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iResign: Apple Shares ‘Bruised’ 2% After Jobs But Is He Really Out?

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No Jobs, but the show must go on. That’s what the US market appears to be saying today, with shares falling 2% upon opening this morning, after CEO Steve Jobs gave his shock resignation yesterday.


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Steve Jobs with his brainchild the iPad.

Apple Chief Operating Office (COO) Tim Cook is now to take over the top job at Cupertino. 

Read Tim Cook The New Boss Has A Tough Gig Ahead Here

 Company shares fell 5% on close of markets on Wednesday, after Jobs’ announcing he can no longer meet his “duties and expectations,” described by TheStreet.com as getting a “bruising” but not much more. 

 This show must keep going attitude, despite losing the cult personality and innovator that is Jobs, was reflected by one of the company’s major shareholder funds, Capital Advisors Growth Fund. 
 “We don’t have any concern about the company messing up or there being some operational setback,” Channing Smith, fund manager. 
“As we go into the holiday season, Apple continues to have the most innovative products in the marketplace. The product pipeline is set and the roadmap is there for the next six to 12 months.” 
 He also expressed full confidence in the abilities of Cook, who has been acting Chief for months.
“It’s a matter of the company executing, which new CEO Tim Cook has proven he can do.” 
“Investors should be very optimistic,” Smith added. iPhone 5, iPhone 4 budget version as well as rejuvenated AppleTV and iPad 3 are all on the cards either for later this year or early next. 
Apple announced a stellar quarter season last month, with revenues up 82%, profits up 125%, cash flow up 131% topped by a bumper $8 billion dollar profit. 
And it was also revealed Steve Jobs’ giant was richer than its home country with $76.4bn cash reserves compared to US Treasury’s $73.7bn. Now that’s success. 
It appears Jobs himself also believes the only way is up for the company he co-founded in 1976. Throughout his career he left the company once, returned, rescued it from the brink of collapse and turned it into the technology powerhouse it is today. 
Also, it is very likely the notorious perfectionist will maintain a strong role in product development and company direction as Chairman of the board. 
“I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role,” Jobs said in his a letter addressed to the Apple board of directors yesterday. 
“I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee. ” 
 

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Jobs pictured in 1985.

The Wall Street Journal said people familiar with the situation say Mr. Jobs continues to be active at Apple, despite taking a leave of absence earlier this year and is closely involved in the company’s product strategy. 

 Apple watchers don’t expect that to change even after Mr. Cook takes over. 
Jobs, diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant, has been on leave since January last to focus on his health.

Windows Phone 8 Hit Full-Throttle

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The Windows have opened: Nokia Lumia 820, HTC 8S on Windows Phone 8.
And Optus are giving them away for free. Well kinda.

The telco is flogging Nokia’s new Lumia 820 4G smartie free on $50 plan and ditto for HTC 8S on $35 plan over 2 years, announced today.

The Lumia 820 with 4.3″ OLED display has an 8MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens, 1.5Ghz Dual Core Snapdragon processor and a Full HD video camera.

Other unique features include: Near Field Communications for touch and tap mobile payments, Augmented reality with Nokia City Lens (pictured) which gives pop-up info about places, nearby shops and entertainment, Microsoft Office Mobile and Outlook Mobile built-in, which may appeal to business users.

The Microsoft Windows 8 smartphone is available on six other plans including $30 (+$7 handset fee), $60, $80 and $99.

Telstra already sell one Windows 8 Phone, Nokia Lumia 920 – the 820’s bigger brother but is currently sold out, according to its online store.

Optus customers will be among the first to get their hands on the HTC Windows Phone 8S.

HTC 8S
 

The two-tone HTC has a smaller 4″ super LCD screen than Lumia 820, 5MP camera but is one of the only Windows Phones with Beats Audio, which you can sync with other Windows devices.

However, no 4G on this baby – its 3G only.

Optus is offering for $0 upfront on the $35 plan and is offering six other plans from $30 (+$3 handset fee) to $50, $60, $80 and $129.

Forget 90″ TV: Sharp Sound Bar Is Big

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Fresh after releasing a 90″ LCD TV last month, Sharp is now going big on sound in the form of a 2.1Ch sound bar.
The new 2.1 Channel sound bar (HT-SB60) with wireless subwoofer has 3D Audio (Arnis 3D Sound Solution), which gives the illusion of surround sound with its soft dome speaker system.  

Costing $499, which is no bar for a soundbar, a Sharp spokesperson said demand will “depend on how the [Sharp 90″] TV is recieved” in Oz, but is designed to fit under a 60-inch TV to a 90-inch set.

But it can be a standalone soundbar however, and hooked up to any device via a HDMI cable, regardless of make, the  spokesperson also pointed out.

Total power output power: RMS 310W Soundbar: 160 watts (80W/ch + 150W) – 10% T.H.D, subwoofer: 150 watts – 10% T.H.D.

The HT-SB60 has 2X HDMI inputs, 1X HDMI output with Audio Return Channel (ARC), to hook up the soundbar to the TV, an audio input terminal and an optical digital input terminal.

“The new Sharp sound bar was developed to enhance the large TV experience – it’s designed to fit perfectly under a 60-inch television and can accommodate TVs up to 90-inches,” said Mark Beard, Marketing Manager, Sharp, Australia. 

 

The sound bar weighs 3.6 kg and the subwoofer 6.1 kg.

The Sharp HT-SB60, RRP $499, is available from all retailers.

For further product information and full specifications visit www.sharp.net.au

BBC + YouTube Hook Up

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Coming soon: Beeb to launch two new channels on YouTube


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BBC Worldwide has announced a new partnership with YouTube and the launch of two new channels for science boffins.

One will be a new nature channel, showcasing new films created by BBC Earth, along with another science channel with Top Gear’s James May and his crack team of scientists.

Both will launch early 2013, BBC Worldwide said today, and believes the move will drive its YouTube subscribers base from its current 1.7 million to dizzy new heights.

The BBC’s most popular channels out of its six on YouTube are BBC Worldwide, Top Gear and EastEnders.

BBC Digital boss, Daniel Heaf, says the move to YouTube will give it scope for creativity and to experiment with different platforms.

Daniel Heaf, EVP & Managing Director Digital at BBC Worldwide says the British broadcaster is “very excited” about expanding our successful relationship with YouTube.

“Not only is it a place to distribute the best British content around the world it will, through our original content, be a place where we can experiment with new forms of creativity.”

 

The deal also sees BBC add to its existing selection of over 8,000 YouTube clips across its 6 redesigned channels, including new clips include Top Gear series 18.

BBC Worldwide will also be launching a selection of long-form programming in the UK and Canada for the first time, including the first ever episodes of EastEnders, The Likely Lads, a selection from the BBC’s Shakespeare Collection and The Trials of Life and other dramas such as Campion and The Onedin Line.

Dick, Big W Soar Despite Gloom

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Woolworths today announced full year sales of $55.1 bn, a 4.8% jump on 2011. 


iPad massive seller at Big W

Retail giant Woolworths has fared well in what it admits was a “challenging year” as Group sales (including divested Dick Smith operation) was $56.7 bn, a 4.7% on 2011 FY.

Woolies said it had made “pleasing progress” against its business plan. 

Total online sales, on everything from food to booze and electronics, increased a massive 95% for the year (48% excluding Cellarmasters).

On the electronics front, both Dick Smith and Big W sales also enjoyed a major turnaround in the 12 months to 24 June.

However, Dick Smith which Woollies said it would divest several months ago, climbed in sales by 2.1%, despite the uncertainty over its future.

Dick’s sales increased to $1.3 bn in FY 2012 and showed a massive increase of 10.4% in Q4, as consumers engaged in an end of financial year spending rush and also cited the success of Ad campaigns such as ‘Dick Does’ and ‘Cheapest Ever’.

Comparable sales increased 4.3% for the year and 15.4% for Q4, which reflected strong promotions, stock clearances and store closure sales.

Overall, 52 Dick Smith stores were closed during the year as part of the divesting strategy, which is said to be near completion and there’s currently 286 stores open in Australia and 62 in  NZ.

BIG W’s sales for the year was $4.2 bn, an increase of 0.5% on 2011, and went from negative growth of (2.7)% in Q1 to 4.6% growth in Q4 y-o-y.

There was continued improvement in sales, customers and the number of items bought during the year for the discount chain, which is one of Australia’s biggest Apple resellers.

Sales were driven by 7 new stores, growth in online and strong performance from apparel. Good performers in Q4 Womenswear, Footwear, Menswear, Toys and “everyday essential items ” including the iPad got a special mention as hot sellers.

Big W’s comparable sales increased 0.3% for the second half and 1.6% in Q4, which Woolies said was “pleasing given the continued price deflation and challenging retail conditions.”

“There was additional uplift in sales in the last five weeks of the year as aresult of the government assistance programs,” Julie Coates, Director BIG W said.

‘Food and Liquor’ sales for FY 2012 were up 3.8% to $37.5 billion, while ‘Home Improvement’ sales increased 24.7% for the year to $828m, attributed to sales from the first 15 Masters stores opened during the year. 

CEO Grant O’Brien said “Woolworths is pleased with the 4.7% growth in its full year sales result. The result is underpinned by continued growth in customer numbers, market share and units sold. “

The last quarter in particular was “a stronger end to what was a challenging year” as “retail conditions remained subdued due to consumer and business uncertainty and an unseasonably cold and wet summer period,” which was exacerbated by significant deflation, he added.

 

“The strong results reflect the resilience of our business as we continually adapt to the changing economic environment.”

“There is a lot of hard work ahead, but with a lot of upside as well. Despite the tough economic times, we will continue to invest in developing new stores, building our multi-option infrastructure and building new businesses like Masters.”

Multi-option remains a “key focus” for the retailing stalwart, the company said, and continues to evolve at pace with 2.3 million downloads of Woolworths related apps including the supermarkets app for iPad, the BIG W lay-by app and toysale pop-up stores.

Other milestones in online retailing were Supermarkets mobile shopping app, a virtual shopping wall, BIG W mobile app, the Door Buster daily deals site, click then collect and a new generation supermarket online platform.

Total online sales, which jumped 95%, however, are still small compared to the rest of the Woolworths business, it said. 

Quickflix Streams To Panasonic Blu-rays

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Stream Quickflix movies on-demand to your Pana Blu-ray.


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Panasonic is unleashing Quickflix streaming services to selected Blu-ray models via its VIERA Connect platform.

Quickflix on-demand service streams movies from Hollywood studios including Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, NBCUniversal, and from HBO, BBC & iTV – meaning everything from TV series like The Wire to movies like 21 Jump Street, Coriolanus and Meeting Evil to oldies like ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ can be streamed to your player via the web.

And there is also children’s content from the ABC, BBC, Turner and Cookie Jar.

Quickflix’s service starts at $14.99 for unlimited streaming and can be bundled with Quickflix DVD by post plans, with the option of premium pay per view movies.

Panasonic’s VIERA Connect also has a slew of other apps including to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, as well as Yahoo!7’s PLUS7 and ABC iView.

The Pana Blu-ray models that are Quickflix ready include: DMR-BWT820, BWT720, PWT520, HW220, DMP-BDT01, BDT320, BDT220, SC-BTT790, BTT490 and BTT190.

 

“We are pleased to be expanding our partnership with Panasonic and in turn our addressable market, ” said Quickflix CEO Chris Taylor.

“Our objective is to be accessible through as many connected consumer devices as possible with a compelling product offering. This is another important milestone towards that ambition.”


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Forget Apple, Intel TV To Unleash

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Intel are about to throw their hat into the TV ring, says reports.


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The chip maker is currently making its own set-top box and envisions itself as a “virtual cable operator” providing Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) in a bundle similar to cable TV, reports Wall Street Journal.

It has already developed a user interface for users to browse programs and is pitching media operators it seeks to gain a platform to launch its Internet based Pay TV service, which it hopes to do later this year.

The web ready Intel box would be capable of streaming and providing on-demand content.

However, the service is said to be confined to the US.

And its not just TV business Intel is looking to get a grip of – it is also joining the mobile revolution and announced Motorola,
Lenovo and ZTE would use its Atom Z2460 (known as ‘Medfield’ chip) in its smartphones at the recent World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, as it plays catch up with rival ARM.

Read: Intels New Entry Level Smartphone Looks Like An iPhone

This comes as both Google and Apple are said to be making a dash towards consumer living rooms, and although Apple failed to deliver the holy grail IPTV device everyone was hoping for last week, is said to have more to come up its sleeve.
 
Google TV is not said to launch in Australia this year although this may change.

Intel already supply chips for set-top boxes sold by US firm Comcast, which sells Internet, TV and phone services.

Samsung To Ditch ‘Hero OS’ Android?

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Goodbye green man?


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Samsung’s new boss has indicated need to rev up its proprietary software and develop “unique platforms and ecosystems”, suggesting it may ditch the green man OS, Google Android.

“A particular focus must be given to serving new customer experience and value by strengthening soft capabilities in software, user experience, design, and solutions,” Kwon Oh-hyun, Samsung CEO, said in his first speech as boss.

“Our company is at an inflection point in our bid to be a genuine global number one…complacency will put us on the same path as the countless other companies that have faded into the mist,” Kwon said.

Kwon who took the top job at Samsung earlier this month has indicated the need to develop more in-house software capabilities if it is to maintain a firm lead in the mobile race, reports AFP.

This warning comes as Samsung is now No. 1 phone maker globally since its collaboration with Android, knocking former leader Nokia off the top spot and seeing off rivals Apple too.

Samsung runs Android software on its smartphones as well as its tablet line, although it now developes devices running the Windows platform also.

But Sammy is still Google’s top Android brand, although the latter’s recent acquisition of Motorola may leave the Koreans feeling a tad insecure, though the Android maker has pledged nothing will change following the buyout.

Nearly all of the Korean giant’s successful mobiles have used Google’s OS including the Samsung Galaxy S II (and now III), as well as Galaxy mini.

Samsung already has its in-house Bada OS, released in 2010, which is used for low end “dumb” phones but has collaborated with Android since 2009.

Samsung has made no secret of the fact they are currently developing Tizen, the Linux based OS, which fuses the Bada platform.
 
Tizen is based on MeeGo (the OS used on Nokia’s N9) and LiMo (Linux Mobile), and was created in collaboration with Intel.

Kwon’s aim for his company is to secure an “absolute lead” in the mobile market, he added.

Former Samsung boss Choi Gee-Sung who stepped down earlier this month is now in charge of strategy for the tech powerhouse.

Samsung Forced To Surrender Galaxy Tabs 10.1 & S Phones To Apple

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Samsung has been ordered by a US court to hand over unreleased devices, as their patents battle with Apple intensifies.


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Apple is accusing Samsung for replicating the “look and feel” of its iPad, iPhone and even iPod Touch on its Android Galaxy S 4G, Epic 4G, Nexus S and Galaxy Tab, which the Korean giant is firmly denying.

This comes as it is due to release its its Galaxy S II in Australia later this week.

“Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple’s technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products,” Apple alleged in the patent claim lodged on April 15.

However, the courts appear to think the iPhone creator may have a case and has ordered Samsung to hand over two tabs to Apple: Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Tab 10.1 as well as Galaxy S2, and infuse LTE smartphones, all of which are as yet, unreleased, within 30 days.

“Apple has demonstrated good cause for some, limited expedited discovery,” said Judge Lucy Koh speaking in San Jos_ Federal Court, California last week.

 “Although the Court expresses no opinion on the merits of Apple’s claims, the Court notes that Apple has produced images of Samsung products and other evidence that provide a reasonable basis for Apple’s belief that Samsung’s new products are designed to mimic Apple’s products.”

 
“While Apple has not yet filed a motion for preliminary injunction, courts have found that expedited discovery may be justified to allow a plaintiff to determine whether to seek an early injunction,” she added.

However, if Apple do file for an injunction seeking to ban sales of its devices, then Samsung could face an enormous problem and may put a major spanner in their plan to catch up to the iPad 2 with its 10.1″ Tab.

According to the Courthouse News Service,  Judge Koh cited a TV news report that quoted a Samsung executive saying, “We will have to improve the parts [of the Galaxy Tab] that are inadequate. Apple made [the iPad 2] very thin.”

Meanwhile, the Galaxy makers argued surrendering unreleased devices to a rival would give an advantage to Apple, which the courts rejected since it released 5,000 Galaxy 10.1 inch Tabs to the public on May 10.

However, the judge refused Apple’s request to depose Samsung executives on each product.

What ever the outcome the case is not as simple as the two tech houses battling it out over a patents issue.

In fact Steve Jobs’ giant is one of Samsung’s biggest customers and make chips for several Apple products (including A4 and A5 processors found in the iPhone and iPad 2) so the outcome could also impinge on the commercial relationship..and Samsung’s bottom line.

Belkin Jumps On iPhone 5 Wagon

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Belkin bright iPhone 5 cases, armbands and screen protectors, revealed.


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As the new Apple is unleashed to the masses, Belkin is bracing itself for enormous demand for iPhone 5 cases and armbands, as the redesigned 4″ Apple goes on sale in OZ today.

Belkin has created a truckload of colourful cases, armbands, wallet and screen protectors to fit snugly around the longer and thinner iPhone 5, some of which are on sale from today.

The new Apple gear start at $14.95 for a screen protector to $34.95 for Grip Max iPhone case with treble protection.

Belkin Shield Series (F8W172) iPhone 5 cases are made from ultrathin polycarbonate, with some nifty designs including Shield Dottie, Shield Blooms and Shield Pixie.

Belkin Shields start at $29.95, while the high-gloss finish Multi and BlueMicra Shield Sheer Matte (F8W095) sell for $19.95

Belkin has also released the Grip Series for iPhone 5 made from a flexible, easy-to-grip TPU material and provides durable protection from impacts and scratches. They come in bright colours including pink and Day Glo and Purple Lightening Grip Neon Glo (F8W097), and cost $19.95 – $34.95 model dependant.

Belkin’s Wallet Folio for new the iPhone (F8W101) costs $29.95, has an inner pocket to carry notes and credit cards and slip over to cover the screen.

And for sports enthusiasts, there are water-resistant sport armbands for the new iPhone which are made from lightweight, breathable Lycra and neoprene, are hand-washable and have a the clear window for full control of the iPhone.


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Belkin’s EaseFit Armband (F8W105), priced at $24.95, comes with an adjustable strap, while the EaseFit Armband Plus (F8W106) has a longer adjustable strap for increased comfort and fit and costs $29.99.

 

Belkin also has developed an iPhone 5 Screen Guard with Tru Clear technology, an anti-smudge protector (F8W180qe2) for $14.95 and a High Definition for Retina Display Screen Protector (F8W182qe) $17.95.

Some of the new Belkin accessories for the iPhone 5 will be available today, with additional accessories launching throughout the summer at select retailers across Australia and New Zealand.

“Ranging from fun and bright to sleek and sporty, our designs for the iPhone 5 offer stylish solutions for everyone,” said Patrick Sullivan, director of global product management at Belkin.