TIM COOK ON APPLE VS. ANDROID: 'We're Not In The Junk Business'

By just about every statistic Apple's mobile software, iOS is beating Google's software, Android.

In profit share, Apple leads all other Android manufacturers combined. In web traffic, iOS has 55% of the market, according to NetMarketShare. 

The iPhone has been the top rated smartphone in consumer satisfaction in nine consecutive studies by JD Power and Associates. 

In less concrete statistics, iOS is generally still the first choice for developers. Reader interest at our site, and at others, is off the charts for iOS, but just so-so for Android. 

Apple's also the company that rivals compare themselves against. Microsoft, Samsung, and even Motorola all make fun of the iPhone in their ads. They wouldn't do that if Apple wasn't the real leader. 

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-on-apple-vs-android-were-not-in-the-junk-business-2013-9#ixzz2fLbv3S3J

New Mac Trojan Discovered Related to Syria

"A new Mac Trojan has been discovered that creates a backdoor on an affected user’s machine. It was found on VirusTotal, sent by a user in Belarus. At the time of writing, the Command and Control (C&C) server is down and no longer sending commands to affected users. This appears to be a targeted attack, though the method of delivery is not yet known. So, while this has been affecting users in the wild, the overall threat level appears to be low.

The Trojan is an application that is disguised as a picture – the .app file-extension is not visible by default."

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Reports of NSA Spying on Your Smartphone Are Overblown

"Happy Monday! Once again, it’s time to shed light on some recent questionable reporting about the NSA scandal.

This weekend, there was some murmuring about an article in Der Spiegel about how the NSA can grab all sorts of things from your smartphone. And while they certainly could potentially grab things from smartphones, it’s not nearly as ubiquitous and horrible as the article makes it sound. Some of that could simply be attributed to a lack of technical understanding by the reporter, but it’s being picked up by more technical sites and interpreted as if it’s de facto truth."

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How To Score A Seat On A Private Jet For Less Than You'd Pay To Fly Business Class

"For a small and growing percentage of people, flying is actually improving. Cushy seats, quasi-gourmet snacks, and a brief respite from the crushing masses are available on any of 39,000 private aircraft worldwide, and in the U.S., several private jet companies are now offering flights at prices that equal first- and business-class tickets on commercial airlines.

While Linear Air has been around since 2004 and JetSuite launched SuiteDeals in April 2011, there are three new companies less than six months old: JumpSeat took flight in February, Surf Air in June, and FlyArrow is planning to start flights next month.

Whether for business or pleasure, now's the time to check out your new and improved options—before everyone else catches on."

Read more: http://www.details.com/blogs/daily-details/2013/08/how-to-score-a-seat-on-a-private-jet-for-less-than-a-business-class-airline-ticket.html#ixzz2dJ8Y0BhA

Microsoft botches six Windows patches in latest Automatic Update

In an amazing tour de force, Microsoft's Automatic Update chute released at least six bad patches on Tuesday. Here's what's amazing: It's just 48 hours or so since the bomb bay doors opened, and Microsoft has acknowledged problems with all of these patches. That's a first, I think -- and the biggest positive development in the Automatic Update minefield I've seen in a long time.

The gory details:

Microsoft botches six Windows patches in latest Automatic Update

ELON MUSK REVEALS THE HYPERLOOP

Hyperloop

Android’s Market Share Is Literally A Joke | Tech.pinions - Perspective, Insight, Analysis

"Not only is market share not the best way to evaluate the relative positions of competitors but, without context, it is one of the worst. Assuming that market share will always bring you success is like assuming that a bigger truck will always bring you bigger profits. It’s literally a joke."
  Android’s Market Share Is Literally A Joke | Tech.pinions - Perspective, Insight, Analysis