Has Apple lost it's core?

How many Fortune 500 CEOs can you name? Probably not too many, and that is because there are few CEOs who are synonymous with the brand that they represent. The fact the Steve Jobs is a household name is testimony to the legacy that he has left behind at Apple; the world’s most profitable, forward-thinking and creative technology company. In Apple, Steve Jobs has not only created a universal brand, iconic designs and international admiration, he has created a way of life that is emphatically followed by many. The involvement that Jobs has had in every aspect of Apple’s products is such, that not only was he a captain who steered his ship, he helped procure the materials to build it, select the men who ran it and design the sails that carried it forward. But is Apple’s strength also its achilles heel? What happens when the man who is Apple, leaves Apple?

When the leader of a company is so much a part of it, the gravest fears for investors is what happens when that omnipresent entity leaves? Fortunately for investors and employees of Apple alike, this transition is one that has been in the making since 2004, when Jobs contracted pancreatic cancer. His battle with the disease, and his subsequent public appearances, illustrated to the world that his ability to serve indefinitely at the helm of Apple was not a possibility. Consequently, in Jobs’ intermittent absences from the company Tim Cook, soon to be Apple CEO, was given the responsibility of the day-today running of the business. Over the years Cook has played an active role in what has arguably been Apple’s greatest hour, and thus the notion that the company will fall to pieces now that Jobs has officially left, is a somewhat sentimental.

Steve Jobs is a visionary, a perfectionist and a man whose passion and strive for innovation has made him one of tech’s most influential and admired ambassadors. Although Apple will dearly miss his leadership, its employees, as well as fans of its products, need not worry about its future. Apple was Jobs’ baby and one would be foolish to believe that he would leave its fate in incapable hands. He has prepared Cook for the role and over the years has ensured that his wisdom and love of design has filtered through the each echelon of the company. The announcement today of Jobs’ departure sent Apple stock falling 5%, which although appears to be a dramatic fall for what was recently paraded to be the world’s most valuable company, it is merely a minor hiccup. In September Apple will announce the iphone 5 and this temporary drop in share price will be consumed by market confidence and consumer frenzy for the world’s hottest must-have gadget. A frenzy that will be fuelled further by the Q1 release of the ipad 3!

For Apple the future will continue to be a prosperous one. Although Jobs has stepped down as CEO, he will retain a position on the board and will continue to be an employee of the company, allowing him to keep an eye on its progress. This Apple may have lost its core, but it definitely hasn't crumbled.

If you have a spare few minutes, check out the video below of Steve Jobs delivering a very powerful speech. It’s a great watch for anyone who wants to be inspired or who is struggling to see the present fruits of their labours. Enjoy!

A bald man's love of extensions...

When one thinks of extensions, the immediate image is of women having clumps of hair glued, stapled and soldered to their skulls, with the intension of increasing the volume and length of their luscious locks. However, there is a new type of extension in town, and this one can be enjoyed by both sexes. What are these extensions I hear your cry...Browser extensions. Let me explain.

In the past few years the utility of mobile phones have increased exponentially, thanks in part to the explosion of applications that let users carry out a variety of actions without having to navigate away from their handset’s home screen. Mobile applications have changed the way that consumers use their phones, making people more efficient in carrying out tasks and helping them pass the time when bored. Many of the benefits that are afforded to users of mobile phones through these applications are transferable to the web browser too. Browser extensions offer the same functionality, but rather than the applications running on your handset, they run in your browser. Still a bit unsure... let's go back a bit.

Web browsers are effectively a window into the world of the internet, and without one you cannot see what is going on. Traditionally, Windows’ Internet Explorer was synonymous with web browsing, but as the internet developed new players entered the foray and began to hack away at Explorer’s market share. Interestingly, Explorer’s decline is not solely down to its poor performance, but also because in 2009 the EU ruled that Microsoft had to offer their customers a choice of which web browser they wanted to use. The ruling ended decades of Explorer being the default web browser on Windows machines, opening up the market to other players and informing customers that they actually had a choice of browsers to choose from. So which browsers have been eating away at this market share?

Although still the market leader, as of 2011, Internet Explorer has decreased to just over half of the overall market.

Mozilla Firefox:  Firefox began originally as an experiment in September 2002 and has now captured a significant chunk of the web browser market. It is prevalent both on computers and on mobile platforms and was the first to introduce engaging extensions (known as add-ons) to the market.

Safari: Safari is the default web browser that runs on Macs (computers produced by Apple). The browser has not really developed a fan base outside of Mac users and has not evolved at the rate of some of the other  browsers.

Opera: Opera was founded in 1994 as a research project, but has since gone through many iterations to become a popular and acclaimed browser for both computers and mobile devices.

Chrome: Chrome is the new kid on the block and is Google’s attempt and enhancing the web browsing experience. Brought to market in 2008, its interface is the cleanest and simplest and offers the fastest browsing experience. 

The graph illustrates how in Europe between 2009 and 2010 the market allocation of web browsers has dramatically changed.

With regard to which web browser one should use, the answer rests with the preferences of the end user. If add-ons or extensions are a determining factor, then Firefox and Chrome have the most mature and extensive catalogues of applications. But what are extensions? Extensions are applications that run on your web browser, instantly adding functionality to your browsing experience. Many are free and simply enable you to carry out a variety actions from a single location, rather than having to navigate away from the page that you are on. For the duration of this post, extensions will be considered from the perspective of a Chrome user, however, the principles apply across platforms (If you are a Firefox user chick here to download add-ons).

If you are a Chrome user you can visit the Chrome Web Store and download extensions right from the market place and into the Chrome web browser. Once downloaded they will sit on the top right of the browser and can be accessed by simply clicking on them. At any time you can add, remove or modify your extensions by clicking on the spanner in the far right corner of the browser and then clicking on Tools and then Extensions. The beauty of these applications is that you can change them as much as you like and depending on what you are doing, different extensions will have different uses. At times, they can slow your browser down a bit, but ultimately they offer so much functionality that you will wonder how you ever managed to browse without them. Below are a few examples of the extensions that run on my browser, but there thousands to chose from that cater to almost any need that you have. If you’ve got a few minutes, take a look at these as they can help make you day-to-day browsing a lot smoother, and as always, links are provided (any text that is grey and turns the mouse arrow into a hand). From left to right:

This is a screen shot of the top right of my browser.

Auto Pager: This automatically loads the next page of a site underneath the page that you are currently on. This means that the user just scrolls down an article or a Google search without ever having to press ‘next’ in order to gain access to the next page.

AVG: Offers online security whilst you browse the web.

To Do List: Enables you to quickly access or add tasks to your to do list. The information immediately syncs across all of your devices. To be effective you need to have a Google account set up. 

Calendar: Enables you to quickly edit or add events to your Calendar. The information immediately syncs across all of your devices. To be effective you need to have a Google account set up. 

Shareaholic: Allows the user to instantly share any web page with their friends in a variety of ways.

Wikipedia: Rather than having to open up a new tab to conduct a Wikipedia search, you can do it from any page that you are on, making it very useful for quick referencing.

History: Gives you immediate access to your browsing history so that you can either find a website that you accidently closed, or delete a website that you would rather no one else know you were looking at.

Chromey Calculator: An incredible tool that offers much more than basic calculator features. The application runs the Wolfram Alpha’s scientific algorithm which means you can ask questions like “how many centimetres in a foot” and get a genuine answer.

Downloaded: Shows you all of your downloads. Very useful if you have lost an email with an attachment that you have already downloaded but cannot find. Downloads are dated, easy to find and simple to re-download.

Amazon Wish List: Anytime you are browsing and find something that you want to buy, but don’t want to purchase it that moment, you can click on this and it will automatically be added it to your Amazon Wish List.

Session Manager: Often you may have loads of tabs open but need to leave in a hurry. What do you do? Rather than panic or try to write down all the websites so that you can carry on later, you simply click this button and the whole session is saved. You can name the session so that when you next sign on you just open it and all the tabs are returned as you left them.

Screen Capture: Allows users to capture the image a whole web page, or parts of it, make annotations and share it with anyone around the world.

Chrome Toolbox: This gives users add functionality when web browsing. It is extremely customisable and gives the user a lot more control on how they use the browser.

Gmail Checker: A must for any Gmail user, it constantly lets you know how many new messages you have. You can also preview all of these messages by clicking on the icon.

Last Pass: Last Pass is a safe for all of your online passwords. Rather than having to remember all of your passwords to all of your websites, you can tell the extension which ones to remember for you. This way you are not restricted if you forget a password to a site that you urgently need access to.

Dictionary: Click on any word on any web page and get a definition.

Chrome to Phone: This only works for Android users. If you are reading an article online but need to run out, press this button and the webpage that you are on is immediately sent to your phone so that you can carry on reading on the go.

Evernote: This is an extension of the Evernote application that is arguably the best note taking software on the market. It allows you to instantly clip articles or images online and save them to your notes which are synced across all of your devices.

Now, get some extensions!

Yoof Komunikation

The recent riots in London sent shockwaves throughout the world. Scenes of looting and gratuitous violence in this great city made many people question the values of the society in which we live. However one such question that didn't garner much attention, nor should it have done given the context in which it was occurring, was the manner in which the youth who took part in the riots chose to communicate. There has been much discussion surrounding the use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to coordinate meeting points and to boast about ill-gotten gains, but what about the words and language used to convey these messages? To what extent has social networking butchered the English language as we know it?

On one hand the current trend to relentlessly abbreviate, devastate syntax construction and turn a blind eye to punctuation is a worrying development. Language is a universal means of communication which, to be effective, requires it to be applied and interpreted in a uniform manner. The modern development of text speech has meant that young people in this country are struggling to effectively communicate with others who are not familiar with it. This can create a damaging ‘us’ and ‘them’ culture, where we create a divide: a right way to communicate and a wrong way. However, this does not have to be the case.

Langwage evolves 2 meet societal needs. Dare av bin several signifikant shifts dat as alowd comunikashun to dvlp from grnts n sines all da way throo 2 speech. At prsnt we r always tryin 2 acheev da most in da leest amownt of time, n dis is evidenst in how we comunikate. Y use 100 karakters when U can use 25? Prvided dat da msg is undastud it wud apeer dat da disregard 4 spellin convenshuns is a nonishoo, as da purpus of langwage as bin achieved, i.e. 2 comunikate. Da only prblm arises wen it iz yoozd outside of da corect context; 4 xampel a job aplicashun form. Thus, provided that texting and tweeting keep their unique adaptations of the English language within the confines of their own digital sphere, it can exist very happily alongside the Queen’s English in modern Britain. Hwevr, me no tink dat dis is likleee to apen. Braaaap!

Back it up!

Although ‘back it up‘ is a phrase often shouted by intoxicated men in an attempt to woo curvaceous females in a club, it also a mantra that we need to begin to incorporate into our social and working lives. Gone are the days where data is tangible and accessible by desks, drawers and folders. Gone are the days where we work in a single location with the ability to pick up information where we last left it. You never know when you will need to find and old invoice or a sent email, so it is important to manage you data.

There are plenty of ways that you can secure your data and have access to it. Below are 5 that I use in order to ensure that at anytime I can access anything that I own from any computer anywhere in the world:

1)      Your computer

You wouldn’t leave your office in a tip, so why would you leave your virtual office in one? Use folders and sub folders to organise your content and use dates and titles so that they are easily searchable. You should do this every so often and undertake spring cleaning where you update, move and delete documents throughout your computer. Your computer is your first line of defence and as it is where you do the majority of your work, it is where the majority of your data is stored. In order for the next 4 options to work, this one needs to be done well.

2)      External hard drive: Amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004KSRM0Y/ref=wms_ohs_product_

Buy an external hard drive. In technology there is the theory of Moore’s law which argues that every two years the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits double. I.e. technological components double in efficacy every two years. This theory holds true across a spectrum of technologies, including that of hard drives (see Kyder’s Law), which means that today you can buy lots of storage for not very much at all.

Once you have purchased your hard drive, get into a routine of constantly backing up your data. It may be once a night or once a week depending on how frequently you amend you data; but the key is to get into the habit of doing it. Many hard drives come with software that does all of this for you, backing up your data at pre-defined intervals. If you do this, then when you get a virus after going on naughty websites you needn’t take it to a repair man and risk being mortified in front of your spouse or mother. Instead, if you have backed it all up already, you can wipe your computer and transfer the data back onto it. Dignity and data restored!

3)      Google Drive: Drive.Google.com/

Google Drive is an awesome free service that allows you to create documents online and is best known for its real time collaboration features. However, it can be also be used as a searchable cloud storage area for all of your documents. Once you have completed step 1 above simply upload the folders to Google Drive. When this is complete you can use Google’s outstanding search algorithms to find any document, no matter how hidden away it is. Google Drive will keep the files in the same order and structure that you upload it in, and you can rest assure that if you are out of the country and you need to find a document, it will be in Google Drive.

The service is free, but if you have a seriously significant amount of files you can always buy more storage, or simply open up another Google account and fill use up your allowance there.

4)      Dropbox: Dropbox.com

This is a fantastic service that is incredibly easy to use. I recommend you visit the site and watch the tutorial videos, as they explain what it does very succinctly. Ultimately Dropbox allows you to access folders on your computers anywhere in the world. The interface is simple and you will begin to wonder how you ever lived without it. For people without the time or desire to engage with Google Docs, Dropbox offers a comprehensive and unrivaled user experience. You get 2GB of storage for free, but depending on how much data you want to store, you may wish to buy more.

5)      Backupify: Backupify.com

Backupify is a great service that allows you to backup your online content. The best use of this for your email. If Google’s services are attacked and your data is lost, you may find that you never printed that really important email and you might find yourself in an undesirable position. To avoid this, sign up to Backupify and they will back up your email (as well as a plethora of other services) for you, so that in the unlikely event that your online applications fail, you can still have access to all of you important information.

If you do all or some of the above you will definitely mitigate the risk of ever losing all of your data, and ensure that it is accessible anywhere, anytime. I know what some of you may be thinking. Aren’t you worried about having all of your data with large overseas companies? Are you not fearful that Google can exploit you and hold you ransom seeing as they know so much about you and the sites that you visit? Well… ish. All of those sentiments are valid and are questions that you need to ask yourself before you commit to uploading your information. For me however, the reality is that I trust these services more than I trust myself. Accidents happen. But I believe that accidents are far more likely to happen to me, than companies whose livelihood it is to keep my data safe. There have been countless times where I have lost my data, be it through a virus, a spilled coffee or a lost USB stick. There are few feelings worse then knowing that something you have worked so hard on is gone forever, and from my perspective mistakes are far more likely to happen by my hand than the hand of Google. Regarding the tracking of my online movements and the use of data for advertising purposes, I do not find this too worrying. If am going to be bombarded with advertisements from Google, I would much rather they be of some relevance to me, and I regard this as a small inconvenience to have to endure in return for an outstanding free service.

Therefore, if you want to make sure that you never have the sickening feeling of permanently losing your files, or want to ability to be productive no matter where you are, then these tips should help.

I Motorola take thee Google...

Google started out in humble beginnings. Originally created to index the world’s websites, the company is now an omnipresent entity that is involved in a breadth of industries across the globe, and this week it confirmed its intentions to dominate the mobile phone market. On Monday Google made its single biggest acquisition in purchasing Motorola Mobility, Motorola’s mobile division, for a cool $12.5 billion (representing a 63% premium on the company’s share price). On the surface this acquisition was a shock to the market, but on further inspection it tells a lot about the state of the mobile market today and where it is likely to be in the future. In order to fully understand why this acquisition was made we need to back track a few years and explore the evolution of the mobile phone market.

Like computers, mobile phones run Operating Systems (OS), but historically the public at large took little interest in knowing what type of OS theirs was running. I for one was simply interested in small phones that could be quickly dropped into my underwear when the threat of being mugged was imminent. This was a time when a phone’s USP was that you could change its cover or listen to an FM radio, and apps were nowhere to be seen. The industry was stagnant, held back the piecemeal development of an advanced mobile internet. Phones were phones and the world was a pretty dull place.

Fast forward to 2005 and Google decided to enter the mobile phone industry by buying up Android. Google worked alongside a plethora of handset makers and formed the Open Handset Alliance from which the Android as we know it today was developed. The first Android handset was brought to market in 2008, a year after the now ubiquitous Apple iphone changed the face of the industry. Over the years Android and Apple have brought to market continued iterations of their OS’s and the two have grown exponentially at the expense of the industry’s other operating systems; notably Microsoft’s Windows and Nokia’s Symbian. Fast forward further to 2011 and Apple and Google are battling it out to be the world’s number one mobile platform.

So why did Google buy Motorola Mobility? First and foremost, Google and its partners who incorporate Android into their handsets are being brought to litigation on patent infringements. Companies like Microsoft who have been in the business for decades and Apple, who pioneered much of the technology we see today, have huge treasure troves of patents. In contrast, Google has few patents to protect itself and thus litigation is Android’s biggest external threat. To make matters worse, Google’s competitors have enhanced their arsenals by shelling out billions of dollars in buying up patents from Nortel, a Canadian Telecommunications company that went bust. What this meant for Google was that they would either face continued litigation or pay fees of up to $15 per handset to its competitors in compensation. Rather than being held ransom, Google bought Motorola Mobility and gained access to 17,000 existing patents and a further 7,500 pending ones. Effectively, Google spent $12.5 billion on legal protection.

Secondly Google has changed its business model. The company has vertically integrated Motorola Mobility into its midst, which means that for the first time Google is a handset and software manufacturer. In creating this new model, Motorola is now likely to be the flagship brand that supports Android (whereas before, each handset manufacturer was on equal footing). In being a flagship brand the phones are likely to ship with a few extra Google goodies, and most importantly will most likely receive software updates before all other Android-packing phones. Ostensibly, Google is shifting its business model to look much more like Apple’s where hardware and software are developed in unison; a model that has clearly worked.

In the end, by buying Motorola Mobility, Google has managed to somewhat level the playing field. The company can stand on its own and ward off potential law suits from the likes of Apple, Microsoft or HPpalm; and in doing so it allows the company to focus on bringing more compelling software and hardware to the market. However, Google may be biting off the hand that feeds it, as Android would not have experienced this level of success without the help Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) who have supported it. HTC, Sony Ericsson and LG have all invested heavily in an infrastructure to support and promote the Android platform, and they now find themselves competing directly with the very company that supplies them with the software! Although all of these companies’ respective CEOs have come out in support of the acquisition, noting that it defends Android from litigation, it is clear that it poses them all a very real threat. The purchasing of Motorola Mobility may have secured Android’s present interests, but it may also be pushing OEMs into the open arms of a slowly waking giant in Redmond Washington.