Articles

http://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/is-iphone-6-apples-most-popular-model-lets-ask-google-1755/

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus have had record breaking sale figures.

• “Apple had already sold about 130 million iPhones” – Information from the Q3 filings
• “Each year has seen increasing sales of iPhones” - Apple
• iPhone 6 saw the most Google searches at one time – WallStreetJournal

The iPhone 6 has becoming the fastest selling smartphone on the market and also consequently the most stolen mobile phone.  Google has carried out an investigation what the exact sale figures were for apple from the last 7 years.  Lowest being in 2007 at 1.4 million and highest being in 2013 at 150 million.

Privacy is becoming a big issue currently especially as Facebook has been in the news about spying iPhone users through their front facing camera. I think personally people are brainwashed into thinking that the new iPhone is better than others when in reality there is hardly any big significance to buy the newer model. This is due down to the fact that apple has marketed and bragged about their brand and it to have so many new features. Slowly I think their reputation is dying down, in 2007 – 2011 iPhone was known to have a very high build quality and are very reliable. The only company that do not include built in obsolescence which encourages users to repair a fault a company has made on purpose. In a couple of years I think iPhone sales will slowly decline due to the more recent companies becoming more innovative with newer technology.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29309417
Microsoft delays Chinese launch on Xbox one consoles

• The console was due to be formally launched and go on sale in China on 23 September
• Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are gearing up to enter the Chinese market after a 14-year ban on foreign consoles was lifted in January
• Microsoft buy Micecraft for $2.5bn

Microsoft launch for the Xbox One cancels two days before its release on 23rd of September. 

People who pre ordered the console will be offered a pre order bonus for the inconvenience of the release date. The delay is due to Microsoft is being investigated by Chinese authorities who have accused it of violating its anti-trust laws. Either of the next generation consoles have been released in China as the ban still remains that video games are not permitted to sell. This ban is currently looking to be released and Sony may the first console to be released in that country. 

The Xbox is currently not doing so good and is being dominated by Sonys playstation by outselling each console at a 3:1 ratio. Despite that microsoft is looking to come out of the gaming industry as they have acquired the games development company mojang for 2.5bn dollars. The Playstation 4 has reached over 

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/18/apple-ios-8-bandwidth-spikes-uk-uptake
iOS 8 causes bandwidth spikes nationwide, despite slow uptake

• iOS release date - 16th of September
• iOS uptake is slower than the predecessor iOS 7
• 70GBs a second 
• Size of the update is 2GBs

iOS 8 the biggest apple update to date had created a spike in the internet sphere as gigabits of download occured when it was released. The total size of the update was 2GBs but was considered as 10GB due to the download times some users being repeatedly given an error message when almost at completion.

My view of this update is very negative its slowed the current iphones down considerably and has caused nothing but problem not to mention that here is hardly any new features. Following this i think that the iPhone brand is going into decline, as each month users are migrating from Apple to Android devices maybe due to the lack of innovative designs are features which Apple lack compared to their competitors  

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/scotland/islamic-state-terrorists-behead-scottish-man-david-haines-1.574973

David Haines 'beheading': Recap of updates after ISIS release video showing execution of British hostage

• Mr Haines was taken hostage while working for acted in Syria in March 2013
• Syria he was working to help "tens of thousands of people affected by the crisis"
• "This is a despicable and appalling murder of an innocent aid worker" - David Cameron

The so-called Islamic State (IS) released a graphic video showing the 44-year-old being murdered by a militant with a knife. The murderer speaks with a British accent and is believed to be the same man who beheaded US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff in recent weeks. Mr Haines, who lived in Scone before moving abroad, was taken hostage in Syria in March last year.First Minister Alex Salmond said the release of the video "has demonstrated a degree of brutality which defies description", adding: "It should be remembered that Mr Haines was in the region as an aid worker helping local people.

Personally I think that this has a strong message. The islamics are trying to get there point across but yet none of the media want to display what they have to say. They would behead a british citizen for no reason there is obviously a purpose to the attack. 

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/travel-misery-on-m25-as-13-illegal-immigrants-flee-lorry-9748111.html

Traffic halted on M25 as 13 'illegal immigrants' flee lorry

• 13 suspected illegal immigrants ran from a lorry
• 13 people were arrested for immigration offences
• Surrey Police received a number of calls around 8.50am from members of the public reporting that they had seen a large group of people getting out of the back of a lorry
• 22nd of September on the M25

Traffic on the M25 was halted due to an unexpected lorry of immigrants was discovered, police was rushed at the scene at 8:50pm where all 13 immigrants were searched and arrested on site. The lorry containing the immigrants later was dismissed and was released after surrey police had arrived at the site.

I think that this is a very concerning issues with the UK border agency. Many illegal immigrants migrate to the UK and many are not discovered. I think a real system should be put in place where they scan lorries and items on ships that come from foreign countries as they are coming in without any hassle.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/15/microsoft-buys-minecraft-creator-mojang-for-25bn
Minecraft sold: Microsoft buys Mojang for $2.5bn

• $2.5 billion (£1.5 billion)
• $100 million profit in 2013
• Mojang owner felt he had too much responsibility and stress
• Generated $326m in revenue last year
• PC/Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Vita, iOS, and Android

Minecraft has become a global phenomenon since its launch in 2009 as an incomplete “alpha” project. Since then, the game, which provides users with randomly generated environments in which to craft all manner of buildings, has sold over 50m copies on PC, smartphone and consoles. Minecraft the game was first released on PC as an Beta but was then ported over to Playstation and Xbox consoles shortly after its official PC release.

“Minecraft will continue to evolve, just like it has since the start of development. We don’t know specific plans for Minecraft’s future yet, but we do know that everyone involved wants the community to grow and become even more amazing than it’s ever been. Stopping players making cool stuff is not in anyone’s interests.” - Mojang Statement

My views on this that microsoft are in trouble as a gaming industry recently been reported that the competitor the playstation was outselling the Xbox 3:1 and has almost 3 times the amount of units sold to consumers. I think this is microsofts step to move out of the gaming industry and start fresh elsewhere.