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IBM THINK Exhibit App for iPad and Android Tablets Traces Ancient Roots of Modern Innovation

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ARMONK, NY - 26 Jul 2012: To celebrate centuries of science and technology innovations, IBM (NYSE: IBM) has reinvented its award-winning 2011 THINK exhibit at New York City's Lincoln Center as a free interactive app for iPad and Android tablets. Geared to tech fans and educators, the IBM THINK exhibit app is an "innovation time machine" that shows how early tools have evolved into modern advances that create healthier populations, greener energy and safer, less congested cities.

Through interactive content and thousands of images and historical anecdotes, the IBM THINK Exhibit app is filled with stories of progress, from space exploration to weather prediction and medical advances. It documents the roots of Big Data, from early charts, clocks and scales to microscopes and telescopes, from RFID chips and biomedical sensors in clothing to breath-sensor diabetes detectors.

Other features include:

·         An interactive timeline that chronicles how the simple act of measurement has evolved since prehistoric times: measuring length in 2000 BC, time in 1657, the Earth’s rotation in 1851, and atoms in 1981. It traces the roots of modern technologies, from the abacus to the scanning tunneling microscope.

·         An explanation of how maps have been used to track data, from early geographical charts to data visualizations. 

·         A section that chronicles how "models" have been used to understand the complex behaviors of our world - from the Wright Brothers' plane prototype in 1903, to today's airline mechanical parts simulations.

·         A 10-minute HD film edited from footage shot on location in China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Turkey and the U.S. with a new camera rig that captures imagery simultaneously on three video cameras.

·         Subtitles in 10 languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish).

The app is inspired by IBM's 2011 THINK pop-up exhibit at New York's Lincoln Center, a 7,500-square foot interactive experience developed for the company's Centennial. Visitors were immersed in a film and interactive experience across 40 oversized digital screens. Cited for its design, the THINK exhibit has been placed in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection and received awards from the Industrial Designers Society of America, the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, and the Art Directors Club. Later this year, the exhibit will be installed at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center in Orlando, Fla.

Additionally, IBM will be working with the New York Hall of Science to create lesson plans for middle school teachers that integrate the IBM THINK Exhibit app. As part of IBM's commitment to education, the company will help students better understand some of the scientific concepts behind THINK and inspire them to take innovative action that can improve their local communities. The lessons will be featured on Teachers TryScience a free web site that provides educators with high quality lessons linked with pedagogical and practical supports.

"The IBM THINK Exhibit app is designed for the 'forward thinker' in all of us and compels people to think about what it takes to make the world work better," said Lee Green, IBM's VP of Brand Experience and Strategic Design.

Earlier this year IBM released another tablet app for tech fans, Minds of Modern Mathematics, which reinvents the massive timeline of the history of math from 1000 AD to 1960 that was part of Mathematica: A World of Numbers...and Beyond, IBM’s 1964 World’s Fair exhibit designed by legendary duo Charles and Ray Eames. It offers biographies, milestones and images of artifacts culled from the Mathematica exhibit as well as a high-resolution image of the original timeline poster. The app was developed by IBM together with the Eames Office.

Making the world smarter is core to IBM's technological innovation. As demand grows for Big Data analytics gathered from roads, power grids and other sources, IBM is working to make the world smarter -- from the Jeopardy!-winning computer Watson that’s improving cancer diagnoses, to systems for forecasting weather and easing power consumption in cities around the world.

To download the IBM THINK Exhibit app:

For iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibm-think/id546222093?mt=8

For Android tablets: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ibm.thinkapp

For a Flickr set of images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ibm_media/sets/72157630712227540/

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‘Superstacks’ Spreading Throughout Mobility, Enterprise and Consumer Electronics Markets, Accenture Research Finds

May 14, 2012

‘Superstacks’ Spreading Throughout Mobility, Enterprise and Consumer Electronics Markets, Accenture Research Finds

Mobility and mergers and acquisitions to be key drivers of superstack transformation

NEW YORK; May 14, 2012 – Mobility, enterprise computing and consumer electronics companies in the high-tech industry are being heavily impacted by a new business model called “superstacks,” according to new Accenture (NYSE: ACN) research. Accenture defines a superstack as a more extensive and cohesive integration of operating systems, semi­conductor chips, devices, applications and end-user services than the industry has traditionally achieved. The research also revealed that the primary driver of superstacks will be the mobility market, particularly in the smartphone arena where superstack-based products have already been made commercially available. The research also found that more mergers and acquisitions will occur as superstacks continue to coalesce in the digital ecosystem.

The research findings, based on interviews with high-tech executives globally and interactions with clients, are summarized in a new report, Competing in a High-Tech Industry “Superstack.”The research examined whether industry executives were aware of the superstack trend and its impact on their businesses, such as smartphones and tablets (mobility), data centers and the cloud (enterprise computing), and the digital home (consumer electronics).

The new report summarizes results of phone interviews with 30 executives of large high-tech companies including chief executive officers and vice presidents of strategy and business units. An overwhelming majority (83 percent) of the respondents said they have been or are being impacted by superstacks. Seventy-one percent said they have formalized their superstack strategies and set priorities such as owning critical intellectual property assets, fostering collaborative cultures across the stack, and managing strategic initiatives. Virtually all (96 percent) said superstacks bring their companies more opportunities than threats. 

“Competing in the superstack arena is a matter of survival as the high-tech industry moves full-throttle in this direction,” said Mitch Cline, managing director of Accenture’s Electronics & High-Tech business. “Some high-tech sectors are already there, such as mobile handsets, digital media services and connected TVs. Other sectors may take longer to adapt because they’re not as far along in this superstack evolution.”

When survey participants were asked which industry forces they expect would have the biggest financial impacts on the high-tech industry over the next three years, more than two-thirds (70 percent) cited mobility. Cloud computing and consumerization of IT in enterprises followed with 50 and 43 percent, respectively.

“Fueling new business models in healthcare, financial services and retail, mobility is by far the most powerful and biggest game-changer creating the need for super­stacks,” Cline added. “With mobility superstack battles now spreading to enterprise and consumer markets, the implications are profound for all high-tech players.”

When asked to speculate on a superstack strategy for the next few years, more than three-fourths (77 percent) of survey respondents said they would anticipate an increase in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. Participants were asked to give their top three reasons for pursuing such M&A transactions as part of their superstack strategies during the next two to three years. Half cited acquisition of intellectual proper­ty; the same percentage pointed to R&D to accelerate product deliveries. Forty-three percent specified gaining access to more talent, employees and expertise. More than one-third (37 percent) of respondents cited expanding product portfolios into new services.

“The superstack trend will prompt an intense burst in M&A activity and greater competition on multiple levels, especially in acquiring intellectual property and talent,” Cline added. “Winners will have tightly integrated, highly effective superstacks leveraging operating systems – the heart of superstacks – and delivering services and content to users seamlessly and securely. Superstack winners will excel at coordinating with other companies and disseminating research and development capital across superstacks.”

Research Methodology

Participants included representatives from the following industries: communications technology (5), consumer technology (8), enterprise technology (9), semiconductors (4), and software (4). The geographic breakdown of respondents was: Europe (13), North America (8), Asia Pacific (9); of these 30, six were done with emerging market players. Eighty percent of the respondents work for companies with annual revenues of US$2 billion or more. For a copy of the report, visit www.accenture.com/superstack. To access the superstack infographic, click here.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 246,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries.  Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments.  The company generated net revenues of US$25.5 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2011.  Its home page is www.accenture.com.

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