IHS - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Firewalls can't protect today's connected cars

  The Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu once wrote, "What is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy."

• 10M pieces of wireless charging furniture to sell by 2017

  Ikea's recently announced wireless charging line of furniture is expected to jumpstart a trend that will amount to 10 million sticks of high-tech furniture sold in just two years, according to a new report.

• NAB conference makes way for more 4K content

  This year the number of 4K TVs sold around the world will almost triple. Those sales, along with more mature equipment for producing and distributing content, are fueling overall interest in the technology.

• Over-the-air software coming soon to your next car

  Using a capability that is unique in the auto industry, Elon Musk last week tweeted that over-the-air (OTA) software upgrades would soon come to its P85D Model S sedans as the cars sat in garages and driveways around the world.

• Wireless charging -- McDonald's is lovin' it

  McDonald's is installing 600 wireless charging stations for enabled mobile devices in 50 restaurants in the U.K.

• Carmakers put Apple's CarPlay in the slow lane

  Some car manufacturers are delaying their rollout of CarPlay, the software platform from Apple that synchronizes an iPhone to a vehicle's infotainment system.

• Amazon Fire teardown pegs parts cost just below 32GB iPhone 5S

  Parts for the 32GB Amazon Fire smartphone cost $205, just shy of the cost of parts of a similarly configured Apple iPhone 5S and well below the Samsung Galaxy S5, both with the same 32GB storage tally.

• Mobile devices to get faster LP-DDR4 memory next year

  Thanks to the rise of mobile gaming and 4K video, LP-DDR4 memory will reach smartphones and tablets close to two years earlier than expected, an analyst said.

• Google Glass worth more than the sum of its parts

  The $US1500 price of Google Glass is about 10 times more than the cost to build the wearable computer, but analysts say the device is more than the sum of its parts.

• AT&T may buy DirecTV for $50B

  AT&T is in advanced talks to acquire DirecTV for about $50 billion, according to published reports.

• Afraid of the Cloud? How to handle your fears

  A study released this week shows that 73 per cent of IT executives believe cloud providers are hiding performance problems.

• Teardown: Galaxy S5 parts cost 21% more than iPhone 5S

  The Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with an "astronomical" cost for materials of $251.52 for the 32 GB version, according to a teardown estimate by IHS Technology.

• Wall Street Beat: Smartphone reports brighten up mixed results for tech

  A fresh round of quarterly results and market research this week show some shadows over the networking and component markets while smartphones, as usual, were the stars of the tech arena.

• Wall Street Beat: Despite gov't cuts, tech spending overall shows signs of life

  Though the shutdown and spending cuts by the U.S. government are taking a toll on IT sales this year, market surveys and financial results from the likes of Apple and Facebook this week show some positive signs for tech.

• Industry cuts the cord on electric car charging

  Automakers and municipal governments are testing new technologies that would make it possible to offer wireless charging stations embedded in the pavement or even in manhole covers -- thus removing the power cords from electric vehicles.