Iran Claims It Has Advanced Drone Technology - Yeshiva World News

Iran possesses drones that are far more advanced than the unmanned aircraft Iranian-backed Hezbollah launched into Israeli airspace this month, Iran?s defence minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.

Iran?s military regularly announces defence and engineering developments though some analysts are sceptical of the reliability of such reports.

Earlier this month, Israel shot down a drone after it flew 25 miles (55 km) into the Jewish state. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the aircraft, saying its parts had been manufactured in Iran and assembled in Lebanon.

Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the downed drone did not use his country?s latest know-how, according to a report from Iran?s Mehr news agency on Sunday.

?The Islamic Republic of Iran currently possesses unmanned aircrafts with technology that is far more advanced than the drone recently sent by Hezbollah forces to fly in the skies of the Zionist regime (Israel),? he was quoted as saying.

?Undoubtedly the technology in the (Hezbollah) drone ? was not Iran?s latest technology.?

Vahidi had earlier said that the drone?s launch into Israel was a sign of the Islamic Republic?s military capabilities.

In April, Iran announced it had started to build a copy of a U.S. surveillance drone, the RQ-170 Sentinel, which was captured last year after it came down near the Afghan border.

Tensions in the region have simmered over Iran?s disputed nuclear programme and Israeli threats to bomb its nuclear sites if diplomacy and sanctions fail to stop Iranian nuclear activity the West suspects is meant to develop a weapons capability.

Tehran says it is seeking only civilian nuclear energy.

In a speech on Saturday evening, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sought to present the country as a defender of peace and security in the Gulf region, echoing comments made in the past by Iranian military leaders.

?The Iranian nation has never been an aggressor nation, but history has shown that it is a very good defender,? Ahmadinejad said at a ceremony to honour Iran?s naval forces, according to the Iranian Students? News Agency.

?The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been a protector of the security of the Persian Gulf.?

He said: ?The security of the Persian Gulf has only been undermined when outsiders have been present there. Other than at such points, the Persian Gulf has been completely secure and this security has been created by Iran.?

Iranian officials have said previously that the country could block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the world?s sea-borne oil trade, or strike U.S. military bases in the region if it is attacked.

(Reuters)

Source: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/?p=142780

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Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference ... - LNG World News

Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference Exceeds Expectations

Offshore industry professionals from around the world gathered in Amsterdam on 23 ? 24 October for Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference 2012. The fifth edition of Offshore Energy attracted a record number of 7,632 attendees, up 49% from last year.

Offshore Energy 2012 continued on its path of steady growth. The exhibition sold out and welcomed over 400 exhibitors, up 33% from 2011. 204 new exhibitors took part, including international exhibitors coming from a.o. Sweden, Dubai, Italy, United Kingdom, Finland, Russia, United States, and France. Exhibition visitors represented 45 countries.

?For this edition we expected around 6,500 attendants and we welcomed over 7,632, demonstrating the strong outlook for the offshore oil, gas and wind industries,? said Tessa van Hees, Marketing Manager of Offshore Energy. ?Both at the exhibition and at the conference, colleagues shared a sense of common purpose. There is a strong drive to let this industry prosper and add growth to an economy in turmoil.?

This year?s event featured six conference sessions, four industry organization side events and seven tailored sessions. For the first time Offshore Energy also featured an Industry Panel which offered a lively discussion between C-level representatives of operators and contractors as well as industry stakeholders including government, education and young professionals. The conference program attracted 700+ delegates from the entire upstream value chain.

Another new feature this year was the Offshore Energy Career Pavilion, providing a meeting point for those companies in search of new talent and offshore professionals considering a next step in their careers.

The Official Networking Event was attended by over 400 colleagues. The evening was opened by Ruud Zoon, Managing Director of GDF SUEZ Nederland BV and Member of the Offshore Energy Committee of Recommendation. Edward Heerema, founder and president of Allseas, gave a key note speech on the strength of the offshore industry and the key role of entrepreneurship in promoting innovation.

Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference 2013 takes place on 15 & 16 October 2013 at Amsterdam RAI.


LNG World News Staff, October 29, 2012

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Source: http://www.lngworldnews.com/offshore-energy-exhibition-conference-exceeds-expectations-the-netherlands/

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IS launches new ADSL option | IT-Online

Internet Solutions today launched uncapped@work, an uncapped ADSL solution designed for end users who require optimised connectivity at work and uncapped, unshaped connectivity at night for more bandwidth-intensive activities.

For this stage of the product release, the product will be made available to the IS wholesale channel.

?The DSL market has matured significantly,? says Brett Steingo, innovation and technology manager at IS. ?Experienced broadband users are particularly sensitive to product performance and the nature of restrictions placed upon them by shaping and policy enforcement. During work hours, Internet access needs to be optimised for mission-critical services such as e-mail, collaboration, communication tools and access to hosted applications. At night, usage patterns change as end users consume bandwidth-intensive video or music content, engage over social media, perform backups, replicate data or update software.?

Steingo explains that while gamers, power-users, micro and SoHo business users are all constantly scouting the range of consumer and SME solutions to meet their particular requirements, they are often faced with the choice of inadequate performance or excessive costs.

?We have therefore created a service that combines the best of both worlds, as the uncapped@work solution meets the increasing demand for access to business-class services by day, and the ability to continue work or engage in more consumer-focused Internet usage by night.?

The uncapped@work solution achieves this by optimising transactional traffic over bandwidth heavy applications like torrents during peak hours and offering unrestricted usage between midnight and 6:00am. By allocating a dynamic IP address, end users are given the freedom to make use of their own router or modem. Two concurrent connections are also allowed on this service at any time. The service excludes Telkom ADSL line support and rental, and IS fair use policies apply.

?With the launch of IS uncapped@work we are now able to offer end users a business-class service at a highly competitive price,? Steingo says. ?This will enable end users to experience high-quality broadband connectivity without many of the usual limitations.?

Source: http://www.it-online.co.za/2012/10/29/is-launches-new-adsl-option/

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PFT: Dolphins wallop Jets? |? Rex backs Sanchez

Miami Dolphins v New York JetsGetty Images

We?ll have to wait until there?s word about the health of quarterback Ryan Tannehill before we know whether Sunday?s 30-9 victory over the Jets was bittersweet or just sweet for the Dolphins, but there?s a lot for them to be happy about while waiting for the diagnosis on Tannehill.

They are now 4-3 and headed into a game that could push them further into playoff contention against the 4-3 Colts in Indianapolis last week. They also pushed the Jets to 3-5 and into what will surely be a media and fan-driven maelstrom in the two weeks until the Jets next take the field. The Dolphins are now positioned to be the second team in the AFC East and, with two games left against New England, could find their way to more than that.

Sunday?s win came because of solid play in all three phases, although the offense took a back seat to the defense and special teams. The defense made Mark Sanchez and the Jets offense look completely foolish over the entire afternoon. Chris Clemons had an interception, the pass rush dropped Sanchez four times and the bulk of the Jets? yards came during extended garbage time.

The special teams blocked a punt for a touchdown and blocked a Nick Folk field goal near the end of the first half. There was also a good kickoff return by Marcus Thigpen to stem any potential momentum shift after the Jets finally got on the board in the third quarter. Matt Moore did a solid job moving the team after Tannehill was forced out, the running game was steady and that formula was more than enough to carry the day for the Fins.

The Jets have their own quarterback question to answer in the wake of this loss. Sanchez isn?t hurt, although it might be easier if he were because there would be an easier explanation for his 28-of-54 performance that wasn?t even as mediocre as that sounds. There are plenty of other issues plaguing the Jets offense, but there?s not much reason left not to try something else in hopes of sparking a consistent offensive performance. Sanchez played the entire game, save a couple of Tim Tebow cameos, and the offense never moved until the game was well out of hand.

Change could be in the air in New York. The smell is much nicer down in Miami.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/28/dolphins-roll-over-jets-after-losing-tannehill/related/

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Here's How Much Worse Hurricane Sandy Is Than Irene (Spoiler: Much, Much Worse)

Even though this summer's Hurricane Irene left dozens dead and caused billions of dollars of damage, there was an inescapable consensus that it didn't quite live up to the hype. As you can see above, meeting expectations appears to be the one thing we don't have to worry about with Sandy. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/hMNmjbTX3M0/heres-how-much-worse-sandy-is-than-irene-spoiler-much-much-worse

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SolarWinds tops list of best small US companies

By Kurt Badenhausen, Forbes

Courtesy Solarwinds

Austin, Texas-based SolarWinds offers IT departments affordable software to monitor networks and servers.

The U.S. economy is plodding along in its recovery from the recession that stretched from December 2007 to June 2009. The annual GDP growth rate has been a pitiful 0.5% on average during the past five years, but it is not all bleak. There are companies from aerospace to health care to steel that are booming. Forbes' annual ranking of America's Best Small Companies highlights those companies that have experienced strong growth over the past five years.

Topping this year's list is the software outfit SolarWinds. The Austin, Texas-based company is one of eight software firms that made the final cut. Internet data traffic is expected to triple over the next five years, according to Cisco Systems. Despite its green energy name, SolarWinds is in the middle of the trend. Led by CEO Kevin Thompson, the company offers IT departments affordable software to monitor networks and servers.

Aiming for 80% of the functionality of rival offerings from IBM and Hewlett-Packard, the company sells its wares for one-tenth as much. Such savings have fueled annual sales growth of 38% since 2006. Donald Yonce, a former Wal-Mart executive, co-founded the company in 1999 and served on the board until 2010. His 15% stake is worth $640 million, thanks to a 140% jump in the stock over the past year.

Our list highlights public companies with sales under $1 billion, which are ranked based on return on equity, sales growth and earnings growth over the past year and the past five years. We also factored in stock performance versus each company's peer group during the last 12 months. (Click here for a detailed methodology.)

Full List: The Best Small Companies In America

Education companies ranked No. 2 (Grand Canyon Education) and No. 3 (American Public Education). For-profit colleges have been under fire in recent years for high dropout rates and saddling students with significant debt, but these two have held up better than most. Grand Canyon's stock has doubled since its 2008 IPO on the strength of annual earnings growth of 236%, which is the best rate among the companies on our list. American Public has expanded its offerings to include programs like one with Wal-Mart that teaches 2,800 employees and has the retailer committing $50 million over three years to pay for books and tuition. Sales growth has averaged 44% a year since 2006 at American.

Gun maker Sturm, Ruger clocks in at No. 4. The company, founded in 1949, has been on fire with annual sales growth of 51% since CEO Mike Fifer arrived in 2006. Fears about President Obama's position on gun control and shootings like the one in Aurora, Colo., has gun ownership at a near 20-year high. Ruger pushed out eight new models of guns over the past 12 months and new models accounted for 38% of sales through June 30.

Job growth has been sluggish during the economic recovery, but most of our top 100 companies added headcount the past three years (only four reduced the number of employees). Electronic health records software maker Quality Systems ranks 43rd and has been a member of our Best Small Company list for 12 straight years. As doctors and hospitals move towards digitizing their records, Quality Systems has ramped up hiring, adding more than 900 employees during the past three years.

More from Forbes

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Source: http://bottomline.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/28/14726804-solarwinds-tops-list-of-americas-best-small-companies?lite

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DealGooder LLC Acquired by Good Done Great Corporation | Daily ...

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Deal gooder done great

deal gooder, dailt deals, dailydealmedia.comDealGooder LLC was launched from Costa Mesa, California in 2010. The company mission has been to connect online shoppers with nonprofit organizations and local business. The goal of the company has been to donate 50 percent of the proceeds to a local charity or school.

Well, DealGooder must have been doing something right. According to the Orange County Register, Good Done Great Corporation has acquired DealGooder LLC., however the terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed.

The parent company, Good Done Great, is headquartered in Tacoma, Washington and provides technology services to multiple nonprofit organizations. Good Deal Great has plans to integrate DealGooder?s technology and enhance the platform the company uses in helping nonprofits.

The Orange County Register reported David Barach, the Chief Executive Officer of Good Done Great, as saying that ?We have always been about building communities by creating technology solutions that help nonprofits get funded and more efficiently use those funds.? Furthermore according to Cara Mungo, a co-founder of DealGooder, ?This transaction allows DealGooder to expand beyond Orange County, eventually helping the less fortunate nationwide.?

Congratulations to DealGooder on a job well done. Stay with us at Daily Deal Media as we follow the two companies on their journey.

Below is the official notice as posted on DealGooder.com:

??Orange County, we are coming back!

DealGooder.com is now being run by Good Done Great, an organization that takes the good that nonprofits already do, and provides them with the solutions to accomplish it the way they want -great. We are excited to re-launch DealGooder in Orange County with new energy and awesome deals on November 2nd!

We look forward to carrying on the DealGooder philosophy to Have Fun, Do Good and Help Others by bringing more benefits to local nonprofits and more savings to you, the DealGooder-ers!?

L.A. BIZ

?

Source: http://www.dailydealmedia.com/789dealgooder-llc-acquired-by-good-done-great-corporation/

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Our Weather Satellites Are Dying

Why would they? When they can get the government to do it.

Why would they launch their own satellites if the government did NOT do it for them? Look, they've done well repackaging the text data you've always been able to get from NOAA. They take the raw imagery, doll it up and spin it around in various eye-watering, stomach-churning ways. They're in the data presentation business, not the data production business.

Sure, being the only organization that can fill in the data gap would be a competitive advantage, but that requires investment, and in general the investment in substance by information-media has dropped through the floor. News outfits cutting back on things like foreign bureaues and local reporters and shifting their content to opinion; and you expect them to pick up the 655 million dollars it takes to field the JPSS-1 and the 12.6 *billion* of the entire program?

What the American government really seems to do is funnel tax payers money into companies.

Well, sure. If you're going to have a space program, it's either funnel taxpayers' money into companies or into programs staffed by government workers. The question shouldn't be where the money ends up, it should be value for money. A decade of accurate storm tracking is easily worth 12 billion bucks to America as a whole; it's just not worth 12 billion to any single private entity.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/cgGoGs2PS4Q/our-weather-satellites-are-dying

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Apartment Careers: jobs, Everett jobs, Washington jobs, Business

Business Manager
Job Code: 31791431122183
POSTED: Oct 23
Salary: Open Location: Everett, Washington
Employer: Pinnacle Type: Full Time - Experienced

Work for the Best in the Industry - make your next move here! Pinnacle ranked #1 on the National Multi-Housing Council Top 50 Largest U.S. Apartment Managers for two years in a row! We invest in great people. That's why clients trust us with their real estate investments! At Pinnacle, we consider our employees to be our most valuable asset. In fact, our number one key business objective is to attract and retain the best talent in the industry! At Pinnacle, we firmly believe our employees....more info

View all our jobs


About Pinnacle.

We invest in great people. That's why clients trust us with their real estate investments!
At Pinnacle, we consider our employees our most valuable asset. In fact, our number one key business objective is to attract and retain the best talent in the industry! At Pinnacle, the key to our continued success and competitive advantage is our people.

We offer a total compensation and benefits package to help with your needs today and build for your future tomorrow. We recognize that each employee is an individual with individual needs, lifestyles, and interests. Our benefits package was created with the flexibility to support employees who are at different places in their lives and careers.

Pinnacle values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in employment. We offer a safe, healthy work environment for employees through a commitment to maintaining a drug-free workplace.
Pinnacle has ongoing employment opportunities at our headquarters in Seattle, our more than 40 branch office locations nationally and our many managed communities throughout the country.

Pinnacle is the national leader in third-party fee management of investment real estate encompassing multi-family, commercial space, affordable housing and military housing. Pinnacle is built on four basic principles:

  • Quality people
  • Strong customer service
  • Solid market knowledge
  • Superior systems and support capabilities

    At Pinnacle, success is about more than having a healthy bottom line. Guided by our principles and values, we are committed to making Pinnacle an amazing and unique place to work for each member of our team.

    About the job..

    As a Business Manager at Pinnacle, youll put your outstanding leadership and savvy business skills to work at one of the most respected apartment companies in a management opportunity that offers real leadership, innovation and support.
    Our Business Managers are the cornerstone of our team. Theyre responsible for keeping our communities in the top-notch condition our residents have come to expect, building motivated and trustworthy teams who consistently deliver a notably higher level of service and maximizing the operating performance of our community. Be ready to be busy! This challenging position includes:

  • Operations. Ensuring the smooth running of our community in a fast-paced environment. Overseeing all operations including maintenance, capital improvements, lease administration, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, collections, evictions, vacancy anticipation, marketing, lease renewals, service contracts, expense control, audits, etc.
  • Customer service. Providing superior customer service and communication to our residents and prospects to enhance customer satisfaction and increase renewals, revenue, reputation and profitability.
  • People development. Developing, mentoring, leading, and managing a high-performing, cohesive team, including leasing, customer service, maintenance and management personnel, in order to maximize their engagement and minimize turnover.
  • Marketing. Driving revenues with your thorough understanding and analysis of competition and development of creative marketing programs.
  • Leading by example. Instilling, maintaining and modeling the Pinnacle mission to be the best national management company.

    Essential Responsibilities:

  • Supervise day-to-day operations of entire on-site team, ensuring that all Pinnacle policies and procedures are being followed.
  • Maintain effective on-site staff through interviewing, hiring, and terminating as necessary.
  • Maintain a positive living environment for community residents through prompt conflict resolution and consistent follow-up.
  • Manage and maintain all aspects of overall community budget and finances
  • Work with leasing staff to ensure that leasing/marketing goals are being met.
  • Maintain positive relations with all community vendors.
  • Coordinate special projects as requested by Investment (Regional) Manager.

    Personal Competencies:

  • A competitive spirit
  • High-energy
  • Demonstrated leadership and strategic thinking skills
  • Supervisory experience
  • Warm, friendly and service-oriented philosophy
  • High degree of flexibility and tolerance for change
  • Ability to train, develop, lead and mentor
  • Superior written and verbal communications skills
  • Extremely computer literate
  • Organized and detail-oriented
  • Customer-service driven
  • Able to multitask
  • Financials experience/experience working with a budget

    Qualifications:

  • Minimum of a high school diploma, Bachelors degree preferred
  • 3+ years of on-site property management experience
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Experience in supervisory role and managing staff
  • Experience in writing and maintaining budgets
  • Proficient in Yardi property management software or other similar property management software.
  • General office, bookkeeping and sales skills
  • Computer literate, including Microsoft Office Suite

    Pinnacle has grown to become America's largest apartment manager through many different successes. Yet, in today's ultra-competitive market, each success must fuel the next and speed is essential in the ongoing race to lead the industry.

    If you are ready to work hard and be empowered and encouraged to innovate, contribute ideas and discover solution to provide current and potential residents with unparalleled, world class customer service please click Apply Online.


  • Pinnacle

    Everett WA

    www.pinnacleams.com "); febox .html('') .addClass('featured-employer-box') .appendTo($('body')) .css({ "height":fWin.height() - 50, "width":980 }) .overlay({ top: 20, closeOnClick:true, load: false }); feframe = $('#featured-employer-frame'); }); $('body').delegate('.fe-popup','click',function(e) { var el = $(this); feframe.contents().find('body').html(""); feframe.attr('src',el.data('url')); febox.overlay().load(); }); })(jQuery);

    Source: http://jobs.apartmentcareers.com/jobs/4963451/business-manager

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    Source: http://stow-curricle.blogspot.com/2012/10/apartment-careers-jobs-everett-jobs.html

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    Source: http://diegomunoz.typepad.com/blog/2012/10/apartment-careers-jobs-everett-jobs-washington-jobs-business.html

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    Source: http://shimlasharma82.blogspot.com/2012/10/apartment-careers-jobs-everett-jobs.html

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    Poll: Scant demand for Microsoft's Windows 8

    (AP) ? Microsoft bills Windows 8 as a "re-imagining" of the personal computer market's dominant operating system, but the company still has a lot of work to do before the makeover captures the imagination of most consumers, based on the results of a recent poll by The Associated Press and GfK.

    The phone survey of nearly 1,200 adults in the U.S. found 52 percent hadn't even heard of Windows 8 leading up to Friday's release of the redesigned software.

    Among the people who knew something about the new operating system, 61 percent had little or no interest in buying a new laptop or desktop computer running on Windows 8, according to the poll. And only about a third of people who've heard about the new system believe it will be an improvement (35 percent).

    Chris Dionne of Waterbury, Conn., falls into that camp. The 43-year-old engineer had already seen Windows 8 and it didn't persuade him to abandon or upgrade his Hewlett-Packard laptop running on Windows 7, the previous version of the operating system released in 2009.

    "I am not real thrilled they are changing things around," Dionne said. "Windows 7 does everything I want it to. Where is the return on my investment to learn a new OS?"

    Microsoft usually releases a new version of Windows every two or three years, but it's different this time around. Windows 8 is the most radical redesign of the operating system since 1995 and some analysts consider the software to be Microsoft's most important product since co-founder Bill Gates won the contract to build an operating system for IBM Corp.'s first personal computer in 1981. Microsoft is hoping the way Windows 8 looks and operates will appeal to the growing number of people embracing the convenience of smartphones and tablets.

    The consumer ambivalence, however, was even more pronounced when it came to Microsoft's new tablet computer, Surface, which was built to show off Windows 8's versatility. Sixty-nine percent of the poll's respondents expressed little or no interest in buying a Surface, which Microsoft is hoping will siphon sales from Apple Inc.'s pioneering iPad and other popular tablets such as Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle Fire and Google Inc.'s Nexus 7.

    The results indicate Microsoft still has work to do to create a bigger buzz about Windows 8 and help consumers understand the new operating system's benefits, even though the company provided several previews of the software at various stages in the final 13 month leading to its release. But the information apparently resonated mostly with industry analysts, reporters, technology blogs and gadget geeks.

    Microsoft is in the early stages of an estimated $1 billion marketing campaign that will include a siege of television commercials to promote Windows 8 to a wider audience.

    That still might not be enough to sway longtime Windows users such as Mary Sweeten. She is 75, and not eager to learn the nuances of a new operating system. She, too, is comfortable with her current desktop computer running on Windows 7.

    "I am not technologically savvy like all these young kids," said Sweeten, who lives in Camdenton, Mo. "I like something I am used to and can get around on without too much trouble. Sometimes when you get these new (systems), you wish you could go back to the old one."

    Windows 8 represents Microsoft's attempt to adapt to a technological shift that is empowering more people to use smartphones and tablets to surf the Web and handle other simple computing tasks. The revamped system can be controlled by touching a device's display screen and greets users with a mosaic of tiles featuring an array of dynamic applications instead of the old start menu and desktop tiles. In an effort to protect its still-lucrative PC franchise, Microsoft designed Windows 8 so it can still be switched into a desktop mode that relies on a keyboard and mouse for commands.

    Microsoft felt it had to gamble on a radical redesign to fend off the competitive threats posed by Apple, which has emerged as the world's most valuable company on the strength of its iPhone and iPad. Google Inc. is a threat, too. It has used its 4-year-old Android operating system to become an influential force in the mobile computing movement.

    Despite the growing popularity of smartphones, Microsoft remains deeply entrenched in people's lives. The poll found 80 percent of respondents with personal computers in their homes relied on earlier versions of Windows versus only 12 percent that operating on Apple's Mac system.

    Windows is even more widely used in offices, but 90 percent of companies relying on the operating system are expected hold off on switching to the new operating system through 2014, according to a study by the research firm Gartner Inc.

    Jim Beske of West Fargo, N.D., won't be waiting long to install Windows 8 on the home computer he bought a year ago. He already has seen how Windows 8 works in his job as a network engineer, and he considers it to be a nice improvement.

    "They have made it much simpler," Beske, 43, said. "I don't know about the tiling so much; that's something I think younger people will like more. But once people get in front of it, I think they will understand it."

    Windows 8 also could appeal to consumers who still don't own a home computer. The AP-GfK survey found 22 percent of all adults fall into this category, including 30 percent with households whose incomes fall below $50,000 annually.

    Beske is among a growing group who use both Microsoft and Apple products. Besides his Windows computer, he also loves his iPad.

    Most survey respondents liked both Apple and Microsoft. Fifty-nine percent said they had favorable impressions of Apple versus 58 percent for Microsoft.

    Tequila Cronk of Herington, Kan., is more of a Microsoft fan because she considers Apple's prices to be a "rip-off." At the same time, she can't justify buying a Windows 8 computer when her desktop and laptop computers at home are running fine on the earlier versions of the system.

    "We will upgrade, but I am not going to rush out and buy a new computer just because it's got a different operating system," Cronk, 26, said.

    Windows 8's release came at a perfect time for Hector Gonzalez of Kissimmee, Fla. He is so frustrated with the performance of his 3-year-old laptop running on Windows 7 that he is considering buying a MacBook laptop. But now he plans to check out the array of new Windows 8 laptops and may even consider buying a Surface tablet to supplement the iPad that he bought for his teenage daughters.

    "Anything that is new, it's worth taking a look at," Gonzalez, 35, said. "That's the way technology is. There is always something new to replace everything else."

    ___

    Associated Press Deputy Director of Polling Jennifer Agiesta and News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.

    Online:

    http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-28-Microsoft-Windows%20Poll/id-3fa75025f46142188c2a134b72013390

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