Amicus ITS – Our views on this week’s new

Apple’s profits – The Bigger Picture

Research firm, Statisa have announced Apple’s profits amount to more than Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, eBay and Yahoo combined.  Their $47.1 billion profits are primarily thanks to the popularity of their well-designed, fashionable, mobile devices and the growing impact on the work environment.  Whilst we love the iPad and the iPhone, can Apple maintain this lead by using their design and phenomenal budgets to drive consumers to the next big thing?

The end of XP

This week saw the start of the 500 day countdown for the end of XP support, giving Windows 8 a fighting chance in gaining significant sales figures.  Although Windows 8 has so far seen a slow start, we think Microsoft’s big gamble will pay off.  As mobility grows, organisations will look to the best solution to meet their OS needs and we think Windows 8 will come up trumps.

Windows Phone anyone?

Microsoft is placing all bets on the new Windows 8 ecosystem to push sales of its phone division.  The new device comes with a similar look and feel to its desktops, tablets, Xbox and phones, in the hope that users will enjoy the experience on one device and try another. We think this is a smart move for Microsoft and predict that by the end of 2014, we may see the market share spilt between Apple, Microsoft and Google.

Security breaches enhance corporation’s awareness

In recent months, hacking has increased.  Many big names are currently in the firing line; Google, Yahoo and Microsoft becoming the latest.  As industry leaders succumb to security breaches, the rest of the world becomes increasingly concerned as to how secure their IT infrastructure really is.  Organisations need to step up their game and will look to managed service providers for help.

Technology through our eyes – Amicus ITS

Underground Wi-Fi

Virgin Media announced its offering of free Wi-Fi service for the London Underground during the Olympics. With the end of this free service imminent, Virgin Media have enlisted both Vodafone and EE (the UK’s first 4G provider) as partners.  From early next year only customers of these networks will be able to gain access. This long overdue increased Wi-Fi service confirms the demand to be ever mobile and always available.

HP and Autonomy – $5 billion write off

HP has accused Autonomy of inflating their financial value before the acquisition.  It seems that HP’s eagerness to capitalise on Big Data may have seen their governance standards slip, costing them over $5 billion. This should be a warning to other technology giants to think carefully before taking drastic steps to try and get a foothold into future technologies.

Bring Your Own…

BYOD is changing the way users live and work, and as many organisations see its steady increase, a new angle has emerged.  The BYOS (Bring Your Own Service) trend incorporates the cloud, allowing end users to introduce apps and services that allow file synchronization for the movement of data across numerous devices. Our concerns remain with security.  Until organisations are able to offer a secure IT environment, the safety of company information can’t be guaranteed.

The latest technology news from Amicus ITS

Doctors prescribing the iPad mini
A study by Epocrates suggested that 1 in 3 doctors have the intention of buying the iPad mini in the coming year. The study suggests that the tablets smaller size and lighter frame is the perfect fit for doctor’s lab coats. However, without appropriate Mobile Application Management to secure patient data, we are concerned about a expensive missed opportunity.

Nokia bringing location services to competing devices
Nokia announced they are bringing “HERE” their recently named world-class location services to competing phones running iOS and Android enabling free maps and navigation. This shows once again that we are in a war of ecosystems not devices.

4G services release go live date
Ofcom have now produced their rulings for the auction of 4G services in the UK. The white space needed, is on auction for £1.3 billion with major carriers Vodafone and O2 expected to be amongst the bidders for this 4G auction. Network operator EE currently holds UK exclusivity of 4G which gives ‘WIFI-like’ speed on a cellular data connection, enabling mobile workers to be more productive.

President of Windows division leaves Microsoft
Only weeks after Microsoft’s launch of Windows 8, Steven Sinofsky President of Windows division left the company on November 12th. Julie Larson-Green has been promoted to lead all Windows software and hardware engineering. Her previous experience is in programming and developing and she had vast input into Windows 8. It will be interesting to see how Microsoft’s strategy develops with her input, especially in the hardware sphere.

 

Amicus ITS – The latest updates in the world of technology

Google and Microsoft to take on UK white spaces spectrum?
A Telegraph report has published findings of Microsoft and Google’s growing interest in UK white space spectrum. The incentive behind their “extreme interest” appears to be so they can enable a built in free Wi-Fi service on their mobile devices. A report published last year noted the possible benefits of using white space as; enhanced Wi-Fi, rural broadband and machine-to-machine communication. Ofcom has been consulting on white space spectrum since the beginning of the year, and expects to publish an update on progress before the year is out.

Samsung SIII beats Apple’s 4s
Samsung released some impressive sales figures earlier this week, revealing the Galaxy Note II has sold over 3 million devices in just under a month. But the big news came when Samsung announced its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy SIII, had outsold Apple’s iPhone 4s for the first time. Samsung’s latest smartphone surpassed 18 million models, compared to Apples 16.2 million. However, Apple’s new iPhone 5 is widely expected to reclaim the top sales spot.

Windows Live Messenger to close
Earlier this week, Microsoft revealed their plans to close down Windows Live Messenger. Microsoft revealed that the live messaging service will be switched off worldwide in March 2013, in the hope to encourage users to engage with Skype. Observing the growth Skype has seen over the years (43% year-on-year growth in the US) has been Microsoft’s main incentive to convert customers from Windows live messenger to the instant messaging tool on Skype.

Windows 8: Apps away
Microsoft has been encouraging potential developers to produce apps for their latest operating system, Windows 8. At Microsoft’s annual Build developer’s conference last week, attendees were enticed by the offering of a number of goodies. The promise of a Surface tablet, a Windows 8 phone and 100GB of free cloud storage via SkyDrive, were amongst the offerings. However, developers biggest incentive is money. Microsoft is offering 70% of an apps selling price. This rises to 80% when an app reaches $25,000, which is a 10% increase on competitors.

Government launch Cyber Security incentive
The Government have announced a brand new scheme to help fight cyber-crime in the UK. The scheme has been set up to allow organisations to respond quicker to any threat a cyber-attack may pose on the security of their corporate information. The government is aiming this scheme at the public sector and providers of the UK’s critical national infrastructure. Visit the Cabinets Offices for further information.

Amicus ITS – A Big Week for Mobility

Microsoft release Windows 8 and Surface RT

Windows 8 is officially here, and with the release of Microsoft’s latest Operating System also came their first ever tablet – The Surface RT. Both are expected to revolutionise the way in which people use their PC’s and tablets and as CEO, Steve Ballmer explained, Windows 8 is hoping to “make people fall in love with their PC’s again”.

Gartner release top trends for 2013

The world of IT is forever filled with the latest update of information; either being important trends for the up-and-coming year or simply a passing fad. Technology research firm, Gartner, have released their top trends for 2013. The number one spot is given to the continued rise in mobility and consumerisation driving tablets in the enterprise. Amongst other trends mentioned in the survey included cloud computing, enterprise app stores and HTML5 web apps.

Windows Phone 8 launches worldwide this week

Windows Phone 8, Microsoft’s latest generation of smart phones, launches worldwide this week. The new mobile platform is Microsoft’s attempt at regaining a section of the smartphone market. CEO, Steve Ballmer, stated that Windows Phone 8 is unlike any other mobile device on the market. He states, that the “killer hardware” and “personal approach” is what makes the devices stand out from the rest. Nokia, HTC and Samsung are providing the launch phones running Windows Phone 8.

UK’s first 4G service launches in selected cities

Mobile network providers, EE, have become the first company to offer fourth generation (4G) mobile services to users in the UK. On Tuesday morning the 4G service was made available to a select few cities including, London, Manchester, Cardiff, Liverpool and Southampton. Network EE, which owns Orange and T-Mobile, promises speeds of up to five times faster than the current 3G network, offering higher quality video and audio streaming, combined with faster connectivity.

Apple has executive reshuffle

Earlier this week, Apple announced the company’s major boardroom reshuffle, replacing many of its existing executives. Amongst the names raised at the announcement included, Scott Forstall, previously Head of IOS Software and John Browett, Apples Head of Retail. The reshuffle also saw Apples hardware designer Jonathon Ives, taking on the responsibility of Human Interface in addition to Industrial Design