Apple announces "Deliver By Valentine's Day Dates"
Apple has posted dates when customers can order a device from the company and have it delivered by Valentine's Day (February 14th).
For more information, click here.
Year: 2014
Apple opens online refurbished store for Apple TV
Earlier in the month, Apple opened a separate online store category for its Apple TV device.
Now it seems that the company has now opened an "Apple TV Refurbished Store" where customers can get the device at a discount.
For more information, click here.
TIME.com: Windows 8.1 isn't ready for a Metro Bypass
Microsoft is reportedly inching closer to appeasing Windows 8′s detractors, with an update that would boot straight to the desktop instead of the modern-style Start screen.
Windows 8.1 already has an option to bypass the “Metro” interface on startup, but it’s not enabled by default. The Verge reports that Microsoft will enable this option by default in Windows 8.1 Update 1, which could arrive in mid-March. (To enable the option currently, you must right-click the taskbar, select “Properties,” click the “Navigation” tab and select “Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in.”)
Contrary to The Verge’s report, ZDNet’s Mary Jo foley says this change isn’t set in stone. While there’s nothing stopping Microsoft from changing the default settings at this point–even just for non-touch laptops and desktops–her sources say it’s probably not happening in time for Update 1.
I’m hoping Foley is correct on this one, if only because booting straight to the desktop isn’t a real solution for users who don’t like Windows’ modern interface. Without a classic pop-up Start menu, users will still have to dip back into Metro for any programs they haven’t either placed on the desktop or pinned to the taskbar. That kind of defeats the purpose of skipping Metro in the first place, and creates the same confusion for users who don’t know what the new interface is all about.
Rumor has it that Microsoft will bring back a proper Start menu–that is, one that pops up within the desktop environment–but according to Foley, this recapitulation won’t be part of Update 1 either.
Of course, you can always install a replacement Start menu, but presumably Microsoft is making these changes so desktop users don’t have to go through the trouble. If that’s the case, the transition should happen all at once: Let non-touch PC users boot to the desktop and launch programs from a classic-style Start menu, so they never have to look at the Metro interface ever again.
Source: TIME.com/techland
Microsoft to end Windows XP Support in April
On April 8th, Microsoft will end support and updates for the 12 year old Windows XP operating system.
(CNNMoney.com) You wouldn't think that killing off an operating system that debuted in the first year of the Bush administration would ruffle too many feathers. But an amazing 29% of computers across the globe are still running Windows XP, according to NetMarketShare. That makes it the world's second most widely used operating system, just behind Windows 7.
Microsoft's (MSFT, Fortune 500) plan to end support for XP doesn't mean that a third of the world's PCs will just stop functioning on April 8. But there are some very real consequences of continuing to use the operating system.
After April 8, Windows XP computers will be more susceptible to malware and viruses beginning, since Microsoft will no longer address major holes in the software. Although antivirus software will continue to fend off some malicious attacks, Microsoft's security updates provide an essential line of defense.
For Windows XP users, the best course of action is to bite the bullet and buy a copy of Windows 8. The problem is that most older computers won't be able to upgrade to Windows 8. Many of those consumers will have to buy a new PC. Microsoft has anupgrade assistant that allows people to determine whether their computers are compatible with the latest version of Windows.
For those who are able to upgrade but aren't ready to make the jump to the fully redesigned Windows 8, Windows 7 is an option. It's still on sale, offers a more familiar PC experience and will be supported until 2020.
The Windows XP impact will be felt more by companies than by consumers. Forrester Research estimates that 20% of North American and European corporate computers are still running Windows XP. But that will soon change: Forrester forecasts that only 6% of those companies' PCs will be running Windows XP by April.
That remaining 6% will predominately be small and medium-sized companies and government agencies, where budget restraints may pose a problem, according to Scott Dowling, a Microsoft software consultant for En Pointe Technologies. The vast majority of large Western businesses have already upgraded to Windows 7 or Windows 8, but small businesses have been slower at catching up.
In China, however, XP-related problems will likely be much more pronounced. About three-quarters of Chinese PCs are running XP, according to NetMarketShare.
Thousands of ATMs will also potentially be exposed after Microsoft ends Windows XP's life support. A recent Bloomberg Businessweek story revealed that 95% of ATMs in the US are still running Windows XP, and only about 15% of them will be upgraded before April 8.
ATMs have already proven vulnerable to malware attacks, and without Microsoft around to patch things up, it's going to be a slow, costly endeavor for ATM companies to get their machines updated or replaced. (It's worth noting that Microsoft has been warning them of this deadline for years.)
So why is Microsoft killing off Windows XP? The operating system has lasted far longer than Windows versions of the past, and patching the ancient-by-tech-standards OS is exhausting valuable Microsoft resources. Microsoft has pushed back XP's death date for several years after initially planning to kill it off by 2010.
To soften the blow for its corporate and ATM customers, Microsoft will sell custom support that will allow companies to receive additional security patches. But Dowling have heard reports from customers that the cost of custom support is prohibitive.
For the rest of the world, it's time to get updating.
