Why iTunes U isn’t seeing massive adoption by universities — from edcetera.rafter.com by Sara Gaviser Leslie
From DSC:
Apple needs to decide how big they want iTunes U to get, how much to invest in it, and how much content creators/providers can do with it. Sara makes some solid points here — and Apple needs to develop their responses/action plans accordingly.
Google Chrome overtakes Internet Explorer as the Web’s most used browser — from thenextweb.com by Jon Russell
Excerpt:
Google Chrome has been long expected to leapfrog Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) to take its position as the Web’s most used browser and, according to data from Statcounter, the momentous change of leadership happened last week. The firm’s latest figures — spotted by Global Nerdy blogger Joey deVilla – show that Chrome’s line of usage creeped to overtake IE’s for the first week ever, with Firefox, Safari and Opera completing the top five respectively.
Browser choice: A thing of the past? — from cnet.com by Stephen Shankland
Devices using iOS and the future Windows RT hobble third-party browsers. Despite some good reasons for doing so, the change could undermine browser competition.
What is AirServer? — my thanks to Mr. Johnny Ansari at Calvin College for this resource
Overview
AirServer is a powerful Mac/PC application that enables you to stream or mirror your iOS device, such as your iPhone 4S, to your Mac/PC. If your computer is connected to a secondary or alternative display, such as an HDTV or projector, your iOS device can use that display. If your iOS device allows Mirroring then anything you see on that device can be displayed on the big screen.
AirServer is the most advanced AirPlay/AirTunes receiver app on the market. Mirroring has been fully supported since version 4.0 of AirServer. No other app will let you seamlessly stream audio, videos, photos, and photo slideshows to your Mac or iOS device. AirServer gives you more features for less money, and it keeps getting better. Android fans rejoice: we now support AirPlay streaming to Mac from Android devices running doubleTwist+AirTwist.
AirServer makes history — 1 May, 2012
We’re so hyped about our latest breakthrough with AirServer that we couldn’t hold back any longer. This is something no other app has done. This is history in the making.
AirPlay Mirroring for PC is here!
That’s right. AirServer is the first and only software that can Mirror your iPhone/iPad to your Windows PC. This is a pre-release version and doesn’t yet have sound or some of the eye candy features of full blown AirServer. But it does have Mirroring. And Mirroring will enable you to take your iPhone 4S and display the screen pixel perfect on your PC. Over the coming weeks we’ll be adding free updates to the PC version to bring it up to speed with the Mac version. Exciting times ahead.
Screen resolution & browser trends [infographic] — from theultralinx.com by Oliur Rahman
The Google Drive review you’ve been waiting for — from readwriteweb.com by Jon Mitchell
Excerpt:
Google Drive, the long-awaited file storage and syncing service, launch[ed yesterday]. If you follow tech news closely, you’ve seen bits and pieces of the news leaking out over the past two weeks. We’ve tested it and we’ve talked to the team leaders. Forget all the speculation. Here’s what Google Drive actually is.
Full-sized screenshots of the Google Drive iPad app — from readwriteweb.com by Jon Mitchell
Excerpt:
Google Drive launched [yesterday], but the iOS version of the app was unexpectedly not ready. Google says it’s almost there, but it won’t launch for “a few weeks.” But Google provided ReadWriteWeb with a bunch of full-size screenshots of the app, so we could know what to expect.
Google’s Drive adds to a complicated cloud — from technologyreview.com by Tom Simonite
Excerpt:
A new cloud-storage service from the search giant steps on the toes of startups like Dropbox and opens a new front against Apple and Microsoft.
Addendum on 4/26:
Also see:
Addendum on 4/27/12:
Apple reports second quarter results
Record March quarter sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs | Net Profit Increases 94% Year-over-Year
Excerpt:
CUPERTINO, California—April 24, 2012—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2012 second quarter ended March 31, 2012. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $39.2 billion and quarterly net profit of $11.6 billion, or $12.30 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $24.7 billion and net profit of $6.0 billion, or $6.40 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 47.4 percent compared to 41.4 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 64 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
The Company sold 35.1 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 88 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 11.8 million iPads during the quarter, a 151 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4 million Macs during the quarter, a 7 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 7.7 million iPods, a 15 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.
Addendum on 4/25:
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Considerations for deploying the AppleTV in your school or enterprise — from williamstites.net by William Stites
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
We are beginning to look at using the AppleTV in our school as part of our iPad deployment but much like the iPads themselves we are in the position of trying to figure out how to deploy and manage a consumer device in the enterprise (schools to all of you).
The reason for considering the use of the AppleTV in the classroom has everything to do (for us) with AirPlay. The ability to give any student the opportunity to share what they are doing on their device with the class and demonstrate their learning is amazing — – can you say bye-bye Smartboards!
But as I play with this idea and discuss it with my colleagues there are some management issues and questions that I have…
AirPlay Mirroring & Apple TV — from Steve Zalot
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Also see:
Addendums
See:
iCloud, not the new iPad, is Apple’s real key to the post-PC revolution — from ReadWriteWeb.com by Dan Frommer
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
What makes the iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and gradually, even the Mac, “post-PC” devices, is the idea that they’re all tied together behind the scenes: Your work, your entertainment, your apps, everything. It’s not that they just replace a PC in your home. It’s that they go beyond what a PC ever offered.
That’s where iCloud comes into play.
Also see:
Apple announces iPad 3, upgrades to Apple TV, new software – March 7, 2012
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Also see:
A Crystal Lake science class uses iPads instead of notebooks and pencils.
(Peter Parks, Getty-AFP photo / February 22, 2012)
10 staggering facts behind Apple’s Foxconn Factory — from Mashable.com by Samantha Murphy
From DSC:
I’m half-way through reading Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, and this report doesn’t surprise me in the least. According to what I’m getting from the book, Steve Jobs was a task-master who drove people incredibly hard. He was also an individual who didn’t value relationships and people — unless they served his purposes. So this report is not surprising. I just hope Tim Cook can be more honest and forthcoming about things involving their supply chain — as well as all other areas involving the way Apple does business — than Jobs ever was.
As disclosure, I own an iPhone, an iPad and our family has purchased 3 Macs. I just wish all businesses could make better attempts at serving Main Street while they are striving to serve Wall Street.
