Tag Archive for Apple

| February 14, 2010
Comments Off on New Disk Drives Degrade XP

New Disk Drives Degrade XP

IBM 350 disk storage unit The International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association (IDEMA), the industry group which promotes the technological, manufacturing, marketing, and business needs of the disk drive industry, is leading the Big Sector initiative to update computer hard disk drives from 512 bytes to 4,096 bytes (4 Kilobytes) sectors.

IDEMA claims the need to change the hard drive sector size which has been consistent for thirty years, developed as hard disk sizes grew. 4 Kb sectorThe old 512-byte sectors limited the amount of error correction required to handle more data on the newest drives.  Dr. Martin Hassner of Hitachi GST said: “(The) increasing areal density of newer magnetic hard disk drives requires a more robust error correction code (ECC), and this can be more efficiently applied to 4096-byte sector lengths” in a 2006 TechWorld article.  According to the trade group, the change to 4 Kb sectors will allow hard drives to continue to grow to 2 Tb in size.

Western DigitalWestern Digital (WDC) is the first manufacturer to release products under this initiative. WD calls these drives Advanced Format. According to an article at AnandTech, In order to reach the 2 Tb size Western Digital and other drive manufacturers have developed a 512 b emulator which resides on the drive controller for the Microsoft (MSFT) Windows 5.x family (Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Windows Home Server) which are unaware of 4 Kb sectors.

AnandTech says the emulators will allow Windows 5.x systems to continue to think they are seeing 512 b but there are still problems. The article reports that the Windows 5.x family has a habit of misaligning the first disk partition under the new system which will result in poor default performance. The Windows 6.x family (Vista, 2008, Win7) and later are programmed to take into account the alignment issues. This also creates issues for imaging software. Drive imaging software like Norton’s Ghost needs to be 4 Kb aware. Otherwise, it may inadvertently create misaligned partitions with any Windows product.  The article claims that all current imaging products will write misaligned partitions and/or clusters.

Linux and Apple (AAPL) Mac OS X are not affected by this issue. Western Digital has tested modern versions of both operating systems and officially classifies them as not-affected. They also found that Linux and Mac OS X drive imaging products are also unaffected.

Western Digital is offering two solutions to solve the misalignment issue. The first solution is specifically geared towards Win 5.x. The first option is to use an offset created by jumpering pins on an Advanced Format drive. This will force the drive controller will use a +1 offset. This crude hack means the operating system is no longer writing to the sector it thinks it’s writing to. Jumpering is simple to activate and effective in solving the issue on a PC with a single partition. If multiple partitions are installed this hack cannot be used because the offset can damage later partitions. The offset can not be later removed without repartitioning the drive, because that would break the partition table.

The second method of resolving misaligned partitions is through the use of Western Digital’s WD Align utility available online from WD. The utility moves a partition and its data from a misaligned to an aligned position. This is the recommended solution for using multiple partitions under Win 5.x, along with correcting any misaligned partitions generated by imaging software. The utility also serves as the only way to find an Advance Format drive without physically looking at it.

AnandTech calls the WD Align utility the recommended solution for single-partition drives being used under Win 5.x too since it prevents breaking the partition table. The amount of time needed to run the utility depends on the amount of data that needs to be moved and not the partition size (it simply ignores empty space), so it’s best to run the utility immediately after creating a partition or installing Windows, as there’s less data to move around.

WD Green Cavier HDDThe first Advanced Format drives are WD Caviar Green drives using multiple 500GB platters which are now available. There are two ways to identify these drives:

1) They all have 64 Mb of cache – the first WD Caviar Green drives to come with that much cache; and

2) They all have EARS in the drive model number, e.g. WD10EARS.

It seems that WD is not pushing these drives as part of any major product launch. The new drives are quietly entering the marketplace. The IDEMA plan called for everyone to have 4 Kb sector drives by 2011, so there will be similar soft-launches from the other manufacturers over the next year.  It is reasonable to expect all the HDD manufacturers to have similar problems with Win 5.x,  All of the vendors will have to support WinXP, in one way or another until at least 2014, when extended MS support for WinXP ends.

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| December 5, 2009
Comments Off on Techs Add Ads In Everything

Techs Add Ads In Everything

The New York Times is reporting that Apple Computers has filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to patent to puts ads in everything. They  are working on a technology called “Advertisement in Operating System.” Advertisement in Operating System will display advertising on almost anything that has a screen of some kind: computers, phones, televisions, media players, game devices, and other consumer electronics.

The patent application claims the distinctive feature of the patent is it that doesn’t simply invite a user to pay attention to an ad — it also compels attention. Apple’s (AAPL) technology, according to the NYT, can freeze the device until the user clicks a button or answers a test question to prove that he or she has dutifully noticed the commercial message. Because this technology would be embedded in the innermost core of the device, the ads could appear on the screen at any time, no matter what one is doing.

Within this new technology, Apple has developed what it calls an “enforcement routine” that makes people watch ads they may not want to watch. What the application calls the “enforcement routine” entails administering periodic tests, like displaying on top of an ad a pop-up box with a response button that must be pressed within five seconds before disappearing to confirm that the user is paying attention.

These tests “can be made progressively more aggressive if the user has failed a previous test,” the application says. One option makes the response box smaller and smaller, requiring more concentration to find and banish. According to the NYT,  the system can require that the user press varying keyboard combinations, the current date, or the name of the advertiser upon command, again demonstrating “the presence of an attentive user.” The system also has a version for music players, inserting commercials that come with an audible prompt to press a particular button to verify the listener’s attentiveness.

The Apple inventors, including Apple CEO Steve Jobs, whose name is the first listed on the application, say the advertising would enable computers and other consumer electronics products to be offered to customers free or at a reduced price. In exchange, recipients would agree to view the ads (rb- and give their personal data). If down the road, users found the advertisements and the attentiveness tests unendurable, they could pay to make the device “ad-free” on a temporary or permanent basis.

Google logoThe Download Squad points out that over at Google (GOOG), a “highly praised” feature of the newly announced Chrome OS‘s “totally new” approach to security sounds similar to Apple’s plan for forced ads. Chrome OS is reported to be self-healing. If the OS detects something it does not like, a “verified boot” will restore files to their previous state as if nothing ever happened. Since it is Google’s OS they get to decide what is or isn’t malicious. It is easy to imagine that anything which interferes with the delivery of Google-powered content would be considered malicious. Applications like AdBlock or AdSweep which block Google ads may not be allowed. Chrome OS will put Google in complete control over the delivery platform its audience is using.

Microsoft logoMicrosoft (MSFT) has experimented with ads in software since June 2007 with Microsoft Works. Now Microsoft is working on placing advertisements in a more conspicuous location next year with a free version of Office. Office Starter 2010 is a free version of Office that is pre-installed on some PCs. It will include a small Microsoft display ad in the lower-right corner of the screen and offers versions of Word and Excel with fewer functions than the regular paid ones.

In Office Starter 2010, Microsoft is not seeking revenue from advertising. They are using the ads only to promote the full-featured, commercial versions of Office. The company plans to take customers “along a journey to educate them about the product,” said Bryson Gordon, a director on Microsoft’s Office team said in the NYT piece. Microsoft will use a gentle approach to the up-sell. Customers can ignore the ads, which will sit passively in the corner of the screen,

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The tech world is moving backward taking cues from Free-PC and ZapMe because the public is cheap. Apple, Google and MSFT are counting on the fact their product are so “insanely great” and integrated into our lives that we as consumers can’t live without Gmail or iTunes. Now that we are all junkies of cheap tech, the tech firms are going to exploit this. The price of free starts with a text ad then it will be a banner ad then a pop-up and then a full video where you have to interact with the device to use it.

MSFT, Apple, and Google have huge organizations to run, CEO’s and Wall $treet bankers that need their bonuses so the move to monetize all their services has just begun. The big question is how far will this go? Will the pillars of tech add so many clicks, surveys, ads, and forced interactions to eventually make their products unwieldy and useless. Look where FreePC and ZapMe are today.

Forced advertising is not some new idea lots of malware force their victims to view web pages they did not request.

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| December 1, 2009
Comments Off on 1 in 3 Notebook Computers Dead Within 3 Years

1 in 3 Notebook Computers Dead Within 3 Years

1 in 3 Notebook Computers Dead Within 3 YearsThe ChannelInsider reports that SquareTrade, a provider of PC extended warranty services, studied the failure rates of the most widely used notebook computers and found that an alarming one in three notebooks will fail within three years. The SquareTrade study proved the old adage that you get what you pay for. Premium priced notebooks had a lower malfunction and failure rate than lower-priced notebooks and netbooks. 3-year failure rate by price. SquareTrade says Netbooks have a 25.1% failure rate, Entry level notebooks have a 20.6% failure rate and Premium notebooks have a 18.1% failure rate.

According to the SquareTrade report

  • HP is the market share leader in notebooks, and has the highest failure rate. Nearly 26% of its notebooks fails after three years.
  • Gateway sees 23.5% of its machines fail after three years of use.
  • Acer’s three-year failure rate is 23.3% .
  • Lenovo has more than 21% of its notebooks fail or have maintenance issues after three years of use.
  • Dell’s 3-year failure rate is 18.3%.
  • Macs have a 3-year failure rate of 17.4%.
  • Sony’s VAIOs have a 3-year failure rate of 16.8%
  • Toshiba’s 3-year failure rate is 15.7%
  • Asus has a 3-year failure rate of 15.6%.

Only 4.7% of all notebook computers failed from a hardware malfunction in the first year of ownership, that rate more than doubled to 12.7% by the end of year two, and then leaped again to 20.4% by the time three years had passed.

SquareTrade said that the increasing high failure rate was no surprise. “Laptops have a high usage rate,” Vince Tseng, the vice president of marketing, told ComputerWorld “People leave them on all the time, and notebook components are sensitive to heat. Two, they’re portable and take a lot of abuse. And three, they’re more complex than most other consumer electronics devices.”

RESCUECOM’s Computer Reliability Reportfor Q2 2009 shows similar results to SquareTrade’s results. The Syracuse NY computer support vendor reported in August 2009 that the ASUS brand of personal computers for the second time in a row, results have shown ASUS to be the newest leader in reliable personal computers.

  1. ASUS (416)
  2. APPLE (394)
  3. IBM/LENOVO (314)
  4. TOSHIBA (218)
  5. HP/COMPAQ (142)

The SquareTrade findings must have hit close to home because Lenovo corporate media relations contact Ray Gorman took some strong objections to the report. A point by point response from SquareTrade is available on their blog.

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Asus maintains it leadership position even though they introduced the Eee, an early notebook, in 2007. The challenge for Asus will be to maintain their position as they roll out more products and new models and gain corporate acceptance.

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him at LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| November 23, 2009
Comments Off on Smoking Voids Apple Mac Warranty

Smoking Voids Apple Mac Warranty

Smoking Voids Apple Mac WarrantyApple has declared that smoking is bad for your Mac. The Consumerist reports, several Mac owner’s service requests have been declined by Apple because of the user’s cigarette habit. According to the Consumerist reports, those filing complaints with the Consumerist say Apple claims that the PCs have been exposed to second-hand smoke and are potentially contaminated with known carcinogens.

The ChannelInsider points out that smoking is not listed as one of the things that could void a Mac standard or extended warranty. The Mac owners were told by their service agents that nicotine and carbon monoxide are known cancer-causing agents by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, making it a federal case.

Voiding warranties isn’t uncommon for acts that are intentional or beyond reasonable accidents. But contamination with cigarette residue is a new justification.  The question is whether other solution providers feel threatened by machines owned or used by smokers? Should this be enough to void a service warranty?

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Just a smokescreen to weed out some contractual obligations?

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| April 25, 2009
Comments Off on Wi-Fi Settlement to Cost Billions

Wi-Fi Settlement to Cost Billions

Wi-Fi Settlement to Cost BillionsAustralia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) has won its Wi-Fi patent troll case. They confirmed (4-22-09) that the patent cases heard in the Eastern District Court of Texas as concluded “successfully.” CSIRO sued most of the tech world over its claim of inventing the technology behind Wi-Fi Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs).

Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganizationCSIRO claims to have patented core elements of the technology used in 802.11a and 802.11g wireless devices. “CSIRO has negotiated settlement with each of the 14 companies involved in four concurrent litigation cases,” the agency said in a statement. “The commercial terms of the settlements with these companies will remain confidential.”

Wi-Fi patent claim

The CSIRO first applied for the US patent in 1993. It was awarded US patent number 5,487,069, entitled “Wireless LAN” on 23 January 1996. The patent describes a “peer-to-peer wireless LAN” that can operate in the kind of multi-path environment created by radio echoes in typical office buildings. It includes three ways to get high-speed transmission despite the hostile conditions in an office environment. First, they describe transmitting over a relatively large number of parallel sub-channels within the available bandwidth so that each channel has a low bit rate. Second, the patent describes transmitting data in small packets with forward error correction (FEC) and using interleaving. These concepts are all featured in descriptions of the 802.11 physical layer CISRO claims to have patented core elements of the technology used in 802.11a, 802.11g, and 802.11n wireless devices.

negotiated settlementCSIRO has previously said that its patent allowed speed increases up to a factor of five over previous WLANs. They claimed to have, “offered licenses on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms to major suppliers as soon as they started selling devices which used the CSIRO technology.”

However, troubles began following the Cisco (CSCO) acquisition of Radiata from Macquarie University. The university had carried out for the purpose of commercializing CSIRO’s technology. Now CSIRO claims the work forms a key part of commonly used Wi-Fi products

The CSIRO filed Wi-Fi patent infringement suits against 3Com, Accton (2345), ASUS (2357), Belkin, D-Link (DLINK), Fujitsu (6702), Marvell (MRVL), (manufacturers of Apple’s (AAPL) iPod), Nintendo (7978), SMC and Toshiba (TOSBF). Several large technology vendors bit back – with  Apple, Dell (DELL), HP (HPQ), Intel (INTC), Microsoft (MSFT), and Netgear (NTGR) bringing cases against CSIRO in trying to have the patent invalidated.

In June 2007, the CSIRO won a case in the U.S. Federal Court against Japanese manufacturer Buffalo Technologies. This win is the basis the firm has used to demand royalties from a broader set of manufacturers that market Wi-Fi equipment.

As the case has played out in the last few weeks in and out of the Texas court, CSIRO struck individual deals with its adversary’s including; Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Intel, and Microsoft

HP was the first to settle on 04-02-09. CSIRO spokesperson Huw Morgan said, “CSIRO can confirm that a settlement has been reached with Hewlett-Packard Company in relation to the wireless patent case.” Mr. Morgan continued  in the Sydney Morning Herald, “There will be no further comment at this time due to confidentiality and ongoing litigation.”

Fujitsu logoFujitsu Computer Systems Corp. was dismissed by the Court with prejudice in the first court-approved settlement to emerge in the case on April 8. The terms of the settlement remain confidential.

PC manufacturer Asus and Microsoft separately settled their lawsuits with the CSIRO on 04-14-09 terms of the settlement were not disclosed. CSIRO had accused Microsoft of wrongfully using its patent. Microsoft was seeking a ruling of non-infringement for the wireless technology included in the Xbox video-game system.

Microsoft logoIntel and Dell also settled on 04-19-09 for undisclosed and confidential terms.

Accton Technology Corp., SMC Networks, Belkin Corp. and Belkin International, Inc., D-Link Systems, Inc., Netgear, Inc., Nintendo of America, Inc., Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., and 3Com Corp., announced on 4-20-09 that they had reached a settlement with CSIRO.

Cisco and its Linksys division aren’t on CSIRO’s list. Cisco agreed to patent terms when it acquired an Australian network authentication firm a few years ago. Apple dropped out in December 2006.

Dr. Alex Zelinsky, director of the CSIRO ICT Center confirmed that all CSIRO opponents had chosen to settle the wireless case. CSIRO deputy chief of operations Mike Whelan said that the terms of the settlement would remain strictly confidential. Dr. Zelinsky speculated to ITNews, however, that the payoff could be worth upwards from $100 million up to a billion dollars and keep royalty payment flowing into the agency for up to a decade.

Timeline

  • November 1993: CSIRO lodges a US patent for the invention of a wireless LAN.
  • January 1996: US patent 5,487,069 is issued to CSIRO.
  • 1997: CSIRO and Macquarie University form Radiata, a company established for the purposes of commercializing the patent.
  • 2001: Cisco Systems acquires Radiata for $295 million.
  • 2003: CSIRO engages in patent licensing discussions with several manufacturers, none of which agree to pay licensing fees.
  • February 2005: CSIRO lodges a suit against Buffalo Technology for alleged patent violation in the Eastern District of Texas Court as a test case for its patent.
  • May 2005: Two groups of industry heavyweights — including Dell and Intel, and Microsoft, HP, and Netgear, lodge lawsuits against CSIRO seeking to overturn its patent.
  • November 2006: CSIRO has its patent upheld by the Eastern District of Texas Court in its case against Buffalo Technology.
  • September 2006: CSIRO counter-sues the industry parties attempting to overturn its patent, claiming these companies infringe on its patents.
  • September 2007: CSIRO refuses to offer any amnesty to IEEE members that infringe on its patent.
  • April 02, 2009, HP settles suit.
  • April 13, 2009, Microsoft settles suit
  • All other firms settle the suit on April 20, 2009.

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If your installation includes Aruba, Meru, or Trapeze, you can hope that CISRO goes back to developing Wearable Instrument Shirts or Airhockey Over a Distance, and not squeezing more revenue for the taxpayers of Australia out of this initial victory by going after all the other Wi-Fi vendors.  If upheld, CSIRO will collect what it has often described as a small royalty on all devices containing Wi-Fi.

The cases are:

  • Intel Corp. v. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, 06cv551
  • Microsoft Corp. v. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, 06cv549, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas (Tyler)

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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