Who is Tim Cook?
It's the $120 billion question everyone will be asking. I pick that number as it's what Apple revenue could conceivably reach during 2011, all with Tim Cook -- and not Steve Jobs -- running the company.
Late this afternoon, Apple's board of directors named Cook the company's new chief executive after cofounder Steve Jobs' stunning and unexpected resignation. Cook has quite literally stepped into the most important role in techdom.
Investors uneasy after Steve Jobs resigns
Apple shares fell 6 percent in after-hours trading tonight following Steve Jobs' stunning and unexpected resignation. Apple's board named COO Tim Cook, who has been running the company for about eight months, as Jobs' successor.
Apple shares were down more than $20 after-hours. Before the resignation announcement, Apple shares closed up slightly -- $373.60, off the opening of $373.46. The real question: How will investors react tomorrow when markets reopen for trading?
Steve Jobs resigns!
In a stunning and unexpected event, Steve Jobs resigned as Apple's chief executive today. The board has named Jobs Chairman and Tim Cook new CEO.
Apple released this letter from Jobs:
Windows XP was two products worth of development
Fourth in a series. I remember something from the Windows XP rollout in New York City. At the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, Gateway gave out these. Mo-o-o-o-o.
I recall that it was common to criticize XP early on as being a minor update to Windows 2000, as in Windows 2000.1. There may have been something to that, but the operating system developed into much more.
GameStop steals free games from its customers
Two years ago, I apologized to GameStop and its employees for buying consoles that used web-based app stores to sell games because they would ultimately render the physical video game retail store irrelevant.
Today, I'm withdrawing that apology.
Do a good deed today, uninstall Windows XP
Let's compare the major computer operating systems at the moment. We have Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. We have various Linux distributions, and we have Mac OS X.
Of these, obviously Windows XP has the weakest security, by far, and Windows XP has the biggest marketshare, too. Globally close to half of all computers still run XP.
You can pry Windows XP from my cold, dead hands
Third in a series. As a long-time programmer, I was still using Windows 95 when I finally purchased my mainstay computer that came with Windows XP. I am not the type to use the leading edge computers or software. The software I write (programming tools for programmers) was designed to run on minimal hardware, so I preferred to stay with an operating system much longer than most programmers would. Programmers are notorious for wanting the leading-edge computers, but not me.
My Windows 95 PC was starting to get a bit obsolete and it was time to switch to the latest operating system, so I purchased a new computer with Windows XP Home on it. The computer was an eMachine T2542, with a 2.5GHz Celeron CPU, 256 meg RAM and a 40 gig hard drive.
BlackBerry phones to gain Android compatibility
In what is likely an effort to stave off any further erosion in market share, RIM is said to be planning to add Android app capability to phones running its new QNX software, according to those close to the company.
The first QNX phones are expected in 2012: RIM's PlayBook was the first to ship with the operating system in April of this year. Adding Android support to QNX-based phones should not be surprising: there is already support in the PlayBook for Android apps.
Vizio's Android tablet is the first with Hulu Plus
In August, US LCD TV leader Vizio launched its 8" Android tablet for an agreeable $299 at most common big box retailers. Today, streaming TV provider Hulu announced it has partnered with Vizio to bring Hulu Plus to its new tablet.
Though Hulu Plus is available on many platfoms --video game consoles, TVs, connected media players, set-top boxes, and iOS devices-- it is only available on a dozen Android devices, and until today it was only on select Android smartphones.
What Windows XP's Launch Meant to Me
Second in a series. I remember my Windows XP experiences like it was just yesterday. I became aware of Windows XP when it was called Whistler back in 2000. There was a technology television show on ZD-TV called "The Screen Savers" with host Leo Laporte and Patrick Norton. During many call-ins, persons would ask, should I upgrade from Windows 98 to ME or 2000. Leo would often suggest that users shouldn't bother since Whistler would be coming out next year.
I wondered what this Whistler was about, so I decided to do some web searching about it and came across Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows. I started following his chronicles with the early betas from early development phases into what became Windows XP with the well-known Luna theme around beta 2.
Calm down, Android malware makes up a tiny .00024% of the threat landscape
Security researchers and software companies have been warning of the shift to mobile-borne malware for years, and Android seems to be the primary platform of concern.
Over the last two years, we've witnessed the arrival of Android anti-malware applications from Symantec, McAfee, AVG, Softwin (BitDefender), ESET, F-Secure, and Lookout Security, and each time a new product is released, a new warning of the potential destruction a mobile virus, trojan, or botnet has is released.
Want a free Slingbox? Sign up for Time Warner cable
In an effort to promote its higher speed -- and higher cost -- Wideband cable internet service, Time Warner Cable said late Tuesday it will subsidize the full $300 cost of the Slingbox device. The rebates will be made available to customers beginning next month.
The offer seems to be an about face for cable companies like Time Warner, who had up until recently an antagonistic relationship with devices like the Slingbox. Since the set-top device allows a user to view content from just about anywhere it was seen as a threat to selling more cable subscriptions.
Take Control of Mac OS X Lion with Deeper
Now that OS X Lion has been out in the wild for a little while, and even updated, it is time for the tweaking tools to be unleashed. Not long ago we took a look at Lion Tweaks which did very much what the name suggests. Another tool well worth taking a look at is Deeper, an impressive Lion customization utility from Titanium Software.
Whether you are a new convert to the world of Macs and find the way some of the Lion’s features work to be a little strange, or if you would prefer it if things were a little more like in Snow Leopard, Deeper is on hand to help you to customise your Mac’s operating system to your liking.
Apple wins preliminary injunction on Galaxy S phones in Netherlands
A Dutch district court in The Hague has ruled in favor of Apple in one of the many patent infringement lawsuits taking place between Apple and Samsung internationally.
The Judge presiding over the case has banned the sale of Galaxy S, Galaxy S II, and Ace (S5830) smartphones in the Netherlands and "many European countries."
Firefox 6 too slow? Try Pale Moon 6 instead
Recent Firefox releases seem to show that Mozilla are making a genuine effort to eliminate the browser’s performance issues.
If you’re not yet satisfied, though, Pale Moon 6, released today, may be of interest. The browser is based on Firefox -- looks almost identical, works in exactly the same way, supports most (though not all) extensions and add-ons -- but has been carefully optimized to deliver better performance and security.
