Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer to retire in September, Luca Mastri to succeed

The Chief Financial Officer and Senior VP of Apple, Peter Oppenheimer, has officially announced his departure from Apple, after reports of him joining the Goldman Sachs Board of Directors emerged yesterday. This brings an end to Oppenheimer’s 18 year career with Apple during which he has seen plenty of ups and downs with the company. Apple’s current VP of Finance Luca Maestri will succeed Oppenheimer according to Apple’s press release. “I love Apple and the people I have had the privilege to work with and after 18 years here, it is time for me to take time for myself and my family,” said Oppenheimer. Under his tenure, Apple has started a new campus in Cupertino and launched four new data centers based on renewable energy, so he leaves big shoes to fill for the successor. The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook said – “Peter has served as our CFO for the past decade as Apple’s annual revenue grew from $8 billion to $171 billion and our global footprint expanded dramatically. His guidance, leadership and expertise have been instrumental to Apple’s success, not only as our CFO but also in many areas beyond finance, as he frequently took on additional activities to assist across the company. His contributions and integrity as our CFO create a new benchmark for public company CFOs.” The successor of Oppenheimer has pretty solid credentials as he has prior experience working with firms like General Motors, Nokia Siemens as well as Xerox with plenty of international experience as well. Luca will take charge beginning from September when Oppenheimer officially retires as the CFO of Apple. [Apple] Continue reading →







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Monday, March 3, 2014

Pandora not included in Apple’s CarPlay service

Pandora confirmed to MacRumors that Apple’s newly announced CarPlay feature will not support the streaming music service. While Pandora won’t be integrated in to the car service, other streaming options, including iTunes Radio, Spotify, Beats Radio, stitcher Radio and iHeartRadio, will be available at launch. Despite not being included in Apple’s big push into automobile technology, Pandora maintains its relationship with Apple is still secure. At this time, Pandora is not integrated with Apple CarPlay. As a first mover in the auto space, we continue to broaden our relationships with OEMs while also exploring other opportunities to expand our presence in the car. Apple has been and continues to be a valued partner. Pandora did not provide any details in its confirmation, leaving us left to wonder why the popular streaming service was left out when others like the newly launched Beats Audio received top billing. It is possible the music service was too similar to Apple’s own iTunes Radio service, which launched alongside iOS 7 last year. Both services let users create stations based on an artist and then listen to a queue of similar music. Pandora is a major competitor to iTunes Radio, with many early reviews comparing the two services. Pandora is among the top apps in the app store and is the top free music in the iOS App Store. Despite its snubbing by Apple, Pandora is no stranger to automotive technology. The service is already available on 103 different car models and aftermarket car stereos. Continue reading →







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Swiss Watchmaker claims Apple tried to poach his employees for iWatch

Apple allegedly tried to poach Swiss watchmakers in an attempt to create a “Swiss-made” iWatch built upon Switzerland’s watch expertise. These claims come from Jean-Claude Biver, CEO and board member of Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot, who spoke to French magazine PME in a candid interview. Biver claims Apple tried to recruit employees from major Swiss watchmakers, including his own company Hublot. His employees supposedly refused all offers to join Apple, which is looking to setup shop in Switzerland. Apple allegedly is interested in Switzerland for marketing purposes and has placed orders with subcontractors so it can attach the “Swiss-made’ moniker to its iWatch project. Apple recruiting from the Swiss watchmaker ranks is not too far-fetched as the Cupertino company likely would look towards Switzerland for it expertise on watch design and metallurgy. Bivers other claim that Apple wants to market the iWatch with a Swiss-made tag seems improbable, though. Apple has spent a lot of effort to promote its “Made in California” brand, and the company wouldn’t switch gears for a single project like this. Also, the Swiss-made term is regulated by the government, and there would be a lot of bureaucratic red tape for a brand association that has little appeal to the average consumer. In an even bolder claim, Biver says Apple allegedly tried to buy a scratch-free gold product developed by Hublot called Magic Gold. Magic Gold is a special alloy of gold and other metals that is hard and scratch resistant. Apple sought to incorporate this product in a luxury version of the iPhone, but Biver refused to sell the alloy to the Cupertino company, claiming Hublot was a watchmaker and not materials supplier. Jean-Claude Biver is known for his showmanship and sometimes outrageous claims, so these interview answers may be more than just an attempt to talk bad about Apple. What do you think about these claims? How serious or outrageous are they? [Via igeneration.fr and iDownloadblog] Continue reading →







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Xbox Live may be going cross-platform to Android and iOS in the future

According to a recent job posting spotted by The Verge, Microsoft is looking to bring its Xbox Live service to iOS and Android. These plans were unveiled in a Microsoft Careers job posting that was pulled from the job finding site following the initial Verge report. Xbox Live is available on Xbox consoles, Windows OS and Windows Phone handsets. The membership service allows players to create a profile that’ll track their gaming achievements, let them build friend lists and help them find games to play. Microsoft is hiring developers to build an expanded Xbox Live gaming platform, which will move Microsoft beyond Apple’s Game Center and Google’s Play Games service. Apple and Google both allow customers on the same platform to share their gaming progress and find friends, but their cross-platform features are limited. “We will create a modern framework that is open-source, lightweight, extensible and scalable across various platforms including Windows Store, Windows Phone, iOS, and Android,” reads the job listing. Microsoft hopes to lure developers to its platform by making it easy for them to include the same Xbox Live features in games that are distributed on different platforms. These games offer a huge benefit to gamers who could play a game on their iPhone and then switch to their Xbox without missing a beat. Are you an Xbox Live user? Would you want full access to the gaming network on your iOS device? Continue reading →







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Sunday, March 2, 2014

Sing in the Shower with the Bluetooth Shower Speaker [Deals Hub]

There’s no need to be ashamed of singing in the shower. We’re all guilty of it. It’s a safe place to belt out your favorite tunes without fear of judgement. But you don’t want to drag your iOS device into the shower, so you don’t have any control over the music while you’re under the water. You can solve that with the Bluetooth Shower Speaker. It’s on sale now from the iPhone Hacks Deals Hub. The Bluetooth Shower Speaker connects wirelessly with your smartphone or iOS device of choice, giving you a range of up to ten meters of connectivity. The showerproof case is water resistant and rated IPx4. With buttons on the face of the device, you have control over the soundtrack to your shower. Plus, a built-in microphone gives you voice control and access to Siri. You can get the Bluetooth Shower Speaker from the iPhone Hacks Deals Hub for just $39. That’s a savings of 60% off the retail price. That’s a great price for this must-have tech, so grab this deal today. Continue reading →







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Weekend news roundup: All the best Apple news from last week

As we close out one week and kick off another, let’s take a moment to look back at the attention-grabbing headlines from the past seven days. Some of the news you may recall, some may be new to you, but all of the topics below are worthy of a mention. Apple to soon expand iPhone trade-in program to Canada Apple launched its iPhone trade-in program called “iPhone Reuse and Recycling Program,” in the US last year in August, and expanded the program to UK and Germany a few months later. It looks like the program will soon be coming to Canada. Apple’s ‘Gotofail’ SSL bug also affects Mail, Messages, FaceTime and other Mac apps Over the weekend, Apple acknowledged that the serious SSL bug fixed in iOS 6.1.6 and iOS 7.0,6, also exists in OS X, and has promised to release a software fix as soon as possible. However, the situation seems to be a lot worse as private security researcher, Ashkan Soltani has found that the bug also affects other Mac applications such as Mail, FaceTime, Messages, Calendar etc., and not just Apple’s Safari browser. Samsung Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 5s: Tech Specs Shootout Samsung today launched its flagship Galaxy smartphone — the Samsung Galaxy S5 with a fingerprint sensor, a heart-rate monitor, water and dust resistant body, and more. The device comes with powerful specs, as you’d expect from Samsung, with a 2.5GHz quad-code processor, 2GB or RAM, a 16MP camera and more. So how does the Galaxy S5 stack against the iPhone 5s in terms of specs? Here’s a spec-by-spec comparison of the flagship smartphones from two of the most successful smartphone companies in the world. Apple releases OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 with SSL bug fix, FaceTime Audio, contact blocking and more As expected, Apple has released OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 with a number of new features like FaceTime Audio, contact blocking, but most importantly, a fix for a critical security flaw that could let an attacker sniff and modify your data on secure HTTPS connections. Updated Apple security document details Touch ID and A7′s Secure Enclave Following the release of a critical security update for iOS, Apple also posted an updated security document for iOS on its website. In this document, Apple provides additional information on its Touch ID sensor and Secure Enclave system. Apple is the ‘Most Admired’ company for the seventh straight year Apple has successfully retained its title of being the ‘Most Admired’ company in the U.S., followed by the likes of Amazon, Google and Berkshire Hathaway. This is the company’s seventh consecutive title, so there’s a lot to celebrate for the folks at Cupertino. This list is published annually by Fortune and Apple’s inclusion for the seventh straight year is no surprise given the company’s resurgence over the years despite severe competition in the industry. Moov fitness tracker and personal trainer device improves performance, prevents injury Moov is an upcoming wearable device that is part fitness tracker, part personal trainer. It uses 9-axis sensors, including an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer, to track both your motion and your form (posture) while you exercise or play one of the supported sports. Moov can be worn on various parts of the body depending on the sport or exercise that is being monitored. California Appeals Court rules that using mobile maps while driving isn’t illegal In what appears to be a very crucial ruling, the California Appeals Court has claimed that using of smartphone guided maps or navigation while driving cannot be classified under ‘distracted driving’. This comes after a user named Steven Spriggs was booked and given a $165 ticket for using his iPhone 4 to look for an alternative route while stuck in a busy traffic jam. Apple bundling a $25 iTunes Gift Card with the Apple TV; sparks off speculation of next-gen Apple TV In what is claimed to be a stock clearance drive, Apple is offering a $25 gift card with every purchase of its current gen Apple TV. Rumors of Apple preparing to launch a refresh to this home media device have been floating around the internet for quite a while now, so this new move doesn’t surprise us. Glucose Sensing unlikely to be included in first generation iWatch The iWatch, Apple’s long rumored smartwatch, will reportedly feature a plethora of biomedical sensors to keep track of your health, and help you stay fit. A report from Network World claims that a glucose sensing, originally rumored to be included in the iWatch, is unlikely to find its way in the first version of the smartwatch. Apple planning to release software update to fix Touch ID fading issue Are you having problems with your iPhone 5s’ Touch ID? Apple is preparing to release an update to improve the performance of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, according to AppleInsider. Google’s Sundar Pichai: Android was not designed to be safe, it was designed to give more freedom The Mobile Threat report from Cisco last month revealed that 99% of all mobile malwares targeted Android devices last year. When Sundar Pichai, the Senior Vice President at Google, who overseas Android was asked about the malware situation on the Android platform, he gave a surprisingly frank answer. Apple TV no longer a hobby as hardware and content sales reach $1 billion Apple’s set-top box business may be a small in comparison to the iPad and iPhone, but it is still generating money for the company. According to Reuters, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed during the company’s annual shareholder meeting that Apple TV hardware and content generated more than $1 billion in sales during FY 2013. The $1 billion amount was accrued during the company’s fiscal year 2013 which started September 29, 2012 and ended September 28, 2013. Continue reading →







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Saturday, March 1, 2014

Your Shave Can Be Powered by USB with This Travel Razor [Deals Hub]

When you’re on the road, you sometimes have to sacrifice convenience for space. Taking a traditional electric razor on the road means taking up extra space and using an extra outlet in the bathroom that you might need. You can save yourself this hassle and still enjoy a clean shave in the morning with the ShaveTech USB Travel Razor. It’s on sale right now from the iPhone Hacks Deals Hub. The innovative and handy USB Travel Razor is a great accessory for anyone who finds themselves on the road regularly. With a slim and simple design, no bigger than a smartphone, this tool can stay in a side pocket without taking up space. Plug it in to your computer and give it a quick charge via USB, then enjoy a great shave to start your day so you can look clean and refreshed. You can get the ShaveTech USB Travel Razor on sale from the iPhone Hacks Deals Hub for just $19.99. That’s a savings of 33% off the retail price. That’s a great price for this must-have travel accessory, so grab this deal while you can. Continue reading →







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