Rush for iPhone 6 Plus likely to outstrip supply

The worst fears of Apple well-wishers have been confirmed as the initial rush for the new iPhone 6 series has led to the shipment delay of the larger 6 Plus model. While the pre-order rush should bode well for Apple in terms of the sales forecast, the bigger issue at hand is having enough units to sell in countries where the phablet phenomenon is well and truly settled in.

According to a Reuters report, Customers may have to wait three to four weeks to get their hands on Apple Inc’s iPhone 6 Plus, after a record number of orders for the company’s latest smartphones strained available supply.   The report adds, while the larger 5.5-inch “Plus” models now display a wait time of up to a month, the 4.7-inch version remains available for delivery on 19 September, Apple’s website showed.

Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and Sprint Corp, also showed shipment delays of up to six weeks on their respective websites. Apple said the pace of orders has so far outstripped any of its previous iPhones.   Two of the biggest such markets, China and India, have been left in dodgy territory by Apple in terms of the iPhone 6.

While a release date for China has not been revealed, in India, the company’s website has removed the earlier launch date of October 17. The change was reflected a day before the iPhone 6 series went on pre-order in the US.

These sort of delays are not new when it comes to Apple and the iPhone, and has been seen every time there’s a major redesign for the iPhone. The latest iPhones of course have become a problem due to the larger screens, which some analysts had anticipated way before the actual launch. Now, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus models in the US display a wait time of up to a month, with the 4.7-inch version available for delivery.

While we expect the shortage to be taken care of by Apple within the next few weeks as all supply chain players align themselves for the major push later in the holiday season, this delay, albeit short, plays directly into the hands of Samsung, the company’s biggest rival in the US and the world smartphone market.   Samsung released three new phones in anticipation of the new iPhones, in the form of the premium Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge.

The Galaxy Alpha nearly mirrors the specs of the iPhone 6, while the Note 4 sizes up well against the iPhone 6 Plus, which is the first phablet from Apple.

The Galaxy Alpha which has already released in some markets has been welcome with glowing reviews about its metal design, functionality and fears about its battery life have been put to rest by test numbers, so it’s shaping up to a great Android alternative to the iPhone 6.

Meanwhile the Galaxy Note 4 is yet to launch and will likely make an appearance in India early next month in keeping with the Indian holiday season launches.

The current delay with the iPhone 6 Plus gives Samsung a lot of leeway to play around with the pricing and launch offers of the Note 4 series to sweeten the deal for potential consumers. As it is the high-end smartphone segment has hit the ceiling in terms of growth potential and is largely considered a saturated segment.

With Samsung being able to ship Note 4 in large numbers, Apple loses out on potential buyers in the high-end segment.

This is especially true for those buyers currently on the fence as to which platform to go for. Both Android and iOS are equally capable OSes which have a great selection of apps and games, and their unique set of advantages, so for those on-the-fence buyers, the Note 4 might well be coming at the right time.

While Apple’s hopes of stealing some Android users away also receives a dent with news of the phablet’s delayed production.   It wouldn’t be wrong to say that some sheen from Apple’s big launch has been robbed by the delay. It remains to be seen whether the company’s rivals can capitalise on this.

Source:

tech.firstpost.com

Posted by Editorial Team on 1:10 AM in Apple, iPhone 6, outstrip, Plus, Plus model, Rush, supply, US display, website, wireless

Chinese hackers target US national security think tanks

The Chinese cyberattack group Deep Panda has compromised national security think tanks using sophisticated techniques designed to steal confidential data concerning US foreign policy, according to security researchers at CrowdStrike.

The CrowdStrike team say that "several" national security-based think tanks have been compromised in the defense, finance, legal and government arenas by the group, which the security researchers call "one of the most advanced Chinese nation-state cyber intrusion groups." Cyberattacks have been launched by the hackers for almost three years now, but it is only in recent times that Deep Panda's focus has changed.

CrowdStrike says that attacks are now taking place against think tanks related to security and governmental policy within Iraq and the Middle East, a shift from collecting data on southeast Asia. While the security researchers declined to name the specific think tanks or data that was stolen, the team did say that email accounts, directories and files were compromised.

The team say:

"This is undoubtedly related to the recent Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) takeover of major parts of Iraq and the potential disruption for major Chinese oil interests in that country. In fact, Iraq happens to be the fifth-largest source of crude oil imports for China and the country is the largest foreign investor in Iraq’s oil sector. Thus, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Chinese government is highly interested in getting a better sense of the possibility of deeper U.S. military involvement that could help protect the Chinese oil infrastructure in Iraq.

In fact, the shift in targeting of Iraq policy individuals occurred on June 18, the day that ISIS began its attack on the Baiji oil refinery."

Deep Panda's cyberattacks (.PDF) consist of exploiting vulnerabilities in Windows operating systems which allows the group to deploy powershell scripts as scheduled tasks. The scripts are then passed to the powershell interpreter through the command line -- which avoid the placement of extraneous files on a victim's machine -- in order to bypass detection. The scripts were scheduled to call back every two hours to Deep Panda's Command and Control (C&C) center.

Once executed, a .NET executable is run from memory, which in turn then downloads and runs MadHatter .NET Remote Access Tool (RAT), a favored tool of Deep Panda. Webshell implants are also used to ensure low-footprint persistent access to the victim network, keeping the infiltration as secret as possible while the C&C deployed commands such as “tasklist,” “net view,” and “net localgroup administrators,” steals credentials and accesses network data.

CrowdStrike was able to detect the cyberattacks through its Falcon Host software, a security agent which combines endpoint and threat data. This software is offered on a pro-bono basis to think tanks and non-profits, organizations that are unlikely to have enough funding to protect themselves otherwise.

"Deep Panda presents a very serious threat not just to think tanks, but also multinational financial institutions, law firms, defense contractors, and government agencies," the security researchers say. "Due to their stellar operational security and reliance on anti-forensic and anti-IOC detection techniques, detecting and stopping them is very challenging without the use of next-generation endpoint technology like Falcon Host."

In June, Crowdstrike said that Putter Panda, a cyber espionage group connected to the country's military has been targeting US and European government partners in order to steal corporate trade secrets relating to the satellite, aerospace and communication industries.

Source:

www.zdnet.com

Posted by Editorial Team on 4:53 AM in Chinese cyberattack, Chinese hackers, CrowdStrike, Deep Panda's, governmental policy, Islamic State, national security, security researchers, US national security

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible Test Drive

The 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible may look like it’s all about having fun in the sun, but it’s also an expert at crisis management.

No, not the corporate kind that GM is so familiar with these days, and not your mid-life crisis, either. It’s the one where you're trying to decide whether to buy the convertible sports car you really want or the coupe version you know is going to be a better car.

In the case of the new Corvette, it was designed from the start to be turned into a convertible and is built on a super-stiff aluminum chassis that does just fine without a roof. Chevrolet says the drop-top is only 1 or 2 percent less rigid than the Stingray coupe, compared to 40 percent or more for many vehicles.

Of course, Chevrolet did cheat a little to pull off this amazing feat. The Stingray “coupe” is really a targa with a removable center roof panel, so it’s already pretty much an open-top car. Nevertheless, both are significantly stiffer than the last true hardtop ’Vettes -- the 2013 Z06 and ZR1 -- but one can’t help but wonder what a couple of roof rails might do.

As it is, the convertible gains just 64 pounds in the conversion. With the box checked for the optional $1,195 performance exhaust, which increases the power of its 6.2-liter V8 from 455 hp to 460 hp and gives it the voice of an angry Titan, it’s good to get you to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and down the quarter mile in about 12 ticks – assuming your local drag strip allows convertibles without rollover protection, which is one place the coupe still holds the upper hand.

More telling is how capable it is on a road less straight. Without a twisting, bending chassis it’s as sure-footed and stable as any Stingray, delivering a fine ride along the way. Previous Corvette convertibles were a bit of a mess, with quivering body panels and shock waves accompanying every little bump. This one is as solid as a bauxite rock.

A Z51 performance package and magnetically controlled active suspension are available, and I’d recommend both if you were buying the coupe, but seeing as how the convertible isn’t a track car, you’re better off saving the money, because it doesn’t need it and you do. With a starting price of $58,995, the convertible costs five grand more than the coupe.

You can skip the six-speed automatic, too. It’s merely adequate, and an 8-speed is on the way sometime next year. The standard 7-speed manual is a slick-shifting gem with automatic rev-matching on downshifts and a stratospheric overdrive that keeps the motor turning at just 1,200 rpm at 70 mph, good for a conservative 29 mpg rating. Cracking 30 mpg is no problem in the real world.

Speaking of 30, the top can be opened at speeds up to 30 mph, or remotely via the keyfob when the car is parked, neatly tucking under its hard tonneau cover. When it’s up, the thick, triple-layer fabric roof keeps the cabin as quiet as a hardtop at the expense of rearward visibility, the Stingray convertible’s main drawback. OK, so maybe you can’t have it all.

That is, unless you’re talking about the interior, which gets the exact same treatment as the coupe’s. It’s well-appointed, fitted with a touch-screen infotainment system, available head-up display, and a configurable digital instrument cluster with three layouts, a G-force meter and an automatic stopwatch for timing sprints, among other functions.

The not too big, but not too tiny 10-cubic-foot trunk may prove more useful, however, easily swallowing a couple of duffle bags for your weekend at the beach. Convertibles are all about fun in the sun, after all.

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2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible

Base price: $58,995

Type: 2-passenger, 2-door convertible

Engine: 6.2L V8

Power: 455 hp, 460 lb-ft torque

Transmission: 7-speed manual

MPG: 17 city/29 hwy

Source:

www.foxnews.com

Posted by Editorial Team on 11:12 PM in 2014 Chevrolet, amazing feat, box checked, Nevertheless, performance exhaust, quivering body, roof panel, six-speed automatic, super-stiff, Test Drive