Financial analysts forecast another downturn for Apple’s iPhone, Mac

Apple later today will again announce a downturn for all three of its primary product lines, according to a group of independent and institutional financial analysts.The June quarter results will nearly mirror those of the first three months of 2016, when Apple reported selling 16% fewer iPhones than in the same period in 2015, marking the first time since the 2007 roll-out that sales for the iconic smartphone contracted on a year-over-year basis.According to Philip Elmer-DeWitt, who formerly blogged about Apple for Fortune but now runs the subscription-based Apple 3.0 website, the nine independent and 18 institutional analysts he queried forecast a fall in unit sales of the iPhone, iPad and Mac lines, as well as another decline in revenue.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Smartwatch shipments nosedive, but recovery due in 2017

The global smartwatch market nosedived by 32% in the second quarter of 2016, with Apple Watch shipments down by 55% when compared to a year earlier, according to research firm IDC. The decline — the first since the market started in 2013 — is expected to reverse next year after Apple and Google launch important operating system updates this fall, IDC said. Also, more watches will launch with cellular connections to LTE wireless without the need to connect via Bluetooth to a smartphone. Apple was the only smartwatch maker in the top five to see a decline in the second quarter, although the Apple Watch remained the top smartwatch by far, with 1.6 million devices shipped and 47% of the market, IDC said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Yahoo users have no need to panic

For Yahoo's stalwart users, the company's acquisition should not usher in any dramatic changes in the near future.Actually, some industry analysts say people using Yahoo Mail, its search engine or its news page now may feel more secure, and that services are unlikely to disappear from lack of funding or lack of corporate interest anytime soon.However, for a company that has become a decided B-list player after once being an Internet pioneer, changes to Yahoo may be akin to a tree falling in a forest when there's no one there to hear it.+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD 9 big moments in Yahoo's troubled history +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

61% off LEMONBEST HD 720p Handheld Wifi Inspection Scope – Deal Alert

Here's one of those gadgets you might want to have around, just in case. This wireless inspection camera is ideal for HVAC inspection, cable routing, automotive inspection & maintenance, or for anybody who just likes to drop things into dark confined spaces. Simply put, this waterproof camera/scope lets you see into those hard-to-see spaces. The camera is flexible, 3.2 ft in length, and roughly the size of a #2 pencil. It has an adjustable high-intensity LED light and an attachable hook, mirror, and magnet. Everything you need for the annoying nooks and crannies in your life. It broadcasts 1280 x 720 HD images in real time to your laptop, phone or tablet via wifi, so no wires or plugs required. The WiFi inspection scope from LEMONBEST averages 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 60 customers (read reviews). Amazon indicates that its typical list price of $199.89 has been reduced by 61% to just $78.59. See it now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The worlds of OpenStack and containers are colliding

One of the largest backers of OpenStack – Mirantis – is reconstructing its distribution of the open source cloud computing platform to make it run in containers, marking a potentially massive shift for the project.+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: VMware, IBM and Microsoft are top cloud software management vendors +Mirantis today announced a partnership with Google in which the two companies will develop integrations between OpenStack and Google’s container management platform named Kubernetes, which is also an open source project. The end goal will be that OpenStack will be able to run atop Kubernetes, encapsulated in a series of application containers. Doing so will make it easier for end users to update OpenStack to newer versions, and it gives users the freedom to run OpenStack anywhere Kubernetes is supported, says Mirantis Chief Marketing Officer Boris Renski.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Windows 10: Insiders initiated more than 5,000 changes to the Anniversary Update

After the complete tone deafness of the Windows 8 development cycle, Terry Myerson decided to change course once put in charge of the Windows development team. Microsoft would take a page from Seattle's most famous fictional resident, Dr. Frasier Crane, and adopt the motto of "I'm listening."According to a writer for WinBeta who visited Microsoft and got the news straight from the horse's mouth, Windows Insiders who tested beta builds of the OS since its release last year logged over 75 million pieces of feedback, with over 5,000 changes and enhancements to the Windows 10 Anniversary Update as a result.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

SMS-based two-factor authentication may be headed out the door

SMS messaging for two-factor authentication might become a thing of the past. A U.S. federal agency is discouraging its use.The National Institute of Standards and Technology is pushing for the change. Its latest draft of its Digital Authentication Guideline, updated on Monday, warns that SMS messages can be intercepted or redirected, making them vulnerable to hacking.Many companies, including Twitter, Facebook, and Google, as well as banks, already use the phone-based text messaging to add an extra layer of security to user accounts.It works like this: To access the accounts, the user not only needs the password, but also a secret code sent by the company by text message. Ideally, these one-time passcodes are sent to a designated phone number to ensure no one else will read them.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

SMS-based two-factor authentication may be headed out the door

SMS messaging for two-factor authentication might become a thing of the past. A U.S. federal agency is discouraging its use.The National Institute of Standards and Technology is pushing for the change. Its latest draft of its Digital Authentication Guideline, updated on Monday, warns that SMS messages can be intercepted or redirected, making them vulnerable to hacking.Many companies, including Twitter, Facebook, and Google, as well as banks, already use the phone-based text messaging to add an extra layer of security to user accounts.It works like this: To access the accounts, the user not only needs the password, but also a secret code sent by the company by text message. Ideally, these one-time passcodes are sent to a designated phone number to ensure no one else will read them.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Fitness device security inadequate

Smart fitness device makers Xiaomi and Microsoft are among those making products that are susceptible to man-in-the-middle (MiM) attacks, says AV-Test, the German independent IT security institute.MiM attacks are where a hacker intercepts and changes communications between parties who think they are communicating with each other.“Some manufacturers are continuing to make disappointing errors,” the lab, which tested seven fitness bands and the Apple watch, says in its report, published last week.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Fitness device security inadequate

Smart fitness device makers Xiaomi and Microsoft are among those making products that are susceptible to man-in-the-middle (MiM) attacks, says AV-Test, the German independent IT security institute.MiM attacks are where a hacker intercepts and changes communications between parties who think they are communicating with each other.“Some manufacturers are continuing to make disappointing errors,” the lab, which tested seven fitness bands and the Apple watch, says in its report, published last week.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel is developing AR smart glasses for interactive collaboration

Intel seems to be developing a pair of augmented reality smart glasses, and we may see them at the company's developer show next month.The Intel Remote EyeSight, a set of head-worn AR smart glasses, is built around the idea of remote collaboration. The company will offer details at a technical session during next month's Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.Further information about the AR smart glasses wasn't immediately available, but they seem like a cross between Microsoft's HoloLens and Google Glass.The technical session page describes the AR smart glasses as a product that uses Intel's Collaboration Suite for WebRTC video capabilities to "transform Intel's enterprise collaboration experiences with secure, cost-effective, hands-free and augmented reality technologies."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Feds unleash $4.5B push to promote electric car adoption

The White House last week launched a number of steps it hopes will spur the development and further adoption of electric vehicles – including $4.5 billion to help build-out the country’s electric charging grid.“In the past eight years the number of plug-in electric vehicle models increased from one to more than 20, battery costs have decreased 70%, and we have increased the number of electric vehicle charging stations from less than 500 in 2008 to more than 16,000 today – a 40 fold increase,” the DOE stated.+More on Network World: What’s hot in driverless cars?+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Feds unleash $4.5B push to promote electric car adoption

The White House last week launched a number of steps it hopes will spur the development and further adoption of electric vehicles – including $4.5 billion to help build-out the country’s electric charging grid.“In the past eight years the number of plug-in electric vehicle models increased from one to more than 20, battery costs have decreased 70%, and we have increased the number of electric vehicle charging stations from less than 500 in 2008 to more than 16,000 today – a 40 fold increase,” the DOE stated.+More on Network World: What’s hot in driverless cars?+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

10 ways to celebrate Sysadmin Day

Sysadmin Day – last Friday of July, first Friday in our heartsYes, Sysadmin day is just around the corner again, as we prepare to recognize business IT’s foot soldiers in the war against downtime and general stuff-not-working-right-ness. Here are 10 ways to celebrate these great and deserving people. (MORE: Our 2015 look at Sysadmin Day)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

10 ways to celebrate Sysadmin Day

Sysadmin Day – last Friday of July, first Friday in our heartsYes, Sysadmin day is just around the corner again, as we prepare to recognize business IT’s foot soldiers in the war against downtime and general stuff-not-working-right-ness. Here are 10 ways to celebrate these great and deserving people. (MORE: Our 2015 look at Sysadmin Day)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: The Microsoft Ireland Case

Back in December 2013, federal law enforcement was conducting a criminal narcotics investigation. During the course of this investigation, the government sought a search warrant, pursuant to Section 2703(a) of the SCA, to seize the contents of an email account belonging to a Microsoft customer. Microsoft complied with the warrant to an extent, turning over any account information that was being stored in the United States. However, the actual emails, and their contents, were stored overseas in Dublin, Ireland. Microsoft balked at turning over the overseas content, and the district court held the corporation in civil contempt for its failure to comply with the warrant. —Lawfare

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IDG Contributor Network: Is corporate sustainability shaping your cloud adoption strategy?

As corporate sustainability increasingly exercises influence on IT decision making, the question becomes how will it affect technology adoption trends. Will cloud adoption accelerate as result?Resources consumed The public cloud provides a good story for corporate sustainability in its "reveal" of resources consumed.Measured resource utilization (MRU) billing can be easily converted into corporate sustainability metrics of carbon emitted or averted, the equivalent to cars off the road, etc. And with the "shared" nature of public cloud equipment, it also tells a story more akin to public transportation. Meanwhile extant enterprise IT’s reputation of low-utilization assets, comatose equipment and rate card chargebacks seem more analogous to traffic jams of one person per vehicle.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Is corporate sustainability shaping your cloud adoption strategy?

As corporate sustainability increasingly exercises influence on IT decision making, the question becomes how will it affect technology adoption trends. Will cloud adoption accelerate as result?Resources consumed The public cloud provides a good story for corporate sustainability in its "reveal" of resources consumed.Measured resource utilization (MRU) billing can be easily converted into corporate sustainability metrics of carbon emitted or averted, the equivalent to cars off the road, etc. And with the "shared" nature of public cloud equipment, it also tells a story more akin to public transportation. Meanwhile extant enterprise IT’s reputation of low-utilization assets, comatose equipment and rate card chargebacks seem more analogous to traffic jams of one person per vehicle.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Kimpton Hotels is investigating a possible payment card breach

Kimpton Hotels, operator of boutique hotels across the U.S., is investigating reports of a possible payment card data breach. If confirmed, it would become the latest in a string of successful attacks on hotel chain operators in the last year.The San Francisco-based company said it was "recently made aware of a report of unauthorized charges occurring on cards that were previously used legitimately at Kimpton properties."As a result, it has hired a computer security firm to investigate whether its systems were compromised and guest data stolen. In the meantime, it advised guests to monitor their card statements for unauthorized charges.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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