Flipkart 4

Thursday, February 28, 2013

CEO admits Apple is 'looking at new categories' for potential products



While investors have sent Apple's stock on a nosedive since late 2012, Cook said at his company's annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday that he believes it's been "an incredible year of innovation." He noted that Apple grew by about $48 billion in fiscal 2012, which was more than Google, Microsoft, Dell, HP and Research in Motion (now known as BlackBerry) combined.

Cook also hinted that his company could go in new directions in the future, but unsurprisingly offered no specific details about what his company could be working on.

"Obviously we're looking a new categories," Cook told shareholders. "We don't talk about them, but we're looking at them."
Apple TV

One rumored product that could be in Apple's future is a television set, which is said to have been in development at the company's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters for years. Currently, Apple's living room presence is represented by the Apple TV set-top box — a product that has famously been referred to as a "hobby," but was recently upgraded to something of "intense interest."

Cook even publicly hinted in an interview last year that his company may have big plans for the living room. Speaking with Brian Williams of NBC, Cook said current television sets make him feel like he's "gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years."
iWatch
Artist's rendition of purported Apple smartwatch. | Source: Yrving Torrealba

More recently, rumors have suggested Apple could also be working on wearable technology in the form of a watch accessory. Last week AppleInsider detailed a patent application that revealed Apple's behind-the-scenes interest in such a product, which could feature a curved-glass display.

One report from earlier this month claimed that Apple has a 100-person team working on a so-called "smartwatch." The team is said to have grown over the last year to include marketing, software and hardware personnel who previously worked on the iPhone and iPad.


-Appleinsider

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Android growth: 'Success is not making the most'


Apple could easily make the most products in a category, but that wouldn't be good for the company, Chief Executive Tim Cook told shareholders on Wednesday.

Campus

Cook was asked during the question-and-answer session of his company's annual shareholder meeting what he plans to do about Android's explosive growth in the smartphone business. But "success is not making the most," Cook said.
Tim Cook

The CEO told shareholders that his company could press "a button or two" that would have Apple make the most products in a particular category. But that "wouldn't be good for Apple," he said.

Some market watchers have continuously called on Apple to expand the iPhone lineup to appeal to more customers. Some believe Apple needs to make a cheaper iPhone that could be sold contract-free in developing countries like China, as well as a large-screen iPhone to compete with popular devices like Samsung's Galaxy Note series.

But while some investors are concerned about market share, Apple has historically focused on maintaining its high margins with products like the iPhone. Though Samsung's overall handset sales exceed Apple, the iPhone maker collected a whopping 69 percent of handset industry profits last year.

Cook also noted on Wednesday that Apple's iOS mobile platform is on "a lot more tablets" than Google's Android is. While Android has grown exponentially on smartphones, through multiple carriers and manufacturers, Google's mobile platform has not had the same success in the tablet market, where Apple's iPad is dominant.


-Appleinsider

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 vs Apple iPad mini vs Google Nexus 7: Specs comparison



Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 vs Apple iPad mini vs Google Nexus 7 specs comparison
Whether you are an admirer of 7 or 8 inch tablet devices, or don't really care about these particular screen sizes, the leading mobile gear makers decided that there is a market niche to be won here, and with the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 everyone will have a dog in the small tablet fight this season.

We are pitting Samsung's latest Note family member against its most formidable opponents - the Apple iPad mini and the Google Nexus 7 small affordable slates. While we don't have much details on price and availability for the Note 8.0 rather than Q2 in Europe and Asia, the other two have been around for a while, so you can have a look how they stack up in the table below.

It's immediately clear that Samsung has placed a lot of effort to make its tablet as slim and light as possible, considering that it also has to house the S Pen silo and the stylus itself. The Note 8.0 is in fact slimmer and a tad lighter than the Nexus 7, despite being the slate with the largest screen of the bunch. Its resolution is actually the same as that of the Nexus 7, with a slightly lower pixel density because of the screen size. Note 8.0 also has the immediately recognizable styling of the Galaxy family with its rounded corners, looking like a larger Note II.

As far as processing power goes, the 1.6 GHz Exynos 4 Quad Cortex-A9 CPU might not be at the fastest edge of ARM's technology, but it would surely be more than enough to handle anything Android throws at it. Moreover, Samsung's tablet is the best of the bunch memorywise, sporting 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory, as well as a microSD slot for more, which the other two don't have.

When we add the generous 4, 600 mAh battery and the myriad of productivity options added by the S Pen stylus and the accompanying software, it seems that Samsung has nailed it in terms of specs as usual, so the only thing remaining is to get one for a review to check out the performance side as well.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 vs Apple iPad mini vs Google Nexus 7 specs comparison

DESIGN
Phone functionalityYes  
OSAndroid (4.1.2) TouchWiz UIiOS (6.1, 6)Android (4.2.2, 4.2.1, 4.2, 4.1.2, 4.1.1, 4.1)
Dimensions8.30 x 5.35 x 0.31 inches (210.8 x 135.9 x 7.95 mm)7.87 x 5.30 x 0.28 inches (200 x 134.7 x 7.2 mm)7.81 x 4.72 x 0.41 inches (198.5 x 120 x 10.45 mm)
Weight11.92 oz (338 g)
the average is 4.3 oz (123 g)
11.01 oz (312 g)
the average is 4.3 oz (123 g)
11.99 oz (340 g)
the average is 4.3 oz (123 g)
Design featuresStylus  
Colors Black, White 
DISPLAY
Physical size8.0 inches7.9 inches7.0 inches
Resolution1280 x 800 pixels1024 x 768 pixels1280 x 800 pixels
Pixel density
189 ppi162 ppi216 ppi
Technology
TFTIPS LCDIPS LCD
BATTERY
Stand-by time  12.5 days (300 hours)
the average is 17 days (411 h)
Video playback  9.00 hours
Capacity4600 mAh 4325 mAh
Type Li - PolymerLi - Polymer
Not user replaceableYesYesYes
HARDWARE
System chip
 Exynos 4 QuadApple A5NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30L
Processor
Quad core, 1600 MHz, ARM Cortex-A9Dual core, 1000 MHz, ARM Cortex-A9Quad core, 1200 MHz, ARM Cortex-A9
Graphics processorYesPowerVR SGX543MP2ULP GeForce @ 416MHz
System memory
2048 MB RAM512 MB RAM1024 MB RAM (1333 MHz) / LPDDR3
Built-in storage16 GB16 GB8 GB
Storage expansionmicroSD, microSDHC, microSDXC up to 64 GB  
CAMERA
Camera5 megapixels5 megapixels 
Aperture size F2.4 
FeaturesAuto focus, Geo taggingBack-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Touch to focus, Digital image stabilization, Geo tagging 
Camcorder1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) 
Features Video calling, Digital image stabilizationVideo calling
Front-facing camera1.3 megapixels1.2 megapixelsYes
Video capture 1280x720 (720p HD)
MULTIMEDIA
Music player   
Filter byAlbum, Artist, PlaylistsAlbum, Artist, Genre, PlaylistsAlbum, Artist, Playlists
FeaturesAlbum art cover, Background playbackAlbum art cover, Background playbackAlbum art cover, Background playback
Supported formatsMP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, FLAC, WMAMP3, AAC, eAAC, WAV, M4A (Apple lossless)MP3
Video playback   
Supported formatsMPEG4, H.263, H.264, DivX, WMVMPEG4, H.264, Motion JPG, AVI, MOVMPEG4, H.263, H.264
SpeakersStereo speakersStereo speakers 
StreamingAudio, VideoAudio, VideoAudio, Video
YouTube playerYes Yes

TECHNOLOGY
GSM850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE 700 MHz Class 17, 1700/2100 MHz 
DataHSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRSLTE Cat3 Downlink 100 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS
nano-SIM Yes 
Global RoamingYes  
Positioning
GPS, A-GPS, GlonassA-GPS, Glonass, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioningGPS
NavigationYes Yes
CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth4.04.03.0
Wi-Fi802.11 a, b, g, n, n 5GHz802.11 a, b, g, n, n 5GHz802.11 a, b, g, n
Wi-Fi DirectYes  
USBUSB 2.0YesUSB 2.0
Connector ProprietarymicroUSB
Features USB chargingUSB Host
Headphones connector3.5mm3.5mm3.5mm
Charging connector ProprietarymicroUSB
AVAILABILITY
Officially announced24 Feb 201323 Oct 201227 Jun 2012
Scheduled release
Q2 2013 (Official)  
-Via Phonearena