Sports
Apple unveils two new iPhones, starting at $99
Apple unveils two new iPhones, starting at $99 (AFP) / 11 September 2013 Apple unveiled two new iPhones on Tuesday in its bid to expand its share of the smartphone market, including one as low as $99 with a US carrier contract. “The business has become so large that this year we are going to replace the iPhone 5 and we are going to replace it with two new designs,” Apple chief Tim Cook announced at the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters. Apple will begin taking orders on Friday, and on September 20 the two devices will go on sale in the United States, Australia, Britain, China, France, Germany, Japan and Singapore. The iPhone 5C is part of Apple’s bid to counter the flood of low-cost smartphones from rivals, most of which use the Google Android operating system. Apple designer Jony Ive said that despite the low cost, the polycarbonate iPhone 5C with a steel frame “is beautiful.” “We took the same fanatical care with how the iPhone 5C feels in your hand,” Ive said. The iPhone 5C with 16 gigabytes of memory will sell for as low as $99 with a US carrier contract — half the cost of earlier iPhone base models. Analysts were keenly focused on the promise of an iPhone 5C to win over buyers in China and other developing markets where there is fierce competition from low-priced smartphones powered by Android. The top-line iPhone 5S, which starts at $199 with a contract, “is the most forward thinking phone we have ever created,” said Apple vice-president Phil Schiller. “It is the gold standard in smartphones.” Schiller said the 5S model includes a speedier chip which brings up the computing power from 32 to 64 bits. “It has over a billion transistors in it,” he said, adding that the device will be “about twice as fast in graphics and computing power and about 40 times faster than the original iPhone.” The 5S will also have improved battery life, with some 10 hours of talk time, or 40 hours of music listening, Schiller added. Apple also introduced a fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 5S, as a new security measure in place of passwords. “You can just press the home button to unlock your phone,” Schiller said. “You can use it to authenticate iTunes purchases.” Schiller added: “We have so much of our personal data on these devices, and they are with us almost everyplace we go, so we have to protect them.” Apple also broadened its color palette, announcing the low-cost phone in blue, white, pink, yellow and green, and the top-line model in silver, gold and a new “space gray.” Apple also said its iOS 7 software will debut September 18. It includes a free iTunes Radio Service featuring more than 200 stations “and an incredible catalog of music from the iTunes Store,” Apple announced earlier this year. The two new handsets keep the four-inch screen of current iPhones, despite some speculation Apple would boost the size to compete with larger phones from rivals like Samsung. Apple announced separately a deal with Japan’s biggest mobile phone carrier NTT DoCoMo to bring the two new iPhones to that country. “NTT DoCoMo has built an impressive network, the largest in the nation with over 60 million customers,” said Cook. “We’ve enjoyed tremendous success with iPhone in Japan, in fact it’s the top selling smartphone in the country, and we look forward to delivering iPhone into even more customers’ hands through NTT DoCoMo.” The smartphone market is now dominated by Android devices, with roughly three-fourths of all handsets, but a forecast by research firm IDC suggested Apple will increase its share this year to 17.9 per cent from 16.9 per cent. Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White said the new low-cost device will help Apple broaden its appeal. “Since Apple’s iPhone family focuses on the higher-end part of the smartphone market, we estimate the company has been unable to address approximately 60 per cent of the smartphone market,” he said in a note to clients. “We believe today’s event will prove to be part of a larger string of events over the next year as Apple enters a year of innovation.” Continue reading
Germany’s Thomas Bach elected IOC president
Germany’s Thomas Bach elected IOC president (AP) / 11 September 2013 Thomas Bach was elected president of the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday, keeping the powerful sports body in European hands. Bach, a 59-year-old German lawyer, succeeds Jacques Rogge, the Belgian who is stepping down after 12 years as head of the Olympic body. New International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, German Thomas Bach (L), greets outgoing IOC President Jacques Rogge (R) after the announcement of his election during the 125th IOC session on Tuesday. -AFP Bach, the long-time favourite, defeated five rival candidates in the secret balloting. He received 49 votes in the second round to secure a winning majority. Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico finished second with 29 votes. Bach received a standing ovation for nearly a full minute after Rogge opened a sealed envelope to announce his victory. Bach bowed slightly to the delegates to acknowledge the warm response and thanked the members in several different languages. “This is a really overwhelming sign of trust and confidence,” Bach said. A former Olympic fencing gold medalist who heads Germany’s national Olympic committee, Bach becomes the ninth president in the 119-year history of the IOC. He is the eighth European to hold the presidency. Of the IOC’s leaders, all have come from Europe except for Avery Brundage, the American who ran the committee from 1952-72. Bach is also the first gold medal-winning Olympic athlete to become IOC president. He won gold in team fencing for West Germany in 1976. “I know of the great responsibility of an IOC president,” Bach said. “This makes me humble. I want to lead the IOC according to my motto, ‘Unity and Diversity. “I want to be a president for all of you. This means I will do my very best to balance well all the different interests of the stakeholders of the Olympic movement. This is why I want to listen to you and to enter in an ongoing dialogue with all of you. You should know that my door, my ears and my heart are always open for you.” After awarding the 2020 Olympics to Tokyo and bringing wrestling back into the games, the IOC completed the last of its three critical votes — choosing the person for the most powerful job in international sports. Bach’s supporters had hoped for a first-round win, but a second-round victory still showed that he had a big base of support. Carrion, who chairs the IOC’s finance commission and negotiates lucrative US television rights deals, wound up being Bach’s only serious challenger. The votes fell off after that with Ng Ser Miang of Singapore getting six, Denis Oswald of Switzerland five and Sergei Bubka of Ukraine four. C.K. Wu of Taiwan was eliminated in the first round after an initial tie with Ng as low vote-getter. Ng had been considered a strong contender, but his chances were dented after Tokyo’s win because the IOC was unlikely to give Asia two major prizes in a row. Bach has long been viewed as the favourite because of his resume: former Olympic athlete, long-serving member on the policy-making IOC executive board, chairman of the legal commission, head of anti-doping investigations and negotiator of European TV rights. None of the six candidates has made any dramatic proposals for change, promising to continue the line pursued by Rogge, particularly in the fight against doping. The election follows Saturday’s IOC decision to send the 2020 Games to Tokyo and Sunday’s vote to reinstate wrestling for the 2020 and 2024 Games. The presidential vote is what most of the 100-plus IOC members had been focusing on. Much of the pre-election talk among the members has been about the power of Shaikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, the Kuwaiti who heads the Association of National Olympic Committees. The Shaikh was a key backer of Bach. With his influence in Asia and among the national Olympic committees, the Kuwaiti can deliver a large number of votes. He was seen as playing a key role in Tokyo’s victory, even helping Istanbul get to the second round of voting to keep Madrid out of the final. Continue reading
Mohammed calls for fresh growth ideas
Mohammed calls for fresh growth ideas (Wam) / 11 September 2013 The next growth period in the UAE would require new administrative ideas given different challenges, aspirations and high ceiling of expectations, said His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The remarks were made during a brainstorming session chaired by Shaikh Mohammed in his office at Emirates Towers on Tuesday in the presence of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. Shaikh Mohammed and Shaikh Hamdan during the meeting in dubai on tuesday. — Wam “We need new tools, different ways of doing things and continuous innovation in the light of world’s competitive environment, whose intensity increases day after day,” Shaikh Mohammed said. At the meeting, where many ideas were proposed, Shaikh Mohammed noted that the collective thinking and open dialogue with work teams create better ideas that could lead to successes. Addressing the team, he said: “My job as a team leader is to get better ideas from the work teams and use them to enhance life of people and make the UAE a better place to live in”. Shaikh Mohammed discussed with the team the position of the UAE in the light of neutral international reports, adding that “Our next projects should bear international standards that match the UAE’s international status, and at the same ensure welfare for citizens.” Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and other senior officials were present on the occasion. Continue reading
