Microsoft, the American software giant, acquired Nokia mobile business for $ 7.2 billion in 2014. However, it failed to make achievements with the new device. The Windows OS based on WP only accounted for 1% of global smartphone sales in May.

Some experts analyzed its failure is due to Microsoft did not step into smartphone industry in time. It lost a head start.

Eddie Murphy, analyst of Priory Consulting, said Microsoft spent a lot of money to launch WP as it realized the importance of smartphone industry. The question is that Microsoft lost a head start as it step into this field late. Apple and Android devices have already controled the market when it released WP devices.

One of the difficulties that Microsoft encountered is app gap. It was unable to offer the popular apps which are available on smartphones. It happened to Blackberry BB10 as well.

“The app gap is a big problem,” said Murphy. He also has a Windows mobile whose apps are fewer than Android devices. It is disadvantage to Microsoft.

The staff reduction plan it announced on Monday is a part of plan that it made to cut 1,850 jobs for Microsoft mobile department in May.

Microsoft latest Windows 10 is compatible with samrtphone. In February, HP enterprise announced to turn a smartphone based on Windows 10 to a desktop.

Murphy said Microsoft must have been learning what Google use Android OS for? The reason why Android OS could be in such a dominant position is that Android OS is open. Microsoft have released the general Windows 10 OS for desktop, iPad and mobile. It is a good sign as it would bring some more apps on this platform.

Thanks to the promotion of Galaxy S7, Samsung Electronics is supposed to release the best quarterly performance in the past two years, reports Reuters.

It is reported that Samsung Electronis will reveal the preliminary data concerning Q 2 profit on Thursday. The analysts predicted that mobile department help the company increase operating profit by 13% on YoY.

Thompson Reuters revealed the average prediction based on 16 analysts that its operating profit in Q2 will be $ 6.8 billion, which is the best performance in the past two year. It made a record with about $7.3508 billion in operating profit in Q1 2014.

It may be the second time for mobile department that it becomes the most profitable department twice in a row. Its profit in Q2 is about $3.71864 billion.

Lee Jin-woo, manager of KTBAsset management, claimed the sales of Galaxy S7 did better as expected and its semi-conductor business did a better job against its rivals. He suggested that Samsung Electronics quarterly trading profit will be remained.

It is predicted that the shipping quantity of Galaxy S7 could be 16 million units in Q2. The curved-display version sells better than its flat-display ones.

While a report of Korea Investment&Securities implies the trading profit for mobile department will decline in Q3 and Q4. Counting in the whole year revenue, it will receive growth in trading profit.

General speaking, search application is easy to use. All you need is to insert the application name to search. What if you don’t know the specific application name? If so, App Store and Google Play won’t help much for the search.

Search GIF

GIF nearly becomes a new communication means. At TNW European conference, Adam Leibsohn , the CEO of Giphy, talked about how GIF replace conversations and become a popular communication means in the world.

He assumed that one should not type several paragraphs when communicating with others on social networking platform with the helpf of GIF. To make it a short story, GIF is excellent and welcome by most of people. Why is so difficult to search a real good GIF editing app?

Search experience is unsatisfied

If you search GIF editing app at App Store, you could only get some irrelevant results. It even listed out some emojis and color characters. Such results are not about GIF editing app.

Product Hunt does better job than App Store

You might have heard of Product Hunt. Someone recommended a GIF Toaster on Product Hunt. GIF Toaster was released in 2014 and updated with some new features on this June 24.

To be specific, GIF Toaster added the GIF transformation function. App Store also has the similar app, however, it requires one to search one by one from the results.

GIF Toaster is far from perfect. You need to pay $1.99 to decrypt the features inside the software. It is considered as the best GIF production and editing app on the market.

It is a mutliple GIF app. It won’t beranking front in GIF app search unless you search the “video transform into GIF.

Apple needs to improve its apps on the aspect of language, algorithm and sorting. When you are unable to search the apps at App Store, you have to turn to the third party products. It would be great if Apple improve its App Store for better search experience in the near future.

Apple introduced the updated Apple Music at WWDC 2016 as reported. Its main interface becomes more simplifier and features meet the need. The classifications, font of options have been adjusted. It refreshes the users.

Apple senior vice manager Eddy Cue announced at WWDC that Apple Music’s subscribers have reached 15 million since its release. It became the fastest-growing streaming music service. Then its sales supervisor Bozoma Saint John introduced the newest Apple Music features.

Once users run the App, they will find out the difference on the main interface. Its major menu has been adjusted to “Library”, “For You”‘ “Browse”, “Radio” and “Search.” It deleted the previous section of “New”, and added “Search” feature to be one of its major features.

When users visit its home page, they will find “Library” replaced ” For You.” The reason why Apple adjusted these elements is that many listeners are get used to listen music through their “Library”. Therefore, Apple adjusted ” Library” to its home page.

Apple set five sub-menu options for “Library” for listeners to manage it easily. The sub options are “Playlist”, “Artist”, “Album”, “Songs”, and “Download Music.” The latter is the new feature added where classifies digital songs were bought by listeners.

It updated with a Lyrics feature as well. Listeners could listen and sing when they are working. However, Siant John did not reveal more details concerning its compatible languages.

Even though Apple adjusted its home page, “For You” is still an important element on Apple Music. Its sub options are “Discovery Mix”,” Recently Played”, “Daily curated playlist”, and “Connect.”

Maybe the updated Apple Music is far from perfect, it still won likes as it adjusted the features based on the marketing feedback. It will be debut in this autumn, along with iOS 10. It is compatible for Apple iPhones, Apple TV, Mac, PC and Android devices.

Speaking of robots, it may remind you of R2-D2 in Star War, however, it doesn’t feature with making phone calls.

You will be soon able to make phone calls to friends with a robot. Sharp debuted a robot phone called RoBoHon. It looks fantastic and is able to pack in a packbag.

Sharp displayed the prototype of RoBoHon at MWC in Barcelono in February. This RoBoHon was released in Japan on May 26, selling at minimum 12,000 yuan. It will be introduced to more countries in the near future. This RoBoHon is made by Sharp and Tomotaka Takahashi.

RoBoHon could completely replace the traditional smartphone as it could insert the SIM card and dial phone without connecting the mainstream device. Besides making phone calls, this device is able to receive and send emails, download apps.

It is designed with a 2.1-inch touch screen on the back of RoBoHon so that the users could manage the operation. The device could respond the voice demand. It could dail phone calls when users require or walk to users when there are calls in.

Users could use RoBoHon to take photos as one of its eyes is embeded with camera. When the photo is taken, RoBoHon will bend to reflect the photo with the proejction component set on the forehead on the floor or other flat surface.

RoBoHon runs Android 5.0, equips with 2.1-inch LED touch screen, RAM 16GB. It supports 3G/LTE and Wi-FI. Even though it is a bit expensive, its features will be great experience for users. Sharp predicted that it will be able to sell 5,000 RoBoHon each month.

Tim Cook was interviewed by Vikram Chandra of NDTV concerning sales decline of iPhone. Vikram Chandra asked Tim Cook whether it is worth having a iPhone with higher price in other countries out of US. Apple only charges about $ 600 for a new iPhone in US.

According to its last quarter earnings report, the sales volume of iPhone declined by 16%. In the meantime, Android smartphone rival users share in all iPhone markets. The experts predicted that iPhone sales volume in 2016 will decline continually.

Concerning the question that Vikram Chandra made, Cook admitted that it is over charged in Indian market. He claimed that the firm will consider decreasing the price of iPhone in the future. He said:” I am aware of the higher price of iPhone. We are adjusting our policy now. We believe that the price of iPhone will be set at an affordable price in the near future.” Cook implied that high selling price of iPhone will lead to fewer sales performance in this January.

Even though iPhone is sold at about $600 in United States. There are different prices for iPhone in oversea due to the fuctuations of exchange rate and localized tax system. For example, iPhone is sold at $931 in Brazil, $784 in India, $671 in UK.

iPhone is much expensive in comparison with Android smartphones that with similar functions. According to the data that made by Deutsche Bank, the price for iPhone in US this year is about $ 600, while sold at $931 in Brazil. It is 1.56 time of the native price. It sells iPhone at $865 in Indenosia which is 1.45 time of American price.

In the meantime, the selling prices in Italy, Danmark, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France and Australia are all over $700. Speaking of the selling price in China, it sells about $ 693 this year.

Cook claimed the customs and local tax system make difficulties for decreasing the price of iPhone. It faces challenge and pressure to make profit in Indian market.

Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle received an annual paid at $56.9 million in 2015 fiscal year. She became the highest paid female director in US.
The figure was made by Bloomberg Pay Index.

The Index counted the top 200 highest paid female directors among American listed companies and concluded their Pay Index in that year.

Besides regular stock bonus and $1 million basic salary, Catz was awarded with $10.5 million special stock right in 2015.

Ruth Parot, the CFO of Alphabet who used to work for Morgan Stanley was the second highest paid female director. She obtained the total amount of remuneration at $41.1 million, including $ 5 million setting-in allowance.

The third highest paid female went to ,Mary Barra who is the first female CEO in vehicle industry. She got $36.3 million last year. She once worked for GM as product development manager and was appointed as GM CEO in 2014.

There are 17 female directors ranked in the Bloomberg Pay Index, 15 of them are CEO of S&P 500 stock index companies.

Eric Hoffmann, vice president of Farient Advisors claimed that these female directors obtain relative higher pay as their salary is connected with companies performance.

Once the females work in the senior management group, their salary will be relatively higher than some male directors.

Catz was appointed as Oracle senior vice president in 1999. She even served as co-CEO and CFO. Catz is responsible for finance, manufacturing and legal affairs.

Catz’s remuneration is the same as another Oracle co-CEO Mark Hurd’s.