Tag Archive for iPad

| July 21, 2015
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Apple favors IPv6 as IPv4 Dries Up

Apple favors IPv6 as IPv4 Dries UpThe American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) has reported that the IPv4 well is just about dry in North America. On 01 July 2015, ARIN had to refuse a request for a block of IPv4 addresses. The ARIN statement says that there are still a few IPv4 numbers available in smaller block sizes. But for all intents and purposes, there are no more unassigned public IPv4 addresses. As of July 18, 2015, the ARIN IPv4 Deletion page reports only 335 /24 IPv4 address ranges are available. It is time to start looking at IPv6.

Will have an impact on the large enterprisesThe good news, according to FierceEnterpriseCommunications, is the IPv4 drought isn’t yet affecting most of the internal networks of enterprises. But it’s just a matter of time before it starts to have a greater impact on the largest of enterprises. Microsoft (MSFT), for instance, found it was out of IPv4 addresses a few weeks ago. And for the first time in ARIN’s history, they denied a company that requested a large block of IPv4 addresses. Tom Coffeen, chief IPv6 evangelist at Infoblox, in a statement to FierceEnterpriseCommunications explained:

Though the IPv4 well has run dry and threatens service providers, the sky hasn’t yet landed on enterprise networks … Most enterprises still rely on private IPv4 for their internal networks. The small number of public, routable IPv4 addresses required to connect enterprise networks to the Internet is typically provided by the ISP, making IPv4 much more critical for Internet services providers.

IPv6One company that is reacting to IPv4 scarcity is Apple (AAPL). Apple’s latest operating systems – iOS 9 for iPhones and iPads and OS X El Capitan for Macs are designed to take advantage of IPv6. The new operating systems select the fastest connection with the lowest latency, whether IPv4 or IPv6, using the Happy Eyeballs algorithm, explained David Schinazi, the CoreOS networking engineer at Apple. Devices use the Happy Eyeballs algorithm to decide which protocol to use, as many applications use a “dual-stack” approach to networking, making available both IPv4 and IPv6 connections.

FierceMobileIT says this worked out to be a 50/50 split between IPv4 and iPv6 in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, but for the new OSes, IPv6 will be chosen by the algorithm around 99 percent of the time, according to Apple beta testing. Apple’s Schinazi wrote in a post on the Internet Engineering Task Force mailing list that Apple considers IPv6 mainstream.

IPv6 is now mainstream instead of being an exception, there are less broken IPv6 tunnels, IPv4 carrier-grade NATs [network address translations] are increasing in numbers, and throughput may even be better on average over IPv6

The author reports that testing performed by Apple shows that the new OSes should use IPv6 addresses around 99 percent of the time. Apple operating systems have supported IPv6 by default for Mac users as part of the OS X 10.2 Jaguar release in May 2002.

Mr, Schinazi cautioned that both OSes are in beta so things might change for the final versions. “If this behavior proves successful during the beta period, you should expect more IPv6 traffic from Apple products in the future,” he added.

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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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| May 26, 2015
Comments Off on Mobile Malware FUD?

Mobile Malware FUD?

Mobile Malware FUD?Just last week, I wondered out loud from my Bach Seat if all the hype around mobile malware was real or just more FUD. Looks like I am not alone, TechCo recently asked a similar question, “Are We Overstating the Threats from Mobile Devices?”

mobile threatsThe author cites several recent reports that back up the claim that the actual mobile threats that mobile devices introduce into the enterprise are overstated. The data indicates that the mobile malware threat is statistically small and has even decreased since 2012.

• A McAfee report shows out of all the malware now out there, only 1.9% of it is mobile malware. The author equates the mobile threat to 4 million / 195 million McAfee knows about.
• Another report (PDF) from Verizon (VZ) shows even lower numbers, with only 0.03 percent of smartphones being infected with what is called “higher grade malicious code.”
hit by lighting• But some numbers go even lower than that. Damballa, a mobile security vendor that monitors roughly half of mobile data traffic, recently released a report that claims you have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than by mobile malware. Dramballa found only 9,688 smartphones out of more than 150 million showed signs of malware infection. If you do the math, that comes out to an infection rate of 0.0064 percent.

Even more interesting is that despite the increase in mobile devices, Damballa found the infection rate had declined by half compared to 2012.

Walled gardenThese reports may show mobile threats aren’t as big of a problem as previously thought, but the author asks, why the numbers are so low at all. After all, cybercriminals like to target new platforms and exploit security weaknesses. Why do they seem to be avoiding mobile devices?

The truth of the matter is that mobile users tend to get their apps from high-quality app stores. The stores from Google (GOOG) and Apple (AAPL) work to filter out suspicious apps. If malware is found in apps after they’ve already been on the market for a while, app stores can also execute a kill switch, which takes the app off the store and the devices where they were downloaded. This limits malware’s ability to spread.

remotely wipe devicesThe article concludes that companies that adopt BYOD should just ignore BYOD security; they just don’t have to go all-out as many businesses have done. Most mobile security experts say a mobile device management system remains a good investment to make sure mobile devices are handled appropriately. MDM systems also allow an organization to remotely wipe devices, thus keeping sensitive data safe in the event a device is lost or stolen. But malware really isn’t a factor in those cases, so the overall message from these recent reports is that getting worked up over mobile threats is not necessary. A company can still gain all the benefits of BYOD without having to worry incessantly over what they’re doing to protect every device that connects to their network.

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  • Your BYOD implementation checklist (powermore.dell.com)

 

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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| May 5, 2015
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iPads Stalled

iPads StalledReaders of Bach Seat know that I have been a skeptic of the iPads role as the leader of the “post-PC” era. The Verge looks back nostalgically to 2010 when Apple (AAPL) first introduced the iPad. Steve Jobs heralded the iPad as a “magical and revolutionary iDevice.” It was predicted to play a part in the “post-PC” era of devices. In the subsequent years since the launch of the iPad, many have debated whether the laptop is dead and the PC era over. That hasn’t quite happened yet.

Post-PC era?

Apple now earns more money from Macs than iPadsThe latest financial figures from Apple seem to have gotten this “post-pc” epoch upside-down. Apple now earns more money from Macs than it does from iPads. According to The Verge, Apple made $5.6 billion in revenue from its Mac sales in the most recent quarter and $5.4 billion in iPad revenue. The surprise revenue turnaround casts some doubt on Apple’s “post-PC revolution.” Apple’s iPad sales have been decreasing consistently in recent quarters. Apple doesn’t have an answer to counter the trend.

Tim CookRumors of an iPad Pro with a stylus have surfaced over the past year. Sadly, Apple has only chosen to refresh its line with very few improvements. The decrease in iPad sales is likely related to several factors. Consumers not refreshing tablets as much. The lack of big improvements to the iPad. Smartphones are still revolutionizing the industry more than tablets.

Macs out-selling iPads

Apple CEO Tim Cook famously rejoiced at iPad sales beating rival manufacturer’s PC sales, at the peak of iPad popularity. It’s no longer beating Apple’s own PC sales revenue. Without a major change to the iPad, this could be a trend that continues.

BI - iPad SalesApple is seeing impressive growth on the Mac side. A 10 percent increase year-over-year in Mac sales has helped push revenues past the iPad level, and Apple has been consistently bucking the trend of a PC market in decline.  As for CEO Cook, he still believes in the iPad. “It is what it is. It will play out, and at some point, it will stabilize,” Cook told analysts when asked about the lackluster iPad sales. “I am not sure precisely when, but I’m pretty confident it will.”

Broken iPadsCEO Cooks’s confidence may be misplaced. As far back as March 2015 people were saying the iPad had no clothes. The Business Insider pointed out that sales of the iPad hit a wall. They cite Credit Suisse analyst Kulbinder Garcha who believes and has the data to prove it that phablets are eating the iPad for lunch.

phablets are eating the iPad for lunch.

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Credit Suisse’s Garcha is right when he speculates why would you buy an iPad when you can buy a big phone that does everything the tablet does, and more?

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  • Unreleased Apple iPad Prototype Stolen In Kidnapping (valuewalk.com)

 

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.

Category: Tablet computing | Tags: , , , , , , ,
| April 23, 2015
Comments Off on iPad Deal Haunts LAUSD

iPad Deal Haunts LAUSD

iPad Deal Haunts LAUSDReaders of Bach Seat should remember the botched $1.3 Billion iPad deal the USA’s second-largest school district made with Apple (AAPL). rb- I covered the massive failure here and here. Well, it seems that buyer remorse has finally set in.

The LA Times is reporting that the Los Angeles Unified School District is now demanding a multi-million dollar refund from Apple or they may sue their former partner. In a letter obtained by LA public radio KPCC, to Apple’s general counsel, David Holmquist, LAUSD attorney wrote,

While Apple and Pearson promised a state-of-the-art technological solution for ITI  implementation, they have yet to deliver it …  the vast majority of students are still unable to access the Pearson curriculum on iPads … will not accept or compensate Apple for new deliveries of [Pearson] curriculum.

Others have called this deal an incompetent, unconscionable betrayal of LA by people who are so ignorant about technology it’s scary to imagine them responsible for anyone’s education.

Margot Douaihy documents the shameful history, which has included firings, resignations, an FBI investigation, an SEC investigation, and the $22 million “d’oh” moment when district officials realized for the very first time that iPads don’t come with keyboards.

incompetent, unconscionable betrayalThe LA Times also reports that a top lieutenant of former LAUSD Supt. John Deasy and architect of the district’s flawed and now-abandoned $1.3 billion iPads-for-all and new online student records system is now taking the helm of the Burbank school district at $241,000 a year. Why?—because Burbank BoE believes they need someone with business savvy to sort out their technology.

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If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck while the FBI and SEC are investigating, it is probably a politician.

 

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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.

Category: Tablet computing | Tags: , , , , , , ,
| December 16, 2014
Comments Off on Tablets Still Don’t Rule the World

Tablets Still Don’t Rule the World

Tablets Still Don't Rule the WorldThe rise of tablets like Apple’s (AAPL) iPad, Samsung‘s (005930) Galaxy Tab, and the Google (GOOG) Nexus have grabbed PC buyers’ attention and dollars for several years at the expense of the PC market. Lately, however, it seems that the carnage in the PC market has stabilized. And the growth of the mighty Apple iPad has plateaued.

iPhone, iPad, and iPod sales

iPhone, iPad, and iPod sales from Q1 06 to Q3 14 (in million units) | Statista

Cloud computingCould this be because there is no real business case for the tablets? After being on the market for several years, they have not replaced the PC at work. Don Reisinger at eWeek, recently put out 10 reasons why tablets still cannot replace PCs where he argues that the Post-PC Era is yet not a done deal. He argues despite their popularity, tablets still aren’t powerful or capable enough to replace PCs. He states in the article tablets cannot–and will not–replace PCs. Let’s look at his reasons why.

1. Component power

Over the last few years, mobile components running in tablets have gained in power. However, processors such as NVidia’s (NVDA) Tegra 3 or Apple’s A6X still pale in comparison to the power delivered in PC chips from Intel (INTC) or AMD (AMD). Until that changes, tablets can never replace PCs for the power-hungry users among us the author says.

Apple vs. Microsoft2. App availability

Apple’s App Store now offers over 800,000 applications. And although many of them are worthwhile downloads, few actually deliver the complexity and sophistication customers would find in Microsoft (MSFT) Windows or OS X. Nowhere is that more clear than in the comparison of Office on mobile and PCs. Eweek says until apps gain in sophistication, mobile can never keep up.

3. Virtual keyboards aren’t loved

The problem with all tablets is that they come with virtual keyboards. And although more people are warming to virtual keys, there are still many folks around the globe that like having the standard physical keyboard found in PCs. The blog asks why not? Typing on traditional keyboards with two hands is far more accurate and efficient.

virtual keyboard as a reason he does not use a tabletPaul Mah at FierceCIO echoed the authors, citing the virtual keyboard as a reason he does not use a tablet as his primary work device. I have struggled with iPad virtual keyboards, and yes I did try Bluetooth keyboard cases and found them disagreeable.

4. Windows is the enterprise’s favorite

The article notes that Microsoft holds a dominant position in the enterprise. Tablets are just one front on that battlefield. The enterprise is adopting tablets at a rapid rate. But that doesn’t mean that the corporate world is ready to drop Windows for iOS or Android. In fact, Windows is still the most important software solution for enterprise users. Granted, Microsoft is bringing Windows to tablets, but for now, those products aren’t proving popular. Until they do catch on, PCs will win out.

5. Think about enterprise productivity

Productivity in the enterpriseProductivity in the enterprise is extremely important. And on that front, Mr. Reisinger says PCs are still winning out, Forbes recently estimated that MSFT Office market share will drop from its current 95% to 90% by 2016. Notebooks deliver the same level of mobility as tablets, and desktops deliver the power that designers and other employees might need. Simply put, PCs are still the ideal productivity-maximizing solutions for enterprise users.

6. Tablet prices are still too high

Tablets are expensive. The latest iPad launch can set customers back $929 for 128GB of storage and 4G LTE support. A more powerful notebook can be purchased for several hundred dollars less. The author believes that given the state of the economy and the fact that many tech buyers are looking to save cash wherever possible, PCs can’t be considered obsolete in their battle with tablets.

7. Notebooks are turning into tablets

mobile malware eWeek points out that PC vendors have made the smart decision to cut off the rise of tablets by delivering touch functionality in their products. Lenovo’s Yoga, for example, has a screen that can swivel around and sit atop the keyboard to act as a tablet. As more notebooks take on tablet functionality, devices like Apple’s iPad might look like an awfully poor value for the price.

8. More options across the PC market

The sheer number of options available to customers in the PC market is something that can’t be overlooked. From notebooks to laptops to desktops to ultrabooks, there’s something for everyone. Best of all, the components in those products can be customized to match the respective customer’s needs. The blog concludes that choice, outside of storage space, is something sorely lacking in the tablet market. And customers know it.

9. The security advantage is going away

 

Tablet malwareWhen tablets started to make inroads into the PC market, many speculated that it was because of the comparative safety that went along with using such products over notebooks. Now, the author says things have changed. Android is the top target for malicious hackers now, according to several security reports, and has become the next frontier in malware. That could prove extremely troublesome for tablet adoption if things continue to get worse.

10. Tablet OSs need to grow up

Android and iOS, the two most popular tablet operating systems, are nice and effective in the mobile world. But they haven’t grown up yet. Mr. Reisinger says Apple’s iOS, lacks a file system. Android comes in too many flavors for customers to get comfortable with its functionality. Mobile operating systems have to grow up. If they don’t, tablets will never match PCs.

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Huge phoneI just got back from the annual run to the big-box store for Christmas shopping and saw another reason the tablet still does not rule the world. Pfablets.  Some of these things are just as big as an iPad Mini. Now it’s time for a good Gin and Tonic after facing the holi-dazed shopping hordes.

Dell and Intel released a report [pdf] that says the desktop is still the workhorse of the average office. They found that 77% of office tasks are completed with a traditional PC.

Related articles

 

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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