Why Does Apple Insist to Be Green and Equal?

In recent years we saw huge efforts from Apple toward being a Green-er company. In Apple's recent keynotes, they especially dedicate time to explain the footprint of each newly designed product and if you compare their older products to the new ones, you will see the attention they gave to craft better products not just in terms of performance but also focusing on it's impact on earth. Materials used are more recyclable and any harmful substance has been removed. Also they started building more and more solar farms to power up their servers.

On the other hand Tim Cook and his colleagues have been expressing their "unwavering" support toward LGBT community as Apple just today uploaded "Pride" on YouTube which is about the San Francisco's Gay Parade.  You can watch the video here:

All these effort to support the Green and LGBT communities are not without reason. Apple is a very big company and always is expanding its innovative culture and these actions will surely be a huge addition to their corporate culture but there is a reason bigger than that behind it. As you know Apple is a publicly traded company and value of such companies are decided by demand of the market. On the other hand strategic management requires executives to have plans for future to keep the growth. Agree or not it is inevitable that global warming is a huge concern and in not-so-far future being green is the only way to survive; with this, Apple guarantees itself to enjoy a sustainable source of power ahead of many others. Also LGBT activities around the world are getting more and more important. Gay Parades are getting bigger and bigger to seek equality and again in not-so-far future it will be recognized by a very huge population (Maybe not everyone!) and Apple would again be a leader in support and recognition.

With Apple's continuous support toward these activities, its stock shares will enjoy a huge demand from the supporters of these communities for now and creates a deep connection between them and Apple which will be good forever. This is a form of investment using culture and emotional attachment. Which not only adds value to the company by heart but also by money.

Shahab Shabibi about.me/Sh.Shabibi

 

Reasons Why You Do Not Need an iPhone Case

So here is my first post in ages. I will probably blog more often. 

My iPhone 5S is now 6 months old and after years of having iPhones this time I wanted to start something new: Do Not Use a Case for my iPhone. On my 4S I had something similar too where I decided just to use a bumper plus screen protectors on front and back. On iPhone 5 I just had a case and it was alright. 

Now I am going to tell you what kind of iPhone keeper I am so you can relate; I always sold my older iPhone with the caption "Same as Brand New", I never had a scratch on my phone and took care of it so well, my phone is always like part of me but this year, I was just like I want to take advantage of this extraordinary design, the feel of aluminium, the sleekness of the body, the magic weight of such gadget. & let me tell you how it turned out. 6 months of having a naked iPhone, which many people consider risky has turned out very well. I don't have a single scratch on from or back or sides. The chamfered edge is still shining like the first day and yet I enjoyed 6 months of touching and feeling  a naked iPhone. I don't know how iPhone enthusiast you are, but if you are you know this is such a big deal. I do not even use a screen protector and that is because of the scratch-resistant screen that actually resisted from getting scratched (Unlike the other brand, you know which one). 

Although with all these things said, you must consider a few important points which I avoided doing:

• I did not put my iPhone on a really hard surface. 

• I avoided putting my phone in same pocket with keys. YouTube videos say it still survives keys but well, I haven't tried. 

• I never dropped my phone from the shortest height. Well maybe once by 10cm. 

• I did not slide my phone on the table to pick it up. Just simply pick it up, why do you have to drag it all the way on the table. 

At the end I must say, it has been great using an iPhone without a case, give it a try. 

Amazon CEO Buys The Washington Post for $250m

Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO has acquired The Washington Post and all the assets and subsidiaries for $250m. All of that happened in a surprise and the mysterious part is that he bought it as a person not by using Amazon's name. 

Since many other CEOs of big companies are known to public as a figure, maybe Jeff Bezos tried to make a name for himself, maybe he wants to be known like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. 

In my opinion this move is two birds with one stone. First: Make a name for yourself among other CEOs and Second: Have media under Amazon to use in emergency situations, something to always have your back up, promote your company and products and sometimes help you to promote your name. Maybe you find my opinion so tough and unethical but this kind of moves can be ethical because there is nothing wrong with it. 

Meanwhile Bezos announced that he will not be running The WaPo by himself and the current team will keep working there. Values and culture will not be changed and the only change is in the ownership of legal papers. Do you think so?

Here is the Official Announcement of Jeff Bezos:

To the employees of The Washington Post:

You’ll have heard the news, and many of you will greet it with a degree of apprehension. When a single family owns a company for many decades, and when that family acts for all those decades in good faith, in a principled manner, in good times and in rough times, as stewards of important values – when that family has done such a good job – it is only natural to worry about change.

So, let me start with something critical. The values of The Post do not need changing. The paper’s duty will remain to its readers and not to the private interests of its owners. We will continue to follow the truth wherever it leads, and we’ll work hard not to make mistakes. When we do, we will own up to them quickly and completely.

I won’t be leading The Washington Post day-to-day. I am happily living in “the other Washington” where I have a day job that I love. Besides that, The Post already has an excellent leadership team that knows much more about the news business than I do, and I’m extremely grateful to them for agreeing to stay on.

There will of course be change at The Post over the coming years. That’s essential and would have happened with or without new ownership. The Internet is transforming almost every element of the news business: shortening news cycles, eroding long-reliable revenue sources, and enabling new kinds of competition, some of which bear little or no news-gathering costs. There is no map, and charting a path ahead will not be easy. We will need to invent, which means we will need to experiment. Our touchstone will be readers, understanding what they care about – government, local leaders, restaurant openings, scout troops, businesses, charities, governors, sports – and working backwards from there. I’m excited and optimistic about the opportunity for invention.

Journalism plays a critical role in a free society, and The Washington Post — as the hometown paper of the capital city of the United States — is especially important. I would highlight two kinds of courage the Grahams have shown as owners that I hope to channel. The first is the courage to say wait, be sure, slow down, get another source. Real people and their reputations, livelihoods and families are at stake. The second is the courage to say follow the story, no matter the cost. While I hope no one ever threatens to put one of my body parts through a wringer, if they do, thanks to Mrs. Graham’s example, I’ll be ready.

I want to say one last thing that’s really not about the paper or this change in ownership. I have had the great pleasure of getting to know Don very well over the last ten plus years. I do not know a finer man.

Sincerely,

Jeff Bezos

Obama Vetoes iPhone 4 Ban in US and How Strong is Apple

Yesterday some reports mentioned that a potential iPhone 4 and iPad 2 3G ban in US will be applied and it is because of patent fight of Apple and Samsung. As the time passed the rumors got stronger that by last night I was expecting the ban to be applied by Monday. But surprisingly today when I woke up I found out that Obama administration released a statement to veto the upcoming ban. Here is the official statement:

In addition, on January 8, 2013, the Department of Justice and United States Patent and Trademark Office issued an important Policy Statement entitled “Policy Statement on Remedies for Standard-Essential Patents Subject to Voluntary FRAND Commitments” (“Policy Statement”).2 The Policy Statement makes clear that standards, and particularly voluntary consensus standards set by standards developing organizations (“SDO”), have incorporated important technical advances that are fundamental to the interoperability of many of the products on which consumers have come to rely, including the types of devices that are the subject of the Commission’s determination. The Policy Statement expresses substantial concerns, which I strongly share, about the potential harms that can result from owners of standards­essential patents (“SEPs”) who have made a voluntary commitment to offer to license SEPs on terms that are fair, reasonable, and non­discriminatory (“FRAND”), gaining undue leverage and engaging in “patent hold­up”, i.e., asserting the patent to exclude an implementer of the standard from a market to obtain a higher price for use of the patent than would have been possible before the standard was set, when alternative technologies could have been chosen. At the same time, technology implementers also can cause potential harm by, for example, engaging in “reverse hold­up” (“hold­out”), e. g., by constructive refusal to negotiate a FRAND license with the SEP owner or refusal to pay what has been determined to be a FRAND royalty.

It is the first veto against ITC by the President since 1987 and it just proves how strong is Apple.
The ban rumor just started circulating for 24 hours and within that time Obama managed to issue a statement and stop ITC from banning them. While Apple issued an official statement and said:

We applaud the Administration for standing up for innovation in this landmark case. Samsung was wrong to abuse the patent system in this way.

and this decision didn't make anyone mad more than it did Samsung by responding:

We are disappointed that the U.S. Trade Representative has decided to set aside the exclusion order issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). The ITC’s decision correctly recognized that Samsung has been negotiating in good faith and that Apple remains unwilling to take a license.

You agree or not, Apple is strong enough to deal with US Government within a few hours and it was a lesson to Samsung: "When you are fighting the big guys, don't use kids' toys."

*Quotations from 9to5mac.com 

UPS Joins the Starters to Offer 3D Printing & Where is This Going

After eBay's 3D printing service, eBay Exact, now UPS the American Logistics Company joined others to offer in-store 3D printing and delivering it to your desired place. UPS said that it will help entrepreneurs, start-ups and other businesses to make prototypes at a lower cost than normal manufacturing.

All these companies are telling us one thing: The Future is in 3D Printing. Some researches stated that in 5 years from now having a 3D printer at home will be like having a normal 2D printer and it will help families to save $2,000 yearly by printing stuff that they need at home instead of buying it. But still as of now none of famous printer makers made any big move to offer a economically priced 3D printer. But by taking a look at KickStarter.com you can see that many of the projects involve with 3D printing.

In a few years from now there will be online shops just like tools shop but instead you buy the 3D file at a lower cost and you will print it at home. Currently in my point of view 3D Printing and SmartWatch industry will be growing superbly fast in a few years and by then it will become a vital part of our lives.  

Starbucks Partners with Google for Wi-Fi and What Does That Mean to People

According to Mashable.com, 

Starbucks is planning to upgrade the Wi-Fi speeds in more than 7,000 of its stores in the United States over the next year and a half, with help from Google, the coffee chain announced Wednesday.

 Some see this as a normal deal that happens between two companies but if you think out of the box it is a win for Google, it can be a long marketing deal between Google and Starbucks and it is because we have all heard the jokes that Apple Fanboys go to Starbucks, take their Macbook or iPad out and do their business but now imagine the Internet is provided by Google. You will have welcome page when you connect to the internet from Google and maybe some extra features if you are using Google Products. Starbucks might be the biggest Apple Center after Apple Stores but now with this Google will surely try to fight them. It might not be as obvious as normal wars but it seems like Google will try to force Apple Geeks to use Google Products in Starbucks.

The Next iPad Mini without Retina Display will be Ridiculous

So according to 9to5mac.com Apple has an iPad Mini with an A6 chip (which is same as iPhone) and STILL without Retina Display, a few months back some rumors showed that Apple also has an iPad Mini WITH Retina Display on the work. Well basically these two differences show that Apple took both into consideration but releasing two different iPad Minis (One with Retina and one without) is kind of far from my expectations. It is predicted that the cost of an iPad might exceed than what Apple wants it to be and decrease the profit for them but in a competitive market sometimes you are just forced to do it. 

But while having different options from different tablet makers for 7'' size while the quality of Apple is far better than Kindle and Galaxy, the fact that iPad mini does not have a retina display is disturbing but if in the next generation of iPad mini we still don't see the Retina Display then it is ridiculous! 

Meanwhile WSJ reported that Apple ordered a shipment of Retina Displays in iPad Mini sizes and also new back covers in different colors which is similar to iPod Touch are also being ordered. 

TAIPEI—Apple Inc.’s AAPL -0.17% suppliers are gearing up for mass production of a new iPad mini in the fourth quarter that will likely feature a high-resolution screen from Samsung, 005930.SE +0.08% people familiar with the matter say, an indication of the difficulty the U.S. company faces in its attempt to reduce its dependence on its biggest rival. Apple is working with suppliers in Asia on its next iPad mini with a high-resolution “retina” display, unlike the current iPad mini that comes with a lower-resolution screen, the people said. The size of the new tablet will likely be the same as the current 7.9-inch model, which was released in November last year. Apple has also been contemplating multiple color back covers for the new tablet, they said.

Apple TV's Pricedrop Right After Google's Chromecast Announcement

Google's Chromecast features were exciting and when you hear that Google's HDMI dongle comes only for $35 it is more exciting. But do you think Apple stays silent? Some say it can be a coincident and some say it is a fast reaction but at the end refurbished Apple TVs are now only $75 which is $10 cheaper than yesterday and comes with free shipping. 

I believe this pricedrop was scheduled to be done even before Chromecast but maybe announcement of Chromecast gave some value to it and forced Apple to do it faster.

In Chromecast and Apple TV comparison the unique UI design of Apple and the physical remote and airplay mirroring (For Apple Products only) will cost you additional $40 in compare to $35 for Chromecast

Start!

As a Tech Enthusiast I always felt like I should share my thoughts about Technology news. From today I will be sharing my ideas from the news happening in TechWorld.

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