Japan’s love of technology might be backfiring for their salarymen as 36 white collar workers have been replaced by IBM’s Watson technology (long term they will need it due to declining a declining population). Foxconn workers in China are also being phased out in favor of automation and robotics (because young Chinese workers don’t want to be treated like robots).
The US Healthcare industry is expected to grow their use of cognitive computing by 42% (compound annual growth rate) over the next 4 years. During those 4 years your car is also expected to get much smarter as Amazon and Microsoft are putting their AI technologies in your dashboard.
Acquisitions
- Google buys Sweden’s Limes Audio to boost Hangouts voice quality
“As more and more businesses adopt our video conferencing solutions, powered by Chromebox for Meetings and Google Hangouts, it’s critical that we provide a great audio experience. With G Suite customers now relying on video communications for their day-to-day meetings, it’s more important than ever to ensure low-cost, high-quality audio.”
https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/05/google-acquires-limes-audio/?ncid=rss
- Why LinkedIn Under Microsoft Is Doomed (this article is a little misguided, but a fun read)
There are two things Microsoft will most likely do to LinkedIn. The first would be to leave it alone, which—from what I can tell—will worsen the product. But Redmond could also come in and ruin the product with a few years of meddling, just as it did with everything from Nokia to WebTV.
So the likelihood of anything good coming from the LinkedIn buyout is improbable, at best. This, despite the fact that Satya Nadella is at the helm. The problem is the corporate culture, not the bosses.
http://www.pcmag.com/commentary/350754/why-linkedin-under-microsoft-is-doomed
Artificial Intelligence
- How IBM And Microsoft Are Disrupting The Healthcare Industry With Cognitive Computing
Analysts estimate that the market for AI in healthcare applications is expected to grow at a CAGR of 42% until 2021. The healthcare industry is ripe for disruption, which Microsoft and IBM are exploiting through their offerings.
- Japanese company replaces office workers with artificial intelligence
The technology will be able to read tens of thousands of medical certificates and factor in the length of hospital stays, medical histories and any surgical procedures before calculating payouts, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.
While the use of AI will drastically reduce the time needed to calculate Fukoku Mutual’s payouts – which reportedly totalled 132,000 during the current financial year – the sums will not be paid until they have been approved by a member of staff, the newspaper said.
Japan’s shrinking, ageing population, coupled with its prowess in robot technology, makes it a prime testing ground for AI.
- iPhone manufacturer Foxconn plans to replace almost every human worker with robots
The first phase of Foxconn’s automation plans involve replacing the work that is either dangerous or involves repetitious labor humans are unwilling to do. The second phase involves improving efficiency by streamlining production lines to reduce the number of excess robots in use. The third and final phase involves automating entire factories, “with only a minimal number of workers assigned for production, logistics, testing, and inspection processes,” according to Jia-peng.
- Hyperimaging and AI will give us superhero vision
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/superhero-vision-is-coming-much-sooner-than-youd-think_uk_586f8c0ce4b0cf4ed40e63bd
Cloud
- AT&T Goes All In on IoT at CES
In a series of announcement at the show, AT&T revealed a new partnership with Emerson for methane emissions monitoring, announced the addition of Portland, Ore., as a new spotlight city in its Smart Cities program, and launched a new IoT Professional Services offering that will lend the carrier’s expertise to help businesses design, test, deploy, and manage IoT solutions. Alongside the latter, AT&T also introduced a new light version of its IoT Starter Kit, a dedicated starter kit for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) IoT service, and a more streamlined IoT device certification process.
https://www.wirelessweek.com/news/2017/01/t-goes-all-iot-ces
- Microsoft unveils connected car strategy at CES 2017: ‘Cloud will do the heavy lifting’
The platform allows automakers to leverage Microsoft’s virtual assistants, business applications, and office services, the post said. It will also help integrate productivity tools such as Cortana, Office 365, and Skype for Business into vehicles.
Datacenter
- Dell EMC serves up ‘white glove’ treatment to exclusive top-tier partner level
“Partners with Titanium Black status have placed a big bet on Dell EMC,” Byrne said. “They’re going above and beyond. They’re investing heavily in us and we are returning the investment in them so they can continue to achieve the extraordinary.
“Titanium Black provides a rare and distinctive opportunity far and above what partners have experienced anywhere in the industry. Through the Dell EMC Partner Program, Dell EMC and our partners will attack the market, with our Titanium Black partners leading the way. We will deliver incredible transformation for our customers. We’ll be the channel to watch.”
- Better Buy: Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Co vs. Cisco Systems, Inc
Even after its banner 2016, HP Enterprise stock is trading at a mere 11 times future earnings, making it one of the best values in its sector. Cisco is tradingat just 12 times forward earnings, and with its nearly 3.5% dividend yield and future prospects, it’s the better buy for growth and income investors.
That said, when the smoke clears, HP Enterprise will be ideally positioned to grow by leaps and bounds as 2017 progresses — and beyond. For investors in search of pure growth potential, HP Enterprise gets the nod.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/01/04/better-buy-hewlett-packard-enterprise-co-vs-cisco-systems-inc.html
But where is HPE’s growth coming from? Storage? That can’t last.
Software/SaaS
- Oracle is starting to fine customers who thought they were using free Java software
At issue, reports Clarke, is a hugely popular version of Java called Java Standard Edition (or Java SE), that anyone can download from the Oracle website.
One unnamed retailer that underwent an audit on Java was issued a $100,000 bill, negotiated down to $30,000, The Register reports. And this could be only the beginning. Sources told Clarke that Oracle has hired 20 Java specialists for its License Management Services (LMS) department, the ones who do the audits.
http://www.businessinsider.com/oracle-starts-to-audit-java-customers-2016-12
But Oracle is publicly stating that they ARE NOT increasing audits…
Oracle denies it’s ramping up a program that fines customers for using software they thought was freeOracle’s commitment to Java and its community remains stronger than ever, as shared recently at JavaOne. Oracle is not ramping Java SE compliance activity or hiring of compliance staff. The licensing model and policies for Java SE have remained unchanged since before the acquisition of Sun Microsystems. It is incorrect to imply that it’s easy for users to accidentally use Java SE Advanced features.
http://www.businessinsider.com/oracle-says-it-is-not-ramping-up-a-audits-of-java-2016-12
- It’s Official: Microsoft Eliminates Yammer Enterprise Plan
Orton described that decision as a natural product evolution. Earlier this year, Microsoft turned on Yammer by default for all eligible Office 365 customers. Since then, the vast majority of Yammer customers use it as part of an Office 365 subscription. The stand-alone version was retired Jan. 1, although those who are already using it can continue to do so at least through the end of this year (and, in exceptional cases, as long as 2019).
http://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/its-official-microsoft-eliminates-yammer-enterprise-plan/
Other
- 11 things we think will happen in business technology in 2017
In 2016, Microsoft and Google — widely seen as the second- and third-place contenders in the cloud wars with Amazon, respectively — made big hires and masterminded partnerships and acquisitions to bolster out their sales pitch to enterprises.
Amazon may be the undisputed leader in the space, but Microsoft and Google aren’t taking it lying down. Watch this space: The cloud computing market is still growing, and so vicious competition will be the order of the day.
- Department of Labor sues Google over wage data
The agency is seeking what it calls “routine” information about wages and the company’s equal opportunity program. The agency filed a lawsuit with its Office of Administrative Law Judges to gain access to the information, it announced Wednesday.
Google, as a federal contractor, is required to provide the data as part of a compliance check by the agency’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), according to the Department of Labor. The inquiry is focused on Google’s compliance with equal employment laws, the agency said.
http://www.cio.com/article/3154772/government/department-of-labor-sues-google-over-wage-data.html
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