Time Inc To Embrace Tablets

Time Inc issued a press release indicating their commitment to tablets, the publishing anc consuming platform of the future, with plans to publish all of its magazines in digital formats.

Time, People, Sports Illustrated, and Fortune are among some of its more notable titles that I read.  Well, not People but you can't help avoid back-copies of them when you visit a doc's office.

Time has already made available some magazines in the iTunes Apple store via dedicated apps.  The same is for the Android Marketplace.  What's notable is that HP's Touchpad will also be a part of the mix.  

What is also notable is the absence of some devices like Kindle and RIM's Playbook.  I reckon they should be able to access Time Inc's library of magazines once RIM release's the Android player app for the Playbook and Amazon's Kindle tablet goes on sale later this fall.  Still, no native support for the Playbook would be a huge blow to RIM.

Also, Time Inc boasted 28 million subscribers to its 21 magazines and "hundreds of thousands" of them happen to also be digital subscribers.  And more than 600K copies have been bought online based on four titles.

Not bad but not great either.  

So you have to ask why now?  My guess is that they saw two things.  First, its subscribers have been asking for it.  Second, if not Time Inc, then who will lead the charge onto the tablets?  

Perhaps, they also see the rotting carcass that is Borders Group and realized that unless they embrace the future now, they will become like that.  

Source: Business Wire via TIPB.

Conflicting Reports About the Next iPhone

There are conflicting report regarding the next iPhone.  The case leaks from China last week seems to suggest the similarly sized iPhone to the current iPhone with a tapered back while today's widely circulated post suggests something differently.

According to Business Insider via iSource, the next iPhone will sport a larger screen with a thinner bezel.  And it'll like be powered by A5 chip, currently used in the iPad 2.  How did the analyst, Shawn Wu of Sterne know this?

Well, he did what other analysts have done.  They check the supply line.  However, he seemed more interested in communicate to investors that the next iPhone could a bigger deal than just a mild upgrade.

My question is just how much bigger.  If his information is true, a 4" display to replace the 3.5" Retina display used by the iPhone 4 and the iPod touch makes more sense than the 3.7" display that some blogs have reported.

After all, if you're going to go big, you might has well go 0.5" larger.  A 0.2" increase from 3.5" to 3.7" is hardly noticeable, so why bother?

What is not mentioned in his report or mentioned by anyone is the battery life.  Bigger screen and more powerful chip may need a bigger battery.  It'll be interesting to see just how Apple will work this out.  The iPhone 4 has a decent battery life but I'm a moderate to heavy user.  While I am sure Apple will at least maintain at least the same level of battery life, I would hope that Apple would use this opportunity to put some more distance between the iPhone 5 and its competitors.

We are probably 6-8 weeks from actually getting the iPhone in our little hands.  And it'll likely be this month when we learn more about it.  Soon, Apple will be sending out orders to those lucky few in the media to report to Cupertino for the unveiling.

Could Foxconn's Robots Make it Like Future Gears Will Be Made In The US?

Foxconn, according to a Chinese report, will begin to replace Chinese workers with one million robots to improve margin and efficiency.  Foxconn is a manufacturing company that make up a lot of smartphones, tablets, and laptops.  

Right now, Foxconn has 10k such robots deployed in its factories but that number will increase to 300K by next year and one million in three years.  These robots will be tasked to welding and assembling where possible.

As I understand it, how much many workers will these robots replace?  

Furthermore, I wonder if this means that an army of these robots eventually mean more future manufacturing of mobile gadgets, PC, and other techs done in the US, resulting in higher employment here in the States.  Or that Foxconn or another manufacturer could set up regional factories to more quickly distribute the final products.

Japanese firms like Honda and Toyota routinely put on display advances in robotics that seem to be far more advanced than what we are used to seeing here.  For a nation with a swindling population, Japan could fall back on robotic technology to maintain its social order and economic edge in the world.  

Perhaps this is something that our own companies and government laboratories could also look into as well.  

One thing I know about technology and science is that with time, we can almost make anything work.  We already have robotics in car factories.  They are involved in chip-making.  Imagine in a few years that someone like Apple could potentially design its products where a majority of its manufacturing and assembling be done by robots with minimal human intervention.  

Source: XinHuaNet, Macdailynews.

Apple's International Push Means Searching Retail Chief With International Experience

Apple is said to have hired an international header hunter to help them look for a new retail chief.  This information came from WSJ and of late, WSJ has printed a couple of questionable posts regarding Steve Jobs and Apple.

Having said that, this post regarding Apple's plan makes sense.  The international market is increasingly more important to Apple as growth.  In the last few years, Apple became increasingly reliant on the international markets for its sky-rocketing growth.  Apple's revenue in China alone was $3.8 billion in the last quarter, an increase of 6X from a year ago.

And with a strong brand, there is much Apple can benefit with a continuing strong retail presence.   

Source:  WSJ, Appleinsider.

iPhone 5 Will Be A Big Deal But Could It Entice Android Users To Defect? Maybe With Android 4, It Won't Matter; Microsoft And RIM Still Big Players Second Half of 2011

Is the iPhone about to surge ahead once the next iPhone is out?  According to a survey with very small sampling, it seems to be the case.  But let me say this again, it's a very tiny survey sample.  On top of that, there are places in the world where Android is a more affordable choice than the iPhone.  And there are also a large parts of the world where the iPhone isn't even available.

When the iPhone became available on Verizon, no one thought that Apple was going to suddenly turn the tide against the Android.  Even fact, as Apple sold more iPhones through the third quarter, Android not only held its grown but managed to grow its share domestically in the US as well as internationally where it is closing in on 50% of the mobile market.  

To be fair, Apple does control two-thirds of the profit in the mobile market.  All things considered, I think Apple would rather have profit than market share right about now.

For Apple's achievement, all this was done with the aging iPhone 4.  When Apple and Verizon Wireless finally made it available to CDMA customers in the US, the iPhone 4 had been on the market with ATT for eight months.  By the time the next iPhone is available, it will have been sixteen months since it debut.  

As a gadget fan, I'm watching the competition between the various mobile platforms with glee.  Ultimately, we win as these tech giants fight and innovate to entice us to stay with their platforms or defect.  

For mobile warriors who wants to keep score, watch out for the iPhone 5 (or whatever Apple wants to call it) going up against Android devices running Ice Cream, the next version of Google mobile OS, and others like Mango from Microsoft or RIM's new .  I don't want people to think that the mobile market has come down to a two-horse race.  Things can change rather quickly.  

For instance, Samsung's Galaxy S II has already sold over six million units even before reaching North American shores.  I reckon Galaxy S III is in the works as we speak.  

But the race this year will be different.  In the past, the Android had the advantage of being on all four major US carriers.  This year, we know that at least two of the four will be carrying the new iPhone.  It's hardly a 4-on-4 situation but ATT and VZW does account for a major of the US mobile customer base.  Having the iPhone running on Sprint and T-Mobile USA will help Apple but there is no indication that either of these carriers will get the iPhone.

One thing that the iPhone has over Android and other platforms (with the exception of Blackberry users) is that it has a stickiness no one else has.  iPhone users do tend to come back and get another iPhone.  With Android and Windows, there does not seem to be the level of loyalty that Apple's mobile device has.  

So, we will have to see just how many new customers pick the iPhone or an Android device and how many defections there will be from one mobile platform to another.  If Apple does end up with a sizable Android defections, it could be worrisome for Google and its friends (Samsung's Galaxy is a relatively strong brand that might provide some immunity to the iPhone appeal).  

We are six to eight weeks from a new iPhone assault.  Certainly by this Christmas season, we will see a big shift in the mobile market.  We also want to watch out for this: if Mango powering Nokia's new smartphones will help Microsoft gain mind-share (anywhere); if RIM's belated smartphones can mount a comeback in North America.

Brilliant Move To Oppose ATT Merger With T-Mobile

So far, everyone seems to think the T-Mobile takeover by ATT will sail through despite a bit of pockets of resistance, even with some powerful US Senators thrown into the mix.  But I think as examples of anti-competitive moves by ATT and loss of opportunities due to lack of choice in the market emerge, we might see things turn against the deal.

Take this Cablevision opposition to the deal.  According to Tmonews, they want to work with T-Mobile in setting up a GSM network for Wi-Fi and cellular broadband but are unable and unwilling to work with ATT.  Should the merger go through, Cablevision would not be able to partner with anyone else.  

Should there be a lawsuit, I don't see Cablevision having much of a case.  However, bringing this to public attention would help make the case that no matter what ATT says about the deal being good for consumers, it most certainly does not make it so in reality.  

It all comes down to this.  If the merger goes through, customers and operators have no one to go through other than ATT if they want to deal with GSM where it has the most international appeal.

I doubt this alone would be enough to convince regulators to turn against the deal.  But I'm sure this Cablevision example was not something anyone has though of.  

For regular mobile warriors or simply cable customers, we definitely want more choices, not less.

More at Fierce Wireless.

Uncle Sam Wants "You" (If You're a Hacker)

According to Reuters, the NSA and other intel agencies will be at Defcon in Las Vegas looking to see if they can find themselves a few hundred hackers to help protect the nation and maybe dish out a few attacks here and there against rogue nations.

Unfortunately, they won't be alone.  Corporate America will also be looking for some helping hand as well.  

Seriously, if you're in the right field at the right time, you can find a job even in at the beginning of a double dip recession we're in.

So, are you that guy?  Obviously though, you can't be some loner.  You'll have to be able to fit in and work with others.  If you've got the skillz, give it a shot.  After a few years, those high-paying tech job in the private sector will still be there waiting for you.  Won't wont hire someone with a resume that said he or she worked for the NSA.