Here is your daily Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock news and rumors for October 26th, 2010. A new partnership with tech service company Unisys is set to help Apple grow their business in the professional and government markets. The new MacBook Air laptops can’t run the latest version of Skype. Finally, a new glitch discovered in iOS 4.1 pokes holes in iPhone security.
Apple Strengthens Enterprise Business With Unisys Partnership: Consumer business has made Apple the most valuable technology company in the world today, but with the success of the iPad and iPhone in recent years, they have slowly begun to cut into the professional markets once dominated by Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ).
With the increase in enterprise and government clients, though, Apple finds itself needing to change its service model. A new Bloomberg report says that the solution is a new partnership with technology and computer services company Unisys (NYSE: UIS). Unisys will “provide maintenance and other service to companies and government agencies that purchase Apple products.”
The new partnership should brighten the day for Unisys shareholders. The company reported its third quarter earnings this morning, with a drop of -54% in net income, a -13% drop in revenue from service industry, and a -31% drop in revenue generated by technology sales. Hitching their horse to Apple’s wagon may help bring up service revenue before the year is out.
Mac Skype 2.8.X Incompatible With New MacBook Air: Internet voice and video chat service Skype recently upgraded their service to incorporate Facebook Connect features into Skype version 5.0 as part of a new partnership with the world’s most famous social network. The new version of Skype, however, is only available to users on Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows computers, and not mobile versions of Skype or on Mac. Skype did promise that a new version with Facebook integration would be coming to Macs “soon.”
Right now, though, Skype needs to get its current Mac build, version 2.8, working properly on all Mac platforms. According to a story linked to by Cult of Mac, the new 11.6- and 13.3-inch MacBook Air laptops that began shipping this month are not able to run Skype 2.8. The reason is still unknown, but new MacBook Air users desperate to use the VoIP service can still use older versions of Skype if they can find access to version 2.7 or earlier updates. Skype is currently raising money for an IPO in the near future.
iOS 4.1 Glitch Allows Access to iPhone Contact Lists and Voicemail Without Passcode: According to tech blog Engadget, an exploit in Apple’s operating system, iOS 4.1, has been found that will let people access a user’s contact list, voice mail, music library, and photos without needing to enter that user’s passcode to unlock the phone. The glitch works by manipulating the “Emergency Call” feature active on the screen when the phone is still locked. The glitch works on all models of iPhone capable of running iOS 4.1.
The report also claims that beta versions of upcoming upgrade iOS 4.2 also feature the same glitch. While the security hole in iOS 4.1 likely won’t impact Apple’s iPhone sales this fall, they certainly don’t need any additional bad press surrounding their smartphones after the issues surrounding the iPhone 4’s antenna.
As of this writing, Anthony Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here.
