Think Back, Best Smartphone for You
Internal and External Security when Online Shopping
Blogging Platform, Blogger or Wordpress?
Someone who is consistent with blogging on a particular field, then one day he would become a developer. At this time there are two very popular blogging platform, that is Blogger and Wordpress. Between them have some differences and similarities of features.
How Google is growing up into a real IT company
Of the dozens of meeting requests I received in conjunction with this year’s Interop conference, the one I least expected came from Google. Interop is all about enterprise IT — networks, security, servers, stuff with gravitas — and Google is, well, Google. Whatever it is, it’s not enterprise IT. Or is it?
Yahoo adds to Facebook suit
The additional claims involve the “System and Method to Determine Validity of and Interaction on a Network” and the “System and Method Allowing Advertisers to Manage Search Listings in Pay for Placement Search System Using Grouping,” which the company says is violated by Facebook Ads.
Facebook, Microsoft strike a patent deal
Facebook and Microsoft announced Monday that they have struck a deal for over 1,000 patents, including some of the patents Microsoft recently acquired from AOL.
According to the release, Facebook will pay around $550 million in cash for the patents. Microsoft and AOL announced their patent deal on April 9, with Microsoft grabbing up over 800 of AOL’s patents for $1.1 billion.
Video Game: Diablo III out for open beta this weekend
Blizzard is giving patient fans a chance to play Diablo III, the next installment of the popular series that last released a new title in 2000. Diablo, as a franchise, is a massive success that has sold over 18.5 million copies to date. Diablo III is expected to sell 5 million copies in its first year according to a report from MCV.
Should Microsoft sell Bing to Facebook, what's happen?
Apple says 4G labeling is legit
The company said Thursday in an Australian federal court that its decision to tout the tablet as 4G was not deceptive, the Australian reported. The tablet, which is compatible with 4G networks in the United States, does not work on Australian 4G networks. Apple has offered refunds to Australian consumers who felt they were misled by Apple’s marketing.
Apple has said that it was clear from before the launch of the iPad that its tablet would not work with the 4G networks in Australia.
Apple’s Australian Web site says that its iPad works on the country’s “HSPA, HSPA+ and DC-HSPA” networks, without mentioning the “Ultrafast 4G LTE” that it promotes on its Web pages in America and Canada — the only countries where the iPad is 4G LTE-compatible.
The dispute over the iPad touches on another point of contention on the labeling of the world’s mobile networks — namely what exactly is 4G. Apple is running into problems because the LTE frequencies of U.S. and Australian networks aren’t compatible.
The International Telecommunications Union, a standards-setting body for telecommunications services, identifies just two technologies as “true” 4G networks: LTE Advanced and WiMax Release 2, which aren’t as widely deployed.
But, technically, carriers can (and do) apply the 4G branding to LTE networks, WiMax networks and HSPA+ networks with the blessing of the ITU because they provide a “substantial level of improvement in performance...with respect to the initial third-generation systems now deployed.”
Apple iPhone loophole could talk about pictures with developers
Apps may be grabbing even more data than you realized, even if you are among the few people who read all the terms and conditions.
new iPhone coming
iPad tablet computer
According to a report from the New York Times, app developers told the newspaper’s Nick Bilton that granting an app access to location services can, in some cases, give developers the right to copy a user’s entire photo library.
Just because the functionality exists, Bilton noted, it doesn’t mean that developers are using it. But he also pointed out that Apple doesn’t expressly forbid copying photos, meaning that a dishonest developer could take advantage of the loophole.
Tired of being civil servants, wanted to be a boss, it's time to learn the business, READ THIS...
Apple screens all the apps that flow into its store, which has given it a better reputation for safety than the Android app Marketplace. The controversy over the Path app, which siphoned off users’ contact information, cast that reputation into some doubt. Apple did later say that Path’s actions violated its guidelines and said that any apps would require explicit user approval to access contact data in the future.
The Verge reported that Apple is working on a fix for this latest data vulnerability, citing “sources familiar with the situation.” Those unnamed sources said that Apple is likely to close the loophole with its next iOS update.
new iPhone coming
iPad tablet computer
According to a report from the New York Times, app developers told the newspaper’s Nick Bilton that granting an app access to location services can, in some cases, give developers the right to copy a user’s entire photo library.
Just because the functionality exists, Bilton noted, it doesn’t mean that developers are using it. But he also pointed out that Apple doesn’t expressly forbid copying photos, meaning that a dishonest developer could take advantage of the loophole.
Tired of being civil servants, wanted to be a boss, it's time to learn the business, READ THIS...
Apple screens all the apps that flow into its store, which has given it a better reputation for safety than the Android app Marketplace. The controversy over the Path app, which siphoned off users’ contact information, cast that reputation into some doubt. Apple did later say that Path’s actions violated its guidelines and said that any apps would require explicit user approval to access contact data in the future.
The Verge reported that Apple is working on a fix for this latest data vulnerability, citing “sources familiar with the situation.” Those unnamed sources said that Apple is likely to close the loophole with its next iOS update.
Apple valuation tops $500 billion ahead of iPad announcement
Feb. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc.’s market capitalization topped $500 billion for the first time, cementing its lead as the world’s most valuable business and reaching heights not seen by any company since the last recession.
The shares gained 1.3 percent to $542.44 at 9:30 a.m. New York time, bringing its market value to $505.8 billion. Apple has risen 34 percent in 2012, following gains in each of the past three years. The company is worth $93.4 billion more than the world’s second-most-valuable business, Exxon Mobil Corp.
“Impressively, its market cap has risen to the $500 billion level as its price-to-earnings multiple has actually contracted,” said Ward, who helps oversee $36 billion in assets. “At 12 times this year’s expectation of earnings, it stands in stark contrast to the experience of Cisco Systems, which sold at over 100 times earnings when it approached the $500 billion level in 2000.”
Cisco’s Ascent
After trading near the half-trillion-dollar mark during the dot-com era, Cisco Systems Inc. has tumbled to a market value of $108.7 billion. The last U.S. company valued at $500 billion was Exxon in April 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The Irving, Texas-based energy producer now trades for $412.3 billion.
Under Steve Jobs, Apple transformed itself from an also-ran in the personal-computer market to a leader in consumer electronics, music sales and mobile devices. The Cupertino, California-based company has maintained its growth since Jobs’s death in October, reassuring investors that Apple can continue updating products and pioneering new markets.
“What Apple has done is it gives you an indication of where the markets are going,” said Mark Bronzo, who helps manage about $24 billion at Security Global Investors in Irvington, New York. “Their products tend to lead, and everyone tends to follow.”
Apple posted net income last quarter of $13.1 billion, one of the highest quarterly profits on record, putting it in the same league as energy companies such as Exxon and Moscow-based OAO Gazprom, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Per-share profit of $13.87 for the period was more than Apple earned in any full year before 2010. Sales rose 73 percent to $46.3 billion.
Sales Leader
The results also marked the first time revenue topped Hewlett-Packard Co.’s, underscoring how Apple’s focus on sleek, touch-screen mobile devices has rearranged the technology industry’s pecking order. Net income, meanwhile, exceeded total revenue at Google Inc., Apple’s largest rival in mobile operating systems.
New Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook is pushing deeper into China and adding carriers for the iPhone. Only 30 percent of the world’s wireless-service providers now carry the device, giving Apple room to grow, said Katy Huberty, an analyst at Morgan Stanley in New York.
The risk is that carriers may refuse to continue paying big subsidies to sell the iPhone, making it less attractive to consumers, said Ed Zabitsky, an analyst at Toronto-based ACI Research.
Going Apple’s Way
“A lot has gone in Apple’s favor the last few years,” said Zabitsky, the lone analyst with a sell rating on the stock. “There was great execution on their side, and poor execution by its competitors.”
Apple plans to hold an event on March 7 in San Francisco, where it’s expected to unveil the latest iPad. The new device will sport a high-definition display, run a faster processor and work with speedier wireless networks, people familiar with the product said in January.
The company is counting on the new iPad to beat back competition from newer devices running Google’s Android software. Apple has sold more than 55 million iPads, generating at least $34.5 billion in revenue.
The company also may use the March event to unveil an updated Apple TV set-top box, which could stream higher- resolution video to consumers’ televisions, according to Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray Cos. in Minneapolis. Apple is planning to release a full television set as early as the December quarter, Munster said in a report, reiterating an earlier prediction.
The shares gained 1.3 percent to $542.44 at 9:30 a.m. New York time, bringing its market value to $505.8 billion. Apple has risen 34 percent in 2012, following gains in each of the past three years. The company is worth $93.4 billion more than the world’s second-most-valuable business, Exxon Mobil Corp.
| Apple investors are anticipating a sales boost from the company’s latest iPad tablet computer, due on March 7. They’re also banking on a new iPhone coming by the third quarter and the possibility of Apple offering a dividend, its first since 1995, said Howard Ward, a money manager at Gamco Investors Inc. in Rye, New York. Demand for Apple’s products has helped the company increase profit faster than its stock price, making the price-to-earnings ratio more favorable, he said. |
|
Cisco’s Ascent
After trading near the half-trillion-dollar mark during the dot-com era, Cisco Systems Inc. has tumbled to a market value of $108.7 billion. The last U.S. company valued at $500 billion was Exxon in April 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The Irving, Texas-based energy producer now trades for $412.3 billion.
Under Steve Jobs, Apple transformed itself from an also-ran in the personal-computer market to a leader in consumer electronics, music sales and mobile devices. The Cupertino, California-based company has maintained its growth since Jobs’s death in October, reassuring investors that Apple can continue updating products and pioneering new markets.
“What Apple has done is it gives you an indication of where the markets are going,” said Mark Bronzo, who helps manage about $24 billion at Security Global Investors in Irvington, New York. “Their products tend to lead, and everyone tends to follow.”
Apple posted net income last quarter of $13.1 billion, one of the highest quarterly profits on record, putting it in the same league as energy companies such as Exxon and Moscow-based OAO Gazprom, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Per-share profit of $13.87 for the period was more than Apple earned in any full year before 2010. Sales rose 73 percent to $46.3 billion.
Sales Leader
The results also marked the first time revenue topped Hewlett-Packard Co.’s, underscoring how Apple’s focus on sleek, touch-screen mobile devices has rearranged the technology industry’s pecking order. Net income, meanwhile, exceeded total revenue at Google Inc., Apple’s largest rival in mobile operating systems.
New Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook is pushing deeper into China and adding carriers for the iPhone. Only 30 percent of the world’s wireless-service providers now carry the device, giving Apple room to grow, said Katy Huberty, an analyst at Morgan Stanley in New York.
The risk is that carriers may refuse to continue paying big subsidies to sell the iPhone, making it less attractive to consumers, said Ed Zabitsky, an analyst at Toronto-based ACI Research.
Going Apple’s Way
“A lot has gone in Apple’s favor the last few years,” said Zabitsky, the lone analyst with a sell rating on the stock. “There was great execution on their side, and poor execution by its competitors.”
Apple plans to hold an event on March 7 in San Francisco, where it’s expected to unveil the latest iPad. The new device will sport a high-definition display, run a faster processor and work with speedier wireless networks, people familiar with the product said in January.
The company is counting on the new iPad to beat back competition from newer devices running Google’s Android software. Apple has sold more than 55 million iPads, generating at least $34.5 billion in revenue.
The company also may use the March event to unveil an updated Apple TV set-top box, which could stream higher- resolution video to consumers’ televisions, according to Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray Cos. in Minneapolis. Apple is planning to release a full television set as early as the December quarter, Munster said in a report, reiterating an earlier prediction.
Apple Settles Class Action Lawsuit: iPhone 4 Owners Receive $15 or Free Case
It's time for iPhone owners to get themselves a tasty treat, fifteen awesome prizes from the dollar store, or a brand-new case for their now-antiquated iPhone 4 smartphones. The class-action lawsuit has been settled! Wait, class-action lawsuit? As is often the case with these, a person might not know that he or she is part of a class until the fabled letter or email arrives. If that's you, you're in good (and extensive) company – more than 25 million owners of iPhone 4 smartphones allegedly make up the class in the recently settled "Antennagate" lawsuit.
| The settlement combined 18 different individual lawsuits into one big legal chunk, all united by the claim that Apple misrepresented itself in some fashion by, "concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4—particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software." In other words, consumers got upset when they found that their signal quality dropped when they held their iPhones in particular ways. Namely, when the palms of their hands bridged together two parts of the iPhone 4's metal casing/antenna, which could cause enough signal degradation to ruin a person's call. Hence, "Antennagate." While the official website for the class hasn't gone live yet, iPhone 4 owners will eventually be able to find it at www.iPhone4Settlement.com. Emails will also eventually go out to all purchasers of the iPhone 4 prior to this past Friday, and those looking to pick up their $15 or iPhone bumper (valued at $30) will have up to 120 days to file an official claim. According to Ira Rothken, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, the settlement is scheduled for a final approval hearing on July 13. Previous purchasers of the iPhone 4 should be able to start making claims starting on April 30, however. Apple had previously attempted to address "Antennagate" by holding a press conference to show that the company's iPhone 4 wasn't the only device on the market at the time that suffered connection loss when owners gripped the phone in particular ways. The company ultimately allowed iPhone 4 purchasers to return their smartphones for a full refund (within the standard 30 days of purchase), receive a refund for iPhone 4 cases they had previously purchased, or receive a free case from Apple itself. The class-action lawsuit settlement will only apply to those who did not accept apple's offer for a free case at the time. And, obviously, those who didn't elect to return their iPhones. |
|
Google sued by Safari user over privacy flap
Feb. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. officials were sued for violating users’ privacy rights on Apple Inc.’s Safari Web browser by bypassing computer settings designed to block monitoring of consumers’ online activity.
Google, the world’s biggest Internet-search company, has been dodging privacy settings in Safari, which serves as the primary Web browser on Apple’s iPhone and iPad products, lawyers for an Illinois man who uses the Safari browser said in a lawsuit filed today in federal court in Delaware.
Google, the world’s biggest Internet-search company, has been dodging privacy settings in Safari, which serves as the primary Web browser on Apple’s iPhone and iPad products, lawyers for an Illinois man who uses the Safari browser said in a lawsuit filed today in federal court in Delaware.
“Google’s willful and knowing actions violated” federal wiretapping laws and other computer-related statutes, attorneys for Matthew Soble said in the complaint. Google has drawn regulatory scrutiny and pressure from consumer advocates for the way it handles personal information. Last year, it agreed to settle claims with the Federal Trade Commission that Google used deceptive tactics and violated its own privacy policies when it introduced its Buzz social- networking service in 2010. Chris Gaither, a spokesman for Mountain View, California- based Google, said in an e-mail that the company declined to comment on the suit’s allegations. Researchers at Stanford University said today Google programmers developed codes that allowed them to avoid privacy settings created by their rivals at Cupertino, California-based Apple. Privacy Circumvented? The settings were designed to block cookies, or small pieces of code, that can be used to follow users’ activities on the Web. The Wall Street Journal reported Google’s actions in bypassing the privacy settings earlier this week. Soble is seeking class-action status for his suit, which was filed on behalf of individuals “whose default privacy settings on the web browser software produced by Apple, known as Safari, were knowingly circumvented by Google,” according to the suit. Google’s actions also prompted Consumer Watchdog to send a letter to the FTC today demanding action against the Internet- search provider. “Safari users with the browser set to block third-party cookies thought they were not being tracked,” John Simpson, privacy project director of Consumer Watchdog, said in the letter. “Nonetheless, because of an element invisible to the user, but designed to mimic a form, DoubleClick was able to set tracking cookies in an obvious violation of the set preference.” Lawmaker Attention The allegations that Google bypassed Apple’s privacy settings to gather information on user’s Web browsing habits also have drawn attention from lawmakers. “I fully intend to look into this matter and determine the extent to which the practice was used by Google and other third parties to circumvent consumer choice,” West Virginia Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, a Democrat and chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said in a statement. “We are taking immediate steps to address concerns, and we are happy to answer any questions regulators and others may have,” Google’s Gaither said in an e-mailed response. The case is Matthew Soble v. Google Inc., U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (Wilmington). |
|
Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet eats into iPad’s market share
| Amazon’s reveal increased to 14 % in the period, up from zero in the third 1 / 4, while New samsung lowered to 8 % from 11 %, according to Englewood, Colorado-based IHS. Apple company Inc., meanwhile, managed its lead available that you can buy, accounting for more than 50 % of deliveries. Amazon combined out its Ereader Shoot product in Nov, trying to undercut Apple’s iPad by selling a product at less than 50 % the price. While the Shoot may have taken some business from the iPad, Apple company faced even more rivalry from its own mobile phone, the iPhone, said Rhoda Alexander, who controls product research for IHS. “Shipments of the iPad range dropped short of IHS reports in it all 1 / 4 as many devoted Apple company customers devoted their dollars to bright new alternatives,” she said in the report. “The primary alternative was not the Ereader Shoot -- which came out to solid sales in it all 1 / 4 -- but Apple’s own iPhone 4S mobile phone.” Apple delivered 15.4 thousand iPads to capture 57 % of the industry. The company had a 62 % reveal for the season, compared with 87 % in 2010, when there was little rivalry. New samsung delivered 2.14 thousand products in it all 1 / 4. The whole industry increased 55 % to 27.1 thousand, according to IHS. Amazon’s shipping figures dropped in range with reports from Ross Sandler, an specialist at RBC Investment Markets who expected 3 thousand to 4 thousand units in it all 1 / 4. Other experts expected more, with Jordan Rohan at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. predicting as many as 6 thousand and Anthony DiClemente at Barclays Investment looking for 5.5 thousand. Shares of Amazon, centered in Washington, dropped 2.1 % to $180.58 at 3:20 p.m. in New York. The stock had obtained 6.6 % this season before today. |
|
Amazon Prime has attracted fewer subscribers than estimated
As of October, 3 million to 5 million people subscribed to Prime, a program begun in 2005 that provides two-day shipping for $79 a year, said the people, who asked not to be named because the figures are private. Amazon is working to reach 7 million to 10 million in the next 12 to 18 months, the people said. Analysts have pegged the current number at 10 million or more, with expectations for it to climb higher this year.
The slower adoption of Prime adds to concerns about Amazon’s revenue growth. The Internet retailer posted sales of $17.4 billion last quarter, trailing the $18.3 billion predicted by analysts. While the Prime service increases Amazon’s shipping costs, it’s seen as a way to lock in customers and prod them to shop more, according to ChannelAdvisor Corp. The longer people stick with Prime, the more they spend. “After a couple of years, a Prime subscriber may be spending six times or more,” David Spitz, president of the Morrisville, North Carolina-based firm, said last month. Mary Osako, a spokeswoman at Seattle-based Amazon, declined to comment on the number of Prime members. ‘All You Can Eat’ Amazon, the world’s largest Internet retailer, began Prime seven years ago as a way for customers to get speedy unlimited shipping for a low annual fee. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos called it an “all-you-can-eat” service that would make Amazon more convenient for shoppers while boosting costs in the short term. In February 2011, the company added a video- streaming service to the product, letting customers watch TV shows and movies over the Internet. Amazon has struck deals with Viacom Inc. and News Corp. to add more video content, stepping up competition with Netflix Inc.’s Internet service. It also has promoted Prime by offering free trial memberships to buyers of the Kindle Fire tablet computer. Analysts at Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Needham & Co. and Robert W. Baird & Co. had all estimated that Prime reached at least 10 million members. Even with less adoption than expected, the Price promotion has weighed on Amazon’s shipping costs. Those expenses jumped 55 percent to $4 billion last year, dwarfing the $1.55 billion Amazon gets in shipping fees from customers. Amazon shares fell less than 1 percent to $191.24 at 2:33 p.m. in New York. The stock had risen 11 percent this year before today. |
|
Apple suppliers get independent audits
The organization auditing Apple’s supply chain in China says it will publicly release the names of the companies that it reviews.
The Fair Labor Association said its labor team will visit Foxconn factories in Shenzhen and Chengdu, China, at Apple’s request, the company said in a statement Monday.
The names of the factories involved will be published with the group’s results, FLA spokesman Aaron Pickering said. Apple joined the Fair Labor Association last month. The firm announced its membership at the same time it released its annual audit of its supply chain, which found that a majority of its facilities were not complying with Apple’s limits on how many hours employees were required to work per week and that 44 percent did not implement ergonomic risk assessments to prevent injuries from repetitive motions. The information in that release and in media reports from the New York Times and National Public Radio’s “This American Life,” raised concerns among some Apple users and spawned two online petitions and six demonstrations at Apple stores last week. Those protesting the conditions that have been reported in plants that manufacture Apple products have called on the Cupertino, Calif., company in the past to release that information. In its own audits of the supply chain, Apple lists violations in aggregate but does not attribute them to particular facilities. Apple has said it is working to bring factory conditions in line with company standards. The company said it put about 1 million workers through education programs on working hours, wages and labor rights. “We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling told The Washington Post last week. “We insist that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made.” Pickering said that the FLA has assembled a team of labor experts to conduct the investigation. The assessors will visit the facilities the next few weeks. The first results from the Fair Labor Association’s audits will be made public in March. Source: Washington Post |
|
Samsung announces Galaxy Tab 2
The device has a 1GHz dual-core processor, a 3MP rear-facing camera and a front-facing camera for video chat. It also has some Samsung-specific features such as access to the Korean electronics company’s Music Hub, Readers Hub, Game Hub and Video Hub as well as its AllSharePlay system.
The new content-sharing hub from Samsung lets users livestream their multimedia content to their new tablet from PCs, other Samsung devices and third-party cloud providers. It will have 3G or WiFi connectivity. The Galaxy Tab 2 is 0.4 inches thick, and weighs 0.75 pounds, considerably lighter than the 9.7-inch iPad. The statement Samsung provided didn’t include a price, but Computerworld reports that the tablet will sell for $350. The new tablet will be launched globally in March, starting in Britain. |
|
Dozens protest Apple stores worldwide
As expected, about a dozen people showed up to demonstrate outside the Georgetown Apple store. They were — as my Post colleague Katie Rogers noted — outnumbered by reporters.
After speaking to the media and delivering the petition, the demonstrators left quickly. A sales clerk at the Anne Taylor store next door told The Post that the protest quickly dissipated. By 10:30 a.m., business was back to normal. Charlotte Hill, a spokeswoman for Change.org, said that other protests had seen similar turnouts. Hill said that the demonstrations were successful because demonstrators at each of the locations met with Apple employees who have promised to pass on the concerns to Apple’s corporate offices. So far, Apple has not responded to the online petition site, Hill said. When asked for comment, the Georgetown Apple store manager declined to comment; Apple spokesman Steve Dowling referred The Post to earlier statements about the protests. “We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling told The Post on Wednesday. “We insist that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made.” The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has been feeling some heat from consumers about the conditions in its factories in recent months, following two explosions at factories that make its products and media reports outlining hazardous working conditions. On Thursday, a group of hackers referring to themselves as Swagg Security claimed credit for breaching Apple supplier Foxconn’s computer systems. The Guardian reported that the group posted what it claimed was the username and password of Terry Gou, chief executive of Foxconn’s parent company, Hon Hai Industries. The hacker group said that the attack was in retaliation for working conditions in the factories. “They say you got your employees all worked up, committing suicide 'n stuff … Your not gonna' know what hit you by the time you finish this release. Your company gonna' crumble, and you deserve it,” the group wrote in an anonymous letter. |
|
Foxconn falls victim to hacking attack
Foxconn, which has come under fire due to allegations of poor working conditions in its factories, may now be the victim of a hacking attack. 9to5Mac is reporting that a group calling itself SwaggSec was behind the alleged compromise, and was able to gain access to Foxconn's internal networks thanks to an exploit in an unpatched copy of Internet Explorer that was being used by a Foxconn employee. The group made a 6.04MB file available earlier this evening — first on Demonoid, and then on The Pirate Bay— which purported to contain login and password information for Foxconn's email servers, intranets, and various other company-affiliated sites. Also included was what appears to be an internal invoicing account profile for Apple, complete with bank name and vendor account number, as an example of what could be accessed with the leaked logins. 9to5Mac was able to confirm the login information worked on more than one Foxconn server, though access has since been cut off. It's as of yet unclear what specific Foxconn facility was targeted in the attack, or if additional information had been compromised as well. The company has yet to issue an official statement on the incident. |
|
Facebook value has risen 10 percent since IPO filing
SharesPost managed the auction of 150,000 shares of Facebook’s Class B common stock at a clearing price of $44, compared with $40 Feb. 2, according to a statement from the private-stock marketplace yesterday. That values Facebook at $102.6 billion based on an estimated 2.33 billion shares, including stock tied to options that may be issued later.
| That valuation would place Facebook higher than PepsiCo Inc., the snackmaker that traces its roots back more than a century, and Citigroup Inc., the third-biggest U.S. bank by assets. Facebook filed last week for a $5 billion IPO, and people familiar with the matter have said Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg is considering a sale that would value the company at $75 billion to $100 billion. At $100 billion, Facebook would be valued at 26.9 times trailing 12-month sales, or more than double Google Inc.’s valuation when the search-engine operator went public in 2004. Revenue at Menlo Park, California-based Facebook jumped 88 percent last year to $3.71 billion, while net income climbed by almost two-thirds to $1 billion. The valuation based on private-market transactions may change depending on the actual share count after the IPO. As of Dec. 31, Facebook had 117.1 million Class A shares and 1.76 billion Class B shares outstanding. There also are about 379 million restricted stock units that vest later, as well as about 259 million shares that may be issued if outstanding stock options are exercised, the prospectus shows. Jeremiah Hall, a spokesman for San Bruno, California-based SharesPost, confirmed the auction. Jonathan Thaw, a spokesman for Facebook, declined to comment. Source: Washington Post |
|
