Intel Corp announced a technology partnership with Nokia that could potentially give the chip maker the breakthrough it as been looking for into the mobile market.
The companies said on Tuesday they would work together on a new class of mobile computing devices, but would not say when they would come to market or give details on the kind of wireless products they hoped to develop together.
Analysts saw the pact as strategically important for Intel in the long term because it gains the world's top cellphone maker as a potential client. But given the lack of details, analysts said it could take one or two years for products to come to market, and it remained to be seen if they would find favor with consumers,
"Intel at least has its foot in the door. It's an important and strategic customer," said Gartner analyst Jon Erensen, who sees the partnership as a way for Intel to get into the market for advanced phones known as smartphones.
However, he added, "You're probably talking about something like 2011 before you get down to the power consumption and integration (levels) you'd need for that kind of device."
Analysts said the deal gives Intel a chance to take on leading cellphone chip makers Qualcomm Inc and Texas Instruments Inc, a big Nokia supplier.
It could also mean stiffer competition for ARM Holdings Plc, which supplies core cellphone processors to both Texas Instruments and Qualcomm, and whose customers rely in part on software from Wind River Systems Inc.
Intel said earlier this month that it would buy Wind River, whose software speeds up and connects devices made by Samsung Electronics, Apple Inc, Hewlett-Packard Co and Motorola Inc.
Intel, whose microprocessors are found in eight out of 10 personal computers, already works with LG Electronics on mobile devices. The agreement with Finland's Nokia, the world's largest cellphone maker, is a bigger step.
Intel Chief Executive Paul Otellini has said that the handheld, embedded and netbook markets would be as important for the company as the PC market in the near future.
NEW MOBILE PLATFORM
Under the agreement, Intel will buy intellectual property from Nokia related to high-speed wireless technology. They also plan to collaborate on open-source mobile Linux software projects, which some analysts say will compete with Google's Android software in the netbook and mobile Internet device (MID) market.
Intel and Nokia said they aimed to define "a new mobile platform beyond today's smartphones, notebooks and netbooks" for hardware, software and mobile Internet services. They stressed the pact was about their technology collaboration and not about specific products.
Until the companies give more detail about their plans, the news is unlikely to provide much of a boost to share prices, analysts said.
Intel's shares rose 0.83 per cent to $15.81 while Nokia shares fell 0.78 per cent to 10.21 euros.
Intel already sells Atom chips for netbooks - small, no-frills computers
good for Web surfing - and Nokia has said it would look into the possibly of expanding beyond phones to develop netbooks.
The pact may help Nokia compete with rivals such as iPhone from Apple Inc and BlackBerry from Research In Motion, as well as Pre from Palm Inc.
J. Gold Associates analyst Jack Gold wrote in a research note that he expects the first Nokia-Intel devices to be Atom-based and to hit the market in early to mid 2010. Within two to three years, Intel could ship tens of millions of units annually, he said.
Gold wrote on Tuesday that he expects to see Intel enter into more deals and alliances in new markets.
Agencies
Showing posts with label Apple Inc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apple Inc. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Does cost cuts help tech giants ride out weak economy?
A solid crop of earnings reports from the leading lights of technology suggests the sector is proving adept at cost cuts and more resilient to the economic meltdown than previously thought.
While executives from Apple Inc, Google Inc, IBM and Intel Corp were almost uniformly cautious in talking about the rest of the year, they all reported quarterly profits that beat Wall Street expectations.
Microsoft Corp's earnings on Thursday were in line with forecasts, but investors sent its shares higher in part because of cost cuts that the world's largest software maker is undertaking to protect its bottom line.
With corporate and consumer spending under pressure, analysts say many tech companies moved swiftly to slash jobs and output- positioning themselves for growth when a bottom is reached, which some say may have happened already.
"It does look like tech might very well lead us out of the recessionary market," said Enderle Group analyst Rob Enderle. "They are structured to respond more quickly and they've demonstrated they can."
Although the results were not necessarily strong on a historical basis and the outlook for the economy remains extremely uncertain, analysts see positive signs for the sector.
Technology shares have been surging, with the Morgan Stanley Hi-Tech index of major tech stocks up more than 30 per cent since early March.
While a rally may prove difficult to sustain, analysts say the prospects are better for an IT recovery because tech products and services are integral to the day-to-day functioning of the global economy and people's lives.
"Everybody's taking big cuts in their budgets, but a lot of tech spend is not so variable," said M Eric Johnson, director of the Center for Digital Strategies at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. "A lot of their spending needs to and has to occur even in a downturn."
He said the recession in some ways has benefited information technology service providers like IBM, as corporations have moved to outsourcing.
IBM reported an 11 per cent drop in revenue, which was weaker than expected, but higher margins helped its profit beat analysts' forecasts.
There were other encouraging signals in major tech earnings reports. Apple's earnings topped Wall Street forecasts as consumers showed they were still willing to spend on premium devices such as iPhones and iPods even in a tough economy.
Google's and Intel's results also beat expectations, thanks to cost discipline. Intel Chief Executive Paul Otellini declared the worst is over for the PC market, a message echoed by disk drive maker Seagate Technology, but Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell said he saw no sign the bottom had been reached.
Positive signs also emerged from earnings reports from chipmaker Texas Instruments and flash memory maker SanDisk.
"Things at least seem to have stopped falling," said Barry Jaruzelski, a partner at consulting firm Booz & Co He said the key is in how enterprise IT spending plays out.
"It looks like we've found the reset level...The thing IT has going for it is it's often an enabler for cost reductions."
Agencies
While executives from Apple Inc, Google Inc, IBM and Intel Corp were almost uniformly cautious in talking about the rest of the year, they all reported quarterly profits that beat Wall Street expectations.
Microsoft Corp's earnings on Thursday were in line with forecasts, but investors sent its shares higher in part because of cost cuts that the world's largest software maker is undertaking to protect its bottom line.
With corporate and consumer spending under pressure, analysts say many tech companies moved swiftly to slash jobs and output- positioning themselves for growth when a bottom is reached, which some say may have happened already.
"It does look like tech might very well lead us out of the recessionary market," said Enderle Group analyst Rob Enderle. "They are structured to respond more quickly and they've demonstrated they can."
Although the results were not necessarily strong on a historical basis and the outlook for the economy remains extremely uncertain, analysts see positive signs for the sector.
Technology shares have been surging, with the Morgan Stanley Hi-Tech index of major tech stocks up more than 30 per cent since early March.
While a rally may prove difficult to sustain, analysts say the prospects are better for an IT recovery because tech products and services are integral to the day-to-day functioning of the global economy and people's lives.
"Everybody's taking big cuts in their budgets, but a lot of tech spend is not so variable," said M Eric Johnson, director of the Center for Digital Strategies at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. "A lot of their spending needs to and has to occur even in a downturn."
He said the recession in some ways has benefited information technology service providers like IBM, as corporations have moved to outsourcing.
IBM reported an 11 per cent drop in revenue, which was weaker than expected, but higher margins helped its profit beat analysts' forecasts.
There were other encouraging signals in major tech earnings reports. Apple's earnings topped Wall Street forecasts as consumers showed they were still willing to spend on premium devices such as iPhones and iPods even in a tough economy.
Google's and Intel's results also beat expectations, thanks to cost discipline. Intel Chief Executive Paul Otellini declared the worst is over for the PC market, a message echoed by disk drive maker Seagate Technology, but Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell said he saw no sign the bottom had been reached.
Positive signs also emerged from earnings reports from chipmaker Texas Instruments and flash memory maker SanDisk.
"Things at least seem to have stopped falling," said Barry Jaruzelski, a partner at consulting firm Booz & Co He said the key is in how enterprise IT spending plays out.
"It looks like we've found the reset level...The thing IT has going for it is it's often an enabler for cost reductions."
Agencies
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Will Sony Ericsson layoff additional 2,000 jobs?
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd, the mobile-phone venture of Sony Corp and Ericsson AB, said it will cut an additional 2,000 jobs to revive profit amid falling demand.
The measure will reduce costs by 400 million euros ($524 million) annually by mid-2010 and cost 200 million euros to implement, Sony Ericsson said in a statement. It follows a plan announced in July to slash 2,000 positions to save 300 million euros, which has been completed, and another unveiled in January to reduce costs by 180 million euros by the end of 2009.
Sony Ericsson reported its third straight quarterly loss today after it slipped to fourth place in global handset shipments at the end of last year. The London-based company has suffered as consumers snapped up touchscreen models from competitors such as Apple Inc with its iPhone.
“As expected, the first quarter of this year has been extremely challenging for Sony Ericsson due to continued weak global demand” Chief Executive Officer Dick Komiyama said in the statement. “We are aligning our business to the new market reality with the aim of bringing the company back to profitability as quickly as possible.”
Third loss
The first-quarter net loss was 293 million euros, compared with a profit of 133 million euros a year earlier, the company said. Sales fell 36 per cent to 1.74 billion euros.
Analysts in an SME Direkt survey predicted a 293 million- euro net loss on sales of 1.68 billion euros, based on 28 estimates.
Sony Ericsson’s gross margin, or sales minus manufacturing costs, narrowed to 8.4 per cent in the quarter from 29.2 per cent a year earlier.
Restructuring charges for the first two cost-cutting programmes will stay within the 300 million-euro sum set aside in July to pay for the measures, the company said.
The venture shipped 14.5 million phones, a 35 per cent drop from a year earlier. The company estimated its market share fell two percentage poi
nts to 6 per cent from the fourth quarter. The average selling price of its handsets fell to 120 euros from 121 euros in the fourth quarter as well as the year-earlier period.
Sony Ericsson predicts global industry handset unit sales will shrink at least 10 per cent this year from the 1.19 billion sold in 2008. Nokia Oyj, the world’s largest mobile-phone maker, yesterday reiterated its forecast of about a 10 per cent drop in the global handset market.
Nokia reiterated its margin targets for the year after announcing job cut programmes that will cover about 3,000 employees. The Espoo, Finland-based company’s first-quarter net income declined 90 per cent to 122 million euros.
Agencies
The measure will reduce costs by 400 million euros ($524 million) annually by mid-2010 and cost 200 million euros to implement, Sony Ericsson said in a statement. It follows a plan announced in July to slash 2,000 positions to save 300 million euros, which has been completed, and another unveiled in January to reduce costs by 180 million euros by the end of 2009.
Sony Ericsson reported its third straight quarterly loss today after it slipped to fourth place in global handset shipments at the end of last year. The London-based company has suffered as consumers snapped up touchscreen models from competitors such as Apple Inc with its iPhone.
“As expected, the first quarter of this year has been extremely challenging for Sony Ericsson due to continued weak global demand” Chief Executive Officer Dick Komiyama said in the statement. “We are aligning our business to the new market reality with the aim of bringing the company back to profitability as quickly as possible.”
Third loss
The first-quarter net loss was 293 million euros, compared with a profit of 133 million euros a year earlier, the company said. Sales fell 36 per cent to 1.74 billion euros.
Analysts in an SME Direkt survey predicted a 293 million- euro net loss on sales of 1.68 billion euros, based on 28 estimates.
Sony Ericsson’s gross margin, or sales minus manufacturing costs, narrowed to 8.4 per cent in the quarter from 29.2 per cent a year earlier.
Restructuring charges for the first two cost-cutting programmes will stay within the 300 million-euro sum set aside in July to pay for the measures, the company said.
The venture shipped 14.5 million phones, a 35 per cent drop from a year earlier. The company estimated its market share fell two percentage poi
nts to 6 per cent from the fourth quarter. The average selling price of its handsets fell to 120 euros from 121 euros in the fourth quarter as well as the year-earlier period.
Sony Ericsson predicts global industry handset unit sales will shrink at least 10 per cent this year from the 1.19 billion sold in 2008. Nokia Oyj, the world’s largest mobile-phone maker, yesterday reiterated its forecast of about a 10 per cent drop in the global handset market.
Nokia reiterated its margin targets for the year after announcing job cut programmes that will cover about 3,000 employees. The Espoo, Finland-based company’s first-quarter net income declined 90 per cent to 122 million euros.
Agencies
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Can an iPod be a poor man's iPhone?
I try to keep a stiff upper lip about not having an iPhone. Just couldn't afford it — not with the $75 a month or so AT&T charges for service on top of the $199 upfront cost for the device.
I could, however, afford the $229 iPod Touch — and got it as a gift, as it happened. It has most of the same goodies: a Web browser, e-mail, YouTube. And it stores way more music than the iPhone. (Ha!) Plus, the other day I used it to call China.
Yup, a call around the world — on a device that doesn't have a phone. A handful of applications on Apple Inc.'s iTunes store will let you do this, as long as you're in a Wi-Fi hot spot.
My iPhone complex hasn't disappeared, but at least now I have a device that looks just like it, has no monthly service fees, and lets me make free or cheap phone calls.
The best part of these applications — which require the second-generation iPod Touch that came out last year — is that they are free to download, and calls to other people using the same app won't cost you anything.
Two of the services I've tried, Truphone and Fring, will also let you make free calls to Google Talk users and type instant messages to friends online. Both automatically queue up a list of buddies from different services you might have, including Gmail chat, AIM and MSN Messenger, once you log in.
But it's Truphone's pay feature that puts it ahead of the others. TruPhone charges you to make calls to landlines or regular cell phones, but generally at better rates than most wireless carriers. And it's upfront about what you pay.
Your balance — which you can add to with a credit card, either on the device or on your computer browser — pops up with the dial screen. Calls in the U.S. are all 5 cents per minute (2 cents if you sign up to pay a $4 monthly fee).
Rates outside the U.S. vary wildly but you can check in the application before you dial. To call cell phones in China, for instance, is only 5 cents per minute, while France is 25 cents. Antarctica? A whopping $2.25.
You can make regular calls with Fring using a Skype account, but that's another layer to deal with.
The calls on these services sound pretty good, a little tinny but clearer than my regular cell phone connection. IPod Touch users will need Apple's $29 ear buds that have a tiny microphone on the back of the volume control along the cord.
The most serious drawback is the most obvious: While the iPhone uses AT&T's wireless network to provide Internet access anywhere, on the iPod Touch you'll need to stick to Wi-Fi hot spots. For rural or suburban dwellers who don't encounter lots of free Wi-Fi zones, that may very well mean limiting yourself to your house, or other places where there's a computer with the same Internet phone call capabilities anyway.
That means these apps probably won't replace your cell phone. But they can moderate your iPhone envy.
Agencies
I could, however, afford the $229 iPod Touch — and got it as a gift, as it happened. It has most of the same goodies: a Web browser, e-mail, YouTube. And it stores way more music than the iPhone. (Ha!) Plus, the other day I used it to call China.
Yup, a call around the world — on a device that doesn't have a phone. A handful of applications on Apple Inc.'s iTunes store will let you do this, as long as you're in a Wi-Fi hot spot.
My iPhone complex hasn't disappeared, but at least now I have a device that looks just like it, has no monthly service fees, and lets me make free or cheap phone calls.
The best part of these applications — which require the second-generation iPod Touch that came out last year — is that they are free to download, and calls to other people using the same app won't cost you anything.
Two of the services I've tried, Truphone and Fring, will also let you make free calls to Google Talk users and type instant messages to friends online. Both automatically queue up a list of buddies from different services you might have, including Gmail chat, AIM and MSN Messenger, once you log in.
But it's Truphone's pay feature that puts it ahead of the others. TruPhone charges you to make calls to landlines or regular cell phones, but generally at better rates than most wireless carriers. And it's upfront about what you pay.
Your balance — which you can add to with a credit card, either on the device or on your computer browser — pops up with the dial screen. Calls in the U.S. are all 5 cents per minute (2 cents if you sign up to pay a $4 monthly fee).
Rates outside the U.S. vary wildly but you can check in the application before you dial. To call cell phones in China, for instance, is only 5 cents per minute, while France is 25 cents. Antarctica? A whopping $2.25.
You can make regular calls with Fring using a Skype account, but that's another layer to deal with.
The calls on these services sound pretty good, a little tinny but clearer than my regular cell phone connection. IPod Touch users will need Apple's $29 ear buds that have a tiny microphone on the back of the volume control along the cord.
The most serious drawback is the most obvious: While the iPhone uses AT&T's wireless network to provide Internet access anywhere, on the iPod Touch you'll need to stick to Wi-Fi hot spots. For rural or suburban dwellers who don't encounter lots of free Wi-Fi zones, that may very well mean limiting yourself to your house, or other places where there's a computer with the same Internet phone call capabilities anyway.
That means these apps probably won't replace your cell phone. But they can moderate your iPhone envy.
Agencies
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Is Apple developing a touchscreen PC?
Apple will take third-quarter delivery of newly developed 10-inch touchscreens from Taiwan, a source said on Wednesday, amid talk the US firm is developing a touchscreen PC.
Taiwan touchscreen specialist Wintek already makes small screens for Apple iPhones, and has received orders for the larger ones that are roughly the same size as those used in mini PCs, said the source close to the Taiwan firm. He asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
He added that he did not know what the final product would be, or who would make it.
Wintek spokesman James Chen confirmed Apple was a major client of his company, but declined to comment on any new product development.
Taiwan media reported this week that Apple, which has brought touchscreens to the forefront with the success of its iPhones, is currently developing a touchscreen PC, as lines begin to blur between sophisticated smartphones and traditional PCs.
Some of those reports have said that Taiwan's Quanta Computer, the world's top contract laptop PC maker, would manufacture the actual PCs for Apple.
Apple's Hong Kong spokeswoman, Jill Tan, said the company did not comment on market speculation, while a Quanta spokeswoman also declined to comment.
Agencies
Taiwan touchscreen specialist Wintek already makes small screens for Apple iPhones, and has received orders for the larger ones that are roughly the same size as those used in mini PCs, said the source close to the Taiwan firm. He asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
He added that he did not know what the final product would be, or who would make it.
Wintek spokesman James Chen confirmed Apple was a major client of his company, but declined to comment on any new product development.
Taiwan media reported this week that Apple, which has brought touchscreens to the forefront with the success of its iPhones, is currently developing a touchscreen PC, as lines begin to blur between sophisticated smartphones and traditional PCs.
Some of those reports have said that Taiwan's Quanta Computer, the world's top contract laptop PC maker, would manufacture the actual PCs for Apple.
Apple's Hong Kong spokeswoman, Jill Tan, said the company did not comment on market speculation, while a Quanta spokeswoman also declined to comment.
Agencies
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Smaller, 4-gigabyte Apple iPod shuffle launched
Apple Inc. unveiled a minuscule new iPod Shuffle on Wednesday that takes its "smaller is better" mantra to a whole new level.
The third-generation Shuffle, a slim aluminum rectangle less than 2 inches long, takes up about half as much space as the previous version even as it doubles music storage space to 4 gigabytes. To achieve such a tiny form, Apple had to remove most of the buttons from the body of the $79 device and build them into the headphone cord instead.
"Smaller has tended to work very well for us," said Greg Joswiak, a marketing vice president at Apple.
The trade-off for a sub-$100 Shuffle has always been the lack of a screen to visually navigate through the music stored on the device. The first generation Shuffle, which launched in 2005, could hold about 240 songs, arguably not enough to warrant a screen.
Now that the device can carry 1,000 songs, Apple has come up with a way for people to identify the music they're listening to or find songs they want. A new feature called VoiceOver can, at the push of a button, speak the song and artist name or rattle off the list of custom mixes — called playlists — that the owner has loaded onto the device.
Here's how it works: As you synchronize a new Shuffle using an updated version of iTunes, your PC or Mac looks at each track and playlist and creates a small file of a computerized voice speaking the title, artist or playlist name. If a song is in Spanish or Chinese, say, the software figures this out and speaks in the appropriate language. Apple says the device can handle 14 languages.
The new Shuffle, which comes in silver or black aluminum with a shiny stainless steel clip, is set to go on sale Thursday. Joswiak said Apple's own earphones will be the only option for early buyers, but that other companies plan to make compatible headphones as well as adapters for regular headphones.
Agencies
The third-generation Shuffle, a slim aluminum rectangle less than 2 inches long, takes up about half as much space as the previous version even as it doubles music storage space to 4 gigabytes. To achieve such a tiny form, Apple had to remove most of the buttons from the body of the $79 device and build them into the headphone cord instead.
"Smaller has tended to work very well for us," said Greg Joswiak, a marketing vice president at Apple.
The trade-off for a sub-$100 Shuffle has always been the lack of a screen to visually navigate through the music stored on the device. The first generation Shuffle, which launched in 2005, could hold about 240 songs, arguably not enough to warrant a screen.
Now that the device can carry 1,000 songs, Apple has come up with a way for people to identify the music they're listening to or find songs they want. A new feature called VoiceOver can, at the push of a button, speak the song and artist name or rattle off the list of custom mixes — called playlists — that the owner has loaded onto the device.
Here's how it works: As you synchronize a new Shuffle using an updated version of iTunes, your PC or Mac looks at each track and playlist and creates a small file of a computerized voice speaking the title, artist or playlist name. If a song is in Spanish or Chinese, say, the software figures this out and speaks in the appropriate language. Apple says the device can handle 14 languages.
The new Shuffle, which comes in silver or black aluminum with a shiny stainless steel clip, is set to go on sale Thursday. Joswiak said Apple's own earphones will be the only option for early buyers, but that other companies plan to make compatible headphones as well as adapters for regular headphones.
Agencies
Friday, January 23, 2009
Apple logs record $10-bn sales; beats recession
Apple Inc rose as much as 6.8% in Nasdaq trading as holiday demand beat estimates last quarter, helping allay concerns the recession and the absence of Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs will stymie growth.
Overseas demand for iPod players, Macintosh computers and iPhones offset a US slowdown and pushed quarterly sales past $10 bn for the first time, Apple said. Analysts had expected profit to drop for the first time in five years.
The cachet of Apple’s products helped the company maintain orders and command premium prices, even as the economy shrank, job losses swelled and consumer lending dried up. By updating models and pushing into new countries, Apple was able to shrug off the worst holiday shopping season in four decades. The company also is coping with the temporary loss of its CEO, who is giving up his day-to-day role until June to take a medical leave.
“It shows that people, even in a downturn, like Apple products and want to buy them,” said Andy Hargreaves, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Oregon. He’s one of 25 analysts tracked by Bloomberg who recommend buying the shares.
First-quarter net income rose 1.5% to $1.61 bn, or $1.78 a share, from $1.58 bn, or $1.76, a year earlier, Apple said. Sales rose 5.8% to $10.2 bn in the period ended December 27. Analysts in a Bloomberg survey estimated profit of $1.39 a share and sales of $9.76 bn.
Analysts had predicted a drop in profit after sales at US retailers fell more than twice as much as forecast in December, the sixth straight month of declines. The US accounts for more than half of Apple’s revenue.
Agencies
Overseas demand for iPod players, Macintosh computers and iPhones offset a US slowdown and pushed quarterly sales past $10 bn for the first time, Apple said. Analysts had expected profit to drop for the first time in five years.
The cachet of Apple’s products helped the company maintain orders and command premium prices, even as the economy shrank, job losses swelled and consumer lending dried up. By updating models and pushing into new countries, Apple was able to shrug off the worst holiday shopping season in four decades. The company also is coping with the temporary loss of its CEO, who is giving up his day-to-day role until June to take a medical leave.
“It shows that people, even in a downturn, like Apple products and want to buy them,” said Andy Hargreaves, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Oregon. He’s one of 25 analysts tracked by Bloomberg who recommend buying the shares.
First-quarter net income rose 1.5% to $1.61 bn, or $1.78 a share, from $1.58 bn, or $1.76, a year earlier, Apple said. Sales rose 5.8% to $10.2 bn in the period ended December 27. Analysts in a Bloomberg survey estimated profit of $1.39 a share and sales of $9.76 bn.
Analysts had predicted a drop in profit after sales at US retailers fell more than twice as much as forecast in December, the sixth straight month of declines. The US accounts for more than half of Apple’s revenue.
Agencies
Friday, January 16, 2009
Steve Jobs on leave till June
I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.
In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.
I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple's day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.
In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.
I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple's day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Is the Apple founder Steve Jobs dead?
Hijacking a Web feed of the Macworld 2009 conference, hackers have made spoof announcements about the death of Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple.
Earlier this week, Jobs clarified persistent rumours about his health saying that he is suffering from health problems caused by a hormone imbalance.
However, the entire Web world was inundated with false claims of his demise via a fabricated live feed from Macworld Expo after hackers managed to breach security on a well-respected website.
The hackers fiddled with the micro-blogging feed at Macrumorslive.com, which was running smoothly through the first 23 minutes of the keynote speech given by Phil Schiller, senior vice president of marketing at Apple.
But, out of nowhere a message was posted that said, "Steve Jobs just died."
While the micro-blogging feed continued with developments about iPhoto, it was after three minutes that the feed came up with a clarification.
"Retraction on Steve Jobs comment ... we don't know how that got in our feed. Steve did not die," The Telegraph quoted the feed, as saying.
Another message came soon after, and said, "Oh wait, sorry, Steve did die. Our condolences."
The hackers were found to have affiliation with a website called 4Chan.The anonymous participants of 4Chan have discussed a number of high-profile online pranks, including attacks on the Church of Scientology and the breach of a Yahoo email account belonging to vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
"Our MacRumorsLive keynote coverage was hacked today, inserting inappropriate content into the text and photo feeds. We apologise for the inconvenience and are working to restore our services," read an item on Macrumors.com.
While bloggers have claimed that the site's passwords have been out on 4Chan since a day before the hack, but the claims have not been confirmed as yet.
Agencies
Earlier this week, Jobs clarified persistent rumours about his health saying that he is suffering from health problems caused by a hormone imbalance.
However, the entire Web world was inundated with false claims of his demise via a fabricated live feed from Macworld Expo after hackers managed to breach security on a well-respected website.
The hackers fiddled with the micro-blogging feed at Macrumorslive.com, which was running smoothly through the first 23 minutes of the keynote speech given by Phil Schiller, senior vice president of marketing at Apple.
But, out of nowhere a message was posted that said, "Steve Jobs just died."
While the micro-blogging feed continued with developments about iPhoto, it was after three minutes that the feed came up with a clarification.
"Retraction on Steve Jobs comment ... we don't know how that got in our feed. Steve did not die," The Telegraph quoted the feed, as saying.
Another message came soon after, and said, "Oh wait, sorry, Steve did die. Our condolences."
The hackers were found to have affiliation with a website called 4Chan.The anonymous participants of 4Chan have discussed a number of high-profile online pranks, including attacks on the Church of Scientology and the breach of a Yahoo email account belonging to vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
"Our MacRumorsLive keynote coverage was hacked today, inserting inappropriate content into the text and photo feeds. We apologise for the inconvenience and are working to restore our services," read an item on Macrumors.com.
While bloggers have claimed that the site's passwords have been out on 4Chan since a day before the hack, but the claims have not been confirmed as yet.
Agencies
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Apple likely to unveil cheaper iPhone in 2009
Apple Inc will probably begin selling a lower-priced version of the iPhone in the first half of 2009, tapping a new chipmaker for a key component, according to Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co.
Qualcomm Inc will replace Infineon Technologies AG as the supplier of the baseband processor -- the chip that translates radio signals into voice and data -- in the new model, analyst Craig Berger said in a report. The phone might debut in the second quarter, he said, citing unidentified industry sources.
Apple may be turning to lower-cost products to fuel sales in developing countries as the US economy shrinks. The company is planning a smaller version of its Shuffle music player and a cheaper MacBook laptop, Berger said. None of the devices is likely to be ready to be unveiled at next week’s Macworld conference, where Apple typically makes product announcements.
“Mobile phone sales figures will continue to grow worldwide in 2009 and most of that growth will come from developing countries,” said Hakim Kriout, a portfolio manager at Grigsby & Associates, a New York-based securities trading firm that owns Apple shares.
“Turning the iPhone into a product line by adding another device for the lower end of the market is the next logical phase.”
Jennifer Bowcock, Apple’s spokeswoman for the iPhone, didn’t immediately return a call or email seeking comment. San Diego-based Qualcomm’s Bertha Agia also didn’t immediately return a phone call.
Wal-Mart, Best Buy
Apple currently sells two versions of the iPhone, an 8GB model for $199 and a 16GB device for $299. Wal-Mart Sto
res Inc, the world’s largest retail chain, began offering the product last week, with its starting price at $197. Best Buy Co, the biggest electronics seller in the US, sells the phone for $189.99 and $289.99.
Berger, who contacted parts suppliers, also said that Apple made fewer iPhones in the fourth quarter than originally estimated. That shortfall will be partially offset by greater first-quarter output, he said. About 10 million phones were available for purchase in the fourth quarter, he estimates.
Apple said this month that chief executive officer Steve Jobs won’t appear at the Macworld show, fuelling speculation that the company doesn’t have a significant new product to offer.
Apple will probably use the event to show updated versions of its aluminum-cased iMac desktop computers and a new operating system, Brian Marshall, an analyst at Broadpoint.AmTech in San Francisco, said.
Source: Agencies
Qualcomm Inc will replace Infineon Technologies AG as the supplier of the baseband processor -- the chip that translates radio signals into voice and data -- in the new model, analyst Craig Berger said in a report. The phone might debut in the second quarter, he said, citing unidentified industry sources.
Apple may be turning to lower-cost products to fuel sales in developing countries as the US economy shrinks. The company is planning a smaller version of its Shuffle music player and a cheaper MacBook laptop, Berger said. None of the devices is likely to be ready to be unveiled at next week’s Macworld conference, where Apple typically makes product announcements.
“Mobile phone sales figures will continue to grow worldwide in 2009 and most of that growth will come from developing countries,” said Hakim Kriout, a portfolio manager at Grigsby & Associates, a New York-based securities trading firm that owns Apple shares.
“Turning the iPhone into a product line by adding another device for the lower end of the market is the next logical phase.”
Jennifer Bowcock, Apple’s spokeswoman for the iPhone, didn’t immediately return a call or email seeking comment. San Diego-based Qualcomm’s Bertha Agia also didn’t immediately return a phone call.
Wal-Mart, Best Buy
Apple currently sells two versions of the iPhone, an 8GB model for $199 and a 16GB device for $299. Wal-Mart Sto
res Inc, the world’s largest retail chain, began offering the product last week, with its starting price at $197. Best Buy Co, the biggest electronics seller in the US, sells the phone for $189.99 and $289.99.
Berger, who contacted parts suppliers, also said that Apple made fewer iPhones in the fourth quarter than originally estimated. That shortfall will be partially offset by greater first-quarter output, he said. About 10 million phones were available for purchase in the fourth quarter, he estimates.
Apple said this month that chief executive officer Steve Jobs won’t appear at the Macworld show, fuelling speculation that the company doesn’t have a significant new product to offer.
Apple will probably use the event to show updated versions of its aluminum-cased iMac desktop computers and a new operating system, Brian Marshall, an analyst at Broadpoint.AmTech in San Francisco, said.
Source: Agencies
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