AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

You really have to applaud Apple's effort to keep aging devices working with the latest OS even if users of older iPhones and iPads do lose out in terms of functionality, mostly due to hardware upgrades that are required such as TouchID.  With that said, there have been talk around the Internet water-cooler this version of iOS has been one of the buggiest.  Of that, I have to disagree. Remember back last year with iOS 7 when it would reboot ever so often.  A few times a day for some?  Well, there are certainly quirks with iOS 8 but you have to distinguish between something being more buggy and something more annoying. My one main gripe about iOS 8 is the search function that seem to have a mind of its own.  There are times when it won't return the search that I want.  For instance, I'll search for an app but no result will show up.  Or if it does show, what I'm looking for is missing but if an e-mail happens to have the keywords I searched for, it'...

China is a very important market for Apple.  It's a very important market for a lot of companies, both big and small.  So, it's no wonder that Apple likes to mention China as often as it can to both as a reminder to investors as Chinese fans.  And with Apple now accepting China UnionPay in the App Store, it's a pretty big deal beyond the convenience it offers to iOS customers.  It's about the road being paved for Apple Pay in China.  And it's brilliant as Apple works on signing deals in China, it's also working with Alibaba, probably playing them off each other.  For a while, I expected Apple Pay would not be available for years but it does look like it could happen within the iPhone 6 cycle rather than iPhone 7 or beyond.  That's a good thing for Apple for more reasons than one. 

Walt Whitman (you have to have seen Breaking Bad to get that) does Frozen. This is just freaking awesome!  I'm so impressed BB still has such a big influence on the Internet and society in general. This is a definite must watch Frozen parody no matter if you are a Breaking Bad fan or not or doesn't even know what that is.  Okay, you have to know a little about it.

AT&T has decided to stop the use of a set of very blatantly privacy-violating cookies that is capable of following mobile users on its network when they go from one site to another by inserting a series of codes.  It's uncertain why AT&T decided not to go down this route but competitor Verizon Wireless continues to practice to track as many of its subscribers as possible. But it's not quite over if you're an AT&T customer.  See, Ma-Bell Wireless still reserves the right to sell information it has already collected.  However, it has given users the option to opt out.   So, I reckon it's probably a good idea for you to log into your AT&T account now and do just that.   Also, if you're a Verizon Wireless customer, you can also log into your account and opt out of VZW following you.   Go...now. Source:   Electronista .

"They you go again". That's what's going on with the media and unnamed sources about Apple again. A couple of days ago, there was a hit piece from a Korean newspaper stating that Apple had used faulty menory chip controller. The specifics of the chip is important. You and I would understand it. What we do understand is that the sources being quoted continues to be"unnamed". According to iMore , the same newspaper continues to assert that a recall is coming. Until Apple says something, this is beginning to look like pathetic attempt by certain "unnamed" competitors based in Korea trying to stop the behemoth that is three iPhone. iMore is certainly more professional than I ever will be. It's time they face this single one fact: copying won't work and it will require true innovation from Apple's competitors to unseat the iPhone at the high-end of the mobile market. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

9to5Mac has a post debunking a Korean hit piece against Apple's seemingly unstoppable iPhone 6.  Specifically, the iPhone 6 Plus.  Again, a post originating in Korea, which is where Apple competitors Samsung and LG calls home, where the iPhone 6 Plus by even Korean media is trouncing the latest and greatest these two homegrown companies have to offer.  Namely, the Galaxy S 5, Note 4 and Edge from Samsung and the G3 from LG. By themselves, those devices are top-notch Android devices.  Nothing to be ashamed of.  It's just that in the high-end part of the mobile market, the iPhone is the choice for premium customers. The original Korean report stated iPhone 6 Plus users saddled with restarting problems due to NAND issues, the memory used in mobile devices and that Apple is faced with a massive recall.  Of course, this issue isn't new and dated back to iOS 6 when users loaded their iPhones will more apps than they really have time to use. Not to blame th...

This is now an annual event - post-Halloween ritual from Jimmy Kimmel Live where parents forever change the innocent lives of their children by telling them (pretending?) that they ate all their hard-earned Halloween candy. This never gets old.  Enjoy. Source:  ABC .

Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), retailers that are pushing CurrentC, said they're being given a bum rap and want to explain some misconeptions ( USA Today ). Just a couple of words on that:  privacy and security. It appears all the information are still being shared among retailers and third parties with access to all the customer information.  So, zero privacy.  Lastly, not even out and they've got security problems.  Yeah...still, no go, guys. 

Source:  iMore . Burger King is siding with PayPal as its mobile payment of choice for its mobile app.  To entice users, it'll be offering special deals.  It'll be interesting if the details of such a deal come to light and what Burger King gets out of this deal or if it only wanted to to partner with PayPal as a means to differentiate with rival McDonald's who partnered with Apple Pay. Before folks go head first into how Burger King is signing its own death warrant or other end-of-life analogy, remember that Starbucks has yet to offer Apple Pay and has been offering mobile payment through its own app for years now and has been quite successful. In the long run, it won't matter if Apple Pay continues to flourish and more retailers realize that by not offering Apple Pay, they will miss out on Apple's more affluent iOS users as a percentage of user base.  The differentiators won't be about mobile payment of quality of service and food.  Customers will not switch t...