World important news by Emelia

UPDATE 1-Apple’s iPhone 4S goes on sale, fans say tribute to Jobs

* iPhone 4S sales a tribute to late Steve Jobs, say fans* Reviewers rave about Siri, but otherwise no revolutionBy Michael PerrySYDNEY, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Apple Inc’s iPhone 4S finally went on sale in stores around the globe on Friday, with fans snapping up the final gadget unveiled during Steve Jobs’ lifetime, many buying the phone as a tribute to the former Apple boss.”I think a lot of people are going to buy the iPhone 4S because it was the last iPhone Steve worked on,” said Wil Batterham, 15, who with his school friend Tom Mosca were the first to buy the new phone in Sydney’s Apple store.”People are saying it was named after him, like iPhone 4S, for Steve,” said Batterham.Asked what will be the first function they use on the iPhone 4S, Mosca replied: “Ask where’s Steve?”, refering to the phone’s “Siri” voice-activated software.Hundreds queued around the block of the Sydney Apple store, many rugged up against the chilly morning, as Apple staff chatted and clapped a countdown to the store opening. Apple’s 13 Australian stores were the first to open their doors at 8.00 a.m. local time (2100 GMT, Thursday) to sell the iPhone 4S.CEO Tim Cook and his executive team hope the first device launched without Apple’s former visionary leader at the helm, will safeguard their global market share lead.The iPhone 4S — introduced to the world just a day before Jobs died — was dubbed a disappointment because it fell short of being a revolution in design, but glowing reviews centered around its “Siri” voice-activated software have since helped it set a record pace in initial, online sales orders.Apple fans showed no disappointment in Sydney on Friday as they queued to purchase a new phone, ahead of sales in Japan, Germany, France, Britain and North America.”It’s the only phone, I have upgraded my iPhone each time,” said 19-year-old Mark Du.Apple said it did not release sales figures on launch day, so gauging the initial sales may be difficult. Apple said it had taken more than 1 million online orders in the first 24 hours after its release, exceeding the 600,000 for the iPhone 4, though that model was sold in fewer countries.Some analysts expect fourth-quarter iPhone shipments of as much as 30 million or more, almost double from a year ago.Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone uses chips from Qualcomm Inc , Toshiba and a host of smaller semiconductor companies, according to repair firm iFixit, which cracked the device open on Thursday.First-day sales of Apple gadgets are typically a jubilant celebration around the world, but Apple has conspicuously avoided any mention or showcase of Jobs for the iPhone 4S global sales, preferring a more “business as usual” approach.However Apple fans in Sydney made sure Jobs was part of the launch, with a small flower, candle and photo shrine outside the glass-fronted store.SPEECH RECOGNITION A WINNERAnalysts say Cook needs to move out from under his former mentor’s enormous shadow soon, and avoid clinging to the Jobs’ mystique to preserve its brand.More immediately, with Google Inc Android phones gaining momentum, Apple needs the iPhone 4S to be a blockbuster.The iPhone — seen as the market’s gold standard — is its highest-margin product and accounts for 40 percent of its annual revenue. It is the world’s biggest selling smartphone, maintaining a slim market-share lead over Samsung’s Galaxy, at 18.4 versus 17.8 percent worldwide.In a sign of how tough the competition is, two doors along from the Sydney Apple store, Samsung has been selling its new Galaxy SII for only A$2 to its first 10 customers each day, prompting Samsung fans to also camp out on the footpath.But analysts point to several factors in Apple’s favor: a $199 price that matches up well with rival devices such as Amazon.com Inc’s “Fire” tablet; availability promised on more than 100 carriers by the end of 2011, far more than its predecessors; and glowing reviews.Apple’s iconic smartphone comes with a faster processor and a better and more light-sensitive camera, but little else to separate it from its predecessor. But tech experts say the real gems lie beneath the phone’s familiar sleek casing.Influential reviewers Walt Mossberg and David Pogue raved about “Siri” — a voice-command activated assistant that responds to spoken commands and questions in context, such as queries about the weather or a friend’s phone number.But Mossberg added that “despite Siri, the iPhone 4S isn’t a dramatic game-changer”.

10/13/11

UK nuclear inspector gives green light to atomic energy

“I remain confident that our UK nuclear facilities have no fundamental safety weaknesses (but) no matter how high our standards, the quest for improvement must never stop,” said Mike Weightman, the head of Britain’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), who also led a U.N. team of nuclear experts on a fact-finding mission to Japan’s Fukushima in May.The report also said there was no need to change the government’s strategy for choosing new sites for nuclear power plants.Weightman’s conclusions on the impact of the Fukushima crisis were welcomed by major nuclear industry players on Tuesday, over two weeks after the sector was overshadowed by news that utility SSE had pulled out of the NuGen nuclear consortium to build 3.6 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear plants in Britain.The announcement had sparked concerns that investors may see Britain’s nuclear industry as unattractive despite government efforts to provide incentives.”With the findings of the Weightman Report, we can ensure that safety is the very highest priority,” said Volker Beckers, chief executive of RWE npower, which plans to build up to 6 GW of new nuclear plants in Britain with partner E.ON.”New nuclear will be an important part of the UK’s future energy mix and RWE npower intends to be part of that future through our Horizon venture.”Weightman said in his report that nuclear operators and regulators should review 38 areas where lessons can be learned from Japan’s nuclear reactor emergency and radioactive release in March, including reliance on off-site infrastructure, emergency response arrangements and flooding risks.Energy Secretary Chris Huhne, who presented the findings in a written statement to the UK Parliament on Tuesday, said the report will help the nuclear industry remain committed to improving existing and future power stations.Britain has identified eight sites around England and Wales as possible building sites for new nuclear plants, with the first expected to be built by EDF Energy at Hinkley Point on the coast of southwest England.”Nuclear energy is important for our energy security now and we want it to be part of the mix in the future,” he said.Huhne commissioned Weightman in March to assess the consequences of the Fukushima nuclear disaster for Britain’s nuclear industry and presented his final findings on Tuesday.The government is promoting plans to build a new generation of nuclear power plants in Britain by 2025 to help meet low-carbon energy targets and analysts said Tuesday’s report helped reassure investors about nuclear industry safety standards.”This report does not introduce any material barriers to the new nuclear build programme and will therefore be seen by industry as another signal that new construction must be committed to soon, if the Government is to realize its energy policy,” said consultancy PwC.NUCLEAR STRESS TEST RESULTSWeightman, a chartered engineer and physicist, also said his report tied in with findings made during EU-wide nuclear stress tests, which are ongoing throughout the region.First results from EU-wide nuclear stress tests showed Britain’s nuclear reactors are reliable and require no structural changes, the ONR said last month.EU states have until the end of October to submit full safety test reports to the EU Commission and a final report consolidating EU-wide stress test results will be presented to the European council in June 2012.Weightman already said in his interim Fukushima report published in mid-May that Britain’s nuclear reactors are safe and an earthquake and tsunami on the scale seen in Japan on March 11 were unlikely to occur in Britain.In an interview at the time he said the human factor was an important aspect to discover to find out what to learn from the Japanese disaster.The ONR will next year publish a report on the progress made in implementing the lessons outlined in Tuesday’s findings.

10/11/11