I have just finished completing the Accounting Project and I must say it was tough, really tough.
But along the way, I have grown stronger I have to say.
Its not easy managing a 4 girls in a group but I'm proud to say that I have managed to do so without having to shout.
Along the way, it trains my leadership skills and the ability to cope under pressure.
The journey thus far has no doubt be full of ups and downs, but I feel that I can cope with this pressure and transform it into a motivation force.
No one is going to stop me for I am moving on forward!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Apple shows off iPad-inspired Mac laptop
By Gabriel Madway
CUPERTINO, California (Reuters) - Apple Inc CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the thinnest, lightest Mac laptop yet, fusing features from its popular iPhone and iPad with its traditional line of personal computers.
Apple, whose computers have taken market share from PCs based on Microsoft Corp's Windows, will bring a version of its mobile applications store to the Mac, aiming to replicate its success and spur development of new programs.
Loading up Macs with iPad features may help Apple stave off investors' fears that sales will begin bleeding over to the tablet, which has stirred up astonishing demand.
The new MacBook Air -- introduced on Wednesday with Jobs' signature "one last thing" set-up -- is designed to reproduce the versatility of popular devices such as the iPhone and iPad, and will incorporate FaceTime video chats, which Apple is bringing to all its Macs.
Utilizing flash storage like the iPad rather than hard drives like conventional computers, it can power up almost instantly from standby mode and store data twice as quickly as a standard hard drive. But it sacrifices processing power compared with Apple's other laptops.
"We asked ourselves what would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up? Well, this is the result," Jobs said at a media event in Cupertino, California, calling the Air the "future of notebooks."
It starts at $999 for an 11.6-inch model, weighs as little as 2.3 pounds (1 kg), and measures 0.11 inches at its thinnest to 0.68 inches at the rear.
"They're basically merging the product lines; they're simplifying it," said Kaufman Bros analyst Shaw Wu. "They're taking the strengths out of what they've learned on the iPhone and iPad and bringing that technology over to the Mac side. It makes a lot of sense."
LIONS AND CANNIBALS
While plenty of attention is lavished on the iPhone and iPad, the Mac has been critical to the company's success over past years. Apple sold $22 billion worth of Macs in fiscal 2010, comprising one-third of its revenue. Shipments rose more than 30 percent and far outpaced the overall market.
Investors have wondered whether the iPad, a 10-inch touchscreen tablet that began selling in April from $499, would cannibalize sales of the Mac -- as it has done for low-end, Windows-based laptops known as netbooks.
Gartner analyst Mike McGuire does not expect much cannibalization between iPad and Macs because of the gulf in price tags. He said the Air will try to bridge Apple's newer and older product lines.
"It's that missing link between the tablet future and the existing notebook," he said.
Jobs also showed off a new version of Mac operating software, which the company will release next summer. Nicknamed "Lion," it includes an improved "iLife" multimedia suite and incorporates FaceTime video chat, which the company recently launched on the iPhone.
FaceTime will allow for video calls between iPhones, iPod touches and Macs. Over 19 million Apple devices are already equipped with FaceTime, Jobs said. It released a test version of FaceTime for the Mac on Wednesday.
The App Store for the Mac will go live within 90 days, and developers will be able to start submitting apps next month. They will get 70 percent of the revenue from sales.
The original App Store debuted in 2008 and helped spur sales of the iPhone by providing a wealth of fun, useful or merely diverting programs for sale, at the touch of a button.
It houses more than 250,000 apps and has generated over 7 billion downloads. In addition, more than 30,000 apps have been specifically made for the iPad.
In the third calendar quarter, Apple became the No. 3 personal computer maker in the United States with a 10.6 percent market share, according to IDC. It holds roughly 20 percent of the U.S. consumer market.
But Apple's global market share is less than 5 percent, and the company is aiming to increase sales outside its U.S. stronghold. The Mac user base overall now stands at nearly 50 million.
Apple shares rose 0.3 percent to close at $310.53 on Nasdaq.
(Reporting by Gabriel Madway and Edwin Chan; Editing by Robert MacMillan and Richard Chang)
Head of IT
Yesterday, I went down to Changi Airport along with my IT group mates to meet up with the Head of IT from Tiger Airways
He was incredibly friendly and we did manage to receive alot of information from him about the future of IT and its new IT system. Definitely a great learning experience for me.
But the most important thing is that I learnt something after I left the restaurant. I was talking alongside him, asking him whether he has plans to head on to a more prestigious airline in the future.
He told me that most probably not for now because he enjoys the flexibility in a "start-up" company because its vibrant and there are lots of things happening. There are not much restrictions and basically you can be as innovative as you want to be, basically they encourage experimentation.
Conversely, for an established full-service airline, it is harder for that to happen because things tend to get a bit rigid as they stick to the old way of doing things. There are not much changes along the way and things start to slow down and get dull.
I have to agree with him. He offered me a new perspective on start-ups.
I'm always disappointed after entering into an established place because I had such high expectations of them as I look at them from the outside. But when I walk in, everything is so far from what I had expected. It is so rigid as mentioned by the Head of IT.
I have very high expectations of business people because I watched The Apprentice and he is definitely a worthy candidate when it comes to a great person. He has impressed me during the short interview with him and I did manage to pick up a lot of important skills from him.
What a pleasure to meet him. I guess I need to meet more capable people like him or my expectations will soon drop.
He was incredibly friendly and we did manage to receive alot of information from him about the future of IT and its new IT system. Definitely a great learning experience for me.
But the most important thing is that I learnt something after I left the restaurant. I was talking alongside him, asking him whether he has plans to head on to a more prestigious airline in the future.
He told me that most probably not for now because he enjoys the flexibility in a "start-up" company because its vibrant and there are lots of things happening. There are not much restrictions and basically you can be as innovative as you want to be, basically they encourage experimentation.
Conversely, for an established full-service airline, it is harder for that to happen because things tend to get a bit rigid as they stick to the old way of doing things. There are not much changes along the way and things start to slow down and get dull.
I have to agree with him. He offered me a new perspective on start-ups.
I'm always disappointed after entering into an established place because I had such high expectations of them as I look at them from the outside. But when I walk in, everything is so far from what I had expected. It is so rigid as mentioned by the Head of IT.
I have very high expectations of business people because I watched The Apprentice and he is definitely a worthy candidate when it comes to a great person. He has impressed me during the short interview with him and I did manage to pick up a lot of important skills from him.
What a pleasure to meet him. I guess I need to meet more capable people like him or my expectations will soon drop.
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