The Apple Beat: Pressure mounts on Apple to make iPhone 7 truly great

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

“Skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been,” that’s a quote by the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, which Steve Jobs referenced during the momentous launch of the original iPhone in 2007.

Jobs continued by saying, “we try to understand as we develop our product road map, what’s going to be exciting in the future. And that’s one of the advantages we have over our competitors. Our competitors tend to put the cross hairs on where we are now, and by the time they come up with a product that tries to match where we are now, we’re beyond them. We’re one or two generations beyond, moving faster than they are.”

That was the spirit of innovation that powered the Apple engine and that’s what made the iPhone such an audacious, brave and, in hindsight, timely invention. But the world has changed and while Apple is still the most valuable company, the pressure is on to see if it is still the most innovative.

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Netflix raising prices in Canada for long time users

Netflix Canada is telling long time users that they are raising the subscription price for the service to $9.99 a month. Originally pegged at $7.99, the rationale for the raise in pricing is that Netflix is making more original content available like Daredevil and Jessica Jones. This is a clear example of how a market leader without viable competition can dictate pricing and customers just have to take it or go cancel their membership if they are not happy.

Netflx hasn't really raised prices in Canada before so given exchange rates but given that Netflix has already annoyed various Canadian users by blocking border hopping or the use of VPN services to see shows unavailable to Canadian subscribers, the timing of the price increase is quite audacious. 

Windows 10 Mobile gets in on the new Instagram logo and UI

Windows 10 Mobile users can now join Android and iOS users in enjoying about the all-new Instagram app with a redesigned logo and new minimal User Interface. Just days after the new logo and updated app came to Android and iOS it is now available to Windows 10 Mobile users via the marketplace.

Instagram was one of the apps that Windows Phone users really wanted on their platform. I remember there was even a petition for a port of the popular photo sharing app some years ago. There have been similar apps like 6 Tag but a native Instagram app has always been on Windows 10 user's wishlist. Facebook, who owns Instagram has made updated versions of its Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram apps available on the platform.

Source: Windows Central

Starbreeze and Acer to form Joint Venture for the StarVR Headset

Starbreeze AB and Acer Inc. today signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture for the StarVR Virtual Reality (VR) Head-Mounted Display (HMD). The two companies aim to cooperate on the design, manufacturing, promotion, marketing and sales of the StarVR HMD to the professional- and location-based entertainment market.

“Acer is thrilled to join forces with Starbreeze in bringing the StarVR head-mounted display to the market,” said Jason Chen, Acer Corporate President and CEO. “We are devoting R&D resources across multiple aspects of the VR ecosystem for a coherent and high-quality experience, while just last month Acer announced powerful desktops and notebooks fully-ready for StarVR. Starbreeze and Acer share the same goal of delivering best-in-class VR applications, and we look forward to unlocking new VR possibilities together with this partnership.”

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