Microsoft Corp. seems to be serious about its foray into the tablet market – the software giant is planning large volume production of its first tablet computer, Surface, in the fourth quarter, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to component suppliers in Asia, Microsoft has placed orders to produce 3 million to 5 million of these tablets in the fourth quarter. That is similar to the orders that were placed for Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets and Google’s Nexus 7 tablets, these suppliers say. Some component suppliers to Apple in Asia say they have received orders to make more than 10 million units of a smaller tablet for the Cupertino, Calif. company in the fourth quarter. Mass production of the Surface tablets began earlier this month, according to two people familiar with the situation…
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Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.
Apple ‘preparing’ to launch smaller tablet
Apple is preparing to launch a smaller tablet computer in the coming months in a bid to maintain its edge in an increasingly crowded market, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The Journal cited unnamed sources as saying that component parts manufacturers had been ordered to gear up for mass production of the tablets in September, indicating the launch may be drawing near. It said the new tablet’s screen would likely be smaller than eight inches (20 centimeters), compared to the 9.7-inch (25-centimeter) screen on Apple’s market-leading iPad, launched in 2010…
…Read MoreJustice Dept. may sue Apple, publishers on eBook pricing
The Justice Department has warned Apple and five of the biggest U.S. publishers that it plans to sue them, accusing them of colluding to raise the prices of electronic books, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter. Several parties have held talks to settle the potential anti-trust case, the paper cited the people as saying. It added that a successful settlement could lead to cheaper eBooks for consumers. However, not all publishers are in settlement discussions, the Journal said. The five publishers identified in the Journal report are Simon & Schuster Inc, a unit of CBS Corp, Lagardere SCA’s Hachette Book Group, Pearson PLC’s Penguin Group (USA), Macmillan, a unit of Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH and HarperCollins Publishers Inc, a unit of News Corp. News Corp also owns the Wall Street Journal…
…Read MoreAiry Labs founder on ‘higher education bubble’ vs. real world
On the surface, Andrew Hsu is a curious fit among the inaugural class of Thiel Fellows, reports the Wall Street Journal. PayPal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel’s “20 Under 20” fellowship program awards $100,000 to 20 people under 20 years of age who drop out of college to pursue science and technological innovation. The program officially launched in May and is the first assault in Thiel’s war against the “higher-education bubble” – a system he says stymies innovation and burdens youngsters with debt…
…Read MoreWashington Post shakes up Kaplan unit
Washington Post Co. said Tuesday that both the chief executive and finance chief of its Kaplan unit’s higher-education division are stepping aside, reports the Wall Street Journal. The shake-up comes as Kaplan, which accounts for the bulk of the newspaper company’s overall revenue, has struggled on weakness at the higher-education division, which operates for-profit colleges and online postsecondary and career programs…
…Read MoreAmazon to battle Apple iPad with tablet
Amazon.com Inc. has battled Apple Inc. over digital books, digital music and mobile applications. Now the two companies are taking their clash to another front: the tablet market. Amazon plans to release a tablet computer by October, people familiar with the matter said, intensifying its rivalry with Apple’s iPad, reports the Wall Street Journal. While Amazon has long offered digital content on its website, it has lacked much of the hardware to go with it. Now the Seattle company hopes customers will use its tablet to buy and rent that content, said people familiar with its thinking…
…Read MoreU.S. Education Dept softens final rule on vocational programs
The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday will release the final version of its much-awaited “gainful employment” rule that punishes career-training programs for graduating students with heavy debt loads, reports the Wall Street Journal. The rule, one of the most controversial to come out of that office in years, is an effort to ensure the programs are preparing students for legitimate jobs. This final version is less severe than a draft released last summer, giving programs more opportunities to right themselves if they run afoul of the measure…
…Read MoreKey education issues dividing public, college presidents, study finds
The general public and university presidents disagree about the purpose of college, who ought to pay for it and whether today’s students are getting their money’s worth, reports the Wall Street Journal. But university presidents and the average American agree that the cost of higher education now exceeds the reach of most people. Those are broad findings from a pair of surveys released late Sunday from the nonprofit Pew Research Center. The surveys took place this March and April, one posing college-related questions to 2,142 American adults, the other to 1,055 presidents of colleges large, small, public, private and for-profit. The two surveys contained some identical questions and some peculiar to each group…
…Read MoreClass of 2011: More debt than ever
It’s official: This year’s class graduates with a record amount of debt. The Wall Street Journal reports that total student loan debt taken on by parents and students adds up to an average of $22,900, 8 percent higher than last year. That’s scary stuff, especially considering how hard it is for new grads to find jobs right now. But a closer look suggests it’s not such terrible news, after all…
…Read MoreSamsung sues Apple on patents
Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it filed patent infringement lawsuits against Apple Inc. in Seoul, Tokyo and Germany, in apparent response to Apple’s suit against it over trademark issues in the U.S. earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Samsung lawsuits don’t directly respond to the Apple suit. Instead, they accuse Apple of violating patents covering cellphone transmission technologies. The legal skirmish is one of a dozen or so prominent cases that have emerged in recent months over the rapidly growing smartphone market…
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