Tech world waits for iPhone news and hopes for magic

SAN FRANCISCO — The tech world on Wednesday will have its eyes on Apple, expecting new versions of the company’s coveted iPhone but hoping for magic in the form of unexpected innovation.

Apple remained mum even as rumors ran rampant about what is in store at an upcoming San Francisco media event.

Analysts and industry insiders predict that Apple will unveil updated iPhones along with an Apple TV revamp that may signal a push into the online television streaming sector, dominated by Netflix.

In trademark enigmatic style, Apple has provided little more than the time and place of the event.

An update to the iPhone lineup is considered a sure thing, since the company has a pattern of doing just that every September.

Improvements are expected to include faster processing and better cameras.

New iPhone models might also feature the “force touch” technology used in the Apple Watch, which allows a user to control a device based on how hard the screen is pressed.

The iPhone remains a hot seller, accounting for the bulk of Apple’s revenue, but upgrades are needed to keep iPhone “at the top of the heap” in the competitive smartphone market, according to Gartner analyst Van Baker.

Apple consistently entices the market with tricked-out new iPhones in time for the crucial year-end holiday shopping season.



Apple TV tuned


Another expected star at the event could be Apple TV, which may get an App Store open to outside developers and perhaps focus on game-play, in a challenge to video game consoles.

The third-generation Apple TV was introduced slightly more than three years ago. The California-based company long downplayed Apple TV as a “hobby” after the original version was released in 2007.

“They are finally revisiting their hobby, the Apple TV,” said Forrester analyst Frank Gillett.

Apple is dabbling with the idea of making online television programming, a move that would challenge established players such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, according to a recent report in show-business magazine Variety.

“Original programing is the only solution to Apple’s biggest problem in the video world — that is, that nobody wants to sell Apple content rights,” said Forrester analyst James McQuivey.

“After watching what happened to the music business when Apple was given the keys to the kingdom, video producers and programmers are more than gun shy about handing the same power to Apple in the world of TV shows.”

Apple became a power to be reckoned with in digital music sales due to the popularity of its mobile devices and iTunes online shop.

While Apple was at the forefront of the shift to digital music, the world of Internet-streamed television already has powerful players such as Netflix and Amazon.


Watching for magic


There is weaker speculation that Apple could introduce a new, bigger iPad in what would be a break from the company’s tradition of unveiling tablet news at a separate event in October.

Tablet sales have cooled overall, and Apple faces the challenge of coming up with an innovation that re-ignites interest in iPads, according to analysts.

One way could be by tying iPads to more cloud services that better anticipate what users do using Apple products.

“I think they can make more magic happen,” Gillett said of App. “That is what I am going to look for.”

source: interaksyon.com

The gadgets to bring home this Christmas

While the merriment and cheer abound, finding that perfect gadget to give is by no means a walk in the park.
Well, if that “walk” means a stroll through your neighborhood mall or shopping lane, it can even be more perilous and confusing, as you may not have even the slightest idea of the ONE gadget that should take your loved one’s breath away.

With a deep pocket at your disposal, you can search for these luscious items on anyone’s Christmas wish list — a rundown of sure fire first rate gadgets, so you won’t think twice on what to give to the naughty or nice.

Dell XPS 12
Who would not get their hands on this versatile hybrid laptop that doubles as a tablet (depending on your mood)? The Dell XPS 12 is a gorgeous eye candy with a 1080p 12” display that provides an awesome visual treat whenever you turn it on. This display flips backward within its bezel and transform into a 12”, 3.2 lb. tablet you can easily carry and use anywhere. It has 9 hours of battery life, comfortable keyboard, and a large touchpad.

Jabra Solemate Mini
This incredible piece of Bluetooth speaker perfection is even smaller than your average soda can yet the sound (and bass) is as big as it gets. It has an eye-catching design and long battery life. Called the Solemate, particularly because it resembles a sneaker, is arguable one of the best in its crop with its surprisingly solid sound despite its size. And it can be water-proof as well with its “sound bag” accessory, which is its splash-resistant cover and protective carrying case.

Samsung Note III with Gear
What else can you want for Christmas other than a smart watch that can make or receive calls? Packaged as the Gear that accompanies the Samsung Note III, the smartwatch is a revolution in itself as it became the first commercially available wearable gadget. Still pricey and a bit too dependent on the Note III, Gear is still a fun item to see beneath the Christmas tree as it gives you the distinction of being the first to adopt and use. And of course, there’s the impeccable Note III to boot.

iPad Air
Think about Apple’s mouthwatering gadgets since the Macintosh days and how its innovative flair had made the magic even spellbinding, one product after another, the evolution of one of its sterling accomplishments, the iPad, is no surprise. The iPad Air is again the toast of the 10” tablet town, offering the thinnest and lightest form factor in the market, owing the idea to what they did to their robust line of laptops — the MacBook Air. Its incredible performance cloaked by the biggest corporate brand in America is something no one can afford not to consider during the Holidays.

LG G2
This Korean behemoth — after Samsung — surprised us with its G2 phablet that made us who first saw it want to take home right away or maybe place in a gift bag for Christmas. It’s because of camera features you can’t see in any other mobile phone products in the market; the rear button is engaging, allowing you to take pictures properly instead of the front button that could you to hit delete more than just simply carrying on with the next object to shoot. It’s incredibly powerful 2.2 GHz processor and 32-GB memory allows superior multitasking — like checking e-mails while watching a video.

Google Nexus 7
Google is now making smartphones? Yes, largely through ventures and acquisitions (Motorola’s handset business). But this particular product is one of the search giant’s successful forays into mobile device manufacturing in this venture with Taiwan-based Asus. The Nexus 7 is gorgeously crafted with a comfortable soft touch black plastic and weighs lighter than most 7” tablets in the market. It also offers “retina-class” 1920×1200, making it the highest among any tablet existing today, plus top-of-the-line multimedia features—from the camera to the speakers. Surely, it’s something you’d want to show on the Christmas dinner table to your Holiday visitors.

Sony PlayStation 4
The latest coming of Sony’s legendary game console was stuff of incredible hype leading to its eventual release last October. It is seen as everything better than its predecessors, including compact chassis, matte-black and glossy panels, and improved DualShock gamepads with new elongated handles, a large 2” x 1” touchpad, with new share, and options buttons. And above all, it’s considered the most powerful next-gen console, and the only one with an internal power supply. It has upgraded Blu-Ray support and USB ports on the console and DualShock gamepads.

Beats Mixr by Dr. Dre
This piece of headphone design genius makes another rousing success with Mixr. Beats by Dr. Dre came up with another version of its phenomenal product in response to a demand fromk a prominent user, David Guetta, for the “lightest and loudest” headphones. And it did not fail him. Indeed, the beats are more defined, surely enlivening bass hunters everywhere. But the most compelling feature — the headphones’ design that allows incredible comfort, with pivotal earcups, and, yes, you’d look great wearing it over your head.

Dell SS240T
Do you want to look like you’ve stepped out of a Hollywood movie? Well, a touchscreen monitor like the Dell SS240T will surely make you one. Instead of using a mouse to select menus or desktop items to drag, all you need is your finger. Yes, dragging, say, a Photoshop-enhanced image onto my Microsoft Word application was like placing a real photo into a real notebook. And well, movies like The Minority Report always come to mind. But then again, would you want a monitor that works like a tablet — with all the touching, pointing and dragging—and discard the mouse? If you’re a movie fan like me, then it’s one great Christmas present.

MacBook Pro 15-inch with Retina Display
It is considered by critics as the “best laptop” in the world. Who wouldn’t want that for Christmas? The MacBook Pro 15-inch with Retina Display is indeed in a class of its own. With its formidable quad core Intel Core i7 processing power, with 256 GB storage (expandable to 1 terabyte) and 8GB of RAM, advanced graphics and video features, and 2880×1800 pixel display with 220 pixels per inch Retina display, this business performance laptop is more than just Apple’s centerpiece mobile product, it improves your productivity, and yes, defines your life wherever you go.

source: interaksyon.com

Online sales jump on Cyber Monday, eBay shines

SAN FRANCISCO — Online sales jumped on Cyber Monday, sending e-commerce retailers’ shares higher and suggesting strong growth from earlier in the holiday shopping season is continuing for now.

Sales on eBay Inc’s online marketplace were particularly strong and Amazon.com Inc continued its rapid holiday shopping season growth, according to early Cyber Monday data released by e-commerce firm ChannelAdvisor.





EBay’s shares climbed 4.9 percent to close at $51.40. The stock hit an intra-day high of $51.78, the highest level since early 2005. Amazon’s shares gained 1.6 percent to $243.62.

Cyber Monday has been the biggest online shopping day in recent years, as workers return to offices and use computers to make holiday purchases. ComScore expects online sales to hit a record of about $1.5 billion by day’s end.

Online sales were up 25.6 percent as of 3:00 pm EST on Monday, compared with the same period a year ago, according to International Business Machines Corp which tracks transaction data from 500 U.S. retail websites. In 2011, Cyber Monday year-over-year growth was 15 percent by 3:00 pm, IBM said.

Strong online sales growth on Thanksgiving Day and “Black Friday” sparked concern that shoppers were just buying earlier, threatening revenue later in the season.

“So far, that is not the case,” said Jay Henderson, the strategy director for IBM Smarter Commerce. “Extending the shopping season has really just fueled additional online spending rather than cannibalizing days later in the season.”

ChannelAdvisor said client sales – or sales generated by third-party merchants using the company’s software – soared 57 percent on eBay.com early on Monday, compared with the same period in 2011.

The growth rate was five times higher than during the same period last year, said ChannelAdvisor, which helps merchants sell more online.

“The early eBay numbers are impressive,” said R.J. Hottovy, an equity analyst at Morningstar. “They put together an effective marketing plan across several channels this holiday season – online, television and print.”

EBay has been trying to move away from its online auction roots, emphasizing new items selling at fixed prices to better compete with Amazon.

“The numbers suggest they’re having success reintroducing consumers to the ‘new eBay,’” Hottovy said.

PayPal, the payments division of eBay, said the volume of mobile transactions it processed by 2:00 pm EST on Cyber Monday almost tripled versus the same period last year.

Client sales on Amazon.com were up 52 percent during the first part of Cyber Monday, ChannelAdvisor also reported.

“Amazon continues to look impressive to us since it is building on top of large numbers,” said Scott Tilghman, an analyst at Caris & Company.

Discounts

Online retailers held back some of their best promotions and biggest discounts until Cyber Monday, which helped spur sales, IBM’s Henderson and ChannelAdvisor’s Wingo said.

Amazon offered $30 off its 7 inch Kindle Fire tablet, which usually sells for $159. The deal was only available on Cyber Monday and was still available at 5:00 pm EST.

EBay promoted Cyber Monday deals on iPads, made by Apple Inc, and Nook devices from Barnes & Noble.

These types of discounts attract shoppers to Amazon and eBay’s websites, where they may purchase other items too, Wingo explained.

‘WII U’ sells out

EBay has also benefited as some hot holiday items sold out this year at some retailers. When that happens, shoppers often turn to eBay, where third-party sellers are usually still offering the items at higher prices.

Nintendo Co Ltd said on Monday its new “Wii U” video game consoles sold out at retailers in the United States.

The devices were still available on ebay.com on Monday at 10 to 20 percent above the suggested retail price, according to Jesse Divnich, an analyst at video game research firm EEDAR.

Margin question

Despite strong sales data, analysts are concerned that heavy discounting may pressure retailers’ profit margins, online and offline.

The average online order size on Cyber Monday was $130.30 as of 3:00 pm EST. That was down from almost $200 during the whole of Cyber Monday last year, according to IBM.

Online order sizes are shrinking as consumers buy more digital goods, such as e-books, music and video, which generally cost less. However, discounting is also pressuring order size and that could feed through to lower margins, Morningstar’s Hottovy said.

EBay margins should be relatively well protected because the company charges a commission on sales by third-party merchants and retailers.

Amazon operates like this, but, unlike eBay, the company also has its own product inventory so it may be exposed to margin pressure, according to Colin Sebastian, analyst at R.W. Baird.

source: interaksyon.com