Tuesday, 10 March 2015

Zuckerberg Reveals His One Rule When Hiring!

                            Mark Zuckerberg attendes Mobile World Congress 2015+
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has revealed the one rule he uses when hiring staff.
Asked what he looks for in a prospective employee, the social network's founder said: "I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person.
"It's a pretty good test and I think this rule has served me well."
He added: "Facebook is not a company for everyone in the world."
The entrepreneur, who is worth around $35bn (£22.9bn), was speaking at a question-and-answer session at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Facebook is one of the toughest technology companies to get hired by because it has a relatively small staff compared with other Silicon Valley firms.
Mr Zuckerberg said: "The most important thing is to keep your team as small as possible.
"Facebook serves more than a billion people around the world but our team has fewer than 10,000 people. It's only possible because of modern technology. Big companies get bloated."
Among those hand-picked to work at the company by Mr Zuckerberg is Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer.
He told the audience he considered her a mentor who had helped him create a "healthy organisation".

Apple launches 'thinnest, lightest' MacBook ever

Apple has launched an updated MacBook which it claims is the “thinnest, lightest and most beautiful” notebook that it has ever made.
At its thickest point the machine is just 13.1mm deep - 24 per cent thinner than the existing 11-inch MacBook Air - and new battery technology provides a claimed nine hours.
The new laptop is smaller and thinner than the existing MacBook and also claims to be the most environmentally friendly machine it has ever produced.
Speaking at Apple's Watch launch event in San Francisco on Monday evening, Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, claimed that it was the “world’s most energy-efficient notebook”.
For the first time the entire case is made of metal and it features a single cable socket which combines several different technologies including charging and HDMI.
This combined connector is called USB-C and Apple says it will be seen on more products soon, including those from other manufacturers.
Other innovations include the trackpad which does not physically click, like existing models, but uses a "taptic feedback" device to produce the sensation of clicking.
Force sensors hidden underneath also allow different actions to be performed depending on how hard the user presses - video playback can be made to speed up when a button is pressed harder, for instance.
The 12-inch laptop manages to squeeze in a 2,304 by 1,440 resolution.
It's powered by a 1.1GHz Intel processor, with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB flash hard disk.
The all-new MacBook will begin shipping Friday April 10 for £1,049.
It can also be upgraded to a 1.2 GHz processor and 512GB of flash storage for £1,299.
It will come in silver, “space grey” and gold.

Apple Watch specifications and pricing

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., unveils the Apple Watch

Apple’s much-anticipated Watch Sport, standard Watch and Watch Edition will go on sale in the UK on April 24, Apple has announced, and will be available for pre-order from April 10 with prices starting from £299, £479 and £8,000 respectively - ranging up to £13,500.
Apple revealed the pricing and availability details at its 'Spring Forward' media event in California, where it also announced that the Apple Watch will deliver up to 18 hours of battery life, and can be used to make and receive calls via an iPhone.
“Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology and we think our customers are going to love it,” said Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook.
“We can’t wait for people to start wearing Apple Watch to easily access information that matters, to interact with the world, and to live a better day by being more aware of their daily activity than ever before.”
The company also unveiled a 12-inch MacBook Pro and software framekit ResearchKit.
Apple Watch
Processor: Apple S1
Display: 272 x 340 pixels (38mm ver.), 312 x 390 pixels (42mm ver.)
Software: Watch OS
Size: 21.2mm x 26.5mm x 33.5mm (38mm ver.), 24.3mm x 30.5mm x 39mm (42mm ver.) 
Screen coating: Sapphire crystal
Case material: anodized 7000 series aluminum (silver or gray)
Connectivity: NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate, barometer
Price: from £479, up to £949 depending on choice of case and band
Apple Watch Sport
Processor: Apple S1
Display: 272 x 340 pixels (28mm ver.), 312 x 390 pixels (42mm ver.)
Software: Watch OS
Size: 21.2mm x 26.5mm x 33.5mm (38mm ver.), 24.3mm x 30.5mm x 39mm (42mm ver.)
Screen coating: Strengthened Ion-X glass
Case material: stainless steel (polished or black)
Connectivity: NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate, barometer
Price: £299 (38mm), £399 (42mm)
Apple Watch Edition
Processor: Apple S1
Display: 272 x 340 pixels (28mm ver.), 312 x 390 pixels (42mm ver.)
Software: Watch OS
Size: 21.2mm x 26.5mm x 33.5mm (38mm ver.), 24.3mm x 30.5mm x 39mm (42mm ver.)
Screen coating: Sapphire crystal
Case material: 18-karat gold (yellow gold or rose gold)
Connectivity: NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate, barometer
Price: from £8,000

Monday, 9 March 2015

Apple One-port laptop!

Tim Cook with laptop

The company added that it was its thinnest laptop to date, measuring 13.1mm (0.52in) at its thickest point, thanks in part to it no longer needing an internal fan.
It is also Apple's first laptop to provide vibration feedback via its trackpad, and be sold in a gold-coloured option.
However, it only features a single port - called USB-C - which it uses to provide the machine with power, data and output to an exterior monitor or TV.
The firm suggested that users could also use Bluetooth and wi-fi to link the machine to other kit, but some users are likely to miss the ability to easily connect older peripherals such as an external hard disk or mouse.
The basic version will cost $1,299 (£1,049 in the UK), making it a mid-range model for the company.
The US firm also unveiled a new software product - called ResearchKit - for its iPhones that can be used by medical researchers to gather data from volunteers without the information ever being shared with Apple itself.
Apple revealed that the University of Oxford had already developed an app using the facility to help it investigate the causes of heart disease and New York's Mount Sinai hospital is using it to study irritants that might cause asthma.
MacBook USB-C port

Apple Watch prices and apps revealed

Apple Watch

Apple's smartwatch collection will range in price from $349 to $17,000 (£299 to £13,500 in the UK) depending on the metals they are made from and the straps they are bought with.
The larger 42mm (1.7in) models of the Watch will cost about $50 more than than the 38mm (1.5in) versions in the lower-priced ranges.
Apple also revealed that the devices are due to go on sale on 24 April.
Rivals' smartwatches have only seen limited sales to date.
A press event held in San Francisco held few surprises about the wearable tech beyond the fact that the mid-range stainless steel edition would start at $549 and go up to $1,099 in the US, and from £479 to £949 in the UK including VAT.
There had been speculation that Apple would seek a bigger price gap between the model and the basic aluminium-based Sport-branded version - something that would have restricted its appeal.
"Apple's pricing demonstrates the confidence it has in the new Apple Watch's functionality, design and consumer appeal," commented Ian Fogg from the consultants IHS.
Apple's website lists a total of 38 models, which might pose a challenge to how it markets them.
Same specs
The US firm did not announce any difference in specifications between the aluminium, steel and gold-cased versions - there had been speculation that the higher-end editions might have more storage or allow some of their parts to be upgraded at a later point.
"When there were estimates of $700 or $800 for the basic stainless steel versions, I would have expected more than just a difference in materials," said James Moar from Juniper Research.
"The fact Apple hasn't done that is why there is no justification for a higher price."
Apple Watch

Apple will make its smartwatches available for pre-order from 10 April on its website
Apple's chief executive Tim Cook said the Watch would typically last owners 18 hours between charges, providing a day's worth of use.
The firm added that thousands of new apps had already been developed for the Watch ahead of it going on sale.
The social networks Facebook and Instagram, the car pick-up service Uber and the Chinese messaging app WeChat are among those confirmed to have developed software for the device.
Apple also highlighted that its wrist-worn device could be used to make touchless payments and receive phone calls.
Other functions demonstrated by Apple included:
  • using the Watch as a means to open a compatible hotel room lock as an alternative to a key card
  • checking the name of a song via the app Shazam
  • opening an internet-connected garage door remotely
"What was very clear is that disruption will not come from specific features that Apple will bring to the watch, but by enabling developers to add value through their apps," commented Franciso Jeronimo, an analyst at IDC.
"In the end, similar to a smartphone or a tablet, what will make smartwatches relevant are the apps available. And what will make them appealing is the design and the quality of the hardware that runs those apps."
Loyal super-fans
To provide many of its functions - including GPS tracking, receiving phone calls and transmitting messages - the Watch requires its owner to have an iPhone 5 or more recent Apple handset, limiting its potential audience.
Even so, one expert believes sales will be strong - at least initially.
"Apple will unquestionably sell millions of these watches because there's pent-up demand from the loyal super-fans who will buy almost any Apple product," said Ben Wood from the tech advisory firm CCS Insight.
"Even if this merely told the time they would deliver that first chunk of sales. But the challenge is how you get ordinary iPhone owners to buy the smartwatch, because to date consumers have been left wondering why they need them in their lives."

Vodafone Launches Global Maternity Pay Deal

                        Vodafone chief executive Vittorio Colao

Vodafone is introducing a worldwide minimum level of maternity pay in an effort to better support and retain more new mums.
The communications firm said It was to offer women 16 weeks of fully-paid maternity leave, plus full pay for a 30-hour week for the first six months after their return to work.
Vodafone, which employs around 100,000 people in 30 operating companies across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the US, said the policy would be in place by the end of 2015.
It was aimed particulalry, the company said, at more than 1,000 female employees every year who work for it in countries with little or no statutory maternity care.
Chief executive Vittorio Colao said: "Too many talented women leave working life because they face a difficult choice between either caring for a newborn baby or maintaining their careers.
"Women account for 35% of our employees worldwide, but only 21% of our international senior leadership team. We believe our new maternity policy will play an important role in helping to bridge that gap.
"Supporting working mothers at all levels of our organisation will ultimately result in better decisions, a better culture and a deeper understanding of our customers' needs."
Its policy was inspired by research is commissioned showing that global businesses could save a combined £12.5bn annually by providing 16 weeks of fully-paid maternity leave.
It found recruiting and training new employees to replace women who leave the workforce after having a baby costs almost £31bn.
The group already offers a greater number of weeks of full pay to women on maternity leave in the UK and this will not be affected as the new policy offers a minimum rather than standardising terms across the world.
UK rules grant employees statutory maternity pay for up to 39 weeks, with 90% of average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, and the lower of £138.18 or 90% of earnings for the remaining 33 weeks.

Samsung breaks records with £45m push behind Galaxy S6



Samsung is launching a record-breaking £45m marketing barrage to support its new Galaxy S6 smartphone and regain ground lost to Apple.
The figure, disclosed by industry sources, is the largest ever for a mobile phone launch and is believed to be the largest for any single product in the UK.
Samsung is spending heavily across all traditional and new media marketing channels, but is understood to be especially targeting the mass audiences provided by television and high-profile outdoor advertising sites.
The Galaxy S6 is already being heavily promoted on the digital billboards on the London Underground network, for instance.
Samsung also paid for a special advert based on the Galaxy S6 launch event last week in Barcelona. It aired three hours later in the UK on Sunday evening during ITV’s primetime drama Mr Selfridge.