Despite already having a massive second campus under construction, Apple apparently feels the need for more office space.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant has agreed to lease a seven-building campus in neighboring Sunnyvale that can accommodate up to 1,450 employees, according to a San Jose Mercury Newsreport that cited city documents and commercial property sources. The 290,000-square-foot office complex known as Sunnyvale Crossing is near the intersection of Central Expressway and North Wolfe Road, about three miles from where Apple is building a 2.8 million-square-foot "spaceship" campus for up to 14,200 employees.
It wasn't immediately clear what the length of the lease is. CNET has contacted Apple and Lane Partners, the owner of the Sunnyvale office complex, for comment and will update this report when we learn more. Lane Partners' website says it acquired the seven-building campus in 2010 from Maxim Integrated Products, a semiconductor maker now based in San Jose.
The deal -- the latest sign of Apple's robust workforce growth in the Silicon Valley -- is likely a band-aid while the company constructs a new campus across town on 150 acres, some of which was purchased from Hewlett-Packard. That project, which Apple CEO Steve Jobs said resembled a "spaceship" in 2011, has an estimated completion date of 2016.
While stumping for a new company headquarters, Jobs noted that "Apple's growing like a weed," yet its main campus only fits around 2,800 employees. Jobs said the company had around 12,000 employees in the area who were being housed in nearby buildings, some of which were "not very good."
A month after Apple launched its "spaceship" headquarters effort, the company reportedly inked a deal for 373,000 square feet in the Results Way Corporate Center -- just a few minutes away from Apple's main offices -- that would house up to 1,300 additional employees.
Google's self-driving car is one of many "moonshot" projects that the company's Google X division is working on to better blend hardware and software.Seth Rosenblatt/CNET
SAN FRANCISCO -- There's only one way to use technology to solve problems in the real world, Google X director Astro Teller told the Solid Conference crowd at the Fort Mason Pavillion on Wednesday morning.
To solve physical, real-world problems, Teller said to a full house of several hundred people, "you have to build physical things and test them."
The Solid Conference is a two-day confab where techies gather to talk about the latest trends and developments in the intermingling of hardware and software. That made it the perfect place for Teller to explain why the software-based Google was investing in Google X's ambitious hardware projects such as high-altitude balloon-borne Wi-Fi, wearable Internet glasses, and a self-driving car. They're so ambitious, Google CEO Larry Page called them "moonshots."
"There are inherent benefits to developing in the physical world," Teller said. The scientist and entrepreneur cited how the experience of building self-driving car technology helped improve how the car performs when facing a real-world situation such as passing a bicyclist. The software improved because of corrections made after real-world experiences.
By a similar measure, he explained that embedded intelligence provided by software creates real-world solutions that mechanical engineering can't solve. A car that can automatically avoid that same bicyclist thanks to software is safer than one that can't see the bicyclist without it.
The future of the physical world, Teller said, will come from putting software intelligence into real objects.
The former Facebooker, who now describes himself as "An Aspiring Merchant Of Progress," marveled at how brilliantly Facebook was marshaling its forces.
"WhatsApp will turn out to be the cheapest and smartest acquisition done probably by any Internet company," he said.
See that word? "Cheapest."
Palihapitiya predicted that WhatsApp will have more monthly active users than Facebook. Indeed, Facebook has the world surrounded, apparently, with not only social networking, but instant communication.
Google too, he said, is doing a wonderful job of unlocking (translation: owning, so that it can use it to sell ads) the world's information. Which means cash money.
And then there's Apple. Arguably the world's largest company, with arguably the world's most popular brand, is surely appealing to a VC who finds money appealing.
"I think they're screwed," said Palihapitiya.
He explained: "These guys have lost largely their mojo."
So why on Earth are those boys and girls in tight trousers queuing around the block to buy the latest Apple products? Perhaps they simply haven't got the progressive message yet.
Palihapitiya was especially critical about Apple's purported deal to buy Beats. He described the latter as a low-margin hardware business. How can this possibly be worth $3 billion?
If Apple is interested in a music service, he said, it could simply slap down $10 billion to buy Spotify.
"Why not buy the Number 1 for three times as much than buying an also-ran for $3 billion?" he sniffed.
Whether Apple comes out with a TV, a new phone or a smartwatch, it's "more of the same," according to the money man. No one ever made big money by selling more of the same, did they?
Some might say that Apple has done very nicely by not pushing into areas that consumers reject. The company essentially created the tablet category, makes most of profits that phones offer, and still has an ecosystem that breeds uncommon loyalty.
Still, for this VC, content is wafting up to the cloud. Devices are "getting cheaper and becoming more abstracted." Apple is, therefore, "in a race to the bottom."
Apple seems to have resisted this so-called race for a long time. It has turned its nose up at the bottom and built a cash-rich, still-thriving business.
As wily commentator Jeal-Louis Gassee pointed out, VCs -- Fred Wilson, for example -- might not entirely appreciate that Apple doesn't sell hardware, but a totality of experience that gives it a huge strategic advantage.
There's always a temptation to put all your money and support behind what seems like the future. But people's basic needs can change less radically than it appears.
Palihapitiya might be convinced that Apple needs to buy "the winners in software," such as Dropbox and Spotify.
But perhaps he underestimates the value of things that have been around for a while. Not so long ago, he was the man whodescribed the government as "completely useless."
Yet still somehow governments persuade enough people to elect them and even occasionally have enough cash to bail out banks who behave with a clueless recklessness.
The world's a complicated place. One of Apple's strongest virtues is how it tries to make it simpler. People like that.
Can it get any better than this? Why, yes, I believe so.Josh Miller/CNET
There's no doubt that the smartphone has made amazing strides since its humble beginnings. But lately I've heard a lot of people talk about how these days devices can have no room for real improvement. Every time a new flagship phone is due for release, manufacturers seem to just throw in incremental updates here and there, just as Apple did with its iPhone 5S, Samsung with its Galaxy GS5, and HTC with its One M8. So is it true that we're past the moment of another sea change in devices?
You might say that I'm a dreamer, but what I have in mind aren't as far-reaching as you think. Below, I've compiled a vision (a wish list if you will), of what I'd want in a smartphone in the next decade. And while these capabilities range from being mere concepts to full-blown prototypes, I believe all of them are practical, and within our grasp. Who knows, we might just wake up tomorrow and hear one of these features being highlighted in the next developer keynote.Personally, I think not. Don't get me wrong, I can always appreciate a new handset with obvious improvements like a bigger battery or a water-resistant construction. But when it comes to something ground-breaking, I imagine a smartphone of the future that reaches even greater heights. Ones that can run on infinite energy and shapeshift to my needs.
Let there be light: Exploring alternative power sources
Instead of waiting for handsets to come with higher-capacity batteries, I'd like to go one further and envision a smartphone that runs on an alternative power source altogether. That'll eliminate the need to plug it in for charging, and I won't have to worry about saving my device's energy if I'm miles away from an outlet.
Samsung's Blue Earth sported built-in solar panels for charging.Josh Miller/CNET
I know that solar-powered battery packs already exist, but I want a polished, modern phone with charging panels built in. Manufacturers have attempted this somewhat: back in 2009, Samsung unveiled its E1107, the first solar-powered GSM feature phone that would require 1 hour of solar charging per 10 minutes of talking. Later that year, LG released its solar-charging GD510 Pop, and CNET reviewed its Blue Earth handset, which also had solar panels on the rear.
Though the devices had promise, they never really took off. As our review noted, the panels on the Blue Earth couldn't charge if the handset was completely drained. But despite numerous challenges, manufacturers (like Nokia, for example) are still looking into this approach, and the fact that there are so many solar-powered mobile accessories means that consumer interest isn't going anywhere.
Still, even solar energy might not be the only alternative in the future. In February, The New York Times speculated that Apple was looking into powering its iWatch with magnetic conduction and kinetic energy generated by the user. True, the iWatch is neither a smartphone nor a real product yet, but the technology could possibly be applied to handsets.
Screenmaster Flex: Taking on new shapes and forms
Last year, two phones that did pique our interest due to their uniqueness were the Samsung Galaxy Round and the LG G Flex, which feature curved displays. Although they arc in different directions, both offer a novel user experience and a small peek into the different physical shapes a smartphone can take on.
Sarah Tew/CNETThe curvy Galaxy Round (left) and the G Flex.
But why stop there? Curved displays could evolve into flexible displays (which the G Flex already manages to be to a certain degree) and then fully foldable or bendable displays. If I can manipulate my handset's shape, that increases its portability and usability. When I'm out at a concert or biking, I could contort my phone to wrap around my wrist or a handlebar, respectively, and I wouldn't have to worry about it slipping out of my pocket.
At MWC 2014, Kyocera had a bit of fun with this idea, with a few of its concept devices: a tablet that could bend in half and fit in your pocket, and a smartphone that could be worn as a bangle. EmoPulse, which CNET first caught wind of as an Indiegogo project, got one step closer to this bangle idea with its Smile bracelet. The device, which looks like a chunky glass band wrapped around your wrist, is supposed to be a fully functional smartphone, and is envisioned to have a Linux-based OS, an OMAP 5 processor, and 4G capabilities.
And if this idea doesn't look appealing to the mobile phone industry, perhaps it will to the smartwatch business. The Samsung Gear Fit, for example, may not have a glass panel that fully wraps around your arm, but it does feature a small, curved AMOLED touchscreen. As smartwatches advance with each iteration, we could easily enter an era in which we ditch the black-and-rectangular aesthetic, and move onto something completely wearable and flexible.
Pursuing a moduling career: Fully customizable, modular phones
The most tantalizing future-tech concept has to be the completely customizable modular handset. With these modular smartphones, you can pick and choose key hardware components, similar to how you can design your own personal computer by shopping for individual graphics cards, CPUs, motherboards, and so on. I can invest in the specs I care about, like a nice camera lens, and save money on parts that aren't a priority. More importantly, I can upgrade individual components as they are released, which means I won't have to give up my entire device just because a part of it breaks, or when I want the latest and greatest Snapdragon processor.
We've seen this concept play out before with ZTE's Eco-Mobius project and Dutch designer Dave Hakkens' Phonebloks approach in 2013. But Google is perhaps the most prominent and successful company to throw its hat into the modular ring.
Early design ideas from Project Ara.Motorola
Google's well-known Project Ara is slated to deliver a "gray phone" for just $50. The handset will feature a basic skeleton framework, and rely on 3D printing methods for its components. This includes processors, cameras, and speakers, which can lock together and form a cohesive working device. If Google has its way, people will soon be able to purchase hardware pieces for their smartphones via the Play Store, completely revolutionizing how we go about shopping for our devices.
Designs so far look extremely appealing. It's possible to mix and match not only hardware, but also colors, materials, and textiles to truly make your phone one-of-a-kind. With a projected date of January 2015, modular handsets will soon move from the future to the present.
Finally, it'd be great to see handsets that have adaptive, almost transformative capabilities. No, I'm not talking about devices that can turn into small fighting robots, though that'd be fantastic. Rather, I mean a smartphone that can change itself to fit certain needs and environments.
For example, a built-in privacy screen, one that appears and disappears when needed, would be perfect for fending off curious eyes from my handset's display. This technology already exists in laptops, like the Dell Latitude e6400. It uses special software that overlays a distorted pixel-based pattern across the screen. This narrows the display's viewing angle from the sides, and can be turned off at the touch of a button.
The feature would be especially handy when I'm on a public transportation. Instead of huddling near a corner, worried that someone is peering over and seeing my sensitive emails, I could stand freely, knowing that only I can read what's on the screen. And if I later decided to quickly have a few friends watch a YouTube clip on my phone, I could reset the viewing angle to its original, wider setting.
Another adaptive feature could finally answer consumers' often expressed, but seemingly contradictory desires to have a sleek and slim handset that also has a physical keyboard for messaging. In 2013, California-based Tactus Technology designed a prototype touchscreen in which a roomy QWERTYkeyboard can bubble up to the surface of the display, and flatten out when not in use. This is possible thanks to a non-toxic fluid that pushes against the surface of the screen, and creates a physical bubble-shaped button.
Though the technology itself is still in its prototype stages, having this available on every smartphone would mean I could have a more natural, comfortable experience while texting. But I'd get the best of both worlds, since I also wouldn't have to deal with the clunky design that plagues most messaging phones today.
Looking forward, forever
With all these concepts in the works, handsets are far from hitting an evolutionary wall. Anyone who tells you that these devices are as good as they will ever be simply lacks the imagination and vision. At its core, technology is all about development and advancement. And because the smartphone is one piece of gadgetry that's so personal and important to us consumers, mobile companies have no choice but to rest uneasily on their laurels and keep working toward innovation.
Apple's keynote speech at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set for 10 a.m. PT June 2 at San Francisco's Moscone Center -- and it could kick off with a big reveal.
The generally reliable Mark Gurman at 9to5Macreports that new hardware will be part of this year's WWDC. And the opening keynote would be a likely scenario for an unveiling.
Cycling through recent rumors to make an educated guess, a smartwatch seems about right. Reports of Apple's sapphire glass efforts and the mounting market pressure to deliver a really cool wearable lead me to believe they've cracked the code on a stellar smartwatch -- or at least want to compete with Android Wear.
Of course, it could also be the long-rumored Apple HDTV -- something that ties in to rumors of Beatsheadphones acquisition -- an early release for the iPhone 6, or maybe even just a Retina display forMacBook Air.
I have contacted Apple for comment and will update this post when I hear back
If you're sick of "Flappy Bird," and have had quite enough of "Threes!" and "2048" and need something to fill your time, check out "Make It Rain: The Love Of Money."
Gameplay is ridiculously simple: you swipe dollar bills as fast as you can to earn money. You can also make business, financial, and political investments with the cash you swipe. That earns you money, even when you're not busy making it rain like you're in a music video.
And that's it.
YouTube
It looks dumb, and that's because it kind of is. You just swipe and swipe, and hope your wrist doesn't break off.
According to Segall, the studio spent around $10,000 to make "Make it Rain," and only about $1,000 toward marketing. It's been relying on word-of-mouth advertising to make a name for itself.
Segall says that the investment model of the game is what's interesting to people.
"I think it really is the investment game model itself is attractive to people," Segall tells VentureBeat. "It's what makes 'Clash of Clans' go. It's what makes 'The Sims' go. It's what makes 'Cookie Clicker' go. People just like to have a lemonade stand that makes 50 cents a minute and then see how buying something like a strip-mining company starts making them $20 million a second. It really takes you to this sort of world where you are buying into these shady businesses, and it's a stripped down thing but it captures people's imaginations."
The game debuted in April and has been downloaded more than a million times.
Check "Make it Rain: The Love of Money" out for yourself on both Android and iOS.
Although YouTube is by far the largest online video platform, its live-streaming services aren't nearly as widely adopted as Twitch's, which is presumably why it would want to buy the startup.
If you visit Twitch, you'll be able to browse through a selection of games that users are playing, and watch their gameplay either live or from a recording. You can chat with other people who are watching the same game.
Here's an example of what that would look like if you wanted to watch someone play a WWE wrestling game:
Twitch also partners with all the major tournament companies to stream their events on its site and has deals with partners like CBS Interactive's GameSpot and Joystiq to offer their shows.
Like YouTube, Twitch inserts ads into streams, and broadcasters can enter into partnership agreements to share the ad revenue. It offers a subscription option for streamers who average about 1,000 viewers at any given time, and for a monthly fee, those broadcasters can allow others to subscribe to their streams, removing the advertisements.
The three-year-old startup claims to have more than 45 million monthly users, and it has more peak internet traffic than Facebook or Hulu. Since becoming one of the first sites to host user-generated, live-streamed video, it has raised $35 million in funding.
Variety also reports that YouTube is preparing for U.S. regulators to take a hard look at the potential acquisition to make sure that it doesn't raise anti-competitive issues in the online video market. If the acquisition happens, it would be the largest in YouTube's history and would give it (and Google) access to one of the internet's most highly trafficked websites.
