As the summer winds down and we head into the unofficial end by celebrating with our last BBQs 
and beach trips, the tech industry is getting heating up for the last quarter and some interesting things have happened in the past week.
We start with an exit announcement that caused commotion and uncertainty, and end with a new dance move that has taken our Twitterstreams and YouTube searches by storm.
Read on to learn what happened this week in tech…
1. Microsoft Corp. CEO Announces Exit – As the PC market continues to go downhill and reported earnings aren’t where Microsoft was hoping, Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer, dropped his announcement last Friday, and said he was going to retire within the next 12 months. His announcement follows a reorganization of the company’s management and it’s amidst the the fifth consecutive quarterly drop in personal-computer shipments. Analysts are worried that this, combined with Microsoft’s lack of involvement in the cloud space, could be the continuation of a slow demise. And of course, when leadership changes, there is always skepticism and unrest. At the same time, a change in leadership after Ballmer’s 13 years could be just what Microsoft needs and if the company was revived, it would prove to be one hell of a turnaround.
2. Trade Your Old Apple for a New Apple, as Long as It Isn’t a Bad Apple – The talked about program of the Apple exchange finally launched today after being piloted for the past few weeks. The concept is simple – walk into any Apple retail location, and as long as your iPhone is in working condition (no water damage or cracks), you can receive a credit between $120 and $250 to upgrade to a newer iPhone…and a new contract. Apple has positioned this program as a way to help the environment and their customers, and released this comment to Tech Crunch:
iPhones hold great value. So, Apple Retail Stores are launching a new program to assist customers who wish to bring in their previous-generation iPhone for reuse or recycling. In addition to helping support the environment, customers will be able to receive a credit for their returned phone that they can use toward the purchase of a new iPhone.
It may sound good, but I wonder about the real motivation. The published statement may be a witty PR ploy that is masking for underlying motivations that go beyond environmental dedication and customer satisfaction. Either way, it should get the products moving a bit and could make room for the launch of the new iPhone slated to be introduced this fall.
3. Dancing with Miley Means Doing Some Twerking – This past week, twerk is the word. As Miley Cyrus created a buzz in the social world during and after her appearance at MTV’s Video Music Awards, the word was popping up as trending topics and searches to figure out just exactly what it meant were fired up. The controversial music award show is always under fire for their edgy performances and surprises, but it is safe to say that it shed new light on on twerking, and a phrase that I recently researched in the Urban Dictionary, will be easier to find now that it has now been added to the Oxford Online Dictionaries.
That’s our week in tech! What did we miss? Please share it in the comments.