Apple planning post-PC future

Apple is planning a post-PC future, according to its CEO, Tim Cook, who took over after the death of co-founder Steve Jobs last year.

All eyes are on Cook and whether or not he can deliver, with todays event marking one of the most significant in the companys history, with expectations of a formal announcement for the iPad 3, rumoured to be called iPad HD.Cook said that the iPod, iPhone, and iPad ranges represent what the company is calling the “post-PC” reality of the current and future market, where more and more people use devices other than traditional desktop and laptop computers for all aspects of their lives."Any company would be thrilled to have just one of these devices,” Cook said. “At Apple, were fortunate to have all three, and the momentum has been staggering."Apple has sold a whopping 315 million of these devices in 2011, representing 76 percent of the companys total revenue, so its no surprise that this will continue to be a big focus for Apple going forward. Apple sold 62 million iOS devices in the final quarter of 2011 alone.Apple shops were also big on the agenda. Cook revealed that there are now 363 retail stores throughout the world, with 110 million visitors in the fourth quarter of 2011 alone. Examples included the Amsterdam store and the Grand Central outlet in New York."Apple has its feet firmly planted in the post-PC future."

Apple Continues Winning Streak While Others Suffer

Apple has a surprisingly strong quarterly profit that beats the analysts' estimates back bygood iPod and Mac sales during the holiday season. Certainly, Apple and IBMare the darlings of the tech industry right now each reporting better than expected results. However, it is too early to celebrate now as weshould beexpecting not-so-rosy results from other tech companies which are not so well positioned as Apple or IBM for this weak economy.

Apple reported a net quarterly profit of US$1.61B, up from US$1.58B a year agowhile revenue rose to US$10.2B, a 5.8% increase.Apple's CTO Tim Cookhas mentioned that the visibility remains low due to the current poor economy but it is not as unpredictable as in back in October.

Things aren't too rosy over at semiconductor companies such as Intel,AMD and TSMC. Thechip giant, Intel might report a first quarterly loss in 22 years and will lay off at least 5000 staff and close down 5 plants. AMD too is going to cut 1100 staff which is 5% of their workforceand reduce employees' salaries. TSMC plans to cut 1000 workers which is 5% of their workforce.

Asus Preps ROG Maximus III Extreme Motherboard for Launch

ROG Maximus III Extreme Motherboard

Folks over at Nordic Hardware had reported that Asus is preparing the ROG Maximus III Extreme motherboard for launch at DreamHack in Jönköping, Sweden, this end November. Based on theLGA-1156 socket, this P55 based motherboard is the best in its leagueand features an additional PCI-Express bridge chip for two x16 links.





Featuringa CPU socket powered by an 11-phase digital PWM circuit (using SuperMLcapacitor) and four DDR3 DIMM slots powered by a 3-phase circuit, theboard also has an extra 6-pin connector on-board.

Apart from the myriadof overclocking features seen on ROG series of motherboards, theMaximus III Extreme also incorporates ROG Connect, a function whichallows users to control overclocking using Bluetooth-enabled mobilephones. Another new feature is its “LN2 Mode Header jumperthat, when activated, optimize the performance of the board when cooledby liquid nitrogen. The jumper is said to trick the internaltemperature diode of the CPU and reduce coldbug issues”.

Bells andwhistles aside, the Maximus III Extreme has five PCI Express x16 slots,SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0, firewire, gigabit ethernet and 10 channel HD audioprocessor. Price and availability has not been announced yet so staytuned for more updates.

News via [Nordichardware]

Plus de succès sur le Xbox Live Arcade

Même s'ils sont sujet à controverse pour une partie des joueurs, les achievements (ou succès en bon français) ont de nombreux adeptes qui achètent parfois volontiers certains jeux médiocres dans le seul but d'augmenter aisément leur gamerscore. Depuis la sortie de la Xbox 360, les jeux téléchargeables ne peuvent contenir que 200 G de succès (plus 50 G supplémentaire par DLC dans la limite de 3 DLC) contre 1000 G pour un titre vendu en magasins.

Il semblerait cependant que cela soit trop peu pour certains et Microsoft l'a bien compris. Le constructeur américain devrait donc prochainement relever la barre et permettre désormais à tous les jeux du Xbox Live Arcade de proposer d'office 400 points de gamerscore à débloquer. Les DLC contiendront quant à eux désormais 100 G chacun, dans la limite de quatre DLC. Un jeu du Xbox Live Arcade pourrait donc à lui seul proposer 800 G de succès (contre 350 G maximum jusque là), soit presque autant qu'un titre physique classique.

L'information n'est pas encore officielle mais provient du site spécialisé xbox360achievements.org, généralement très bien informé, et paraît donc extrêmement crédible.

ASUS Announced G51 and G60 Gaming Laptops

Taipei, Taiwan, June 26, 2009 – ASUS today announced the launch of its 15.6-inch G51 notebook, a gaming powerhouse which snared the 'Best Choice' award in the Digital Entertainment Products category at the recently-concluded COMPUTEX 2009.

Sporting a futuristic, robot-inspired 'mecha' design, the ASUS G51 boasts seamless gamer-centric interface elements, scorching gaming performanceand advanced audio technologies that combine to provideusers withsuperior gaming experience. Users who appreciate the G51's gaming pedigree but prefer a slightly larger screen can opt for its 16-inch cousin, the ASUS G60.

Absolute Performance Powered by Leading Components and Technologies
With the G51, ASUS' engineers have cleverly circumvented the thermal and placement issues that typically arise from fitting the NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 260M into a 15-inch form factor, making it the world's first 15-inch notebook to boast extreme graphics previously only viable on 17-inch notebooks. The ASUS G51 and G60 each boast a tremendous 1GB of GDDR3 video memory, which is 30% faster than DDR2.Both notebooks also allow users to enjoy instant performance boosts by overclocking their systems through the selection of the 'Extreme Turbo' profile via an intuitive user interface.

Reign Supreme with a Gamer-centric Interface and Stunning Audio-Visual Performance
The ASUS G51 and G60 notebooks incorporate several gamer-centric features that give users an edge over their opponents. Most notably is the generous use of backlighting—such as on the illuminated chiclet keyboard and instant gaming keys—that enables gamers to locate important keys easily as well as play through the night without skipping a beat. The aggressive use of backlighting also gives the notebooks a high tech look, a further reflection of the wealth of cutting-edge hardware and technologies housed within.

The G51 and G60 also provide users with unsurpassed gaming performance, through the ingenious incorporation of industry-leading graphics and audio solutions. Both notebooks are equipped with Creative's industry-defining EAX and CMSS technologies. They are the world's first notebooks to support EAX Advanced HD 4.0 audio technology, which enhances in-game environments and scenarios by providing true-to-life three dimensional sound effects. The G51 and G60 provide up to 64 additional sound effects from the sound library, and in doing so produce ultra-realistic spatial effects in more than 300 supported games. CMSS surround sound, together with high fidelity Altec Lansing® speakers and a 16:9 Full HD display, enable the G51 and G60 to deliver a level of gaming and multimedia immersion that no other notebook can match.

G51VxProcessor and Cache MemoryIntel® Core™ 2 QuadQ9000, 2 GHz
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9600/T9550/T9400/ P8800/ P8700/ P8600/P8400/ P7450/ P7350/ T6600, 2.8–2.2 GHzOperating SystemGenuine Windows Vista® Ultimate/Premium (32/64 bit)ChipsetIntel® PM45 + ICH9MMain MemoryDDR2 800MHz up to 4GBDisplay15.6" FHD/HD LED LCDGraphics and MemoryNVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M with GDDR3 1GB VRAM Hard Disk DriveDual SATA; supports up to 1TB (5400 rpm), 640GB (7200 rpm)Optical DriveDVD Super-Multi, Blu-ray ComboVideo Camera (optional)Built-in 2 M Pixel cameraDimensions and Weight375x 265 x 34.3~40.6mm, 3.3kg (6-cell battery and single HDD)G60VxProcessor and Cache Memory

Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q9000, 2 GHz
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9600/T9550/T9400/ P8800/ P8700/ P8600/P8400/ P7450/ P7350/ T6600, 2.8-2.2 GHz

Operating SystemGenuine Windows Vista® Ultimate/Premium (32/64 bit)ChipsetIntel® PM45 + ICH9MMain MemoryDDR2 800MHz up to 4GBDisplay16" HD LED backlightGraphics and MemoryNVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M with GDDR3 1GB VRAM Hard Disk DriveDual SATA; supports up to 1TB (5400 rpm), 640GB (7200 rpm)Optical DriveDVD Super-Multi, Blu-ray ComboVideo Camera (optional)Built-in 2 M Pixel cameraDimensions and Weight375 x 265x 34.3~40.6mm, 3.3kg (6 cell battery and single HDD)

Source: ASUS

ASUS P-series notebooks equipped with Anti-Theft Technology

ASUShas announced its plans to equip its notebooks with Intel® Anti-Theft Technology, in an effort to help customers address the growing theft of notebooks.

In the commercial world where businesses operate with the strictest level of confidentiality, and where notebooks belonging to highly mobile business professionals are likely to contain confidential company or personal information, the theft of vital information may be costly. ASUS addresses this concern with its new P Series notebooks, which are equipped with Intel® Anti-theft PC Protection Technology. This new technology provides users with the ability to send a "poison pill" remotely, rendering the notebook inoperable by comprehensively shutting it down. As such, the risk resulting from a stolen or lost notebook is eliminated. Once the notebook has been recovered, a local passphrase or recovery token can be used to reactivate the notebook.

The ASUS P30 and P80, with innovative built-in security capabilities based on Intel® Anti-Theft Technology, are available immediately.

Source: ASUS

Apple Seeks Injunction Against Samsung Galaxy S III in U.S.

Late last Tuesday, Apple brought a motion against Samsung formally asking the court for permission to add the Samsung Galaxy S III as another product affected by their motion for an injunction against the Galaxy Nexus, which Samsung co-developed with Google. The current litigation against Samsung is its second in California’s courts, and this motion shows Apple is taking the offensive against Android. Earlier in the week Apple filed a complaint with the ITC seeking an immediate importation ban on 29 HTC devices that allegedly infringe on Apple’s patents. The same patent used against HTC, a “data-tapping” patent, is one of two patents Apple is using to target the S III.

Apple purchased an S III to inspect it for patent violations in the United Kingdom, where the device has been available since May 29th; it’s not scheduled to launch in the United States until June 21st. The motion notes that press reports indicate that “Samsung has already sold over nine million preorders of the Galaxy S III; indeed, the Galaxy S III has been reported to be the most extensively preordered piece of consumer electronics in history.” Apple is still analyzing the S III in regards to infringement of two other patents filed against the Galaxy Nexus, but decided to help facilitate and accelerate the court’s analysis by limiting the request to two patents which are clearly infringed: a unified search patent (i.e., Siri) and the data-tapping patent.

Apple’s lawyers reportedly spoke with Samsung’s on May 31st to discuss including the S III among the accused products. They asked, among other things, for Samsung to “confirm that it will not launch the Galaxy S III in the United States until the Court has ruled on Apple’s preliminary injunction motion,” but Samsung’s lawyers replied on June 4th that the motion “will have no bearing on the release date of the Galaxy S III.”

Yesterday afternoon local time, Samsung replied to the motion put forth by Apple, arguing that the court should deny the request as it’s too late to supplement the motion that was put forth back in February; they suggested that a new preliminary injunction motion is needed.

The full text of Apple’s motion can be found here.