IT Executive news

• ‘Unicorn’ Domo unveils new business analytics cloud features, more funding

  22-03-2016 23:22
  
  Domo – the Utah-based company that has raised more than a half-billion dollars since being founded six years ago – this week is unveiling broad new capabilities for its business analytics cloud computing platform.
  Domo, which we identified as a Cloud Company to Watch back in 2012, is software as a service that aims to democratize data analytics for everyone in a company, from C-level executives to employees executing day-to-day work, says Matt Belkin, Domo's chief analytics officer.
  
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• Startup Sigfox wins over a carrier as new radios battle for the future of IoT

  22-03-2016 22:39
  
  Altice, a network operator active in the U.S. and across Europe, is betting on French company Sigfox to expand its machine-to-machine business even as it tests LTE-M, a narrowband version of the 4G standard slimmed down for the Internet of Things.
  One technology it won't touch, though, is LoRa, the fledgling standard backed by a number of mobile operators, including Orange and Bouygues Telecom, the main rivals of Altice's French subsidiary, SFR.
  Machine-to-machine communications already constit
  
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• Microsoft's Power BI hits 5M subscribers, adds deeper Excel integration

  22-03-2016 22:15
  
  Microsoft's cloud-based business intelligence service is celebrating a major user growth milestone with a handful of new features, including the ability to import data from an Excel spreadsheet and turn it into live-updating charts and graphs.Power BI now has more than 5 million subscribers, who are using the service to take in business data and create dashboards they can use to better understand their businesses. Starting Tuesday, those subscribers will be able to use an Excel connector to easi
  
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• See the world's first 3D print of a 3000-year-old Chinese oracle bone

  22-03-2016 22:01
  
  Ancient artifacts offer some of the earliest insight we have into events such as lunar eclipses of the distant past, but for the most part, only experts have access to them. Thanks to 3D printing, that's about to change.Researchers from the Cambridge University Library this week announced the creation of what they believe is the world's first 3D printed replica of a 3,000-year-old Chinese oracle bone. The high-resolution image of the 9-by-14-centimeter bone, viewable in rotatable form here,
  
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• Will Apple ever release a Mac hybrid?

  22-03-2016 21:29
  
  Apple now claims two "ultimate" Windows PC replacements, iPad Pro tablets and MacBooks, but the company should look to bridge the gap between those two hardware lines, some analysts say.As device usage and applications evolve, it will be harder for Apple to distinguish between the iPad Pro and products like the MacBook Air, analysts say.Apple has aimed the iPad Pro line at users interested in Web browsing and productivity applications and MacBooks at power users. But as more appli
  
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• Magna CIO on creating IT value in a decentralized company

  22-03-2016 20:50
  
  Imagine that your CIO mandate is at odds with your corporate culture. Imagine that you are one of the few C-level executives hired from outside the company in decades. Imagine that you have virtually none of the basic building blocks that you need to create value from IT. That's the situation Paul Bellack, vice president of global IT and CIO for Magna International, found himself in when he joined the $35 billion global company roughly 15 months ago. I caught up with Bellack to learn more. 
  
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• Google App Engine adds Node.js support

  22-03-2016 20:32
  
  You can now run Node.js on Google App Engine.
  Google is announcing a partnership with Node.js enterprise platform provider NodeSource in which NSolid, NodeSource’s enterprise-level Node.js platform, will be on Google Cloud Platform, which features App Engine. Offered in a beta form this week, the runtime for the popular server-side JavaScript platform enables developers to build Web applications and mobile back ends with JavaScript and scale these systems on Google’s cloud. Previous
  
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• Corporate file systems have 'staggering level of exposure'

  22-03-2016 19:03
  
  New data released yesterday by Varonis Systems, a specialist in insider threat protection, illuminates one reason so many companies are easy prey for cyberattackers: They fail to use permissions to limit access to valuable data.Using anonymous data collected from the risk assessments it conducted for potential customers in 2015, Varonis says it found a "staggering level of exposure" in corporate systems, including an average of 9.9 million files per assessment that were accessible by every emplo
  
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• Should your board of directors include a cybersecurity expert?

  22-03-2016 18:58
  
  Should companies have a cybersecurity expert on their board of directors? The federal government seems to think so, and increasingly so do security and risk professionals, although companies would prefer to make that decision without government involvement, according to a sampling of industry pros.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• PC rivalry extends to servers: Lenovo aims to topple HPE, Dell

  22-03-2016 18:51
  
  A few years ago, Lenovo toppled rivals HP and Dell to become the world's top PC maker. It now wants to do the same in servers.It hopes to do so through the newly formed Data Center Group, previously known as the Enterprise Business Group. The group is getting more financial resources, expertise and flexibility to chase new hardware designs and software partnerships.Lenovo became a major player in servers almost overnight after completing the $2.3 billion acquisition of IBM's x86 server business
  
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• IT and marketing collaborate to sweeten websites for digital natives

  22-03-2016 18:49
  
  Ferrara Candy, purveyor of such iconic candy brands as Black Forest gummy bears, Jujyfruits and Lemonheads, has something of a Reese’s peanut butter cup factor going for it. In a business collaboration rivaling that iconic chocolate-and-peanut-butter combination, its IT and marketing team are revamping the company’s websites to make its brands more appealing to the millennial generation.Ferrara Candy CIO Kristina Paschall.Recognizing that it needed to seize control of its crucial dig
  
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• US will still push for encryption workarounds, even though iPhone hearing was postponed

  22-03-2016 18:21
  Don't expect the U.S. government to back off its push for technology vendors to build encryption workarounds into their products, even though the FBI acknowledged it may have a way to crack into an iPhone used in the San Bernardino, California, mass shooting case.Some lawmakers and President Barack Obama's administration will continue to look for ways to compel tech vendors to help law enforcement agencies defeat encryption and other security controls on smartphones and other devices, security a
  
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• Let’s hope the FBI really can crack the terrorist’s iPhone

  22-03-2016 18:18
  
  It’s good if the FBI has found a way to crack into the iPhone used by the San Bernardino terrorist for two reasons.
  First, the FBI can find out what’s on it. Maybe it’s important to the investigation of the shootings and maybe it’s not, but cracking the phone is the only way to find out.
  And second, it’s giving Apple (and the tech industry in general), the FBI (and law enforcement in general), and Congress the breathing room to sort out the issues rationally.To rea
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Should you buy the 9.7-inch or 12.9-inch iPad Pro?

  22-03-2016 18:11
  Apple finally revealed the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro yesterday, and it looks like the best iPad ever created in that size. However, the launch of the smaller iPad Pro also has some folks wondering if they should buy it or opt for the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro.In this post I'll walk you through some of the differences and similarities of the two different sized iPad Pros, and hopefully it will make your buying decision much easier.Hardware features exclusive to the 9.7-inch iPad Pro
  Let’s start
  
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• Google adds two new cloud regions, plans 10 more

  22-03-2016 17:52
  
  On the eve of its major user conference this week, Google announced ambitious plans to expand the geographic scope of its cloud platform around the globe today.
  Google announced two new regions: US West in Oregon and East Asia in Tokyo, Japan, with plans to add 10 more regions at undisclosed locations by the end of 2017. Google’s cloud now has six regions including Eastern US (South Carolina), Central US (Iowa), Western Europe (Belgium) and East Asia (Taiwan) with more to come.
  The announ
  
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• Facebook engages Safety Check after Brussels attacks

  22-03-2016 17:24
  
  Facebook activated its Safety Check service Tuesday for users living near Brussels after a series of terrorist attacks killed at least 34 people and wounded 200.
  Two explosions – one reportedly set off by a suicide bomber -- rocked the Belgian capital’s international airport, and a third detonated at a subway station.
  At least 14 people were killed at the airport, and 20 at the subway station, according to the New York Times. Approximately 100 were injured at each site.To read this
  
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• Facebook kills off BlackBerry support, just like WhatsApp

  22-03-2016 16:38
  
  When WhatsApp dumped BlackBerry at the end of February we probably should’ve expected the service’s parent company would follow suit. Now it has, albeit with less fanfare than WhatsApp. BlackBerry took to its blog recently to say it was disappointed that Facebook decided to “discontinue support of their essential APIs for BlackBerry.”
  Facebook doesn’t actually make its BlackBerry own apps, except for Facebook Messenger. Instead, it provides developer access for Bla
  
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• Minderheid cybersecurity-professionals deelt dreigingsinformatie

  22-03-2016 16:03
  Vier op de tien beveiligingsprofessionals maken gebruik van onderling gedeelde informatie over cyberdreigingen (cyber threat intelligence). De grootste obstakels voor uitwisseling van informatie zijn het bedrijfsbeleid, regulering en gebrek aan inzicht over hoe deze informatie wordt gebruikt. Daarop duidt onderzoek... lees meer
  
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• Apple patches 56 vulnerabilities in OS X El Capitan, improves Live Photo sharing

  22-03-2016 15:52
  
  Apple yesterday updated OS X El Capitan, patching a slew of security vulnerabilities, fixing other non-security bugs, and adding capabilities to some first-party apps.
  The Cupertino, Calif. company also issued less sweeping updates -- composed only of vulnerability fixes -- to OS X Yosemite and OS X Mavericks, the 2014 and 2013 editions, respectively.
  OS X 10.11.4, the fourth update to El Capitan since its September debut, addressed 56 vulnerabilities. Twenty-three applied to OS X Yosemite and
  
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• Security vs. privacy: Evaluating the government’s case

  22-03-2016 15:32
  
  President Obama recently told Americans that we have to give up some privacy in the name of security. Is the government’s demand reasonable?
  Last month, I took up the issue of privacy from the perspective of the end user. This time I will try to shed some light on the government’s position, to see if it’s reasonable.
  From the advent of telecommunications systems, the government has maintained the ability to tap calls and collect our communications. However, thanks to the Fourt
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How CIOs can deliver a breakthrough business transformation

  22-03-2016 15:12
  
  Imagine yourself in this situation: Your company is in a hyper-competitive market and has identified a compelling new opportunity through leveraging big data and the Internet of Things. But capturing the opportunity requires that you as CIO lead the company in a business transformation initiative – a journey where many organizations typically falter along the way, delaying time to value. What can you do to avoid this outcome, or even failure? What are the winning moves? I think the tr
  
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• CIOs upbeat on iPhone SE, 9.7-inch iPad Pro

  22-03-2016 15:07
  
  CUPERTINO, Calif. — After going bigger than ever before with the large iPad Pro last summer, Apple is sizing down for the spring season. The company revealed smaller versions of the iPhone and iPad Pro on Monday in an effort to fill out its lineup with mid-range products with smaller screens, at lower price points.The 4-inch iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro are expected to ship March 31, with starting prices of $399 and $599, respectively. Both devices include most of the same technologies
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: UbuntuBSD helps users escape systemd

  22-03-2016 15:02
  
  Some members of the BSD community have announced an Ubuntu-based version of BSD called UbuntuBSD.
  UbuntuBSD is based on the FreeBSD kernel rather than the Linux kernel that’s used in the main Ubuntu. It’s using the FreeBSD 10.1 kernel and is based on Ubuntu 15.10 Wily Werewolf.
  UbuntuBSD uses the ZFS file system and comes with the lightweight Xfce desktop. Installing UbuntuBSD is quite easy, though it’s using text installer that you see in Debian or Ubuntu server.
  [ Also on CI
  
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• Why it’s time to set standards for outsourcing providers

  22-03-2016 14:17
  
  One of the biggest challenges IT leaders face in a multi-vendor outsourcing environment is getting all the suppliers to speak the same language. Service providers today will typically follow Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) guidelines around basic IT activities such as incident and change management—and most customers require that their vendors do so — every party has its own interpretations of those guidelines.[ Related: 7 questions to ask before implementing ITI
  
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• 9 biggest information security threats through 2018

  22-03-2016 14:04
  
  Threat Horizon reportImage by ThinkstockThe information security threat landscape is constantly evolving. To help you navigate the terrain, each year the Information Security Forum (ISF) — a nonprofit association that researches and analyzes security and risk management issues on behalf of its members — puts out its Threat Horizon report to provide members with a forward-looking view of the biggest security threats over a two-year period. What follows are the nine biggest threats on
  
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• Android has nothing to worry about from the iPhone SE

  22-03-2016 14:00
  
  It seems like every new Android phone these days has a display that’s 5-inches or bigger. And while I’m constantly asked by readers where they can get a high-end, small-sized phone, I wouldn’t dare suggest they switch ecosystems for the newly announced 4-inch iPhone SE. And that’s not because I’m worried about Android’s market share.
  Android phones sales are growing in emerging markets, and that can be attributed to two things: they’re cheap and th
  
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• KLM kiest Unisys voor wereldwijde IT-dienstverlening

  22-03-2016 13:57
  KLM heeft een vijfjarige overeenkomst gesloten met Unisys voor verzorging van de interne servicedesk en het lokaal beheer op Schiphol Airport en in Amstelveen. Kostenreductie, verhoging van de productiviteit en tevredenheid van medewerkers zijn de aanleiding.Door de samenwerking kan KLM straks beter anticiperen op... lees meer
  
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• The death of Andy Grove and Silicon Valley

  22-03-2016 13:50
  
  It's not called Silicon Valley for nothing. Andy Grove, the former Intel CEO who died Monday, is credited with turning the semiconductor maker into one of the world's most important companies.
  Intel was founded in 1968 by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore (of Moore's Law fame), but Grove was there at the start of an incredible period for the computing industry.
  In the same year that Intel was formed, famed computer scientist Douglas Engelbart held a demonstration on the potential of computers. Befo
  
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• Google warns of Android flaw used to gain root access to devices

  22-03-2016 13:36
  
  An application that allows users to gain full control -- root access -- over their Android devices is taking advantage of a security flaw in the Linux kernel that has remained unpatched in Android since its discovery two years ago.
  The bug was originally fixed in the Linux kernel in April 2014, but wasn't flagged as a vulnerability until February 2015 when its security implications were understood and it received the CVE-2015-1805 identifier. Even then, the fix did not get ported to Android, wh
  
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• 12 questions project managers should be prepared for in a job interview

  22-03-2016 12:17
  
  By itself, the title of project manager can be a bit misleading in terms of the responsibilities and level of accountability involved. Make no mistake about it, though, a PM is a leadership role, and as such project managers should think and act as leaders, always factoring in high level business goals and objectives. With this in mind, be prepared to answer a few broad, complex questions around business strategy, objectives and leadership.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, plea
  
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• Don’t believe (all) the martech hype

  22-03-2016 12:10
  
  As seen through the lens of a “supergraphic” created and popularized by Scott Brinker on his blog ChiefMartec.com, which covers marketing as a technology-powered discipline, today’s marketing technology landscape of vendors, platforms and solutions is depicted as a chaotic rainbow of cleverly designed, colorful corporate logos. It is, says Brinker, a list that has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years: Today, there are several thousand martech companies at vari
  
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• Apple's smaller iPhone may take a lesson from Samsung's unsuccessful Galaxy Alpha

  22-03-2016 11:15
  
  Now that Apple has announced the smaller 4-in. iPhone SE starting at $399 (16GB),smartphone competitors like Samsung are sure to sit up and take notice.
  It makes sense that Samsung will respond in kind, since it has launched just about every conceivable style and size of Android phone. That approach has helped make Samsung the biggest smartphone maker globally.
  Samsung claims to have invented the "phablet" phone, referring to devices with displays larger than 5.5 inches in size. Apple first ent
  
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• Pro tablet face-off: 9.7-inch iPad Pro vs. Galaxy TabPro S vs. Surface Pro 4

  22-03-2016 11:00
  
  Apple thinks PC users are ready to make the jump to the iPad Pro. Not to the original 13-inch iPad Pro, which everyone can agree is just too damned large and pricey. But to the newly announced 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which the company expects Windows PC users will adopt in droves. Obviously, a claim like that can’t go unchallenged. To see how the new iPad Pro really stacks up, I put it against its two natural Windows-based competitors: Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 and Samsung’s Galaxy
  
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• Adobe gives marketers a data-science boost with new cloud services

  22-03-2016 05:05
  
  If the marketer's goal is to reach customers with the right message, in the right place, at the right time, it stands to reason that deeper insight into any of those dimensions could only be a good thing. Enter Adobe, which just rolled out a raft of new data-science tools designed to help make that happen.Scheduled to be introduced Tuesday at the company's Adobe Summit event in Las Vegas, the services bring new algorithms to the Adobe Marketing Cloud with the goal of helping brands deliver optim
  
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• Apple: FBI's surprise postponement of court hearing is a 'bolt from the blue'

  22-03-2016 03:32
  No more than 18 hours before a scheduled court hearing, the FBI is now saying it doesn’t need any help from Apple to get into San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone 5c. So, as of Monday night, the hearing has been called off, and the February 16 court order that started Apple’s battle with the FBI has been stayed.
  Wait, what?
  “On Sunday, March 20, 2016, an outside party demonstrated to the FBI a possible method for unlocking Farook’s iPhone,” the
  
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• FBI says it may have found a way to unlock shooter's iPhone

  22-03-2016 03:11
  The FBI says it may have discovered a way to break into the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino mass shooters, and an important court hearing in the case that was scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed.
  "On Sunday, March 20, 2016, an outside party demonstrated to the FBI a possible method for unlocking Farook’s iPhone," lawyers for the government said in a court filing Monday afternoon, referring to the shooter Syed Farook.
  "Testing is required to determine whether it is a viable m
  
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• Tor Project says it can quickly catch spying code

  22-03-2016 02:54
  
  The Tor Project is fortifying its software so that it can quickly detect if its network is tampered with for surveillance purposes, a top developer for the volunteer project wrote on Monday.There are worries that Tor could either be technically subverted or subject to court orders, which could force the project to turn over critical information that would undermine its security, similar to the standoff between Apple and the U.S. Department of Justice.Tor developers are now designing the system i
  
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• Cisco reorganizes engineering in a big way; veteran Ahuja out

  22-03-2016 02:47
  
  Cisco, which kicked off 2016 with news that the leader of its engineering troops would soon be leaving the company, has now undertaken a major reorganization of that same group and disclosed another high-profile departure.
  The company announced internally that the moves, designed to better align engineering with Cisco business priorities under new-ish CEO Chuck Robbins, include the exit of 18-year veteran and Service Provider leader Kelly Ahuja. Cisco did not say where Ahuja might be
  
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• Apple is gunning for PC users, but Microsoft has little to fear

  22-03-2016 02:43
  When Apple introduced a smaller iPad Pro on Monday, vice president Phil Schiller didn’t mince words when he discussed which customers Apple is targeting with the product, along with its 12-inch sibling.“When [users of old PCs] see the features and performance and capabilities of a product like the iPad Pro, designed for the modern digital lifestyle, many of them will find it is the ultimate PC replacement,” Schiller said during a press conference on Apple’s campus.To read
  
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• Former Intel CEO and Silicon Valley legend Andy Grove dies

  22-03-2016 02:39
  
  Intel's former CEO Andrew S. Grove, who is credited with the transition of the company from making memory chips into microprocessors for the PC era, has passed away at the age of 79.
  Grove, who became Intel's president in 1979 and CEO in 1987, was the first hire when Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore founded the company after quitting Fairchild Semiconductor in 1968. He had been hired by Moore at Fairchild as a researcher after graduation and rose to assistant head of research and development under
  
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• Google to bring Internet to unconnected Cuba

  22-03-2016 02:17
  
  Google has set a deal to bring Wi-Fi and broadband connectivity to Cuba, but some are already wondering how much information and access will freely flow to the Cuban people.
  President Obama and his family are in Cuba this week. It's the first time a U.S. president has visited Cuba in 88 years.
  In aninterview with ABC News anchor David Muir that aired on Monday, the president addressed the fact that only 5% of homes in Cuba have access to the Internet, one of the lowest rates in the world.To rea
  
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• 9.7-inch iPad Pro FAQ: What you need to know about Apple's mini mega tablet

  22-03-2016 02:05
  
  Apple has expanded its iPad Pro line with a new 9.7-inch iPad Pro. And while it sports a name similar to its bigger 12.9-inch sibling, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a few significant differences that will influence your buying decision. To help you decide, we have the answers to your questions about the two iPad Pros—and we also address the difference between the new iPad Pro and the iPad Air 2, which are the same size.The basics
  When and where will I be able to get it?The 9.7-inch iPad Pro w
  
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• FAQ: What you need to know about the 4-inch iPhone SE

  22-03-2016 01:40
  
  It turns out that in today’s “go big or go home” world, plenty of people didn’t want a bigger iPhone. So they did go home, back to their 4-inch iPhone 5s and 5c models, to wait for Apple to make a pocket-sized iPhone once again. Now that wait is (nearly) over.
  On Monday, Apple unveiled the iPhone SE, which has the form-factor of an iPhone 5s, but the speedy components of an iPhone 6s. Here is everything we know so far about Apple’s newest little thing.Important thi
  
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• iPhone SE first look: Where 2012 meets 2016

  22-03-2016 01:08
  
  I remember the first time I held the iPhone SE in my hand: The year was 2012, and it was called the iPhone 5.
  To be sure, there are a few very subtle design differences between the iPhone 5 and the iPhone SE, announced Monday by Apple. But when you hold the iPhone SE in your hand, as I did after Apple’s media event, you’ll be taken back to the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s. Apple’s newest iPhone model is not a new take on the classic 4-inch smartphone; it’s an upgrade to Apple&
  
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• Why Apple’s quiet iPhone and iPad reveals are bigger deals than you think

  22-03-2016 00:04
  
  On face value, Apple’s March 21 product reveals were a letdown—and, no, not because the product details had already been leaked to 9to5Mac. Rather, the new iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro aren’t particularly exciting devices. Neither introduces a whole new product category the way Apple Watch did, and neither introduces a spectacular, gotta-have-it feature like Siri or Apple Pay.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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