Archive for the ‘Tech news’ Category

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iPad costs a quarter more in the UK than in the US

Monday, May 31st, 2010

The ipad costs more outside of the US, Reuters said, citing  an Australian CommSec study.

Prices of the iPads were the cheapest in the US, while prices in Europe, especially the UK, were the highest – almost a quarter of the price higher.

Chart of Apple iPad prices across the world

Apple iPad prices varies worldwide

The prices of the entry level 16 GB WiFi only iPad and the top end 64 GB WiFi + 3G version were both collated and converted to the equivalent US Dollars.

The tablet device is targeted at the niche between a laptop and a smartphone, with a form factor suited for surfing the web, watching movies and reading electronic books. It can also run apps designed for the iPhone as well as apps specially customised for it.

The detailed data is tabulated below.

(more…)

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Posted in Figures, Gadgets, Internet, Tech news | 2 Comments »

Worldwide launch of iPad maintains Apple’s momentum

Saturday, May 29th, 2010
Apple iPad goes on sale in 9 foreign countries on Friday 28 May 2010

Apple iPad went on sale in 9 foreign countries on Friday 28 May 2010

Apple shares continued its advance even though shares other companies including Microsoft, Google, HP, IBM, Yahoo, eBay, Adobe, Amazon fell. Apple now leads Microsoft by US$7 billion in terms of market capitalisation.

Maintaining the momentum through the anticipated release of the new iPhone at the WWDC on 7 June and further foreign release of the iPad in July, I won’t be surprised if Apple overtakes Exxon Mobil by then to become the most valuable company in the US.

The worldwide launch of the iPad saw the gadget released in 9 countries – UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Japan, Australia and Canada – two months after its initial launch in the US.

The much awaited release saw the expected queues build up at  Apple stores in these countries more than a day before the 28 May Friday launch date.

The iPad will be released to a further 9 countries – Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Mexico, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore – in July, and additional countries later this year.

Expect the same pent-up demand to build to the same frenzy when glazy-eyed fans vie to be the first in their respective countries to buy the iPad from a local store.

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Was it the iPad that propelled Apple past Microsoft?

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Curious as to how Apple has upstaged Microsoft in terms of market capitalisation, I plotted the market capitalisation of Apple against Microsoft between 1 June 2009 to 26 May 2010 (at monthly intervals except for the final data point).

Chart of Apple vs Microsoft in terms of market capitalisation

Was it the iPad that helped Apple overtake Microsoft?

Seems like the gap between Microsoft and Apple remained rather constant at  roughly US$60-80 billion until the announcement of the iPad by Steve Jobs on 27 Jan 2010 to a packed audience in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

There was no looking back afterwards as the iPad was launched in April and sold its first million unit on May 3 after merely 28 days. This was less than half the 74 days it took the hugely successful iPhone to sell its first million units.

The gap between Microsoft and Apple closed rapidly until this week, when Apple finally overtook Microsoft in terms of market capitalisation.

At the rate it’s going, it won’t be long before Apple overtakes Exxon Mobil as the most valuable company in the US.

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Apple the most valuable technology company in the world

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

It’s happened!

Apple has overtaken Microsoft in market capitalisation and has become the most valuable technology firm in the world.

Bloomberg reports that:

Apple’s market value reached $222.1 billion, surpassing Microsoft’s $219.2 billion at 4 p.m. New York time (26 May) in Nasdaq Stock Market trading.

Apple is now the most valuable technology firm in the world. By market value, it is the second-largest US company, behind Exxon Mobil Corporation, the oil company valued at US$278.6 billion on the New York Stock Exchange. During intraday trading, Apple’s price reached a high of US$252.13 billion.

iPod Classic, iPhone, iPad

From iPod (2001) to iPhone (2007) to iPad (2010)

Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy when Jobs returned at its helm in 1997. The release of the iPod music player in 2001 turned the company around, while the advent of the iPhone in 2007 has brought Apple to the pole position it is enjoying now. The question now is whether the launch of the iPad will bring Apple to new heights, or – if by any chance it flops – will it burst the market euphoria surrounding Apple’s stocks.

Hitherto, the iPad seems like another success story for Apple, but I believe it’s still too early to tell. It could still go the way of the tablet computers not too long ago – into oblivion – and join a rare list of Apple failures like the Newton. Or it could create a genuine and viable niche between the smartphone and the netbook, and let Steve Jobs overtake Bill Gates in Forbes’ list.

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Apple could face inquiry about online music

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Brad Stone reports in the New York Times that:

Though the Justice Department’s inquiry is preliminary, it represents additional evidence that Apple, once the perennial underdog in high tech, is now viewed by government regulators as a dominant company with considerable market power.

Apple logoThis is consistent with my earlier observation about how Apple seems on its way to overtaking Microsoft as the biggest IT company in terms of market capitalisation. In April, Apple had already dethroned Microsoft as the most heavily weighted technology stock in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

The US Justice Department has spoken with major music labels and Internet music companies to scrutinise Apple’s tactics in the online digital music market.

The antitrust inquiry is still in the early stages. Investigators seemed to be examining recent allegations that Apple used its dominant market position to get music labels to deny exclusive access to Amazon.com for music about to be released, according to sources who had been briefed on the inquiries and who spoke on condition of anonymity.

(more…)

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EpiCentre opens sixth store at Marina Bay Sands

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

EpiCentre, an Apple Premium Reseller in Singapore, has opened its sixth store at The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands. It is located at B2-100A and occupies some 1600 sq ft, selling Apple’s complete range of Mac’s, iPod digital music players, iPhone and related accessories.

EpiCentre opens its sixth store at Marina Bay SandsThe store will also provide iConcierge services to attendees of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) activities at Marina Bay Sands. This includes first level diagnosis on software/hardware issues on Apple products and free loans of equipment such as projectors and iPhone charges etc.

Other Apple Premium Resellers in Singapore include Nubox (at Jurong Point) and iStudio (at a few locations). The list of resellers and their locations/tel can be found here.

(more…)

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HDR Toning in Photoshop CS5 (Part 2)

Monday, May 24th, 2010
Monochromatic High Contrast Preset - a few black and white HDR Toning effects are included in the Presets

Monochromatic High Contrast Preset - a few black and white HDR Toning effects are included in the Presets

Photorealistic High Contrast - I like the few high contrast HDR toning effects.

Photorealistic High Contrast Preset - I like the few high contrast HDR toning effects available.

Photorealistic Preset

Photorealistic Preset

Surrealistic High Contrast effect - I like the few high contrast presets available.

Surrealistic High Contrast effect

Using the “Local Adaptation” Method, there are 14 Presets available that gives a whole spectrum of different HDR Toning effects. I have included above the results of a few of my favourite presets.

(more…)

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New HDR Toning feature in Photoshop CS5 (Part 1)

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010
HDR-like effect applied to a single snapshot

HDR-like effect applied to a single snapshot

Ever saw those surrealistic digital photographs of landscapes that are so rich in colours? These High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos are getting more popular due to the ease in producing them – with the proliferation of powerful software that combine bracketed shots of a scene at different exposures into a single photo.

Original dull photo with overexposed skies and underexposed foreground

Original dull photo with overexposed skies and underexposed foreground

The process allows much more detail to be displayed in a single photo than is normally possible, through the clever tone mapping of the colours in the photo. As a result, what little details are left from blown-out highlights and murky shadows are rescued and made more discernible.

HDR Toning using Equalize Method - no controls are available

HDR Toning using Equalize Method

What if you weren’t able to bracket the shot, or you have an old jpeg that wasn’t bracketed but still wants the same eerie and otherworldly effect? Photoshop CS5 has a new HDR Toning feature that can fake simulate the look, even if you only have a single exposure.

I tried it out and found the result rather impressive.

(more…)

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Posted in Howtos, Photoshop, Software, Tech news | 1 Comment »

Apple gaining ground in fight over Flash

Friday, May 21st, 2010

Ben Worthen reports in the Wall Street Journal that:

The punches that Apple Inc. is throwing in its fight against Adobe Systems Inc. are beginning to land, prompting some companies to shift away from Adobe’s video and animation technology and forcing Web designers to work with competing standards.

A US$226 billion behemoth versus US$17.3 billion Adobe – no surprises on who’s going to prevail.

For the moment, the immediate tactical fight is over Flash on iPhones/iPads. For the longer term, the strategic posturing sees Apple defending its sealed garden, while Flash fears the migration away from Flash will spill over outside of Apple’s ecosystem into the general world wide web.

Logo of Adobe Flash

Flash - Some believe it was one big reason why Adobe acquired Macromedia in 2005

We are beginning to see a repeat of the tedium facing web developers and visitors that arose from the browser wars. Different browsers had varying compliance to web standards. Web developers had to develop different versions of their websites optimised for different browsers. For websites that don’t, users will have to use the appropriate browser to enjoy the full intended experience.

Now you’d need one version of your website for Apple iPads/iPhones, and another for the rest of the world who still uses Flash.

Who will prevail?

(more…)

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C.J.P.C. Camera Grand Prix 2010 Award Winners

Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Olympus PEN E-P1: CJPC 2010 "Camera of the Year" & "Readers Award"

Olympus PEN E-P1: CJPC 2010 "Camera of the Year" & "Readers Award"

The winners of the annual C.J.P.C. (Camera Journal Press Club) awards have been released. The Olympus PEN E-P1 has won both the top awards of “Camera of the Year” as well as “Readers Award”. The “Editors Award” went to the Canon EF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM and Sony back-illuminated CMOS Sensor “Exmor R”.

Olympus PEN E-P1: CJPC 2010 "Camera of the Year" & "Readers Award"

Olympus PEN E-P1: CJPC 2010 "Camera of the Year" & "Readers Award"

The Olympus PEN E-P1 was selected from a shortlist of 199 cameras introduced in Japan between 1 April, 2009 and 31 March, 2010. This is the first Olympus camera to receive the Japan Camera Journal Press Club’s highest honor since the inception of the Japan Camera Grand Prix awards in 1984. Previous “Camera of the Year” winners include the Canon EOS 5D Mark II in 2009 and the Nikon D3 in 2008.

(more…)

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