Then Versus Now: How the iPad and Other Technology Has Transformed Modern Classrooms::

Technology has done great things for education – but just how has technology (such as the iPad, which is increasingly favored as a textbook replacement)? The folks at Master of Arts in Teaching have done their homework, mapped out a timeline, and put the results together in infographic form – and the truth might surprise you…or not! Take a look!

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Apple Still Ranks as World’s #1 Brand Name::

Apple is once again the number one brand name in the world, as the company once again takes the top spot in the yearly BrandZ ranking of the world’s most valuable corporate brands. The survey gave Apple’s brand a value of $185.1 billion, more than 60% higher than the second place brand, Google’s.

AppleInsider:

Apple is no stranger to the top of the BrandZ list, having grabbed the Brandz crown in both 2011 and in 2012. The company’s brand value has increased only by one percent from 2012, but the $71.4 billion separating it from second-place Google is more than the entire brand value of seventh-place Microsoft.

IBM, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola rounded out the top five. Microsoft, AT&T, and China Mobile also made it into the top 10 brands rankings.

The survey says Apple’s first place finish is due to the strength of its brand, and the consumer loyalty inspired by that.

BrandZ estimates that Apple’s brand value has increased by $30 billion since it took the top spot in the rankings in 2011.

Skype for Mac Updated With Enhanced Chat & Search, Improved File Transfers & More::

Skype release a significant update to their Mac video client this week, adding a number of improvements and fixes. I’m particularly thrilled with the improved chat scrolling, which fixes a gripe I have had with Skype for Mac for a long time.

Here’s Skype’s change log (from the official Skype blog):

New features and improvements in Skype 6.4 for Mac include:

• Infinite chat scrolling
• Improved find from a chat conversation
• Improved file transfer
• Improved send and receive contacts
• Support for Simplified Chinese

And a description of the improved chat scrolling:

Infinite chat scrolling

We have introduced a new way of loading history. Each time you scroll upward, more and more messages will be loaded from history. Scrolling is motion sensitive, the faster you scroll the more messages load. To jump back in history. Ctrl + click anywhere (or right click) in the chat and select “Jump back “ and select the period you want to jump back to. We have also separated dates from the timestamps and created date sections instead to make it more visible in the chat. Skype will index all chat history when you first login and consume less resources after indexing completion.

While there aren’t any truly major changes in the update, it does a nice job of fixing a lot of minor gripes with previous versions, and is a highly recommended update. For more information, visit the Skype blog. The update can be downloaded directly from Skype’s website.

A Low-Priced iPhone Awaits::

Apple Inc. AAPL -0.87% is working on a lower-end iPhone, according to people briefed on the matter, a big shift in corporate strategy as its supremacy in smartphones has slipped.While Apple has explored such a device for years, the plan is progressing and a less expensive version of its flagship device could launch later this year, one of the people said.The cheaper phone could resemble the standard iPhone, with a different, less-expensive body, one of the people said.One possibility under consideration is lowering the cost of the device by using a different shell made of polycarbonate plastic; in contrast, the iPhone 5 currently has an aluminum housing.Many other parts could remain the same or be recycled from older iPhone models.Apple could still decide to scrap the plan. A spokeswoman for the Cupertino, Calif., company declined to comment.Apple now faces greater pressure to make the iPhone more affordable. An onslaught of lower cost rivals powered by Google Inc.'s GOOG -0.25% Android operating system are gaining market share.In the 2012 third quarter, Apple held only 14.6% of worldwide smartphone shipments, down from a peak of 23% in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, according to IDC.Samsung Electronics Co.'s005930.SE -1.98% share, meanwhile, rose from 8.8% to 31.3% from the third quarter of 2010 to the third quarter of 2012.The Korean electronics maker on Tuesday said it capped its best year ever with another record quarterly profit, adding that it expects operating profit of $8.1 billion to $8.5 billion for the three months that ended in December.Selling multiple new iPhone models would be something new for Apple. Under former Chief Executive Steve Jobs, Apple prided itself on prioritizing profits over scale and offered a relatively small number of products mostly targeted at the high end.In more recent years—and especially since Tim Cook took the reins as CEO in August 2011—that has started to change. In October, Apple unveiled a smaller iPad, dubbed the iPad Mini, to go alongside its bigger iPad tablets.Still, the company has sold only one main new iPhone model, with different storage capacities, at a time since launching the smartphone in 2007.Today the iPhone is Apple's chief revenue driver, with sales of iPhones and related products and services accounting for 48% of revenue in the quarter ended in September.Apple has been considering a less-expensive iPhone since at least 2009, viewing it as a way to grab market share and introduce people to the brand, said people familiar with the efforts.Before the launch of the iPhone 4 in mid-2010, the company developed designs for cheaper phones that were very similar to the iPhone at the time but had a less expensive back and sides, one of the people said.Apple tabled the idea as some executives worried a second iPhone would complicate its manufacturing processes. The company decided to keep older iPhone models on sale for less, a strategy that didn't require designing new products.While the iPhone remains the top-selling smartphone in the U.S., Apple's share of the high-end cellphone market has taken a hit in China and remains low in other emerging markets.The iPhone 5 without a wireless contract starts at $649 in the U.S. on Apple.com, and can cost even more overseas. That's out of reach for many customers in countries where carriers don't help cover the cost of the phone and where Android phones with similar capabilities can cost less.In the U.S., the iPhone 5 starts at $199 with a two-year wireless contract, while older models are available for $99 or for free with a two-year contract.Apple's stock has fallen 25% since it reached an all-time closing high of $702.10 in September as investors worry competitors are gaining ground. On Tuesday, Apple's shares closed 4 p.m. trading slightly up at $525.31.A less-expensive iPhone risks crimping the company's profit margins, which executives have been loath to sacrifice. Even small changes in margins often sway investors.Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, said that a less expensive iPhone won't necessarily hurt Apple's overall profit margin if it attracts buyers who haven't bought iPhones before and not those who would have been willing to purchase the higher-end device.

Lower-Cost ‘Budget’ iPhone Seemingly ‘Confirmed’ by Asian Parts Supplier::

We’ve heard a great deal recently about the possibility that Apple might release a lower-cost “budget” iPhone – and today, we’ve received the highest confirmation yet that not only is such a device almost certainly on the way – parts are already being circulated for the device’s manufacturing.

The news comes to us from ETrade:

You may remember 11 months ago, we showed you the first real images of the iPhone 5, or 3 months ago the first parts from theBlackberry Z10. Well we just heard “on the wind” confirmation that Apple will in fact be releasing lower end models.

This is not the game changing move that we are used to from Apple which had kept them on top for so many years. But after disappointing sales figures from the iPhone 5, and not much being expected form the iPhone 5S, Apple needs a new strategy. So it has been suspected for a while that they may eventually release low to mid-range models to make up for lost market share until they can come up with a new innovative idea.

We don’t normally put a great deal of trust in supply chain rumors – but ETrade supply has shown a strong tendency toward accuracy over time, having leaked accurate photos of the iPhone 5 front and back panel, and the iPad mini display long ahead of the actual device announcements. They offer the most trustworthy sort of supply chain chatter available in the world of Apple rumors.

There are a lot of pros and cons to Apple releasing a lower-cost iPhone – but judging by this report, and numerous previous reports (including claims from the highly accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo), the question isn’t whether Apple will product a low-cost iPhone, but when, in what markets, and for what eventual retail price.

Apple to Officially Drop Support for Original iPhone on June 11, 2013:

Apple’s original iPhone – the device that reshaped the smartphone market forever – is about to officially be declared obsolete at Apple Retail Stores, 6 years after it burst onto the scene at Macworld in 2007. Starting June 11, 2013, Apple will officially drop support for the device at Apple Stores, meaning that Apple Stores will no longer repair or replace devices, even at customer cost, when that day finally arrives.

9to5Mac first reported the news, which was revealed through a leaked memo, and it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Apple products typically have a support life span of between 5 and 7 years before Apple officially stops offering support for them – and the original iPhone certainly isn’t the fresh new mobile sensation that it once was.

The memo also notes that the iPhone isn’t alone in being discontinued on June 11 – the original Mac Pro, mid-2007 iMacs, and the late 2006 Xserve will also be declared obsolete on the same date. If you still have an original iPhone, you’d better hope it doesn’t break after June 11 – or you may have a challenge finding anyone willing (or able) to repair it!

Apple Reportedly Working Overtime on iOS 7, Borrowing OS X Engineers to Ensure ‘On Time’ Release::

Despite a report early today from Bloomberg, suggesting that Apple’s next version of iOS, iOS 7, may be delayed due to a significant overhaul, John Paczkowski of AllThingsD has confirmed that the report is false. Apple is reportedly still planning to ship iOS 7 on time, and is even pulling engineers from OS X development to make sure it meets their deadline.

AllThingsD:

Sources who declined to be named because they are forbidden to talk publicly about Apple’s plans tellAllThingsD that the company has been “borrowing” engineers from the OS X 10.9 team as part of an effort to double down on iOS 7. “Yes, yes — it’s essentially a repeat of the iPhone/Leopard scenario,” one source said, referring to Apple’s 2007 decision to pull engineers from OS X 10.5 to work on iPhone. “Not as much of a fire drill, though. It will ship on time.”

The report backs up previous claims that Apple was pulling resources from OS X to work on iOS 7, amid numerous reports that Apple is working on a major overhaul for their mobile platform (1, 2, 3) and is scrambling to have at least an initial preview of the app  ready to distribute to developers at WWDC. Apple previously confirmed they were planning to unveil the next version of iOS and OS X at their WWDC conference in June.

Jim Dalrymple of The Loop, well known for his excellent track record and knowledge of goings-on at Apple, has also chimed in confirming the release will not, in fact, be delayed with his traditional one-word response: “Yep.”

The redesign is said to be due to Jony Ive’s preference for a flatter, more industrial design for iOS, compared to Scott Forstall’s preference for texture-based skeumorphic designs – and now that Ive is in charge of human interface at Apple, he’s seeing to it that the design of iOS 7 is up to his high standards. The redesign is said to be extremely significant, yet based on the simplicity Apple is well-known for.

It’s also worth noting that reports of a “delay” of iOS 7 were disingenuous in the first place – it’s simply not possible to delay something that hasn’t officially been given a release date – yet every year, the same reports fly around suggesting that Apple is facing delays. Somehow, it still manages to become a “story” every single year…

Department of Defense to Approve iOS 6 for Secure Communications::

iOS devices have already been cleared for use by a number of government agencies, and today, The Wall Street Journal reports the DoD is about to grant two more important security approvals that could increase the number of agencies allowed to deploy iPhone, iPads, and Samsung Galaxy devices.

 WSJ, via 9to5Mac:

The Defense Information Systems Agency, or DISA, the agency that sanctions commercial technology for Pentagon use, is set to rule that Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones, preloaded with Samsung’s Knox security software, conforms with the Pentagon’s so-called Security Technology Implementation Guide, according to people familiar with the approval process. That would allow it to be used by some Pentagon agencies for things like sending and receiving internal emails, according to these people.

Separately, DISA is expected to rule that Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 6, conforms to a different security-requirement guide, these people said. That would allow iPhones and iPads to be used by military agencies for nonclassified communications, like email and Web browsing.

Samsung has been steadily increasing its pressure to break into corporate and government markets by hiring a team of security experts and former RIM employees to reach out to government agencies and corporations.

Samsung’s plans include a water and dust proof variant of its flagship S4 dubbed the Galaxy S4 Active.

BlackBerry also says it is close to getting clearance and approvals from the government for its latest BlackBerry 10 OS.

As of February, BlackBerry made up the majority of the 600,000 devices used by the Department of Defense, as the Pentagon says its networks now have about 470,000 BlackBerrys, 41,000 Apple products, and 8,700 Android devices.