Is iOS 7 "Under the Influence"? Why Borrowing Matters

I woke up today to a number of sources claiming that Apple implemented features of both Android OS and Windows OS in iOS 7, what Apple now calls “the world’s most advanced operating system.” There are those on the side of Android who have said, “Apple stole from Android’s ideas,” and there are Windows OS fans who have said that Apple also stole from Windows to create what many consider to be a major overhaul to iOS since the iPhone first emerged on the scene in 2007.

There are two sides to consider here, and I want to voice my own view on the subject of whether or not Apple “copied” from other mobile OSes in its WWDC 2013 Keynote.

iOS 7 Borrows But Also Creates

Aaron Souppouris of The Verge writes the following about iOS 7:

Apple’s new incoming call screen, which calls on users to ‘swipe to answer,’ is similar in function to Samsung’s TouchWiz, and looks just like Windows Phone 8…aren’t those ‘motion backgrounds,’ which feature circles and lots of soft bokeh, just like the wallpapers introduced by Google in Android Ice Cream Sandwich? The list goes on.

Souppouris is aware of iOS 7′s influences and acknowledges them head on; at the same time, he says that Apple is doing nothing different from other manufacturers and producers:

Taking concepts and interpreting them as your own is something all creatives do. It’s this interpretation and improvement of ideas that’s key. With iOS 7, the question isn’t whether Apple’s artists are copying or stealing good ideas — it’s whether they’re doing a good job evolving them.

While Apple’s new iOS 7 is “under the influence” of other manufacturers and other OSes, Apple brings its own style to iOS 7 with some of its icons revamped (such as Game Center) as well as its new weather app (that comes with live animations).

As both an iPhone 5 and GS3 user, I can tell you that Apple’s new weather application is one I embrace. I really like the clear design and the fact that Apple has placed the live animation into iOS 7 itself — not made it a distinct wallpaper that drains battery life, as is the case with Android. If Apple’s weather animation drains battery life, it will do so at the same pace as any other typical app — which is negligible at best.

Cory Gunther of Android Community agrees with Souppouris about Apple’s being “under the influence”:

We’ve seen all sorts of rips at Apple today. Some blogs calling iOS 7 the update that turned Apple devices into Android, and all types of crazy stuff. Yes they share features and designs, blatantly rip some off, but who cares? I don’t. It isn’t just Android. We see hints from all aspects of mobile here, and I feel like the competition is a good thing. At the same time the ‘copying’ is a validation of just how awesome and successful Android really is. So yes, I’m ok with it.

Gunther is a bit more vocal about his view that Apple “blatantly rip [ped] off” Android, but still agrees that Apple provides formidable competition against Android. I couldn’t agree more.

Why Borrowing Matters in iOS 7

But…you guessed it! There is another angle from which many have failed to view this whole situation.

Yes, it’s true that all great companies, including Apple and Samsung, have borrowed from other companies to create great software and hardware. With Android manufacturers this year, LG and now Samsung (with its GS4 Active) have borrowed IP waterproof certification from Sony’s Xperia Z and used it in their own devices.

At the same time, Apple is no ordinary company. Last year marked one of the most unforgettable smartphone company lawsuits in all of history, with Apple taking Samsung to court and suing the Korean manufacturer for $1.05 billion (over $2 billion initially). The one claim Apple’s attorneys made in court, time and time again, was that Samsung “blatantly ripped off” Apple’s designs and Apple wanted compensation for it. While Samsung and Microsoft may never take Apple to court for iOS 7, they have as much right to do so as Apple did last year.

Why does borrowing matter? It matters because Apple sued Samsung and sent the message then that borrowing matters. Now that iOS 7 has been previewed at WWDC 2013, Apple cannot send the message that “it is okay for us to copy others’ ideas without penalty” while making Samsung pay billions for its own “copying.” If one is “under the influence” and faces no penalty, then all can be under the influence without penalty. If one is wrong, then all are wrong.

In short, borrowing is okay; but it is not okay to send mixed messages about it.

Google set to buy Israeli startup Waze for more than $1 billion

Navigation app's development center will remain in Israel for at least three years.

Google is set to acquire much sought-after Israeli navigation app startup Waze, after the two companies agreed in principle to most term, including a price tag exceeding $1 billion in cash, sources said Sunday. 

In addition, Waze's research and development center will remain in Israel for at least three years as will the company's CEO, Noam Bardin. Waze will retain its independent identity both as a company and as a brand, they said.

The agreement comes about a week-and-half after talks between the Israeli company and Facebook collapsed, apparently over Waze's insistence that its R&D operations remain in Israel. Facebook had sought to fold the company's operations into its California headquarters and re-brand them as a Facebook product.

Facebook had offered about $1 billion for the Israeli company, but when its exclusive right to hold acquisition talks expired, Waze apparently turned to Google as its preferred suitor. In addition, to letting Waze keep its operations in Israel for now, Google offered all cash, as against Facebook's offer to pay half the purchase price in cash and half in shares.

Moreover, the U.S. company agreed not to reduce the size of the R&D staff during the next three years.

None of the companies involved had officially commented on the reports as of late yesterday.

Waze is a crowd-sourced, mobile-oriented navigation device for drivers that relies on information provided by its 47 million members to populate its maps.
Mapping services are among the five most-used applications on smartphones and are crucial to engaging and retaining mobile users. The key advantage of owning, rather than licensing, a mapping service is that it allows the product to be personalized for users.

Google's interest in Waze stems principally from its aim of blocking Facebook's growth. The search company operates its own navigation service that competes head on with Waze. It has invested heavily in its system, including the ambitious Google Street View database of images and satellite images.

Teaming up with Waze would have enabled Facebook, which right now doesn't have a similar product, to put the social media company into competition with Google in a key area. With this threat in mind, Google was ready to offer more generous terms than Facebook reportedly did to eliminate the competition.

Apple was also a rumored bidder, but its CEO, Tim Cook, told a conference at the end of May that the company made no such bid.

Waze uses satellite signals from members' smartphones to generate maps and traffic data, which it then shares with other users, offering real-time traffic info. Because its technology is designed for social media, Waze was considered a good fit for Facebook, analysts said.

Mapping services are among the five most-used applications on smartphones and are crucial to engaging and retaining mobile users. The key advantage of owning, rather than licensing, a mapping service is that it allows for the product to be tailored and personalized for users.

"Whoever holds the mapping data is going to be a hot commodity," Brian Proffitt, author of several books on mobile technology and an adjunct instructor of management in the University of Notre Dame, told Reuters last month. "As larger vendors acquire mapping data, businesses and consumers will discover that it's more difficult to gain free access and correct errors."

Waze is owned by a group of local and foreign investors, including the Israeli venture capital funds Magma and Vertex. Chinese investor Li Ka Shing invested $30 million in the company via Horizon Ventures in October 2011. Other invesotrs include the U.S. VC funds Kleiner Perkins and Blue Run Ventures as well as the U.S. tech companies Microsoft and Qualcomm.

Altogether some $67 million has been invested in the company since it formed in 2008 by Ehud Shabtai, Amir Shinar and Uri Levine.

Waze has enjoyed years of spectacular growth. About 12% of its users hail from the United States, and it also has high penetration in Italy and Brazil. Its user base has skyrocketed to 47.5 million today from about seven million in 2011. By the end of 2013, the company expects it to reach 70 million.

By its estimates, this year alone it will have saved users some 82 million hours of time not stuck in traffic and the global environment some 844,000 tons of carbon monoxide. The average Waze users shaves 15% off his or her driving time.

Check out the new wireless computer mouse from Audi

Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, today introduced its wireless computer mouse. The computer mouse is in the shape of a stylized Audi vehicle and is available at all Audi authorized dealerships across India.

“Now, Audi enthusiasts will not only drive their favourite luxury brand to work, they can have it on their work stations too and manoeuver their PC in style with a wireless computer mouse based on Audi cars. It has a sleek design and is luxurious from the first touch. Suitable for home or office, this delightful computer mouse lets you drive your computer or laptop by truly displaying the brand’s philosophy of “Vorsprung durch Technik”. Audi enthusiasts can bond with the brand on a more personal level and work on their computers with utmost precision and comfort with this computer mouse. Audi’s range of sporty merchandize is apt for Audi fans who want to go a step ahead in their association with the brand,” said Mr. Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India.

Sculpted Audi car body from the Audi design studio, the Audi Computer Mouse features 2.4 Ghz technology with scroll wheel and high-resolution 2000 dpi sensor with a minimum range of 6 meter.

The Audi computer mouse is compatible with PC or Mac and will be available in the Indian market for INR 5,599 in grey colour with USB interface (1.1 or 2.0).

Other exclusive merchandize available in India across all dealer networks include high-end Classic Chronograph watches, sophisticated messenger bags, sports bags, travel bags, backpack, stylish garment bag and Audi R8 USB memory stick.

Samsung Galaxy Note III, Galaxy S4 Zoom 'leaked'

 Samsung's flagship phone Galaxy S4 already has two variants -- the waterproofGalaxy S4 Active and the smaller sibling Galaxy S4 mini -- and now rumours are rife that the company is readying its another variant called S4 Zoom. Tech news website SamMobile has released an alleged leaked image of Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, which reportedly has a 16MP rear camera with 10X zoom. The image suggests a huge lens on the back and a dedicated camera key on the right, below the lock and volume keys.

Rumoured hardware specifications of Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom include a 4.3-inch screen with 960x540p resolution and 256ppi pixel density and 1.6GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM. It is said to pack 8GB onboard storage, support microSD card up 64GB and run on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with TouchWiz Nature UX. Other details about the device include Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi for connectivity and white and black colour options. It is said that this phone will be unveiled at the Samsung event scheduled for June 20 in London.

An alleged leaked image of Samsung Galaxy Note III, the third iteration of the company's successful phablet, too has surfaced online. Tech news websites TechTastic and SamMobile have leaked the image which shows a large-screen phone with curved corners and thin bezel.


According to tech grapevine, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note III will feature a 5.99-inch SuperAMOLED touchscreen with 1920x1080p resolution and is likely to be unveiled in September. It is said to have a 13MP camera on the back, support S Pen stylus and run on the latest iteration of Google's Android operating system.

Apple to unveil iOS revamp, iRadio, Siri update -- analyst

Apple's WWDC should reveal a redesign for iOS, the unveiling of iRadio, changes to the Maps app, and a Siri update, says analyst Gene Munster.

Apple will unveil a new paint job for iOS and introduce its new iRadio music service at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, forecasts Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.

In an investors note out today, the analyst offered his predictions on what to expect from Apple as WWDC kicks off. Several reports have already pointed to a redesign for Apple's mobile OS with iOS 7, and Munster sees that as 90 percent likely.

iOS 7 will mark the first change to iOS spearheaded by Apple design guru Jony Ive, and the first time in six years that Apple will overhaul its familiar interface. Such a change can be risky, but Munster sees it as necessary.

"We believe making these changes is the right move for Apple given consumers are increasingly interested in some fresh ideas from Apple around the iOS interface," the analyst said. "The risk of doing nothing is greater than the risk of disrupting the winning iOS formula."

CNET's live coverage of Apple's WWDC 2013 keynote

iRadio has an 80 percent of being tuned up at WWDC, according to Munster. By offering its own music streaming service, Apple has an opportunity to slice off a healthy chunk of that market based on sheer numbers, Apple has more than 500 million active iTunes accounts. In comparison, Spotify has 30 million users with 7 million to 8 million of them paying customers, while Pandora enjoys 70 million active users with around 2.5 million paying ones.

Still, iRadio won't contribute to a huge amount to Apple's bottom line, according to Munster. But it would be a feather in Apple's cap.

"Even if Apple is successful in the streaming music space, it likely won't move the needle for the company," the analyst said. "If Apple were to equal Pandora's [Wall Street] revenue estimate in [2014] of $875 million, it would add about 0.5 percent to overall Apple revenue. More importantly, we view the music offering as an opportunity to show consumers that they can deliver new, useful services with great experiences to make up for disappointments in Mobile Me and Maps."

Munster also sees an 80 percent chance that Apple will announce changes to its Maps app and an update to Siri. But above all, WWDC will point the way to what's ahead for the rest of 2013.

"Monday will set the stage for more measurable products over the next six quarters (iPhone 5S, cheaper iPhone, television, iPhone 6, iWatch, and possibly payments)," Munster added

New 2013 Skoda Octavia spotted testing in India

The new 2013 Skoda Octavia has made a lot of news all around the world. The latest generation of the Octy has already been launched in European markets and it is a matter of time before this car comes to the Indian car market.

It has always been pretty much for sure that the new Octavia is headed to our country and we have seen many test mules of the 2013 Skoda Octavia on Indian roads. Seen here is a fresh set of new Octavia test mule which has been spotted testing in Maharashtra.

The new Octavia that has been spotted testing wore MH20 registration plates, which is usual for most cars from Skoda’s Aurangabad plant.

Skoda is betting big on its new Octavia and people from around the world are of the belief that the new car might up the ante in the very competitive mid-size sedan segment. The new Octavia is underpinned by the much publicized MQB platform. This is the same platform that which underpins quite a few modern Volkswagen group cars.

There is a section of auto industry watchers in India who are of the belied that the 2013 Octavia will be sold alongside the Laura (the last gen Octavia) and this might continue until Skoda India comes up with entry level variants of the new Octy for completely replacing the Laura. It may be noted that the sales of current Laura have already taken a hit with the launch of the new Elantra and the Cruze.

The 2013 Octavia is considerably larger than the Laura and various international auto publications are of the opinion that the new car is almost as big as the Superb flagship sedan. This means that the new Octavia would be half a shoe size larger than the Chevrolet Cruze, the new Hyundai Elantra and the Volkswagen Jetta.

The engine options for the 2013 Octavia are likely to be carried over from the current car would get a 1.8 TSI turbocharged petrol engine and a 2.0 TDI turbocharged diesel engine. Skoda India might also add an entry level 1.6 Liter TDI turbo diesel engine variant to keep the costs under check.

It is pretty much for sure that the new Octavia will be costlier than the Laura but on the same time, the car might come across as a much more value for money proposition due to its larger size, newer technology and a bigger equipment list.

We just can’t wait for the new Octy to hit Skoda India showrooms. What about you?

Lots of thanks to Lalji Singh for sharing the pics with us.

HP launches Slate7 Android Consumer Tablet in the Middle East

HP has announced the arrival of its first Android tablet, HP Slate⁷ in the Middle East. HP Slate⁷ is affordable Android Jelly Bean consumer tablet that provides customers with easy access to Google Mobile services. 

With a 17.78cm (7-inch) diagonal screen and weighing 368 grams (13 ounces), the HP Slate⁷ is an ideal trusted personal companion, featuring a stainless-steel frame and soft black paint in gray or red on the back. It also is the industry’s first tablet to offer embedded Beats Audio, for the best-sounding, richest audio experience available on a tablet. 

The HP Slate⁷ delivers the Google experience with services like Google Now, Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive and Google+ Hangouts for multiperson video chat as well as access to apps and digital content through Google Play. 

“There is high demand in the consumer technology segment in the Middle East arena. Consumers in the region have vast consumer tech knowledge and are always on the lookout for the newest and most outstanding products,” said Salim Ziade, General Manager, Printing and Personal Systems, HP Middle East. “HP is a leading player in the PC market and has implemented similar innovative practice for the tablets industry, introducing its first Android consumer tablet, HP Slate⁷. The HP Slate⁷ on Android represents a compelling entry point for consumer tablets, and delivers the service and support people expect from HP” 

The HP Slate⁷ joins the recently introduced HP Chromebook as part of HP’s push to offer access to the Google experience.  

HP’s tablet offerings reside in the company’s newly formed Mobility Global Business Unit, established in September 2012 with the hiring of Torres. Torres joined HP from Nokia, where he was executive vice president and oversaw the MeeGo products and platform. 

Access and enjoy

Powered by an ARM Dual Core Cortex-A9 1.6 GHz processor, the HP Slate⁷ is fast and responsive. Integrated wireless allows customers to access email, the internet and key applications, while the High-aperture-ratio Field Fringe Switching (HFFS) panel offers wide viewing angles that provide easy viewing of documents, games, photos and videos—even in outdoor lighting conditions.  

The HP Slate⁷ includes a 3-megapixel camera on the back and a VGA camera on the front for chatting, videos and photos. 

With the HP ePrint⁽²⁾ application, customers can easily print while at home or on the go, and an exclusive native printing capability enables customers to print directly from most applications. A micro USB port allows customers to easily transfer files, and a suite of applications from HP spans exclusive games to productivity tools. 

HP will provide an array of simple and easy-to-access support tools and resources to help customers take full advantage of all of the features the HP Slate⁷ has to offer. In addition to extensive phone and online support offerings included with the HP Slate⁷, HP is offering customers the opportunity to expand and extend the standard product limited warranty with its HP Care Pack services. 

Pricing and availability 

The HP Slate⁷ is expected to be available in the Middle East beginning of July 2013 with a starting price of 599 AED.