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Tag: apple

  • New enterprise solutions in iOS 8

    New enterprise solutions in iOS 8

    ios-8-enterprise

    Not more than 48 hours ago, Apple announced the introduction of the much awaited iOS 8, which comes with a number of improvements. Interesting to note is the Enterprise that is build on the new IT model that has significantly improved the way users are informed on how their devices are managed, configured and restricted.

    Stronger Security

    Even more interesting to note is the fact that iOS 8 comes with an upgraded and even more powerful Enterprise-grade security. Apple has expanded data protection to more apps and upgraded their mail encryption technology, too.

    In addition to third-party apps and mail protection, iOS 8 now also offers passcode protection to other apps like Contacts, Reminders, Notes, Calendar, and Messages.

    Users can also opt to use the S/MIME feature to encrypt and sign individual messages. This in turn ensures greater mail messages security.

    New Productivity and Time Saving Features

    With iOS 8, users can create and save automatic email replies that help save time. They can also manage busy inboxes by flagging messages, marking them as unread or read for better organization. Users can also designate certain mails as VIP so that they are sent directly to the VIP box for priority purposes. It is also possible to set the mailbox to mark external addresses in red for security purposes.

    Using the calendar, users can also view meeting availability of their colleagues and friends. The calendar is able to show our friends availability and when setting a meeting, we can therefore put it in a time that is most convenient to everyone.

    iOS 8 also gives us the power to push PDF, iBooks, and ePub documents to user devices using MDM (mobile device management) tools. We can also remove the materials remotely when you no longer need them.

    Finally, with iOS 8 we can wirelessly connect our iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch to Apple TV (peer-to-peer connection), without having to first connect to the organization’s network. This then means that we can share or present our work even when offline.

  • Apple introduces iCloud Drive

    Apple introduces iCloud Drive

    icloud-drive

    At the WWDC 2014 Apple has introduced iCloud Drive that will be available this fall with the newly announced iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

    What does iCloud Drive bring to the table?

    There are a lot of features and benefits that comes with the drive, but one that is really dominant is the freedom. With iCloud Drive you can access, edit, and safely store your data across all your devices. You can also edit one of your documents and the changes reflect on all other devices, including iOS devices, Mac and Windows.

    iCloud Drive brings with it a next generation level of cooperation and collaboration between apps, enhancing the ability to work, edit, and access the same file across multiple apps and devices.

    How to Store

    The storage process of any file/document is as easy as promised. To upload, you just have to drag your item/s to your drive on your Mac, PC or any iOS powered device. You can also start a new document on any of the iCloud-enabled apps and they will be stored on your drive.

    With iCloud Drive, you can also open/start working on a document on one app and finish it on another. For instance, if you are creating a picture, you can start it on a sketching app and move it for painting on a paint app and so on.

  • Apple Announces iOS 8, “the Biggest Release Since the Launch of the App Store”

    Apple Announces iOS 8, “the Biggest Release Since the Launch of the App Store”

    ios-8

    During today’s WWDC keynote Apple unveiled iOS 8, with tons of new features and developers tools. iOS 8 delivers a simpler and more intuitive user experience, including iCloud Photo Library, allowing users to enjoy their photos and videos more easily across their devices; new Messages features to easily share voice, video or photos; and an entirely new Health app that gives users an overview of their health and fitness data all in one place.

    iOS 8 also includes predictive typing for Apple’s QuickType keyboard, Family Sharing to share purchases, photos and calendars within the same household, and iCloud Drive, so users can store files and access them from anywhere.

    In iOS 8, the Photos app can automatically straighten horizons and with smart editing tools, users can quickly adjust light and color or access individual tools for deeper fine-tuning. With iCloud Photo Library, every adjustment and effect is automatically updated across user’s devices.

    The new Health app gathers the information users choose from various health apps and fitness devices, and provides users with a clear and current overview in one place. iOS 8 offers developers the ability for health and fitness apps to communicate with each other. With user’s permission, each app can use specific information from other apps to provide a more comprehensive way to manage user’s health and fitness.

    iOS 8 introduces Family Sharing, making it easier to communicate and share purchases, photos and calendars within the same household. Family members can browse and download each other’s iTunes, iBooks or App Store purchases. Up to six members can participate, each with their own Apple ID. Parents can create Apple IDs for children, which includes Ask to Buy, requiring parental permission for purchases.

    With iCloud Drive, documents of any type can be stored, accessed and edited across your devices. When a user makes edits on one device, the most up-to-date version of the documents will be available across all devices, whether an iOS device, Mac, Windows PC or on www.icloud.com. iCloud Drive provides seamless access and the ability to work on the same file across multiple apps.

    Additional iOS 8 features include:

    • design enhancements that build off the stunning interface of iOS 7, bringing interactive notifications, quick access to key contacts, the ability to quickly switch back and forth between the inbox and drafts in Mail, as well as intelligent suggestions;
    • extended Spotlight® capabilities that give you results beyond what’s on your device, including articles from Wikipedia, findings from the news and results from places nearby; and
    • greater continuity between iPhone®, iPad® and Mac, including Handoff to start an activity on one device and finish on another, along with Instant Hotspot and the ability to make and receive calls and send SMS and MMS messages from your Mac or iPad.

    The iOS 8 beta software and SDK are available immediately for iOS Developer Program members. iOS 8 will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2, iPad with Retina display, iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad mini with Retina display.

  • Smartphone Market Share Held by Samsung; 2.5x Apple’s


    Samsung's sales per quarter have reached 90 million for the first time. This means that Samsung Electronics has beat Apple with over 50 million units of sale. On the other hand, China’s Huawei is now in the third place after LG electronics showed some slowdown in sales in its third quarter smartphone sales.

    According to an American market survey company, Strategy Analytics, Samsung sold 88.4 million smartphones in its third quarter. This saw it clinch the first place in sales with 35.2% of the market share. This means that one in every three smartphones sold was made by Samsung.

    Apple sold 33.8 million units after the release of the iPhone5S. This saw a 2.6 million increase in sales compared to the second quarter. However, its market share dropped by 0.2%. Neil Mawston, SA Analyst indicated that Apple is poised to get back on its track in Q4 with sales from its iPhone5S.

    Huawei ranked  in third place with 12.7 million units, representing 5.1% market share. LG, which was in third place in Q1 and Q2 sold 12million units, representing 4.8% market share. Meanwhile, China’s Lenovo closely follows LG with 10.8 million units representing 4.3% market share.

    Neil Mawston indicated that Samsung’s Galaxy S4 had a reduction in sales, but the Galaxy Y and Galaxy Note 3 had good sales.

    He also indicated that the global smartphone market in the third quarter is 251.4 million, which grew by 45% as compared to last year. He asserts that six out of every ten mobile phones sold around the world are smartphones.

  • iPhone 5S’s Latest Fingerprint Reader Coming Soon

    The iPhone 5S’s latest fingerprint reader has been mentioned in the news a lot these day. It is the latest addition to the parade of features offered by Apple although Samsung and others competitors may have their say about this. Though it has been been given much hype and has already been publicized, fans and spectators must wait until fall before the fingerprint reader will be unveiled.

    For panicky watchers, they will have to wait until the final release is official. Perhaps, there could be changes in the latest software feature that the giant smartphone innovator will reveal during the WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) in June. Some say that the new iPhone might take longer than usual to be released since there could be more updates to be made. The idea of the fingerprint reader innovation was acquired from AuthenTec which is Apple’s security supplier.

    Adding fuel to the fire, some sources say that soon the “I” on iPhone would mean identity. Since many users know about Apple’s inclination for solving problems, the company is trying to venture into solving digital identity. Experts say that this might be part of a grand strategy. Undoubtedly, phones are great part of many people’s lives and some individuals cannot function well without them. Apple is up for the challenge and will soon launch the fingerprint technology on their phones.

    Experts added that this idea will become at a trillion-dollar valuation by 2020. On the other hand, there is one thing that intrigues sources. It is how Apple will approach this digital identity feature because they cannot figure out if it will work like the FB +2.68% and GOOG -0.96% identity systems.

    Apple says that it will allow the user to be in full control of security and how they will handle it. This could work like the slide to unlock feature in many iPhones. It is said that the latest security feature will allow people to choose the level of security they want as well as what situations or maybe even locations in which they would allow identity using their Smartphone. If this idea works, it might be worth the wait for users. Everyone will have to wait and see what Apple is up to this time.

  • New rumor about a cheaper iPhone coming out in August

    We never run out of iPhone-related rumors and this month could not be an exception. Although we have heard of various rumors lately, some of them keep coming around, which might actually show a sign of validity in them.

    According to the Chinese tech site "EMSOne", Apple is planning to release a cheaper version of the iPhone during August, in order to attract the emerging markets and eventually increase their reach. It is rumored that this affordable version of the iPhone will cost almost half the usual price of the popular smartphone, around $330, which makes it very appealing to a wider audience. Of course it won't be exactly the same as the more expansive version, but this doesn't mean that it still won't be an iPhone. In fact, the only rumor that we currently hear is that it will be made of polycarbonate, which is not a significant disadvantage, at least not for those that anticipate to buy their first iPhone at a lower price.

    Although we are not certain yet about this rumor and whether Apple really plans to release a cheaper version of an iPhone, the arguments are taking placing all over the Internet. The advocates of this rumor believe that iPhone was overpriced for no obvious reason up to now, which makes this release ideal for them. On the other hand, Apple's big fans wouldn't be keen on such a release, since they feel that iPhones are losing their value by becoming cheaper.

    Even if Apple really intends to release a cheaper iPhone, Apple's fans should not worry. They won't be neglected, since a new iPhone is on its way too, sooner or later. Thus, Apple could target some big new markets and also maintain their loyal fans throughout the world. It does make sense to us, but what about Apple's point of view?

    We just have to wait and see.

  • Mobile World Congress 2013: The End of Apple Dominance Is Near

    The annual meeting Mobile World Congress, ongoing this week in Barcelona, seems to mark more than any other event the end of Apple dominance in the global market for smartphones and tablets and the rise of some rivals with more open operating systems.

    Mozilla has opened the event in Barcelona unofficially. The nonprofit organization, which used Firefox a decade ago to fight Microsoft control in the online search engine market, wants to change totally the smartphone market as well.

    The industry is currently unnaturally controlled by a few companies, said general manager of Mozilla, Gary Kovacs, during the presentation of the first generation of mobile devices with Firefox operating system.

    More than 20 telecom industry executives who brought their support to the launch of Firefox OS had similar views.

    “We change the industry for the common good,” said Cesar Alienta, general manager of Telefonica, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world. Spanish company chief criticized the closed operating systems, such as iOS, and warned that “the smartphone market is making a step back from the internet’s opening feature”. Telefonica wants to introduce shortly Firefox OS devices in Spain, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.

    America Movil, controlled by Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world, committed to launch Firefox OS in Mexico “and in all possible markets” soon.

    The outgoing General Director of Deutsche Telekom, Rene Obermann, called the Firefox OS release “an important step towards more competition between different systems”. Deutsche Telekom will launch Firefox OS devices starting from this summer in Poland.

    Mozilla is not the only company that wants to change the market for smartphones and tablets. Samsung and Intel are also developing an operating system called Tizen, which would be even more open and will allow software developers more important changes compared to Apple's iOS and Google's Android.

    Mobile operators are strongly attracted by the prospect of being able to strongly change the operating systems, for an interaction as direct as possible with the user.

    The irony in this case is that the success of Samsung with Tizen would make the South Korean company less dependent on Google and stronger in the smartphones and tablets market.

    The rest of the world seems to recover the distance to Apple's platform for mobile devices, and the American company must innovate again or will be cannibalized by rivals with cheaper and more accessible devices. Smartphone market seems to have matured, so that real opportunities could be in the expansion in emerging markets.

  • Apple Rumored to Acquire German TV Maker Loewe

    Loewe, a luxury German TV brand, saw stock prices soar after a trader claimed that Apple was in the market to bid 4 euros a share for the company.

    The rumor set off a chain reaction, causing stock prices to go as high as 3.93, an increase of 44.5 percent from February 12th's closing 2.72 closing price. The price fluctuated throughout the day and eventually closed out at 3.35 on February 13th, an increase of 23.6 percent in just a day.

    Rumors of Apple's interest in the company have been around since May of 2012. Despite reports on AppleInside, Loewe refuted the rumors and Apple never commented on it. With Loewe's capitalization reaching nearly $58 million, a buyout could be a smart move for Apple. However, the company would also have to persuade Loewe's executives and Sharp, a major shareholder.

    The buyout would be a way out of the difficult TV market that Loewe has found itself in. The company experienced a loss of $39 million in 2012 and is now attempting to cut 1,000 jobs to lower expenses. In an effort to expand its market, Loewe has also branched out into manufacturing Blu-ray Player, multiroom systems, speakers, racks and DVD recorders.

    But rumors are just that, rumors and we have yet to see if anything will come of all the speculation. But who knows, maybe Apple is in the market to purchase Loewe and expand into the TV market. We will just have to wait and see if all the hype that increased stock prices is just talk or fact.

  • Mobile Phone Sales Fell in 2012 While Smartphones Thrived

    Half of last year, the research and market analysis company Gartner warned that sales of handsets are in decline, the final report for last year, which was published today, confirming the trend observed in August.

    The unfavorable economic climate that people from Gartner blame for this negative trend, has affected the sales figure for mobile phones. Producers managed to sell 1.75 billion pieces, a 1.7 percent decrease compared to performances recorded in 2011.

    The least demanded products were the featurephones, in the last three months they managing to attract only 264.4 million customers, a figure that marks a sharp drop of 19.3 percent compared to the same period in 2011.

    In the same three months of last year, smartphone sales reached a record level, the 207.7 million units representing a jump of 38.3 percent compared to the last quarter of 2011. In 2013, Gartner estimates that sales of smartphones will reach one billion and the entire mobile phone market will recover and reach a figure of approximately 1.9 billion pieces.

    Rivals Samsung and Apple have captured 52 percent of the market. South Koreans last year sold 386.4 million mobile phones, of which 53.3% were smartphones, while Apple, which is only selling smartphones, has sold 130 million handsets, an increase of 22 percent from 2011.

    According to Gartner, the Android platform has captured nearly 70 percent of smartphone market in the last quarter, followed by the iOS, down nearly 3 percent, BlackBerry OS, also in decrease, and Windows Phone, which managed to reach a modest market share of only 3 percent, but which represents almost double compared to the situation in late 2011.

  • Apple Launches iOS 6.1: Short List of Improvements

    Apple has released an update package for the 6.1 version of its iOS software platform, bringing few improvements. iOS 6.1 is a minor update designed to improve the LTE compatibility and to repair a series of vulnerabilities.

    iOS 6.1 expands the LTE support for 36 operators in 17 countries, this feature being offered to the iPhone 5, iPad 4th generation tablets and iPad Mini. Those who are using the 3rd generation of iPad will be limited by the LTE support of the modem used by Apple.

    The list of software innovations includes the integration within Siri of the possibility of purchasing movie tickets through Fandalgo, feature limited to the United States, and the possibility of individual downloading and deleting music tracks downloaded from iTunes Match, option that existed in iOS 5, but which disappeared from iOS 6 until this new version.

    iOS 6.1 brings improvements and strengthens the security in the operating system kernel and the modules WebKit, StoreKit and Identity Services, as well as eliminating a security vulnerability discovered in the Broadcom wireless drivers that affected the models iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, iPod Touch 4th generation and iPad 2.

    The list of minor innovations also includes the possibility of removing identification codes used by advertisers, option available in the General/About/Advertising menu, and small changes in the interface, such as redesign of audio playback control buttons in Lock Screen.

    According to Apple, of the 600 million Apple products running the iOS, half of them are using the latest major release of the operating system.