On June 11 Apple kicked off its annual WWDC. Now in its 23rd year, the highly anticipated developer’s conference reportedly sold out of tickets in just 1 hour and 43 minutes. People from 60 countries made the journey to San Francisco to join 1,000 Apple engineers at the annual event. Here is what Apple revealed today:
The New MacBook Air
The new MacBook Air line will run up to 3.2 gigahertz and see an improved graphics performance of up to 60%. The new MacBook Air features USB 3.0, which is ten times faster than the previous model – all for $100 less than before.
It’s been long suspected that Apple will replace Google Maps with its own mapping technology, and today the company confirmed that iOS 6 will feature a proprietary mapping application. Up until now, iPhone users have relied on the Google Maps application to find locations worldwide. However, over the course of the last few years, Apple purchased a series of mapping technologies to build its own application.
In 2009, Apple acquired PlaceBase, specializing in creating an API for combining data and location information. Then, in 2010, the company purchased mapping visualization firm Poly9. Last year, Apple bought C3 Technologies for its automated 3D mapping algorithms. With the acquisition of these three companies, Apple has built its own completely in-house mapping solution. Apple will preview the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 6, during its annual World Developers Conference beginning June 11 in San Francisco. Continue reading “Apple Cuts Google Maps out of iPhone” »
With so many innovative iPhone and Android apps out right now, you can use mobile to help organize every aspect of your life – where you work, where you play and how you communicate with others! We found some of the best mobile apps available today so we can share these useful tools with you.
For productivity:
The Cozi Family Organizer Android app helps you manage the entire family’s schedule in a central location where all members can access. Organize calendars, to-do lists, appointments, meetings and events so you never miss a beat.
Another great app that helps you multi-task is RedLaser (Android), which allows you to compare prices of products from hundreds of thousands of retailers including Best Buy, Amazon and eBay on one platform. Just scan a bar code with your mobile phone to compare prices locally and online. Continue reading “The Best Mobile Apps to Streamline Your Life” »
Back in April Facebook officially announced its plans to purchase Instagram for an astonishing $1 billion. This week the social media platform rolled out its own photo sharing app, Facebook Camera, now available in the App Store for free. The app was programmed independently from the Instagram team, as it had already been in development prior to the purchase of the company.
Like Instagram, Facebook Camera allows users to crop, rotate and filter photos and upload multiple images to Facebook. Overall, Facebook Camera is an improvement on Facebook’s primary app for iPhone and iPod touch devices. However, is not meant to replace Instagram by any means. Just as Google purchased YouTube when it already had Google Video, Facebook purchased Instagram to own the brand name. Instagram is truly a mobile-only offering, aligning with Facebook’s goal of improving its mobile experience. Continue reading “Facebook Shifts Focus to Mobile Apps” »
Each year thousands of digital creatives attend the SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, eagerly anticipating new technologies and mobile apps to be introduced. In 2007, Twitter was the breakout social media app that presented real time micro-blogging to the world. Location-based social media platforms like Foursquare and Gowalla were all the rage in 2009 and 2010. Last year, SXSW Interactive introduced group messaging apps Fast Society, Beluga, and GroupMe which allow for group texting, photo sharing, and location sharing. So the million dollar question is; what are the biggest trends for 2012?
39.9 million people tuned in to the Grammy awards on Sunday, making it the most watched Grammy show since 1984. What’s even more impressive is that the 54th annual Grammys received 13 million social media comments, beating out the previous record of 12.2 million set by Super Bowl 2012, and every other entertainment event in the past year. Comments on social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter centered mostly on Jennifer Hudson’s tribute to Whitney Houston, Adele’s return to the stage, and a performance by Chris Brown. Grammy’s 13 million social comments is a huge spike from last year’s 546,000.
Blackberry development firm Research in Motion (RIM) has fallen on hard times. On the heels of a dismal quarterly report, the once-powerful player in the mobile market laid off hundreds of workers and continues its attempts to compete with Apple’s iPhone and devices running on Google’s Android software.
In a market domination of Wal-Mart proportions, Apple shipped 20.3 million iPhones in the second quarter of 2011, making it the best-selling smartphone in the global market for the first time, according to a study released by research firm IDC last Thursday. This figure is up 141.7 percent from the 8.4 million units the company sold in the second quarter of 2010, earning it an impressive market share of 19.1 percent, up 13 percent from a year ago. “Apple’s success can be directly attributed to its distribution,” IDC reported, as the iPhone is now available on 200 carriers in 200 countries.
The mobile landscape has shifted considerably in 2011, with Apple beating out former front-runner Nokia, who experienced a 30.4 percent drop in smartphone sales. Although RIM experienced a 10.7 percent increase in unit shipments in the same quarter, its market share still fell from 17.4 percent to 11.6 percent in 2Q 2010.
Several factors contributed to Blackberry’s plummeting stock shares, including being slow to update both its phone lineup and its sluggish operating system, as well as to realize the importance of the massive market for apps. While RIM promised to begin selling smartphones that run its new QNX OS, currently available on its PlayBook tablet, the system is already being panned by tech authorities like PC World, who recently posted an article claiming that the new phones are “expected to underwhelm users.” RIM might also face another challenge if Apple releases the iPhone 5 around the same time in early 2012.
The widening gap between Apple and other competitors within the mobile market can perhaps best be exemplified by new reports about the company closing in on Exxon Mobil in stock value. It has been predicted that 1 in 2 Americans will have a smartphone by Christmas of this year, making mobile marketing one of the best avenues for marketers to advertise. If you’re considering beginning a foray into the mobile market, contact Blue Interactive Agency for expert tips on creating your best campaign. Blue builds mobile compatible websites, creates QR codes, ad networks and more. Call 954-779-2801 to find out more today.
