Apple pitches 'spaceship-like structure' for new home

The Associated Press

Date: Thursday Jun. 9, 2011 11:59 AM ET

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Its ubiquitous products have already invaded the tech marketplace, and now Apple Inc. is seeking a fitting new northern California home: a massive spaceship-like structure that will house an estimated 12,000 employees.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs made a surprise appearance at a Cupertino City Council meeting late Tuesday to announce plans for a major expansion.

"Apple is growing like a weed," Jobs told the council, adding that space restrictions at the company's existing Cupertino headquarters have forced it to rent space in smaller buildings scattered throughout the city, located about nine miles west of San Jose.

Jobs presented renderings of a proposed 150-acre campus built around a gigantic circular building made almost entirely of curved glass, with a heavily landscaped center.

"It's a little like a spaceship landing," he said of the futuristic design.

Jobs also highlighted environmentally friendly touches such as a natural-gas-fired energy center that would serve as the site's main power source. Most of the parking would be underground, creating space for thousands of additional trees on the property, he said.

Apple purchased most of the land from Hewlett-Packard Co., which plans to move out by next year.

The new site would allow Apple to increase its workforce and consolidate far-flung staff in one location, Jobs said. He said the iPhone and iPod maker also would continue to use its existing headquarters, which accommodates about 2,600 employees.

City officials appeared enthusiastic about the planned expansion.

"Now that we've seen your plans, the word 'spectacular' would be an understatement," Councilman Orrin Mahoney said. "And I think everyone is going to appreciate what clearly is going to be the most elegant headquarters -- at least in the U.S. -- that I've seen."

Asked how the expansion would benefit Cupertino, Jobs noted that Apple is already the city's largest taxpayer. If the company cannot continue to expand within city limits, it will be forced to move elsewhere, he said.

City leaders were quick to discourage that prospect.

"Apple is truly a technology of innovation, and our city staff and City Council looks forward to working with you and helping you succeed here in our community," Mayor Gilbert Wong said after pulling out his Apple tablet computer, an iPad 2, to show Jobs.

Jobs said he hoped to submit formal plans for the new campus "fairly quickly," with the goal of breaking ground next year and moving into the space by 2015.

Jobs' appearance at the council meeting, which elicited gasps and excited murmurs from the crowd, came one day after he gave the keynote address at a conference for application developers in San Francisco.

The 56-year-old has been on medical leave for the past five months -- his third in the past seven years -- to deal with an unspecified medical issue. He has previously survived pancreatic cancer and undergone a liver transplant

Read More

YouTube adds video captions

English-language video clips will be captioned automatically, in a move designed to make the site more accessible for the deaf or hearing-impaired


By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor
Published: 9:04AM GMT 05 Mar 2010

YouTube has started to add captions to all its English-language video

YouTube has announced that every English-language video uploaded to the site will be captioned automatically. The move means that Britain’s nine million deaf or hearing-impaired people will be able to access YouTube’s ever-increasing range of films and videos.

Google stressed that the roll-out of the service is only just beginning, and that the automatic software is imperfect. Video owners will be allowed to download the transcript for their content and then improve them where necessary.
Based on the technology that powers Google Voice Search, the captions will be most accurate if the video provides a clear audio track, but will, the company promises, be improved “every day”.

A button will allow users to request that existing videos be auto-captioned as soon as possible, and once they have been processed the captions will be available at the click of a button at the bottom right of the video player.

Emma Harrison, the Royal National Institute for the Deaf’s director of external affairs, welcomed the feature. “Captioning will significantly help people with a hearing loss understand video content and increase their ability to share experiences of watching those in which speech plays a prominent part,” she said.

"We believe that all on-demand content should be accessible and RNID will continue lobbying hard to ensure that people with a hearing loss have better opportunities to enjoy subtitled videos, movies and television programmes.”

Read More

YouTube adds video captions

English-language video clips will be captioned automatically, in a move designed to make the site more accessible for the deaf or hearing-impaired


By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor
Published: 9:04AM GMT 05 Mar 2010

YouTube has started to add captions to all its English-language video

YouTube has announced that every English-language video uploaded to the site will be captioned automatically. The move means that Britain’s nine million deaf or hearing-impaired people will be able to access YouTube’s ever-increasing range of films and videos.

Google stressed that the roll-out of the service is only just beginning, and that the automatic software is imperfect. Video owners will be allowed to download the transcript for their content and then improve them where necessary.
Based on the technology that powers Google Voice Search, the captions will be most accurate if the video provides a clear audio track, but will, the company promises, be improved “every day”.

A button will allow users to request that existing videos be auto-captioned as soon as possible, and once they have been processed the captions will be available at the click of a button at the bottom right of the video player.

Emma Harrison, the Royal National Institute for the Deaf’s director of external affairs, welcomed the feature. “Captioning will significantly help people with a hearing loss understand video content and increase their ability to share experiences of watching those in which speech plays a prominent part,” she said.

"We believe that all on-demand content should be accessible and RNID will continue lobbying hard to ensure that people with a hearing loss have better opportunities to enjoy subtitled videos, movies and television programmes.”

Read More

YouTube adds video captions

English-language video clips will be captioned automatically, in a move designed to make the site more accessible for the deaf or hearing-impaired


By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor
Published: 9:04AM GMT 05 Mar 2010

YouTube has started to add captions to all its English-language video

YouTube has announced that every English-language video uploaded to the site will be captioned automatically. The move means that Britain’s nine million deaf or hearing-impaired people will be able to access YouTube’s ever-increasing range of films and videos.

Google stressed that the roll-out of the service is only just beginning, and that the automatic software is imperfect. Video owners will be allowed to download the transcript for their content and then improve them where necessary.
Based on the technology that powers Google Voice Search, the captions will be most accurate if the video provides a clear audio track, but will, the company promises, be improved “every day”.

A button will allow users to request that existing videos be auto-captioned as soon as possible, and once they have been processed the captions will be available at the click of a button at the bottom right of the video player.

Emma Harrison, the Royal National Institute for the Deaf’s director of external affairs, welcomed the feature. “Captioning will significantly help people with a hearing loss understand video content and increase their ability to share experiences of watching those in which speech plays a prominent part,” she said.

"We believe that all on-demand content should be accessible and RNID will continue lobbying hard to ensure that people with a hearing loss have better opportunities to enjoy subtitled videos, movies and television programmes.”

Read More

YouTube adds video captions

English-language video clips will be captioned automatically, in a move designed to make the site more accessible for the deaf or hearing-impaired


By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor
Published: 9:04AM GMT 05 Mar 2010

YouTube has started to add captions to all its English-language video

YouTube has announced that every English-language video uploaded to the site will be captioned automatically. The move means that Britain’s nine million deaf or hearing-impaired people will be able to access YouTube’s ever-increasing range of films and videos.

Google stressed that the roll-out of the service is only just beginning, and that the automatic software is imperfect. Video owners will be allowed to download the transcript for their content and then improve them where necessary.
Based on the technology that powers Google Voice Search, the captions will be most accurate if the video provides a clear audio track, but will, the company promises, be improved “every day”.

A button will allow users to request that existing videos be auto-captioned as soon as possible, and once they have been processed the captions will be available at the click of a button at the bottom right of the video player.

Emma Harrison, the Royal National Institute for the Deaf’s director of external affairs, welcomed the feature. “Captioning will significantly help people with a hearing loss understand video content and increase their ability to share experiences of watching those in which speech plays a prominent part,” she said.

"We believe that all on-demand content should be accessible and RNID will continue lobbying hard to ensure that people with a hearing loss have better opportunities to enjoy subtitled videos, movies and television programmes.”

Read More

YouTube adds video captions

English-language video clips will be captioned automatically, in a move designed to make the site more accessible for the deaf or hearing-impaired


By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor
Published: 9:04AM GMT 05 Mar 2010

YouTube has started to add captions to all its English-language video

YouTube has announced that every English-language video uploaded to the site will be captioned automatically. The move means that Britain’s nine million deaf or hearing-impaired people will be able to access YouTube’s ever-increasing range of films and videos.

Google stressed that the roll-out of the service is only just beginning, and that the automatic software is imperfect. Video owners will be allowed to download the transcript for their content and then improve them where necessary.
Based on the technology that powers Google Voice Search, the captions will be most accurate if the video provides a clear audio track, but will, the company promises, be improved “every day”.

A button will allow users to request that existing videos be auto-captioned as soon as possible, and once they have been processed the captions will be available at the click of a button at the bottom right of the video player.

Emma Harrison, the Royal National Institute for the Deaf’s director of external affairs, welcomed the feature. “Captioning will significantly help people with a hearing loss understand video content and increase their ability to share experiences of watching those in which speech plays a prominent part,” she said.

"We believe that all on-demand content should be accessible and RNID will continue lobbying hard to ensure that people with a hearing loss have better opportunities to enjoy subtitled videos, movies and television programmes.”

Read More

Google Enlists DocVerse in Attack on Microsoft

Google's got its head in the cloud--again. The search giant today announced that it has bought DocVerse, a software startup that makes an online collaboration plug-in for Microsoft Office. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google paid $25 million for the San Francisco-based developer, which was founded in 2007 by former Microsoft employees Shan Sinha and Alex DeNeui.

The DocVerse deal wraps up an acquisitive week for Google, which announced Monday that it gobbled up online photo-editing site Picnik.

Office, Meet Apps

So what are Google's intentions for its latest conquest? "Our first step will be to combine DocVerse with Google Apps to create a bridge between Microsoft Office and Google Apps," write DeNeui and Sinha in their DocVerse blog. Their plug-in currently allows MS Office users to work collaboratively on Excel, PowerPoint, and Word documents, even when they're offline.

If implemented correctly, DocVerse's Office-to-Apps bridge can help Google position its Apps communications and collaboration suite as a viable alternative to Microsoft products in the enterprise market. A collaborative tool that enables seamless (or at least pretty good) integration between the competitors' business apps could only serve to help Google and harm Microsoft, which has reigned over the enterprise market for years.

A Cloudy Outlook

The DocVerse acquisition fits nicely with Google's cloud-based view, and with the search company's not-so-subtle efforts to dethrone the desktop-centric MS Office.

"The future of productivity applications is in the cloud," blogs Google Apps group product manager Jonathan Rochelle. "But we recognize that many people are still accustomed to desktop software. So as we continue to improve Google Docs and Google Sites as rich collaboration tools, we're also making it easier for people to transition to the cloud, and interoperate with desktop applications like Microsoft Office," Rochelle writes.

Google recently added advanced data backup and recovery capabilities to all components of the Apps suite. It also introduced mobile device management tools for users of Google Apps Premier and Education Edition. Today's DocVerse announcement is yet another sign of Google's business-market play.

Microsoft, of course, is developing its own cloud-based strategy too. Its upcoming Office 2010, for instance, will feature numerous Web-based enhancements, including scaled-down online versions of core Office desktop apps.

Read More

Google Enlists DocVerse in Attack on Microsoft

Google's got its head in the cloud--again. The search giant today announced that it has bought DocVerse, a software startup that makes an online collaboration plug-in for Microsoft Office. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google paid $25 million for the San Francisco-based developer, which was founded in 2007 by former Microsoft employees Shan Sinha and Alex DeNeui.

The DocVerse deal wraps up an acquisitive week for Google, which announced Monday that it gobbled up online photo-editing site Picnik.

Office, Meet Apps

So what are Google's intentions for its latest conquest? "Our first step will be to combine DocVerse with Google Apps to create a bridge between Microsoft Office and Google Apps," write DeNeui and Sinha in their DocVerse blog. Their plug-in currently allows MS Office users to work collaboratively on Excel, PowerPoint, and Word documents, even when they're offline.

If implemented correctly, DocVerse's Office-to-Apps bridge can help Google position its Apps communications and collaboration suite as a viable alternative to Microsoft products in the enterprise market. A collaborative tool that enables seamless (or at least pretty good) integration between the competitors' business apps could only serve to help Google and harm Microsoft, which has reigned over the enterprise market for years.

A Cloudy Outlook

The DocVerse acquisition fits nicely with Google's cloud-based view, and with the search company's not-so-subtle efforts to dethrone the desktop-centric MS Office.

"The future of productivity applications is in the cloud," blogs Google Apps group product manager Jonathan Rochelle. "But we recognize that many people are still accustomed to desktop software. So as we continue to improve Google Docs and Google Sites as rich collaboration tools, we're also making it easier for people to transition to the cloud, and interoperate with desktop applications like Microsoft Office," Rochelle writes.

Google recently added advanced data backup and recovery capabilities to all components of the Apps suite. It also introduced mobile device management tools for users of Google Apps Premier and Education Edition. Today's DocVerse announcement is yet another sign of Google's business-market play.

Microsoft, of course, is developing its own cloud-based strategy too. Its upcoming Office 2010, for instance, will feature numerous Web-based enhancements, including scaled-down online versions of core Office desktop apps.

Read More

Google Enlists DocVerse in Attack on Microsoft

Google's got its head in the cloud--again. The search giant today announced that it has bought DocVerse, a software startup that makes an online collaboration plug-in for Microsoft Office. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google paid $25 million for the San Francisco-based developer, which was founded in 2007 by former Microsoft employees Shan Sinha and Alex DeNeui.

The DocVerse deal wraps up an acquisitive week for Google, which announced Monday that it gobbled up online photo-editing site Picnik.

Office, Meet Apps

So what are Google's intentions for its latest conquest? "Our first step will be to combine DocVerse with Google Apps to create a bridge between Microsoft Office and Google Apps," write DeNeui and Sinha in their DocVerse blog. Their plug-in currently allows MS Office users to work collaboratively on Excel, PowerPoint, and Word documents, even when they're offline.

If implemented correctly, DocVerse's Office-to-Apps bridge can help Google position its Apps communications and collaboration suite as a viable alternative to Microsoft products in the enterprise market. A collaborative tool that enables seamless (or at least pretty good) integration between the competitors' business apps could only serve to help Google and harm Microsoft, which has reigned over the enterprise market for years.

A Cloudy Outlook

The DocVerse acquisition fits nicely with Google's cloud-based view, and with the search company's not-so-subtle efforts to dethrone the desktop-centric MS Office.

"The future of productivity applications is in the cloud," blogs Google Apps group product manager Jonathan Rochelle. "But we recognize that many people are still accustomed to desktop software. So as we continue to improve Google Docs and Google Sites as rich collaboration tools, we're also making it easier for people to transition to the cloud, and interoperate with desktop applications like Microsoft Office," Rochelle writes.

Google recently added advanced data backup and recovery capabilities to all components of the Apps suite. It also introduced mobile device management tools for users of Google Apps Premier and Education Edition. Today's DocVerse announcement is yet another sign of Google's business-market play.

Microsoft, of course, is developing its own cloud-based strategy too. Its upcoming Office 2010, for instance, will feature numerous Web-based enhancements, including scaled-down online versions of core Office desktop apps.

Read More

Google Enlists DocVerse in Attack on Microsoft

Google's got its head in the cloud--again. The search giant today announced that it has bought DocVerse, a software startup that makes an online collaboration plug-in for Microsoft Office. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google paid $25 million for the San Francisco-based developer, which was founded in 2007 by former Microsoft employees Shan Sinha and Alex DeNeui.

The DocVerse deal wraps up an acquisitive week for Google, which announced Monday that it gobbled up online photo-editing site Picnik.

Office, Meet Apps

So what are Google's intentions for its latest conquest? "Our first step will be to combine DocVerse with Google Apps to create a bridge between Microsoft Office and Google Apps," write DeNeui and Sinha in their DocVerse blog. Their plug-in currently allows MS Office users to work collaboratively on Excel, PowerPoint, and Word documents, even when they're offline.

If implemented correctly, DocVerse's Office-to-Apps bridge can help Google position its Apps communications and collaboration suite as a viable alternative to Microsoft products in the enterprise market. A collaborative tool that enables seamless (or at least pretty good) integration between the competitors' business apps could only serve to help Google and harm Microsoft, which has reigned over the enterprise market for years.

A Cloudy Outlook

The DocVerse acquisition fits nicely with Google's cloud-based view, and with the search company's not-so-subtle efforts to dethrone the desktop-centric MS Office.

"The future of productivity applications is in the cloud," blogs Google Apps group product manager Jonathan Rochelle. "But we recognize that many people are still accustomed to desktop software. So as we continue to improve Google Docs and Google Sites as rich collaboration tools, we're also making it easier for people to transition to the cloud, and interoperate with desktop applications like Microsoft Office," Rochelle writes.

Google recently added advanced data backup and recovery capabilities to all components of the Apps suite. It also introduced mobile device management tools for users of Google Apps Premier and Education Edition. Today's DocVerse announcement is yet another sign of Google's business-market play.

Microsoft, of course, is developing its own cloud-based strategy too. Its upcoming Office 2010, for instance, will feature numerous Web-based enhancements, including scaled-down online versions of core Office desktop apps.

Read More

Google Enlists DocVerse in Attack on Microsoft

Google's got its head in the cloud--again. The search giant today announced that it has bought DocVerse, a software startup that makes an online collaboration plug-in for Microsoft Office. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google paid $25 million for the San Francisco-based developer, which was founded in 2007 by former Microsoft employees Shan Sinha and Alex DeNeui.

The DocVerse deal wraps up an acquisitive week for Google, which announced Monday that it gobbled up online photo-editing site Picnik.

Office, Meet Apps

So what are Google's intentions for its latest conquest? "Our first step will be to combine DocVerse with Google Apps to create a bridge between Microsoft Office and Google Apps," write DeNeui and Sinha in their DocVerse blog. Their plug-in currently allows MS Office users to work collaboratively on Excel, PowerPoint, and Word documents, even when they're offline.

If implemented correctly, DocVerse's Office-to-Apps bridge can help Google position its Apps communications and collaboration suite as a viable alternative to Microsoft products in the enterprise market. A collaborative tool that enables seamless (or at least pretty good) integration between the competitors' business apps could only serve to help Google and harm Microsoft, which has reigned over the enterprise market for years.

A Cloudy Outlook

The DocVerse acquisition fits nicely with Google's cloud-based view, and with the search company's not-so-subtle efforts to dethrone the desktop-centric MS Office.

"The future of productivity applications is in the cloud," blogs Google Apps group product manager Jonathan Rochelle. "But we recognize that many people are still accustomed to desktop software. So as we continue to improve Google Docs and Google Sites as rich collaboration tools, we're also making it easier for people to transition to the cloud, and interoperate with desktop applications like Microsoft Office," Rochelle writes.

Google recently added advanced data backup and recovery capabilities to all components of the Apps suite. It also introduced mobile device management tools for users of Google Apps Premier and Education Edition. Today's DocVerse announcement is yet another sign of Google's business-market play.

Microsoft, of course, is developing its own cloud-based strategy too. Its upcoming Office 2010, for instance, will feature numerous Web-based enhancements, including scaled-down online versions of core Office desktop apps.

Read More

Apple iPad to go on sale on 3 April in US and 'late April' in UK

Apple yet to provide details on UK or international release dates, selling prices or associated mobile network companies
Apple's touchscreen iPad tablet computer will go on sale on 3 April in the US, but no specific date – beyond "late April" – has been given for its release in the UK and other international locations.

The company declined to set either the selling price for its models abroad, or to name any of the mobile network companies that will be providing connectivity for the more expensive iPad systems, which have 3G data sims built in.

US customers will be able to pre-order the iPad, which Steve Jobs described as a "magical and revolutionary product", from Friday 12 March, either online or in Apple's retail stores.

The devices come in two basic forms – with Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, and with both Wi-Fi and 3G mobile connectivity. However, only the Wi-Fi versions will go on sale on 3 April; Apple said only that the 3G versions will be on sale in "late April".

All the versions of the iPad will go on sale in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland at the same time.

The iPad has excited huge interest because it expands the interface of the iPhone, Apple's hugely successful mobile phone, into a usable "slate" computer with a 9-inch screen. A number of content publishers have thought that it could be a completely new medium for sales of various products – including electronic versions of books, magazines, newspapers, music and films – that they will be able to charge for by selling them through Apple's iTunes store, which has been a source of revenue for music, film, TV, audiobook and notably "app" creators.

In the US, the basic iPad model with Wi-Fi and 16 gigabytes of storage will cost $499. Apple says that it "lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more". The device is 0.5 inches thick and weighs 1.5 pounds – "thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook" and Apple says it can run for up to 10 hours on a single battery charge. (Tests on other products suggest the figure may typically be only half that.)

In the past few weeks there had been mounting speculation that there were production problems at Apple's factories in China. Apple had no comment on that, but the staged release to the international market compared to the US – which makes half of Apple's sales – suggests it is husbanding its resources.

The announcement notably does not offer any pricing for the UK, nor any details about which mobile carriers Apple might sign up with. O2, Orange and Vodafone already offer its iPhone, but none of them are mentioned in Apple's announcement.

Nor is pricing – which could be key to how well it sells. Since the announcement of the iPad in January, the pound has slipped against the dollar in international exchange markets, which has led to speculation that Apple is waiting until the last minute to announce the price in order to minimise any losses on exchange-rate volatility. Macworld magazine, which calculated in February that the low-end iPad selling for $499 in the US might have a starting price of £388 in the UK, recalculated on Friday that the downturn in sterling would now mean a minimum starting price of £400.

Read More

Apple iPad to go on sale on 3 April in US and 'late April' in UK

Apple yet to provide details on UK or international release dates, selling prices or associated mobile network companies
Apple's touchscreen iPad tablet computer will go on sale on 3 April in the US, but no specific date – beyond "late April" – has been given for its release in the UK and other international locations.

The company declined to set either the selling price for its models abroad, or to name any of the mobile network companies that will be providing connectivity for the more expensive iPad systems, which have 3G data sims built in.

US customers will be able to pre-order the iPad, which Steve Jobs described as a "magical and revolutionary product", from Friday 12 March, either online or in Apple's retail stores.

The devices come in two basic forms – with Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, and with both Wi-Fi and 3G mobile connectivity. However, only the Wi-Fi versions will go on sale on 3 April; Apple said only that the 3G versions will be on sale in "late April".

All the versions of the iPad will go on sale in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland at the same time.

The iPad has excited huge interest because it expands the interface of the iPhone, Apple's hugely successful mobile phone, into a usable "slate" computer with a 9-inch screen. A number of content publishers have thought that it could be a completely new medium for sales of various products – including electronic versions of books, magazines, newspapers, music and films – that they will be able to charge for by selling them through Apple's iTunes store, which has been a source of revenue for music, film, TV, audiobook and notably "app" creators.

In the US, the basic iPad model with Wi-Fi and 16 gigabytes of storage will cost $499. Apple says that it "lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more". The device is 0.5 inches thick and weighs 1.5 pounds – "thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook" and Apple says it can run for up to 10 hours on a single battery charge. (Tests on other products suggest the figure may typically be only half that.)

In the past few weeks there had been mounting speculation that there were production problems at Apple's factories in China. Apple had no comment on that, but the staged release to the international market compared to the US – which makes half of Apple's sales – suggests it is husbanding its resources.

The announcement notably does not offer any pricing for the UK, nor any details about which mobile carriers Apple might sign up with. O2, Orange and Vodafone already offer its iPhone, but none of them are mentioned in Apple's announcement.

Nor is pricing – which could be key to how well it sells. Since the announcement of the iPad in January, the pound has slipped against the dollar in international exchange markets, which has led to speculation that Apple is waiting until the last minute to announce the price in order to minimise any losses on exchange-rate volatility. Macworld magazine, which calculated in February that the low-end iPad selling for $499 in the US might have a starting price of £388 in the UK, recalculated on Friday that the downturn in sterling would now mean a minimum starting price of £400.

Read More

Apple iPad to go on sale on 3 April in US and 'late April' in UK

Apple yet to provide details on UK or international release dates, selling prices or associated mobile network companies
Apple's touchscreen iPad tablet computer will go on sale on 3 April in the US, but no specific date – beyond "late April" – has been given for its release in the UK and other international locations.

The company declined to set either the selling price for its models abroad, or to name any of the mobile network companies that will be providing connectivity for the more expensive iPad systems, which have 3G data sims built in.

US customers will be able to pre-order the iPad, which Steve Jobs described as a "magical and revolutionary product", from Friday 12 March, either online or in Apple's retail stores.

The devices come in two basic forms – with Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, and with both Wi-Fi and 3G mobile connectivity. However, only the Wi-Fi versions will go on sale on 3 April; Apple said only that the 3G versions will be on sale in "late April".

All the versions of the iPad will go on sale in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland at the same time.

The iPad has excited huge interest because it expands the interface of the iPhone, Apple's hugely successful mobile phone, into a usable "slate" computer with a 9-inch screen. A number of content publishers have thought that it could be a completely new medium for sales of various products – including electronic versions of books, magazines, newspapers, music and films – that they will be able to charge for by selling them through Apple's iTunes store, which has been a source of revenue for music, film, TV, audiobook and notably "app" creators.

In the US, the basic iPad model with Wi-Fi and 16 gigabytes of storage will cost $499. Apple says that it "lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more". The device is 0.5 inches thick and weighs 1.5 pounds – "thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook" and Apple says it can run for up to 10 hours on a single battery charge. (Tests on other products suggest the figure may typically be only half that.)

In the past few weeks there had been mounting speculation that there were production problems at Apple's factories in China. Apple had no comment on that, but the staged release to the international market compared to the US – which makes half of Apple's sales – suggests it is husbanding its resources.

The announcement notably does not offer any pricing for the UK, nor any details about which mobile carriers Apple might sign up with. O2, Orange and Vodafone already offer its iPhone, but none of them are mentioned in Apple's announcement.

Nor is pricing – which could be key to how well it sells. Since the announcement of the iPad in January, the pound has slipped against the dollar in international exchange markets, which has led to speculation that Apple is waiting until the last minute to announce the price in order to minimise any losses on exchange-rate volatility. Macworld magazine, which calculated in February that the low-end iPad selling for $499 in the US might have a starting price of £388 in the UK, recalculated on Friday that the downturn in sterling would now mean a minimum starting price of £400.

Read More

Apple iPad to go on sale on 3 April in US and 'late April' in UK

Apple yet to provide details on UK or international release dates, selling prices or associated mobile network companies
Apple's touchscreen iPad tablet computer will go on sale on 3 April in the US, but no specific date – beyond "late April" – has been given for its release in the UK and other international locations.

The company declined to set either the selling price for its models abroad, or to name any of the mobile network companies that will be providing connectivity for the more expensive iPad systems, which have 3G data sims built in.

US customers will be able to pre-order the iPad, which Steve Jobs described as a "magical and revolutionary product", from Friday 12 March, either online or in Apple's retail stores.

The devices come in two basic forms – with Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, and with both Wi-Fi and 3G mobile connectivity. However, only the Wi-Fi versions will go on sale on 3 April; Apple said only that the 3G versions will be on sale in "late April".

All the versions of the iPad will go on sale in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland at the same time.

The iPad has excited huge interest because it expands the interface of the iPhone, Apple's hugely successful mobile phone, into a usable "slate" computer with a 9-inch screen. A number of content publishers have thought that it could be a completely new medium for sales of various products – including electronic versions of books, magazines, newspapers, music and films – that they will be able to charge for by selling them through Apple's iTunes store, which has been a source of revenue for music, film, TV, audiobook and notably "app" creators.

In the US, the basic iPad model with Wi-Fi and 16 gigabytes of storage will cost $499. Apple says that it "lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more". The device is 0.5 inches thick and weighs 1.5 pounds – "thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook" and Apple says it can run for up to 10 hours on a single battery charge. (Tests on other products suggest the figure may typically be only half that.)

In the past few weeks there had been mounting speculation that there were production problems at Apple's factories in China. Apple had no comment on that, but the staged release to the international market compared to the US – which makes half of Apple's sales – suggests it is husbanding its resources.

The announcement notably does not offer any pricing for the UK, nor any details about which mobile carriers Apple might sign up with. O2, Orange and Vodafone already offer its iPhone, but none of them are mentioned in Apple's announcement.

Nor is pricing – which could be key to how well it sells. Since the announcement of the iPad in January, the pound has slipped against the dollar in international exchange markets, which has led to speculation that Apple is waiting until the last minute to announce the price in order to minimise any losses on exchange-rate volatility. Macworld magazine, which calculated in February that the low-end iPad selling for $499 in the US might have a starting price of £388 in the UK, recalculated on Friday that the downturn in sterling would now mean a minimum starting price of £400.

Read More

Apple iPad to go on sale on 3 April in US and 'late April' in UK

Apple yet to provide details on UK or international release dates, selling prices or associated mobile network companies
Apple's touchscreen iPad tablet computer will go on sale on 3 April in the US, but no specific date – beyond "late April" – has been given for its release in the UK and other international locations.

The company declined to set either the selling price for its models abroad, or to name any of the mobile network companies that will be providing connectivity for the more expensive iPad systems, which have 3G data sims built in.

US customers will be able to pre-order the iPad, which Steve Jobs described as a "magical and revolutionary product", from Friday 12 March, either online or in Apple's retail stores.

The devices come in two basic forms – with Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, and with both Wi-Fi and 3G mobile connectivity. However, only the Wi-Fi versions will go on sale on 3 April; Apple said only that the 3G versions will be on sale in "late April".

All the versions of the iPad will go on sale in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland at the same time.

The iPad has excited huge interest because it expands the interface of the iPhone, Apple's hugely successful mobile phone, into a usable "slate" computer with a 9-inch screen. A number of content publishers have thought that it could be a completely new medium for sales of various products – including electronic versions of books, magazines, newspapers, music and films – that they will be able to charge for by selling them through Apple's iTunes store, which has been a source of revenue for music, film, TV, audiobook and notably "app" creators.

In the US, the basic iPad model with Wi-Fi and 16 gigabytes of storage will cost $499. Apple says that it "lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more". The device is 0.5 inches thick and weighs 1.5 pounds – "thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook" and Apple says it can run for up to 10 hours on a single battery charge. (Tests on other products suggest the figure may typically be only half that.)

In the past few weeks there had been mounting speculation that there were production problems at Apple's factories in China. Apple had no comment on that, but the staged release to the international market compared to the US – which makes half of Apple's sales – suggests it is husbanding its resources.

The announcement notably does not offer any pricing for the UK, nor any details about which mobile carriers Apple might sign up with. O2, Orange and Vodafone already offer its iPhone, but none of them are mentioned in Apple's announcement.

Nor is pricing – which could be key to how well it sells. Since the announcement of the iPad in January, the pound has slipped against the dollar in international exchange markets, which has led to speculation that Apple is waiting until the last minute to announce the price in order to minimise any losses on exchange-rate volatility. Macworld magazine, which calculated in February that the low-end iPad selling for $499 in the US might have a starting price of £388 in the UK, recalculated on Friday that the downturn in sterling would now mean a minimum starting price of £400.

Read More

Shuttle flights would continue under new proposal

WASHINGTON — The space shuttle era could get a new lease on life under a bill filed today by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

The measure would delay the shuttle’s planned retirement in 2010 until NASA is confident that a replacement spacecraft is ready or that the shuttle and its massive payload bay is no longer needed to keep the International Space Station afloat through 2020.

The 37-page bill also authorizes an additional $1.3 billion in NASA spending next year above President Barack Obama’s request of $19 billion. The extra money would help prepare NASA for as many as two additional shuttle flights per year after 2010, as well as fund new spacecraft development.

“This must not be an ‘either or’ proposition where we are forced to choose between continuing to fly the shuttle to service the station and maintain our independence in reaching space, or investing in the next generation of space vehicle. We can and must do both,” Hutchison said in a statement.

Last month, Obama moved to cancel NASA’s Constellation moon rocket program in favor of an approach that would rely on commercial rocket companies to ferry cargo and crew to the space station after the shuttle’s final four missions.
Constellation aimed to send astronauts to the station by 2015 and return astronauts to the moon by 2020 aboard new Ares rockets and an Orion capsule, but financial and technical problems made those goals impossible.

The White House has said it hopes to have crewed, commercial launches to the station as early as 2016.

The Obama plan has gotten a chilly reception in Congress and the Hutchison measure emphasizes the need for NASA to have a government-run system that could lift astronauts into space. The new bill also calls for the “continuation or modification” of programs initiated under the Constellation program.

“While commercial transportation systems may contribute valuable services, it is in the United States’ national interest to maintain a government operated space transportation system for crew and cargo delivery to low-Earth orbit and beyond,” it notes.

The bill faces an uncertain fate in Congress.

Politically, there is talk of Hutchison leaving the Senate after losing a bid for the Texas governor’s mansion. Plus, getting more money for NASA always has been difficult — even in rosy budget years — and plans for continuing the shuttle have been criticized before because additional flights would be costly and would pose a safety risk.

Indeed, a key criticism of continued shuttle flights is that NASA would have to recertify the aging fleet to ensure that age wouldn’t cause another fatal accident. Investigators of the 2003 Columbia disaster made that specific recommendation and Hutchison appears to have listened.

The bill calls for the creation of a Flight Certification Review Committee that would assess what needs to be done in order to fly the shuttle for an additional five years. The five-member team would be appointed by the National Academies of Science.

A companion bill authored by U.S. Reps. Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, and Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, is expected next week. A Kosmas aide said the delay is due to the two lawmakers seeking to get more original

Read More

Shuttle flights would continue under new proposal

WASHINGTON — The space shuttle era could get a new lease on life under a bill filed today by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

The measure would delay the shuttle’s planned retirement in 2010 until NASA is confident that a replacement spacecraft is ready or that the shuttle and its massive payload bay is no longer needed to keep the International Space Station afloat through 2020.

The 37-page bill also authorizes an additional $1.3 billion in NASA spending next year above President Barack Obama’s request of $19 billion. The extra money would help prepare NASA for as many as two additional shuttle flights per year after 2010, as well as fund new spacecraft development.

“This must not be an ‘either or’ proposition where we are forced to choose between continuing to fly the shuttle to service the station and maintain our independence in reaching space, or investing in the next generation of space vehicle. We can and must do both,” Hutchison said in a statement.

Last month, Obama moved to cancel NASA’s Constellation moon rocket program in favor of an approach that would rely on commercial rocket companies to ferry cargo and crew to the space station after the shuttle’s final four missions.
Constellation aimed to send astronauts to the station by 2015 and return astronauts to the moon by 2020 aboard new Ares rockets and an Orion capsule, but financial and technical problems made those goals impossible.

The White House has said it hopes to have crewed, commercial launches to the station as early as 2016.

The Obama plan has gotten a chilly reception in Congress and the Hutchison measure emphasizes the need for NASA to have a government-run system that could lift astronauts into space. The new bill also calls for the “continuation or modification” of programs initiated under the Constellation program.

“While commercial transportation systems may contribute valuable services, it is in the United States’ national interest to maintain a government operated space transportation system for crew and cargo delivery to low-Earth orbit and beyond,” it notes.

The bill faces an uncertain fate in Congress.

Politically, there is talk of Hutchison leaving the Senate after losing a bid for the Texas governor’s mansion. Plus, getting more money for NASA always has been difficult — even in rosy budget years — and plans for continuing the shuttle have been criticized before because additional flights would be costly and would pose a safety risk.

Indeed, a key criticism of continued shuttle flights is that NASA would have to recertify the aging fleet to ensure that age wouldn’t cause another fatal accident. Investigators of the 2003 Columbia disaster made that specific recommendation and Hutchison appears to have listened.

The bill calls for the creation of a Flight Certification Review Committee that would assess what needs to be done in order to fly the shuttle for an additional five years. The five-member team would be appointed by the National Academies of Science.

A companion bill authored by U.S. Reps. Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, and Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, is expected next week. A Kosmas aide said the delay is due to the two lawmakers seeking to get more original

Read More

Shuttle flights would continue under new proposal

WASHINGTON — The space shuttle era could get a new lease on life under a bill filed today by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

The measure would delay the shuttle’s planned retirement in 2010 until NASA is confident that a replacement spacecraft is ready or that the shuttle and its massive payload bay is no longer needed to keep the International Space Station afloat through 2020.

The 37-page bill also authorizes an additional $1.3 billion in NASA spending next year above President Barack Obama’s request of $19 billion. The extra money would help prepare NASA for as many as two additional shuttle flights per year after 2010, as well as fund new spacecraft development.

“This must not be an ‘either or’ proposition where we are forced to choose between continuing to fly the shuttle to service the station and maintain our independence in reaching space, or investing in the next generation of space vehicle. We can and must do both,” Hutchison said in a statement.

Last month, Obama moved to cancel NASA’s Constellation moon rocket program in favor of an approach that would rely on commercial rocket companies to ferry cargo and crew to the space station after the shuttle’s final four missions.
Constellation aimed to send astronauts to the station by 2015 and return astronauts to the moon by 2020 aboard new Ares rockets and an Orion capsule, but financial and technical problems made those goals impossible.

The White House has said it hopes to have crewed, commercial launches to the station as early as 2016.

The Obama plan has gotten a chilly reception in Congress and the Hutchison measure emphasizes the need for NASA to have a government-run system that could lift astronauts into space. The new bill also calls for the “continuation or modification” of programs initiated under the Constellation program.

“While commercial transportation systems may contribute valuable services, it is in the United States’ national interest to maintain a government operated space transportation system for crew and cargo delivery to low-Earth orbit and beyond,” it notes.

The bill faces an uncertain fate in Congress.

Politically, there is talk of Hutchison leaving the Senate after losing a bid for the Texas governor’s mansion. Plus, getting more money for NASA always has been difficult — even in rosy budget years — and plans for continuing the shuttle have been criticized before because additional flights would be costly and would pose a safety risk.

Indeed, a key criticism of continued shuttle flights is that NASA would have to recertify the aging fleet to ensure that age wouldn’t cause another fatal accident. Investigators of the 2003 Columbia disaster made that specific recommendation and Hutchison appears to have listened.

The bill calls for the creation of a Flight Certification Review Committee that would assess what needs to be done in order to fly the shuttle for an additional five years. The five-member team would be appointed by the National Academies of Science.

A companion bill authored by U.S. Reps. Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, and Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, is expected next week. A Kosmas aide said the delay is due to the two lawmakers seeking to get more original

Read More

Shuttle flights would continue under new proposal

WASHINGTON — The space shuttle era could get a new lease on life under a bill filed today by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

The measure would delay the shuttle’s planned retirement in 2010 until NASA is confident that a replacement spacecraft is ready or that the shuttle and its massive payload bay is no longer needed to keep the International Space Station afloat through 2020.

The 37-page bill also authorizes an additional $1.3 billion in NASA spending next year above President Barack Obama’s request of $19 billion. The extra money would help prepare NASA for as many as two additional shuttle flights per year after 2010, as well as fund new spacecraft development.

“This must not be an ‘either or’ proposition where we are forced to choose between continuing to fly the shuttle to service the station and maintain our independence in reaching space, or investing in the next generation of space vehicle. We can and must do both,” Hutchison said in a statement.

Last month, Obama moved to cancel NASA’s Constellation moon rocket program in favor of an approach that would rely on commercial rocket companies to ferry cargo and crew to the space station after the shuttle’s final four missions.
Constellation aimed to send astronauts to the station by 2015 and return astronauts to the moon by 2020 aboard new Ares rockets and an Orion capsule, but financial and technical problems made those goals impossible.

The White House has said it hopes to have crewed, commercial launches to the station as early as 2016.

The Obama plan has gotten a chilly reception in Congress and the Hutchison measure emphasizes the need for NASA to have a government-run system that could lift astronauts into space. The new bill also calls for the “continuation or modification” of programs initiated under the Constellation program.

“While commercial transportation systems may contribute valuable services, it is in the United States’ national interest to maintain a government operated space transportation system for crew and cargo delivery to low-Earth orbit and beyond,” it notes.

The bill faces an uncertain fate in Congress.

Politically, there is talk of Hutchison leaving the Senate after losing a bid for the Texas governor’s mansion. Plus, getting more money for NASA always has been difficult — even in rosy budget years — and plans for continuing the shuttle have been criticized before because additional flights would be costly and would pose a safety risk.

Indeed, a key criticism of continued shuttle flights is that NASA would have to recertify the aging fleet to ensure that age wouldn’t cause another fatal accident. Investigators of the 2003 Columbia disaster made that specific recommendation and Hutchison appears to have listened.

The bill calls for the creation of a Flight Certification Review Committee that would assess what needs to be done in order to fly the shuttle for an additional five years. The five-member team would be appointed by the National Academies of Science.

A companion bill authored by U.S. Reps. Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, and Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, is expected next week. A Kosmas aide said the delay is due to the two lawmakers seeking to get more original

Read More