As technology trends and business requirements evolve, many organizations are turning to their strategic partners for help in defining business initiatives, selecting viable technologies and quickly and profitability adapting to change. Too many times, however, this effort results in the implementation of off-the-shelf products into your business environment.
At Computer World, we believe that products and services should be combined into intelligent solutions capable of addressing specific business problems. With our consultative approach, you are assured that the solutions we deliver will align directly to your business objectives and needs. Computer World has partnered with the best of breed technology and service providers in enabling solution and services areas that encompasses:
Technology Infrastructure Solutions
Client Infrastructure Solutions
Desktop Computer
Workstations
Notebook Computers
Printing and Imaging Systems
Networking Products
High Performance Scalable Enterprise Solutions
Server Consolidation
Storage Consolidation
Virtualization
Data Network Solutions
LAN/WAN
Wireless
Remote Connectivity
Wan Application Traffic Management Solutions
Microsoft Volume Licensing Solution
Volume Licensing for Small-to-Medium (SMB) and Enterprise Customers
Volume Licensing for Academic Institutions
Back Office and Productivity Solutions
Enterprise Directory
Cluster & Load Balancing
Messaging & Collaboration
Systems & Operations
Storage Solutions
Security Solutions
Database Solutions
Productivity Solutions
Oracle Database and High Availability Solution
Electronic Fax and Business Information Delivery Solutions
Storage Management
Enabling Shared Storage (SAN)
SAN Storage Management
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
Direct Attached Storage (Tape)
Automated Tape Storage Systems
Data Protection System (Back and Recovery)
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Apple bringing iPhoneOS/ARM architecture to new platforms
The Core Platform team within Apple's Core OS organization is looking for a talented and inspired manager to lead a team focused on bring-up of iPhone OS on new platforms. The team is responsible for low level platform architecture, firmware, core drivers and bring-up of new hardware platforms. The team consists of talented engineers with experience in hardware, firmware, IOKit drivers, security and platform architecture.
Which platforms? There are so many. As TiPb points out today, the biggest no-brainer of them all is AppleTV. With the iPhone OS and a Apple's own processors, the AppleTV could be made into something much smaller and cheaper. AppleTV has been whittled down to one 160GB version which hasn't seen much action lately.
But, if it moved to iPhoneOS, it could be sold for free with a small cable TV-like subsidy and be no bigger than an Apple Airport Express. Then, it could be attached to the back of HDTVs like a power supply. With the iPhoneOS, it would instantly have access to 100,000+ apps (though these might not easily translate to the TV platform) and the interface would be familiar to the millions of iPhone/iPod and iPad owners.
But why stop there? Apple currently sells its MacBook Air for well over $1000. With Apple processors and iPhone OS, that price could be brought significantly down. Most people use the MacBook Air for light Office applications, Email, web browsing and ...maybe a little Photoshop here and there. With iPad's Office apps, online editors getting better and new apps on the horizon to fill in these shoes (and for the love of everything decent and holy, 3G), it wouldn't be hard to see the MacBook Air going iPhone OS in two years either.
Two years down the road, other low ends of the Apple Mac line might get eaten up by the Apple processor/iPhone OS. Mac Mini and MacBook, I am looking directly at you. Once there is an iPhone OS running the TV and the MacBook Air segments, it isn't a great leap to expect to see it in low end Macs. The size and cost would make up for any loss of functionality by the iPhoneOS.
Interestingly, Today's New York Times piece, which had Apple spending $1 billion to build the processor (something Apple hope to reap the benefits of many times over), they mentioned that companies were using ARM chips to build servers.
For example, Apple’s coming iPad tablet computer will run on an ARM chip. So, too, will new tiny laptops from Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo. A couple of start-ups have even started to explore the idea of using ARM chips in computer servers.
What better way to revive Apple's lackluster enterprise offering than to make new micro-servers that are insanely low powered and affordable. In fact, they could take their current Time Capsule device (which currently runs on an ARM processor from another company) and beef it up for small business or 'home and family'. Then beef that up for the enterprise.
Why stop at Apple's current product matrix? Perhaps Appel is working on some entirely new products. Wearable devices? Automobile systems. Home Automation. Specialized devices for factories. The list goes on and on.
There are no shortage of short term (next 3 years) uses for Apple's Processor/iPhoneOS architecture. The application in the job listing above may refer to things entirely different to anything I've described
Which platforms? There are so many. As TiPb points out today, the biggest no-brainer of them all is AppleTV. With the iPhone OS and a Apple's own processors, the AppleTV could be made into something much smaller and cheaper. AppleTV has been whittled down to one 160GB version which hasn't seen much action lately.
But, if it moved to iPhoneOS, it could be sold for free with a small cable TV-like subsidy and be no bigger than an Apple Airport Express. Then, it could be attached to the back of HDTVs like a power supply. With the iPhoneOS, it would instantly have access to 100,000+ apps (though these might not easily translate to the TV platform) and the interface would be familiar to the millions of iPhone/iPod and iPad owners.
But why stop there? Apple currently sells its MacBook Air for well over $1000. With Apple processors and iPhone OS, that price could be brought significantly down. Most people use the MacBook Air for light Office applications, Email, web browsing and ...maybe a little Photoshop here and there. With iPad's Office apps, online editors getting better and new apps on the horizon to fill in these shoes (and for the love of everything decent and holy, 3G), it wouldn't be hard to see the MacBook Air going iPhone OS in two years either.
Two years down the road, other low ends of the Apple Mac line might get eaten up by the Apple processor/iPhone OS. Mac Mini and MacBook, I am looking directly at you. Once there is an iPhone OS running the TV and the MacBook Air segments, it isn't a great leap to expect to see it in low end Macs. The size and cost would make up for any loss of functionality by the iPhoneOS.
Interestingly, Today's New York Times piece, which had Apple spending $1 billion to build the processor (something Apple hope to reap the benefits of many times over), they mentioned that companies were using ARM chips to build servers.
For example, Apple’s coming iPad tablet computer will run on an ARM chip. So, too, will new tiny laptops from Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo. A couple of start-ups have even started to explore the idea of using ARM chips in computer servers.
What better way to revive Apple's lackluster enterprise offering than to make new micro-servers that are insanely low powered and affordable. In fact, they could take their current Time Capsule device (which currently runs on an ARM processor from another company) and beef it up for small business or 'home and family'. Then beef that up for the enterprise.
Why stop at Apple's current product matrix? Perhaps Appel is working on some entirely new products. Wearable devices? Automobile systems. Home Automation. Specialized devices for factories. The list goes on and on.
There are no shortage of short term (next 3 years) uses for Apple's Processor/iPhoneOS architecture. The application in the job listing above may refer to things entirely different to anything I've described
Mozilla works on Firefox Home app for the iPhone
Mozilla is working on an iPhone application called Home that will let users access their desktop Firefox browsing history, bookmarks and the tabs from their most recent browser session, the company
Firefox Home relies on Mozilla Sync, a service that synchronizes personal information such as bookmarks and browsing history between two desktop browsers equipped with the Sync add-on. By installing Firefox Home on their iPhone, Sync users can also access their browser data when away from their desktop, according to Mozilla.
The Home application also includes Mozilla's so-called Awesome Bar, which lets users start typing any term and then uses an autocomplete function to find possible matching sites from the browsing history.
Firefox Home will also work on the iPad as is, but it is not optimized for the tablet, Mozilla said.
The application isn't a full browser, using the iPhone's native browser to open Web sites.
Mozilla said it has no plans to develop a full-fledged mobile browser for the iPhone, due to constraints with the iPhone OS environment. Firefox depends on its own rendering engine and JavaScript interpreter, and browsers on the iPhone must use Apple's own JavaScript engine, according to a Mozilla Wiki.
In March, Mozilla also decided to stop development of a version of its Firefox mobile Web browser for phones running Windows Mobile, due to the lack of support for native applications.
A version of Firefox for Android is in early development.
Mozilla plans to submit the Firefox Home to the iPhone App Store in June, but has no way of telling whether Apple will approve the application.
The fastest computer in the world
The fastest computer in the world is much faster than that, and it is sitting right on top of your shoulders! The human brain is an amazing computing device and the fastest processor available right now. Let me give you an example:
Your desktop computer is just starting to get to the point where it can "understand" speech and take dictation, translating spoken words into written words. It can only understand one speaker, and that speaker has to train it for about 20 minutes, and the dictation software will still make a lot of mistakes. So 100 million instructions per second can barely handle dictation.
Your brain, on the other hand, can understand any number of speakers. It needs no training and will make zero mistakes. It may even be able to understand multiple languages! And the speech processing portion of your brain is just one small part of the whole package -- your brain can also process complex visual images, control your entire body, understand conceptual problems and create new ideas. Your brain is made up of about one trillion cells with 100 trillion connections between those cells. We might take a rough estimate and say it is handling 10 quadrillion instructions per second, but it really is hard to say.
In the 2006 TOP500 list, which ranks supercomputers by speed, the top three supercomputers are as follows:
1. IBM's BlueGene/L - 360 teraflops
2. IBM's BGW - 115 teraflops
3. IBM's ASC Purple - 93 teraflops
Another supercomputer called MDGrape-3, built by the Japanese company RIKEN, has a theoretical maximum speed of 1 petaflop (1 guadrillion operations per second), which is three times faster than the BlueGene/L. But MDGrape-3 can't run the official ranking software of the TOP500 list, so BlueGene/L remains at the top of the list at 360 trillion operations per second, which is pretty fast...but it's still not as fast as your brain.
Your desktop computer is just starting to get to the point where it can "understand" speech and take dictation, translating spoken words into written words. It can only understand one speaker, and that speaker has to train it for about 20 minutes, and the dictation software will still make a lot of mistakes. So 100 million instructions per second can barely handle dictation.
Your brain, on the other hand, can understand any number of speakers. It needs no training and will make zero mistakes. It may even be able to understand multiple languages! And the speech processing portion of your brain is just one small part of the whole package -- your brain can also process complex visual images, control your entire body, understand conceptual problems and create new ideas. Your brain is made up of about one trillion cells with 100 trillion connections between those cells. We might take a rough estimate and say it is handling 10 quadrillion instructions per second, but it really is hard to say.
In the 2006 TOP500 list, which ranks supercomputers by speed, the top three supercomputers are as follows:
1. IBM's BlueGene/L - 360 teraflops
2. IBM's BGW - 115 teraflops
3. IBM's ASC Purple - 93 teraflops
Another supercomputer called MDGrape-3, built by the Japanese company RIKEN, has a theoretical maximum speed of 1 petaflop (1 guadrillion operations per second), which is three times faster than the BlueGene/L. But MDGrape-3 can't run the official ranking software of the TOP500 list, so BlueGene/L remains at the top of the list at 360 trillion operations per second, which is pretty fast...but it's still not as fast as your brain.
IPad rivals slated for unveiling at Computex
The Computex Taipei electronics show will celebrate its 30th anniversary when it opens next Tuesday, and will highlight several new tablet computers hoping to compete against Apple's iPad as well as a slew of other electronic gadgets.
Companies also plan to display a number of new gadgets aimed at Internet connectivity and mobility, as well as e-readers, laptops, netbooks, all-in-one desktop computers and 3D (3-dimensional) displays including glasses-free 3D digital signs and photo frames.
People are watching the show closely to see which operating system wins out at Computex. So far, Asustek Computer and Micro-Star International (MSI) have revealed plans to unveil tablets running Microsoft Windows 7 at Computex, despite showing off prototype tablets running Google's Android mobile software earlier this year.
Acer, the world's second largest PC vendor, showed off a prototype tablet with a 7-inch screen running Android at a press conference in Beijing this week, but did not say if it would also be shown at Computex or when it might be launched on global markets.
Computex is an important battleground for companies because products displayed at the exhibition are normally on store shelves by the end of the year, and often shortly after the show ends.
The location of the trade show, Taiwan, is also the center of the computer manufacturing industry, and global technology companies often turn to Taiwanese companies with new technologies they hope to promote to the PC industry.
Roy Chen, worldwide mobile computing ODM manager at chip developer Arm Holdings, predicts numerous Android devices, from smartphones to TV set-top-boxes, will be on display at Computex this year, as well as Google's Cloud-focused Chrome OS. "The hottest story at Computex would be Android tablets from many of the top major manufacturers," he said in a blog posting on Thursday.
Like many chip makers, Arm often gains an inside view of products its chips are being used in due to partnership programs and engineering support.
About a dozen other tablet computers are expected at the show, boasting numerous OSs and chips from companies including Intel, Arm and Via Technologies.
Computex's organizers say 1,715 manufacturers will peddle their wares at Computex this year, with a strong showing from global PC industry giants Microsoft and Intel. Exhibitors will take up 4,861 booths at Taipei's World Trade Center and Nangang Exhibition Hall.
Microsoft expects around 60 global hardware makers to display hundreds of new products using its Windows OSs, including smartphones, tablets, all-in-ones and netbooks, the company said.
Companies also plan to display a number of new gadgets aimed at Internet connectivity and mobility, as well as e-readers, laptops, netbooks, all-in-one desktop computers and 3D (3-dimensional) displays including glasses-free 3D digital signs and photo frames.
People are watching the show closely to see which operating system wins out at Computex. So far, Asustek Computer and Micro-Star International (MSI) have revealed plans to unveil tablets running Microsoft Windows 7 at Computex, despite showing off prototype tablets running Google's Android mobile software earlier this year.
Acer, the world's second largest PC vendor, showed off a prototype tablet with a 7-inch screen running Android at a press conference in Beijing this week, but did not say if it would also be shown at Computex or when it might be launched on global markets.
Computex is an important battleground for companies because products displayed at the exhibition are normally on store shelves by the end of the year, and often shortly after the show ends.
The location of the trade show, Taiwan, is also the center of the computer manufacturing industry, and global technology companies often turn to Taiwanese companies with new technologies they hope to promote to the PC industry.
Roy Chen, worldwide mobile computing ODM manager at chip developer Arm Holdings, predicts numerous Android devices, from smartphones to TV set-top-boxes, will be on display at Computex this year, as well as Google's Cloud-focused Chrome OS. "The hottest story at Computex would be Android tablets from many of the top major manufacturers," he said in a blog posting on Thursday.
Like many chip makers, Arm often gains an inside view of products its chips are being used in due to partnership programs and engineering support.
About a dozen other tablet computers are expected at the show, boasting numerous OSs and chips from companies including Intel, Arm and Via Technologies.
Computex's organizers say 1,715 manufacturers will peddle their wares at Computex this year, with a strong showing from global PC industry giants Microsoft and Intel. Exhibitors will take up 4,861 booths at Taipei's World Trade Center and Nangang Exhibition Hall.
Microsoft expects around 60 global hardware makers to display hundreds of new products using its Windows OSs, including smartphones, tablets, all-in-ones and netbooks, the company said.
AMD makes market gains at Intel's expense
Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) grabbed a bigger piece of the global market in the fourth quarter of 2009.
And AMD's advance came at the expense of rival Intel Corp., research company iSuppli Corp. reported today. However, Intel still holds a substantial lead over its rival.
AMD, in the final quarter of 2009, accounted for 12.1% of the global microprocessor market, gaining 1.6% of market share from the same period in 2008, iSuppli noted. AMD also gained 0.28% over its market share during the previous quarter.
The company's gains are notable because they appear to have come at the expense of its biggest rival, Intel.
Intel had 80.6% of the global microprocessor market in the fourth quarter of the year, according to iSuppli, losing 1% compared to the same quarter of 2008. Intel did show a slight gain, up 0.1% from its market share in the third quarter of 2009.
"For the full year of 2009, the market share situation was somewhat more balanced with AMD and Intel picking up two-tenths and three-tenths of a percent of share, respectively, in 2009 compared to 2008," said Matthew Wilkins, a principal analyst at iSuppli, in a written statement. "This is an interesting development because PC average selling prices dropped significantly during the course of 2009, especially for notebooks. So, the fact that AMD and Intel virtually maintained their market share at the annual level shows that neither supplier was overly punished by the dropping [prices]."
It also means that neither Intel nor AMD could capitalize on the situation, he said.
Industry analysts are optimistic that the entire chip market will see an upswing in 2010, possibly putting the economic turbulence of the last several years behind it.
Late in January, analyst firm IDC reported that PC chip shipments in the last quarter of 2009 indicated that the market was on its way back after the recession.
Based on its increased optimism, IDC said it had raised its 2010 forecast for growth in PC processor unit shipments to 15.1% compared to 2009.
Last fall, Gartner Inc. predicted that global semiconductor revenue would rebound in 2010 after sales declines of more than 10% in 2009. Gartner predicted that 2010 worldwide semiconductor revenue would hit $255 billion, up 13% from 2009 and about the same as 2008.
And AMD's advance came at the expense of rival Intel Corp., research company iSuppli Corp. reported today. However, Intel still holds a substantial lead over its rival.
AMD, in the final quarter of 2009, accounted for 12.1% of the global microprocessor market, gaining 1.6% of market share from the same period in 2008, iSuppli noted. AMD also gained 0.28% over its market share during the previous quarter.
The company's gains are notable because they appear to have come at the expense of its biggest rival, Intel.
Intel had 80.6% of the global microprocessor market in the fourth quarter of the year, according to iSuppli, losing 1% compared to the same quarter of 2008. Intel did show a slight gain, up 0.1% from its market share in the third quarter of 2009.
"For the full year of 2009, the market share situation was somewhat more balanced with AMD and Intel picking up two-tenths and three-tenths of a percent of share, respectively, in 2009 compared to 2008," said Matthew Wilkins, a principal analyst at iSuppli, in a written statement. "This is an interesting development because PC average selling prices dropped significantly during the course of 2009, especially for notebooks. So, the fact that AMD and Intel virtually maintained their market share at the annual level shows that neither supplier was overly punished by the dropping [prices]."
It also means that neither Intel nor AMD could capitalize on the situation, he said.
Industry analysts are optimistic that the entire chip market will see an upswing in 2010, possibly putting the economic turbulence of the last several years behind it.
Late in January, analyst firm IDC reported that PC chip shipments in the last quarter of 2009 indicated that the market was on its way back after the recession.
Based on its increased optimism, IDC said it had raised its 2010 forecast for growth in PC processor unit shipments to 15.1% compared to 2009.
Last fall, Gartner Inc. predicted that global semiconductor revenue would rebound in 2010 after sales declines of more than 10% in 2009. Gartner predicted that 2010 worldwide semiconductor revenue would hit $255 billion, up 13% from 2009 and about the same as 2008.
Intel releases new Core chips for overclockers
Intel released new Core i5 and Core i7 desktop processors on Friday that can be overclocked, giving users the flexibility to ramp up the clock speed to boost application performance.
The new chips include the quad-core Core i7-875K processor, which runs at 2.93GHz, and the dual-core Core i5-655K, which runs at 3.2GHz.
Intel is trying to bring flexibility into its chip offerings from which users can benefit, said Dan Snyder, an Intel spokesman. PC makers have been asking for unlocked chips, Snyder said.
The Core i7-875K includes 8MB of cache and can run at speeds of up to 3.6GHz. The chip is made using the older 45-nanometer process and draws 95 watts of power. It is priced at $342.
The Core i5-655K includes 4MB of cache and can run at speeds of up to 3.46GHz. The chip is made using the current 32-nanometer process and draws 73 watts of power. It is priced at $216.
The processors integrate memory controllers and are able to run two threads per core simultaneously, which helps boost application performance. The chips are available worldwide, and companies including Asustek Computer and MSI are offering motherboards for the processors.
The new chips come ahead of the Computex trade show next week in Taipei, where Intel is expected to make new chip announcements.
The new chips include the quad-core Core i7-875K processor, which runs at 2.93GHz, and the dual-core Core i5-655K, which runs at 3.2GHz.
Intel is trying to bring flexibility into its chip offerings from which users can benefit, said Dan Snyder, an Intel spokesman. PC makers have been asking for unlocked chips, Snyder said.
The Core i7-875K includes 8MB of cache and can run at speeds of up to 3.6GHz. The chip is made using the older 45-nanometer process and draws 95 watts of power. It is priced at $342.
The Core i5-655K includes 4MB of cache and can run at speeds of up to 3.46GHz. The chip is made using the current 32-nanometer process and draws 73 watts of power. It is priced at $216.
The processors integrate memory controllers and are able to run two threads per core simultaneously, which helps boost application performance. The chips are available worldwide, and companies including Asustek Computer and MSI are offering motherboards for the processors.
The new chips come ahead of the Computex trade show next week in Taipei, where Intel is expected to make new chip announcements.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)