A new cultural icon is born
The frenzy surrounding Friday's release of the iPhone is made up of equal parts of hype, cool factor and the cultlike devotion of Apple usersBy Eric Benderoff and Mike HughlettTribune staff reportersPublished June 29, 2007
It's the Tickle-Me-Elmo moment for the mobile phone.Just like a must-have toy or hot new video-game console going on sale for the holidays, Apple Inc.'s new iPhone has become the talk of the nation."It's ridiculously cool," said George Aye, a designer for a consumer products firm in Evanston. "It's on the lips of almost everyone I know."Another potential buyer made no secret why he lusts for a mobile phone -- a product many see as a commodity -- from a computer-maker new to the business."Apple knows me when it comes to technology," said Paul Doughty, a Chicago commercial photographer. "You don't have to be a tech geek, you don't have to be on the bleeding edge, you don't have to be an engineer. I haven't even handled an iPhone, but I know exactly what I want to do with it."Some see the iPhone, which goes on sale 6 p.m. Friday and costs $500 for the entry-level model, as a turning point for a gadget-crazed society. It combines two functions that people use every day -- their iPod and a mobile phone.Throw in a big screen with a sexy touch controls and months of hype by Apple touting the phone as a revolutionary device, and a new cultural icon is born."We haven't seen buildup this big for any consumer product launch before," said Glenn Lurie, an executive for AT&T Inc., the iPhone's service provider, who was in the meeting with Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs two years ago when the seeds for the iPhone first were discussed. "It's surprising even us, all the attention."One reason is Jobs, whose knack for designing visually appealing but simple-to-use tech gear, combined with his showmanship, has helped sell more than 100 million iPods since 2001. It's a category-killing product, with 70-plus percent market share, that competitors including Microsoft Corp. have so far failed to threaten.Now, with the iPhone, Apple is flexing its gadget muscles and wants to change how people think of mobile phones."What makes all the Apple products special, and particularly this one, is that they are absolutely beautiful," said Karal Ann Marling, a University of Minnesota professor who specializes in American pop culture. "The design is always cutting-edge."That's what drew Tyler Tessmann, a student at Roosevelt University, to the Apple store on Thursday. He was first in a line that began forming about 3 p.m.He says he will be relieved in line early Friday morning by a friend, so he can get to work. But since a customer can buy two iPhones, both Tessmann and his friend will get a device.Tessmann said he wants to make sure he gets his iPhone now, before the first batch sells out. That is what has happened in the past with new video-game consoles, he noted, as demand outstripped supply."My guess is for at least two weeks, this will be like the game systems," he said.The potential for the iPhone to change the mobile landscape, as the iPod altered the music industry, attracts people such as Doughty, who now has a mobile phone that only makes calls. He hopes to get an iPhone sometime soon."The access to the Internet, to e-mail, is where I want to be," he said. "I'm tired of lugging my laptop around."The photographer concedes there are plenty of smart phones that offer such access, but it's the iPhone he wants because of its big, interactive screen."I find that when I can put pictures into people's hands, either as a print or on a machine, it becomes a more intimate experience," he said. "The cachet of having a really cool phone will help, too, as the people with the high-dollar clients work with the latest technology."Cachet and design have been Apple hallmarks under Jobs' leadership. The company has developed a cultish following for its computers due to their ease of use and virus-free software. The iPod has only enhanced that following, making it more mainstream.Author David Kuo, a former special assistant to the Bush administration, said the cultish behavior is more akin to religion. He called it "Appleism" in a recent post on Beliefnet.com."Apple isn't a cult anymore, it has become a full-blown religion with scores of millions of followers," he wrote. "The frenzy around the iPhone brings to mind the clamoring throngs that greeted Jesus at the height of his ministry."In an interview, Kuo, who calls himself an Appleist, said it's "hysteria for a single company. It is total and utter irrational exuberance."As an example, he cites how Apple is telling customers to "trust" the controls for tapping out a message on the touch-screen keypad, a feature some early reviews have criticized."Just let go and trust," Kuo says of Apple's message, comparing it to how a religious leader would ask followers to believe.In a Wall Street Journal interview this week, Jobs said it is the "most advanced keyboard in any mobile device ... iPhone users will quickly learn to trust its intelligence to correct their mistakes."Outside the Apple store Thursday on Michigan Avenue, Neeraj Addagada, a medical student, said he plans on buying an iPhone Friday. He stopped by the Apple store to get information.Addagada asked Apple clerks, clad in black T-shirts that said "The Wait Is Almost Over," how many phones the store would have in stock."They don't know, nobody really knows," he said of the scant information Apple has made available. He expects a long line downtown, so he plans to go to a suburban AT&T location to get a place in line at about 2 p.m. Friday.George Croitoru, a graduate student at DePaul University, said he'll wait a bit longer before buying an iPhone."I've thought about it, but I'm not going to change carriers just for the iPhone," he said. But if his contract was up now, "I would probably take the plunge. Apple hasn't failed me."Alan Zurek, a project manager for Zebra Technologies, which makes printers for bar-code labels, is a phone free agent, meaning his contract is up, and he's considering buying an iPhone. But he cites one big drawback: "I want something at least a third of the price."And if there's one big hurdle Apple faces when it comes to the iPhone, it's the price.Zurek said he will most likely pass on the iPhone."Not every company can be the best in everything," he said. "But it would be a lot of fun to have one."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri_iphonejun29,1,3320653.story?coll=chi-bizfront-hed
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Seven Things to Consider Before Buying an iPhone
Seven Things to Consider Before Buying an iPhone
Apple's iPhone isn't even for sale yet, but already, consumers are lining up to purchase the gadget. But do you really need the iPhone? Here are seven factors to consider before you buy:
1. The Cool Factor: As is true for many other Apple products, the iPhone's biggest "I want that" factor is its sleek styling. "If you love Apple, you love their gadgets, you have an iPod, you'll be one of the first in line," says Kent German, senior editor for cell phones at CNET.com, a technology news and reviews site.
The most eye-catching detail is, of course, the touch screen interface. You use your fingertips to access all of the iPhone's features: the music player, Web browser, calendar, etc. And of course, there's no keyboard, so to send e-mails, you'll need to get used to typing on a touch screen. "It takes practice," says New York Times technology columnist David Pogue, who has already tested out the iPhone.
2. Multimedia Mojo: It's a cell phone, it's a music player, it's a camera, it's a Web-enabled device, and much more. Ask yourself if you really need all that high-tech bling. (According to Forrester Research, most consumers say that what they want in a cell phone is that it actually work, last long and be easy to use.) If the answer is yes, then you should know that, according to Pogue, the video capability is "spectacular."
German notes that while other cell phones also offer an mp3 player, the iPhone is the only one that syncs automatically with iTunes, the world's most popular music-download system. Of course, you do have to buy the song on your computer first, then transfer it to the iPhone.
3. Interacting with the Office: Then there's the straight-laced stuff to consider, such as how well you can work on the iPhone. If you're a BlackBerry user who's always sending e-mails back and forth while away from your desk, getting used to the keyboard-less typing could take some time. "You'll really want to test that process before buying," German says. He notes that it's not yet known how well the iPhone will work with corporate servers to access e-mails and address books, or how it interacts with other computers. "If it does that well, then we might see a larger business audience," he says. But for now, he says, "Apple is certainly positioning this device for multimedia, for listening to music, for taking photos and for surfing the Web."
4. Internet Ease of Use: Because the touch screen essentially spans the length of the iPhone, users will get a wider viewing area than what the typical Internet-enabled phone offers. And the browser renders Web pages in full html — which means sites will look as they do on a regular computer.
Speed is another issue altogether. In wireless hot spots, Pogue says, getting online is a breeze. Otherwise, you're forced to rely on AT&T's wireless network — and that can make you "long for the days of a dialup modem," Pogue says.
5. Cell Phone Carrier: The iPhone can only be used with cell phone service from AT&T. "AT&T is the largest carrier," German says. "It has a very widespread network. It has the largest number of customers. So it is a natural choice for Apple."
Still, roughly two-thirds of U.S. cell phone users don't use AT&T. And Pogue says his biggest gripe with the iPhone is AT&T's wireless cell phone and Internet service, which he calls "not good." If this is an issue, take heart: German notes that a strong debut for the iPhone could possibly prompt Apple to adapt it to work with other cell phone service providers.
6. Price: The iPhone will set you back $499 for the 4-gigabyte model, and $599 for the 8-gigabyte version. Beyond that, there's the service plan to consider. AT&T announced this week that its iPhone service plans will start at $59.99 a month, with a minimum two-year contract. There's also a $36 activation fee. And if you have to switch service providers, you may have to pay an early-termination fee as well.
7. Other Options: If you're ready to spend at least $500 for a cell phone, what else should you consider? In the $500 to $800 price range is the Prada-branded cell phone from LG and the HTC Touch; both also feature a touch screen. German says the Nokia N95 is a "really powerful smart phone" with a 5-megapixel built-in camera (the iPhone's camera is 2 megapixels); it also has a music player, e-mail capabilities and "other productivity applications." And if what you want is a phone that does double-duty as an mp3 player, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia all have phones that fit the bill.
1. The Cool Factor: As is true for many other Apple products, the iPhone's biggest "I want that" factor is its sleek styling. "If you love Apple, you love their gadgets, you have an iPod, you'll be one of the first in line," says Kent German, senior editor for cell phones at CNET.com, a technology news and reviews site.
The most eye-catching detail is, of course, the touch screen interface. You use your fingertips to access all of the iPhone's features: the music player, Web browser, calendar, etc. And of course, there's no keyboard, so to send e-mails, you'll need to get used to typing on a touch screen. "It takes practice," says New York Times technology columnist David Pogue, who has already tested out the iPhone.
2. Multimedia Mojo: It's a cell phone, it's a music player, it's a camera, it's a Web-enabled device, and much more. Ask yourself if you really need all that high-tech bling. (According to Forrester Research, most consumers say that what they want in a cell phone is that it actually work, last long and be easy to use.) If the answer is yes, then you should know that, according to Pogue, the video capability is "spectacular."
German notes that while other cell phones also offer an mp3 player, the iPhone is the only one that syncs automatically with iTunes, the world's most popular music-download system. Of course, you do have to buy the song on your computer first, then transfer it to the iPhone.
3. Interacting with the Office: Then there's the straight-laced stuff to consider, such as how well you can work on the iPhone. If you're a BlackBerry user who's always sending e-mails back and forth while away from your desk, getting used to the keyboard-less typing could take some time. "You'll really want to test that process before buying," German says. He notes that it's not yet known how well the iPhone will work with corporate servers to access e-mails and address books, or how it interacts with other computers. "If it does that well, then we might see a larger business audience," he says. But for now, he says, "Apple is certainly positioning this device for multimedia, for listening to music, for taking photos and for surfing the Web."
4. Internet Ease of Use: Because the touch screen essentially spans the length of the iPhone, users will get a wider viewing area than what the typical Internet-enabled phone offers. And the browser renders Web pages in full html — which means sites will look as they do on a regular computer.
Speed is another issue altogether. In wireless hot spots, Pogue says, getting online is a breeze. Otherwise, you're forced to rely on AT&T's wireless network — and that can make you "long for the days of a dialup modem," Pogue says.
5. Cell Phone Carrier: The iPhone can only be used with cell phone service from AT&T. "AT&T is the largest carrier," German says. "It has a very widespread network. It has the largest number of customers. So it is a natural choice for Apple."
Still, roughly two-thirds of U.S. cell phone users don't use AT&T. And Pogue says his biggest gripe with the iPhone is AT&T's wireless cell phone and Internet service, which he calls "not good." If this is an issue, take heart: German notes that a strong debut for the iPhone could possibly prompt Apple to adapt it to work with other cell phone service providers.
6. Price: The iPhone will set you back $499 for the 4-gigabyte model, and $599 for the 8-gigabyte version. Beyond that, there's the service plan to consider. AT&T announced this week that its iPhone service plans will start at $59.99 a month, with a minimum two-year contract. There's also a $36 activation fee. And if you have to switch service providers, you may have to pay an early-termination fee as well.
7. Other Options: If you're ready to spend at least $500 for a cell phone, what else should you consider? In the $500 to $800 price range is the Prada-branded cell phone from LG and the HTC Touch; both also feature a touch screen. German says the Nokia N95 is a "really powerful smart phone" with a 5-megapixel built-in camera (the iPhone's camera is 2 megapixels); it also has a music player, e-mail capabilities and "other productivity applications." And if what you want is a phone that does double-duty as an mp3 player, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia all have phones that fit the bill.
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Apple TV to be 'a few weeks' late
Apple TV to be 'a few weeks' late
Computer and consumer electronics maker Apple has delayed the release of its TV set-top box.
Initially the company said the £199 ($299) device would ship in February, but now expects it to go in mid-March.
"Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected," spokeswoman Lynn Fox told the Reuters news agency.
Apple TV will play downloaded music and videos on a home stereo or television.
Apple TV faces competition from Microsoft's Media Centre extenders, which allow Windows users to play content from their PCs over a network, and from other smaller companies.
The device is Apple's first entry into the set-top box market, though the company has sold music, and later videos, to be played on computers and iPods since 2003.
The Apple TV will play songs and videos from networked computers over a wired connection or the latest, provisional wi-fi standard, 802.11n.
It will also have a 40Gb hard drive to cache content for playback when a networked PC is turned off.
Initially the company said the £199 ($299) device would ship in February, but now expects it to go in mid-March.
"Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected," spokeswoman Lynn Fox told the Reuters news agency.
Apple TV will play downloaded music and videos on a home stereo or television.
Apple TV faces competition from Microsoft's Media Centre extenders, which allow Windows users to play content from their PCs over a network, and from other smaller companies.
The device is Apple's first entry into the set-top box market, though the company has sold music, and later videos, to be played on computers and iPods since 2003.
The Apple TV will play songs and videos from networked computers over a wired connection or the latest, provisional wi-fi standard, 802.11n.
It will also have a 40Gb hard drive to cache content for playback when a networked PC is turned off.
Apple TV to show YouTube content
Apple TV to show YouTube content
The popular YouTube video website will soon be available directly through Apple's TV set-top box.
Apple says that starting from mid-June, Apple TV users will be able to automatically stream YouTube content onto their televisions.
At present, Apple TV users can only access content stored in Apple's iTunes music and video library system.
The move may raise copyright issues for Apple, as YouTube faces a number of infringement lawsuits.
'Always vigilant'
YouTube is currently being sued for $1bn (£506m) by MTV-owner Viacom, after users uploaded thousands of Viacom-owned videos to the service without its permission.
However, following Apple's announcement of the tie-up with YouTube, Viacom struck a conciliatory tone.
"We're always vigilant about protecting our copyrights," said a Viacom spokeswoman.
"But we would welcome the opportunity to license our content to Apple as we do with all distributors."
Apple added that YouTube members would also be able to log onto their YouTube accounts on Apple TV.
Apple also announced it would be selling a version of Apple TV with much more storage capacity - 160GB, four times that of the current $299 model - for $399.
Apple says that starting from mid-June, Apple TV users will be able to automatically stream YouTube content onto their televisions.
At present, Apple TV users can only access content stored in Apple's iTunes music and video library system.
The move may raise copyright issues for Apple, as YouTube faces a number of infringement lawsuits.
'Always vigilant'
YouTube is currently being sued for $1bn (£506m) by MTV-owner Viacom, after users uploaded thousands of Viacom-owned videos to the service without its permission.
However, following Apple's announcement of the tie-up with YouTube, Viacom struck a conciliatory tone.
"We're always vigilant about protecting our copyrights," said a Viacom spokeswoman.
"But we would welcome the opportunity to license our content to Apple as we do with all distributors."
Apple added that YouTube members would also be able to log onto their YouTube accounts on Apple TV.
Apple also announced it would be selling a version of Apple TV with much more storage capacity - 160GB, four times that of the current $299 model - for $399.
YouTube to test video ID software
YouTube to test video ID software
Internet video site YouTube is to test a new video fingerprinting technology to address copyright concerns.
The software will identify unique attributes in video clips and could be used to prevent copyrighted clips from being uploaded without permission.
YouTube executive Chris Maxcy told news agency Reuters that the tool would be tested in a month's time.
Breach of copyright has been an ongoing issue for the Google-owned video sharing site.
In March, media company Viacom launched a lawsuit against the company for $1bn (£507m).
The firm, which owns MTV and Nickelodeon, charged Google and YouTube with "massive intentional copyright infringement" for alleged unauthorised use of its clips.
It is also being sued by the English Premier League over alleged copyright infringement.
YouTube has denied these claims, but it has vowed to take a tough line on copyright violation.
Wider-usage
One of these measures has been to research new technologies, and this latest video identification software has been developed by its parent company Google.
By identifying a video clips' unique "fingerprint", the software would be able to spot copyrighted material.
The owner would then have the option of removing it, or it could leave it on the site in exchange for a share of the advertising revenue.
Mr Maxcy told Reuters that the technology was to be tested with a number of partners, including media giants Disney and Time Warner.
He said that if the tests proved successful, the tools would be made available to any copyright owners later this year.
He added that the company had also been testing methods for identifying audio clips using technology from content protection firm Audible Magic.
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OS X Upgrade, iPhone May Boost Mac Sales
OS X Upgrade, iPhone May Boost Mac Sales
Paul Sakuma
Apple CEO Steve Jobs stands in front of an image of an early Apple desktop computer during his keynote address at MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007. Jobs is expected to use his speech at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday to highlight the upcoming release of Mac OS X, showing that Apple remains a computer company even after dropping "Computer" from its name in January. The slickness of its designs notwithstanding, the key to Apple's success and reputation for ease of use is its software and how well it integrates with its hardware. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
MAY WONG
The Associated Press
Paul Sakuma
Apple CEO Steve Jobs stands in front of an image of an early Apple desktop computer during his keynote address at MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007. Jobs is expected to use his speech at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday to highlight the upcoming release of Mac OS X, showing that Apple remains a computer company even after dropping "Computer" from its name in January. The slickness of its designs notwithstanding, the key to Apple's success and reputation for ease of use is its software and how well it integrates with its hardware. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) SAN JOSE, Calif. - Apple Inc.'s computer business may seem like it's taken a back seat lately to its flashy younger siblings, the iPod and iPhone, but Macs are still a key part of the family. Apple CEO Steve Jobs is expected to use his speech at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday to highlight the upcoming release of Mac OS X, showing that Apple remains a computer company even after dropping "Computer" from its name in January.
The slickness of its designs notwithstanding, the key to Apple's success and reputation for ease of use is its software and how well it integrates with its hardware.
Millions of Microsoft Windows users who don't own a Mac have now experienced Apple's touch by using iPods and managing their music through the iTunes jukebox program.
If it weren't for his iPod, Andy Ahmed would have never bought a MacBook Pro laptop last winter , his first Macintosh.
"The iPod opened my eyes," said Ahmed, of Foster City.
The wildly popular portable player cracked open the door for many like Ahmed to a computing platform they would have never considered in the past. Along with Apple's growing number of gleaming retail stores and its catchy "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads splashed across TV and the Internet, the attraction to Macs has never been stronger.
It's not all hype either.
After years of relatively flat sales, the number of Macs sold started to grow significantly in 2005. Mac shipments jumped 38 percent from 3.3 million units in Apple's fiscal 2004 to 4.5 million in 2005. Then they climbed 17 percent to 5.3 million in 2006.
Analysts predict Macs will continue a double-digit growth rate, outpacing the industry, as Apple gets a boost from at least two more product debuts this year: the iPhone on June 29 and the operating system upgrade due to be released in October.
The availability of the upgrade to Mac OS X, dubbed Leopard, was pushed back from this spring because Apple diverted some resources instead to the iPhone.
But Jobs made it clear he wasn't ignoring it either: "We think it will be well worth the wait," Apple said in announcing the delay.
Apple won't discuss the "top-secret" features or other products it might announce at the Worldwide Developers Conference, but it's already known that Leopard's features will include Boot Camp, which lets users of Macs with Intel Corp. chips install Windows on their machines.
What remains unclear is how Apple will integrate Boot Camp and how much flexibility it will give users to toggle between the competing operating systems.
A test version of Boot Camp was introduced as a free download a year ago and appears to have contributed to Mac sales already. Its planned inclusion in Leopard could lead Apple to more prominently market the feature and win yet more converts, said Charlie Wolf, who tracked Apple as a Wall Street analyst for two decades and now is president of Wolf Insights Inc., an investment consultancy.
Already, Apple says about half of the computers sold at its retail stores are to people new to the Mac platform.
"Boot Camp removes a barrier to switching," Wolf said. "It's like an insurance policy for Windows users."
It certainly was for Ahmed, a clinical research manager.
"I really had no idea Apple products were so cool until I started using the iPod," Ahmed said. But it was Apple's switch to using Intel chips, which made the Boot Camp feature possible, that clinched the Mac sale for Ahmed.
But Ahmed never even got around to using Boot Camp. He bought a Mac version of Microsoft Corp.'s Office and Apple's presentation software program, Keynote, and found he was able to do all his work that he used to do on his old Windows-based computers.
"The interoperability is great," he said. "I don't need Windows anymore."
At the San Mateo County Community College District's three campuses, faculty aren't completely shunning their Windows habits, but more of them are signing up for Mac laptops running Boot Camp because it allows them to work in either a Mac or Windows environment, said Brad Whitham, a supervisor of information technology at the district. In the past eight months or so, the number of Macs purchased for faculty increased to about 50, up from the typical 20 to 30 in previous periods, he said.
Apple's computer sales have risen despite often being overshadowed by the spotlight on the company's soaring iPod sales, and more lately, the highly anticipated iPhone , a hybrid cell phone, widescreen iPod and wireless Web-browsing device that will run Mac OS X.
Though iPod sales sizzled, Macs still grew 18 percent in revenue and accounted for 38 percent of Apple's overall revenue in its fiscal year 2006, ending in September.
"Macs are still central to what they do, and I imagine it'll continue to be that way," said Richard Shim, a senior research analyst at IDC, a market research firm.
The release of Apple's last operating system upgrade in 2005 followed by new designs and innards for its computers helped push Apple's Mac sales from a single-digit growth rate to double-digits starting in 2005, he said.
"They've meticulously designed their products, their retail stores are exciting to go into, and their services are designed to really help you," Shim said. "They've nailed down the overall experience."
Windows still dominates the personal computer market, led by PC makers Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc., but Apple's slice of desktop and notebook shipments has grown, particularly in the United States, its strongest market. Apple's share in the U.S. rose from 3.5 percent in 2004 to 4.9 percent in 2006, according to IDC.
Wolf said the continued success of Macs will hinge largely on Apple stores, where computers prominently line one side and iPods line the other, allowing customers to easily give the products a test drive.
"The stores are playing a really subtle but important role in Mac growth in providing assurance to Apple switchers," he said.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster expects the iPhone to accelerate Mac sales by introducing more people to Apple's software and featuring easy connectivity to a computer, possibly including its Apple TV video-streaming set-top box. He raised his target stock price for Apple on Thursday and predicted it could sell 45 million iPhones in 2009. His report sent shares of the Cupertino-based company to an all-time high of $127.61 before closing that day at $124.07, up 43 cents.
"When people get exposed to Apple products, their interest in other products goes up," Munster said. "And the iPhone is going to get into the hands of lots of first-time Apple customers."
Microsoft fixes critical Windows, IE flaws
Microsoft fixes critical Windows, IE flaws
By Jessica Mintz, Associated Press
SEATTLE — Microsoft released four critical fixes Tuesday to patch security holes in many versions of its Windows operating system, Internet Explorer browser and other programs.
The critical patches, so called because they pose the highest threat in Microsoft's security warning system, help prevent hackers from taking control of another person's computer without that user's permission. Microsoft's free desktop e-mail programs, Outlook Express and Windows Mail, are also touched by the updates.
FIX THE FLAWS: Microsoft's critical patches
Three of the critical patches aim to protect PC users who unwittingly expose their computers to malicious code by viewing or clicking on Web pages or e-mails designed by hackers.
The Redmond-based software maker also released a patch with its second-highest threat ranking to address a similar "remote code execution" threat in its Office and Visio software, and a lower-ranked fix for a vulnerability in Windows that lets unauthorized users to break into computers to steal passwords and other user information.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Tuesday | Microsoft | Security
Several patches are aimed at the company's newest operating system, Vista, which Microsoft has touted as the most secure ever.
Vista went on sale to consumers at the end of January; in April, Microsoft broke its once-monthly update schedule with an emergency fix after Microsoft and security experts found that hackers were exploiting a hole in the way Vista and other versions of Windows handle animated cursor files.
Microsoft also released seven non-security, high-priority updates Tuesday, including a monthly update to software that removes harmful software from PCs.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Merger advances Bluetooth technology
Merger advances Bluetooth technology
13.06.2007 - Ultra low power Bluetooth technology will become a reality within a year as Nokia announced the merging of the Wibree Forum, a group handling Nokia’s low power wireless technology, with the official body for Bluetooth standards.
Wibree, which came out of the Nokia Research Centre in 2001, is a short-range digital radio technology very much like Bluetooth and is designed to compliment its applications.
Marrying these groups and technologies together is hoped to encourage development of smaller devices that consume lower power.
“Our members have been asking for an ultra low power Bluetooth solution. With Nokia’s innovative development and contribution to the Bluetooth specification with Wibree we will be able to deliver this in approximately one year,” said Michael Foley, executive director of Bluetooth SIG.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), founded in 1998, has industry members including Microsoft, IBM, Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola.
Bluetooth technology is centred around providing a wireless personal area network (PAN), which has applications in headsets and keyboards, as well as lifestyle products like the recent snowboard jacket from Motorola with built-in stereo radio.
Wibree began as an extension to the original Bluetooth radio but has the possibility of bringing Bluetooth to areas like healthcare that rely on longer battery life.
"We believe Wibree is a unique technology that can leverage the very positive market position of Bluetooth technology in segments such as medical, sports equipment and wellbeing, where the total available market is extremely large and still relatively untouched," said Bluetooth research director Stuart Carlaw.
By Marie Boran
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single8541
13.06.2007 - Ultra low power Bluetooth technology will become a reality within a year as Nokia announced the merging of the Wibree Forum, a group handling Nokia’s low power wireless technology, with the official body for Bluetooth standards.
Wibree, which came out of the Nokia Research Centre in 2001, is a short-range digital radio technology very much like Bluetooth and is designed to compliment its applications.
Marrying these groups and technologies together is hoped to encourage development of smaller devices that consume lower power.
“Our members have been asking for an ultra low power Bluetooth solution. With Nokia’s innovative development and contribution to the Bluetooth specification with Wibree we will be able to deliver this in approximately one year,” said Michael Foley, executive director of Bluetooth SIG.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), founded in 1998, has industry members including Microsoft, IBM, Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola.
Bluetooth technology is centred around providing a wireless personal area network (PAN), which has applications in headsets and keyboards, as well as lifestyle products like the recent snowboard jacket from Motorola with built-in stereo radio.
Wibree began as an extension to the original Bluetooth radio but has the possibility of bringing Bluetooth to areas like healthcare that rely on longer battery life.
"We believe Wibree is a unique technology that can leverage the very positive market position of Bluetooth technology in segments such as medical, sports equipment and wellbeing, where the total available market is extremely large and still relatively untouched," said Bluetooth research director Stuart Carlaw.
By Marie Boran
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single8541
YouTube to Test Video Fingerprinting
YouTube to Test Video Fingerprinting
YouTube's new video fingerprinting technology is designed to help copyright owners identify content uploaded without permission.
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Top online video service YouTube will soon test a new video identification technology with two of the world's largest media companies, Time Warner Inc. and Walt Disney Co.
The technology, developed by engineers at YouTube-owner Google, will help content owners like movies and TV studios identify videos uploaded to the site without the copyright owner's permission, the company said on Monday.
The so-called video fingerprinting tools will be available for testing in about a month, a YouTube executive said.
YouTube has also been testing technology to help identify the audio tracks of video clips with major record labels using technology provided by privately held Audible Magic as early as the first two months of 2007, the company said.
These tools will be made available to all content owners later this year, YouTube executives said on Monday.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,132805-c,copyright/article.html
YouTube's new video fingerprinting technology is designed to help copyright owners identify content uploaded without permission.
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Top online video service YouTube will soon test a new video identification technology with two of the world's largest media companies, Time Warner Inc. and Walt Disney Co.
The technology, developed by engineers at YouTube-owner Google, will help content owners like movies and TV studios identify videos uploaded to the site without the copyright owner's permission, the company said on Monday.
The so-called video fingerprinting tools will be available for testing in about a month, a YouTube executive said.
YouTube has also been testing technology to help identify the audio tracks of video clips with major record labels using technology provided by privately held Audible Magic as early as the first two months of 2007, the company said.
These tools will be made available to all content owners later this year, YouTube executives said on Monday.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,132805-c,copyright/article.html
What's Behind Google's Sneak Attack Against Microsoft?
What's Behind Google's Sneak Attack Against Microsoft?
What's at the bottom of Google's reported accusations that Microsoft is in violation of antitrust laws? The critical question appears to be whether it is, in fact, difficult to replace Vista's search engine default with another company's product. The answer may depend on which company has the better expert to make its case -- and how the DoJ and state attorneys general line up on the controversy.
Do you know the top three techniques for effective merchandising? Our industry experts do. Join e-tail experts from Forrester Research, Bare Escentuals and Demandware for an exclusive webinar on today's most successful online and multi-channel merchandising tactics. Register now.
Another day, another charge that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has violated its consent decree -- or so it must seem to the software titan, which has been battling such accusations ever since the mega antitrust case against it ended in 2002.
In the latest controversy, though, the company lodging the complaint is none other than Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) , an adversary almost equal to the European Commission, which has been lobbing the most successful -- and costly -- complaints at Microsoft.
Google has not openly accused its adversary of making it difficult for third-party search engines to be used -- and more importantly, replaced as the default -- in Microsoft's recently released operating system , Vista. Those charges were reported by the New York Times on Sunday, based on a leaked memo written by a Department of Justice official. The memo urges state attorneys general to disregard the claims levied by Google, which was referred to only as "a middleware vendor."
Google's complaint has not been made public, so it is difficult to evaluate the accusations and Microsoft's response. However, based on the players involved and on Microsoft's history -- not to mention the Bush Administration's track record on antitrust enforcement -- it is safe to make at least some assumptions about the charges and how this particular chapter in Microsoft's desktop dominance story may unfold. In no particular order:
1. Google is aiming for maximum advantage in the fight to build a better product.
Google may be a relatively young corporate entity, but it is hardly naïve. "In the broader context, this is all about strategy and competition between two companies," Ted Henneberry, cochair of the European Practice Group at Heller Ehrman, told the E-Commerce Times.
Until now, using government agencies to gain an advantage has been a tactic of primarily European competitors. If Google went public with this by leaking the story to the New York Times because the Justice Department did not agree with its arguments, then it appears it's willing to up the ante by making this political, Henneberry reasoned.
"There is a working committee set up under the settlement decree that looks at these issues," he said. Justice has been following Vista; indeed, the committee had suggested structural changes to the design before it was released to make it more open to third-party vendors. "The Department of Justice's mission is to protect access to the market -- not to protect competitors. If someone else builds a better mousetrap, so be it."
Microsoft has a big advantage, agreed Professor Keith Hylton of Boston University School of Law, because it owns the desktop -- and that isn't a violation of antitrust laws.
"It would be a bad policy to prevent Microsoft from improving its product," he told the E-Commerce Times," adding that if a rival wants to compete in that market, it certainly can, but it should recognize that it is at a disadvantage.
"Moreover, I think government authorities should be reluctant to enter into that battle, since doing so would be equivalent to treating Windows as a regulated public utility. Antitrust courts have tried to stay away from this approach for the most part," Hylton concluded.
2. The winner will be whoever has the better expert.
"If one of the state attorneys general take this on, the case will be decided based upon expert testimony," Ruth Dowling, partner and cochair of the antitrust practice group at Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, told the E-Commerce Times.
"The Department of Justice has taken the position that it will not investigate [Google's claims], but there are state AGs that are likely to do so," she pointed out.
The critical questions will be whether it is, in fact, difficult to replace Vista's search engine default with another company's product. "That is on what the claim hinges," said Dowling. "If it is easy enough to do, then it will be hard for anyone to find that Microsoft has violated the decree."
It's "curious" that the Department of Justice has indicated it is not interested in pursuing this matter, while state agencies that hold similar goals are coming to different conclusions, Dowling remarked. Among other possibilities, this discrepancy points to conflicting opinions among experts about the claims.
"The feds are talking to some experts -- the states are talking to others," she said.
3. The states hold the cards.
"Microsoft is something of a hot button, and the more camera lights there are, the more attractive an enforcement priority it becomes," Hosch said.
State AGs were not very active in the original case, Phillip Zane, counsel with Baker Donelson, told the E-Commerce Times. Also, they are not as closely connected with Vista's development as the working committee -- which has been involved with it since its beginnings on a whiteboard -- and, thus, are less likely to view it as fundamentally noncompliant. "For this reason, Google is also more likely to view Microsoft as noncompliant -- it was not part of the committee either," Zane said.
4. Google might do better to launch a new case.
The standard to prove that Microsoft is in violation is quite high, Zane noted. "It would be difficult to show a violation. If Google believes it has a legitimate problem with Vista, it might have more success in challenging Microsoft on these issues rather than going through the decree."
One possible argument, Hosch suggested, is that the end-user market is subdivided by, well, competence.
"The IT cognoscenti doesn't have any trouble putting Google on Vista's desktop," he explained, "but the average person -- a group in which I include myself -- might very well. At some point, the question should be raised: Are we talking about one group of end-users or several, depending on their level of ineptitude?"
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/57815.html
Technology Group Seeks to Save Power
Technology Group Seeks to Save Power
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 12 — Google and Intel are leading a consortium of major technology companies in an effort to sharply reduce the amount of power wasted by personal computers and servers.
In a separate development, Intel is expected to cut prices on some of its higher-end processors in July to make room for new power-saving chip technology expected in the second half of the year.
The energy-saving effort, announced yesterday, is called the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. It will also include a large-scale campaign to educate consumers and corporate computer managers about technology’s role in the emission of greenhouse gases.
Companies agreeing to Climate Savers standards will try to build machines that are at least 90 percent efficient in their power use by promoting new technologies, setting new standards and encouraging more efficient use by consumers.
“I think we can make a very large impact very quickly,” said Larry Page, who founded Google with Sergey Brin.
“All of this is doable today,” he said. “We’re just taking the opportunity to shoot for a higher bar.”
The initiative has received the support of I.B.M., Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Advanced Micro Devices, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft, among others. It is also supported by the National Wildlife Federation and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The group envisions better power management in computers, roughly equivalent to taking 11 million cars off the highway, according to Patrick P. Gelsinger, senior vice president in charge of Intel’s digital enterprise group.
Mr. Gelsinger said that the new technologies could result in price increases for consumers of about $20 a computer, but that customers would make up for the extra expense in energy savings within a year or two. Proposed rebates from utility companies will probably allow customers to recoup the additional expense even more quickly, he said.
Mr. Gelsinger declined to comment on the reports of impending price cuts, but company officials said that Intel routinely reduced prices throughout the year. Intel will cut prices of high-performance server processors sometime in July. The price cuts will come as Intel is preparing to introduce a new chip family this fall called Penryn, which promises a significant increase in performance without consuming more power.
But unlike the price cuts of last year, which set off a price war with Advanced Micro Devices, these price cuts are more routine, analysts say.
Henri Richard, executive vice president of Advanced Micro, said that his company had announced its own plans for price reductions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/technology/13chip.html
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 12 — Google and Intel are leading a consortium of major technology companies in an effort to sharply reduce the amount of power wasted by personal computers and servers.
In a separate development, Intel is expected to cut prices on some of its higher-end processors in July to make room for new power-saving chip technology expected in the second half of the year.
The energy-saving effort, announced yesterday, is called the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. It will also include a large-scale campaign to educate consumers and corporate computer managers about technology’s role in the emission of greenhouse gases.
Companies agreeing to Climate Savers standards will try to build machines that are at least 90 percent efficient in their power use by promoting new technologies, setting new standards and encouraging more efficient use by consumers.
“I think we can make a very large impact very quickly,” said Larry Page, who founded Google with Sergey Brin.
“All of this is doable today,” he said. “We’re just taking the opportunity to shoot for a higher bar.”
The initiative has received the support of I.B.M., Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Advanced Micro Devices, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft, among others. It is also supported by the National Wildlife Federation and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The group envisions better power management in computers, roughly equivalent to taking 11 million cars off the highway, according to Patrick P. Gelsinger, senior vice president in charge of Intel’s digital enterprise group.
Mr. Gelsinger said that the new technologies could result in price increases for consumers of about $20 a computer, but that customers would make up for the extra expense in energy savings within a year or two. Proposed rebates from utility companies will probably allow customers to recoup the additional expense even more quickly, he said.
Mr. Gelsinger declined to comment on the reports of impending price cuts, but company officials said that Intel routinely reduced prices throughout the year. Intel will cut prices of high-performance server processors sometime in July. The price cuts will come as Intel is preparing to introduce a new chip family this fall called Penryn, which promises a significant increase in performance without consuming more power.
But unlike the price cuts of last year, which set off a price war with Advanced Micro Devices, these price cuts are more routine, analysts say.
Henri Richard, executive vice president of Advanced Micro, said that his company had announced its own plans for price reductions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/technology/13chip.html
Apple will allow third party apps on the iPhone
Apple will allow third party apps on the iPhone
Excitement for developers as Apple performs an apparent u-turn, throwing open its forthcoming smartphone to third party web 2.0 applications.
Contrary to previous messages from Apple, the company's soon to launch iPod phone, the iPhone, will run third party applications despite concerns about third party software affecting reliability of the device.
Apple boss Steve Jobs told developers in San Francisco that the iPhone team had thought long and hard about how to enable developers to create software that would compromise neither the phone's performance or security. The answer was not to write a new software development kit (SDK) or to shoehorn in an alternative such as Java, but to rely on proven technologies already on the device: web standards.
Developers can create web-based applications which look and behave just like the applications built into iPhone, but run within Safari. These applications can access iPhone's services, including making a phone call, sending an email and displaying a location in Google Maps.
"Developers and users alike are going to be very surprised and pleased at how great these applications look and work on iPhone," said Jobs. "Our innovative approach, using Web 2.0-based standards, lets developers create amazing new applications while keeping the iPhone secure and reliable."
Scott Forstall, Apple's vice president of iPhone software, demonstrated an application that Apple had built that enables iPhones to access the company's LDAP server, and as Jobs said, integration with the iPhone interface was transparent. Contact details appeared just as they would if they were stored in the phone's own address book.
The decision to open up the iPhone may also have been behind the even more surprising release of Safari for Windows. Developers working on PCs can test their web applications in the same browser on both platforms.
John Gruber reports that the announcement went down like a 'lead balloon' with developers watching the announcement.
"It's insulting, because it's not a way to write iPhone apps, and you can't bullshit developers,' he said. It's a matter of spin."
There are many ideas that cannot be implemented in this way, he said.
'Telling developers that web apps are iPhone apps just doesn't fly. Think about it this way: If web apps - which are only accessible over a network; which don't get app icons in the iPhone home screen; which don't have any local data storage - are such a great way to write software for iPhone, then why isn't Apple using this technique for any of their own iPhone apps?'
http://www.itpro.co.uk/news/115325/apple-will-allow-third-party-apps-on-the-iphone.html
Forrester IT Forum: Volkswagen drives business success through IT change
Forrester IT Forum: Volkswagen drives business success through IT change
The car giant has slashed the number of systems it operates in a bid to eliminate cost inefficiencies and enhance quality.
Volkswagen has embarked on a three-pronged strategy focused on reducing complexity, integration and innovation, that it hopes will help it adapt its infrastructure to support a business model that has also had to evolve due to changing market conditions and consumer demand.
As part of the strategy, the company has reduced the number of systems it operates from more than five thousand down to less than 400, as well as using IT to transform the business and reduce the time it takes to bring a new model to market from five years to just three.
Volkswagen produces 24,000 cards each day, mainly in Europe. As a result its operating model is highly complex, with, for example, a possible 13 million combinations to choose from when opting for a Golf, including a selection of 1460 mirrors.
Last year, the company brought 37 new models to market. The plan for 2007 is to introduce 22 new offerings, further fanning the flames of complexity.
"Yes there is a risk [that we may take our eye of the ball as we move from reducing complexity to the integration phase] but there is no other way," the car giant's chief technology officer Stefan Ostrowski told delegates at analyst Forrester Research's IT Forum EMEA 2007 in Edinburgh this morning.
"Today, we have 130 models and we could not have that variety if we don't get more efficient into our operating model. [This variety] has led to an explosion in cost inefficiency and some quality problems but we can already see that the quality issue has been reduced dramatically just by the harmonisation of production processes."
Under the driving force of the IT department - which was renamed the IT and process organisation (ITPO) as part of the transformation - staff members have morphed into generalists who are capable of communicating with business stakeholders more effectively than in their previous guise as specialists.
Furthermore, each specific car unit has its own IT division and chief information officer (CIO) and project milestones are regularly reviewed to ensure everything is on track.
"We have moved from function to process and from business to IT and I want to tell you how the board at Volkswagen decided to use IT to change the business," he told forum attendees, detailing how IT was tasked with the role of co-designer of the business' processes and asked to speak their language to achieve this.
"We have trained more than 400 IT people to take an active role in the new organisation," he said. "As well as [process] modeling, they speak to the business and understand business processes to act as a mediator."
http://www.itpro.co.uk/news/115373/forrester-it-forum-volkswagen-drives-business-success-through-it-change.html
High-tech NASA looking at low-tech shuttle fix
High-tech NASA looking at low-tech shuttle fix
A section of the International Space Station's new S3/S4 truss second solar array is seen in this image from NASA TV with the earth in the background June 12, 2007. The new truss' two new solar arrays will supply up to 60 Kilowatts of power to the orbiting laboratory. REUTERS/NASA TV
By Jeff Franks Jun 13, 2007, 5:25 GMT
';
var PageContent= '\n HOUSTON - High-tech NASA may repair a torn \nheat-resistant blanket on the space shuttle Atlantis in a \nlow-tech way -- by sending an astronaut out to stitch it \ntogether, the U.S. space agency said on Tuesday.\n The space-suited seamster would use stainless steel wire \nand a hooked needle to sew the protruding blanket into place, \nsaid deputy shuttle program manager John Shannon.\n He said the universal fix-it tool -- duct tape -- was \ndiscussed, but quickly discarded.\n \'Duct tape doesn\'t work in the vacuum of space,\' he told \nreporters at Johnson Space Center.\n NASA has added two days and a fourth spacewalk to the \nshuttle\'s mission to repair the small tear in the thermal \nblanket near the ship\'s tail.\n The blanket peeled back during launch to expose a small \ntriangle of underlying layers that could be damaged by heat \nwhen Atlantis returns to Earth on June 21.\n Shannon said several options were being studied for the \nfix, but the stitch-up, using spacesuit repair materials, was \nthe leading contender because it was the strongest repair.\n \'Once we put it down, we would like it to stay down,\' \nShannon said.\n Still undecided was whether the repair will be done on the \nthird spacewalk on Friday or the fourth on Sunday.\n Shuttle commander Rick Sturckow, in a television interview \nfrom space on Tuesday, said the inches-long tear did not appear \nto be serious but NASA\'s plan to fix it is \'the right thing to \ndo.\'\n \'The shuttle is an expensive piece of gear and we should do \neverything we can to protect it,\' he said.\n Atlantis launched Friday from Florida and docked with the \nspace station 220 miles above Earth on Sunday.\n Astronauts Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas performed the \nmission\'s first spacewalk on Monday when they installed a large \nmetal truss on the station that included solar panels to \ngenerate more electricity for the orbital outpost.\n On Tuesday, those panels were unfurled by remote command, \nstretching out 240 feet (73.15-metres) from end-to-end.\n Later in the day, activities were interrupted briefly by a \nfire alarm on the station that turned out to be false. NASA \nblamed the alarm on a software problem caused by a balky \nnavigation computer.\n NASA also said sensors on the shuttle had registered what \nwere believed to be false impacts on the wing heat shield.\n The sensors suggested the wing had been struck twice, but \nShannon said similar readings were registered on previous \nshuttle missions and no sign of impact had been found.\n He said the ghost impacts were believed to be caused by \n\'thermal settling\' of the shuttle.\n Space shuttle Columbia broke apart as it returned to Earth \nin 2003, killing its seven crewmembers, because a piece of \nloose insulating foam cracked its wing heat shield at launch.\n On Wednesday, astronauts Patrick Forrester and Steven \nSwanson will make the second spacewalk of what is now scheduled \nto be a 13-day flight.\n They will set up a rotary joint that will allow the new \nsolar panels to track the sun and possibly help retract an old \nsolar panel, which will be moved later to a new location on the \nstation.(c) Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world. ';
PrintArticle();//-->
HOUSTON - High-tech NASA may repair a torn heat-resistant blanket on the space shuttle Atlantis in a low-tech way -- by sending an astronaut out to stitch it together, the U.S. space agency said on Tuesday.
The space-suited seamster would use stainless steel wire and a hooked needle to sew the protruding blanket into place, said deputy shuttle program manager John Shannon.
He said the universal fix-it tool -- duct tape -- was discussed, but quickly discarded.
'Duct tape doesn't work in the vacuum of space,' he told reporters at Johnson Space Center.
NASA has added two days and a fourth spacewalk to the shuttle's mission to repair the small tear in the thermal blanket near the ship's tail.
The blanket peeled back during launch to expose a small triangle of underlying layers that could be damaged by heat when Atlantis returns to Earth on June 21.
Shannon said several options were being studied for the fix, but the stitch-up, using spacesuit repair materials, was the leading contender because it was the strongest repair.
'Once we put it down, we would like it to stay down,' Shannon said.
Still undecided was whether the repair will be done on the third spacewalk on Friday or the fourth on Sunday.
Shuttle commander Rick Sturckow, in a television interview from space on Tuesday, said the inches-long tear did not appear to be serious but NASA's plan to fix it is 'the right thing to do.'
'The shuttle is an expensive piece of gear and we should do everything we can to protect it,' he said.
Atlantis launched Friday from Florida and docked with the space station 220 miles above Earth on Sunday.
Astronauts Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas performed the mission's first spacewalk on Monday when they installed a large metal truss on the station that included solar panels to generate more electricity for the orbital outpost.
On Tuesday, those panels were unfurled by remote command, stretching out 240 feet (73.15-metres) from end-to-end.
Later in the day, activities were interrupted briefly by a fire alarm on the station that turned out to be false. NASA blamed the alarm on a software problem caused by a balky navigation computer.
NASA also said sensors on the shuttle had registered what were believed to be false impacts on the wing heat shield.
The sensors suggested the wing had been struck twice, but Shannon said similar readings were registered on previous shuttle missions and no sign of impact had been found.
He said the ghost impacts were believed to be caused by 'thermal settling' of the shuttle.
Space shuttle Columbia broke apart as it returned to Earth in 2003, killing its seven crewmembers, because a piece of loose insulating foam cracked its wing heat shield at launch.
On Wednesday, astronauts Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson will make the second spacewalk of what is now scheduled to be a 13-day flight.
They will set up a rotary joint that will allow the new solar panels to track the sun and possibly help retract an old solar panel, which will be moved later to a new location on the station.
(c) Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
By Jeff Franks Jun 13, 2007, 5:25 GMT
';
var PageContent= '\n HOUSTON - High-tech NASA may repair a torn \nheat-resistant blanket on the space shuttle Atlantis in a \nlow-tech way -- by sending an astronaut out to stitch it \ntogether, the U.S. space agency said on Tuesday.\n The space-suited seamster would use stainless steel wire \nand a hooked needle to sew the protruding blanket into place, \nsaid deputy shuttle program manager John Shannon.\n He said the universal fix-it tool -- duct tape -- was \ndiscussed, but quickly discarded.\n \'Duct tape doesn\'t work in the vacuum of space,\' he told \nreporters at Johnson Space Center.\n NASA has added two days and a fourth spacewalk to the \nshuttle\'s mission to repair the small tear in the thermal \nblanket near the ship\'s tail.\n The blanket peeled back during launch to expose a small \ntriangle of underlying layers that could be damaged by heat \nwhen Atlantis returns to Earth on June 21.\n Shannon said several options were being studied for the \nfix, but the stitch-up, using spacesuit repair materials, was \nthe leading contender because it was the strongest repair.\n \'Once we put it down, we would like it to stay down,\' \nShannon said.\n Still undecided was whether the repair will be done on the \nthird spacewalk on Friday or the fourth on Sunday.\n Shuttle commander Rick Sturckow, in a television interview \nfrom space on Tuesday, said the inches-long tear did not appear \nto be serious but NASA\'s plan to fix it is \'the right thing to \ndo.\'\n \'The shuttle is an expensive piece of gear and we should do \neverything we can to protect it,\' he said.\n Atlantis launched Friday from Florida and docked with the \nspace station 220 miles above Earth on Sunday.\n Astronauts Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas performed the \nmission\'s first spacewalk on Monday when they installed a large \nmetal truss on the station that included solar panels to \ngenerate more electricity for the orbital outpost.\n On Tuesday, those panels were unfurled by remote command, \nstretching out 240 feet (73.15-metres) from end-to-end.\n Later in the day, activities were interrupted briefly by a \nfire alarm on the station that turned out to be false. NASA \nblamed the alarm on a software problem caused by a balky \nnavigation computer.\n NASA also said sensors on the shuttle had registered what \nwere believed to be false impacts on the wing heat shield.\n The sensors suggested the wing had been struck twice, but \nShannon said similar readings were registered on previous \nshuttle missions and no sign of impact had been found.\n He said the ghost impacts were believed to be caused by \n\'thermal settling\' of the shuttle.\n Space shuttle Columbia broke apart as it returned to Earth \nin 2003, killing its seven crewmembers, because a piece of \nloose insulating foam cracked its wing heat shield at launch.\n On Wednesday, astronauts Patrick Forrester and Steven \nSwanson will make the second spacewalk of what is now scheduled \nto be a 13-day flight.\n They will set up a rotary joint that will allow the new \nsolar panels to track the sun and possibly help retract an old \nsolar panel, which will be moved later to a new location on the \nstation.(c) Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world. ';
PrintArticle();//-->
HOUSTON - High-tech NASA may repair a torn heat-resistant blanket on the space shuttle Atlantis in a low-tech way -- by sending an astronaut out to stitch it together, the U.S. space agency said on Tuesday.
The space-suited seamster would use stainless steel wire and a hooked needle to sew the protruding blanket into place, said deputy shuttle program manager John Shannon.
He said the universal fix-it tool -- duct tape -- was discussed, but quickly discarded.
'Duct tape doesn't work in the vacuum of space,' he told reporters at Johnson Space Center.
NASA has added two days and a fourth spacewalk to the shuttle's mission to repair the small tear in the thermal blanket near the ship's tail.
The blanket peeled back during launch to expose a small triangle of underlying layers that could be damaged by heat when Atlantis returns to Earth on June 21.
Shannon said several options were being studied for the fix, but the stitch-up, using spacesuit repair materials, was the leading contender because it was the strongest repair.
'Once we put it down, we would like it to stay down,' Shannon said.
Still undecided was whether the repair will be done on the third spacewalk on Friday or the fourth on Sunday.
Shuttle commander Rick Sturckow, in a television interview from space on Tuesday, said the inches-long tear did not appear to be serious but NASA's plan to fix it is 'the right thing to do.'
'The shuttle is an expensive piece of gear and we should do everything we can to protect it,' he said.
Atlantis launched Friday from Florida and docked with the space station 220 miles above Earth on Sunday.
Astronauts Jim Reilly and Danny Olivas performed the mission's first spacewalk on Monday when they installed a large metal truss on the station that included solar panels to generate more electricity for the orbital outpost.
On Tuesday, those panels were unfurled by remote command, stretching out 240 feet (73.15-metres) from end-to-end.
Later in the day, activities were interrupted briefly by a fire alarm on the station that turned out to be false. NASA blamed the alarm on a software problem caused by a balky navigation computer.
NASA also said sensors on the shuttle had registered what were believed to be false impacts on the wing heat shield.
The sensors suggested the wing had been struck twice, but Shannon said similar readings were registered on previous shuttle missions and no sign of impact had been found.
He said the ghost impacts were believed to be caused by 'thermal settling' of the shuttle.
Space shuttle Columbia broke apart as it returned to Earth in 2003, killing its seven crewmembers, because a piece of loose insulating foam cracked its wing heat shield at launch.
On Wednesday, astronauts Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson will make the second spacewalk of what is now scheduled to be a 13-day flight.
They will set up a rotary joint that will allow the new solar panels to track the sun and possibly help retract an old solar panel, which will be moved later to a new location on the station.
(c) Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Apple's iTunes Doing A Lot More Heavy Lifting For Co.
Apple's iTunes Doing A Lot More Heavy Lifting For Co.
SAN FRANCISCO -(Dow Jones)- Apple Inc. (AAPL) this week demonstrated how heavily the consumer electronics company now relies on its iTunes digital media store to market and sell a broad range of products.
What Apple's counting on the "halo effect," in which a well-received product boosts sales of others, say Apple analysts. This was particularly true of the iPod, which has helped to boost sales of Apple's computers. ITunes represents the next step.
Already, millions of consumers worldwide have songs and videos on the platform. Analysts that follow Apple say the more people that become familiar with Apple software through the site, the more likely they will be to choose Apple products - including music players and laptops - in the future.
Apple watchers interviewed Tuesday say its reliance on iTunes to push other products makes sense, and plays to Apple's strengths, though it's also fraught with challenges.
"ITunes is their broadest distributed product, and they are trying to leverage it any way they can," said Andy Hargreaves, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities.
Working in Apple's favor is how unrivaled its iTunes service is. With a 70% share of the digital download market, analysts are hard-pressed to name any serious competitors. Apple does not break out iTunes revenues.
But there's also an inherent danger in relying on iTunes to push Apple products. There's always a chance that another blockbuster digital media service - such as Amazon.com Inc.'s nascent Unbox feature, or music publishers embracing the Internet to distribute their goods - is on the horizon.
The iTunes strategy has especially crystallized over the last couple of days.
In an address to Apple developers in San Francisco on Monday, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said iTunes will play a role in distributing a version of Apple's Safari Web browser that works on personal computers using Microsoft's operating system.
"We don't really talk to these customers, do we? What are we gonna do?," Jobs said, during his address.
"Well, it turns out there are a million downloads of iTunes a day. Who knows, maybe we can grow our Safari share in the future, we can sure try."
The next day, in a widely-distributed email, Apple revealed how owners of the iPhone, a cell phone/digital music player due out June 29, will be required to have an iTunes account in order to set-up the phones long list of features.
This move helps Apple retain a relationship with iPhone owners, beyond just buying iTunes songs and movies, Hargreaves said.
-By Ben Charny, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-765-8230; ben.charny@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires
06-12-07 1828ET
Copyright (c) 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO -(Dow Jones)- Apple Inc. (AAPL) this week demonstrated how heavily the consumer electronics company now relies on its iTunes digital media store to market and sell a broad range of products.
What Apple's counting on the "halo effect," in which a well-received product boosts sales of others, say Apple analysts. This was particularly true of the iPod, which has helped to boost sales of Apple's computers. ITunes represents the next step.
Already, millions of consumers worldwide have songs and videos on the platform. Analysts that follow Apple say the more people that become familiar with Apple software through the site, the more likely they will be to choose Apple products - including music players and laptops - in the future.
Apple watchers interviewed Tuesday say its reliance on iTunes to push other products makes sense, and plays to Apple's strengths, though it's also fraught with challenges.
"ITunes is their broadest distributed product, and they are trying to leverage it any way they can," said Andy Hargreaves, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities.
Working in Apple's favor is how unrivaled its iTunes service is. With a 70% share of the digital download market, analysts are hard-pressed to name any serious competitors. Apple does not break out iTunes revenues.
But there's also an inherent danger in relying on iTunes to push Apple products. There's always a chance that another blockbuster digital media service - such as Amazon.com Inc.'s nascent Unbox feature, or music publishers embracing the Internet to distribute their goods - is on the horizon.
The iTunes strategy has especially crystallized over the last couple of days.
In an address to Apple developers in San Francisco on Monday, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said iTunes will play a role in distributing a version of Apple's Safari Web browser that works on personal computers using Microsoft's operating system.
"We don't really talk to these customers, do we? What are we gonna do?," Jobs said, during his address.
"Well, it turns out there are a million downloads of iTunes a day. Who knows, maybe we can grow our Safari share in the future, we can sure try."
The next day, in a widely-distributed email, Apple revealed how owners of the iPhone, a cell phone/digital music player due out June 29, will be required to have an iTunes account in order to set-up the phones long list of features.
This move helps Apple retain a relationship with iPhone owners, beyond just buying iTunes songs and movies, Hargreaves said.
-By Ben Charny, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-765-8230; ben.charny@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires
06-12-07 1828ET
Copyright (c) 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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