Obama bemoans information onslaught on US democracy

May 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Hampton (Virgina, US), May 12 (ANI): US President Barack Obama has used a commencement speech over the weekend at the University of Virginia to bemoan the onslaught of information in the digital age and has suggested that the gusher of news out there may not be much of a good thing.

Speaking at Hampton University in Virginia, Fox News quoted Obama as saying that “information becomes a distraction, a diversion” that is putting “pressure on our country and on our democracy.”

He suggested less is more when it comes to absorbing news content and urged graduates to take a skeptical eye toward news from blogs, cable television and radio as well as modern gadgets like iPods and PlayStations.

The class of 2010 is “coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don”t always rank that high on the truth meter,” Obama said, while earning an honorary doctorate of laws degree during the ceremony.

“And with iPods and iPads; and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — (laughter) — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it”s putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy,” he added.

Experts, however, said they were surprised by Obama’s comments, especially when it is a well-known fact that the commander-in-chief is very fond of technology and possesses the skill to use it to his political advantage.

“Nobody (has) used the media more masterfully. Now, he turns against certain elements of it because he doesn”t need them anymore, he thinks,” said Brent Bozell, president of the conservative Media Research Center.

Obama has endured some nasty rumors at the hands of the Internet. Blogs and comment pages continue to allege that the president has not been honest about his place of birth — Hawaii — or about his religion — Christianity.

The White House has assiduously rebutted and marginalized those whisper campaigns.

Targeting cable, radio and blogs has become somewhat of a political sport of the Obama administration.

The president in February singled out CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and blogs for giving a less than creditable view of his landmark health care bill.

Last September, the president also used a string of major network and cable interviews to scold the media for playing up “outrageous” political comments.

Another odd moment came in March, when an e-mail sent to Senate staffers warned them not to visit The Drudge Report out of concern for a virus. (ANI)

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Barack Obama’s warning against iPod, Xbox

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 10 (ANI): US President Barack Obama has criticized new forms of technology, such as the iPod and the Xbox.

The leader, while addressing students at Hampton University, Virginia, also pointed out that journalists and news outlets these days have become obsessed with superficial coverage.

“You”re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don”t always rank all that high on the truth meter,” the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

He added: “With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, – none of which I know how to work – information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.

“All of this is not only putting new pressures on you, it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy.”

However, he admitted that world was at a moment of “breathtaking change. We can”t stop these changes… but we can adapt to them.”

Obama further emphasized on the role of education.

He said: “Education… can fortify you, as it did earlier generations, to meet the tests of your own time.” (ANI)

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Real, fake iPads selling like hot cakes in China

May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 8 (ANI): It has emerged that Apple”s latest gadget, the iPad, is being sought after by many Chinese, who are willing to pay any amount to own one.

New shipments, transported covertly in the bellies of planes from the United States to China, are arriving every day in the hundreds, maybe thousands, to Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing, reports China Daily.

Vendors in Beijing”s electronics stores say it is a seller”s market. Their iPad stashes are consistently running low with no shortage of tech-savvy Chinese willing to pay high prices for Apple”s latest status-loaded device.

That first depends on when Apple decides to officially debut the iPad in China. Unofficially, iPads have been for sale at electronics markets stretching from Shenzhen to Beijing since around the same time the tablet PC was released in the US last month.

Shortly after, Apple announced it was delaying its international introduction, opening up a gaping opportunity to flood the Chinese market with iPads smuggled from the US.

Analysts say such grey markets slowed iPhone sales when Apple launched the smartphone in China last October, two years after it was released in the West.

“The iPhone already had all of the new users before it was officially launched,” Leo Wang, founder of Mobile 2.0 forum, a platform for telecommunication, mobile and Internet companies, said.

“The same thing will happen with the iPad. I have lots of friends who already have an iPad, and my iPad is on the way. Whoever wants one has already found a way to get one,” Wang revealed.

Some projected around two million iPhones, some fake and others smuggled, were already in the hands of Chinese mobile users when Apple introduced the phone in partnership with China Unicom last year.

Anecdotal sales figures collected from vendors in Beijing suggest the same is happening with the iPad.

Chu Zhiyuan, an employee of one of the so-called Apple “authorized reseller” stores, says he has sold several hundred in recent weeks.

Compared to the one million iPads Apple says it has sold in the US, it is a small number. Yet of the dozen or so vendors interviewed, all reported similar hot sales.

“They are extremely popular,” Chu said, adding that a shipment of 3G iPads that had arrived earlier in the day had all sold out in a matter of hours.

Apple unveiled an iPad model with 3G in addition to its existing WiFi feature on April 30, allowing users of the tablet PC to access the Web from wireless hubs in addition to mobile phone networks.

“Chinese will pick it up very quickly,” Frank Yu, a Beijing-based tech analyst said.

“People are getting ready for it, and it will be big. People will be using an iPad and a mobile phone together and they will integrate very well with each other,” he explained.

The iPad”s 9.7-inch touch screen is also well-suited for playing games and watching movies, another plus for the gadget”s future in China, where studies indicate the majority of the country”s 404 million Web users go online for entertainment.

“It is something you can take with you all of the time because it is light, has a 12-hour battery life, and you can download games and movies. What is not to love about it, at least for the Chinese?” Yu said.

“China could be one of its biggest markets,” he added. (ANI)

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Zettabytes overtake petabytes to become largest digital measurement unit

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 4 (ANI): It’s goodbye petabytes and hello zettabytes – courtesy the tremendous growth of the “digital universe”.

At the moment, the total digital output of humanity stands at 8,000,000 petabytes. But owing to explosion of social networking, online video, digital photography and mobile phones, it is expected to pass 1.2 zettabytes this year, according to estimates.

One zettabyte is equal to one million petabytes, or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 individual bytes.

This amount of digital content, which can be either generated or stored, is equivalent to all the information that could be stored on 75bn Apple iPads, or generated by everyone in the world posting messages on the micro-blogging site Twitter constantly for a century.

The latest figures were released in the annual survey of the world’s digital output by IDC, the technology consultancy. According to the survey, the digital universe is forecast to expand by a factor of 44 over the next decade.

“There has been mammoth growth in the types of media that make up the digital universe.

“A huge increase in video and digital photography – in the old days people would take one photograph, now they can knock off 20 photos and rather than store just one, people store all 20. Then there is the fact that the number of devices where information can be generated and stored has also increased,” The Telegraph quoted Adrian MacDonald as saying. He is the vice president of EMC, the IT firm that sponsors the survey. (ANI)

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UPDATE 1-iPad, on eve of launch, still awaits the rush

April 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Few lines at stores so far, in contrast to iPhone launch * Pre-ordering of Apple’s new tablet device cuts crowds * iPad sellouts still expected this weekend (Adds details of components and FCC pictures)

Stocks | Media

By Gabriel Madway

WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES, April 2 (Reuters) – Apple’s (AAPL.O) iPad, the subject of frenzied industry speculation since its unveiling in January, has so far not drawn the hordes that ushered in the iPhone three years ago.

The afternoon before the much hyped tablet computer goes on sale, a smattering of customers lined up at stores in New York, Washington, Boston and San Francisco, in marked contrast to the thousands that accompanied the iPhone’s debut in 2007.

Analysts say early sales have been strong.

But with many able to pre-order the gadget since mid-March, there was little reason to stand in line ahead of Saturday’s 9 a.m. launch. Those who ordered early enough online get their iPads on Saturday, via pickup at a store or home delivery.

Apple has staked much of its reputation on the iPad, pitched as a revolutionary new category of device: a lightweight mobile computer that strives to combine the best attributes of a smartphone and a laptop.

It is Apple’s most important launch since the iPhone. Wall Street is keen to gauge consumer response to the device, the firm’s next growth driver, and the crowds at Apple stores this weekend may provide an early indication of its popular appeal.

On Friday, tech blogs picked up on what appeared to be pictures of the iPad’s innards posted by the Federal Communications Commission on its Web site, giving techno-fans their first glimpse of pre-production components.

With the caveat that different parts may have been selected for the final iPad, Apple repair experts iFixit analyzed the photographs and concluded that the iPad uses Toshiba (6502.T) flash memory and a Broadcom (BRCM.O) communications chip alongside Apple’s own A4 processor.

It was unclear why the FCC posted the photos.

here

ANTICIPATION MOUNTS?

The iPhone set a high bar for product launches, with sales passing the 1 million mark within 74 days. Some of the more enthusiastic had waited in line for up to five days before the June 2007 launch date. Apple sold more than 2 million in the holiday quarter that year.

Analysts say the company has already received several hundred thousands pre-orders, with first-year iPad sales estimated at anywhere from 4 million to 7 million. .[ID:nN29117228]

The pre-orders also succeeded in whittling down the lines a day in advance.

Of course, there are always some hearty enough to wait overnight. At Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York, around 10 people were in line Friday afternoon. They came armed with beach chairs, umbrellas, jackets, McDonald’s fast food, camping mats and other first-day-of-sale survival gear.

The mood was less festive elsewhere. It was all quiet at the Apple store on upscale Boylston Street in Boston at midday. Visiting Londoners Mark and Angela Rebbettes said at the store that they would likely swing back by on Saturday morning and try to get a look at the iPad.

“I think everyone’s interested,” said Mark Rebbettes, a salesman. Ultimately he thought he would buy one, although she didn’t understand the point of the device.

The iPad is a sleek 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet that resembles an oversized iPhone and runs on the same operating system. It starts at $499 for a short-range Wi-Fi model and tops out at more than $800 for a high-speed, go-anywhere 3G-enabled version.

It is designed for consuming all sorts of media, from games and video, to electronic books and magazines. Analysts say content deals are key to the iPad’s success. [ID:nN29117228]

APPS ON

The iPad can use most of the roughly 150,000 apps already available for the iPhone, and more than 1,000 new iPad apps are ready to go on launch day.

Among the iPad apps are an offering from Netflix (NFLX.O) to stream movies and one from Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) ABC network that features TV shows. There is a slew of games from developers such as Electronic Arts (ERTS.O) and startup ngmoco. Many analysts expect the iPad to provide stiff competition for Nintendo’s (7974.OS) DS and Sony’s (6758.T) PSP devices.

In addition, iPad apps from the New York Times (NYT.N) and News Corp’s (NWSA.O) Wall Street Journal will offer some access to content from the two newspapers.

Apple is also launching its own digital book business that will compete with Amazon.com’s (AMZN.O) Kindle.[ID:nN27203955]

No wonder iPad sales expectations keep climbing by the day. On Friday, research group iSuppli said it expects first-year shipments to hit 7 million in 2010. Many analysts expect Apple to sell 1 million or more iPads in the June quarter.

Reviews of the iPad have been largely positive, emphasizing its ample battery life and ease of use.[ID:nN01128173]

Saturday’s iPad launch is only in the United States and only for the Wi-Fi model. It will be available in nine other countries later this month.

Apple’s stock is up around 12 percent this year and has been setting new all-time highs. Analysts say that regardless of how well the launch goes, its stock price is likely to slip next week as investors cash in profits. (Reporting by Gabriel Madway; Additional reporting by Ros Krasny in Boston, Michelle Nichols in New York and Alexandria Sage in San Francisco; Editing by Edwin Chan, Steve Orlofsky and Jan Paschal)

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iPad still awaits the rush

April 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Apple’s iPad, the subject of frenzied industry speculation since its unveiling in January, has so far not drawn the hordes that ushered in the iPhone three years ago.

Technology | Media

The afternoon before the much hyped tablet computer goes on sale, a smattering of customers lined up at stores in New York, Washington, Boston and San Francisco, in marked contrast to the thousands that accompanied the iPhone’s debut in 2007.

Analysts say early sales have been strong.

But with many able to pre-order the gadget since mid-March, there was little reason to stand in line ahead of Saturday’s 9 a.m. launch. Those who ordered early enough online get their iPads on Saturday, via pickup at a store or home delivery.

Apple has staked much of its reputation on the iPad, pitched as a revolutionary new category of device: a lightweight mobile computer that strives to combine the best attributes of a smartphone and a laptop.

It is Apple’s most important launch since the iPhone. Wall Street is keen to gauge consumer response to the device, the firm’s next growth driver, and the crowds at Apple stores this weekend may provide an early indication of its popular appeal.

On Friday, tech blogs picked up on what appeared to be pictures of the iPad’s innards posted by the Federal Communications Commission on its Web site, giving techno-fans their first glimpse of pre-production components.

With the caveat that different parts may have been selected for the final iPad, Apple repair experts iFixit analyzed the photographs and concluded that the iPad uses Toshiba flash memory and a Broadcom communications chip alongside Apple’s own A4 processor.

It was unclear why the FCC posted the photos. (here)

ANTICIPATION MOUNTS?

The iPhone set a high bar for product launches, with sales passing the 1 million mark within 74 days. Some of the more enthusiastic had waited in line for up to five days before the June 2007 launch date. Apple sold more than 2 million in the holiday quarter that year.

Analysts say the company has already received several hundred thousand pre-orders, with first-year iPad sales estimated at anywhere from 4 million to 7 million. .

The pre-orders also succeeded in whittling down the lines a day in advance.

Of course, there are always some hearty enough to wait overnight. At Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York, around 10 people were in line Friday afternoon. They came armed with beach chairs, umbrellas, jackets, McDonald’s fast food, camping mats and other first-day-of-sale survival gear.

The mood was less festive elsewhere. It was all quiet at the Apple store on upscale Boylston Street in Boston at midday. Visiting Londoners Mark and Angela Rebbettes said at the store that they would likely swing back by on Saturday morning and try to get a look at the iPad.

“I think everyone’s interested,” said Mark Rebbettes, a salesman. Ultimately he thought he would buy one, although she didn’t understand the point of the device.

The iPad is a sleek 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet that resembles an oversized iPhone and runs on the same operating system. It starts at $499 for a short-range Wi-Fi model and tops out at more than $800 for a high-speed, go-anywhere 3G-enabled version.

It is designed for consuming all sorts of media, from games and video, to electronic books and magazines. Analysts say content deals are key to the iPad’s success.

APPS ON

The iPad can use most of the roughly 150,000 apps already available for the iPhone, and more than 1,000 new iPad apps are ready to go on launch day.

Among the iPad apps are an offering from Netflix to stream movies and one from Walt Disney’s ABC network that features TV shows. There is a slew of games from developers such as Electronic Arts and startup ngmoco. Many analysts expect the iPad to provide stiff competition for Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP devices.

In addition, iPad apps from the New York Times and News Corp’s Wall Street Journal will offer some access to content from the two newspapers.

Apple is also launching its own digital book business that will compete with Amazon.com’s Kindle.

No wonder iPad sales expectations keep climbing by the day. On Friday, research group iSuppli said it expects first-year shipments to hit 7 million in 2010. Many analysts expect Apple to sell 1 million or more iPads in the June quarter.

Reviews of the iPad have been largely positive, emphasizing its ample battery life and ease of use.

Saturday’s iPad launch is only in the United States and only for the Wi-Fi model. It will be available in nine other countries later this month.

Apple’s stock is up around 12 percent this year and has been setting new all-time highs. Analysts say that regardless of how well the launch goes, its stock price is likely to slip next week as investors cash in profits.

(Reporting by Gabriel Madway; Additional reporting by Ros Krasny in Boston, Michelle Nichols in New York and Alexandria Sage in San Francisco; Editing by Edwin Chan, Steve Orlofsky and Jan Paschal)

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UPDATE 1-Latest iPad orders won’t ship until April 12

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Apple website says preordered iPads to ship on April 12

Stocks | Media | Technology

* New date after U.S. store launch of April 3

* Preorders placed earlier will still get iPads by April 3

* Apple shares at record high

(Adds Apple comment)

SAN FRANCISCO, March 28 (Reuters) – It looks like some U.S. customers who preorder Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O) new iPad tablet computer now may have to wait a bit longer to get the device, as the company appears to be having a hard time keeping up with demand.

Apple began taking preorders for the iPad on March 12, promising to ship the touchscreen device to buyers on the official sales launch date of April 3, when the iPad will hit U.S. retail store shelves.

But the company may have sold out its initial inventory, as Apple’s website now promises a shipping date of April 12 for customers ordering the iPad.

Customers who placed their orders earlier this month will still get their devices by April 3, an Apple spokesman said.

The new April 12 shipping date indicates that the company has seen robust early demand for the iPad. Analysts have said that Apple is having some difficulty ramping up production due to issues in its supply chain, but that several hundred thousand iPads have already been preordered.

The iPad — which resembles a large iPhone with a 9.7-inch (25-cm) screen designed for Web surfing, games and media consumption — is Apple’s biggest product launch since the iPhone in 2007.

It goes on sale next Saturday in the United States, starting at $499 for the basic Wi-Fi model. The high-end model tops out at more than $800.

Although analysts’ estimates vary widely, some expect Apple to sell around 1 million iPads in the June quarter. Shares of Cupertino, California-based Apple closed up 1.88 percent at $230.90 on the Nasdaq, after hitting a record high of $231.95. (Reporting by Gabriel Madway; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

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New iPad orders won’t ship until April 12

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

* Apple website says preordered iPads to ship on April 12

Stocks | Media | Technology

* New date after U.S. store launch of April 3

* Apple shares at record high

SAN FRANCISCO, March 28 (Reuters) – It looks like U.S. customers who preordered Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O) new iPad tablet computer may have to wait a bit longer to get the device, as the company appears to be having a hard time keeping up with demand.

Apple began taking preorders for the iPad on March 12, promising to ship the touchscreen device to buyers on the official sales launch date of April 3, when the iPad will hit U.S. retail store shelves.

But the company may have sold out its initial inventory, as Apple’s website now promises a shipping date of April 12 for customers ordering the iPad.

The new shipping date indicates that the company has seen robust early demand for the iPad. Analysts have said that Apple is having some difficulty ramping up production due to issues in its supply chain, but that several hundred thousand iPads have already been preordered.

The iPad — which resembles a large iPhone with a 9.7-inch (25-cm) screen designed for Web surfing, games and media consumption — is Apple’s biggest product launch since the iPhone in 2007.

It goes on sale next Saturday in the United States, starting at $499 for the basic Wi-Fi model. The high-end model tops out at more than $800.

Although analysts’ estimates vary widely, some expect Apple to sell around 1 million iPads in the June quarter. Shares of Cupertino, California-based Apple closed up 1.88 percent at $230.90 on the Nasdaq, after hitting a record high of $231.95. (Reporting by Gabriel Madway; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

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Latest iPad orders won’t ship until April 12

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – It looks like some U.S. customers who preorder Apple Inc’s new iPad tablet computer now may have to wait a bit longer to get the device, as the company appears to be having a hard time keeping up with demand.

Technology | Media

Apple began taking preorders for the iPad on March 12, promising to ship the touchscreen device to buyers on the official sales launch date of April 3, when the iPad will hit U.S. retail store shelves.

But the company may have sold out its initial inventory, as Apple’s website now promises a shipping date of April 12 for customers ordering the iPad.

Customers who placed their orders earlier this month will still get their devices by April 3, an Apple spokesman said.

The new April 12 shipping date indicates that the company has seen robust early demand for the iPad. Analysts have said that Apple is having some difficulty ramping up production due to issues in its supply chain, but that several hundred thousand iPads have already been preordered.

The iPad — which resembles a large iPhone with a 9.7-inch (25-cm) screen designed for Web surfing, games and media consumption — is Apple’s biggest product launch since the iPhone in 2007.

It goes on sale next Saturday in the United States, starting at $499 for the basic Wi-Fi model. The high-end model tops out at more than $800.

Although analysts’ estimates vary widely, some expect Apple to sell around 1 million iPads in the June quarter. Shares of Cupertino, California-based Apple closed up 1.88 percent at $230.90 on the Nasdaq, after hitting a record high of $231.95.

(Reporting by Gabriel Madway; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

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