It's never a good idea for a CEO to step up and publicly pooh-pooh the idea that Apple might come trampling on its company's turf and create a revolution. The most famous of these incidents was probably then-Palm CEO Ed Colligan's prediction that Apple wouldn't just walk in with some amazing smartphone -- words that probably continue to haunt him to this very day. So who's mouthing off this week? Read on to find out...
Mark this date on your calendar! According to Bloomberg, Swatch CEO Nick Hayek has gone on record as dispelling the notion that Apple might have any magic formula for revolutionizing the wristwatch business with its so-called "iWatch" -- and as the largest make of Swiss watches, he should probably know. “Personally, I don’t believe it’s the next revolution,” Hayek said during a press conference. “Replacing an iPhone with an interactive terminal on your wrist is difficult. You can’t have an immense display.” Swatch previously partnered with Microsoft on at least two attempts to create a more interactive wristwatch, each of which fizzled in the market.
ExtremeTech reported Wednesday that Verizon Wireless plans to go all-in with 4G LTE next year, offering only LTE-equipped devices in 2014. The news came straight from the mouth of Verizon CFO Fran Shammo while speaking at the Deutsche Bank dbAccess Media, Internet, and Telecom conference on Tuesday, who confirmed that voice over LTE (VoLTE) would be arriving on its network in early 2014, signaling the end of traditional CDMA support. In addition to faster data speeds, VoLTE will result in better-sounding voice calls for users, as well as reducing power consumption by as much as 50 percent, which will certainly be music to the ears of smartphone manufacturers.
TechCrunch reported Wednesday that eBay has ended Instant Sale, a service for quickly cashing in old electronics the auction site launched over two years ago. Last month, eBay noted that Instant Sale had processed more than four million offers during its existence, but now the company is focusing on "new, simplified and streamlined mobile and online selling experiences" -- which probably loosely translates to "we make more money when people sell their stuff on eBay." According to partner AllTechWholesale who actually processed the Instant Sale goods, eBay shut down the program on February 28, both in the U.S. as well as Germany, the only two countries where it had been launched thus far.
From AOL Time Warner to Time Warner and now back to just Warner! Time Warner Inc. announced Wednesday that the company plans to jettison Time Inc., the publishing division of the entertainment giant, who's apparently dragging a little too much on the parent company's bottom line. Time Inc. will become an independent, publicly traded company all of its own by the end of this year, allowing Time Warner to "focus entirely on our television networks and film and TV production businesses" while improving its "growth profile." CEO Jeff Bewkes claims the move will "create additional value for our stockholders," while leaving Time Inc. hanging out to dry in an ever-challenging world.
Transitions! Video editors can't get enough of them, and fans of Noise Industries' FxFactory can add 28 more to Final Cut Pro X this week thanks to the debut of industrial revolution's new XEffects Camera Transitions. Available for $49, this package includes popular still and movie-style effects such as film slips, film wind-ons, frame twitch, camera iris, camera shutters, leaders, projectors and more. Want to make sure they'll work great in your next project? Download the free trial version and check 'em out for yourself.
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