Latest Recent Technology

As iPods fade out, Apple's iTunes turns up the volume - CNET

Apple’s iTunes business continues to grow, while the product that helped catapult it heads into the sunset.

Apple’s iPod in 2003.

(Credit: Getty Images)

Apple’s iPod business has shrunk to the point where the company no longer even mentions it among its main product list at quarterly earnings. And while unveiling this year’s latest iPhones last month, Apple rolled out a new iPod color without little fanfare.

Some way to treat a product that sold 26.4 million units in the past 12 months and helped pave the way to the company’s current riches.

But as time goes by there’s simply no arguing that the iPod has become a less important Apple product, especially because it generates less and less revenue for the company. On the flip side, Apple’s iTunes business — which includes the App Store, iBookstore, and sales of music, movies, and TV shows — has evolved from the iPod’s sidekick into the matriarch of Apple’s offerings. It’s become a major part of how Apple differentiates its gadgets from competitors.

For its fiscal year, which ran through September and was fully reported on Monday, Apple sold 26.4 million iPods, down 35 percent from last year. That amounted to $ 4.4 billion in sales, or down 30 percent in revenue from the year before. By comparison, the iTunes Store and its surrounding businesses (which grew out of the iPod) brought in $ 15 billion in sales and grew by 22 percent.

That’s a far cry from the massive strides the store made in the early days, which were fueled by an ever popular and growing iPod line. But that growth has continued amid the iPod’s dwindling popularity.

How iTunes stacks up
iTunes and its related software and services have become a key to how Apple makes money. In the last year, the profitability of Apple’s iTunes, software, and services business was second only to iPhone among all of the company’s business units, even though it only represents 8.2 percent of the sales Apple generated in the just-ended fiscal year.

However, iTunes has bumped up against some ceilings. Music-related products and services have grown in overall size, but they’ve been shrinking to a smaller slice of Apple’s revenue every year as the company’s hardware business has exploded. Rewind to 2008 and it was iTunes’ heyday as the world’s go-to place to legally acquire digital entertainment. And the App Store had only just begun.

Today, the world has a surfeit of retailers willing to sell you digital music, movies, and shows. In many cases, Apple is delivering consumers to its competition. Mobile music listening is gravitating toward subscription services like Spotify or online radio services like Pandora. Apple, through its App Store, is what’s bringing those services to device owners — as it must. The revolutionary premise of the iPhone was that the apps turned the device into a digital Swiss Army knife. The iPod as a walled garden evolved into a more open device, despite Apple’s desire to control every part of it.

(Credit: CNET)

Even when Apple jumps on the bandwagon with a service like iTunes Radio, there are signs that the competitor may not suffer as a result. Last week, Apple revealed that iTunes Radio hit 20 million users, streaming a billion songs in about five weeks. It’s strong growth, but don’t forget iTunes Radio was more than halfway toward that user milestone in only five days.

From that data, B. Riley analyst Sameet Sinha crunched that iTunes Radio users spend 75 percent less time listening to the service than listeners of Pandora. Even with Apple’s reach and even though initial users of iTunes Radio are largely early adopters and Apple fans, Pandora is sticky. A Canaccord survey of 860 consumers revealed that almost all of them who had tried iTunes Radio — 92 percent — said they still use Pandora. Two-thirds said they use Pandora at least as much as or more than iTunes Radio.

One other metric to look at then is the App Store itself, which has fueled Apple’s iTunes growth. Apple attributed as much in an earnings call with Wall Street analysts on Monday, saying that users have cumulatively downloaded 60 billion apps. Also, the company has paid out $ 13 billion to developers since the store launched in mid-2009. Apple doesn’t go into as much detail on how its financials break down for that business unit. For instance, you won’t get how much of that revenue was in music tracks, movies, TV shows, books, or apps.

(Credit: Getty Images)

For the iPod, though, its decline is simply a side effect of Apple’s success in other areas. Nearly all of its key functions (short of a low price) could be found in the iPhone, beginning with the first version in 2007. This cannibalization has been touted by the company, particularly CEO Tim Cook, who refers to the products that replace these as a “huge opportunity.”

The very same thing is happening right now with Apple’s Mac sales, which have shrunk amid the growth of the iPad.

“Our core philosophy is to never fear cannibalization. If we don’t do it, someone else will,” Cook told analysts back in January. “We know that the iPhone has cannibalized some of our iPod business. That doesn’t worry us. We know that iPad will cannibalize some Macs. But that’s not a concern.”

In other words, Apple values progress more than it treasures the iPod. It’s been the same story with several other products, which faded into the sunset in the name of something newer and better — from the original iPod Mini to plastic MacBooks. For the iPod, the iPhone fulfilled many of those same promises in 2007, making it an unlikely survivor, though one whose future now seems more uncertain than ever.

ipod – Google News

Lighter and Faster, It's iPad Air - New York Times

Carl Court/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The new iPad Mini, left, and the iPad Air. The Air will have plenty of competition when it goes on sale on Friday morning.

The iPad Air is noticeably lighter than its predecessors.

If you are the least bit interested in the new tablet computer from Apple, you probably already know that. The company's engineers shaved just short of a third off the weight of the earlier version; the 9.7-inch Air weighs only a pound.

What you may not know is this: Those 6.4 ounces make all the difference when, as you recline while reading or watching a movie, you conk out and the iPad falls forward to bonk you on the nose. The Air won't hurt you the way the old iPad did.

The weight reduction and a 20 percent slimmer profile provide other benefits, too. My messenger bag strap didn't dig into my shoulder as deeply when my iPad was in it. My hand didn't cramp up while grasping the iPad Air for an hour while watching movies or playing games.

But is Nose Bonking Reduction enough to justify buying a new iPad if you already own one of the 170 million iPads that have been sold over the last three and a half years? And if you have never bought a tablet computer, is this the one that persuades you to fling your laptop aside like crutches at a faith healing and embrace a new era?

When the iPad Air goes on sale on Friday morning around the globe, it will face its toughest competition yet — from Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1, Microsoft's Surface 2 and Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX. Google has a new Nexus tablet in the wings.

The iPad Air will also compete against its little brother, the iPad Mini. Later in November, Apple will begin selling a new version of that tablet, which comes with a high-resolution 7.9-inch Retina screen and the same faster processor found in both the Air and the new line of iPhones.

So how does the Air stack up? Compared with the Mini, the question really boils down to size. If all you want to do on a tablet is read books or watch movies, the smaller screen is excellent, and you can save $ 100 (the cheapest model of the Air costs $ 500. The new Mini costs $ 400). But I use the iPad for work, reading documents and occasionally even editing or writing on it. I also use it as a second screen (actually it's a fourth, but we won't get into that) on my desk for research on the web. The extra real estate provided by a larger screen matters at the office.

If you decide you need the bigger screen, you will find a lot of benefit in the iPad Air. In addition to being light and slim, it loads apps and web pages quickly — faster than the old iPad, because Apple tailored software to mesh with the custom A7 processor and vice versa.

It easily runs for 10 hours on a charge, just as Apple promises — despite the battery's smaller size and the increased demands put on it. In my test of pretty heavy use, it downloaded and played three hourlong episodes of "Game of Thrones" and a few hours of music. I scrolled through Twitter and Flipboard, played games and perused the web. That's almost a typical day for me and my iPad. It will get you through a normal day and then some with no worries.

The iPad Air also sports two antennas to pull in Wi-Fi signals faster than the old one did. Called MIMO for multiple-input and multiple-output, these antennas make a noticeable difference when your fast Wi-Fi signal is weakest, like in a back bedroom or the basement. (You'll have to have a recent MIMO compatible router to see the magic, though.)

But do you need to plunk down $ 500 or more for an Air if you already have an earlier version of the iPad? Notice I used the word "need." Even though I love shiny new objects, I really can't tell you to replace your old iPad; the improvements on the new one are incremental, not revolutionary.

If you've never had a tablet, though, the answer is different. A tablet, especially this iPad, is a delight to use and will bring you more hours of enjoyment than any other electronic device I know of.

Apple sells the devices in two colors — black and white. The company, though, calls them Space Gray and Silver because that's the color on the back of the tablet. (What can I say? It's a quirky company.) It also sells covers in six colors for $ 40 and cases, also in six colors, for $ 80. You can assume stores will soon be stuffed full of covers and cases of various materials and designs from many vendors to fit the new specs of this version.

Damon Darlin, the international business editor, is a guest columnist for State of the Art.

Apple Replacing 'Limited' Number Of iPhone 5s With Manufacturing Issue ... - TechCrunch

Apple released a statement today to The New York Times noting that a manufacturing issue has caused shortened battery life in a 'very limited' number of iPhone 5s devices. At its introduction, the phone was reported by Apple to have nearly identical life to the iPhone 5, and most tests have borne that out with reviewers seeing identical or slightly improved numbers.

The statement, issued by an Apple spokesperson, indicates that a small number of the iPhones that Apple has sold so far are defective. Here's the statement given to the Times:

"We recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5S devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life," said Teresa Brewer, an Apple spokeswoman. "We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone."

The Times says that Apple's statement 'implies' that this is only a few thousand devices, but Apple themselves gave no exact number. Apple sold 9 million iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 4s devices in its launch weekend in September.

iPhones do not have user replaceable batteries, making the life of those batteries of paramount importance. In general, iPhones get comparable battery life to other devices in the same size and thickness. Other devices from Motorola, Samsung and more have made design decisions that allow them to get greater battery life by packing in larger or thicker battery packs.

If that reputation for decent, if not exhilarating, battery life is going to be maintained, Apple will want to make sure that they clamp down on this issue quick. Of course, the bad news about iPhone 5s battery life issues arrives ahead of iPad Air reviews, which are expected later today. Slick.

We've reached out to Apple to see if it has any more information to share.

Amazon Cloud Player app comes to Mac - Engadget

Amazon Cloud Player app comes to Mac

It may have taken a while, but Amazon has finally delivered on its promise to bring a Cloud Player app for the Mac faithful. Ever since the offline music management suite debuted for the PC in May, the small cross section of Amazon MP3 hoarders and OS X users have been impatiently waiting for Bezos and co. to fill their promise. Just like its Windows-based brethren, this version can watch for newly ripped CDs or purchases made through iTunes and add them to your Amazon library. AutoRip CDs you’ve purchased will also automatically show up in you digital music collection. You can download the app now at amazon.com/getcloudplayer.

Show full PR text

Amazon Cloud Player Desktop App Now Available for Mac
A Simple, Smart, Fast Way to Enjoy Your Entire Music Library from Your Desktop – Online or Offline

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 29, 2013– (NASDAQ:AMZN)- Following the successful release of Amazon Cloud Player for PC earlier this year, Amazon.com, Inc. today announced the availability of Amazon Cloud Player for Mac. The new app provides Mac users with a seamless way to manage their entire music library – whether saved on their computer or in the cloud – and shop from the Amazon MP3 Store with a catalog of more than 25 million songs.

Amazon Cloud Player for Mac features include:

One-place for all your music: Play your Amazon and iTunes music all from one place, even when offline.
A music library that is always up-to-date: Cloud Player automatically detects and adds new music to your library even if you bought it from iTunes or ripped a CD. The app does all the work for you.
An integrated MP3 Store: You can shop from the Amazon MP3 catalog of more than 25 million songs and discover new music with personalized recommendations, all without having to leave the app.
AutoRip: Buy an AutoRip CD or vinyl record from Amazon and a free MP3 version of the album will be added to your Cloud Player for Mac library.
Built for speed: Forget bloated players with extra features you don’t need or use. Cloud Player for Mac is lean, mean and made for your music. It’ll get you from launch to play in seconds.
Music management made simple: Download your MP3 purchases automatically or with one click. Export your music to other music players . Create and manage playlists using simple drag-and-drop.
Instant search & play: Find music easily and quickly. Type anywhere to search for an artist, album or song and play directly from the search results.
Rich artist content: See artist photos, bios, tweets, and gorgeous, large album art.
Anywhere access: Music purchased using Amazon Cloud Player for Mac is securely backed up in the cloud for free and made instantly available on any Kindle Fire, Android phone or tablet, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Samsung TV, Roku, Sonos, PC or web browser.
“Amazon Cloud Player offers customers the easiest way to enjoy their music across all their devices,” said Steve Boom, Vice President of Digital Music for Amazon. “Our customers have told us they love our PC desktop app, and we are excited to bring the same great experience to our Mac customers.”

Amazon Cloud Player for Mac is available today for free at amazon.com/getcloudplayer.

Ways to Save: $65 iPod Touch, accessory deals - USA TODAY

Check out this deal for a $ 65 iPod Touch! It’s being called the biggest deal of the year before Black Friday. Go to @MattGranite on Twitter for more information on these deals.

ipod – Google News

Retina iPad Mini Release Date Nears: Apple Hints At Supply Shortages Amid ... - International Business Times

During Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) fourth quarter earnings call on Monday, CEO Tim Cook cautioned analysts and investors that Apple might not be able to meet demand for the new Retina iPad mini this holiday season, adding to concerns stemming from the company’s forecast of slower holiday sales growth in 2013.

On Monday, Cook was reluctant to guarantee investors that the company could produce enough Retina iPad mini units to satisfy consumer demand, and said: "It’s unclear whether we will have enough for the quarter or not," in response to a question from Steve Milunovich, an analyst with UBS. "We know how many we will have, but you really don’t know the demand until you start shipping."

While the fifth-generation iPad Air will be released on Nov. 1, the Retina iPad mini is said to become available later in November. The fact that the new iPad mini is launching after the new full-sized iPad also could be interpreted to mean that Apple may not be able to meet demand for the new 7.9-inch tablet this holiday season, Apple Insider reported.

Prior to the announcement of the Retina iPad mini last week, multiple reports surfaced predicting that production issues could limit the device's supply through the end of this year and until early 2014.

Last week, Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company said in a note to investors that the Retina iPad mini could face tight supply constraints ahead of this year's holiday shopping season as Apple is expected to encounter problems with producing the high-resolution displays for the tablet. According to him, the company is not expected to ramp up production of its Retina iPad mini 2 until early 2014.

Following Apple's announcement of the new iPads, Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, also noted that the supplies of the Retina iPad mini would be "severely constrained."

"The supply of the Retina Mini is going to be ridiculously tight in the fourth quarter," Alexander was quoted by The Telegraph as saying. "Apple's 2013 iPad shipment growth is shaping up to be comparatively modest and the shift in launch cycles has played a major role in the slowdown."

Despite the new iPad mini’s potentially supply constraints, Cook told analysts that the company would do "fairly well" in overall iPad sales this quarter, thanks to high quantities of the iPad Air.

"I think it’s going to be an iPad Christmas," Cook said.

When the iPad Air hits stores on Nov. 1, Apple is expected to offer same day in-store pickup for orders. Meanwhile, the company has forecast the slowest holiday sales growth in five years, indicating that iPhones and iPads are no longer providing the growth they once used to offer.

During the Q4 earnings call, Apple estimated that its revenue for the current quarter would be in the $ 55 billion to $ 58 billion range, up 0.9 percent to 6.4 percent, from $ 54.5 billion in 2012, which represents the slowest holiday-sales rise since 2008, when the company's revenue was up 6 percent, Bloomberg reported.

Many analysts believe that new products would help Apple regain its foothold as both the smartphone and tablet markets have become increasingly crowded.

According to Strategy Analytics, Apple's worldwide smartphone market share in the last quarter was about 13.4 percent, down from 15.6 percent during the same period in 2012. During the same period, Samsung's (KRX:005935) global share in the smartphone market rose to 35.2 percent from 32.9 percent.

Apple's share of the tablet market has also declined, as its competitors introduce new products at comparatively lower price points. According to International Data Corporation, Apple's worldwide table market share dropped 27.9 percentage points, year-on-year, to 32.4 percent from 60.3 percent in the second quarter of this year.

"The question is, can they return to growth?" Walter Piecyk, an analyst at BTIG in New York, told Bloomberg. "You had a company that was growing, and then it went negative."

Why Apple Wants to Bust Your iPhone - New York Times

Illustration by Kelsey Dake

At first, I thought it was my imagination. Around the time the iPhone 5S and 5C were released, in September, I noticed that my sad old iPhone 4 was becoming a lot more sluggish. The battery was starting to run down much faster, too. But the same thing seemed to be happening to a lot of people who, like me, swear by their Apple products. When I called tech analysts, they said that the new operating system (iOS 7) being pushed out to existing users was making older models unbearably slow. Apple phone batteries, which have a finite number of charges in them to begin with, were drained by the new software. So I could pay Apple $ 79 to replace the battery, or perhaps spend 20 bucks more for an iPhone 5C. It seemed like Apple was sending me a not-so-subtle message to upgrade.

Deep thoughts this week:

1. Apple may be coordinating the obsolescence of its products.

2. Which is annoying for consumers.

3. But possibly worse for the company.

Of course, there are more benign explanations. The new software and recent app updates offer fancy new features that existing users want; maybe the battery is sealed with tiny five-point screws for aesthetic considerations. Perhaps, but this isn't the first time that tech analysts and random crazies on the Internet have noted that breakdowns in older Apple products can often coincide with when upgrades come onto the market. Many have taken this as evidence of "planned obsolescence," a term that dates to the Great Depression, when a real estate broker suggested that the government should stimulate the economy by placing artificial expiration dates on consumer products so people would buy more.

To conspiracy-theory-hungry observers (and some of the rest of us), it might make sense that Apple would employ this business strategy. The tech giant, after all, has reached near-saturation levels in the U.S. smartphone market. If iPhones work forever, people who already own the devices won't buy new ones. Furthermore, selling products with finite life spans can be good for consumers, depending on their tastes and how informed they are. The fashion industry, whose entire mission is to essentially render products obsolete long before they cease to be functional, does this regularly. I buy clothes from H&M and other low-cost, trend-driven stores knowing full well that the pieces might fall apart after a year's worth of washes. And if the clothes won't be fashionable next year anyway, who cares? Improving the durability — and thereby cost — of the clothes would probably just drive away price-sensitive shoppers like me. Apple has similar considerations. Would the additional longevity of the battery be valuable enough to its core consumers to justify the inevitable higher price?

Economists have theories about market conditions that encourage planned obsolescence. A company has strong incentives to degrade product durability when it has a lot of market power and when consumers don't have good substitute products to choose from. (That's what happened with the international light-bulb cartel of the early 20th century, which penalized its members for manufacturing bulbs that lasted more than 1,000 hours.) When Apple started making the iPhone in 2007, its product was so innovative that it could have deliberately degraded durability without fear. But in the last couple years, the company has faced stiffer competition from Samsung and HTC, among others, which should deincentivize planned obsolescence. "Buyers are smart, and if they start figuring out that one of the costs of buying Apple's products is that they're constantly nickel-and-diming you, they'll switch," said Austan Goolsbee, an economics professor at the Un iversity of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

Well, maybe. A company could still be encouraged to engage in planned obsolescence if consumers perceive large "switching costs" associated with going to a new brand. There are plenty of economics textbooks to choose from, for instance, and yet publishers still artificially make their old editions unusable by changing pagination or scrambling homework questions because they know teachers don't want to deal with learning a whole new book.

Similarly, iPhone users have probably purchased complementary products, like apps, that won't transfer to Android phones. They also probably have a network of iPhone-using friends with whom they can chat free using Apple's Messages app (instead of paying for text messages). These switching costs increase Apple's incentives to force its existing customers to upgrade by making older models gradually become more dysfunctional.

There is, however, a simple way to effectively render an old product obsolete without fleecing your existing customers. Instead of degrading the old model, companies can offer innovations in the new model that make upgrading irresistible. Apple succeeded at doing this for a while, offering new iPhones that included major improvements. In the past, consumers were so excited about the cool new features, like Siri, the voice-activated interface, that they may not have minded (or even noticed) if their old phones started to deteriorate; they planned on upgrading anyway. This time around, that's less true. The iPhone 5S and 5C offer fewer quantum improvements. Consumers are more likely to want their old phones to continue working at peak condition in perpetuity, and to feel cheated when they don't.

When major innovations remain out of reach, and degrading durability threatens to tick off loyal customers, companies like Apple can still take a cue from the fashion industry. If you can brainwash consumers into developing new tastes that make the old stuff look uncool for aesthetic rather than functional reasons, you still have a shot at harvesting more sales from your existing customer base. But it seems Apple may have already figured this out too. Just check out the wait times for the iPhone 5S in that shiny new gold color.

Catherine Rampell is an economics reporter at The Times. Adam Davidson wrote this week's feature on Obamacare.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Fleetwood Mac's John McVie diagnosed with cancer; band cancels tour - CNN

Bass guitarist and band namesake John McVie.

Fleetwood Mac was to tour Australia and New Zealand in November and December
John McVie will undergo cancer treatments over the next two months, group says
No details of McVie’s cancer were revealed
Original members returned to touring last April after a three-year break

Los Angeles (CNN) — Fleetwood Mac co-founder John McVie has been diagnosed with cancer, forcing the group to cancel upcoming shows on its world tour.

The band just completed the European leg of the tour and had been scheduled to perform 14 shows in Australia and New Zealand in November and December.

An announcement on the band’s Facebook page did not disclose details about McVie’s cancer, only saying that the 67-year-old is “now scheduled to be in treatment for cancer during that period of time.”

‘Rumours’ still the perfect album after 35 years

Britist-American band Fleetwood Mac formed in 1967. John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Bob Welch and Christine McVie pose in front of the Hollywood sign circa 1970.

American Bob Welch plays at Sundown in 1972. Welch joined the band in 1971 before launching a solo career. On June 7, Welch died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest. He was 66.

From left, John McVie, Danny Kirwan, Mick Fleetwood, Jeremy Spencer and Peter Green pose in 1969.

Singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks performs on stage. She joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974 with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham.

British drummer Mick Fleetwood is the only original member left in the band.

Lindsey Buckingham plays on the 2009 “Unleashed” Fleetwood Mac tour. Buckingham was the lead singer from 1975-1987 and 1997 to present day.

Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood play at Wembley Arena in 2009.

In London, Fleetwood Mac perform together in 1998.

Buckingham performs in 1980 in the Netherlands.

Nicks sings in concert in 1978.

Fleetwood Mac through the years

“We are sorry to not be able to play these Australian and New Zealand dates,” the announcement said. “We hope our Australian and New Zealand fans as well as Fleetwood Mac fans everywhere will join us in wishing John and his family all the best.”

Original members of the group — including Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Stevie Nicks — returned to touring last April after a three-year break from the road.

They toured the United States first, then traveled to Europe.

Their classic 1977 “Rumours” album was rereleased earlier this year with unreleased studio and live tracks.

John McVie and Mick Fleetwood started the group in 1967.

Ways to Save: $65 iPod Touch and accessory deals - WKYC-TV

- Facebook
- Google buzz
- Del.icio.us
- Digg
- Reddit
- Newsvine
- Buzz up!
- Fark it
- A A A +

Matt Granite

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE WKYC APPS

Free iPhone app | Free Android app

CLEVELAND — Today we kick off the biggest deal week of the year before Black Friday. I call it the Ways to Save Daily Slash.

As you might know by now, I make it my mission to hunt down the best deals and websites every day to save you time and money. Today, we do it with a twist. We start the week of with 50% off deals Monday, 60% off a different set of deals Tuesday, and work our way past 90% off deals Friday. Each deal is voted on by you.

Our spotlight stealer today is an iPod Touch for $ 65. I’ve heard from countless viewers who find the $ 229 starting price of a new current generation iPod touch completely unaffordable. Some of you just want an iPod Touch to play music. Many other parents who’ve contacted me want an iPod Touch for a child or tween who doesn’t need the newest generation model. The recertified option is a great way to go at its lowest price in the country today.

Want more deals? Follow @MattGranite on Twitter.

50% off Recertified Apple iPod Touch + free shipping
[http://www.justdeals.com/apple-ipod-touch-generation-1-8gb-black-holds-1750-songs]

MSRP: $ 130
Now: $ 64.99

*We placed several test orders and all of the iPods we received were in pristine condition.

**All first-generation iPods come with new limited condition warranties, new headphones and cables. Shipments come from California. Please allow up to 10 business days for delivery.

57% off Skullcandy Pipe speaker dock + free shipping
[http://www.offers.com/ebay/1477505/]

Was: $ 69.96
Now: $ 29.94

*Check compatibility list on the deal page

56% off Belkin car chargers for iPhone 5/5C/5S + free shipping
[http://www.offers.com/amazon/1680546/]

Was: $ 44.99
Now: $ 19.60

*Amazon is likely to adjust prices as product stock sells out

WKYC-TV

ipod – Google News

Logitech reveals iPad Air keyboard cases starting at $99 - Engadget

Logitech Brings Ultra-Thin, Ultra-Light Protection and Function to the New iPad Air

Introduces Four New Tablet Accessories That Complement and Complete the New iPad Air

NEWARK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) announced four new tablet accessories designed specifically for the new, iPad® Air. The Logitech® FabricSkin Keyboard Folio, Logitech® Ultrathin Keyboard Cover, Logitech® Ultrathin Keyboard Folio and Logitech® Folio Protective Case for the new iPad all provide protection against accidental bumps, scratches and spills while remaining ultra-thin and light.

Each is precision engineered from state-of-the-art materials so they are protective, yet ultra-thin and ultra-light to perfectly complement the design of the iPad Air. The tablet keyboards connect using Bluetooth® and feature maximized key size for a fast and fluid typing experience. The folios also double as a stand, adapting to hold your tablet at the right angle for reading, viewing or playing games.

“We’ve carefully designed these new products to perfectly complement the aesthetics of the new thinner and lighter iPad Air,” said Mike Culver, vice president and general manager of mobility at Logitech. “From integrating a comfortable view stand in our folios to delivering Logitech’s superior typing experience in our keyboard products, we’ve paid close attention to every product detail in this lineup. Even the color and size of the new Ultrathin Keyboard Cover perfectly match the size and external colors of the new iPad to deliver beautiful protection iPad users expect and appreciate from Logitech.”

Highlights of the new lineup include:

Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad Air

The Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio combines on-trend design with intelligent technology for thin-and-light protection with added functionality for your iPad. With a variety of colors and refined fabrics, this top-of-the-line folio brings beauty to iPad protection, while its water-repellent coating helps protect the front and back of your iPad Air. Its surprisingly thin built-in Bluetooth keyboard is seamlessly fused into the folio’s interior fabric. The full-size keys – complete with iOS® shortcuts – provide the familiar comfort of a traditional keyboard. The folio’s new SecureLock™ system sports lightweight, low-profile clips that keep the corners of your iPad firmly fastened to the frame, while an easy-release feature makes it easy to insert and remove your iPad. Hidden magnets hold your iPad in two convenient positions for typing or entertainment mode. The keyboard is rechargeable through micro-USB and can last up to three months on a complete cha rge. The Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio is expected to be available for a suggested retail price of $ 149.99.

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad Air

The new Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is the other half of Apple’s newest iPad. It brings the number one selling keyboard for iPad, and award-winning design of the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover, to the iPad Air. It provides an aluminum screen cover for added protection on the go, and doubles as a wireless keyboard. The built-in Bluetooth keyboard leverages decades of engineering expertise and research, offering a fast, fluid and comfortable typing experience with the reassuring click of real keys, and the convenience of iOS shortcut keys such as cut, copy and paste. A clever magnetic clip works with the magnets in the iPad frame to securely attach to your tablet, and a magnetic groove located behind the keyboard holds your iPad upright at an ideal angle for both typing and interacting with the touch-screen. The keyboard is rechargeable through micro-USB and can last up to three months on a complete charge. The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is expected to be available for a suggested retail price of $ 99.99.

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio for iPad Air

The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio for the iPad Air offers a thin-and-light typing experience, with front and back protection for your iPad. The folio’s integrated Bluetooth keyboard features the same size keys as on traditional keyboards, for a fast and fluid typing experience. A dual-view stand holds your iPad upright for typing or flat for browsing and viewing content, and the SecureLock system helps ensure your iPad stays firmly fastened to the frame without extra bulk or weight. The keyboard is also rechargeable through micro-USB and can last up to three months on a complete charge. The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio is expected to be available for a suggested retail price of $ 99.99.

Logitech Folio Protective Case for iPad Air

For tablet protection without a keyboard, the Logitech Folio Protective Case is Logitech’s thinnest and lightest folio for the iPad Air. It has a water-repellent skin for two-sided protection against bumps, scratches sand spills. It also uses the new SecureLock system to firmly fasten your tablet to its frame. The folio doubles as an adjustable stand that can hold your iPad in several positions, from nearly flat to fully upright and many angles in between. The Logitech Folio Protective Case is expected to be available for a suggested retail price of $ 49.99.

Availability

All four of these tablet accessories are expected to be available in the U.S., Europe and select countries in Asia in November 2013. For more information, please visit www.logitech.com or our blog.

About Logitech

Logitech is a world leader in products that connect people to the digital experiences they care about. Spanning multiple computing, communication and entertainment platforms, Logitech’s combined hardware and software enable or enhance digital navigation, music and video entertainment, gaming, social networking, audio and video communication over the Internet, video security and home-entertainment control. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).

Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are registered in Switzerland and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the company’s website at www.logitech.com.

New Milestone Emerges: Baby's First iPhone App - New York Times

Charlotte Deutsch, who will be 2 years old next month, has a look of pure delight as she swipes the screen of her mother's old iPhone, and finds a picture of herself.

"Baby Chacha!" she crows, swiping again to encounter another treasure. "Dada!"

On the new iPhone — the one her mother actually uses — her big sister, Izzy, 4, is utterly intent on "Dora's Ballet Adventure," her tiny thumb tapping away at the stars and arrows.

The iPhones, loaded with 20 children's apps and some 1,200 photographs, are among the girls' favorite playthings. "The little one loves to go through the pictures and name who's in them, see her grandma and her nanny," said their mother, Tina Deutsch, a former nursery school teacher. "The older one loves the games, and taking pictures. She loves the clicking sound, and if it's blurry, she knows how to delete it."

As adults turn, increasingly, to mobile devices like tablets, Kindles, and iPhones, their children — even the smallest ones — are doing so as well, according to a new study, "Zero to Eight: Children's Media Use in America, 2013" by Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that examines children's use of technology, and rates children's apps, games and Web sites.

The study is based on a nationally representative Internet survey of 1,463 parents with children under 8.

Over the last two years, the shift has been drastic. Among children under 2, the survey found, 38 percent had used mobile devices like iPhones, tablets, or Kindles — the same share as children 8 and under who had used such technology in a similar survey two years ago.

Tablets, in particular, have become far more common. Forty percent of families now own tablets, up from only 8 percent two years ago. And this year's survey found that 7 percent of the children had tablets of their own.

"I was blown away by the rapidity of the change," said Vicky Rideout, the author of both the new report and the 2011 version. "IPhones and tablets are game changers, because they're so easy to use. While there was some floor on how young you could go with computers and video games, a young child who can touch a picture can open an app, or swipe the screen."

Though many parents express pride and amazement that their young children are so tech-savvy, she said, what has really happened is that technology has gotten much easier to use.

Certainly, mobile devices are more convenient than traditional technology, whether for a parent's own use or for distracting a fussy child in a restaurant.

"I know if I need Zoe to be quiet for an hour, I can hand her the iPad and I won't hear from her," said Dr. Laurel Glaser, a Philadelphia physician with two daughters, Zoe, 5, and Maya, 1,

Dr. Glaser was one of the few parents interviewed who said she tried to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation that children under 2 should have no screen time.

"I'm not superstrict and sometimes we have the television on and both girls see it," she said. "But we don't have any baby apps for Maya."

Mostly, the group's recommendation is ignored. The survey found that children under 2, on average, spend an hour a day in front of screens — engaging in activities like watching television, using computers, viewing DVDs, playing with mobile apps. Children ages 2 to 4 averaged two hours a day, and those 5 to 8, two hours and 20 minutes.

There are vast numbers of apps for babies and children, available free or at low cost: educational apps to teach letters, numbers, shapes, sign language; apps featuring television characters like Dora the Explorer; game apps (Angry Birds is a favorite with all ages); and art and music apps.

Many families, like the Deutsches, have smartphones with collections of family photos and videos of their children's recent outings, haircuts or play dates.

"It used to be that a screen was a screen was a screen, and children just sat and watched," said Ms. Rideout. "But now it can be lots of different things."

The time younger children spent on mobile devices was still relatively short, the study found. On average, children under 8 spent 15 minutes a day on mobile devices, up from 5 minutes a day in 2011. Among those who used a mobile device during a typical day, the average was an hour and seven minutes, up from 43 minutes in 2011.

But as mobile devices have become more popular, the amount of time children spend with the screens of more traditional technology — television, DVDs, video games and computers — has declined by half an hour a day over the last two years.

Television still dominates, though, taking up about half of all children's screen media time.

Almost all parents of children under 8 have televisions, the survey found, and most have cable as well. Three in 10 now have Internet connectivity with their televisions, so they can stream shows to their set from Netflix or other services. And increasingly, television is time-shifted — streamed, on demand, or recorded for later use — to suit the viewers' convenience.

The study was conducted with a probability-based online panel by GfK, a research company. The data was collected May 20 to June 12 and has a sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Lost between tablet and cloud - The Economist (blog)

IT IS no secret that sales of laptop and desktop computers are in terminal decline. Apple's iPads, along with various Android tablets, are eating their lunch. Now, it seems, tablets want their supper, too. Announcements on October 22nd of a raft of professional-grade tablets—from Apple, Microsoft and Nokia—show how determined their makers now are to address the needs of business users, as well as mainstream consumers.

This is further proof, were it needed, that the "consumerisation of IT" that got under way several years ago—with tablets and other consumer devices, designed originally for individuals, invading the office and taking over much of the work done by computers—is happening even faster than anticipated (see "Beyond the PC", October 8th 2011).

In the race to supply tablets to business, Microsoft and its partner Nokia (whose phones and devices are about to become part of Microsoft) have the inside track. Their tablets, along with those from a handful of other suppliers, run Microsoft Office and various Windows-based applications. That is a huge advantage in business. In offices around the world, Microsoft Word is the de facto standard word-processor; Microsoft Excel the standard spreadsheet; and Microsoft Outlook the standard messaging, scheduling and contact software. While a version of Microsoft Office exists for Macintosh computers, there is no native version for iPads.

Even so, Apple is not to be discounted. Its latest tablets—a refreshed iPad Mini, starting at $ 399, along with an even slicker bigger brother, the iPad Air, costing $ 499 and up—have an advantage rivals cannot touch: their instant brand recognition and popularity among consumers everywhere. Though cheaper Android devices have grabbed much of the market, iPads are still the tablets of choice for one out of three buyers. The iPad Mini, in particular, remains the most popular tablet on the planet.

Nowadays that counts for a lot in enterprises. Why so? Because IT managers no longer wield quite so much authority over what computing equipment companies install for their employees. Things began to change several years ago. That was when firms started allowing staff to bring their own smartphones and tablets to work, and to connect them to the company's computer network.

Since then, the BYOD (bring you own device) phenomenon has gathered pace, as tablets have become cheaper, more secure, and have proved themselves capable of doing real work. That has given iPads a better chance to go head-to-head with the various Windows tablets that are making inroads in the enterprise world.

To improve its chances further, Apple is expected to introduce an enterprise-class iPad in the not too distant future—if the way it relabelled the larger of its two tablets the "iPad Air" is anything to go by. Assuming Apple adheres to the same naming convention it uses for its laptops, it has left itself room to add a beefier and more expensive "iPad Pro" to its tablet lineup. Presumably, this would come with a keyboard-cover, like Microsoft's Surface Pro tablets. Even with touch-screens, tablets still need keyboards to do serious office work.

Why this scramble by tablet-makers to conquer the office? As the consumer market gets crowded, the enterprise sector is the last place where profit margins remain reasonably robust. Apple is being forced to abandon the lower reaches of the consumer business, as cheap Android tablets grab the bulk of sales and erode profit margins all round. Worse, some tablet upstarts are not playing by the rules.

Take online retailer Amazon. Its well-received Kindle Fire tablets start at $ 139—probably less than they cost to make. Amazon is not interested in turning a profit on Kindle hardware. Its profit comes instead from making it easy for Kindle customers to buy yet more physical goods from Amazon.com, while also downloading lots of feature films, music tracks, video games, books, magazines, and anything else that can be displayed on a Kindle tablet or e-reader screen.

Much the same goes for search giant Google. It, too, makes next to nothing on the Nexus range of smartphones and tablets it supplies. Google's motive is simply to get mobile devices into the hands of as many users as possible—to increase the amount of mobile searching done on the internet. That allows Google to sell yet more advertising to go alongside the search results prompted by users' queries. That, after all, was the reason for developing the Android mobile operating system in the first place and why Google gives it away free to phone- and tablet-makers everywhere.

As the consumerisation trend continues, the computer industry is being cratered by the onslaught of tablets. At work, people are now using them to do even more of the jobs previously done on laptops or desktop machines. At home, they are using tablets as a second screen, not only to do their e-mail and other light computing tasks, but also to play video games, and watch films and television shows streamed from the web. As a result, owners feel no compulsion to replace their aging PCs. These are usually considered good enough to do the few remaining chores where iPads and other tablets are inadequate.

The "good enough" factor has been another nail in the industry’s coffin. Ever since Windows 7 came along four years ago, there has been little reason to upgrade to a later PC. Windows 7, famed for getting more out of a computer's underlying hardware than any other version of Windows, has extended the life of many an elderly PC. Meanwhile, thanks to better quality control, components inside computers no longer fail as frequently as they used to do.

Coincidentally, processors have ceased getting faster. Chip design reached a point several years ago where packing any more transistors onto a sliver of silicon made the processor run too hot and become unstable, as quantum effects began to dominate. For most computer tasks, there were then few gains to be had from upgrading to multi-core architectures.

It is hardly surprising that sales of personal computers, once the beneficiary of double-digit growth, are now collapsing at double-digit rates. This year, shipments of laptops and desktop computers are expected to be little more than 300m world-wide—down over 11% from last year.

Meanwhile, 184m tablets of various shapes and sizes are likely to be shipped globally—an increase of 53% over last year. At that pace, tablets will outstrip computers within two years, reckons Gartner, a technology consultancy based in Stamford, Connecticut.

Tablets have taken off spectacularly simply because, compared with computers, they are good enough and easy to use—a result of being conceived primarily as consumer products for individuals, rather than as professional tools for business. Switch on a tablet and—like a toaster or television set—it simply works, immediately. Turn on a computer and wait a couple of minutes for it to load a bloated operating system, perform some ritual diagnostics, and fire up a stack of background processes before being ready to start work.

The difference highlights the clash of computing cultures that is now playing out in offices everywhere. And, no question, the consumer-focused tablet-makers have the upper hand. Much of the innovation in IT is now being driven, at one end of the scale, by makers of mobile devices with consumers in mind. At the other end are a handful of firms that have ceased making PCs or writing software for them, to focus instead on building and enabling the commodity servers that power the cloud.

In the coming post-PC era, all the smart functionality needed to do things will reside either in some consumer device at the user’s fingertips, or in the cloud at the user’s instant beck and call. In between, where laptops and desktops once reigned, will be a void. In the process, the original-equipment makers who grew up and grew old supplying PCs to offices and homes will become irrelevant. Their business models—devised for a different type of customer and a different way of doing things—rendered obsolete by a different age.

Babbage: October 23rd 2013: How we get there from here

tablet – Google News

Fleetwood Mac Cancels Tour In Light Of John McVie's Cancer Treatment - Huffington Post

The members of Fleetwood Mac announced this weekend that the band will be canceling all of their upcoming tour dates in Australia and New Zealand, scheduled for November and December.

A statement was posted on the band’s official Facebook page reading, “Fleetwood Mac, who has just completed the European leg of their phenomenally successful worldwide tour, has announced the cancelation of their upcoming 14 date tour of Australia and New Zealand.”

As to the reason for the cancelation, the band explained, “John McVie, one of the co-founding and original members of Fleetwood Mac is now scheduled to be in treatment for cancer during that period of time.”

“We are sorry to not be able to play these Australian and New Zealand dates,” the band said in the statement. “We hope our Australian and New Zealand fans as well as Fleetwood Mac fans everywhere will join us in wishing John and his family all the best.”

Made up of McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac released a new EP in April. The band has yet to comment on the status of their scheduled show in Las Vegas on Dec. 30.

Also on HuffPost:

“; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, ‘top’, {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: ‘clear-overlay’}); });

Apple Has Made It More Difficult To Decide Which New iPad To Buy For The ... - Forbes

Log in with your social account:

Or, you can log in or sign up using Forbes.

Apple iPhone 5S Supply Dips Further, Tests Show Inaccurate Touchscreen - IBTimes India

The supply for the recently released Apple flagship phone iPhone 5S has reportedly been further lowered, making it go out of reach of its potential buyers.

iPhone 5S’ supply was expected to drop by less than 5 percent within three weeks of its release, according to Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray.

It has been understood that following the iPhone 5S launch on 20 September, the gadget acquired a 27 percent share of all iPhone stock. However, the phone’s supply system was not able to meet its buyer demand.

Apple’s previous flagship model iPhone 5 had suffered a similar fate, as the firm was not able to catch up with its demand till early December last year. Now the iPhone 5S model is set to face the same issue. The estimated shipping date for 5S is of two or three weeks, as shown by Apple stores, reports CNET.

In related news, a recent study raises questions on iPhone 5S’ and 5C’s touch screen accuracy. OptoFidelity, one of the mobile testing firms, states that though the phones react quickly to users, they fail in tracking fingers as accurately as an 18-month-old Samsung Galaxy S3.

When tested by an accurate robotic finger, it came to notice that Samsung S3 was accurate over the whole screen except the edges but the iPhones were accurate only on a relatively small area towards the bottom half of the screen, which is coincidentally the keyboard area.

It has been also revealed that both iPhones are inaccurate around the edges as well, which means that corner keys such as P, O, or Q are hard to hit, reports GSM Arena.

To contact the editor, e-mail: