Business Tech

Microsoft and Apple: The roof tile analogy

Roof tile? That's over on aisle 9.

Stretch the analogy a bit. Windows tablets? They're on aisle 9, next to the laptop bags.

I could stretch the analogy even more, where the buyer gets lost amid a sea of generic Spanish roof tiles like Tom Anderson (the early version of Hank Hill) at Home Labyrinth.

Nobody has to ask that question about the iPad. It's front and center at the Apple store.

So, Redmond needs the Microsoft Store -- or similar boutique storefronts where its product can stand out.

This was confirmed for me on Friday when more

Google drops in on own party

Google gave a demonstration on how to create buzz for a product -- even if it's one that consumers won't see for a couple of years.

The first Project Glass products -- Google's network-enabled, computerized glasses -- are set to ship to a select group of enthusiasts early next year, co-founder Sergey Brin said this week at the I/O developers conference. The glasses will be available only to Google I/O attendees who are in the United States. The geographic restriction is for regulatory reasons, Brin said. (Different countries have different requirements for radio-frequency emissions.)

Google more

RIM shares plummet as investors worry about the future

The bad news just keeps coming for Research In Motion.

In early trading today, the company's shares have shaved off 17 percent to land at $7.55. The trading is the first chance for investors to offer up their opinion on the company's bleak fiscal first-quarter earnings that made many wonder if the end is near.

RIM's shares ended the day down 19 percent to $7.39.

During its fiscal first quarter, RIM lost a whopping $518 million, a catastrophic decline compared to the $695 million profit it posted during the same period last year. Quarterly sales more

AOL reorganizes, creates three new groups

AOL announced two substantial changes to its business this morning.

First up, the company says it has promoted CFO Artie Minson Jr. to chief operating officer. In his new role, Minson will be in charge of three new units AOL that has established as part of a reorganization focused on "driving growth and improved profitability."

According to AOL, it's business will now be aligned in three distinct operating groups -- AOL Membership, Content Brands, and Advertising.com. All three operating units will report directly to Minson. A fourth group, made up of sales, technology, communications, brand marketing, and other more

Foxconn, Sharp eying Apple big-screen TV, says parts maker

Foxconn aims to use its investment in Sharp to land orders for Apple's upcoming large-screen TV -- so the ongoing speculation goes.

The latest guesswork comes from Asia Ho Chao-yang, former president of Chimei Innolux, Taiwan's largest LCD maker, and current chairman of Chi Mei Materials Technology, who concludes that Foxconn Electronics' investment in Sharp is a play to "secure iTV orders from Apple," according to Taipei-based DigiTimes.

Ho added that the launch of an iTV would benefit polarizer makers, of which Chi Mei Materials is one.

This is by no means the first time that Foxconn-Sharp theory more

Retail sales of pricey ultrabooks up, vie with MacBook

Sales of pricey ultrabooks are up at retailers, a market research firm said, indicating that skinny laptops may be competing directly with Apple's MacBook line.

First, the bad news: the overall Windows market for notebook PC sales at retail fell by 17 percent in the first five months of the year, according to Stephen Baker, an NPD Group analyst, who published a research note Thursday.

The good news: sales of ultrabooks -- thin, light laptops that compete with the MacBook Air -- are up in the premium market segment. more

Chrome goes mobile at I/O 2012

SAN FRANCISCO--The second day of Google I/O was all about the Web as a platform, and the platform is going mobile.

Google announced the stable version of Chrome for Android (download) and, somewhat unexpectedly, Chrome for iOS. Despite both bearing the Chrome branding, they both betray the promise of Chrome -- in different ways.

Chrome for Android bears all the bells and whistles of its desktop counterparts. It's got Google's blazing V8 engine, JIT JavaScript rendering, and many of its modern-browsing features. Sync is finally smooth on Chrome, and minor flaws like the absent password sync are more

Google launches alleged Amazon Web Services killer

Google launched Compute Engine Infrastructure as a Service in a bid to offer cloud infrastructure much like Amazon Web Services. However, the effort, which is in a "limited preview," lacks the depth and options provided by Amazon.

In a nutshell, Google is allowing users to spin up virtual machines. Coupled with Google's App Engine, Google Apps, and Drive the company is building out its cloud stack.

Google's promise is that it'll provide all the access to its computing power to companies.

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Apple posts $2.6 million bond to ban Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Apple has done just about all it can to get the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned from sale in the U.S.

The company late yesterday posted a $2.6 million bond to inch closer to stopping the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from being offered for sale, according to Foss Patents, which was first to report the news. The bond was set Tuesday by Judge Lucy Koh, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, who awarded Apple a preliminary injunction against Samsung's tablet.

The posting of bonds is a commonly used technique designed more