With a new year comes a renewed sense of hope. This extends to all aspects of our lives. For tech geeks, that certainly means the latest round of gadgets. We’ll get a preview of what to expect in the first half of 2012 shortly, as the Consumer Electronics Show convenes next week. Then, in February, we’ll have Mobile World Congress. Between the two events we’re sure to see plenty of new smartphones introduced. Here are a few big developments I’m looking forward to in 2012.
Apple finally announced that it will be releasing the iPhone 4S – the next generation of the company’s superb smartphone. While it was expected that Apple would be releasing the iPhone 5 next, the tech giant pulled a quick one and released the iPhone 4S instead. However that doesn’t by any means mean that the newest iPhone is a disappointment.
As expected, the iPhone 4S looks surprisingly similar to the iPhone 4; however, the phone’s interior has had some serious upgrades.
The iPhone 4S is the first iPhone to have a dual core processor and graphics, and includes the Apple A5 chip – the newest computing chip Apple is offering in smartphones. The phone is also said to have 1 GB of RAM which is said to make the new iPhone “seven times faster” than the iPhone 4 according to the Apple Vice President, Phil Schiller.
One of the newest highlights to the iPhone 4S is the use of the antenna system which houses two antennas. Users are able to switch between the two antennas to obtain the best sound quality and download speeds available – apparently allowing user access to 14.4 Mbps of download speed.
The new iPhone 4S also comes with a new 8 MP camera which has the ability to take 3264×2448 pictures – a 60 percent increase in previous image size. The new camera is also able to take in more light and is much faster so iPhone lovers now have access to a legit camera capable of taking wider and more accurate shots.
While the updates made to the iPhone 4S are sure to convince many that they need to purchase it, the phone still has a few competitors. While the iPhone 4S is definitely an upgrade from the previous iPhone, Samsung and HTC have both released great smartphones over the last year and are expected to consider doing so again soon.
Any of these phones can perform a simple search through Google.com or Anywho.com, and Apple may have the market share for right now, but both HTC and Samsung are showing themselves to be great rivals. The release of the iPhone 4S may be a great release for Apple, but it is just one more strategic move in the ever-escalating smartphone wars.
Apple has released security update 2011-005 for Mac OS X.
The security update for 10.6 snow leopard and 10.7 is to fix a security issue related to certificates.
Security Update 2011-005
Certificate Trust Policy
Available for:
Mac OS X v10.6.8, Mac OS X Server v10.6.8, OS X Lion v10.7.1, Lion Server v10.7.1
Impact:
An attacker with a privileged network position may intercept user credentials or other sensitive information
Description:
Fraudulent certificates were issued by multiple certificate authorities operated by DigiNotar. This issue is addressed by removing DigiNotar from the list of trusted root certificates, from the list of Extended Validation (EV) certificate authorities, and by configuring default system trust settings so that DigiNotar’s certificates, including those issued by other authorities, are not trusted.
Steve jobs yesterday decided to step down from Apple.
This came as a shock to the tech world as Steve jobs is seen as Apple. He’s the one that made the company and brought it back from it’s near death.
Jobs says he has resigned due to health reasons.
In a email he says;
“To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.”
So long jobs, you where the worlds greatest CEO, good luck on the board .
Apple has released Mac OS X 10.7.1 with lots of bug fixes, this is the first maintenance release for Lion.
The 10.7.1 update is recommended for all users running OS X Lion and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability and compatibility of your Mac, including fixes that:
- Address an issue that may cause the system to become unresponsive when playing a video in Safari.
- Resolve an issue that may cause system audio to stop working when using HDMI or optical audio out.
- Improve the reliability of Wi-Fi connections.
- Resolve an issue that prevents transfer of your data, settings, and compatible applications to a new Mac running OS X Lion.
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