Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest Issue No. 432
11-09-2008
by Deirdre McArdle
Junior Cert results show promising trend | Dell cost-cutting plans spark concern | Scientists get set for collision course | Meteor crashes through 1 million barrier | New iPods – do iCare? | Laptop market evolves | Electricity, my dear: Wattson
Junior Cert results show promising trend
With government and industry still reeling from the poor Leaving Cert results in maths, Wednesday's Junior Cert results no doubt came as a relief. Students' performance in maths showed some signs that perhaps the efforts being made to promote the subject to students at an early age are paying off. Just under 3 percent of pupils taking the higher level maths paper failed; this is the lowest failure rate in the subject since the syllabus changed in 2003. Meanwhile, the percentage of candidates getting an A, B or C grade also improved, with almost four out of every five students getting an honour in the subject. On the flip side, the picture in ordinary level maths was more mixed, with close to 7 percent failing the exam, compared with just over 2 percent in 2004. However, it must be taken into account that the number of students taking higher level maths increased this year; almost 43 percent of Junior Cert students sat the higher paper. The acid test will be to see how this batch of students fare when they sit the Leaving Cert in two or three years' time.
Dell cost-cutting plans spark concern
In the face of increased competition and the sluggish economy, PC maker Dell is looking to trim costs by selling off a number of its computer-making factories around the world and outsourcing its PC manufacturing operations to Asia, like its chief rival Hewlett-Packard has already done. In a US regulatory statement, Dell confirmed it is planning further action to cut costs in the areas of design, materials and operating expenses. The PC maker has already closed one factory in the US with the loss of 900 jobs, and speculation had mounted in recent weeks that Dell was to sell its manufacturing plant in Lodz, Poland. Dell has since given assurances to the Polish government that it is not planning on selling off the plant. News of Dell's cost cutting has triggered a simmering panic in the Limerick factory where it employs some 2,000 people. When contacted by ENN Dell said it had no comment on the reports. Defence Minister Willie O'Dea, a native of Limerick, is quoted in the Limerick Leader as saying he sees "no danger in the immediate future" of the Dell plant being sold off but said the Government was keeping a "close eye" on the situation. In order to quell the worry that's no doubt affecting Dell employees and their families it might be time for the Irish government to get the same assurances from Dell that its Polish counterpart received. Reports of Dell's cost-cutting plans were prompted by the PC maker's falling share price as competition increases and IT spending stalls. The firm's share price has dropped 20 percent since it reported worse-than-expected second quarter profits at the end of August.
Scientists get set for collision course
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) went 'live' at CERN, the European centre for nuclear research, on Wednesday, but despite the media hype, there was little danger of a Big Bang on the day. CERN scientists cheered the successful completion of the first and second parts of the grand experiment to smash particles together, but the crucial third part -- the main event -- has yet to take place. The LHC consists of a 27 km underground tunnel whose aim is answer some of physics' most fundamental questions, by recreating the events that occurred a few moments after the birth of our Universe. Physicists hope that a controlled collision of protons in the tunnel will yield vital information about dark matter and dark energy, and prove the existence of the Higgs Boson, aka the 'God particle', which would help explain where mass comes from. (There has been some Irish involvement with the LHC over the years.) On Wednesday morning, boffins managed to send a beam of protons around the tunnel in a clockwise direction, and after lunch they succeeded in sending a beam counter-clockwise. However, the big test will come when scientists attempt to shoot two beams in opposite directions at the same time, causing collisions (and, as a remote possibility, one or more black holes, which may or may not consume the entire Universe in a vortex of death). In late August, CERN said the super collision would take place "by end 2008", but the BBC reported on Wednesday afternoon that "low-energy collisions could happen in the next few days". Watch this space.
Meteor crashes through 1 million barrier
Mobile operator Meteor has announced it has surpassed the 1 million user milestone. The operator jumped into the mobile market in 2001 and has seen solid growth since then in what was initially a tightly sewn-up market ruled by Vodafone and O2. Sure, O2, and Vodafone in particular, still control about 75 percent of the market, but Meteor is now a very real challenger. With market share of about 20 percent it is slowly but surely creeping up on O2, which holds around 32 percent market share. Vodafone controls 43.1 percent of the market. Breaking down its user base, the bulk -- 87 percent -- of Meteor's users are of the pre-pay variety. Its competitors, Vodafone, O2 and Three Ireland, all have more of a balance between pre-pay and bill-pay users. The bill-pay sector is generally regarded as the more lucrative side of the market. If Meteor were to focus on boosting this side of its business, it could make some serious inroads into its rivals' share.
New iPods – do iCare?
On Tuesday Apple unveiled its much-rumoured iPod updates. Reaction to the release has been decidedly muted, with Apple shares falling 4 percent by close of business on Tuesday. Investors and journalists seemed more interested in Steve Jobs' health rather than his announcements, and Jobs attempted to put to rest the health rumours that have dogged him lately, especially since Bloomberg accidentally published an incomplete obituary of the Apple boss a couple of weeks ago. Jobs began his speech at Apple's San Francisco showcase by showing a slide quoting Mark Twain: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Bloggers have since written that Jobs appeared thin and gaunt so it looks like the rumour mill will continue turning on this issue for another while. And so, on to the announcement – Jobs unveiled new features and a slim new design with a curved aluminium case for the iPod Nano; a cheaper, upgraded iPod Touch; and a new version of iTunes that can recommend music to buy based on the songs in a person's music collection. Jobs also announced it had struck a truce with NBC Universal, which will see NBC's TV shows make a return to iTunes after a 10-month hiatus. In all, commentators were underwhelmed by Apple's announcements. When it comes to releases though Apple is in a no-win situation; there are such high expectations for new products from the Apple stable that anything less than earth-shattering is given short shrift.
Laptop market evolves
The personal computer market has changed quite dramatically in the past number of years, with laptops becoming a firm favourite among consumers and businesses and the desktop taking a nosedive in popularity. And now the laptop market is evolving too with the recent launch of a new type of notebook -- the netbook, or ultra-mobile PC. Originally conceived as 'starter PCs' for emerging markets, the devices have gone down a treat in the developed marketplace. They are also proving to be popular travel-friendly alternatives to shoulder-crushing laptops. The devices, which have limited functionality, are generally lightweight, with a scaled-down screen and keyboard, have a long battery life and connect wirelessly to the internet. Their price tag is attractive too: generally they retail for around the EUR400 mark. The latest entrant to this market is Dell, which released the Inspiron Mini 9 notebook last week. The Mini 9, which is available in Ireland for EUR399, has a starting weight of just 2.28lbs. It features an 8.9-inch LED display, as well as built-in Wi-Fi as standard and web cam. It's little wonder Dell has gotten in on the act; analysts have estimated that the market for these low-budget mini-laptops will reach over 8 million unit sales in 2008. With mini-laptops hitting the headlines, Hewlett-Packard made its own impact on the notebook market with the release of a laptop that it said will run for 24 hours on a single battery recharge. The announcement is likely to be considered manna from heaven for business travellers who will relish the thoughts of not having to search for a power outlet while on the move.
Electricity, my dear: Wattson
With energy prices looking like they're not going to drop any time soon, many consumers and small businesses are feeling the pinch. In an attempt to help householders and small business owners keep a rein on their electricity usage, a company called DIY Kyoto has come up with the 'Wattson'. This pretty nifty looking device monitors the amount of energy you use, displaying electricity usage either in watts or in euro. The device also changes colour as the usage changes. The unit is available from DID, Soundstore and Expert Ireland stores around the country. Though it costs EUR139.99 to buy, it will only set you back EUR5 per year to run. DIY Kyoto claims that by using the Wattson you could save as much as 25 percent on your ESB bill. Sounds like a fair balance to us.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 