With newness ranging from new products to new operating systems to a new (gasp!) CEO to its new status as the world’s most valuable company — it surpassed Exxon at the end of August— the company that rocked the world with the iPod in 2001 keeps shaking things up.
What makes Apple’s innovation so continually notable?
It’s all so nonstop.
Did you know that you can now just swipe, tap, pinch and slide your fingers to communicate with your computer.? Apple’s latest Multi-Touch “gestures” for laptop track pads and Magic Trackpads for desktops (replacing a standard mouse) are definitely next generation.
So is Apple’s latest operating system for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, iOS 5. It has a built-in unified communications-inspired platform that integrates your texts, calls, calendar dates and apps into a single Notification Center. It also lets you set up and update your device without connecting to a computer — no more wires. Backup and restoration is provided through a new service called iCloud.
iCloud, a hard drive in the sky, syncs and manages data automatically. What’s new here is you can sync all your mail, contacts, calendars, photos, apps, books, music and other data on all your devices without your having to do anything. This is an upgrade to Apple’s current MobileMe offering (which it will discontinue soon). iCloud is competitively priced when compared to other cloud services like Box.net, Amazon Cloud Drive and Windows Live SkyDrive.
Both iOS 5 and iCloud come out this fall.
Does the stock market like all this newness? You bet your lily pad it does. Even after the resignation of Steve Jobs, Apple CEO and superstar, investors made Apple the world’s most valuable company by buying up stock like crazy after an initial drop following the announcement (but Exxon is keeping a very close second). Apple had taken the #2 spot from Microsoft this past May.
A Brave New World at Apple: iCloud, New Features and Becoming The World’s Most Valuable Company — Even After Steve Jobs Resigns
