<IT WORLD> Apple refines tune service
By Martin J Young
HUA HIN, Thailand - Apple is preparing to launch an online music streaming and
storage service called iCloud. A number of news sources report that Apple has
signed deals with Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and EMI Group
to offer a way for users to listen to their music collections without having to
download or upload music files.
Chief executive Steve Jobs, despite being on medical leave, is scheduled to
take the stage at the annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) next week to
officially announce the iCloud service along with new versions of the operating
systems for Macs and mobile devices.
With over 200 million iTunes accounts, Apple is the industry leader for
retailing online music. However, it is not the first to offer online streaming
and cloud-based music lockers. Google and
Amazon have angled for similar services but have failed to secure terms with
the record companies.
A billion dollars has been spent by Apple on a new data center in North
Carolina to serve as the data storage hub for iCloud. The company is rumored to
have paid US$4.5 million to a Swedish tech company for the domain name
iCloud.com, over which it has recently taken administrative control.
iCloud is likely to be heavily integrated with iTunes, which will scan users
computers in search of music to be synchronized with the account in the cloud
so that it can be from accessed anywhere. It is not currently clear whether
music files not purchased with iTunes will work with the system, and this may
be the key to its success or failure.
Security
Shortly after Apple released a security patch for OSX to clean up malware
called Mac Defender (see
Worm eats Apple, Asia Times Online, May, 2011), a new variant of the
software emerged. The latest iteration of the fake security software has been
designed specifically to circumvent the patch and Apple's malware blocking
code.
XProtect, which is coded into OSX to root out malware and scareware, was
bypassed within hours of being updated to catch the software that had thousands
of Mac users duped into downloading. Malware and spyware writers for Windows
work extremely quickly to bypass operating system updates hence the need for
several third party cleaners and scanners on Microsoft-based computers. This
latest development suggests that Apple's operating systems may soon be going
the same way.
Industry
Google has confirmed its plans to remain partnered with rival Apple for its
mapping applications and software. The renewal comes as a surprise since both
companies are fiercely competitive in the mobile operating system and app
market place. Passing search via maps over to Google does seem to be a bizarre
move from a company that likes to keep a stranglehold over its software and the
way its customers use it.
While Google maps will still appear on the iPhone and iPad for the time being,
Apple is reported to be working on its own mapping software and traffic
database.
At the same conference this week, Google chief executive Eric Schmidt admitted
to "screwing up" in not being more aggressive with a partnership with Facebook.
The search giant has come under increasing pressure from social platforms such
as Facebook, which have gained an enormous following by allowing users to
create profile pages and interact easily with each other.
Facebook has repeatedly rebuffed advances from Google to form a partnership and
has instead teamed up with Microsoft for search technology. Perhaps founder
Mark Zuckerberg and co realize how much Google would like to get its hands on
the web browsing habits and personal profiles of 500 million Facebook users.
Hardware
Chip giant Intel is touting new technologies it claims will give a new breed of
laptops, dubbed "Ultrabooks", enough power for a full day's operation and a
week's worth of standby time. The new chips, called "Ivy Bridge", will be the
successors to the range of "Sandy Bridge" processors and will be manufactured
at 22 nanometers.
Intel's concept of the Ultrabook is a hybrid between a netbook and a tablet;
very thin, instantly turning on (no slow boot time), flash memory and storage,
full Internet connectivity (WiFi and 3G/4G), and long battery life. The devices
will feature new functions such as "Smart Connect", which goes online and
updates social network accounts and e-mail even when the computer is off or in
standby mode. The company expects Ultrabooks to account for 40% of the overall
notebook and laptop market by the end of 2012.
Rival chip maker AMD meanwhile has confirmed plans to introduce its own
processor designed specifically for tablets. The company also stated that it
has shipped around 5 million power-efficient Fusion processors to date as it
gains ground on Intel's equivalent chip and a drop in demand for Atom powered
netbooks.
AMD also announced a new Trinity Fusion APU (accelerated processing unit) at
the Computex trade show in Taiwan this week. The Fusion series of chips
integrate data and graphics processing into the same multi-core platform,
making them ideal candidates for higher power mobile computers as well as
high-end desktops.
Software
Microsoft also featured at the Computex trade fair showcasing the next version
of Windows. With strong emphasis on touch screen features, Windows 8 is clearly
playing catch-up to rivals Apple and Google, which dominate the mobile market
with iOS and Android.
The demonstration featured an instantly booting system (a novelty for Windows
users) designed to run on ARM-based microchips, mobile devices, and traditional
hardware such as x86 CPUs from Intel and AMD. A platform that operates using
"live tiles" that can be moved and manipulated with the fingers or with a
traditional mouse and keyboard was also highlighted.
Martin J Young is an Asia Times Online correspondent based in Thailand.
(Copyright 2011 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please
contact us about
sales, syndication and
republishing.)
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
Security
