Talk of New 17 Watt Charger From Apple May Not Be For New Product But Better Battery

There was chatter all over the Internet earlier this week about the discovery of a new 17 Watt charger that Apple is working or already is sitting around ready to go.  Hence, the immediate reaction is "wow, new product!"

Maybe.  That was my reaction and hope.  But saying and thinking it doesn't make it so.  Which is why we also have to consider other explanations.

Extensions offered just one such plausible and likely scenario.  Apple figured out a way to add more charge and improve battery capacity within the same confines of the iOS form factor and requires a bigger and more capable charger.

I am assumed that this is for an iOS device, probably the new iPad because Apple may have fit more battery inside that thin body but needs a better charger to charge it.

So, there you go.  What do you think?  Is the 17 Watt charger for a new product or for the iPad because it now has a bigger battery?

I want to get into this more because it's fun to speculate but I can't help but share this one now.  What if it's a bigger screened iPad?  No way, right?!  Still, that would be awesome!

Apple and Google's Greatest Fear Still: A Resurgence of Microsoft

Let's be honest.  There is no brand recognition in consumer device that rival that of Apple.  Sure, we speak of Samsung as if it is in the same league.  It's not.  Not even close. The top line of the Galaxy S devices come close to one of Apple's iPhone.  Google is recognize as a brand only because of its search.  However, Microsoft is unique in that Windows is freaking everywhere even as the PC market slows and shrinks.

This why even as Apple battles Android devices in the mobile market, there has never been a fear of the Galaxy or Nexus brand overshadowing the iPhone.  Nor doe Google fear Apple's iCloud effort.  I mean, what a joke compared to Google apps, right?

Even as Microsoft's mobile and cloud efforts made Redmond looks confused and dazed, it is nevertheless a confused and dazed giant.  A very rich one at that.

If Surface 2 fails, it's like Microsoft has one more chance.  That will be its own Lumia phone.  Not the ones in the pipeline but maybe 18-24 months down the line when it has had time to work out one that is a definitive Microsoft device.

However, if that fails, then Microsoft as a going concern in mobile is likely over.  At that point, it could try to become an Oracle, IBM, or HP and let Apple, Google, or whatever's left to find out for the hearts and minds of mobile warriors.

Famed Analyst With Great Track Record Talks iPad 2013

KGI analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, has made a name for himself.  Alone, he has out predicted other fellow analysts and tabloid-like tech press like Digitimes.  And he's come out with more just days from Apple's iPhone event and weeks from new iPad unveiling.

You can read the rest on Macrumors.  It's plausible and makes sense to me.

I've got only one issue with this.  The lower-cost iPad mini Kuo focused on.  I think we will see it on 2013 and it's last year's iPad mini at a lower price.

It's unlikely that the Retina Display iPad mini will cost more than $330.  If anything, it'll take over that price point which is what the 2012 iPad mini cost when it first debut and even now.  This will allow Apple to lower the 2012 mini down to $280, maybe even $250 - one can only hope.

Kuo seems to suggest that Apple will offer a mini in 2014 that is different from the current iPad mini.  We had all assumed that the mini pricing model will follow that of the iPad, which is what I've outlined above.  When the iPad 3 came out, the iPad 2 was offered at a reduced price of $100.

2013 iPhone Launch: Special Events For London, Berlin, And Tokyo Too

Source: Cult of Mac.

Yesterday, we found out that Apple will be hosting an iPhone launch even just for China (also analyzed the reasons why a Chinese event makes sense for Apple).  Apparently, not just China.

Berlin, London, and Tokyo will also have their own events as well.  While such events hosted by Apple has occurred in the past, the Chinese one remains the most important in recent memory.  There's talk that Apple could announce China Mobile with its 700 million customers as a partner.  No seventy million.  Seven hundred million, as in three hundred million short of a billion.

However, I'm still on the fence about it.  If something was afoot, Weibo, the Chinese rumors and Twitter-like social network, would have caught on by now.

Video of New Designed iPad Cases - Both Full Size and Mini (Rumors Or Speculations)

I don't want to get into the rumors game but boy, the following video of a comparison between the mini back cases versus the case of what we all think the full sized 9.7" redesigned iPad is going to look.  Looks awfully close to what we want.

I know probably real but I kinda want to put this in the rumor category.  However, I also think it's a good speculation on what we think the next iPad and iPad mini will look like.  We assumed two things.  The new 2013 mini will look like the 2012 iPad mini.  Also, we assumed the redesigned iPad will look like a bigger sized iPad mini with thinner bezel.

Watch the video and judge for yourself.  We are probably a month away from finding out what is what when Apple unveils the 2013 iPad.  And no, it won't happen on 9/10.  Rather, Apple will set up a separate fall event for the iPads and probably the Macbook Pro as well.

Bad Timing: Microsoft Should Have Waited Until After 2013 Holidays To Make Nokia Deal Announcement

There is a sense of pride in that Nokia is a Finnish company.  And Nokia's dominance for years fueled that pride.  At the same time, I'm sure some of the neighbor states in the EU for years felt the same on some level.  With Nokia faltering in the smartphone race, more and more users switched to using Android and the iPhone.

But now, with Nokia's mobile division now firmly in the hands of an American company, Microsoft, it likely has freed more users to abandon any allegiance to the Finnish brand, seeing the buyout as a green light to look and switch to another brand and mobile platform.

No matter what Microsoft/Nokia announced in the last month, with the Nokia 1020 and its crazy 41 MP camera (I'm very jealous mine's only 8MP - with that big of a difference, size matters), and whatever will be out for the 2013 Christmas season, it will make a large segment of the consumers feel uneasy about a floundering platform that may not go anywhere even if it is Microsoft in the driver seat now.

Right now, it would be a great time for Apple, Google, and Samsung to pile it on.  And today, saw Samsung unleashed the Note 3.  On deck is Apple with the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 and Google with its Nexus 5 powered by KitKat.

If the situation for Blackberry was better than it is now, the Canadian firm could also launch a campaign to convince Windows Phone users and other mobile warriors it is the true heir to inherit the third spot in the mobile market behind Apple and Google.  Unfortunately, Blackberry is looking to get out of the hardware market as badly as Nokia was.

It remains to be seen just how the Lumia and other cheaper Nokia devices hold up this Christmas.  Microsoft really needs a big, big win.  There's no work on when the next Windows Phone upgrade and devices will be coming out.  However, Microsoft does have the Surface 2 devices ready to go.  Maybe if the Surface does well enough, or at the very least, doesn't do worse than the first Surface, maybe tech pundits and mobile warriors might reconsider the Windows option as their mobile platform.

The Walking Dead Online College Course By UC Irvine: This Is Real

Source:  My friend (who I thought was yanking my chain), SCPR.

It's been a while but I can now once again say, "I can't wait for school to start".  This is just a one course, online, class created by University of California at Irvine (south of Los Angeles).  It's in cooperation with AMC to create a The Walking Dead online course to teach about what lessons we can learn from the highly rated zombie-apocalyptic series now entering its fourth season.

I could not believe it when my friend told me she heard it on her drive into work on radio.  

Here's the thing that is so interesting.  This isn't the first time that anyone has ever used zombies to create buzz to educate the public.  There have been other college courses that have used zombies.  Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also used zombies as a case study to prepare for disasters.  

Also, the US military has used zombies as their enemy in military exercises as well.  It involved troops from the Marines as well as special forces.  Yeah, not the light stuff.  And yes, even DHS also used zombies to get local communities to prepare for disasters.  

So, the UCI course is by no mean something new. What's new is the involvement of AMC and a major highly rated and critically acclaimed TV series.

Here's the gist from info I swiped from the enrollment website:

Course descriptionFrom understanding social identities to modeling the spread of disease, this eight-week course will span key science and survival themes using AMC’s The Walking Dead as its basis. Four faculty members from the University of California, Irvine will take you on an inter-disciplinary academic journey deep into the world of AMC’s The Walking Dead, exploring the following topics:

• Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—is survival just about being alive?
• Social order and structures—from the farm and the prison to Woodbury
• Social identity, roles, and stereotyping—as shown through leaders like Rick and the Governor
• The role of public health in society—from the CDC to local community organizations
• The spread of infectious disease and population modeling—swarm!
• The role of energy and momentum in damage control—how can you best protect yourself?
• Nutrition in a post-apocalyptic world—are squirrels really good for you?
• Managing stress in disaster situations—what’s the long-term effect of always sleeping with one eye open?

Each week we’ll watch engaging lectures, listen to expert interviews, watch exclusive interviews with cast members talking about their characters, use key scenes from the show to illustrate course learning, read interesting articles, review academic resources, participate in large and small group discussions, and—of course—test our learning with quizzes. We recommend that you plan on spending about two (2) to four (4) hours per week on this course, though we believe the course is compelling enough you’ll want to spend more time.At the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe how infectious diseases—like a zombie epidemic—spread and are managed
• Apply various models of society and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to existing and emerging societies as a means for understanding human behavior
• Analyze existing social roles and stereotypes as they exist today and in an emerging world
• Debate the role of public health organizations in society
• Describe how mathematical equations for population dynamics can be used to study disease spread and interventions
• Apply concepts of energy and momentum appropriately when analyzing collisions and other activities that either inflict or prevent damage
• Summarize multiple methods for managing stress in disaster situations