What The Data Says About How We Spent Christmas Morning
- techcrunch.com
The kids woke up, the parents got called out of bed and for a few hours, shockingly, it looks like the family put down their mobiles on Christmas morning, according to data from Mixpanel, a mobile and web analytics company.Welcome to the data-driven Christmas. A day that can be tracked in detail by mining the data on our phones and tablets. As proven by Mixpanel, data analytics can now tell when we open our presents, take a break and then once again immerse ourselves in our apps.But tracking the data through mobile devices is no different in many ways to other media. For years, marketers have known the habits of people on Christmas Day. They could track what people did through the way we listened to the radio or watched television. But the difference now is the list of items in our homes that can be tracked. And the list will only grow as wearables and other things transmit data of their own.
For now, let’s look at what Mixpanel learned about us this Christmas. The company analyzed 1.2 billion mobile ”actions” on Christmas Day, which is a 66 percent increase over last Christmas. All told, 90 percent of activity was generated on mobile apps.
It looks like people started opening presents at about 10:30 a.m. across all time zones. That’s when there was a dip in data traffic. A spike came at noon and by 2:30 p.m. folks were back in force with their heads down in their devices.
As the day progressed, 58 percent of traffic was coming from gaming apps. A mere 11 percent of traffic came from social networks. The theory is that kids went on to play games while the adults in the house documented the mayhem of the morning. Mixpanel states that they have more customers in the gaming vertical than in the social space, which could influence or skew their results.
In all, about 25 percent of all data came from tablets, up from Thanksgiving, which showed 15 percent of activity coming from the mobile devices.
It’s unquestionable that iOS is leading over Android when it comes to holiday shopping. But it’s what can be learned about people’s shopping behaviors that the marketers want most. The IBM holiday benchmark data, for example, shows that people who use tablets spend more than those who use their smartphones. Tablets accounted for 19.4 percent of all online sales compared to smartphones, which accounted for 9.3 percent. Tablet users also averaged $95.61 per order, versus smartphone users, who averaged $85.11 per order.
The more interesting angle is about the growing list of devices that marketers can track. The table, the chair or the thermostat will all be tracked. But it’s the variation in data activity that interests Ryan Spraetz, co-founder and chief product officer at keen.io, which provides custom analytics based upon data from different sources such as an iPad or any other device.
The usage curves will look different for thermometers versus mobile devices, Spraetz tells me. It’s in that difference and the correlations in the data analytics that will let us know when Dad sits on the couch with the embedded sensors and checks the sports scores on his shiny new iPad.
(Feature image via Flickr)
2013 Mac Pro Review: Apple’s New Desktop Boasts Dramatic Redesign, Dramatic Performance
- techcrunch.com
Apple’s new Mac Pro is a sight to behold: In black aluminum with an eye-catching cylindrical design, there’s little chance you’ll ever mistake it for any other computer. The previous Mac Pro was iconic too, of course, but this one is also just slightly larger than a football and dimpled on the top with a recess like a jet engine. But the true power lies under the hood, and what’s contained therein will satisfy even the most pressing need for speed.Video Review
2013 Mac Pro Review
Basics (as reviewed)
3.7 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon E5 processor
16GB 1897 MHz DDR3 RAM
Dual AMD FirePro D300 graphics cards with 2GB of RAM each
256GB SSD
6 Thunderbolt 2.0 Ports, 4 USB 3.0
802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.0
MSRP: $2,999
Product info page
Pros
No faster Mac exists under the sun.
It’s like having an exhibit from an industrial design museum in your house.
Cons
It’s super expensive.
Bring your own screen/everything.
Design
Few would argue that Apple’s design for the Mac Pro isn’t unique. It’s been compared to Darth Vader’s iconic look from the original Star Wars movies, and in a less flattering light, called the “trash can” Mac. But when you actually have one sitting on your desk, it’s a very different story. The aluminum surface is cool to the touch, reflective without being shiny, and – somehow – astoundingly reassuring.
Mac Pro With Case
The new Mac Pro with its case removed, side by side with said case.
The Mac Pro Without Case
Underneath, the Mac Pro lays bare its circuit boards for all to see.
Mac Pro Without Case
Another angle. This is one of the FirePro AMD workstation GPUs.
Mac Pro SSD
Here you see the SSD module for the Mac Pro.
Mac Pro Case
This is the case, which is a solid piece of rigid aluminum.
Mac Pro Vs. Mac Mini
Here"s the Mac Pro compared to the latest model Mac mini design.
Mac Pro Ports
This is a close-up of the I/O for the Mac Pro.
Mac Pro Rear Panel
Here"s the locking switch mechanism that allows you to remove the lid.
Mac Pro Rear
Here"s what the Mac Pro looks like when viewed from behind.
Mac Pro Vents
Here are the top vents on the Mac Pro, which channel air away from the "thermal core."
It’s the modern monolith of desktop computing, and indeed it does harken forward to a future age where the amazing engineering contained within is required for your everyday computing needs.
As it stands, of course, the computer housed within that sleek black shell will obliterate any task thrown at it by all but the most extreme and demanding of professionals. Apple might not be as fond of the so-called ‘moonshot’ as competitors like Google, but it gives great immediate futurism with the Mac Pro in terms of both design and performance.
The modularity of the new Mac Pro is not the same as it was with the older versions. You won’t be swapping 3.5mm HDDs out of bays, for instance. But the outer shell slides off easily once you’ve unlocked it, and you get full access to the RAM bays (upgradeable to a maximum of 64GB via four 16GB modules), as well as to the SSD units (which, while Apple-specific, are upgradeable too) and the GPUs (also theoretically replaceable with future Apple-specific hardware). But the real modularity comes via the external I/O: Thunderbolt 2 can theoretically display 4K video while simultaneously transferring it thanks to a unified 20 Gbit/s throughput rate, and there are six ports on the back, combined with four for USB 3.0.
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This, combined with the unique thermal core Apple has created, makes for an incredibly small, quiet professional workstation machine. In testing, I couldn’t hear it unless I put my ear up close, and even then it’s a relatively quiet hum, not even close to the fracas my Retina MacBook Pro makes when it’s doing heavy lifting. It breathes a light exhaust of air through the top, too, which is actually a nice refresher if you’ve been slaving away in Final Cut Pro all day.
Performance
For the layperson or everyday computer user, the new Mac Pro will seem like a thought-based computer, where virtually every input action you can think of results in immediate response. Whether it’s the Xeon processor or the super-fast PCIe-based SSD or those dual workstation GPUs, everything seems slightly but impossibly faster than on any other Mac, even the most recent iMac and Retina MacBook Pros. To be honest, it’ll be hard to go back even for everyday tasks like browsing the web and importing pics to iPhoto.
But that’s not what the Mac Pro is for: It’s a professional machine designed to help filmmakers create elaborate graphics, 3D animations and feature-length films. It’s aimed at the most demanding photographers, working in extreme resolutions and doing batch processing on huge files. It’s for audio producers, creating the next hit album using Logic Pro X and low latency, high bandwidth I/O external devices.
For me, Final Cut Pro was bound to be the wrench that would otherwise throw my existing Mac setup some trouble. On the Mac Pro, FCP X ran like a dream, rendering and publishing in the blink of an eye. I had to pinch myself to prove that I wasn’t dreaming after it took fewer than 10 seconds to render and publish the final edit of a 1080p video a little over two minutes long. And again, nary a peep from the Mac Pro itself.
For the super nerdy, you can check out the Geekbench scores of the new Mac Pro we tested here and here. Remember, this is the baseline, entry-level version without any customization options, so it’s the bottom of what you can expect in terms of performance.
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Apple
Founded April 1976
Ticker NASDAQ:AAPL
Overview Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple, Inc. in January 2007. Among the key offerings from Apple’s product line are: Pro line laptops (MacBook Pro) and desktops (Mac Pro), consumer line laptops (MacBook Air) and desktops (iMac), …
Website http://www.apple.com
Full profile for Apple
Features
The Mac Pro has some unique abilities that you won’t find in any other Mac, including the ability to power up to six Thunderbolt displays at once. I ran two Thunderbolt Displays plus a 21-inch iMac, as well as a Wacom 13HD through the HDMI port, and Apple’s premium machine didn’t even break a sweat. This is definitely the computer for the video producer who wants to be able to monitor output in real time while working on some raw video at the same time, or the information addict who feels they just aren’t getting enough with the two or three displays that represent the maximum possible output with a MacBook Pro or iMac.
Another great feature is the upgradeability, which ensures that, as futuristic and ahead-of-the-curve as this Mac already is, it’ll be even more future-proof thanks to the ability to swap out components down the road. Apple hasn’t revealed any details about later upgrade kits, but it’s reasonable to expect that RAM, SSDs and even GPUs will be available for those who feel they need even more out of their maxi Mac.
One final subtle but very nice feature is the auto-illumination of the ports that happens when you move the Mac tower itself. It’s extremely useful for helping you plug the right device into the right port when you’re looking to add new devices, and likewise when you’re looking to unplug something. This kind of attention to detail only reinforces that if you have $3K to spend on a Mac, your money’s in good hands with Apple.
Bottom Line
The Mac Pro is almost absurd in terms of its abilities. It’ll blow away any ordinary computer user, including one with even slightly advanced demands like myself (occasional video editing, plenty of Photoshop, some digital graphics and podcast production). But in reality, my Retina MacBook Pro wasn’t straining under the demand of my needs, either – the Mac Pro merely makes it all seem effortless.
That said, it’s rare that a computer is an investment; mostly these days, you buy one with the expectation that you’ll probably need another in two years’ time. The Mac Pro, somewhat like the iPhone 5s, is designed with the future in mind, so that video producers who aren’t working on 4K but will be expected to in a few years don’t have to reinvest.
For anyone who’s been looking forward to a replacement for their aging gray tower Mac Pro, and for anyone who has the money and is willing to spend it, the Mac Pro is a no-brainer, but for the rest of us, we needn’t reach quite so high to touch the sky when it comes to Apple’s line of OS X hardware.
This Infographic Shows How Android Phones Get Updated
- cultofmac.com
Ever wonder why it takes most Android phones ages to get the latest version of the OS?
Well, a recent infographic from HTC sheds some light on the anatomy of an Android update — detailing all the steps involved from the pre-announcement PDF through the finished version arriving on your phone.
Seeing that there are no fewer than 12 steps involved in bringing an Android update to a carrier-based device (as well as the waiting time for carrier approval, which isn’t even mentioned on this diagram) won’t make waiting time frustration any easier, but it certainly does put things in perspective.
Credit to HTC for being so transparent about the process, too.
Source: HTC
Via: Gigaom
Tagged with: android, htc, updatesPosted in Android
Tesla taps Apple manufacturing veteran to lead vehicle manufacturing technologies
- 9to5mac.com
Tesla seems to be joining many other Silicon Valley companies in hiring employees away from Apple. Only weeks after poaching Apple Mac Hardware Vice President Doug Field to run Vehicle Design, we have discovered that Tesla has made another notable hire from the Cupertino tech giant: Rich Heley. He was hired away from Apple in November and joined Tesla in that same month, according to his LinkedIn profile:
While Heley’s name is not as famous as Field’s or Apple senior executives, his job has been critical to Apple’s success over the past decade. While Apple’s claim to fame has been its integration of hardware, software, and services, manufacturing and design techniques are what allow Apple to produce high-quality devices in mass quantities.
Heley has contributed to manufacturing, design, and supply chain management for Apple across several different positions. Most recently, Heley led teams relating to designing new manufacturing techniques (shown above). Also on his LinkedIn, Heley describes his new role at Tesla:
Sr. Director of Manufacturing Technology at Tesla tasked with taking the most advanced car in the world and making it even better. The scope includes advances in Vehicle, Power Train and Battery technologies by conforming the manufacturing process to the best possible design without compromise. Bringing the fit, finish, and materials used to a level unprecedented in the automotive industry as well as continuing to advance the performance and efficiency through advances in manufacturing.
Heley’s experience with developing the techniques and materials used to produce devices such as the iPhone and iPod will be invaluable to Tesla, an electric vehicle company with large ambitions relating to manufacturing, design, and materials, Simultaneously, this is likely a significant departure for Apple, but, in the long run, Apple also likely has several engineers who could replace Heley.
Besides Field and Heley, Tesla has hired multiple designers and engineers from Apple. The most notable Tesla hire besides Field and Heley was George Blankenship in 2010 to run Tesla stores. However, Blankenship has since departed Tesla. Blankenship is former retail executive for both Apple and Gap.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple, George Blankenship, iPod, LinkedIn, Silicon Valley, Tesla, Tesla Motors Check out 9to5Mac for more breaking coverage of AAPL Company, Apple, and iPod.What do you think? Discuss "Tesla taps Apple manufacturing veteran to lead vehicle manufacturing technologies" with our community.
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What The Data Says About How We Spent Christmas Morning - techcrunch.com
2013 Mac Pro Review: Apple’s New Desktop Boasts Dramatic Redesign, Dramatic Performance - techcrunch.com
This Infographic Shows How Android Phones Get Updated - cultofmac.com
Tesla taps Apple manufacturing veteran to lead vehicle manufacturing technologies - 9to5mac.com
This Infographic Shows How Android Phones Get Updated + MORE
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