work

With the progressive push to gain a footing in cloud-based services, Apple has tried a number of approaches in the past decade, starting with iTools and migrating to .Mac with a personal online disk and Web sites, which then evolved to MobileMe. In this timeframe Apple's MobileMe services were rather lackluster and did not get much public attention, so Apple began exploring other options, including options for enhancing its popular iWork programs with Web-based services.

The Web-based services for iWork (aptly named "iWork.com"), were integrated into Apple's iWork programs to allow easy sharing of document … Read more

At the Apple event in San Francisco yesterday, the new iPad was not the only announcement. Several new software updates were also unveiled, including updates to all three of Apple's iOS iWork apps.

Whether you use the word processing power of Pages, the spreadsheet capabilities of Numbers, or the presentation features in Keynote, all have a couple of new features worthy of note.

Pages, the word processing app that lets you take your written work with you, got a few new features. Along with Retina Display compatibility for the new iPad, you'll now be able to use the … Read more

Brian Tong and Molly Wood give you blow-by-blow analysis on the new iPad announcement, including rewriting the lyrics to John Mayer's "Your Body is a Wonderland," specifically to accommodate the new iPad. Which, in case you haven't guessed by now, is just called "the new iPad."

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Ferarri won't be the only automaker unveiling a "most powerful model ever" this week. Mini's getting in on the horsepower race too--only on a much smaller scale. There's already a higher-performance John Cooper Works (JCW) version of every other vehicle configuration in Mini's lineup, so it's no surprise that we'll be seeing a hi-po version of the Mini Countryman next week at the 2012 Geneva auto show.

The JCW Countryman will also carry the distinction of being the most powerful model in Mini's lineup thanks to its 211-horsepower, four-cylinder, twin-scroll turbocharged … Read more

Plantronics, makers of wireless headsets, is giving its aging Santa Cruz, Calif., facilities a design overhaul. The redesign includes things like letting in natural light, going from closed-in cubicles to airy work spaces, and enabling employees to easily connect with one another via videoconferencing.

And the changes are already having an impact on the company culture, says Pat Wadors, head of human resources. She shows SmartPlanet how the new office spaces are changing the way people work and collaborate.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "The office of tomorrow: How design impacts culture."

Related SmartPlanet … Read more

Apple offers a number of options for securing your data on a Mac, including enabling FileVault for whole disk encryption in Lion (or home folder encryption in prior versions of OS X), and encrypted disk images for securing collections of documents.

In addition, as with other software developers, Apple has included options to secure individual documents for some of its programs, such as those in its iWork productivity suite.

To do this in iWork, create or open a document in Pages, Numbers, or Keynote, and then open the inspector window by clicking its icon in the toolbar or by pressing … Read more

A group of hackers has released the source code for Symantec's PCAnywhere product.

The public release of the code yesterday came as no surprise as the hackers had been threatening such an action in a series of e-mail negotiations with what they thought were representatives of Symantec. The group, known as Yamatough but operating under the umbrella of Anonymous, had been demanding a $50,000 payoff from Symantec to keep the source code private.

Yamatough was actually negotiating with law enforcement officials posing as Symantec representatives in an attempt to draw out the group. But a "spokesperson" … Read more

You may have heard by now that the New York Times wrote an article called "In China, human costs are built into the iPad" that takes a look at the dark side of producing Apple's products in China.

It's not the first time the Times and other publications have written about the "punishing" work conditions at Foxconn, the contract manufacturing behemoth that also makes products for loads of other companies, not just Apple.

Foxconn--headquarted in Taiwan, but (according to Reuters) the largest private employer in mainland China--has been frequently in the news for fires and explosions at its factories along with a spate of worker suicides. But coming on the heels of Apple's jaw-dropping earnings and news that it had $98 billion squirreled away in cash, the article seems to have really touched a nerve, the "Occupy Apple" kind.

I don't think anybody's faulting Apple for wanting to make a good profit on its products or trying to keep up with demand. But what seems to be the big friction point is how much profit Apple is making and how it continues to squeeze its suppliers and manufacturing partners to the Nth degree. … Read more

A day after Apple announced record profits, a new report provides a detailed look at the conditions that workers at its suppliers in China have had to endure.

The company, which reported $13 billion in profits yesterday, has been plagued by reports of long hours, unsafe working conditions, and physical punishment of employees in factories that make parts for its popular devices. Dozens have been injured and a handful killed in explosions and other accidents at the plants.

In a seven-month span last year, two explosions at iPad factories in China, including at the Chengdu facility, killed four and injured … Read more