Prediction #9: Intel starts to become irrelevant
I know I promised that my next 2016 prediction would be Apple’s big acquisition, and I will publish that prediction soon as my #10, but right now I just have to say what a perilous position Intel is in. The company truly risks becoming irrelevant, which is an odd thing to say about a huge, rich outfit that would appear from the outside to pretty much dominate its industry -- an industry the company created. Intel won’t go away, I just think there is a very good chance it’ll no longer matter.
We’re approaching the end of the closed, proprietary, single source technology era. ARM processors are freely licensed, more open, and much more cost competitive than similar products from Intel or AMD. If you need 10 million chips for your next product do you buy them from Intel? Or do you get a license from ARM and hire a foundry to make them for you?
Google Play gets more downloads, but Apple's App Store leads in revenue
Apple's App Store generated 75 percent more revenue than Google Play in 2015, but the latter is now responsible for 100 percent more downloads, according to a new report on the state of the app ecosystem in 2015 by App Annie. Both numbers are higher compared to the previous year.
App Store has increased its revenue lead to 75 percent from 70 percent in 2014, while Google Play saw its downloads lead rise from 60 percent in the same year. The most important markets were, in Apple's case, China, US and Japan, while for Google the drivers were Brazil, India, Indonesia and Mexico.
When it comes to storage, reliability trumps price
When it comes to storage, saving money is no longer the number one priority for businesses, a new survey by Western Digital Corporation says.
According to the storage maker’s second annual global survey of CIOs and IT decision-makers, businesses have recognized the positive impact data can have on their bottom line.
Don't open that Facebook email attachment -- it could be malware
Two weeks ago, the Comodo Threat Research Lab discovered a malware campaign aimed at businesses and consumers using the WhatsApp mobile messaging service. That attack used official looking emails masquerading as WhatsApp content.
Now Comodo’s researchers have identified a similar phishing campaign targeting Facebook users, which it believes was created by the same group behind the WhatsApp malware.
KillEmAll 5 instantly closes everything on your Windows desktop
Foolish IT has released the first beta of KillEmAll 5.0, a portable tool designed to close all non-essential applications at the click of a button.
The program could be very useful in emergencies -- maybe to close all open browser windows if you’ve got a malicious popup -- but is also a handy timesaver whenever you need to clear your desktop in a hurry.
Intel introduces 6th generation Core vPro processor family for office PCs
Intel has just announced new processors for office computers. The 6th Generation Intel Core vPro processor family is designed "for the modern workforce" and comes with a few innovations to keep office life tolerable.
Intel says the new processor offers "2.5 times the performance and a 30-times increase in graphics performance over a 5-year-old device", providing users with much more productive and powerful business tools.
IEEE: 2016 will be the year of the drone, but there's bad news for MP3 players, digital cameras, and wearables
43 percent of UK consumers expect drones to be the most influential technology in 2016, according to IEEE’s annual survey, with smart phones (38 percent) and 3D printing (31 percent) close behind.
The online survey, conducted in November 2015, questioned over two thousand adults to find out what technology they expected to see more/less of. While the list of devices predicted to fall from favor included obvious tech like digital music players, standalone digital cameras (both 15 percent), and ebook readers (9 percent), some 8 percent of respondents declared wearables had had their day.
Foxit Reader integrates with OneDrive and Google Drive, adds word count tool
Foxit Software has unveiled Foxit Reader 7.3, its free PDF reader and creation tool for Windows PCs. The new release debuts a number of significant features, including Google Drive and OneDrive integration, plus a new word count tool and official support for Office 2016.
OneDrive and Google Drive integration can be found in the program’s File menu under "Add a place", and work in a similar way to later versions of Microsoft Office by allowing users to create shortcuts to cloud-based locations.
Google is enabling Android app installs from search results
Google may be simplifying the way Android users install apps on their devices. Some users have reportedly been able to install new apps directly from Google search results on their smartphones and tablets.
Typically a user is redirected from the Google Search app to the Google Play store when they are searching for new apps using the search engine. However, after a recent update to the app, an install button appears along with user ratings and information about the app that allows apps to be installed directly from search.
Stream the Super Bowl live on your Roku device
The big game isn't far off, though we don't yet know which two teams will square off. The field is, however, narrowed down to four contenders. Will the Broncos or Patriots win? Can the Cardinals triumph in Carolina? Those questions will be answered soon and subsequently followed by two weeks of hype.
If you've disconnected your cable or satellite service and are wondering how you will catch the big game then Roku has a solution for you.
Tim Berners-Lee is an idiot for wanting to expose cyberbullies' identities
While there is greater interest than ever before in online privacy there are also calls from some quarters for people who use the web to be fully accountable. This is part of the thinking behind Facebook's real names policy, and it's also what's driven Tim Berners-Lee -- no less than the inventor of the web -- to call for the identities of cyberbullies to be exposed.
In the wake of gamergate and countless other examples of women being abused online for little more than being women, bullying of school children by their contemporaries, and endless racist, sexist, and politically motivated attacks online, the suggestion might seem -- on the face of it -- to make sense. But it fails to stand up to scrutiny and is likely -- ultimately, if anyone were insane enough to follow his advice -- to be completely counterproductive.
Amazon Echo now works with Vivint home security and automation
Of the countless product announcements that filled the Consumer Electronics Show it was easy to miss many things. One announcement came from Vivint, which produces home security and automation products. The company unveiled that it planned to work with Amazon Echo to allow customers to control its products by voice.
It hasn't taken long as the integration becomes available now. Products include smart door locks, an automated thermostat, cameras, smoke detectors, a tocuhscreen control panel and a doorbell camera. You'll need to get an estimate on installation, but that part is free when they put the system in. It also has 24/7 monitoring, just as any alarm system should have.
Businesses need to place higher priority on cyber security
Only 45 percent of worldwide organizations are confident in their ability to fend off today’s sophisticated cyber attacks. This is one of the key findings from Cisco’s 2016 Annual Security Report, which was released today.
With the rate of digital transformation continuing to increase, business leaders are increasing measures to secure their organizations’ future, with 92 percent agreeing that regulators and investors will expect them to manage cyber security risk.
Premium ultrabooks and hybrid devices will keep PC market relevant
Combined shipments of PCs, tablets and phones reached 2.39 billion units in 2015, according to a new report from Gartner, with an increase to 2.54 billion units expected for 2018. As you might expect, phone shipments account for the vast majority of units, 1.91 billion of them to be exact.
The report says that PC vendors shipped a combined 246 million desktops and non-premium laptops in 2015. Things aren't looking good in the long term, as shipments are expected to drop to 219 million units in 2018 for these two categories. However, the PC market as a whole, which includes desktops, non-premium laptops as well as premium ultramobiles will see a rise in shipments until the end of 2018 to 312 million units from 290 million units in 2015.
HP announces rugged Chromebook 11 G4 Education Edition
Chromebooks are great for home use, but they truly shine for education. Its easy to see why -- they are easy to use, cost effective and (unlike the iPad) offer multi-user support. These are all essential things for school districts on a tight budget.
Today, HP announces the Chromebook 11 G4 Education Edition. Starting at a paltry $199, it looks to offer incredible value. Thanks to military-grade build quality, it should be very durable. This is very important, of course, as children are often rough on computers.
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