Steve Jobs’ yacht unveiled in front of family, named ‘Venus’

Several years before his death in 2011, Steve Jobs began working with Phillippe Starck on the design of a luxury yacht. On Sunday, it was unveiled at a special ceremony in the Netherlands.

The yacht that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs helped to design has been unveiled in the Netherlands just over a year after his death.

The building of the yacht was something of a pet project for Jobs and had been in the works for over five years.

Designed with the help of the acclaimed French product designer Philippe Starck and built by Dutch custom yacht builder Feadship, the 80-meter-long vessel is made with lightweight aluminum and features 3-meter-high clear glass windows as well as a large number of 27-inch iMacs on the deck. Sounds like a floating Apple store, some might say. Indeed, according to Walter Isaacson’s biography of Jobs published shortly after his death in October 2011, the former Apple CEO called on the skills of the chief engineer responsible for the Apple stores, asking him to design special glass that would be able to provide structural support for the vessel.

Named Venus after the Roman goddess of love, the unusual looking boat – whose design will certainly not be to everyone’s taste – was reportedly unveiled at a special ceremony in Aalsmeer in the Netherlands on Sunday. Jobs’ widow Laurene and children Reed, Erin and Eve were at the launch.

Speaking to the BBC about the vessel, Starck said, “Steve and I shared the same idea about the elegance of the minimal, the elegance of work well done,” while  at the same time admitting that it does “look strange for a boat.”

In Isaacson’s biography, the Apple co-founder said that despite being seriously ill with pancreatic cancer, he couldn’t suddenly stop working on the design of the boat.

“I know that it’s possible I will die and leave Laurene with a half-built boat,” he told Isaacson, “But I have to keep going on it. If I don’t, it’s an admission that I’m about to die.”

It’s not clear when Venus will make its maiden voyage, or indeed what plans the Jobs family has for the vessel, though we guess at some point it’ll be transported to a location close to their California home.

[Top image and video: onemorething.nl]

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Google Maps on the original iPhone was a last minute addition

One of the most important applications on the original iPhone was the Maps application that Steve Jobs demoed with a prank call to Starbucks. But it has now come to light that about a month before the phone was announced, no such application even existed on the device.

According to a story by The New York Times, the maps application was not at all part of the original plans for the phone. Steve Jobs thought of having the application on the phone just weeks before the announcement because he thought it would help show off the multi-touch display better.

He then set two engineers who came up with the original maps application in just three weeks before the announcement. Apple then cut a hasty deal with Google to provide the mapping data for their application. This should have been easy back then because the two companies had good relations and Google’s then CEO Eric Schmidt was part of Apple’s board of directors and also came on stage during the iPhone announcement. The last minute inclusion of Maps also tells us why the original iPhone did not have GPS, which was then added in the iPhone 3G next year.

Of course, over time the relationship between the two companies became tense to the point where Apple had to come up with another source for the mapping data (the data for the current Maps application in iOS 6 is provided by TomTom, among others) and the rest is history. Still, it’s interesting to know that the original iPhone would not have had a Maps application at all had Steve Jobs not thought of it at the eleventh hour.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Steve Ballmer suggests Surface tablet will be priced similar to the iPad

Steve Ballmer hinted that Microsoft's yet-to-be-released Surface tablet would most likely fall within the same price range as Apple's iPad.

Squashing our collective dreams of a $200 Surface tablet, Microsoft CEO Steven Ballmer implied a price more comparable to the iPad than the Kindle Fire in a recent interview with Seattle Times.

Ballmer said the “sweet spot” for the PC market runs somewhere between $300 and $800. Not exactly a concrete price for the company’s first Windows 8 tablet, but at least it’s a ballpark number — even if it varies by $500.

Microsoft’s CEO elaborates on his opinions of budget-minded tablets in the interview:

“I think most people would tell you that the iPad is not a superexpensive device. … (When) people offer cheaper, they do less. They look less good, they’re chintzier, they’re cheaper.

If you say to somebody, would you use one of the 7-inch tablets, would somebody ever use a Kindle (Kindle Fire, $199) to do their homework? The answer is no; you never would. It’s just not a good enough product. It doesn’t mean you might not read a book on it….”

We’re not surprised Microsoft is holding off on naming a specific price for its upcoming tablet. Having an undisclosed price provides a market advantage, a chance to see what the iPad Mini will cost if its released next month. Then Microsoft can release the Surface with a competitive price that truly reflects the market.

Right now, you can get an iPad for anywhere between $400 to $800, depending on which generation, storage size, and connectivity options you choose. Based on this pricing, our guess would have the Surface RT priced around the lower side of the iPad pricing. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro — aimed at a more professional market — would cap out near the high-end of that spectrum.

If Microsoft wanted to be extra gutsy, it could always undercut the iPad and price the base model of the Surface RT at less than $400, but more than $200. That way it could still be marketed as a superior product to 7-inch tablets — as Ballmer seems to want — while still being more affordable than the cheapest iPad.

Regardless of pricing, however, Ballmer seems to have complete faith in the success of Windows 8 as a whole.

“I’m not paid to have doubts. (Laughs.) I don’t have any. It’s a fantastic product,” Ballmer told Seattle Times in the same interview.

What do you think the ideal price for Microsoft’s Surface tablet would be? Do you think it will be a success no matter what it’s priced at?

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Microsoft gives away Surface RT tablets, Windows Phone 8 devices and Windows PCs to employees

Microsoft just decided to go Santa Claus on all its full-time employees. At the annual Microsoft employee event, CEO Steve Ballmer announced that each of the 90,000 or so full-time employees will be getting a host of freebies, including a Surface RT tablet, Windows Phone 8 device and a Windows PC.

This is not the first time Microsoft decided to lavishly appraise its employees. The last time they did this was when Windows Phone 7 was announced and each employee received a free device.

Regarding the Windows Phone 8 device, it’s not clear which one it would be but it’s not hard to guess that it mostly like be the Lumia 920. As for the Window PC, it could be a desktop PC, a notebook or a tablet. Engadget even has a picture sent by a Microsoft employee who received a Lenovo tablet running Windows 8.

Giving away your devices to such a large number of people has its advantages. For starters the employees are up to speed with the offerings of the company and are in a better position to show off their advantages to other people. This is an easy way to let a lot of people try out your device and thus increase your prospective buyers. Of course, it also increases the goodwill among the employees.

Of course the regular folks will have to wait till October to get their hands on any of these devices.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Viral video: Holographic Steve Jobs raps about iPhone 5

Steve Jobs is brought back to life as a hologram to sell the iPhone 5 in this viral video.

The iPhone 5 is still hot on everybody’s mind, but it seems like a lot of people (journalists, at least) aren’t sold on Apple’s new phone. If you’re among them, you may want to watch this video. MondoMedia has resurrected everyone’s favorite Apple CEO, the late Steve Jobs, to sell us on the iPhone 5 in manner similar to hologram Tupac – brought back to life to save Apple. Though I don’t remember Steve Jobs being a prolific rapper, as a hologram, he can certainly lay out some rhymes. His iPhone 5 song is pretty catchy… maybe Tim Cook really should start wearing the Jobs trademark turtleneck. Oh, what does it matter. People will still buy iPhones anyway according to hologram Jobs.

As a note, this video doesn’t have anything too offensive in it, but there are some light swearing. And if holographic, animated Steve Jobs makes you want an iPhone 5, be sure to check out our buyer’s guide. Pre-orders are starting Friday.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Tim Cook Marks One Year as Apple CEO

Image credit: Joanna Stern / ABC News

A year ago today, Tim Cook took over for Steve Jobs as the CEO of Apple.

And what a year it has been: Apple’s stock hit an all time high, it sold a record number of products, and just this week became the most valuable company in history, though Microsoft was still more valuable in 1999 when one accounts for inflation.

Cook, who has worked at Apple for 14 years and was previously the COO, had big shoes to fill. Steve Jobs was one of the world’s most recognizable business and technology leaders, and that’s not just because of his signature black turtleneck and jeans. He was beyond charismatic (just watch any of his keynote presentations), was hands-on in the design and development of all products, and was never afraid to speak his mind about competitors.

Given Apple’s year of milestones and successes, some industry analysts say Cook has shown that Apple does  not need to be led by a clone of Jobs. Other analysts say it is really too early to tell.

“Tim Cook has shown so far that he can execute to Steve Jobs’s vision,” Patrick Moorhead, president of Moor Insights, told ABC News. “The true test for Cook and Apple will come as they need to move off a specific path they were on under Jobs, or get onto a new path that Jobs didn’t envision.  I can see that time coming for Apple in the next few years.”

Forrester CEO George Colony wrote something similar in April, though he had a bit less faith in Cook. “When Steve Jobs departed, he took three things with him: 1) singular charismatic leadership that bound the company together and elicited extraordinary performance from its people; 2) the ability to take big risks, and 3) an unparalleled ability to envision and design products,” Colony wrote. “Apple’s momentum will carry it for 24-48 months. But without the arrival of a new charismatic leader it will move from being a great company to being a good company….”

Still, Cook has proven himself a worthy successor this year.  Beyond company profits, he has tackled working conditions at Apple’s factories, handled intellectual property suits between Apple and its mobile competitors, and introduced new products, including the new iPad. He is also expected to take center stage at an Apple event on Sept. 12, when the company will likely introduce the long-rumored iPhone 5.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

This is the clown that ended up with Steve Jobs’ stolen iPads

Among the items stolen from Steve Jobs' home last month were two iPads, which ended up in the hands of an unsuspecting kids entertainer.

You might think we’re teasing you about the stupidity level of the thief that robbed Steve Jobs’ home last month, snatching roughly $60,000 worth of goods from the late Apple co-founder. But seriously: Steve Jobs’ stolen iPads have been recovered, and one of it was being used by a clown performer as part of his act.

The children’s entertainer otherwise known as Kenny the Clown was unaware that he was using a stolen iPad after his friend gave the device to him. This friend, of course, is Kariem McFarlin, who is currently under police custody for breaking into Jobs’ Palo Alto home on July 17.

Kenny, real name Kenneth Kahn, said McFarlin gave him two iPads, one that he gave to his young daughter and the other as a prop for his act. Kahn was reportedly using the silver 64GB iPad to play the Pink Panther theme song and some Michael Jackson tunes to accommodate his performance. Naturally, he had no idea these devices were actually stolen until police came to his door, demanding the goods back.

“It would be like getting a football from Joe Montana that was stolen out of his house,” Kahn, 47, told Mercury News. “It’s bizarre; it’s really bizarre.”

Kahn gave police the iPads back without hesitation. Among the items that McFarlin took from Jobs’ home are a few other iOS products, Tiffany & Co. jewelry, and Jobs’ wallet and driver’s license.

As if the story couldn’t be any more strange, Kahn is not just an entertainer; he is also a former San Francisco mayoral candidate during the 2007 election, and a former mayoral candidate in 2006 and 2010 for his hometown of Alameda, California. He reportedly met McFarlin more than 10 years ago when he acted as McFarlin’s basketball coach at Encinal High School, and never saw him as “any type of menace” — claiming that he just made a bad decision to steal. McFarlin is due in court on Monday for the theft of Steve Jobs’ properties. 

“It still hasn’t really 100 percent set in for me. It was Steve Jobs’ iPad — literally,” Kahn said. “If this thing weren’t so tragic, it would be comical.”

We couldn’t say it better ourselves.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com