Not sure if any of you saw the concrete circus show on C4 last week but the videos they created were pretty interesting:-

I’m not a fan of Apple, and certainly not a fan of Steve Jobs, however there is no doubting that what he has achieved with the company is nothing short of incredible. Apple is now, give or take, the most valuable company on the planet and has more money on hand than the US Government ($80 billion in the bank). Add to this an incredible position within each market that they compete and it’s very much Job done for Steve and he can concentrate on getting his health sorted safe in the knowledge that he really couldn’t have done much more. Good luck and good health to him.

Ok, so the interesting thing is that his successor, Tim Clark, is going to have make some moves; Apple shareholders are getting restless and by the end of the year the company will probably have $100 billion in the bank and the pressure is on to do something with it, either give it back to the shareholders or sink it into R&D or manufacturing, or distribution channels….whatever, just use it!

From a mobile perspective, Apple could have dropped the price of the iPhone a couple of years ago and flooded the market with half a million handset activations a day; they didn’t and the latent demand for iPhones globally is still huge. But what now?

Ewan at Mobile Industry Review makes the point that Apple now has the ability to completely change the face of the mobile industry, not by product, design or marketing but actually through economics. HP has just canned investment in Web OS, sparking a mad rush for hugely discounted (£89) HP Touchpads, imagine what a £99 ipad would do? How about an Apple subscription plan? £100 per month for 2 years and you get an Apple desktop, laptop, ipad and iPhone, price plan included, and after those 2 years you get to upgrade. Scale that down across different price points and it’s pretty compelling huh? Game changing in fact.

Apple’s steadfast insistence on remaining premium under Jobs has generated so much cash that it’s laid the foundations for a push at mass market dominance. Personally I hope they don’t wipe the floor with everyone, as competition in the mobile market can only be good because it breeds progress. Mind you, with Google’s recent purchase of Motorola it might just get messy!

At the age of 56, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has announced his resignation from the role of CEO, after an extended period of medical leave. Although the technological visionary will still play a significant role in the development of the company, as chairman, this still marks a poignant time in the history of this innovative brand.

It’s impossible to overstate the contribution Jobs has made to the modern world. It seems ridiculous that anyone would be unable to recognise the Apple brand today, but it wasn’t so long ago that The Simpsons, at the height of its popularity, poked a satirical jibe at the company’s decline. Ironically, it was around the time of this episode (‘Homerpalooza’) that Jobs returned to Apple to spearhead their return, not only to prominence, but towards a technological revolution. The iconic first incarnation of the iMac lead the way, and since then iSomethings have gone on to change the way we buy and listen to music, the way we create art, the way movies are made (also, let’s not forget Jobs’ work turning Pixar from a failing hardware firm into the world’s most forward-thinking film company), but most significantly; the way we communicate. The iPhone and iPad have also gained significant ground in the war against paper and buttons, as well as lighting the touch-paper of inspiration for numerous other companies to step-up and compete.

BBC reports that Apple’s stock has dropped 5% since Jobs’ announcement, with Samsung and HTC seeing rises of 3% and 4% respectively. It remains to be seen whether this is a catalyst for a more level technological playing field, but if ever there were a time for Apple’s rivals to gain ground it is now. It all depends who will be next to be first.

Twitter to operate gadgets at home, genius!

According to researchers writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, watching TV could take more of a toll on your health than smoking.
Every hour of TV viewed after the age of 25 can on average reduce life expectancy by 22 minutes. This compares to 11 minutes off your life for every cigarette smoked.
The research into sedentary life styles warned that watching TV is a “public health problem” comparable to smoking and obesity.
Bearing in mind we spend circa 6 hours staring at a screen albeit the content isn’t mysteries or comedies (although some of Benny’s schedules…….) but data and spread sheets we are losing 2 hours and 12 mins off our life expectancy for this sedentary activity.
If however, we were to get up and go for a cigarette every hour we would lose 1 hour 6 mins for the smoking but save 2 hours and 12 mins for not sitting still a net saving of 1 hour and 6 mins on our life expectancy per day.
Pass the fags

In a somewhat ironic bow to pressure applied via a Facebook petition, the Government is currently reviewing the rights of rioters to receive public benefits. Though a potentially extreme move, this does call in to question what may be deemed the ‘positive’ use of social media to start a movement (such as the glorious ‘brooms-up’ restoration work) and what may be deemed ‘negative’.

There is no doubt the looting and violence of the past few days has been abhorrent, however, a careful path must be trod when considering what restrictions may be applied to social media connections, and by whom they may be applied. The house has called in representatives of the major social networks with a view to revising Government access to private messaging platforms (such as BBN) and the restriction of access for those seen to be ‘abusing’ those platforms to organise criminal activity. Certainly, in recent online history, should a user have been seen to be demonstrating aggressive or unwelcome behaviour on internet chat forums, that user would swiftly find themselves ejected from said forum. Similarly, the file sharing services that enable illegal music downloads have seen not only themselves, but their users, receive punishments ranging from copyright infringement court battles, to removal of personal subscription to an IP.

However, where do we draw the line at ‘abuse’? In Egypt, protesters circumvented the communication restrictions applied by their Government by organising themselves via Facebook et al. Though this behaviour may have formed the template for the, frankly apolitical behaviour we have subsequently suffered in the UK, the protests in Egypt have been viewed, by some external parties, as a move to overthrow an oppressive regime. Naturally any individuals found to be breaking the law should be correctly prosecuted, however, does that mean being informed is the same as making the choice to act? The best course of action might be to wait for fires to die down and the dust to settle on the cities of Britain before we move forward.

The country has seen devastation this week as youths run riot in the cities looting and destroying high streets. For what reason? No one is entirely sure… what started off as a peaceful protest regarding the shooting of a man in Tottenham has escalated into anarchy!

Social media has been credited for playing a huge part in the story for both the organisation of the riots and also the reporting of it. As events happened, trending occurred on Twitter giving users second by second updates of where the rioting was taking place and also what was happening from all perspectives. Clapham residents even organised a clean-up meeting via it, 7 hours after the riots finished!

Social media has changed the news reporting landscape, making news stories emerge as they happen. The problem being though – which bits are true? As Twitter is totally unpoliced and gives everyone, rioters and your average blogger alike, the freedom to say exactly what they wish. So on the positive side the public have access to up-to-the minute news, changing the way we consume and respond to news stories. However, negatively, there is no proof as to which information is true or false!

Should this be allowed? Twitter thinks so “Our goal is to instantly connect people everywhere to what is most meaningful to them. For this to happen, freedom of expression is essential. “ So like it or not, the use of Twitter for both good and evil is here to stay. How you choose to use it is down to you…

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Social media isn’t just for the big brands, a great example of an ice cream truck in LA using social media to tell customers when they’re nearby.

Pioneering a New-wave Food Truck from I Am Los Angeles on Vimeo.