GEEX

We have long been fans of Lenovo. There rugged laptops and ISV certified workstations have for a long time now provided excellent value for money and it would appear that we aren’t the only ones.

According to figures that were released last week Lenovo has now overtaken Apple in the US in personal computer sales. It has to be added that these figures were released by Lenovo, but if correct it puts the Chinese giant into 3^rd and only bettered by Dell and HP.

Considering the recent headlines about the PC being dead Lenovo stated that they had achieved “record sales and profits” last year and that they can continue to grow and deliver. In fact last year they sold 64 million devices and profits were up by 18%. Such bullish enthusiasm will be well received by supports of the PC who have had to witness the onslaught from Apple and the tablet sector for a number of years.

For more information about the Lenovo products that we can stock please call us on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost

Since Microsoft ended support for Windows XP on 8^th April 2014 it is thought that XP infections would increase by as much as 66%. With scammers aware that a huge percentage of enterprises still use the out dated Operating System, many are exposed to attacks.

We have already seem scams and fake software updates emerging and social media, forums and video sharing sites are all being used to spread viruses.  One such threat comes through YouTube videos that claim to be related to Microsoft and XP, but are in fact pushing adware and viruses. One of these is a malicious “Media Centre” which pushes other applications that damage the performance of the software.

Enterprise risks

One of the biggest risks is your business is in fact your employees. If you are still running XP, staff may unknowingly click on links and download malicious software. We cannot stress enough the importance of informing your staff to avoid clicking on links or attachments from people they do not recognise.

It’s therefore important to identify the machines still running XP and isolate them from the network. This will help prevent the spread of infection to your other systems.

If your business is still running XP based machines then please feel free to contact us on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost We are dealing with an increasingly large number of companies every week who have identified the need to upgrade their hardware to machines that are running Windows 7/8.1.

Our flexi lease can minimise the costs of replacing your old machines and you will benefit from faster, more efficient hardware that includes a full 3 years warranty plus telephone and remote support.

Last week the head of information security at Symantec told The Wall Street Journal that antivirus is dead as it only blocks 45% of attacks. Even though it accounts for 40% of his company’s revenue he didn’t see it as a money maker.

So, considering Symantec are a Fortune 500 company and makers of such products as Norton Anti Virus should we heed their advice?  The short answer is no. Obviously, we are seeing more and more sophisticated attacks. Late last year we blogged about the Cyrptolocker virus, that held people’s data to ransom, as an illustration of how clever and malicious these threats had become. Therefore, to remove an anti virus from your system would be foolish.

Microsoft users will be familiar with Microsoft Security Essentials and this tends to perform worse when compared to specific anti-malware products, but even then it stops more than 50% of threats.

Whilst we would never say that anti-virus is 100% perfect whenever we undertake an audit of a new customer one of our biggest recommendations is to always ensure that they have up to date protection. Whilst it is not fool proof it does prevent a huge number of threats and therefore, it minimises the downtime caused by a malicious attack.

If you feel that your IT systems are exposed feel free to call us on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost to discuss how we can make your network safer.

When it was announced last week that Apple was looking to buy Hip Hop artist, Dr Dre’s, Beats headphones business, analysts and Apple fans raised an eyebrow or two. Apple normally don’t splash out billions on a fashion accessory, especially one whose technology is questioned by aficionados.

Apple is only ever known to buy small technology businesses, which possess great minds or intellectual property that Apple wants to brand as their own. Indeed only Siri, has survived being purchased by Apple and kept its name.

So if the technology isn’t amazing, why is Apple effectively purchasing a brand, at way above market value? Essentially, it’s to boost its music offering.  For those of us who still believe downloading music is the cutting edge, the game has moved on. Companies like Spotify and their streaming service changed the game.  When you then consider that Beats Music launched its own streaming service earlier this year, suddenly the picture becomes a little clearer.

iTunes Radio hasn’t really taken off and whilst iTunes still defeats Beats and Spotify in Google searched the gap is reducing. So based on the assumption that the purchase of Beats is all about music streaming rather than a fashion accessory and we can start to expect Apple to provide a subscription service in the near future.

It’s been less than a month but in line with Microsoft’s recent move to being more responsive, Office for iPad has already been updated. The major news is that you can now print to any AirPrint compatible printer.  AirPrint was developed by Apple and it allows you to print wirelessly via Wi-Fi and many contemporary printers already come with  support for this connectivity.

The print options aren’t bad either. In Word you can decide which pages to print, whilst in Excel you can print a selected range, a sheet, or the entire notebook. In Powerpoint you are restricted to printing the whole presentation.

Apparently, a print option was the number one request for the new product and Microsoft should be applauded for responding incredibly quickly to what their customers need. However, we still feel a little aggrieved that you can only purchase the Office suite through an Office 365 pricing model. You can get a free version but that limits you to just open and reading documents, and you can’t edit or save amendments.

Has Office for iPad made the iPad more attractive to your business? If so call us on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost to discuss how our flexi-lease could make it affordable.

This time last year we were getting very excited about our trip to Apple’s WWDC 2013. It didn’t disappoint. Not only did we get a new Operating System, Mavericks, but we also got to witness the unveiling of the new Mac Pro and the MacBook Air.

So what can we expect from the 2014 version? Well the emphasis this year seems to be very much on Operating Systems.  Whilst it isn’t clear what OS X 10.10 will be, it is believed that the UI will not change but we might see a flatter appearance.

With iOS 8, all the talk is about better support for Siri, Maps and even a healthcheck app. Also there is the possibility that iTunes Radio will become its own app.

However, it is the hardware that we get most excited about but this year it is hard to determine what Apple have in store.  The Mac Mini is crying out for a refresh but apart from that the latest rumours surrounding Apple TV, a 12” MacBook Air and iWatch all suggest that these products will not be ready for a June announcement.

We can’t help but feel a little anti climatic. The buzz leading up to last year’s event and the launching of the Mac Pro was huge news. This year it is all a little quiet. However, perhaps that is what Apple wants us to think and perhaps WWDC 2014 will mark the launch a major new product. Here at GEEX we are certainly hoping so!

Sony is currently letting the 26,000 owners of the Vaio Fit 11A know that they have to stop using their laptops immediately. Apparently, some models contain a Panasonic-made battery, that  is at risk of catching fire due to overheating.

Sony has already stopped selling the laptop after reports of three overheating batteries causing burns in Asia.

If your laptop is affected, you should be hearing from Sony very soon about a program to repair or replace your computer. Sony will also post details on its website in the near future. Around 7,000 were sold in Europe.

The news comes as Sony is withdrawing from the PC market to concentrate on its mobile operations. Read more… 

Historically Microsoft has launched a new OS every 3 years. However, with both iOS and Android increasingly updating and evolving Microsoft has been required to up its game. Just a few months after we got Windows 8.1 it appears that in August of September of this year we could see the return of the Start menu.

Many desktop users have been requesting this feature for a while now and when it returns it will be a hybrid between the Windows 7 Start menu and the tile based Windows 8 Start screen.  Whilst for us end users this may be good, and for Microsoft it allows them to compete with Apple and Google, it may cause them a headache with businesses in general.

A rapid release cycle may not be appreciated by large scale businesses that have a significant number of users. For example, earlier this year when we got Windows 8.1 Microsoft initially said that it would come with a 30 day support cycle. However, due to a blacklash from businesses this was extended to 120 days. It would seem whilst we want changes from Microsoft we are slow to adopt them and adjust.

So it seems as if Microsoft is faced with quite a challenge. On the one hand it has to compete with the more flexible and adaptable iOS and Android, and yet because its customers are large scale businesses and institutions, that aren’t known for adopting change quickly and readily, it has to appease them as that’s where its revenue comes from. We wish them luck.

If you are a fan of auction websites and would love a 1:1 with Apple CEO Tim Cook at Apple’s headquarter in California, here is your chance.

Charity auction site ChairtyBuzz is auctioning the lunch meeting with all profits going to the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights. Last year the opportunity to have coffee with Cook raised $610,000. At the time of writing the bid was at $77,000.

If you are the successful bidder you can meet Cook for lunch, for approximately one hour. The cost of the meal is included and you can bring a friend. However, you willh have to get yourself to Apple’s headquarters .

If you have the spare cash and want to bid you have until 13^th May. Just click here to view the auction https://www.charitybuzz.com/TimCook

Your impressions of the new Mac Pro

Since its launch at WWDC last year the Mac Pro has taken a time to actually hit the studios of West Midland’s businesses. However, as we know see order times dramatically reducing we are delivering these amazing new machines at an incredible rate.

When we deliver the Mac Pro we are always pleased to see our customer’s reaction. Many of them have been stalwarts of the old cheese grater Mac Pro and often send an army of personnel down to reception to collect their new machines. When they are presented with a lightweight, small black cylinder their looks are a mixture of bewilderment and amazement.

At first glance it can be misleading to think that something so powerful is packaged so small. With the new Intel Xeon X5 processors boasting either 4,6,8 or 12 cores, 40GBs of PCI Express Gen 3 bandwidth and 2566 bit wide floating point instructions the new Mac Pro is up to two times faster than its bulky processor.

It also has PCIe based flash storage that launches apps and opening huge files with ease. It also supports up to 64GB of memory and therefore it is of no surprise that our customers all state just how fast the new machine is.

However, it’s not just the speed that is impressing people. Over ¾ of our customers also commented on how remarkably quiet the machine was. This can be attributed to the fan system that Apple has used in the cylinder. A single large fan now pulls up through a bottom intake, allowing the air to pass vertically through the device centre. Heat is absorbed and carried out of the top of the cylinder.

The Mac Pro also comes with the ability to connect to the next generation of high performance peripherals. You can add a PCI expansion chasses, connect 4K displays and Thunderbolt 2 allows you to daisy chain up to six peripherals so you can plug in up to 36 external devices.

Our customers have loved the Mac Pro. They also have loved the fact that we have been delivering their new machines up to 4 weeks quicker than Apple are quoting on their website.

If you believe the time is right for you business to have a new Mac Pro click here for more details or call 0121 285 0098.

When looking at computer specification the general assumption is more is best. However, it might not always be the case. If we take Apple’s new Mac Pro its standard off the shelf offerings are for a Quad Core or Six Core machine. Both processors are capable of hyper threading which means the Quad Core deals with 8 threads of data at once and the Hexacore 12.

Common sense suggests that this means the 6 Core is the better machine. However, it really depends on what type of software you are using. Many applications are Single Core programmes and have a limit to the number of threads of data that they are capable of spreading their workload across. Therefore, in this case the clock speed becomes more important and here the Quad Core 3.7GHz beats the 3.5GHz six core.

However, step up into the realms of 3D CAD and video editing software will undoubtedly benefit from the software being capable of spreading its workload across all of those six cores at once.  Also for those people who are extreme multi taskers running numerous programmes at once the six core will be the model to go for.

Another dilemma that faces many customers is whether to opt for the high end 27” i7 iMac or the entry level Mac Pro. In most tests the i7 iMac performs better in terms of processing but those Dual graphics cards shatter the iMacs single Nvidia Geforce option.

The new Mac Pro is available to lease from just £21.60 + VAT per week for the Quad Core and £28.60 + VAT per week for the Six Core.  If the new Mac Pro is of interest to you call us on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost

On the 8^th April 2014, Microsoft released its final security updates for Windows XP and Office 2003.  As security experts warned users that they could soon be prime targets for hackers if they do not abandon the products, the need to upgrade to more modern equipment has never been greater.

On the second Tuesday of each month Microsoft automatically rolls out new security updates, a date that has become known as “Patch Tuesday.”  This is also a day when they publish technical details on the security bugs they are fixing. The next Patch Tuesday is 13 May.

Security experts say they believe hackers will study that data and “reverse engineer” the May Patch Tuesday software updates to identify ways to attack computers running Windows XP, along with Office 2003, which will no longer receive patches from Microsoft.

This however leaves Microsoft will a real dilemma. Paying corporate customers, including the British Government are paying millions to get Microsoft to support Windows XP way beyond the deadline. The dilemma then is what they do with the vast number of consumer PCs that are vulnerable? To leave these to die whilst continuing to patch the PCs of paying corporate customers could be seen to be unfair.

Microsoft first warned that it was planning to end support for Windows XP in 2007, but security firms estimate that 15% to 25% of the world’s PCs still run on the version of the operating system that was first released in October 2001.

Undoubtedly, the best thing for any business to do is to upgrade to new machines that come pre-installed with either Windows 7/8 Professional. The thought of relying on Microsoft’s generosity to provide free security patches long after they have publicly stated that they will no longer be supporting XP would be risky at least.

If you are still running Windows XP and want to upgrade your system call us on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost

Here at GEEX one of our core products over the years has been our PC Network packages. For SME’s these represent great value. Not only can you choose between 5 or 10 user networks but we will provide you with telephone and remote support and on site hardware maintenance as part of the package.

When you consider how this stacks up against employing your own IT team or finding the thousands to purchase a new network our PC networks starting at just £43 + Vat per week represent amazing value.

For smaller businesses our 5 user network has a dedicated HP Proliant ML310e Server, 5 Business Desktop PCs, off site and onsite backup and full network infrastructure. You can also choose the level of installation and support that you require by choosing between our bronze, silver and gold options.  Prices for a fully installed and supported network package start at just £49 + Vat per week for the Silver package and only £53 + VAT per week for the Gold service.

If your business is a little larger then our 10 user network is ideal. With prices starting at just £69 + Vat per week and with the same options for installation and support this package has been a best seller for many years.

With a full 3 years parts and labour hardware warranty you get real peace of mind and cost certainty.  If your business is in need of a new network or your have grown and need a more professional solution call us on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost

Does more memory mean better performance? Yes, but not as much as you might think.

Most budget PCs come with at least 4GB of RAM. More powerful models will come with 8GB whilst modern gaming machines will go as high as 16GB RAM. When you consider that Windows 8 Pro can support up to 512GB it begs the question do you have enough RAM and how much do you need?

We all assume that adding memory makes a PC significantly faster, and in some cases it does. Sticking an extra pair of RAM chips into a motherboard won’t change the speed at which the processor works, but it can help, since adding RAM reduces the need for Windows to rely on “virtual memory”.

Virtual memory is a file on your hard disk that serves as temporary storage when your PC’s “real” memory is full. Virtual memory makes it possible to have several heavyweight applications running at once, even if they won’t fit simultaneously in RAM. When you switch from one to another, Windows quickly swaps the relevant data from the disk into real memory, which explains why the virtual memory file is sometimes called a “swap file”.

However, with modern machines coming with multiple GBs of RAM, the need for Windows to swap between real and virtual memory is reduced. In fact tests have shown that when a modern PC runs several major applications at once the total RAM usage never topped 4GB. This means Windows didn’t need to fall back on virtual memory at any point, and indicates that installing more RAM would give only a modest speed boost.

So should avoid paying for more than 4GB?  If you make heavier demands on your system, you may well benefit from more memory than this. For example if you edit video files, or work on large databases, or simply have 20 tabs open in your web browser you would benefit from having more RAM.

For current tasks, however, adding memory beyond 4GB yields diminishing returns. Outside of extremely specialist data-processing tasks, it is unlikely that you will need the benefits from 16GB. Therefore, before you spend your money consider that 4 or even 8GB of RAM will do everything you need with ease and save you money in the long term.

With Easter fast approaching we wanted to bring the holiday spirit forward. So we are offering customers the opportunity to defer their first lease payment, on any new deal, until 1st July 2014.

So how does it work? You simply choose the computers that you wish to lease and we will deliver them as soon as possible. However, instead of making an immediate payment you don’t start paying until July 2014. The only requirement is that you make quarterly repayments throughout the lease rather than our traditional monthly repayment. This means just 4 payments per year, in return for having a 3 month window before you have to start paying.

Even if you defer your payments you can still take full advantage of our flexi-lease benefits. After two years, or 8 quarterly payments, you will be given the option to renew the lease. We will offer you brand new equipment (does not have to be like-for-like) and give you the option to RETURN or RETAIN your existing equipment.

All lease agreements are subject to a simple credit check. To undertake the Lease now, pay April offer your business must have been trading for a minimum of 2 years and all offers are subject to status.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Microsoft founder Bill Gates has hinted that the company needs to take greater risks with its long-standing products. Windows and Office are two products that Microsoft created at the height of their powers and have been repeatedly tweaked and tuned up ever since.

Gates commented that “now, they need more than a tune-up. But that’s pretty exciting for the people inside who say. ‘We need to take a little more risk and do some new stuff’.” Whilst we could speculate what new stuff could be undoubtedly a touch-orientated version of Office for iOS would be a welcome and overdue addition to Microsoft’s range.

In the same interview Gates also hinted that Microsoft may no longer command the position of authority that it once had. Referring to the nineties when the organisation had so much money that they could pursue whatever ideas they wanted, he admitted that Google now held that position. He also admitted that Microsoft would have purchased WhatsApp but not for the $19 billion price that Facebook paid.

For businesses that use Macs, having Microsoft Office for Mac has become an essential must have. However, the current offering was last updated over 3 years ago in October 2010.

Therefore, it will be a welcome relief to many that Microsoft is planning to introduce an updated version for the Mac in 2014.

Whilst there are no exact details on when the new software will be released it is believed that we will see the new product before the year is out. It is believed that Microsoft are also hard at work of Office suites, not only for Mac OS X, but also a touch version for the iPad and even a version for Android.

Office for Mac is one of the most popular additions to our hardware leases. We are also able to lease software from Quark, Autodesk and Adobe. So if you need software to accompany your new Mac please just let us know on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost

Fortune Magazine has recently announced its list of the “World’s Most Admired Companies” and Apple has again claimed the title for the seventh year in a row. It closest competitor Amazon was second, whilst Google, Berkshire Hathaway, and Starbucks rounded out the top 5.

The ranking was based on a survey taken by corporate peers including executives, directors, and industry analysts who graded each company based on key attributes such as innovation, people management, social responsibility and more. Apple earned an overall score of 7.94, beating out Amazon which scored a 7.09.

Ranking number one in seven of the nine categories, Apple demonstrated its popularity and reputation across a variety of sectors.  It ranked number five in social responsibility and number two in global competitiveness, following rival Google in the latter category.

To view Apple products you can lease for your business visit HardosftBirmingham.co.uk or give us a call on 0121 285 0098

We have commented a lot recently on how Windows 8 has been received and the fact that HP recently said its business machines would be made available with Windows 7 Professional on them.

Last month Microsoft announced that Windows 7 will remain on sale to business users until at least early 2015. Originally, Microsoft had announced that new PCs preinstalled with Windows 7 would not be available after 31^st October 2014. However, that has now changed and in fact the Microsoft website states, that a date is not yet established for when Windows 7 Professional will no longer be installed.

If you require new PCs or laptops feel free to call us today to discuss our flexi-lease on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost

We really are huge fans of HP Z Series. The Z range is HP’s top end PC workstations that have amazing graphics performance. Whether you need a desktop solution or you are a designer on the move, the HP Z series has a product for you.

If you run Adobe CC, Vectorworks or Autodesk then you may already be familiar with the Z Workstations. Starting at just £8.90 + VAT per week the entry level HP Z220 is the most affordable of the range. Don’t be fooled however as it still packs a lot of punch with a Quad Core Xeon E3, 16GB RAM, 1TB Hard Drive and 400W Power Supply.

If your budget and demands are a bit bigger, then the HP Z620 offers a lot more power and specification.  It provides 16 cores, a maximum of 96GB RAM and 11TB of internal storage. Starting from £16.90 + VAT per week you can add the NVIDIA Quadro 4000 2GB or the K5000 4GB card for an extra cost.

If you are looking for a machine to rival Apple’s new Mac Pro then the top of the range HP Z820 is your one. Out of the box it comes with a Xeon E5 CPU, 16GB RAM and a 1TB Hard Drive and will cost £24.90 + Vat per week. However, it can be configured to have 512GB RAM and 14TB of storage.

For those that require a more mobile solution the HP Z Book series are really eye catching. The ZBook 15 and 17 are something really special. The can be configured to have 1.8TB and 2.8 TB respectively and provide 14 hours of battery life in the 15” version. Include top of the range Intel Haswell processors, up to a massive 32GB RAM, numerous NVIDIA Quadro graphics options up to 8GB and these machines really do take it to the opposition.

The ZBook 15 and ZBook 17 are available to lease now at £18.80 and £22.60 + VAT per week. Both feature i7-4700MQ processors, 16GB RAM, 750GB Hybrid storage and Nvidia Quadro graphics.

If you need a series graphics workstation for the office or the road call us now on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost

For a while now we have heard that the end is nigh for the humble desktop. The belief that tablets, such as the iPad would take over have been around ever since Apple started selling more iPads than Macs in 2011. At first glance headlines about Sony’s withdrawal from the PC market and HP not performing as well all lend credibility to the argument.

However, as I write this I am on a PC, in an office of PCs and Macs. Yes, iPads are around and we all have smart phones, but when it comes to doing work it is my PC that I turn to.  Our office is not alone. When we visit clients we are always met by groups of people working hard at a desktop. We have yet to walk into an office where everybody is on a tablet. At the moment it just isn’t happening.

There is no doubting that tablets are an important part of the mix. Even now, when we are on the 5^th generation iPad, we still utilise them for any exhibitions we attend. They still have a wow factor about them. However, our two best selling machines are the HP ProDesk 400 and the 27” iMac. Both are desktop solutions and both are used as workhorses by the organisations that lease them.

So how do we account for the dip in PC sales? Is it that we are just finding room for a tablet solution? When tablets first hit the scene they were a brand new product, an innovation. People wanted to purchase them as they filled a void and were attractive products. However, it you look at the more established mobile phone market you will see that people buying a smartphone not to replace a PC or tablet but to simply replace a phone. So in years to come will people buy more tablets simply to replace their existing ones?

So as the market stabilises, having accommodated the tablet form, could it be that we have just witnessed a simple readdressing and are left with a market place whereby PC, tablets and Macs, all sit with one another. None of them are here to replace the other, simply to co-exist besides one another.

Until the tablet is able to make our everyday business tasks as easy to complete as there are on a PC or Mac, then we believe they are destined to be an important part of the mix but they will not replace them.  However, they will not replace the humble PC

It might surprise you to learn that one in five Macs still runs on OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, which is now over four years old. You may think that with Apple providing its latest OS X Mavericks for free, via the App Store, that this figure would be minimal. However, Snow Leopard was the last version of OS X that could run on Apple’s PowerPc processor.

If your business is still running Snow Leopard it is worth knowing that it has been left out of Apple’s last two security patches. Only last week a patch was issued for Mavericks, plus the previous two versions, Mountain Lion and Lion. However, Snow Leopard was ignored.  A similar situation arose in December last year when Apple updated Safari.

In fact the last time that Snow Leopard was patched was as long ago as September 2013. Now in fairness to Apple, they have supported Snow Leopard for longer than the traditional lifespan of an OS X release. Normally, support ends when the release becomes two versions behind the current OS.

Therefore, if you are still running Snow Leopard it is now time to upgrade your OS X to Mavericks and ensure the security of your system. Obviously, if your business is still running on a PowerPc, talk to us about our how flexi-lease can make bringing the latest Apple equipment into your business affordable. Call us on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost

Regardless of whether you are a sole trader or major agency, if you operate a busy business the reality of failed Mac can cause huge disruption.  There is the downtime for the individual without a machine, the inconvenience of having to book a Genius Bar appointment 3-6 days from now, waiting 10 days for a repair and then finally going to collect the repaired Mac. In total that could be 16 days without a working machine

With GEEX, we feel our warranty coverage is far better tuned to helping keep your business working even when your Mac doesn’t.

All of our Apple products come with a 3 year collect and return warranty. Telephone and remote support is also included Monday-Friday 9-5.30pm.  If we ever need to take your Mac away for repair we will come and collect it and bring it back to you, allowing you to concentrate on your business.

However, we have gone a step further. Our bronze warranty, which is standard on many of our high end Macs, comes with a next day loan machine as standard. Should we ever have to take yours away for repair, we will supply you a loan Mac the very next day, allowing you to continue working uninterrupted until we can return your original machine fully repaired.

If your Mac does not include the Bronze warranty as standard it is easy to upgrade for just £0.80 + VAT per week. If you feel like you need even more cover our Silver warranty includes the Bronze cover plus insurance against Loss, Theft and Accidental Damage. There is no excess to pay and policies are backed by leading underwriters. For example for an extra £1.60 + VAT per week you can upgrade the warranty on 21.5” to Silver for complete piece of mind.

If that isn’t enough, we also offer our Gold warranty. This provides all the benefits of our Silver package but for five years instead of the usual three.

Regardless of which option is best for your business, a GEEX warranty allows you to concentrate on running your business instead of solving your IT issues.  Call us today on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost to see how we can help your business.

One of the fascinating aspects of being fans and users of Apple products is trying to understand what future products the company has lined up. Whilst we have seen the Mac Pro hit our shores in recent months, the rest of the Mac line up is showing signs of age.

So what drives the upgrade path and what can we expect throughout 2014? A significant factor in Apple launching new Mac products is the availability of new processors from Intel.

If we start with the Mac Mini, a model that has not been upgraded since late 2012, the picture is somewhat unclear. Historically, the processors that go into the 13” MacBook Pros follow into the mini within a couple of months but this has not happened. Whilst rumours exist on the internet that a new Mac mini is imminent, there is nothing from a reliable source. Therefore, the future for this little powerhouse is very much unknown.

Moving onto the MacBook Air, this model uses the latest Haswell processors but at lower end of the scale. It is believed that Intel will launch a Haswell refresh in late 2014, which would be an obvious refresh point for the Air. Although, it is worth mentioning that the high end i7 processor upgrade path is not so clear at the moment.

However, the biggest rumour about the Air could be regarding a 12” Retina MacBook that could replace the existing MacBook Air line up.

For the MacBook Pro with Retina Display range, the general consensus seems to be that they too may get the upgraded Haswell chips towards the end of this year. Most commentators believe that Intel’s next generation chips, Broadwell, are lined up for the range but these have recently been delayed until 2015, meaning that the Haswell refresh will be important.

Our most popular model the iMac, is almost certainly going to get a Haswell refresh, with the current processors being replaced by a direct upgrade. One exception is on the low-end 21.5-inch iMac. This uses a special i5 processor, enhanced with Intel’s top-of-the-line Iris 5200 integrated graphics, to allow that machine to forego a discrete graphics chip. At present there has been no confirmation of plans for Intel to launch a corresponding i5-4590R chip as part of the Haswell refresh.

As for the Mac Pro the main issue is not about upgrading but getting a smooth flow of this popular new machine. New orders are currently shipping in April and many customers are keen to get their hands on Apple’s most powerful desktop ever.

So with Apple’s upgrade path directly linked to Intel’s it would appear that 2014 may be a relatively quiet year. On the other hand with Apple, constantly telling us that they are excited about the new and innovative products that they are working on perhaps they may just surprise us once again.

If you would like to discuss any of the current or future Mac line up feel free to call us on 0121 285 0098 or email info@localhost

Last year we commented that Office for iPad would eventually be available, but not before Office had successfully been introduced on Microsoft’s touch platforms.

However, that all seems to be changing, as rumours are circulating that Office for iPad maybe with us by July 2014. Originally codenamed Gemini, Office for iPad is apparently ready for launch and it is thought that previous Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer agreed the pre-July launch.

If this were to be the case it would be a significant change in how Microsoft views the situation. Previously, their stance has been to protect Office and bring it to their own touch based solutions first. However, this move would seem them recognise that loyal Microsoft customers are likely to operate devices from other manufacturers. How many of us work religiously on a PC all day to go home and immediately turn on our iPads for example?

If Microsoft has had a change of heart we would welcome the change and the possibilities it would bring. It would also end the longest wait for software to reach a platform in recent technology history.

Think an iPad is just what your business needs? Have a look at the iPad Air here…