Is it Neccessary to Get the New iPhone

The iPhone turns 4 years old Wednesday.

By that we mean the "original iPhone," the one Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced in January 2007 and that went on sale -- to much fanfare and talk about a mobile "revolution" -- on June 29 that year.

It's hard to overstate the importance of that product on mobile computing, a field that really didn't exist until Apple came out with what was, at the time at least, probably the "smartest" and easiest to use of the smartphones.

In a presentation before showing off the iPhone -- which has a big touch screen and basically one button, a huge step away from the clickity-clack keyboards and postage-stamp screens of the day -- Jobs joked that Apple was just going to slap a rotary phone dial on top of an old-school iPod.

"Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone -- and here it is," he said. A picture of the rotary iPod-phone came on screen, to laughs.

That day in 2007 may seem like forever ago -- or just yesterday.

In technology, four years is an eternity. And the specs of the original iPhone do, in some respects, reflect how much has changed in that time.

The iPhone 4 shaved 2.3 millimeters off its waistline compared with the original iPhone, which was 11.6 millimeters thick. The new phone's camera is better -- 5 megapixels instead of 2. Its screen is sharper. Its processor is significantly faster, of course. And there's an app store now to support many new iPhone features, which didn't exist in June 2007.

The prices have changed, too.

The original iPhone, with 4 gigabytes of storage, went on sale for $500.

An iPhone 4 with 16 gigabytes of storage now costs $200 with a contract.

(Fun tech history aside: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer literally laughed at the iPhone's price in a 2007 interview: "$500?! Fully subsidized?! With a plan?!" he said in a voice that climbed into opera-singer octaves. "I said that's the most expensive phone in the world, and it doesn't appeal to business customers because it doesn't have a keyboard. ...")

But put the original iPhone next to the iPhone 4, and they do look really similar.

Perhaps that's a good thing.

"The soul of the original is clearly still in place," Alex Rainert, the product head at Foursquare, wrote in response to a question about the iPhone on Twitter.

Maybe not all that much has changed.

"I think the original iPhone would still be a decent phone to use for a lot of people," said Roberto Sarjoo, a 27-year-old in Toronto who has owned all four iPhone versions. "The processing power would be slow, but because they've updated the software it's easier to use. ... It would still be a great phone."
January: Verizon announces iPhone 4

Apple, however, no longer supports the original iPhone. The fourth version of Apple's mobile operating system -- iOS 4 -- doesn't work at all on the original. And only limited features work on the iPhone 3G.

Some Apple fans still get nostalgic about the original phone.

"It was like nothing on the market -- nothing like anything anyone had seen before. It was exciting and addictive at the same time," said Henry Mbadugha, a 27-year-old in New Jersey who has owned each iPhone model.

At this point, pretty much any degree of Apple fanaticism is hardly surprising. People wait in overnight lines to get new iPhone models. Apparently some kid had an iPhone-themed birthday party.

This got us wondering: Is anyone out there actually celebrating the iPhone's fourth birthday? If so, let us know in the comments section

This is a repost of a CNN.com tech blog - which can be found here-
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/06/29/original.iphone.four.years/index.html

Hold onto Your MicroChips

According to an article from CNET.com China will install CPUs developed by government-backed research institutions into a test supercomputer by the end of 2011.

The Loongson microchips will underpin the Dawning 6000 high-performance computing system, which is scheduled to be available for tasks as early as summer, China's state-owned People's Daily Online publication reported.

The Dawning 6000 will use up to 10,000 Loongson microchips and will eventually have a computing speed of more than 1,000 trillion operations a second, according to the article. (1,000 trillion operations are equal to a petaflop.)

For perspective, the Chinese Tianhe-1A leads the Top500 list of the world's fastest supercomputers, with a consistent speed of 2.5 petaflops and a theoretical peak of 4.7 petaflops.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-20040162-92.html#ixzz1FwbLkPPm

Social Networking Improves Customer Relations

According to an IT News article, despite the mass popularity of social media websites, a large number of corporations are unsuccessful in providing their clients with an online presence. According to a recent study commissioned by Siemens Enterprise Communications, only about 30% of companies are taking advantage of the benefits of using networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.

The aforementioned study also reported that 70% of customers desire some sort of online interaction with businesses, and almost 60% affirmed that if there was a social media presence, they would likely increase their loyalty to the business as a direct result of social media communication.

Because of the accessibility of social networking websites, a wide range of consumers can be reached via this outlet. In turn, consumers benefit by staying informed on any updates that would be relevant to them. Businesses that do not extend their expertise into the realm of social networking will lose valuable customers and could eventually become obsolete in the fast-pace technological world. This also could cause a disconnect between the companies and their prospective, and even current clients.

Unlike 70% of companies who neglect social media websites, The TNS Group maintains a Twitter account and, of course, a blog. At The TNS Group, we value our relationship with our clients, and are committed to interacting to improve customer relations. To stay posted on news regarding The TNS Group, be sure to check for updates on our Twitter and check back here at our blog.

Customer Service

A company’s reputation falls completely on the customer service it provides. By impressing a customer, they will become loyal to your business, and there’s nothing better than a loyal customer.  Small businesses are familiar with the power of word of mouth (concerning your company’s services and capabilities).  This power can contribute or take away from a company’s profit.  At The TNS Group, we value our client’s opinions and urge constructive criticism. These components, we believe, will strengthen our company.  Last month we sent out a brief survey to clients, in hopes of high-quality responses that would allow a follow up, then reference letter to be issued.  After the survey was taken by clients, responses were received and references were requested. Fortunately we had positive feedback and many happy clients!

Inc.com recently wrote an article addressing the improvement of customer service.  In the article it stated, “"The experience that individuals have with a company and then what they hear from friends and family influence their perception of and likelihood to do business with a company," says Megan Burns, a senior analyst at Forrester Research, a Massachusetts-based research firm that specializes in customer service. It's "absolutely an essential moment of truth for companies."

To quote ARCIM Advisors, “The team of TNS individuals that have serviced our account have been beyond excellent – they are respectful of our data, our time, and our business.  They have been instrumental in recommending (and not over recommending) products and services, and allowed our business to function smoothly”.

Keep up the good work TNS Team!

Tara McKenna

 

IT spending increases worldwide

As an IT consulting firm, we at The TNS Group, have been watching the amount of IT spending being made each year. Currently, there is a forecasted 3.9% increase in worldwide IT spending for the year of 2010. According to Gartner, our IT spending in 2009 was $3.225 trillion. With the 3.9% increase we will be spending $3.350 trillion this year. A reason for this increase is due to the fact of the devaluation of the euro versus the U.S. dollar. Richard Gordon, research vice president at Gartner said, “The European sovereign debt crisis is having an impact on the outlook for IT spending. The U.S. dollar has strengthened against the euro during the second quarter of 2010, and this trend will likely continue in the second half of 2010, which will put downward pressure on U.S.-dollar-denominated IT spending growth."

More specific spending matters that will increase this year include worldwide computing hardware. It’s forecast to reach $365 billion in 2010, which is up 9.1 percent from last year’s total spending. This specific sector benefits much from a healthy PC sector since it accounts for two thirds of spending in this area. Mr. Gordon added, “Consumer shipments will continue to be powered by strong mobile PC uptake, while professional shipments will be buoyed by a new replacement cycle and migration to Windows 7."

The IT spending forecast closely reflects the global economic outlook. It’s said that it is stable at the time, but vulnerable to shocks in key regions. For this reason, IT spending must be analyzed fully.

Tara McKenna

 

The TNS Group welcomes Scott Weatherhogg

As The TNS Group grows as a business, its staff is growing right along with it. As of this week, we have hired a new employee, Scott Weatherhogg, to join our team! We are very lucky to have Scott; he is incredibly personable and has a skill base that will be very beneficial to our company.

The Yonkers resident previously parted with HealthMarkets, a mega life and health insurance company. He is stepping in as a new consultant for our IT consulting firm. He has much experience with IT Operating, System Administration, installation and upgrading, managing various servers and IT projects. Scott is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Microsoft Certified Professional & Internet. His expertise will surely benefit our consulting team.

We expect great things from you Scott- welcome aboard, we are all looking forward to working with you!

Tara McKenna