laptops or computers every 2 years like we do with our phones. Because of this, this is going to cause a lull in sales over a particular amount of time. Not to mention the fact that people don't just trash their tablets after their done with them. They typically pass them down in order to save money. So the sales have slowed but people are still buying tablets, just not as much as they used to.

What Does This Mean For Both Of These Companies?
Apple doesn't really have much to worry about. Mainly because they are Apple and until another company one ups them, they will always be a fashion statement in terms of the most advanced tech. They will continue to make more tablet iterations of the iPad. I'm sure we can expect to see the iPad Air 2 some time soon. The only thing is that the sales might still fade unless they are in the holiday season to boost sales. Microsoft is a different story. People don't resort to Microsoft for their mobile technology needs like they do for Apple and Samsung. Microsoft has the Surface Pro 3 out and even though it's been getting good reviews, it's still not everyone's first choice. The Windows phones don't seem to be doing well either. Naturally, Microsoft is just a PC company and unless they are able to create something game changing for the mobile technology world, they're going to be out of luck in terms of sales.

The tablet market is going through a change right now, and only the top companies will remain in the game. Apple will be fine until someone knocks them off of their throne, but Microsoft looks to be on the ropes in comparison. Time will only tell how long Microsoft will last, and what will become of the current tablet market and it's future.

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Apple's WWDC 2014 Is Tomorrow, And It Looks To Be The Biggest And Best One Yet!

Tomorrow is the day. Finally, the Apple WWDC for 2014 is here! This particular convention is one that you will be talked about for a while after it finishes. We all know Apple to be the top dog in terms of consumer electronics and tech devices, so we know for sure that this year's event will be a big one. You have to figure that there have already been quite a lot of rumors surrounding Apple recently. With the iWatch consistently talked about around the internet, the recent deal they made with the one and only Dr. Dre for his Beats, and the talk of a new iOS, this should be quite the conference. Since the deal isn't finalized with Dr. Dre yet, we probably shouldn't expect to see much, if anything at all, about the incorporation of the Beats into Apple's technology.

While we might not get to see anything with the Beats take the stage yet, there is still quite a bit to look forward to.

Arguably the biggest part of the conference will be the new iOS and OS X. Whenever there is a new update to be had regarding software, you can expect Apple to give it everything they've got and then some. You can also expect a slew of critics and tech experts standing by to find any and all flaws in the software that they can. All obviousness aside, the iOS 8 software is sure to get many people excited. This is the biggest update since iOS 7, and we all know how the design overhaul for that update went. Needless to say, I don't foresee Apple making the iOS 8 software changes as crazy as the iOS 7 were, but I'm sure that there will be a few different key features accompanying it. OS X 10.10 will be undergoing the same type of design overhaul that iOS saw with the iOS7 update. The new OS X update will also be seeing a name change as well. It's still not specified yet, but we will be looking at the new OS X Yosemite or OS X El Cap in the near future.

Naturally, we can all look forward to some new hardware being announced to go along with the new software. There are some out there who believe that we won't be seeing any type of hardware coming out during the event. I tend to believe otherwise, simply due to the fact that Apple always has SOME sort of new hardware being announced at the WWDC events. Whether it be an upgraded version of the Mac Pro or a new Macbook of sorts, I'm sure there will be something.

There is also disbelief that Apple will show the new iWatch at the event. I disagree here as well. The rumors have spread around enough, and Apple is already quite late to the wearable fray as it is. If they plan on keeping up with the other companies that are already pushing the wearable trend to further their respective businesses, then they need to get in the game now. Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S5, along with a few wearables, at the Upacked event this past February. It would seem unwise of Apple to NOT show the iWatch.

Whether there will be a showing of the new product, or new hardware at all, has yet to be determined, but we will all find out tomorrow at 10 AM. No matter what, this event is sure to not disappoint!

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The Future Of Technology Could Change As Silicon Goes Down, And Graphene Goes Up!

Here's something that we never normally think about. Whenever you are surfing the web on your laptop, playing Angry Birds on your tablet, or playing Black Ops II on your Playstation 3, do you ever stop and think what is making all of that technology work? 9 times out of 10 the answer is going to be a no. We don't ever really think about how something works as long as it works. However, inside your favorite devices are multitudes of different transistors and microchips that make it possible for your tech to do what it does. Almost everything it mad out of something called silicon. A readily available resource that is conductive enough to have everything work properly, but not conductive enough to fry all of the electronic inner workings. While silicon is definitely the "go to" resource for any real tech company, our friends over at Samsung may have found something that could knock silicon off of the map

Is anyone familiar with something called graphene? No? Not shocking as it isn't something that tech companies use very often.

Graphene is a pretty amazing little material. We are talking about something that is actually HARDER than diamond and with only the thickness of an atom. It's conductivity levels are through the roof and has the potential to, ultimately replace silicon. The only limitation that has been found with this amazing little metal is it's size. Because of it's small size, the qualities that it possesses can't really be replicated and mass produced to benefit electronic products for consumers. Samsung however may have cracked the code to the whole "miniscule" problem.

Researchers at some of Samsung's facilities have found a way to grow the crystal on a "large area, single crystal wafer scale". What does this mean exactly? One word: Synthesize. Simply by finding a way to "grow" and copy, or synthesize, the graphene crystal, Samsung has effectively created a way to properly utilize the material despite its small stature. Now, while synthesizing most materials tends to deteriorate some of the materials natural properties, that hasn't been the case for Samsung's graphene endeavors. By synthesizing the material upon a semiconductor, it has been able to retain all of it's properties without deteriorating later.

Samsung isn't new to graphene either. It's in almost every display to date. That iPad or iPhone that you're reading this article on? Yup. Graphene in it. There is one drawback to the material though, aside from the small size. The fact that it is SO conductive that it's almost TOO conductive. There is no real "energy gap" like with silicon. Since this material is so super conductive, it almost can't really be turned "off", even with the help of transistors. The transistors are what is used to help maintain power within the materials so that they don't fry the inner workings of the devices. Remember, there can be a thing as too much power.

Some scientists within the Samsung research facilities might be onto something when they say that they could "dope" the material. By "doping" it, they'll add chemicals to the material in order to tone down it's conductive nature, however testing is still going on as they aren't sure how the "doping" will affect the other properties.

Silicon is slowly becoming more and more scarce, and graphene is starting to looking really inviting. Should Samsung be able to work graphene into their products and start becoming more reliant on that instead of silicon, we might be in for a very different future in terms of our technology.

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Magnetic Materials Could Make Computers 1,000 Times More Powerful

If you have ever had to actually use your laptop on your lap, you know all too well that they can produce a ton of heat, especially when the processor is working hard. No matter how advanced computer technology gets, the amount of heat that a computer produces is something we can't seem to get away from. If you think about it, all of the extra heat given off is just wasted energy that could be used for something else. A team of engineers at UCLA have found a way to make integrated circuits more efficient using a class of magnetic materials that are called multiferroics.

Basically, everything you use daily, like your computer, phone, TV, and many other things, relies on tons of transistors packed together making an integrated circuit. When chained together, transistors act as logic gates. The energy passing through these transistors results in large amounts of heat and loss of electrons. There really shouldn't be a way around it, but multiferroic materials have found a way to bypass this.

By simply applying an alternate voltage, a multiferroic material can be switched on or off. Doing this allows it to carry power to different parts through spinning electrons instead of actually moving them. This effect is call a "spin wave bus". The energy of the wave moves in, but the actual molecules don't have to move at all. It is a little bit hard to understand, but trust me... that's how it works.

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There was actually an experiment that the team did to test the ability of the materials to keep a stable spin wave bus. The device that they used in this experiment was made of nickel-based film on a piezoelectric substrate. The initial voltage is applied here to generate the spin wave. In the middle of the chip they used for the experiment was a 5-micrometer-wide ferromagnetic strip, which is where everything happens. The strip is the waveguide for the spin wave bus and directs power from one section to another without moving any electrons at all.

The experiment worked and successfully generated a voltage-driven spin wave. It is still a super long way away from replacing a regular charge current, but the team thinks that the improved efficiency of this method could make processors 1,000 times more efficient at very least. This would mean that there could be a whole new generation of computers that could work so much harder with a lot less power. The possibilities are endless.

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Sony Gives Up On The PC Market

Times are tough for everyone in every industry these days, and even huge companies that are making the PCs that you use every day are no exception. There are a ton of companies out there doing the same thing, and less people have extra money to upgrade to the latest and greatest things that are coming out. When your company is struggling with a business that isn't even your main priority anymore, it's probably about time to give it up. And that's exactly what Sony is doing. They are selling their PC business to investment fund Japan Industrial Partners.

Sony has previously came out and said that they were talking to Lenovo about joining forces, so it's a little bit odd that Vaio isn't being sold to another huge PC brand. That makes the whole thing a bit more surprising. But, if you really think about it, the PC market isn't doing that well at all. In 2013 the entire PC market went down by 10%, even after 316 million PCs were sold.

When Sony announced the sale of Vaio, they spoke on the huge changes in the global PC industry and also stated that smartphones an tablets were the number one concern of the company. They have been moving more toward the mobile side of tech, and that's where they need to aim their focus.

If this news surprised you, then you may have quite a few more surprises headed your way. It's very likely that we will see many more huge brands doing the exact same thing as the industry keeps changing. Everyone was blown away when IBM sold it's PC business and when HP said that they were going to do the same thing as well. But for most people, this probably makes more sense than those situations, because Sony has made themselves a top contender in other markets that are far more important.

The craziest thing about the move that may make a few people really sad, is that even though Vaio will continue, it will not be widely available. Mainly, it will be available in Japan, and that's about it until they decide otherwise. So, this spring is the last time you'll ever see Vaios on the shelves.

Sony made good computers. They were even doing a lot of the same things that Apple is doing now, but years before. It's been made known that Steve Jobs himself even wanted Sony to use Apple's operating system on their machines! They weren't always the hottest seller, because they were fairly pricey and basically no different than any other computer on the market when it came to a lot of specs. But with the high price tag came an expensive looking design. Having a Vaio was almost like making a fashion statement.

Though it seems like a sad day in the PC world, something new will more than likely pop up next week that will excite us and make us forget that Sony ever made computers. Luckily for us, this is one of the fastest moving industries ever. There is never enough time to be sad.

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Apple's all new 12" MacBook and a higher-res sixth-gen iPad for 2014

Apple has a newly designed 12-inch MacBook featuring a high-resolution display, and a new 9.7-inch sixth-generation iPad with an even higher pixel count than the most current Retina display. Both are to be released next year according to knowledgeable insider Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo, who is an an analyst working for KGI Securities, has said that Apple has a ton of major new products in the works for 2014. The biggest one being the new 12-inch MacBook which will feature what he said is an "ultra-slim clamshell form factor."

He says this new and improved MacBook will bring the best of both worlds from both the portability of the 11-inch MacBook Air and the greater productivity brought by the 13-inch model. The display is said to be up to par with Apple's high-resolution MacBook Pro Retina display.

Kuo says that the newest MacBook being worked on will "redefine laptop computing once again following the milestone created by the MacBook Air."

Despite all the rumors that Apple will probably introduce a notebook powered by its custom A-series chips like the ones found in the iPhone and iPad, Kuo made it clear that he does not expect that the new 12-inch MacBook will run on an A-series chip. Instead, he thinks that the new MacBook will feature a traditional Intel CPU.

He has also revealed that Apple is currently working on a new sixth-generation iPad that will feature a higher pixel-per-inch count than the current 9.7-inch iPad with Retina display. Going against the recent rumors yet again, he doesn't expect Apple to launch a 12-inch iPad next year.

The sixth-generation iPad is expected to launch in late 2014, and will cram in as much as 40 percent more pixels than the current iPad's Retina display.

Inside the Apple supply chain, he is expecting the company Parade Technology to benefit from an large amount of embedded DisplayPort technology in the 2014 lineup. Kuo said eDP, which is a standardized display interface that makes graphics processors interface with display panels, will more than likely play a large role in the company's products next year.

"We think Parade will defend its status as Apple's sole eDP provider going into 2014, making it one of the top stories in the Apple supply chain," Kuo wrote in a research note.

Kuo has quite the track record of accurately revealing Apple's future plans. He was the first person to reveal that Apple would retire its 17-inch MacBook Pro. He also correctly forecast Apple's fall 2012 product lineup in its entirety, and his predictions for Apple's 2013 launch schedule made in January have thus far proven 100 percent correct.

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Google Steals Senior Apple Executive for Project

Google is definitely one of the most prominent and influential technology businesses in the world. I can't think of anybody who doesn't use the Google search engine on a daily basis and the features like Gmail, Google+, Google Docs and others make the site all the more accessible for everybody.

Being the technological giant that it is, it isn't surprising that Google is always scouting for new talent, trying to get the very best possible employees on its team. In many cases this results in Google stealing some of the best and brightest minds in the industry away from other companies, including the almighty Apple.

Apple is the most recent victim of a Google acquisition as the Cupertino company has just lost its Senior Director of Project Integrity Simon Prakash to Google. At the moment it is unclear why exactly Google wants or needs Prakash. It could be for some new intellectual property or it could be to simply weaken Apple by stealing away a great mind. VentureBeat has noted that the project Prakash was brought on for is, unsurprisingly, a secret one.

In addition to that, VentureBeat says that this is the first time that Google has been able to convince a senior employee to leave Apple. There are many reasons for that. One could be that Google never made a good enough offer but I'm betting that people were just too afraid to walk out on Steve Jobs. What's more interesting is that this job deal comes right at the time the Department of Justice is investigating both Apple and Google, as well as a host of other companies, for having a proposed agreement to not go after each other's employees. It is rumored that this agreement was put in place to keep salaries in the industry low while also limiting competition.

Prakash has worked at Apple for the last eight years and was also responsible for product quality across all of the company's product lines. It has also been said that Prakash started his employment at Google today. Given his past at Apple, Prakash may very well be in charge of overseeing Motorola's Android devices though this is just speculation.

Source: Slash Gear - Google swipes Apple senior director of project integrity
Engadget - Report: Google hires Apple exec to work on 'secret project'
VentureBeat - Google hires a senior director at Apple for a top secret project (exclusive)

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Apple's iPad Outsells HP's PCs in Q1 2012

It's no surprise that Apple is one of the top PC and technology makers in the world. What may be surprising is the fact that Apple has surpassed HP in computer unit sales and revenues for the first time ever, making the Cupertino giant the number one company. Apple can attribute a lot of this success to record sales of iPads and, instead of losing sales to low priced tablets, Apple said that it would continue to "innovate like crazy" in the tablet market.

The company reported quarterly sales of 15.4 million iPads and 5.2 million Macs, which gave Apple more than 20 million sales of dedicated computing devices. It was reported that HP's sales for the fourth quarter of 2011 were close to 14.7 million, with Lenovo and Dell selling 12.9 million and 11.6 million units, respectively. In addition to that, Apple's figures were twice that of those reported by Microsoft for the same quarter.

Tim Cook, the new CEO of Apple, was asked about the impact of lower-priced tablets in the market, like Amazon's Kindle Fire. Cook replied that he was happy with the iPad's sales and pointed out that sell-through had exceeded sell-in, which left the company with strained inventory levels around the world, contradicting the rumors that the Kindle Fire had dampened potential iPad sales. Cook also stated that Apple sees the iPad as a "huge opportunity for Apple over time" and that "there will come a day when the tablet market in units is larger than the PC market."

Tablets are indeed doing very well with almost every name in the tech world offering their own version of the iPad which pioneered the market. However, I don't think that tablets will ever fully replace computers or laptops. Physical keyboards and mouse controls are too ingrained in people and are also extremely necessary for a lot of computing tasks. Sure you can make keyboard docks and mouse attachments, but what's the point?

Cook also pointed out that the rapid growth of iPad sales was eating up the growth of generic PC sales but not hurting the Apple's own Mac sales. It seems that all of Apple's mobile tech gadgets draw in customers for the company's netbooks and desktop computers. Sales of both have been up, and over 1/5 of all Apple Mac sales were through the company's own retail stores.

Source: Apple Insider - Apple now largest computer maker, sold more iPads alone than HP sold PCs
Slash Gear - Apple sold more iPads than HP sold PCs in Q1 2012

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Most business class projectors will do a good job displaying your PowerPoint presentation. If you have a small presentation group, a 2000 lumen LCD projector will be able to produce a nice and clear picture. For larger audiences you should consider a 5000 lumen LCD projector.

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Italian Government Slaps Apple with $1.2 Million Fine

Apple has been hit with quite a hefty fine from a somewhat surprising place today, Italy. That's right, on December 27, 2011 the country of Italy fined the tech giant 900,000 euros, or roughly $1.2 million, for allegedly encouraging its customers to sign up for AppleCare, the official tech support of the company, without informing them that they would receive two years of free support after purchasing the service.

Reuters reported that Italy requires every company that does business in the country to offer two full years of absolutely free technical support to any and all Italian customers. AppleCare is an important after-purchase revenue generator for the company. Apple offers this protection service on every single one of its products, from iPads and iPhones to MacBooks and Apple All-in-Ones, though prices vary depending on which device you get the service for. Naturally getting tech support on your iPhone should cost a little less than getting it on your MacBook Air.

Towards the beginning of this year, Apple updated its iPhone plan. The all new AppleCare+ gives customers extended warranties and technical support for as long as two years. In addition to this, the new AppleCare+ also includes repairs on two incidents of accidental damage as opposed to the previous single repair offered. The service itself will cost iPhone users $99.

In addition to AppleCare+ for the iPhone, another AppleCare package for the iMac will run customers $169 with the MacBook Pro option costing $349. The cheapest service is for the iPod Touch, costing only $59.

Apple has yet to release any official statement on the fine by the Italian Government and there is no way of knowing if it will ask employees in Italian Apple stores to make it clear to customers that their products are covered for two years. However, this fine will barely scrape the top of Apple's revenue pile as the company has tens of billions of dollars just lining the walls of their headquarter's bathrooms for decoration.

Source: CNET - Italy fines Apple $1.2 million over AppleCare practices

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Computer History Museum Opens New Online Exhibit Dedicated to Steve Jobs

In what is perhaps the biggest show of remembrance for him since his death, the Computer History Museum has just launched an online exhibit completely dedicated to former Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs. Jobs, as many of you know, passed away back in October, a great loss for Apple and the world.

The exhibit, known as "Steve Jobs: From Garage to World's Most Valuable Company", features a plethora of photos and descriptions of objects from the museum's permanent collection. In addition to that, visitors will find vintage footage of Jobs from his younger years and Apple's humble beginnings.

One thing of particular interest in the exhibit is a 22 minute video of Jobs from 1980. In the video Jobs talks about the early days of Apple and, at one point, after citing some examples of how Apple computers were being used in agriculture and schools, Jobs confesses that he and co-founder Steve Wozniak "had absolutely no idea what people were going to do with these things when we started out. As a matter of fact, the two people it was designed for was Woz and myself because we couldn't afford to buy a computer kit on the market."

In a statement from the Computer History Museum's Senior Curator Dag Spicer, "In Jobs' own words, we hear how luck as well as skill played big roles in Apple's founding. We also see how focused, articulate and convincing Jobs could be, even at this early stage."

The story also runs through Jobs' entire life via pictures and allows visitors to see historic documents like one of the newsletters of Jobs and Wozniak's famed Homebrew Computer Club. Visitors are also able to look through confidential memorandum outlining Apple's public offering plans, as well as its original business plan for the Macintosh.

There are quite of few gems in this little collection for you to look around at, especially if reading Steve Jobs' biography didn't fully satisfy you. I highly recommend checking it out if you are a fan of Apple, Jobs himself or simply the story of what two ambitious minds can accomplish.

Source: PC World - Computer History Museum Launches Online Steve Jobs Exhibit

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School Computers to Be Replaced by School iPads in 2016

With the technological age in full force, computers have become a staple in schools. Every single grade it seems is using computers for learning and entertainment while teaching. But, could the age of classroom computers be over? Is there a new piece of technology that will undoubtedly dethrone the computer in the classroom? Maybe, as many think tablets will eventually replace desktop computers in classrooms.

A recent survey of district tech directors discovered that all of them were testing or deploying tablet devices. What's more is that the survey also discovered that these directors expect tablets to outnumber computers in the classroom by the year 2016.

Analyst for Piper Jaffray Gene Munster recently surveyed 25 educational IT directors at a conference about the integration of technology in classrooms. Munster's survey, which was titled "Tablets in the Classroom", revealed that all 25 directors were using Apple's iPad in their schools while none of the participants were testing or deploying Android-based tablets. Munster went on to explain that this trend in education may be due to a familiarity with Apple devices among students and school employees.

According to Munster, "Within the next five years, our respondents expect to have more tablets per student than they currently have computers." Considering iPads represent a majority of the tablets in schools, Munster believes that the word "tablet" is synonymous with "iPad". The school districts that were represented in the survey currently have about 10 students per every computer. However, in the next five years, IT directors expect that number to drop to about six students per iPad. Devices, like the iPad, are more desirable over computers in the classroom because they provide a more individualized learning experience than traditional computers.

Tim Cook, the new CEO of Apple, stated earlier this year that demand for the iPad is strong among education customers. Back in February Georgia Senate President pro tem Tommie Williams proposed a plan to replace conventional textbooks in middle schools with the iPad. Williams met with Apple to talk about a plan to make the iPad a central component in the state's education system.

The iPad is slowly creeping its way into schools. Many students can rent the devices from their campus library in college and some schools, like the ones surveyed by Munster, are actually using them in the classroom. If expectations are correct, students in 2016 are going to have some fun times in the classroom.

Source: School Library Journal - IPads to Outpace Computers in Schools by 2016, Poll Says

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Will March 2012 Give Us the iPad 3?

I wrote recently abut the iPad getting a possible discounted release and a new name (iPad Mini?) in the early part of 2012. While that was sure to spark the interests of iPad and tablet users a little bit, a new report should make that excitement grow exponentially.

According to a report from Macotakara, which cited "a reliable Asian source", the next generation iPad is being rushed into production thanks to Chinese New Year celebrations lasting from January 22nd through the 28th. Factories in China are all gearing up to produce the iPad 3 by the end of January 2012.

Assuming that the source is reliable (An unreliable source on the internet? I don't believe it...), the new iPad is said to include a redesigned dock connector that features the same number of pins but in a smaller shape than the one the current iPad uses. If this is true, the new connector could pose a serious problem with existing products that plug into the dock.

In addition to the new connector, the tablet's screen will also remain the same size, even though the source didn't mention if Apple would increase it to Retina Display levels or continue on with the current resolution.

This report isn't the first, however, it joins a small number of previous iPad 3 rumors that have already surfaced. Different sites and sources have been in constant debate as to whether or not the new iPad would offer a 2,048 x 1,536 display. A move like that would give the tablet the same resolution as the current iPhone 4 and 4S as well as the iPod Touch 4G.

As far as a launch windows goes, you are probably looking at a March 2012 release date, especially considering the fact that Apple unveiled the original iPad in April of 2010 and the iPad 2 in March of 2011. Nevertheless, the Linley Group, a chip consulting firm, believes that Apple will outfit the iPad 3 with an A6 processor. This could also potentially push the launch back until June 2012 or later.

Source: CNET - iPad 3 could launch in March, with connector issues, report says

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Most business class projectors will do a good job displaying your PowerPoint presentation. If you have a small presentation group, a 2000 lumen LCD projector will be able to produce a nice and clear picture. For larger audiences you should consider a 5000 lumen LCD projector.

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Microsoft's IE9 Strategy Fails to Produce Results

As the rise of other browsers, like Google Chrome, begin to show, so does the demise of others, namely Internet Explorer. The web browser, designed by Microsoft, continued to lose members last month, losing the largest number of users since December 2010.

During September, Internet Explorer lost nine-tenths of a percentage point of share, dropping to 54.4%, a new record low for the browser. The drop experienced last month was the seventh straight decline and the largest decline since December of last year where Internet Explorer fell by 1.1 points. Causing the decrease was, of course, Google Chrome, which saw shares increase by seven-tenths of a point. Adding to the decline was Apple's Safari browser, which saw an increase of four-tenths of a percentage point.

Chrome ended the month with a 16.2% share with Safari accounting for 5% of all browsers used worldwide. Microsoft, on the other hand, focused on looking at the brighter side by plugging the success of Internet Explorer 9 on Windows 7. Head of Internet Explorer's Marketing Roger Capriotti used data from Net Applications to highlight the gains of IE9 by pointing out that the browser version owned 21% global share of browsers running on Windows 7.

Internet Explorer 9 is the second-most popular internet browser on Windows 7 with a 21% compared to Internet Explorer 8's leading 31.6%. Firefox 6 and Chrome 13 came in third and fourth place, respectively, with 13.9% and 13.1%. Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn't outlined an alternate strategy for stopping IE defections. While the focus on Internet Explorer 9 may pay off in the long run, it has failed to slow down the number of defectors heading to Safari, Chrome or Firefox. Since its debut, Microsoft has lost 4 percentage points of share with Internet Explorer 9.

Source: Computer World - Microsoft's IE9-first strategy fails to stem browser slide

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Steve Wozniak Says the iPad is for Normal People

Here's something interesting for you. While speaking at an event in Santa Clara, California, co-founder of Apple Steve Wozniak stated that the "iPad is for the normal people of the world." Wozniak was speaking at the Storage Network World conference and made a clear distinction between his "technological audience" and the average consumer. According to Mr. Wozniak, it has always been the dream of Steve Jobs, current CEO of Apple, to create a computer that was simple enough for anyone to pick up and use "but it was hard to get there, because we had to go through a lot of steps where you connected to things." If you were one of the few that tried diligently to set up a wireless network about 5 to 10 years ago, then you can most likely attest to this. The iPad is one of the few computer-like devices members of an older generation enjoy using and a device that a lot of people primarily use instead of a laptop or desktop computer. There is also the incredible story of the 100-year old woman who was absolutely tickled with her first ever computer purchase, a first-generation iPad. What is interesting is that a lot of the numbers for the iPad go against users like the ones mentioned above. A survey conducted in November 2010 found that only 28.9% of respondents indicated that the iPad was their primary computing device. While that is a nice number, it still suggests that the majority of iPad owners use the device as a secondary piece of technology. Another study conducted in December of 2010 found that the average iPad owner is a college-educated male, 48-years old, with an earning of more than $100,000 per year. You cannot say that this is the normal picture of an American with 75% of the population earning less than $50,000 per year and women make up little more than half of the population. Then again, the iPad has only been around for a little more than a year. Global adoption, especially among demographics that are traditionally slow-moving in terms of picking up new technologies, will take some time. That is why it makes a little sense that the owner statistics of the iPad are more indicative of what constitutes an early adopter as opposed to what constitutes the iPad's actual target market. Sure, Mr. Wozniak may be over-generalizing when he says that the iPad is for the quote "normal" people of the world, but it still represents the closest attempt yet to make computing easy enough for those who do not have extensive experience with using computers. The price of entry for ownership is also on the low side for not only tablets but also for computing devices in general. We can probably expect Mr. Wozniak's view of the iPad user to become more true as Apple continues to make computing easier for everybody. Source: Gigaom - Apple Co-Creator Says iPad is a Computer for "Normal People"

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Intel's Light Peak to Debut Thursday

The technology world loves rumors, in fact, I think that they live, breath, eat and sleep rumors. I feel that if there were no internet rumors, then we would have a lot of depressed computer people out there with nothing to do to fill their free time. It's quite sad really. But, alas, we have another rumor floating around the internet that all the little techies are drooling over and that is the rumor that Intel will officially launch its Light Peak high-speed connection technology this Thursday.

This great speculation comes from Intel telling the media that it will "host a press briefing to discuss a new technology that is about to appear on the market." CNET apparently has "an industry source familiar with details of the event" and says that it will indeed be Light Peak. Other speculation surrounding this news is concerning whether or not this launch will have anything to do with the new MacBook Pros also set to be launched on Thursday.

Rumors have been circulating since late 2010 about Apple possibly incorporating Light Peak into its 2011 MacBook Pro models. Since then, there have been leaked spec sheets floating around as well as product photos of a 13-inch MacBook Pro which would back up this rumor if it is true. If this is true, then Apple plans on renaming it "Thunderbolt". However, it is unclear whether or not Intel will adopt this nomenclature as well.

Whether you decide to call it Thunderbolt or Light Peak is up to you, but know that it is a single interface designed to replace the SCSI, SATA, USB, FireWire and PCI Express ports on a computer. The technology, which is copper-based, supposedly delivers 10Gbps bi-directional data transfers and is the main reason some people have speculated Intel has been so slow to adopt native USB 3.0 support on its motherboards, something Intel has not surprisingly refuted.

Source: Maximum PC - Intel to Debut Light Peak on Thursday, Apple Calls it "Thunderbolt"

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Browser Wars Heat Up for Microsoft

"I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant...", those were the words of Admiral Isoroku Yamoto after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and it also seems to be the feeling people have toward Microsoft and the company's entrance into the "browser wars" we are seeing today.

Back when Internet Explorer first came out, it was a high performance browser with a lot of useful functions. However, those days were finite, and Microsoft got branded with the reputation of producing crappy browsers, a reputation that IE7 and IE8 did nothing to improve upon.

In 2010, however, a long effort to reactivate the company's browser projects showed promise in IE9. As of right now, the application is still in beta form, but it has already shifted the browser market dramatically.

Internet Explorer 9 supports any and every kind of Web standard including a ton of HTML5 features like built-in video, CSS3 for advanced formatting, professional typography and SVG for smoothly resizable graphical elements. IE9 also speeds up the execution of web-based JavaScript programs. This development did manage to alert browser rivals for one top priority today, hardware acceleration. The software itself is accompanied by a push by the industry where Microsoft is educating Web developers and contributing to the development of standards.

It does appear that it may take a little while before web developers trust that Microsoft is serious about browsers again. It also seems that people still using the ancient IE6 will still be wary of upgrading. One thing is clear, Microsoft is paving the way for a new browser future where web sites as well as web applications become more fluid, interactive, polished and powerful.

In terms of Microsoft, Internet Explorer 9 has come in at exactly the right time. The battle with IE has always been against Firefox, however, Google's Chrome has brought in a new era of fierce competition. I think it is safe to say that Google knows a little something about the internet, and the company has a major agenda of web applications to pursue as well as a big enough presence on the web to allow it to make new technologies relevant by building them into its browser and web site.

Early in 2010 Chrome passed Safari by Apple for third place in the rankings of browser usage, and its growth carried to almost 10% of usage in November. A new phase of Google browser ambition is just taking off as well. The Chrome Web Store, which was designed to promote web-based applications and Chrome OS, allows people to find and purchase nearly any web app they want.

Chrome OS is much more of a departure from existing technology than just a browser. Google only offers it built into hardware. Google has done a good job with Android, but it is still unclear as to how well Chrome OS will fare with consumers and businesses.

Firefox's percentage of browser usage has remained consistently flat for most of 2010 thanks to Chrome. There are big things planned for Firefox 4 including many new features and performance enhancements. The problem is that Mozilla failed to meet a 2010 deadline and has since been pushed into 2011.

Apple's Safari has steadily increased in usage share with a few signs that the Windows version is catching on. Safari has been the principle sponsor of the open-source WebKit project, the same project both Safari and Chrome are based on. However, Google is steadily increasing.

One notable feature of Safari 5 that arrived in July was extensions that have the ability to customize the browser's behavior. Opera, the browser currently ranked 5th, is building them into Opera 11 which is the upcoming version of the browser which will match Chrome and Jetpack, the upcoming browser from Mozilla.

Adobe Systems, maker of Flash Player plug-in, had a particularly difficult year but ended on a good note. Apple, not surprisingly, did not budge on their ban of Flash from iOS devices directly, however, it did relent on blocking an Adobe tool that allows you to convert Flash apps to native apps. Google and Adobe forged an alliance due to the very public fight between Apple and Adobe which resulted in Flash support and promotion within Android.

The browser market combines competition between makers with cooperation as all the companies seek to advance the possibilities that can occur on the web. HTML5 standardization has sprouted emotional clashes between different groups involved as the specification moves more under the control of corporate powers.

The mobile market is also a big challenge to the web. Native software can offer better interfaces as well as faster performance than traditional web apps on mobile devices. However, it is still clear that the web as well as the tools for using it are clearly on the rise.

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Wozjob Apple 1 sells for Nearly a Quarter of a Million USD

Wiki Photo: The Hand built Apple-1

The Apple-1 computer was hand build in Steve Wozniak's parents garage. Steve Job's came up with the idea of selling it. The Apple-1 was first demonstrated in April 1976 at the HomeBrew Computer Club in Palo Alto.

Originally, the Apple 1 sold for $500 when it was sold to a reseller 1976. It was made out of wood and was billed as the first "personal computer." The retailer marked up the Apple-1 by 33% giving it a price of $666.66.

An Apple I reportedly sold for $50,000 USD at auction in 1999, with another apparently selling in 2009 for $17,500.

Fast forward to November 2010. This same Apple I (with serial number 82) sold for $178,000 ($213,600 including the 'buyer's premium') at Christie's auction house in London , making it by far the highest price paid for this model to date, at £133,250 ($210,000).

The high value of this particular example is likely due to the rare documents and packaging offered in the sale rather than the computer itself; namely (and amongst others) the original packaging (with the return label showing Steve Jobs' parents address, the original Apple Computer Inc 'headquarters' being their garage), a personally typed and signed letter from Jobs (answering technical questions about the computer) and the original invoice showing 'Steven' as the salesman.

Story Sources: EpochTimes, Wiki, Gather

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Are iPad Users Snobs?

This probably doesn't come as a surprise to many people but iPad users are "selfish elites." At least, that's what a new study says. The research comes from MyType, a consumer research firm. They surveyed 20,000 people between March and May to get a "psychological profile" of iPad owners. The result? "Selfish elites."

MyType found that iPad owners tend to be up to six times more "wealthy, sophisticated, highly educated, and disproportionately interested in business and finance" compared to non-owners. iPad owners also tend to be less than kind or altruistic. For the most part, they fell into the 30-50 age range.

However, a whopping 96% of those likely to criticize iPads don't even own the device. Those people have been deemed "independent geeks" by the company. MyType's Tim Koelkebeck said in an interview with Wired.com that this group earned its name by being "self-directed young people who look down on conformity and are interested in video games, computers, electronics, science and the internet."

MyType lists a number of reasons as to why the iPad owners could be, well, the way they are. Speculation includes the high price tag of the device and the desire to have more gadgets on which to do more work for the workaholic types. As a matter of fact, when the iPad was released, there seemed to be mixed opinions amongst the people who wondered why the device was even necessary versus the people who saw it as a cool new way to stay connected.

As for the "independent geeks" or critics of the device, speculation suggests they are one trip to the Apple Store away from praising the iPad. Koelkebeck says that bashing it is an "identity statement." He goes on to say of the critics, "As a mainstream, closed-platform device whose major claim to fame is ease of use and sex appeal, the iPad is everything that they are not."

That's pretty harsh, but anyone who knows anything about computers, the tech world, or modern pop culture knows that hating Apple products is simply a way of life for some people. However, there are also those people out there who would probably buy Apple garbage bags if they were to go on sale at the Apple Store.

Just how scientific is this research? Well, obviously, calling someone a "selfish elite" or an "independent geek" is pretty subjective. However, MyType did make a serious effort to get the American public's opinion of the iPad. You can read more about how they conducted their research and the reasoning behind it at MyType.com/blog.

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Microsoft Encouraging More Tablets

Several hardware makers are teaming up with Microsoft, in an attempt to give Apple a run for its money. They're looking to release a number of Windows-based tablet computers that can compete with Apple's iPad. At least 21 manufacturers were mentioned, including Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Asus, Toshiba, Sony, Lenovo, and Panasonic.

The news was announced by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Monday, July 12, at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, "This year one of the most important things that we will do in the smart device category is really push forward with Windows 7-based slates and Windows 7 phones. Over the course of the next several months, you will see a range of Windows 7-based slates that I think you'll find quite impressive. This is a terribly important area for us. We are hardcore about this."

He added, "They'll come with keyboards, they'll come without keyboards, they'll be dockable, there'll be many form factors, many price points, many sizes, but they will all run Windows 7. They will run Windows 7 applications. They will run Office."

Ballmer did admit Microsoft failed with Windows Mobile and is unable to compete with iPhone, Droids, and Blackberrys. On the other hand, he says Windows Phone 7 has received, "great reviews, really quite remarkable reviews." The company's mobile phone partners were listed to include Samsung, Dell, Asus, Toshiba, Garmin, Sony Ericsson, and HTC.

Ballmer also talked at length about cloud computing - Windows Azure - and its "new opportunity." He says cloud enables Microsoft to help customers "streamline their operations and improve their agility." Ballmer also says, "The world of tomorrow is a world of a smart cloud talking to smart devices roam your information across the internet. We are at an inflection point in technology history...for customers, cloud computing creates tremendous value, which translates to massive opportunity for Microsoft and its partners."

According to Microsoft, eBay, Fujitsu, Dell, and HP will be using Windows Azure appliances. Dell says the platform will be useful for delivering cloud services to small and medium-sized businesses.

Other news from Microsoft included news that they've sold 150 million licenses for Windows 7 since its launch in October, 2009.

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Gizmodo iPhone 4G Fail

Click to enlarge

So here we have an ad on Gizmodo playing off the stereotypical college graduate who has an extremely refined taste in beer and is also aimed at their fathers who are looking to buy them something shiny, new, and expensive. While the pitch is hilarious in itself, what really got me was this sentence and the picture chosen to accompany the ad.

"No one can be sure what the fourth generation iPhone will look like (oops! actually, we can)..."

Oops, actually, you can't Gizmodo. That's because you're using an outdated picture of the iPhone 3G instead of the iPhone 4G you are advertising. If I paid $10,000 for that iPhone, I would make pretty darn sure that I was using the correct picture for it.

You can see the original advertisment on Gizmodo's Grads & Dads Gift Guide by clicking on the photo of the iPhone.

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