Is Apple in trouble?

It was bound to happen, but now it’s official. Apple shares opened at $96, down 8 percent compared to yesterday’s closing price of $104.35. Some investors are saying Apple is in serious trouble. Others think that this merely constitutes a minor ripple in the pond. Let's be clear about one thing, Apple is a highly lucrative company, currently valued at approximately $539 billion. However, it's unclear what is next for the colossal technology firm. The short video below raises some interesting questions about where Apple is at right now. The next year will prove critically important in terms of how Apple directs its future research and focus. Apple could continue to dominate the market or it could rapidly lose market share to competitors. Time will tell.

Satellite photography

One area of technology that has made extraordinary advances in recent years is satellite imaging. Satellite technology has received enormous investment from governments all over the world over the years. Like other aspects of space exploration technology, satellite imaging technology has not been without its critics. However, the sheer power of satellite imaging has awed millions of people all over the world to such an extent that few have stopped to question where the technology will lead to. In recent years, detectives have made good use of satellite photography to solve crimes and apprehend criminals, as this article on the BBC illustrates. Satellite photography has been used by the CIA and other intelligence services organisations for decades to keep tabs on subversive activity. There is no question about the fact that satellite photography has reaped extraordinary dividends in fighting crime and terrorism. But it raises a very important question about privacy. 

Don't we all deserve the right to privacy and data protection? How will we possibly have any privacy in the future if satellites can photograph us wherever we happen to be in the world, every minute of every day? Could satellite technology bring about an Orwellian superstate in which we are monitored by Big Brother constantly? The notion of having an all-seeing god-like satellite in outer space monitoring our every move is unsettling to say the least. Yet few of us would ever wish to go back to living in a world in which satellite technology did not exist. Technology must march forward and harness every single opportunity. But it is critically important that we continue to think long and hard about privacy protection as we develop satellite technology. Privacy and data protection and fundamental human rights that nobody has any right to breach. This is not an easy problem to resolve, but it is one that must be treated with due diligence. The short video gives a brief outline of the kinds of images that NASA satellites can obtain.