Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts

Saturday, 8 November 2014

Enterprise Mobility: The Past, Present, and Future

Technology has transformed drastically and became a part of our everyday lives. Mobility? It has transformed at a rapid rate in just 5-7 years.

I was attending a Google Partner event just yesterday and they were sharing with us in regards to the transformation of technology as a whole. It is very important for anybody to be able to keep up with the technological trend, especially when it has pretty much taken over our lives.

I've done several research on each technological era and how it benefited Enterprises. Let's begin the journey, shall we? It will be brief, I promise.

Mainframe/Mini Era (1960s)


I wasn't fortunate enough to be born in the 1960s'. However, a brief Google search practically sums up on how Mainframe Era benefited humanity. In fact, I came across an article which says mainframes are still pretty relevant today because of the Cloud.

Traditionally, and even today, mainframes take up a lot of space. That is why it is really expensive to invest in.

I believe that mainframe era taught us to think simple, especially for programmers. The KISS principle, known as "Keep It Simple, Stupid", is still a useful principle for programming. Why I say that? Mainframe developers are taught to follow workflow processes in order to build a successful application. Because of this tedious process, you have to keep the process simple.

PC Era (1980s)


Here comes the boom of IBM, Apple and Microsoft etc. The PC era was huge, because for the first time ever, computers are affordable to people. This improved our work productivity, moving operations to digital, even though we went through Command Line Interface (CLI) till Steve Jobs and Bill Gates introduced Macintosh and Windows respectively, where the Graphical User Interface (GUI) surfaced to ease IT users and consumers in their daily activities.

Internet Era (1990s)


Internet was used by the military to transmit top secret code. Then came the revolution in late 80s' and early 90s' where it was introduced to consumers via electronic mail, World Wide Web (WWW) etc.

You have to agree with me, the Internet has impacted our everyday lives. It has feed us with so many information via different means; be it personal computers, smartphones, smartwatch, household appliances etc. That's where the Internet of Things (IoT) has been the up-and-coming trend for IT. I'll cover IoT in my next portion.

Mobile Era (2000s)


Mobile phones were one of the game changers in communication. The early days when Motorola and Nokia were one of the few leaders in device manufacturing, it is a simple and straightforward device, you make and receive calls. Then it evolves into text messaging, MMS, web browsing, instant messaging and the list goes on. Then we have tablets coming into the picture to enhance work productivity even more.

Our smartphones are our life, if we step out of the house, and forgot to bring our phones along, then we will turn back to get it. That is how important smartphones are these days. Another little experiment, just go to any restaurant, take a look at the tables around you, who isn't on their smartphone?

I have fear that smartphones will take over our social life one day (or even rule us just like Terminators).

The present day Enterprise Mobility, an inspirational article entitled "Mobile and the IT Time Machine" written by Vittorio Viarengo, MobileIron's VP of Product and Marketing. He gently wrote how he wish he could travel 5 years back in time to embrace the Internet Revolution in 1995 if he were to know that Internet is huge in any enterprise today. Then of course, he shared his experiences in the IT business and how enterprises should prepare their mobility strategy for the next 5 years.

Mobility can be in many forms, ruggedized, smartphones, tablets, household appliances, smartwatch etc. As long as it is accessible via a portable device or you could carry around easily, then it is mobile, or should I say, mobile-friendly. We just saw Amazon released the Amazon Echo, latest cloud-powered external speaker, which was pretty cool. I do wish they could learn their lessons from the Amazon Fire Phone and market the Echo properly.

Who would have thought that mobility could become such an important and powerful element in enterprise today? If you ask any organization 5 years ago that everyone will go mobile in their daily operational activities, then I'm sure you would be laughed at. But it is true, the truth hurts.

Microsoft just announced the Office365 is free for iPhones, iPads and Android (http://for.tn/1qtHawa). Another move which I strongly support Satya Nadella in his attempt to further establish Microsoft's mobility landscape. Enterprises would love this! I mean, who wouldn't? Get an iPad, which costs far lesser than a laptop, and equip it with Microsoft Office365. You would save a lot of money. I meant a lot! Bad news for those who have purchases previously though.

Mobility is huge today for enterprises!

So what's in it for the future? Who knows! It could even happen tomorrow. The transformation is so fast that we cannot even predict what would happen. Mobility may transform into you, probably wearing a mini device, and able to communicate to people easily with the functionality of all the smart devices into just one super gadget. Or maybe hologram? No one knows what would happen.

But you can prepare for it.

As advised by Vittorio in his article, he pointed out key transformation plan for any organization in the next 5 years for mobility strategy:
1. Build a Mobile IT Centre of Excellence
2. Hire Mobile App Developers
3. Re-implement Business Processes as Mobile Apps
4. Embrace the New Mobile Security and Management Paradigm

Just follow the above, and you will be moving in par with the mobile transformation.

Start building your organizations into a Mobile First organization today!

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3 and the Newest Apple SIM

Hi guys, it's been more than a week since my previous post. I'm sure you are fine. And to those who are celebrating Deepavali, "Happy Diwali" to you! :)

Apple has recently launched the latest series of the iPad and I must say, I'm rather looking forward to it. Well, mainly because I am working in an Apple Enterprise Partner. Hence, I have to be keeping up with the latest mobile technology trend.

I've been keeping mum on the latest gadgets because I want to see what experts have to say about it. Even though the design is still what we have been really familiar with, then again, what can you expect from Apple?

iPad Air 2


Before the launch, I read through some of the speculations on the new iPad. I have already expected it to feature the TouchID. Why wouldn't they? Especially when the new iPad Air includes the Apple Pay NFC technology. It makes sense for Apple to include the TouchID.

The new iPad Air 2 is slimmer than the first iPad Air. Only 6.1mm, which is 18% thinner than its predecessor. And it now comes only with 16GB, 64GB and 128GB. But here's the interesting part, the 64GB is the exact same price as the previous 32GB iPad Air model. Hey, you pay less for more eh?

Apple's chipset, now called the A8X. It has 40% faster CPU over the previous generation chipset and now with a 2.5x faster GPU. Pretty powerful, I must say.

A more detailed overview of the new iPad Air 2 can be read on TechCrunch.

iPad Mini 3

IMAGE: CHRISTINA ASCANI/MASHABLE
And here's one of my favourites, iPad Mini 3. I always prefer the iPad Mini because, well, it's smaller. But I've been contemplating on getting one because I'm hoping it packs the same powerful processors like the iPad Air. Well, I guess Apple has sort of disappointed me again.

However, the latest iPad Mini 3. Apple retains the A7 chip, which, pretty much didn't change much from the iPad Mini 2. Of course, it comes with Retina display. The only difference they did introduce this time, is the TouchID, which is just the only main feature.

Rather disappointing, I must say. Read more on TechCrunch's review.

Apple SIM


Now, my main agenda of the post: the all-new Apple SIM. SIM cards, traditionally, are a pain in the arse. Especially when you're traveling. The first thing every traveler has in mind when they reached the airport, is to get a local SIM card. Else, you will have the potential to bear the ridiculous roaming cost Telcos charge. And sometimes, you don't even realize the huge spike in your data usage until you see it on your bill.

And yes, most of the time, I recommend my enterprise clients to consider a roaming tracking solution. I'll cover that topic next time.

The Apple SIM. It could change the whole telco landscape. Apple didn't make much grand introduction on the the newest innovation during the launch. Mainly because they don't want to "hurt" their telco partnerships. But you and I know that this new innovation can definitely change the whole game.

The Apple SIM allows users to switch between telco carriers whenever they are in the new region. Say, you've just landed in Malaysia from US. And there's no carrier booths around, what do you do next? Simple, just go to your iPad Carrier settings, then choose between the telcos, only if they agreed to be part of this Apple SIM plan, and get the connection. Simple as that. This is also advised by my sources at Apple. However, the full technical specifications of Apple SIM has yet to be given to the public. And currently, it is only available in the US and UK.

In my honest opinion, a SIM card which support multi-carrier, well, it's not a new technology. But what Apple just did on the new iPad, especially when it comes with it, will definitely ease consumers whenever they travel anywhere or not willing to be bound by telco contracts for 24 months.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the new Apple SIM in action.


Wednesday, 24 September 2014

iPhone 6 Plus VS Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Bend Test

Please watch the video below. It seems like many consumers are complaining that their iPhone 6 Plus is bent outwards/inwards. So, for the sake of science, Unbox Therapy has decided to bend an iPhone 6 Plus to debunk the myth.




 Design flaw?


Right, maybe you argue that it could happen to another similar device, so they have also performed a follow up test with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The result is clear cut indeed.


So yeah, who is the winner? You'll be the judge of it. :)

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

iPhone 6 Gag


My exact reaction when I saw the new iPhone 6. This has truly defied Steve Jobs' philosophy of the ideal size of a smartphone is 4 inch.

In the minds of the consumer, it seems like big is the preferable choice. Practicality wise, I still prefer a smaller phone.

Monday, 22 September 2014

iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus Drop Test

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 2014.


On 9th September, Apple has unveiled the much-anticipated iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Working in a company which is an Enterprise Partner of Apple, I am looking forward to what Apple has in store for us in the latest edition.

Source: Gizmodo


However, I have rather mixed feelings about the new phones, my first opinion of it was it looks very much like a Samsung Galaxy S3 or S4. But then again, everyone has been feeding comment to me saying, "Apple makes things better!"

I'll reserve my comment on that. The new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has reached some of the Tier 1 countries' shores (US, UK, Australia, Singapore etc.) on 16th September. The world came to knowledge over the weekend of the first iPhone 6 owner from Perth, Australia that he accidentally dropped his new iPhone during an interview (watch the video below). Luckily, his iPhone did not receive much damage, all thanks to the plastic covering the phone.

So, I stumble across an iPhone 6 drop test via PhoneBuff and they have tested the new iPhones' drop test. This is not for the fainthearted if you are an iPhone lover.



Well, the new iPhones don't seem to be very durable. Perhaps once Apple has installed the new phones with a Sapphire glass, then it could succeed the drop test. But oh well, guess we'll have to wait for iPhone 7 for that. In the meantime, opt for a durable/rugged casing, Otterbox or Spigen offers some good options to protect your devices.