Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Steve Jobs steps down as Apple CEO
No matter how you slice it, today marks the end of an era for Apple Inc. Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO. Jobs isn’t going anywhere immediately though. He’s been elevated to chairman of the board so he’s likely to remain very much involved with the company. Tim Cook, previously COO at Apple, has been named CEO. Jobs submitted his resignation to the board today and strongly recommended his top deputy for the head job at what has become the second most valuable publicly-traded company in the world. Cook’s move to CEO follows the board’s succession plan, and one that was widely expected whenever the day should come. The news is sure to rattle the business world at large, but particularly the mobile industry, which has arguably seen one of the most active major news months in many years. Jobs’ departure as CEO at a company that very much emits his personality and character should be tempered by the fact that he will be taking on a new role as chairman of the board, a previously unfilled position … Read more
And this, children, is how the Samsung Galaxy S got its name
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is going to ride out this Galaxy thing, at least formally now anyway. The device maker has been using the Galaxy brand name for many of its latest Android smartphones and tablets, but now it says it has a more simplified naming system in place for its expanding portfolio. Take four new Galaxy smartphones in the queue for example, the Galaxy W, Galaxy M Pro, Galaxy Y and Galaxy Y Pro. The new naming structure will group devices into five classes, identified by one letter. Further designations will be indicated by words like “Pro,” “Plus,” and “LTE.” Here’s how it’s going to break down: “S” is for “super smart,” “R” is for “royal or refined,” “W” is for “wonder,” “M” is for “magical” and “Y” is for “young.” Got it? … Read more
Qualcomm says the future is now (er, then)
Qualcomm’s Paul Jacobs believes the future of tech – in all its sci-fi glory – is already here, presenting amazing opportunities as well as serious challenges. Speaking to Om Malik on Qualcomm Live, Jacobs discussed the embedding of wireless into almost all objects, in a world where mobile phones became more of a remote control than a talk enabled device. “People will be injecting sensors into their body,” he said, adding, “it may sound like sci-fi, but it’s not that far-fetched.” Jacobs said the world of mobile was following a “natural progression,” and evolving as it moved forward. “We’re on a path now and people get it,” he explained. Speaking of some of the advances in telemedicine, Jacobs admitted that while physicians in the Western World tended to adopt new technology at a slow pace, the same was not true of the developing world, nor of the over-the-top (OTT) fitness and wellness industries … Read more
iPad shipments booming
Apple Inc. is expected to increase its iPad shipments at a rapid clip, according to IHS iSuppli. Tablet shipments are expected to rise to 60 million units worldwide in 2011, marking a 245.9% jump from 17.4 million in 2010, the firm calculated. At the time of its previous forecast in May, the firm predicted shipments of 58.9 million this year. The new projection, however, is expected to drive shipments to 275.3 million units in 2015. And yet, Apple controls a lion’s share of the market. The company is on track to ship 44.2 million iPads by year end and in 2015 the firm still expects Apple to maintain a significant share of the market with 120.1 million units. If those numbers stick, Apple will account for 74% of the tablet market this year and 43.6% of the market in 2015. “All the momentum in the media tablet market is with Apple right now,” said Rhoda Alexander, senior manager of tablet and monitor research at IHS … Read more
The AT&T/T-Mobile US merger was proceeding (slowly)
The Federal Communications Commission said it has re-started its informal 180-day review on AT&T Inc.’s (T) proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc. following the submission of additional information from AT&T.The FCC noted that as of Aug. 26, the review is at day 83 under the time clock. “We have now received AT&T’s answers to our specific questions as well as AT&T’s confirmation that it believes our record is complete with respect to the models,” Rick Kaplan, chief of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, noted in a filing. “Our understanding is that, unless specifically prompted by a request from the commission or the Department of Justice, AT&T will not be submitting any further revisions to the models.” … Read more
Women’s mobile device purchasing power
Not too long ago we heard some evidence that eReaders – specifically Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color – were being snapped up by the world’s womenfolk. Women’s magazines on the Nook platform were seeing much higher subscription rates than on Apple’s iPad, and many were beginning to prioritise B&N’s ecosystem over iTunes. Now, according to some official numbers from Nielsen, women are buying almost two thirds (61%) of all eReaders sold – that includes the Nook Color, and Amazon’s Kindle. This is a huge switch-around, as just nine months ago females accounted for only 46% of eReader customers. Tablets remain primarily male-owned – 57% of all purchasers in the second quarter of 2011 were men according to Nielsen. Smartphones proved a dead heat, with both sexes purchasing the same amount in the three months up to August. … Read more
Carriers sink money into mobile payments JV
The strongest venture from within U.S. carrier ranks in m-commerce is doubling down, if you will, on its collective bet to the tune of $100 million. Verizon Wireless (VZ), AT&T Inc. (T) and T-Mobile USA Inc. (DTEGY) are gearing up to invest at least that amount in their joint venture, according to Bloomberg. The mobile payments space is crowded. Indeed, money is flowing in to m-commerce, but how much is coming out? The carrier alliance pits three of the four top carriers against Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), the lone tier-one holdout, which has anchored its mobile-payment strategy to Google Inc. (GOOG) for now … Read more
TI boosts Bluetooth for short-range IoT, back in the days of “M2M”
In a move to bolster its Machine to Machine (M2M) strategy, Texas Instruments has announced 10 new Bluetooth low energy (BLE) profiles, updates to its BLE-Stack, and a new development kit. This includes sample applications which TI hopes will inspire developers to use Bluetooth in more future designs. The firm says the new profiles and tools should help developers come out with viable products for the “Internet of things,” faster, whilst also allowing for early interoperability testing. For consumers, what this means is a whole array of potential new wearable fitness products, from heart rate monitors to blood pressure sensors and health thermometers, all linking to one device via Bluetooth … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News’ Archives for more stories from the past.
