Apple's Next Green Data Center lands in Prineville, Oregon

Facebook made its decision to go to Prineville, OR for a variety of reasons, but made the mistake of choosing electricity from a coal plant as the power source.  And, became a target for Greenpeace.  One of the last thing a data center operator wants to be is a target for a bunch of Greenpeace activist.

Apple has confirmed it has chosen Prineville, OR as the location its next data center.  Oregon's KTVZ has the news.

Apple Confirms Prineville Data Center Plans

One Day Later, Ore. House Approves Tax Break Fix

POSTED: 4:10 pm PST February 21, 2012
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UPDATED: 2:26 pm PST February 22, 2012
Tech giant Apple Inc. confirmed Tuesday to NewsChannel 21 that it plans to build a data center at a 160-acre parcel in Prineville it just bought from Crook County for $5.6 million, a stone’s throw from the huge facility built by Facebook.

 

A statutory warranty deed for the property off Baldwin Court was filed last week with the Crook County clerk’s office, a public document finally breaking the official silence over a long-term courtship with a company formerly known only as “Project Maverick.”

 

 

 

After a leak in December, the officials must have been reminded of their NDA, and how opening their mouths can jeopardize the deal.

No one in Prineville or elsewhere had been able to speak on the record about the deal previously, due to non-disclosure agreements the company has had officials sign. But the Feb. 15 filing is the first public document to identify Apple Inc. as the “Project Maverick” buyer, complete with the “1 Infinite Loop” address in Cupertino, Calif.

 

The cat started escaping from the bag in December, when The Oregonian quoted “two people with direct knowledge” who said Apple was nearing a decision on the project.

The local judge was even NDA restricted, but now that there is a public disclosure he can say a few things.

Crook County Judge Mike McCabe said Tuesday he was still bound by the non-disclosure agreement, though the filing left him a bit freer to talk.

"We just don't know what their plans are," McCabe said, adding that he's "confident it will be good for Prineville and Crook County."
"These folks have been wonderful to work with," he said. "We will look forward to a long-term relationship with them."

Asked about whether Apple might plan to "out-green" Facebook, which got some flack from Greenpeace for buying coal-generated power for its Prineville data center, McCabe said that actually, "Facebook kind of helped recruit (Apple), saying, 'You've got to come up and look at this community.'"

Comparing Kindle Fire vs. iPad 2 is flawed without accounting for business models

There are many comparisons between the Kindle Fire and iPad 2 as a tablet.  With top issues like no camera, microphone, screen size, and lack of 3G.


Kindle Fire Review: 5 Things Amazon's New Tablet Is Missing

Posted 12:15PM 11/22/11Technology,Google,Apple,Amazon.com,Barnes & Noble


Kindle Fire Review: 5 Things Amazon's New Tablet Is MissingAs early adopters crack open their Kindle Fires this month, the rest of the country is watching. Is Amazon.com's (AMZN) new $199 gadget as good as the $499 iPad 2 or the $249 Nook Tablet?

After playing around with the Kindle Fire for a couple of days, I have no problem recommending it as a quality entry-level tablet. Money's tight this holiday shopping season, and if junior can be talked out of an iPad and into a Kindle Fire, then we're talking about a few extra bills that can be paid.

Analysis has the part cost of the $199 Kindle Fire to be $201.70.

Amazon Kindle Fire Costs $201.70 to Manufacture
November 18, 2011

Amazon’s Kindle Fire media tablet carries a BOM cost of $185.60, according to preliminary findings from the IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis Service. When manufacturing services expenses are added, the cost increases to $201.70, as shown in the table below.

Amazon Kindle Fire BOM

This is slightly lower than the IHS virtual estimate of the Kindle’s cost issued in September of a BOM amounting to $191.65, and a total of $209.63, when factoring in the manufacturing and the margin expenses.

ISupply say the iPad2 cost $326.

iPad 2 Carries Bill of Materials of $326.60, IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis Shows
March 13, 2011
With the second-generation iPad, Apple Inc. has held the line on the bill of materials (BOM), maintaining virtually the same costs as the first version of the device, an IHS iSuppli teardown analysis of the product has revealed. The 32GB NAND flash memory version of the iPad 2 equipped the with Global System for Mobile Communications/high-speed packet access (GSM/HSPA) air standard carries a BOM of $326.60. The 32GB version equipped with the code division multiple access (CDMA) air standard carries a BOM of $323.25. The compares with $320 for the first-generation 32GB 3G iPad, based on pricing from April 2010.

You could go on making the comparison on what the Kindle Fire should cost with the missing iPad2 features, but what is consistently missing is accounting for the business models of Amazon vs. Apple.  Amazon is selling its device at below or close to cost.  Apple is making a profit on the devices.  If Apple adds features it thinks about its margin on the device.  If Amazon adds cost to the device, they need to eat the cost or raise the price.  Why would they increase the price/cost unless they see more revenue coming from Amazon.com?
The goal of Amazon is to ship a device that it makes money on.  Not necessarily the device itself, but from the goods bought.  Look at the first generation kindle.  It cost $399.  Do you think that was cost?  maybe, but highly unlikely.  What amazon.com figured out is how much it makes on kindle books.
Apple sells Apps.  Amazon sells Apps.  Both sell videos.  Both sell books.
Does adding a camera, microphone, and 3G help amazon.com sell more apps, books, and videos?
What amazon has bunches of people thinking about and creating the kindle roadmap is what makes more money for amazon.com.  You know Bezos would be ruthless with this focus and drill into any feature that does not have a clear benefit to amazon.com.
Hope this help you look at the kindle fire in a different way.  writing this down helped me more clearly articulate this view.

Blogging on a MacBook Air OSX Lion vs. Lenovo WIndows 7, part 1

About 3 months ago I bought a MacBook Air and posted on my transition.  Disclosure: I am biased.  I worked on the MacOs at Apple from 1985 - 1992, and Windows OS at Microsoft from 1992 - 2001.  In 2001, Windows XP was my last client OS, and I switched to work on servers and enterprise management from 2001 - 2006, and refused to use Windows Vista Beta. :-)

So, am i religious on the Mac vs. Windows?  i understand and appreciate the different perspectives

Think Different switch back to the Mac from Windows

I worked at Apple from 1985 to 1992.  The Mac was introduced in 1985 and 1991 Apple shipped System 7. I spent much of time working on Mac OS 6.0.x and System 7 was years of being immersed in Mac development.  When I moved to Microsoft to work on Win3.1 my coworkers and I spent much of time using Macs as we were working TrueType and the vast majority of tools where on the Mac.

Even though many of my friends used Macs I didn't take the time to switch.  But, yesterday I switched to a 3rd generation MacBook Air and the Lion OS.

NewImage

Back when I made the switch I was loyal to Windows Live Writer as my blogging tool.

I have written a few blog entries with MarsEdit.  Downloaded photos from my Canon 7D.  Installed Office, Aperture, Lightroom as well.

I was much faster writing with Windows Live Writer, but it's only my  second day switching back to the Mac after almost 19 years.

I have Parallels installed on the MacBook Air with Windows 7 and Windows Live Writer, and guess what I have not fired up Windows 7 with Live Writer for the last month.  Marsedit is not perfect as a blogging tool and there are some features that I like on Windows Live Writer, but they are not worth the time to switch to Windows 7.

I'll write another post on the specifics of using Marsedit vs. Live Writer.

It took me about a 6 weeks to get really comfortable with the MacBook Air and OSX Lion, but keep in mind again I worked at Apple so I was a loyal religious Mac User before.

One thing I am quite pleased with on the MacBook Air is the 256GB SSD integration.

 

Jonathan Ive provides his perspective on working with Steve jobs

Check out this video to get an idea of Steve Jobs from one of his most trusted advisors, Jonathan Ive.

Top Comments

  • Jony should be apples new spokesman, not Tim Cook at upcoming Keynotes. Jony talks with such passion and conviction. He is the natural successor to Steve on stage.

  • Who'd have thought Jony was such a brilliant public speaker. Fantastic tribute from a great man to another.

Apple gets Permit for Solar Farm in Maiden

Charlotte Observer reports on Apple getting a permit for a Solar Farm in Maiden, NC.

Apple plans solar farm at data center site

By Dianne Straley
Correspondent

MAIDEN Apple has quietly begun work on a solar farm that apparently could help power its sprawling data center in southern Catawba County.

Permits issued by Catawba County show that the Cupertino, Calif., company has been approved to reshape the slope of some of the 171 acres of vacant land it owns on Startown Road, opposite the data center, in preparation of building a solar farm.

...

The engineering plans show how the company will keep soil that it moves around the site from washing into creeks and other areas. The permit has no detail about the solar farm itself, including its size. A Charlotte firm is listed on the erosion control permit as the contractor.

The plans say the site will have multiple gravel roads for access to its solar panels.

The plans are called "Project Dolphin Solar Farm A Expanded." Project Dolphin was the code name given Apple's plans to build a $1-billion data center in Maiden.