Another year brings more hysteria surrounding the potential release of Apple products. Following the slightly underwhelming launch of the iPhone 4s, the technology world is eagerly awaiting  a revolutionary new product line up.

Most people expect to see both an iPhone 5 and an iPad 3 at some point in 2012. The internet is awash with rumours, however the most likely advancements for the iPhone will be more power under the hood, a bigger screen and possibly a radical new design. The iPad, which is rumoured to already be in the early stages of production,  is also likely to get a faster processor and a higher resolution “Retina Display”, similar to that on the latest iPhone 4 and 4s.

Slightly less likely is an Apple branded TV which is being touted by some . The current Apple TV is a small device that plugs into your existing set, however it is thought that Apple is planning their own branded TVs with Apple technology built in. This would make a lot of sense considering how Apple have shaken up the PC and phone markets in recent years and created new markets for the portable music player (iPod) and tablet (iPad). The next obvious realm to get their teeth into is surely the TV sat in your living room with the subscription revenues that can be generated.

As with any Apple product, the hype alone is enough to sell millions of units despite typically being at a premium price tag when compared to the competition. One thing for sure is that you can expect to see the usual news stories of people queuing outside Apple Stores at some point during 2012 whatever product the Californian giant releases.

2011 saw the first viruses aimed at targeting Google’s Android mobile phones. Unlike Apple’s carefully controlled iPhone environment, the Android operating system is a little more “free and easy” when it comes to publishing apps. This has led to malicious apps appearing in non-Google approved app stores, which is worrying considering how much personal information most people will store on their mobile phone.

Gartner again predicts that by 2014, over 3 billion of the world’s population will be able to transact electronically via mobile or internet technology. It is this kind of data that the creators of viruses will want to get their hands on. Many security and antivirus companies are releasing products to help secure mobile devices

Which device do you use most for browsing the internet? According to Gartner research, it is likely the answer is the Smartphone in your pocket. It is predicted that by 2013, the number of internet browser-enabled Smartphones such as iPhone, Android or Blackberry will exceed the number of old fashioned PCs in use. By 2015, the mobile phone is expected to be the primary browsing device for most people. Gartner also predicts that 20% of businesses will “own no IT assets” by 2012 with employees instead using their own personal devices. This opens up a whole new can of worms for IT security in the workplace.

NCS now receive a large volume of requests for enabling Smartphones on the network. We also find that many businesses freely hand out the wireless access key to enable staff and guests to connect their mobile phone to the internet. Again, this poses a risk that can easily be addressed by separating your corporate wireless network from your guest access. Contact NCS for information on how to do safely segregate the two.

Once again, Apple lead the way with the MacBook Air – a super thin, super light laptop that is as beautiful to look at as it is powerful. The cheap and

cheerful netbook is disappearing fast with most manufacturers concentrating their efforts on powerful MacBook Air wannabes. The recent CES technology show in Las Vegas was awash with models from the likes of HP, Asus, Acer and Samsung. In order to be classed as a true Ultrabook, the device needs to be under 18mm thick and have a 13” screen, which is quite an extraordinary achievement considering the power that these machines can punch.

We are already seeing interest from NCS’ customers for these ultra-portable devices and expect this to continue over the coming year. In the past,  you had to compromise between portability and power, but the new range of Ultrabooks run the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. Ultrabook is actually a trademark of Intel so be sure to see AMD weighing in with their range of “Ultrathin”  notebooks during the year.

Microsoft is expected to release the next version of their desktop operating system, Windows 8, at some point this year. This is expect

ed to play nicely with a touchscreen device, unlike previous versions which have been decidedly finger unfriendly. The new “Metro” interface will be a big departure from the traditional Windows look with apps sitting in tiles that can be swiped and prodded. You can be sure that many of the major manufacturer’s will release more economical touch-enabled screens and notebooks to take advantage of the new interface.

Other features being introduced in Windows 8 include a “Windows Store” (think App Store) for buying, selling and advertising applications and the ability to log on using a Windows Live ID. This means that your settings will follow you from one Windows 8 PC to another.

Microsoft may well be a victim of their own success however, with many corporate clients likely to stick with the rock-solid  Windows 7 for some time as happened with Windows XP. We have found that most of  NCS business customers tend to stay with what they know works and it has to be a very compelling reason to move to a new platform. Windows Vista was an unmitigated disaster for Microsoft and was largely ignored by the corporate world, whereas the reliability and features of Windows 7 have proven a good reason to upgrade from XP.

It’s hard to believe that the Apple iPad has been in existence for less than 24 months. In that time, it has taken both the consumer and corporate world by storm. This leaves their competitors desperately playing catch-up. The world and his dog has released an alternative to the ipad, mostly running Google’s Android operating system. These have ranged from the very cheap and cheerful sub £200 devices to some superb tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Interestingly, even with so many competitor’s products available, Apple still holds  by far the largest share of the market – approximately 60% at present. This has led to many analysts declaring that there is only actually an “iPad market” and the tablet market is in fact a fallacy. This year may be make or break for some of Apple’s competitors, however the competitively-priced Amazon’s Kindle Fire which is due to be launched in the UK imminently is likely to be a strong contender.

NCS are seeing more and more businesses using an iPad as an alternative to the traditional notebook computer, so it will be interesting to see if people start to adopt Android devices during 2012. Tim Cook, who took over from the late Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple, has his roots in big corporate organisations such as which suggests he may try and push Apple further into this sector.

NCS Christmas & New Year Opening Times

Firstly, NCS would like to wish all of our customers a Merry Christmas and a Happy

New Year. We would also like to thank you for your business and support over the past 12 months.

Here are our opening times over the Christmas period:-

If they did – we admire their dedication!

If they didn’t, were they as effective as they could have been working from home?

The North West of England was hit hard by the snow last year.

With NCS’ secure remote access solutions we can ensure your employees have access to office based applications, email and data both safely and speedily.

You don’t need to have a client agent installed; you don’t need a company issued laptop or PC; you don’t need to worry about compromising your network’s security and you don’t need to be an IT expert!

If you’re thinking this solution is bound to be expensive then think again! 

To find out how NCS can help keep your employees working this winter, call 01706 239000 or email info@ncs-support.com today for more information

You can claim up to £200.00 off the price of a Toshiba Portege R700 until the end of February.

> Claim £100.00 cash back from Toshiba

> Trade in your old laptop with Toshiba and receive up to £100.00*

Example:-

Toshiba Portege R700 Ultra-Portable Notebook

• Intel Core i3-350m
• Black magnesium chassis with brushed metallic finish
• 2GB RAM
• 320GB hard drive
• 13.3″ screen
• Windows 7 Pro
• Up to 8:55min battery life
• Only 1.28Kg
• Only £375.00 + VAT after cash back and trade-in (£575.00 +VAT standard price)

Call NCS today on 01706 239000 to take advantage of this offer

* Full T&Cs can be found here-

www.toshiba.co.uk/promotions/tradein/index.html
www.toshibacashback.com/2011/tscs.asp

The New Year is traditionally a good time to find bargains in the PC market. There is a huge variety of laptops and desktop computers, but you’ll quickly spot that they all come with Windows 7 64-bit installed.This move to 64-bit Windows is common across all the major PC manufacturers, including Hewlett Packard, Dell, Acer and Toshiba. New computers with traditional, 32-bit Windows 7 are fast disappearing.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 32-BIT AND 64-BIT VERSIONS OF WINDOWS?

A. The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer’s processor (also called a CPU), handles information. The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system.

You can expect to see new computers with 4Gb or 8Gb of RAM as standard in the near future.

Q. CAN I RUN 32-BIT PROGRAMS ON A 64-BIT COMPUTER?

A. Most programs designed for the 32-bit version of Windows will work on the 64-bit version of Windows.

Notable exceptions are many anti-virus programs and some accounts software, including versions of Sage Line 50, Sage 100, Sage 200, MMS and ACT.

Device drivers designed for the 32-bit version of Windows don’t work on computers running a 64-bit version of Windows. If you’re trying to install a printer or other device that only has 32-bit drivers available, it won’t work correctly on a 64-bit version of Windows.

Q. HOW CAN I FIND PROGRAMS AND DEVICES THAT WORK WITH THE 64-BIT VERSION OF WINDOWS 7?

A. To find programs and devices that work with Windows 7, look for products that display the “Compatible with Windows 7″ logo. They’ve been tested to be compatible with both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7.

Q. IF I’M RUNNING A 64-BIT VERSION OF WINDOWS, DO I NEED 64-BIT DRIVERS FOR MY DEVICES?

A. Yes. All hardware devices need 64-bit drivers to work on a 64-bit version of Windows.

Drivers designed for 32-bit versions of Windows don’t work on computers running 64-bit versions of Windows.