When you’re a company with $147 billion in cash lying around, why wouldn’t you spend it on robots and lasers? According to a Bloomberg report , Apple is investing about $10.5 billion in newer manufacturing equipment, possibly in preparation for those new product lines we’ve been hearing so much about. As we’ve seen with the recent iMac and other products, Apple’s already dabbling in manufacturing techniques normally reserved for the defense and aerospace industries. But according to Bloomberg’s sources, the company is increasingly striking deals to use these machines exclusively, and that in fact, some of this gear was designed specifically to accommodate Apple’s unique designs. Sadly, all of the machinery called out in the article (a MacBook-chiseling laser, something to polish the iPhone 5c) pertain to products that have already been announced, so if you’re looking for any clues about Apple’s rumored smartwatch , you won’t find anything by reading in between the lines. Filed under: Misc , Mobile , Apple Comments Source: Bloomberg

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Apple reportedly spending $10.5 billion to upgrade its manufacturing ahead of new product launches

It’s a double-edged sword: your work is using one of your favorite services to manage files and projects, but now you have to juggle two logins to maintain balance between your personal and work accounts. This frustrating practice may be “business as usual, ” according to Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, but the truth is, he finds it a little silly. “People think there’s this consumer version of Dropbox, and there’s this enterprising version of Dropbox and we think that’s ridiculous. There should only be one” Soon, there will be. Speaking at the company’s headquarters today, Houston announced that Dropbox for Business will now allow users to link their personal accounts, giving them seamless, simultaneous access to both their self-managed Dropbox and their corporate managed files. Ross Piper, VP of Enterprise Strategy, told Engadget that the feature grew as a necessity of growth. “We noticed we had 200 million users and 4 million businesses, but no elegant solution to linking the two that gave IT the control it needs without imposing on personal data.” Dropbox’s account linking hopes to solve this problem, giving companies full control over their own accounts, while allowing users private access to their personal files from the same login. The company says it’s “like having your house keys and work keycard on the same keychain, ” but Piper says it feels more like just having two folders on your computer desktop. The new system will roll out to call customers early next year, but users who want to try account linking right now can sign up for the beta on Dropbox’s website. Filed under: Internet , Software Comments Source: Dropbox

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Dropbox links business and personal accounts, says it’s tired of juggling passwords

What will Acer’s outgoing CEO leave as his legacy, aside from a bit of financial wreckage? It could be a pair of brand new TravelMate Ultrabooks, the X313 and P645, which were revealed a few weeks ago and now have final pricing and availability set for this month. The 11-inch X313 is a tablet hybrid like the Surface Pro 2 or VAIO Tap 11 , except that it’s priced higher (at $950), has a lower resolution (1366 x 768) and comes with an older Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor instead of Haswell. This strange choice of silicon could potentially have an impact on battery life, which is officially rated at six hours. Then again, the X313 has a redeeming feature in its portability: at 0.39-inches thick and 1.74 pounds in weight, it’s slightly less of a burden than the two-pound Surface Pro 2. The base spec also includes a 120GB SSD, versus the Microsoft hybrid’s 64GB. Meanwhile, the P645, shown below, does possess Intel’s latest chip, but it’s a more traditional business Ultrabook in an ocean of similar products. The 14-inch Core i5 version also starts at $950 for the base configuration, with a 1366 x 768 display and integrated graphics. Spending more will add a 1080p panel with discrete AMD graphics, although doing so will bring you closer to ThinkPad territory, especially now that the new ThinkPad T440s has launched at $1, 149. As far as legacies go, therefore, we’d suggest that JT Wang puts something else on his CV: perhaps the Iconia W4 or even the new Chromebook . Filed under: Laptops , Tablets , Acer Comments

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Acer goes up against the Surface Pro 2 with its own $950 hybrid