Tech Industry

When it comes to staff recruitment, loyalty and retention, it seems pretty clear Apple has the advantage — others may approve of their CEOs more or less as much, but Jobs is also the least disapproved of CEO, according to Glassdoor.com and BusinessInsider.

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COMPUTERWORLD: Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Nokia — these big name firms are locked into eternal struggle in the ever-changing world of technology, but Apple may hold the central skill in this new world order, as building tomorrow’s dreams demands that old engineering adage, “less is more”, and “better is not necessarily better than best”. Why? Because they can’t get the staff.

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(Image c/o, Wired)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ybn-OvSLKg&fs=1&hl=en_GB]

Apple may or may not seize the chance to raid the console gaming markets next year if and when it introduces application support to the Apple TV, but it is one of the world’s few firms with a chance to take a bit at that market, at least that’s according to Electronic Arts.
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Recall the heady days of last week sometime when we told you about AirPrint Hacktivator, software which let you print to OS X shared printers from iDevices? Well, early versions of the software has been removed by the developer at Apple’s request.

“While working on my next project, VPN Hacktivator, I received an email from omm.com on behalf of Apple instructing me to take down the AirPrint Hacktivator pages,” the developer explains.
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Update: after seeing their video I am having second thoughts:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOGmnnGpoqg&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3]

Talking about skating to where the puck was shot from:

Hoping to shake its reputation for aging or otherwise unappealing mobile interfaces, Research in Motion is bringing in some new design talent. The company has acquired The Astonishing Tribe (TAT), the Swedish design house behind the original Android interface.

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COMPUTERWORLD: Mac OS X contains many shortcuts, special keyboard combinations you can exercise to make things happen, but unless you make the effort to learn them there’s no guarantee you’ll recall the one you need at the time you most need it. Fear no more: there’s ways to make finding shortcuts easier. Bring out your inner power user!

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Apple is attempting to put some life into Ping, seizing the chance to offer an exclusive premiere of a new Michael Jackson (deceased) song on the service.

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SproutCore is something else, a technology which drives the superior Web experience that MobileMe is rapidly becoming. Now SproutCore creator, Charles Jolley, has quit Apple to launch a startup called Strobe, tasked to deliver Apple-like JavaScript and HTML5 technologies to create apps which run smoothly on any device.
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Apple’s iPad is driving success for touchscreen makers, with a wave of new fab plants coming into effect across China as multiple vendors make their play for the booming touchscreen market. Meanwhile, Apple supplier Wintek is building up capacity to meet demand for 10-inch screens.
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Late last year there were rumors that Apple would release their EasyPay point-of-sale system as a commercial product to third parties. Last month Apple’s first customer, Gap Inc’s Old Navy subsidiary began piloting them.  We’re told there is one per store and they are kept in a safe when not in use.

The two Bay Area companies have had strong ties at the top with Gap’s former CEO Millard Drexler sitting on Apple’s Board since 1999 and Steve Jobs sitting on Gap’s from 1999 to 2002.

The image above is a customer checking out at her local Old Navy store via the Apple-developed point of sale system. Specifically she is signing for her purchase with her finger.

To be clear, we’ve been told this is an Apple PoS (not one of many third party systems that use an iPod to make transactions) software system but rebranded ‘ZipCheck’ for third parties.  The Linea-pro sleds are built by a third party.

The Apple PoS system prints customer’s receipts wirelessly to stationed printers throughout the retail stores (like at Apple stores) and apparently some employees are wearing mini-printers on their belts. According to some Old Navy employees the Apple POS system is perfect for the holiday sales rush as the device’s portability cuts down lines and is simply more efficient for everyone.

A Gap. Inc. spokeswomen confirmed Apple’s new business for us with the following statement:

Since they pioneered the EasyPay system in late 2009, Apple has had a tremendous success with it at their retail stores and is now finally extending this technology into new markets, starting with Gap Inc.

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For right now there are just USB modems (no phones or Mifi).  Verizon’s 4G network will launch on Dec. 5 in 38 “major” metropolitan areas, including New York, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Seattle, Boston, etc.  (Sprint could take a lesson on rollout priorities having just released 4G in NYC last week, yet having Omaha covered for almost a year).  Verizon will include two plans: 5 GB for $50 per month, or 10 GB for $80 per month, both with $10/GB overage ‘fees’. (Quotes because it is the same rate as the $50/5GB plan)

It ill be interesting to see 4G Mifi iPad data plans when they come about.  Since the iPad 2 doesn’t utilize voice and will likely be a Verizon product as well, it will be a candidate to have LTE radios too.  Verizon via BGR and SAI.
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Though Android is gaining ground, Apple currently has the lead in installed base in the US.  Imagine if iPhone wasn’t just on AT&T, though?

More interesting demographics info at Nielsen.
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The shortlists for this year’s iTunes Best Album 2010 and iTunes Best Song 2010 have been announced today. The winning album and song will be published in early December.

Fans can vote for their favourites among the year’s best selling records on iTunes in the “People’s Choice” categories by downloading the app for iPad, iPhone or iPod touch or visiting www.bestalbumandsong.co.uk.  (BTW, this is a legit Apple Site)
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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tutIDEbgZZ8&fs=1&hl=en_GB]

Renault will launch Europe’s first iAd on December 2, with a campaign for Renault Twizy, its new 100% electric tandem-style city car.
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Yet more iPad movement in the financial industry, JP Morgan Chase & Co will give its investment bankers iPads, as Apple grabs yet more of RIM’s lunch.

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Interesting conversation with opinions on Rupert Murdoch, the future of publications and the new Project app from Virgin. Also dinner with a certain Apple CEO.

http://i.cdn.turner.com/money/.element/apps/cvp/4.0/swf/cnn_money_384x216_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=/video/news/2010/11/30/n_branson_ipad_mag.cnnmoney

Flash? Complain here.
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ChangeWave’s latest survey of more than 2,800 consumers shows the Amazon Kindle (47%; down 15-pts) is hanging on to a rapidly diminishing lead over the Apple iPad (32%; up 16-pts) among current e-Reader owners. However, the iPad’s share of the overall market has doubled since the last time ChangeWave surveyed e-Reader owners in August.
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While it has made the promise, Apple has not yet contributed its proprietary Java runtime to Oracle’s Open Source Jva, Open JDK project — though one French developer has already put together the first binary test builds of OpenJDK for Mac OS X.
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We absolutely love this idea:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8NKwFi8-WY&w=640&h=385]

Here’s the key:
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COMPUTERWORLD: Richard Branson and Rupert Murdoch have begun battling it out to create a superior subscription-based magazine in the iPod iPublishing 3.0 race, but Apple’s [AAPL] recent move to ban an iOS magazine dedicated to the competing Android smartphone OS shows that Apple’s app store approvals team could begin an age of censorship.

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Lets put this simply. Macs are better than PCs. What? You want actual proof, rather than a simple expression of opinion? PC World has it, with its latest survey showing the company ‘smoked’ the competition in PC World’s 20101 reliability survey. (Via Apple 2).