Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Yahoo. All have published results over the last week that have been scrutinised closely for any clue about whether an economic downturn is likely to dampen spending on gadgets and software. What they all seem to show is a remarkably robust appetite for technology spending. But who's doing best? I've extracted one significant number from each set of results - and created a chart ranking the five in order of current achievement.
1. Nintendo
$2.48bn. That's Nintendo's profit for the last year. Not just a 48% rise on the previous year, but the biggest profit ever made by a games company. The Wii effect contunues to work its magic on a business which was thought doomed to irrelevance just a few years back - and is now one of Japan's most valuable companies. Will new games continue to refresh Nintendo's profits - or will the new audience of family gamers fade away when the novelty wears off?
2. Apple
2.29 million. That's how many Mac computers Apple sold in the last three months. Which reinforces our earlier blog posting about Apple's growth now being led by Macs - not iPods or iPhones. The iPod certainly did the job of making Apple matter again - but now as sales flatten off, it's the firm's success in winning converts to the Mac OS which is the real moneyspinner. Having expanded its following beyond the cult of Mac-lovers, Apple just needs to keep the newcomers interested with constant innovation. Easy....
3. Google
42%. That's how much the search firm's revenue was up in the last three months, compared with the start of 2007. A figure which confounded expectations of a slowdown in the remarkable Google growth story - and set the scene for a week of good news about the technology economy. As we reported, the firm is now Britain's biggest earner of advertising revenue, overtaking ITV. But one small shadow - Google's revenue in its home US market failed to grow much. Is that the first sign of a downturn in the US hitting the technology sector?
4. Microsoft
$4.75bn. That was the revenue earned in three months by the Microsoft division which develops its Office software. Which goes to show that Microsoft's core products are still extraordinary moneyspinners. But that figure was actually a shade down on last year. And when I looked at the rubric which accompanies Microsoft's forecast of future earnings, one item stood out: "Actual results could differ materially because of factors such as challenges to Microsoft's business model". The real threat to its business model comes from the firm at number three in our chart - and that's why Microsoft wants to buy number five.
5. Yahoo
$27.30. That was the Yahoo share price on Thursday evening - about a dollar down on its level before Tuesday's results which actually exceeded market expectations. What that says is that the market does not believe Jerry Yang's promises of a better future as an independent company, nor is it betting on Microsoft coming up with an improved offer.
Saturday, 3 May 2008
GTA game smashes UK sales records
The title sold a record 609,000 copies on its first day of release, generating an estimated £24.4m ($48.5m).
The previous record holder was GTA: San Andreas, which sold 501,000 copies in 24 hours in October 2004.
But despite its success the game has been hit by reports of software problems and crashes on some consoles.
"The cut scene at the office is freezing up.. I get audio, but the video just freezes," wrote one gamer on Sony's PlayStation 3 forum.
The problem was originally thought to be confined to games running on the 60GB version of the PlayStation 3 sold in the US. However, other models running the game also seem to be affected.
In addition, gamers that have bought the version for the Xbox 360 have also reported problems.
"Is anyone else experiencing major freezing issues? I cant play the game for more than 10 mins without it freezing," wrote one on the Xbox forums.
The previous record holder was GTA: San Andreas, which sold 501,000 copies in 24 hours in October 2004.
But despite its success the game has been hit by reports of software problems and crashes on some consoles.
"The cut scene at the office is freezing up.. I get audio, but the video just freezes," wrote one gamer on Sony's PlayStation 3 forum.
The problem was originally thought to be confined to games running on the 60GB version of the PlayStation 3 sold in the US. However, other models running the game also seem to be affected.
In addition, gamers that have bought the version for the Xbox 360 have also reported problems.
"Is anyone else experiencing major freezing issues? I cant play the game for more than 10 mins without it freezing," wrote one on the Xbox forums.
Monday, 7 April 2008
Children flock to social networks
More than a quarter of eight to 11-year-olds who are online in the UK have a profile on a social network, research shows.
Most sites, such as Bebo, MySpace and Facebook, set a minimum age of between 13 and 14 to create a profile but none actively enforce the age limit.
Ofcom's survey of 5,000 adults and 3,000 children found 49% of those aged between eight and 17 have a profile. The Ofcom report looks into the impact of social networks on people's lives in the UK as part of a wider media literacy campaign and surveyed 5,000 adults and more than 3,000 children. Its statistics suggest that around 19% of all UK youngsters have a presence on a social networking site.
SOCIAL NETWORKING SURVEY
49% of children 8-17 have an online profile
22% of 16+ have an online profile
On average adults have profiles on 1.6 sites
63% of 8 to 17-year-olds with a profile use Bebo
37% of 8 to 17-year-olds with profile use MySpace
18% of 8 to 17-year-olds with a profile use Facebook
59% of 8 to 17-year-olds use social networks to make new friends
16% of parents do not know if their child's profile is visible to all
33% of parents say they set no rules for their children's use of social networks
43% of children say their parents set no rules for use of social networks
The three leading social networks, MySpace, Bebo and Facebook, all say they remove profiles of users that are found to be too young on their sites.
But at present no technology is used to actively verify the age of users.
The Home Office guidelines are set to encourage social networking sites to investigate age verification technologies and to give better signposting to users about privacy settings, and warnings about the implications of posting personal details.
Most sites, such as Bebo, MySpace and Facebook, set a minimum age of between 13 and 14 to create a profile but none actively enforce the age limit.
Ofcom's survey of 5,000 adults and 3,000 children found 49% of those aged between eight and 17 have a profile. The Ofcom report looks into the impact of social networks on people's lives in the UK as part of a wider media literacy campaign and surveyed 5,000 adults and more than 3,000 children. Its statistics suggest that around 19% of all UK youngsters have a presence on a social networking site.
SOCIAL NETWORKING SURVEY
49% of children 8-17 have an online profile
22% of 16+ have an online profile
On average adults have profiles on 1.6 sites
63% of 8 to 17-year-olds with a profile use Bebo
37% of 8 to 17-year-olds with profile use MySpace
18% of 8 to 17-year-olds with a profile use Facebook
59% of 8 to 17-year-olds use social networks to make new friends
16% of parents do not know if their child's profile is visible to all
33% of parents say they set no rules for their children's use of social networks
43% of children say their parents set no rules for use of social networks
The three leading social networks, MySpace, Bebo and Facebook, all say they remove profiles of users that are found to be too young on their sites.
But at present no technology is used to actively verify the age of users.
The Home Office guidelines are set to encourage social networking sites to investigate age verification technologies and to give better signposting to users about privacy settings, and warnings about the implications of posting personal details.
Thursday, 13 December 2007
'Testimony of Sir Timothy Berners-Lee
Chairman Markey, Ranking Member Upton, and Members of the Committee. It is my honor to appear before you today to discuss the future of the World Wide Web. I would like to offer some of my experience of having designed the original foundations of the Web, what I've learned from watching it grow, and some of the exciting and challenging developments I see in the future of the Web. Though I was privileged to lead the effort that gave rise to the Web in the mid-1990s, it has long passed the point of being something designed by a single person or even a single organization. It has become a public resource upon which many individuals, communities, companies and governments depend. And, from its beginning, it is a medium that has been created and sustained by the cooperative efforts of people all over the world.
The success of the World Wide Web, itself built on the open Internet, has depended on three critical factors: 1) unlimited links from any part of the Web to any other; 2) open technical standards as the basis for continued growth of innovation applications; and 3) separation of network layers, enabling independent innovation for network transport, routing and information applications. Today these characteristics of the Web are easily overlooked as obvious, self-maintaining, or just unimportant. All who use the Web to publish or access information take it for granted that any Web page on the planet will be accessible to anyone who has an Internet connection, regardless whether it is over a dialup modem or a high speed multi-megabit per second digital access line.
The Web has not only been a venue for the free exchange of ideas, but also it has been a platform for the creation of a wide and unanticipated variety of new services. Commercial applications including eBay, Google, Yahoo, and Amazon.com are but a few examples of the extraordinary innovation that is possible because of the open, standards-based, royalty-free technology that makes up the Web. Whether developing an auction site, a search engine, or a new way of selling consumer goods, e-commerce entrepreneurs have been able develop new services with confidence that they will be available for use by anyone with an Internet connection and a Web browser, regardless of operating system, computer hardware, or the ISP chosen by that user.[5] Innovation in the non-commercial and government domains has been equally robust. Early Web sites such as Thomas have led the way in efforts to make the legislative process more open and transparent, and non-commercial sites such as the Wikipedia have pioneered new collaborate styles of information sharing. The flexibility and openness inherent in Web standards also make this medium a powerful foundation on which to build services and applications that are truly accessible for people with disabilities, as well as people who need to transform content for purposes other than that for which it was originally intended.
The success of the World Wide Web, itself built on the open Internet, has depended on three critical factors: 1) unlimited links from any part of the Web to any other; 2) open technical standards as the basis for continued growth of innovation applications; and 3) separation of network layers, enabling independent innovation for network transport, routing and information applications. Today these characteristics of the Web are easily overlooked as obvious, self-maintaining, or just unimportant. All who use the Web to publish or access information take it for granted that any Web page on the planet will be accessible to anyone who has an Internet connection, regardless whether it is over a dialup modem or a high speed multi-megabit per second digital access line.
The Web has not only been a venue for the free exchange of ideas, but also it has been a platform for the creation of a wide and unanticipated variety of new services. Commercial applications including eBay, Google, Yahoo, and Amazon.com are but a few examples of the extraordinary innovation that is possible because of the open, standards-based, royalty-free technology that makes up the Web. Whether developing an auction site, a search engine, or a new way of selling consumer goods, e-commerce entrepreneurs have been able develop new services with confidence that they will be available for use by anyone with an Internet connection and a Web browser, regardless of operating system, computer hardware, or the ISP chosen by that user.[5] Innovation in the non-commercial and government domains has been equally robust. Early Web sites such as Thomas have led the way in efforts to make the legislative process more open and transparent, and non-commercial sites such as the Wikipedia have pioneered new collaborate styles of information sharing. The flexibility and openness inherent in Web standards also make this medium a powerful foundation on which to build services and applications that are truly accessible for people with disabilities, as well as people who need to transform content for purposes other than that for which it was originally intended.
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Mobile phone music services-NMT
Record labels are predicting that this month's launch of three new mobile phone music services will usher a return of rising sales after years of decline.
The world's biggest music company, Universal, is backing the MusicStation, the Vodafone service. Rob Wells, head of digital at Universal's international division, predicts the £1.99-a-week subscription service will have mass market appeal. "We are at a turning point in the UK," he says, predicting digital music sales here could offset falling CD sales within a year.
Global sales have been falling since 2000, down another 5% to $19.6bn (£9.4bn) last year, according to industry group IFPI. Although digital sales are rising fast, at a tenth of the total market, they have yet to make up for tumbling CD sales.
One place where the gap has been closed is Japan. Total music sales there edged up 1% last year. Japan's success in offsetting falling CD sales - something the IFPI calls reaching the "holy grail" - is largely attributed to the prevalence of mobile downloads.
IFPI director of technology Richard Gooch sees lessons for other music markets. He says: "There are cultural differences, and there are network differences at play so it's not simply the fact of having a mobile music service but in those countries where they have moved towards the holy grail it's generally been on the back of mobile.
"Mobile is obviously extremely important because you have the market reach and secondly, the type of demographics that are very important to the music industry will almost certainly have music-enabled mobile phones." There are already indications that mobile music sales are picking up in the UK. The Orange UK network says its music sales jumped 70% over the past six months and it expects them to double by the end of 2007.
Although prices have fallen, payment is simpler and handsets easier to use, telecoms experts still list several obstacles to record labels' fortunes being transformed.
Philip Makinson at telecoms specialists Greenwich Consulting says at £1.99 a week MusicStation brings big changes for music buyers but not necessarily for music sellers.
"Can something like this save the music industry? Well, MusicStation per se in the short term no. Because firstly it's only on Vodafone at the moment and secondly it's very cheap, meaning that the actual revenue for the music industry per user can only be quite small."
1.What has caused this problem?
2.What are they new media technology this are trying to set up?
3.How will this effect the consumers and the producers?
The world's biggest music company, Universal, is backing the MusicStation, the Vodafone service. Rob Wells, head of digital at Universal's international division, predicts the £1.99-a-week subscription service will have mass market appeal. "We are at a turning point in the UK," he says, predicting digital music sales here could offset falling CD sales within a year.
Global sales have been falling since 2000, down another 5% to $19.6bn (£9.4bn) last year, according to industry group IFPI. Although digital sales are rising fast, at a tenth of the total market, they have yet to make up for tumbling CD sales.
One place where the gap has been closed is Japan. Total music sales there edged up 1% last year. Japan's success in offsetting falling CD sales - something the IFPI calls reaching the "holy grail" - is largely attributed to the prevalence of mobile downloads.
IFPI director of technology Richard Gooch sees lessons for other music markets. He says: "There are cultural differences, and there are network differences at play so it's not simply the fact of having a mobile music service but in those countries where they have moved towards the holy grail it's generally been on the back of mobile.
"Mobile is obviously extremely important because you have the market reach and secondly, the type of demographics that are very important to the music industry will almost certainly have music-enabled mobile phones." There are already indications that mobile music sales are picking up in the UK. The Orange UK network says its music sales jumped 70% over the past six months and it expects them to double by the end of 2007.
Although prices have fallen, payment is simpler and handsets easier to use, telecoms experts still list several obstacles to record labels' fortunes being transformed.
Philip Makinson at telecoms specialists Greenwich Consulting says at £1.99 a week MusicStation brings big changes for music buyers but not necessarily for music sellers.
"Can something like this save the music industry? Well, MusicStation per se in the short term no. Because firstly it's only on Vodafone at the moment and secondly it's very cheap, meaning that the actual revenue for the music industry per user can only be quite small."
1.What has caused this problem?
2.What are they new media technology this are trying to set up?
3.How will this effect the consumers and the producers?
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
Boss takes over the road.....
The latest NMT made is all about BOSS
WHO AND WHAT IS BOSS????....A driverless car called Boss has scooped a $2m prize in a Californian race for robotic vehicles.
Boss successfully drove around an urban environment, avoiding other cars, and covering 60 miles (85km) in less than six hours, all without any human control.
The modified Chevrolet Tahoe was one of six cars that crossed the finish line, from a pack of 11 robotic vehicles which set off at dawn. The others had to pull out after crashes or other problems.
The race was organised by the US military's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) and is designed to develop unmanned vehicles that could be used in battle situations. Automotive manufacturers say the technology could eventually lead to self-driving cars.
Boss navigated around a simulated town, created on a disused US Air Force base in Victorville, in the Californian desert.
It had to deal with single and dual carriageway roads, junctions, buildings and car parks. As well as the 10 other driverless cars, Boss shared the road with more than 30 professional human drivers to simulate busy traffic.
IS BOSS GOING TO BE IN OUR FUTURE????....
The car industry is watching developments closely.
Larry Burns, GM's vice-president for research and development and strategic planning, said developing cars that drive themselves is a key objective.
"Imagine being able to talk on the phone, eat your breakfast, handle your emails, and leave the driving to the vehicle," he added.
"That would be pretty phenomenal. It's going to a big breakthrough. It's technology that's on the way to 'having cars that don't crash'."
He believes cars with that level of intelligence could be on the road by 2015.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)