Apple sneak U2 album onto iPhone

From AppleGazette : Apple sneak U2 album onto iPhone

A new partnership between iOS and IBM targeting enterprises

This is a brilliant evidence that Apple now has taken seriously the professional market which was not the case before.

This partnership with IBM is a way to marry with a company which is not a direct concurrent so far, but has a very good and long reputation with professionals.

For more details, see 9to5mac

Smartphone Truths and Samsung's Inevitable Decline

A quite interresting and full analysis of Samsung vs. Apple fight in smartphones market <link>

Un laptop à un euro pour bientôt?

Un modèle initié par les opérateurs téléphoniques

Mon premier téléphone portable (un sorte de grosse brique grise signée Bouygues Telecom) était onéreux à l'achat et s'accompagnait d'un forfait non moins onéreux.

Puis les opérateurs téléphoniques, sans doute soumis à un marché de plus en plus compétitif, firent progressivement évoluer leur modèle vers une approche où le coût du périphérique était absorbé par le prix de l'accès au service. On vit alors surgir des offres où, sous réserve d'engagement longue durée, on offrait un mobile d'entrée de gamme pour un euro symbolique.

La déclinaison sur les smartphones

Le marché des smart phones semble connaître aujourd'hui le même type de mutation avec des périphériques "low-cost" toujours plus puissants associés à des offres longue durée (24 mois en règle générale).

Le "cloud", nouveau champ de bataille

Bref, ce n'est plus le plus le matériel que l'on vent, mais le service et l'accès à celui-ci. Les grands acteurs - Apple, Google, Microsoft et bien d'autres - l'ont bien compris et ont déjà déplacé la ligne de front vers le "cloud".

Google et même allé plus loin, en proposant le ChromeBook, laptop "low-cost" nativement connecté et entièrement conçu autour de son offre de service.

Alors, à quand un laptop à 1€?

A short history of smartphones - in video...

A short history of smartphones...

... in video on <link> 

The era of cloud computing

The era of cloud computing

Via NY Times : The era of cloud computing

An end to end JavaScript application with Parse and Durandal

A little test of Parse Cloud code (see Parse documentation) along with DurandalJS framework (see website), i.e. jQuery, requireJS, KnockoutJS, SamyJS and so on...
So a full Javascript solution from back to front end with a little HTML5 / CSS (Bootstrap) on top.

First glance about Parse makes it very promising. It seems that Facebook and more recently Apple already understood it.

To be continued...

iOS 8 Could Bring Surface-Style Multitasking to the iPad

From Mashable : link

So funny

Funny, isn't-it?

Apple plans ‘enormous’ iPhone upgrade event this week to boost sales | 9to5Mac

http://9to5mac.com/2014/05/05/apple-plans-enormous-iphone-upgrade-event-this-week-to-boost-sales/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+9To5Mac-MacAllDay+(9+to+5+Mac+-+Apple+Intelligence)

Apple is going green and claim it

Some months (years?) ago, Apple was bashed due to the use of non environmental safe components in their device. It seems that this time has changed and that now, Apple is putting its ecological policy as a strong selling point.

First with a little anecdotic green leave for the well-known apple logo as a reference to the earth day (today) but also by many other initiatives:

• A clear reference to Samsung in commercial ads with the slogan "There are some things we want every company to copy" promoting green energy by showing solar panels,
• A Tim Cook's video about Apple's efforts for environment (see video on YouTube),
• An article on Lisa Jackson on Wired (see article on Wired),
• A selection of ecological apps on AppStore.

Clearly, Apple took some measures to avoid a new ecological bashing and make it become a commercial advantage in the future.

A good news for the planet, obviously...

IFTTT app update brings support for push notifications, new iPad version

Via 9t5Mac : IFTTT app update brings support for push notifications, new iPad version.
I already write about IFTTT (for If This Then That) service that I find awesome. This is a new way to use it through what is called "recipes", and I am sure it will get user addiction.

Apple updates iWork for Mac and iOS with read-only sharing modes and much more

Via 9to5mac : Apple updates iWork for Mac and iOS with read-only sharing modes and much more

After Microsoft announce of Office availability on iPad, Apple answered quickly...

Apple veut toucher 40 dollars par smartphone Samsung vendu aux Etats-Unis

Via Le Figaro : Apple veut toucher 40 dollars par smartphone Samsung vendu aux Etats-Unis

So Microsoft is delivering Office on iPad. Pretty cool! But what is behind?

This was a rumour for a long time now, but Microsoft finally did it and this is not a little announce that Satya Naddala, new Microsoft CEO did there. Office is now available on iPad. And for free... or almost.

Office or Office 365 by the way?

My first reaction was "what does MS want to do on iPad" as they are doing so much effort on the other side to promote their mobile platform through Windows 8. I see two objectives there:

1. Apple is losing more and more market shares this last months, facing Androïd aggressive strategy. Nevertheless, iPad is still a credible mobile device in business market on which it address executives and commercial population. In a strategy consisting to still being a market leader in business market, this does have a sense for Microsoft to provide tools continuity between desktop tools and mobile ones on its leading suite. Helping Apple to keep its leader position in this market today is another way to avoid facing a potential massive Androïd competitor in the next year. This is not the first time that Microsoft deploy such a strategy with Apple, for those who remember 1997's Apple keynote.
2. Here, Microsoft does not promote iPad, nor even Office. If you read the little lines at the bottom of the contract, you'll see that free provided features are read-only ones. For a complete set of features, you have to buy an Office 365 license, which clearly echoes on the recent Microsoft strategy to target the cloud market that I recently observed during the french MS TechDays. What a big stone in iCloud garden by the way... and a clear response to Apple to provide a continuous suite between MacOS and iOS.

There may be several other reason for which deploying MS Office on iPad would not be a strategic mistake from Microsoft. But these two first ones seems sufficient for me. Microsoft strategy is now clearly heading cloud services and mobile devices are only one way among others to access these services. As a major actor in business market, Apple is a mandatory partner and competitor on it.

Apple lance iOS in the Car avec Ferrari, Mercedes et Volvo

Ca y est, c'est officiel, Apple lance "iOS in the car". Pas de chance pour les marques françaises qui ratent le coche. Tout comme les marques américaines d'ailleurs, ce qui est plus étonnant.

Google, lui, s'est associé à Audi, Honda, General Motors et d'autres pour former l'Open Automotive Alliance.

De son côté, Microsoft vient de présenter un pré-version de "Windows in the car" dont les fonctionnalités semblent équivalentes mais qui nécessite encore de petits coups de tournevis pour être fiable...

Toujours est-il que le créneau de la voiture "intelligente" semble bel et bien devenir un enjeu majeur de la compétition entre les grands noms du secteur.

• iOS in the car sur iGen : iOS in the car
• Windows in the car sur iGen : Windows in the car
• Open Automotive Alliance sur TheVerge : Google open automotive alliance

Apple wins 'best mobile tablet' award at Mobile World Congress in absentia

Tesla’s most disruptive product may not be its cars – Quartz

Tesla’s most disruptive product may not be its cars – Quartz.

To be continued...

Microsoft reportedly dropping licensing fees for Windows 8.1 amid competition from Apple and Google

Google and Apple definitely shaked the PC market.

Opinion: Why I love Apple products, and am just a tiny bit embarrassed to be seen using them