Not to be lost in all of the news surrounding Steve Jobs stepping down as Apple’s CEO is his health. As it was once stated, “as long as one has their health they have everything.”
Score another one for Cupertino in their (on-going) battle with Samsung as the firm’s win of an EU injunction temporarily banning sales of their (flagship) Galaxy handset in Holland (and depending upon the side of the legal interpretation there also seems to be a dispute regarding whether or not it’ll be banned in more than just The Netherlands at this juncture) is perhaps a sign that there’s more than just the cost of business at stake in this dispute.
Long story short; it’s clear that the legal wrangling between these two is going to get much more contentious. Moreover; it’ll be interesting to see with the pending Fall release of the iPhone 5 how (in light of a completely uncharacteristic snafu) Apple will be able to keep this under-wraps in order to spring whatever innovations it’s planning on their competition – including Samsung and their strong orientation towards what appears to be mimicking Apple within this space.
From the BBC: http://goo.gl/apr44
Android passed Symbian in Q2 (of 2011) for the world’s leading mobile OS that’s hit with malware. By no means is this feat to be taken lightly for several reasons:
1) It further demonstrates how far Nokia has fallen regarding their once-dominate market stature.
2) It also (obviously) shows how far Google’s OS has grown in a relatively short period of time (since it was released).
3) Be it openness vs. a closed / walled-garden approach… neither orientation is not without challenges.
4) As the malicious activities continue to increase in frequency they are also becoming more and more insidious as many apps (that were voluntarily downloaded) were the source of malware to begin with.
5) With the Android OS becoming ever-fragmented; the risks of such (will) continue to increase.
From PC Magazine: http://goo.gl/INZL5
If HP and SAP merge (a big ‘if’) will the hybrid-firm be able to complete it successfully whilst maintaining two vastly distinct cultures?
Think about the previous Compaq / HP merger and all the turmoil the company underwent (which was argued in some circles diluted / weakened the brands name, etc.) So; what would make an even larger merger any different (let alone successful?)
Conversely, if they did pull it off… it would be a major (business) coup. However; IBM and/or Oracle are certainly not going to wait around and stand-pat when one of their major competitors (and partners in some respects / segments) are sorting out their internal dynamics…
From Computer World NZ: http://goo.gl/zO4hE
Perhaps HP will look back at their hiring of an Enterprise Software Executive as ‘the beginning of their end?’ (Paraphrasing Winston Churchill) Perhaps not?
Nevertheless; they also might look back at this period of time as the impetus for the firm merging with SAP (as rumored today too).
Long story short: the shareholders of the firm have pretty much given both the CEO and the decision to cease being a PC-company (akin to IBM) a resounding ‘NO’ and that in and of itself equates to the timing being nothing short of inopportune (putting it mildly!)
The road ahead is anything BUT easy for this once-proud, tech-titan… And, a no-vote of confidence for any given company head is never a good harbinger…
From Venture Beat: http://goo.gl/Ae57l
Skype’s announcement of their GroupMe purchase essentially means that Microsoft owns both now (right?)
Interestingly enough; little and/or no mention of the ultimate reality is that Redmond just scored another company by extension. And, it’ll be interesting to see how this sits with the various (governmental) regulatory agencies throughout the world (as there has to be pause for concern in some legal / consumer circles)… or, at least one would think that that’s so…
From the WSJ: http://goo.gl/oU1EY
Okay; so what if Google’s purchase of Motorola’s Mobile Division e.g., their handset capabilities amounts to essentially buying it for their patents (according to countless experts and commentary via the blogosphere, etc.) That said; perhaps there’s more than just that?
Granted, this is in all probability wishful thinking and/or just simple idealism. Yet, until otherwise determined: the smartphone race is still them (Google) vs. Apple (even if it is akin to the Cold War presently). And, unless another vendor pulls a major market / industry coup; it almost seems as though Google had little and/or no choice (in light of their inability to purchase Nortel’s treasure trove previously).
From (the) Guardian UK: http://goo.gl/Nt7vR
HP’s restructuring announcement and follow-on fire-sale of their (doomed) TouchPad are clear examples of what happens to a firm (in any given market segment) that loses their way via M&A’s; hubris; bad timing and a monolithic culture that’s resistant to change (amongst other factors). Moreover; they’ve (obviously / still) got countless hurdles to overcome…
Long story short: can the company actually turn their fortunes around (entirely) and reinvent themselves in the fashion that IBM once did? Only time will tell if they’re able to pull this off (which is indeed a tall-order given the current global economic construct / market-dynamics, etc.)
From PC World: http://goo.gl/k43rv
Long gone are the days when the biggest obstacle at Hewlett-Packard was a lock that kept someone out of a storage closet (that according to urban legend was broken by one of the two namesakes of the firm in order to not allow for anything to stand in the way of innovation).
Losing 20% of the total company market-value (independent of any future positive impact) could be a day that they might simply never recover from…
From the LA Times: http://goo.gl/eHMH2
Big Blue aka IBM has reported developing the world’s first microprocessor that’s akin to the human brain (in many of the ways that it functions) as it looks like artificial intelligence has advanced another step…
Congrats and/or ________ is in order as this could be a major breakthrough in countless areas… Conversely, it could also give rise to lots of images from the pages of science fiction folklore… I’ll be back, right?
From the BBC: http://goo.gl/9Q6aO
