Apple's mobile-app review system needs overhaul
As an iPhone user, one of the things I've found to be increasingly irksome is the customer review system built into Apple's App Store for the iPhones and iPod Touch. It's as basic as you get, which follows the design ethos found in the many of Apple's hardware products, such as the no-button Mighty Mouse, disappearing MacBook buttons, and I/O ports on its notebook computers and LCD displays.While simplicity is one of the qualities that makes Apple's products more approachable for the basic user, it's something that doesn't translate well to a crowd-powered review system. In its current state, the review system lets you very easily rate a software application from one to five stars, along with the option to write in any thoughts or feelings you have about it. This sounds great, in theory, but a good majority of the reviews found on App Store applications seem to prove otherwise. More often than not, you'll see one-star reviews in which people are raving about the quality of an application. There are also people who give an application five stars, then go on to spend two paragraphs discussing how often it crashes and larger off-topic issues like international pricing and the handset's lack of a copy-and-paste feature. You also get a lot of comments written in ALL CAPS, with lines of Emoji icons, colored stars, and superfluous exclamation marks.Some sample reviews taken from Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D FREE, currently the top free title on the App Store.Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNETIn every sense, it's like the Wild West: untamed and full of interesting characters.To Apple's credit, on Friday, the company (as promised) removed reviews from customers who had not purchased the application they were reviewing. This may cut down on spam and ill-conceived or written reviews, but it's not a big step in improving how the review system works. Problematic by designThe problem stems from the fact that Apple has treated software reviews with the same level of simplicity it's approached movie and music reviews. These two mediums are not interactive, nor do they have hangups like development schedules and performance issues. While you can rate an album or music track based on your enjoyment of it, it's not speaking to a truth about frame rate jitters, buggy code, or a developer who has not put out a necessary update in six months--all things you may find in iPhone applications and that can be good to know before plunking down money on a purchase.One reason there's a lack of these types of clarifications in user reviews is that Apple has fragmented its reviews system based on platform. Mobile users don't get the same quality of review browsing as those using iTunes do. For instance, when viewing user reviews in iTunes, you get the option to flag a bad review and say whether it was helpful. You can also sort by best and worst reviews, along with the most helpful and recent. On the iPhone, users have none of these options. In fact, there's currently only one way to view reviews--in chronological order. For a device that's slowly gaining independence from having to sync up with a computer (as seen in recent improvements to podcast downloading on the device), this is troubling.A better systemThere are a three things Apple could do, explicitly to software application reviews, that would beef up the system and make reviews really matter to the potential customers who read them. All three can be found on Amazon.com, which has done a really fantastic job of creating a single ratings system that works on multiple genres of products:1. App Store-iTunes parityA step in the right direction would be to bring both review systems up to speed with one another. Offer the capability to sort and flag straight from the device. This could be done with sorting buttons at the top of the review section, just like what was done to sort application categories by date and popularity in the latest App Store update.Amazon's rating system gives you a breakdown of how many votes each star rating received.CNET NetworksAlso, let me see a better breakdown of the ratings, like Amazon, Newegg, and others do by showing you how many types of user votes each combined rating is comprised of. Seeing the average rating, which comes out of all the user reviews combined, is helpful. But if I could see that the app has a few hundred four- and five-star ratings, more than the lower numbers, that really says something--especially if I can drill down and read only the reviews with a specific star rating.2. Developer responseI'd love to see something similar to what Amazon.com allows, in which you can respond to certain reviews with an agreement or rebuttal, something that would let both users and developers approach a concern or praise with feedback of their own. Using this system, a developer could post direct responses to criticisms instead of the one-star review sitting there, tarnishing an application's score, long after the user had left his or her review. More importantly, the developer would not have to wait on Apple to deal with a review, presuming that it had been flagged by users (who were using iTunes to flag it) before taking action.3. User credibilityAmazon has something called Real Name. It's a system that lets users back up their reviews by putting their legal name on it. While Apple might frown on the security risks of such a system, it's done great things for Amazon, and has given people who leave detailed and thoughtful reviews a way for others to follow what they're reviewing. Apply the same thing to the App Store, and you could end up selling more applications from people who are buying things based not on media coverage, or popularity, but purely on the opinions of users whose opinions they respect. So which one of these things is Apple most likely to add? My guess is the first; a slow trickle-down from iTunes, allowing users to flag bad reviews from the App Store. Other features from iTunes have slowly crept into the App Store, and in the latest update, Apple seems to have realized that people want more ways to dig through the ever-growing list of applications. I'm just hoping the company will put that same effort into helping us wade through user reviews.
New Digg features coming today. Digg Music still AWOL
New Digg features coming today. Digg Music still AWOL
PodcastingThe fundamentally new feature with this release is Digg's podcasting category. Podcasts will be playable from within the Digg Web site. Video podcasts will be playable as well.Podcast permalink pageDiggDiggers will be able to Digg up podcast feeds (complete podcast series, for example, TWiT or CNET's Buzz Out Loud). Inside the Digg page for a feed, specific episodes will be Diggable. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that Digg has implemented a content category that's aware of hierarchy--Digg will treat series differently from individual episodes. The Digg directory also will be fundamentally different from iTunes, where the top podcast lists are based purely on the number on subscriptions. (While user reviews on iTunes can be helpful, Digg's episode-by-episode voting will make it easier to discern what is worth your time.) We think Digg could also apply the hierarchical system to anything that has RSS feeds. So we may see, at some point, the capability to Digg blogs differently than individual blog posts. VideoIn the revised Video category, the new Digg will play videos directly, rather than linking to its hosting sites. That makes sense--video services such as YouTube already make it easy to put their videos on any page; Digg is just taking advantage of that. At launch, Digg will play YouTube and Yahoo videos, as well as some other site's videos. Other video hosts, such as MetaCafe, should be added later. Where's the music?Digg CEO Jay Adelson told us there are new top-level categories coming to Digg later, but he didn't want to say which. Music, perhaps?When we asked about this, Jay laughed nervously and said, "Music is cool and we all listen to it."He did not say how or when Digg is going to let its users Digg up or down songs or artists, nor how the company is going to link to music content. Presumably Digg would have to partner with various music stores (iTunes, Zune, Napster, and Real) to implement this.Video category pageDiggFront page and UIDigg will get a new front page. It will take better advantage of monitors (instead of being fixed, as it has been), and there will be additional lists on the category and front pages. The main list of Digg stories remains much as it's been, with the most recent popular Diggs at the top. But a new, smaller list of top 10 stories (in each category) will run to the right of that. The top 10 list, which is updated in real time, is ranked strictly by number of Diggs in a given time period (about a day in the main technology categories, Jay told us), so it will present a more coherent view of what's hot in a category, not just what was most recently Dugg.Heavy Digg users who were put off by the last update (Digg version 3) that moved the category navigation from the right to the left of the screen will have to relearn the new position of the categories, now under drop-down menus at the top of the page. But we think the nav works well there, since it gives more real estate to the content.ConclusionThe user interface changes are improvements. The new embedded video player is very nice. The podcasting category looks as if it's going to be extremely useful. And we're still waiting for Digg music.Josh Lowensohn contributed to this report.
PodcastingThe fundamentally new feature with this release is Digg's podcasting category. Podcasts will be playable from within the Digg Web site. Video podcasts will be playable as well.Podcast permalink pageDiggDiggers will be able to Digg up podcast feeds (complete podcast series, for example, TWiT or CNET's Buzz Out Loud). Inside the Digg page for a feed, specific episodes will be Diggable. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that Digg has implemented a content category that's aware of hierarchy--Digg will treat series differently from individual episodes. The Digg directory also will be fundamentally different from iTunes, where the top podcast lists are based purely on the number on subscriptions. (While user reviews on iTunes can be helpful, Digg's episode-by-episode voting will make it easier to discern what is worth your time.) We think Digg could also apply the hierarchical system to anything that has RSS feeds. So we may see, at some point, the capability to Digg blogs differently than individual blog posts. VideoIn the revised Video category, the new Digg will play videos directly, rather than linking to its hosting sites. That makes sense--video services such as YouTube already make it easy to put their videos on any page; Digg is just taking advantage of that. At launch, Digg will play YouTube and Yahoo videos, as well as some other site's videos. Other video hosts, such as MetaCafe, should be added later. Where's the music?Digg CEO Jay Adelson told us there are new top-level categories coming to Digg later, but he didn't want to say which. Music, perhaps?When we asked about this, Jay laughed nervously and said, "Music is cool and we all listen to it."He did not say how or when Digg is going to let its users Digg up or down songs or artists, nor how the company is going to link to music content. Presumably Digg would have to partner with various music stores (iTunes, Zune, Napster, and Real) to implement this.Video category pageDiggFront page and UIDigg will get a new front page. It will take better advantage of monitors (instead of being fixed, as it has been), and there will be additional lists on the category and front pages. The main list of Digg stories remains much as it's been, with the most recent popular Diggs at the top. But a new, smaller list of top 10 stories (in each category) will run to the right of that. The top 10 list, which is updated in real time, is ranked strictly by number of Diggs in a given time period (about a day in the main technology categories, Jay told us), so it will present a more coherent view of what's hot in a category, not just what was most recently Dugg.Heavy Digg users who were put off by the last update (Digg version 3) that moved the category navigation from the right to the left of the screen will have to relearn the new position of the categories, now under drop-down menus at the top of the page. But we think the nav works well there, since it gives more real estate to the content.ConclusionThe user interface changes are improvements. The new embedded video player is very nice. The podcasting category looks as if it's going to be extremely useful. And we're still waiting for Digg music.Josh Lowensohn contributed to this report.
Bluefire Reader brings free public-library e-books to iOS
Bluefire Reader brings free public-library e-books to iOS
For people who love to read but don't have a lot of extra cash to spend on books, nothing beats the public library. Love ya, Ben Franklin!In recent years, many libraries have started offering e-books that you can check out for a few weeks, just like the real thing. Unfortunately, despite the plethora of e-book readers in the App Store, you couldn't read these DRM-protected library titles on your iPhone, iPod, or iPad.Now you can. Bluefire Reader now supports not only ePub and PDF formats, but also the Adobe DRM used by most libraries. I just checked out Dennis Lehane's "Shutter Island" and Junot Diaz's "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," both free of charge, both without getting in the car and driving to the library.However, I had to jump through some hoops to make it happen, and the end result wasn't always perfect. Indeed, if you're expecting this process to have Kindle-like simplicity, don't. For starters, you need a library card and/or an online account with your local library. When I signed into mine, the "ebook" section listed only NetLibrary (which has a pretty weak selection) as a download source. However, I remembered previously downloading audiobooks via OverDrive--a service that also carries e-books.Sure enough, when I clicked through, I was able to browse and download from OverDrive's much larger e-book selection. (It's where I scored the two aforementioned titles.) Your mileage may vary, but I suspect that's where most libraries will lead you.OverDrive offers e-books in ePub and PDF formats. Whenever possible, choose the former; reading PDFs on an iPhone or iPod is not pleasant because you're looking at, well, PDFs, not formatted e-book files. You can't adjust the font size or much of anything else. ePubs afford a much, much better reading experience.Alas, format notwithstanding, the book you want may not be available for checkout. As with print editions in a real library, there are a limited number of licenses to go around. (Likewise, most books "expire" after three weeks, meaning they're no longer readable unless you check them out again.)I was able to place a hold on popular titles like "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Help," but without knowing when they would become available.Before you can read any downloaded book, you'll need to install Adobe Digital Editions (available free for Windows and Mac OS). With that step done, you can download your library book--which you'll need to open at least once in Digital Editions before you can transfer it to Bluefire Reader.To do that, you'll use iTunes' "sideloading" feature. Check out Bluefire's help page for complete instructions.Whew! Like I said, all this is enough to make one long for the simplicity of a Kindle. But once you learn the ropes, it's actually pretty quick and easy. And, hey, isn't it worth a little effort to score e-books for free?
For people who love to read but don't have a lot of extra cash to spend on books, nothing beats the public library. Love ya, Ben Franklin!In recent years, many libraries have started offering e-books that you can check out for a few weeks, just like the real thing. Unfortunately, despite the plethora of e-book readers in the App Store, you couldn't read these DRM-protected library titles on your iPhone, iPod, or iPad.Now you can. Bluefire Reader now supports not only ePub and PDF formats, but also the Adobe DRM used by most libraries. I just checked out Dennis Lehane's "Shutter Island" and Junot Diaz's "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," both free of charge, both without getting in the car and driving to the library.However, I had to jump through some hoops to make it happen, and the end result wasn't always perfect. Indeed, if you're expecting this process to have Kindle-like simplicity, don't. For starters, you need a library card and/or an online account with your local library. When I signed into mine, the "ebook" section listed only NetLibrary (which has a pretty weak selection) as a download source. However, I remembered previously downloading audiobooks via OverDrive--a service that also carries e-books.Sure enough, when I clicked through, I was able to browse and download from OverDrive's much larger e-book selection. (It's where I scored the two aforementioned titles.) Your mileage may vary, but I suspect that's where most libraries will lead you.OverDrive offers e-books in ePub and PDF formats. Whenever possible, choose the former; reading PDFs on an iPhone or iPod is not pleasant because you're looking at, well, PDFs, not formatted e-book files. You can't adjust the font size or much of anything else. ePubs afford a much, much better reading experience.Alas, format notwithstanding, the book you want may not be available for checkout. As with print editions in a real library, there are a limited number of licenses to go around. (Likewise, most books "expire" after three weeks, meaning they're no longer readable unless you check them out again.)I was able to place a hold on popular titles like "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Help," but without knowing when they would become available.Before you can read any downloaded book, you'll need to install Adobe Digital Editions (available free for Windows and Mac OS). With that step done, you can download your library book--which you'll need to open at least once in Digital Editions before you can transfer it to Bluefire Reader.To do that, you'll use iTunes' "sideloading" feature. Check out Bluefire's help page for complete instructions.Whew! Like I said, all this is enough to make one long for the simplicity of a Kindle. But once you learn the ropes, it's actually pretty quick and easy. And, hey, isn't it worth a little effort to score e-books for free?
The 404 398- Where in space, no one can hear you tweet
The 404 398: Where in space, no one can hear you tweet
All hell has broken loose in the tech world with this morning's Twitter crash. The popular microblogging Web site suffered a denial-of-service attack earlier this morning around 6 a.m. PT, but has yet to give out details or an in-depth status update. The last update said it is "defending" itself from an ongoing attack, so good luck to all the frontline GIs fighting the good fight in the trenches so that Ashton Kutcher can continue telling us facts about technology that we already know.Earth will continue to rotate on its axis despite Twitter soiling the bed, so we bring you more stories from the Internet, including the awful news that Wal-Mart is now selling the new BlackBerry Curve for $48. So now, in addition to supporting an evil dictatorship conglomerate and taking food from the mouths of independent business owners for a 50-cent discount on a box of Tide, consumers can now pick up a cheap mobile phone so that the Walton children can put one more Benz in the garage. Cool! /rantBe sure to tune into the second half of the show to hear more rants from The 404, but we also lament the death of classic gaming magazines like GamePro, PSM, EGM, etc. While many of them are still available for print subscription, we can't help but reminisce about the old days when you had to subscribe to them in order to get the latest tips and tricks.So, all that, PLUS we discover the true identity of Motherboard's wily sidekick, LaserJet (thanks Hayato!) and reveal some serious (and some not-so-serious) submissions to the "Choose Justin's new glasses" competition!EPISODE 398PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element. Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) |Subscribe in RSS Audio |Subscribe in RSS Video This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayFollow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang
All hell has broken loose in the tech world with this morning's Twitter crash. The popular microblogging Web site suffered a denial-of-service attack earlier this morning around 6 a.m. PT, but has yet to give out details or an in-depth status update. The last update said it is "defending" itself from an ongoing attack, so good luck to all the frontline GIs fighting the good fight in the trenches so that Ashton Kutcher can continue telling us facts about technology that we already know.Earth will continue to rotate on its axis despite Twitter soiling the bed, so we bring you more stories from the Internet, including the awful news that Wal-Mart is now selling the new BlackBerry Curve for $48. So now, in addition to supporting an evil dictatorship conglomerate and taking food from the mouths of independent business owners for a 50-cent discount on a box of Tide, consumers can now pick up a cheap mobile phone so that the Walton children can put one more Benz in the garage. Cool! /rantBe sure to tune into the second half of the show to hear more rants from The 404, but we also lament the death of classic gaming magazines like GamePro, PSM, EGM, etc. While many of them are still available for print subscription, we can't help but reminisce about the old days when you had to subscribe to them in order to get the latest tips and tricks.So, all that, PLUS we discover the true identity of Motherboard's wily sidekick, LaserJet (thanks Hayato!) and reveal some serious (and some not-so-serious) submissions to the "Choose Justin's new glasses" competition!EPISODE 398PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element. Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) |Subscribe in RSS Audio |Subscribe in RSS Video This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayFollow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang
McAfee- Our shortened URLs are safer (podcast)
McAfee: Our shortened URLs are safer (podcast)
Anyone who has used Twitter has seen those shortened URLs from TinyURL.com, Bitly, and other such services. The advantage of those shortened URLs is that they take up less space, which can be very important on Twitter, where messages are limited to no more than 140 characters, but the disadvantage is that you don't know where you're going until you're already there.Unlike regular URLs, which show the actual domain to which you're navigating, these are meaningless codes that give you no clue of the actual destination. As a result, there is the possibility that the links can take you places you might not want to visit, including sites that can install malicious software on your machine.McAfee Vice President and CTO Simon HuntSimon HuntTo help ease the minds of those who may be clicking on shortened URLs, computer security firm McAfee is offering its own URL-shortening service called McAf.ee.The service will shorten URLs right away--without scanning them to make sure that the linked-to site is secure--but when a user clicks on a McAf.ee link, the security firm will examine the destination to determine if it's likely safe. The company will use some of the same databases it uses for its SiteAdvisor service and other security products to help ensure that the destination isn't malicious or spammy.In an interview (scroll down for podcast), McAfee Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Simon Hunt said, "It seemed to us pretty obvious that we could offer this kindof service with a level of confidence beyond just, 'click here and hope.'" McAf.ee, he hopes, will be adopted by those who want to reassure users that their shortened links are safe to click on. Hunt, who on his blog refers to the URL-shortening service as "a pet project of mine," said that a few months ago, there was a whole plague of URLs appearing on Twitter and Facebook that enticed people to jump to sites that deployed malware, viruses, and bots."Hunt did acknowledge that some other services, including Bitly, offer some degree of security screening, but he emphasized McAfee's core competence in the area of helping users stay away from malicious sites, content, and applications.Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
Anyone who has used Twitter has seen those shortened URLs from TinyURL.com, Bitly, and other such services. The advantage of those shortened URLs is that they take up less space, which can be very important on Twitter, where messages are limited to no more than 140 characters, but the disadvantage is that you don't know where you're going until you're already there.Unlike regular URLs, which show the actual domain to which you're navigating, these are meaningless codes that give you no clue of the actual destination. As a result, there is the possibility that the links can take you places you might not want to visit, including sites that can install malicious software on your machine.McAfee Vice President and CTO Simon HuntSimon HuntTo help ease the minds of those who may be clicking on shortened URLs, computer security firm McAfee is offering its own URL-shortening service called McAf.ee.The service will shorten URLs right away--without scanning them to make sure that the linked-to site is secure--but when a user clicks on a McAf.ee link, the security firm will examine the destination to determine if it's likely safe. The company will use some of the same databases it uses for its SiteAdvisor service and other security products to help ensure that the destination isn't malicious or spammy.In an interview (scroll down for podcast), McAfee Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Simon Hunt said, "It seemed to us pretty obvious that we could offer this kindof service with a level of confidence beyond just, 'click here and hope.'" McAf.ee, he hopes, will be adopted by those who want to reassure users that their shortened links are safe to click on. Hunt, who on his blog refers to the URL-shortening service as "a pet project of mine," said that a few months ago, there was a whole plague of URLs appearing on Twitter and Facebook that enticed people to jump to sites that deployed malware, viruses, and bots."Hunt did acknowledge that some other services, including Bitly, offer some degree of security screening, but he emphasized McAfee's core competence in the area of helping users stay away from malicious sites, content, and applications.Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
Did SanDisk just rain on tech's 2012 parade-
Did SanDisk just rain on tech's 2012 parade?
What with sky-is-the-limit predictions very much in vogue -- Apple's shares hitting $1,000 is now the stuff of research reports from serious analysts -- who can't see that these are boom times for tech? Everyone knows that the party won't last forever. That's the easy part. The hard part is figuring out when to pack up and head out of Dodge.SanDisk's surprise earnings warning on Tuesday afternoon may be that troubling harbinger for which the worrywarts were all waiting. In advance of the company's official April 19 earnings call, SanDisk said today that "pricing and demand" both were weaker than expected in the just-finished quarter. Given that we're talking about the top manufacturer of purely flash memory, a company whose products wind up in cameras, smartphones and, yes, Apple components, that doesn't bode well. The company also reduced its revenue guidance to $1.2 billion from $1.3 billion for the quarter that ended April 1. This was an across-the-board horror show, with the company warning that gross margins would drop below "the previously guided range of 39 percent to 42 percent."Since the earnings season doesn't really get going for another week, it's hard to gauge whether this disaster is a one-off or a signpost of trouble filtering through the tech supply chain. For what it's worth, SanDisk rival Micron Technology didn't have appreciably better news, when it reported a $0.23 per-share loss for its fiscal quarter last week. And that performance was about 21 percent worse than its previous quarter.
What with sky-is-the-limit predictions very much in vogue -- Apple's shares hitting $1,000 is now the stuff of research reports from serious analysts -- who can't see that these are boom times for tech? Everyone knows that the party won't last forever. That's the easy part. The hard part is figuring out when to pack up and head out of Dodge.SanDisk's surprise earnings warning on Tuesday afternoon may be that troubling harbinger for which the worrywarts were all waiting. In advance of the company's official April 19 earnings call, SanDisk said today that "pricing and demand" both were weaker than expected in the just-finished quarter. Given that we're talking about the top manufacturer of purely flash memory, a company whose products wind up in cameras, smartphones and, yes, Apple components, that doesn't bode well. The company also reduced its revenue guidance to $1.2 billion from $1.3 billion for the quarter that ended April 1. This was an across-the-board horror show, with the company warning that gross margins would drop below "the previously guided range of 39 percent to 42 percent."Since the earnings season doesn't really get going for another week, it's hard to gauge whether this disaster is a one-off or a signpost of trouble filtering through the tech supply chain. For what it's worth, SanDisk rival Micron Technology didn't have appreciably better news, when it reported a $0.23 per-share loss for its fiscal quarter last week. And that performance was about 21 percent worse than its previous quarter.
Did Google pull app for in-app purchase violation-
Did Google pull app for in-app purchase violation?
Earlier this week, Google notified one of its developers that the developers' free app, Visual VoiceMail, was being pulled from the Android Market. The reason given was that the app violated a section of Google's developer agreement that covers pricing and payments, according to a report on GigaOM.While Google hasn't been clear about the exact violation, Jonathan Hollander of PhoneFusion, makers of Visual VoiceMail, believes the problem is that the app doesn't use Google Checkout for in-app purchases. Instead, PhoneFusion runs in-app purchases through its Web site.Google's developer agreement states that "all fees received by Developers for Products distributed via the Market must be processed by the Market's Payment Processor." In other words, developers must use Google Checkout."It looks like they're pulling an Apple but just for us," GigaOM quoted Hollander as saying. "There was no warning that they're going to enforce this, which makes it worse than Apple. Even if you disagree with Apple, they gave until June to remove their apps. Here, there's no choice."Google responded to GigaOM but would say only that it removes apps that violate its terms of service.Apple's new subscription service drew the ire of magazine and newspaper publishers when it was announced on February 15. Publishers don't like the fact that Apple is taking a 30 percent cut of revenue on customers it brings to publishers and that the company is not sharing customer information with them. Apple is giving consumers the option to share information with publishers, instead of forcing the issue.Just days after Apple's service was announced, rumors of an FTC investigation into the service began popping up, but a probe may have to be expanded if Google is found to be doing something similar.
Earlier this week, Google notified one of its developers that the developers' free app, Visual VoiceMail, was being pulled from the Android Market. The reason given was that the app violated a section of Google's developer agreement that covers pricing and payments, according to a report on GigaOM.While Google hasn't been clear about the exact violation, Jonathan Hollander of PhoneFusion, makers of Visual VoiceMail, believes the problem is that the app doesn't use Google Checkout for in-app purchases. Instead, PhoneFusion runs in-app purchases through its Web site.Google's developer agreement states that "all fees received by Developers for Products distributed via the Market must be processed by the Market's Payment Processor." In other words, developers must use Google Checkout."It looks like they're pulling an Apple but just for us," GigaOM quoted Hollander as saying. "There was no warning that they're going to enforce this, which makes it worse than Apple. Even if you disagree with Apple, they gave until June to remove their apps. Here, there's no choice."Google responded to GigaOM but would say only that it removes apps that violate its terms of service.Apple's new subscription service drew the ire of magazine and newspaper publishers when it was announced on February 15. Publishers don't like the fact that Apple is taking a 30 percent cut of revenue on customers it brings to publishers and that the company is not sharing customer information with them. Apple is giving consumers the option to share information with publishers, instead of forcing the issue.Just days after Apple's service was announced, rumors of an FTC investigation into the service began popping up, but a probe may have to be expanded if Google is found to be doing something similar.
Did Apple blow $100 million in its legal fight against HTC-
Did Apple blow $100 million in its legal fight against HTC?
Apple may have spent $100 million in its legal assault against HTC over what it believes is ripped-off technology used in Android mobile devices. That's according to Dan Lyons, who posted on his blog today about the rumored $100 million price tag for legal expenses for Apple's first set of claims against the company. A representative for Apple wasn't immediately available to comment to CNET on the figure. If true, that represents a significant cost--even for a company as cash-rich as Apple--for little gain. After more than a year of legal wrangling, the U.S. International Trade Commission came down in Apple's favor for only one of 10 patents, which HTC says it is readying a workaround for. The ITC also gave HTC several months to implement the workaround. Apple is pursuing legal action against a number of Android players because it wants to halt the growing momentum of Google's mobile platform. Ultimately, however, it will likely have to settle with some sort of resolution and cross-licensing agreement, although the companies are far apart in agreeing who would pay for what. Apple has another claim pending with the ITC, and is fighting off claims of infringement from HTC. Apple is also embroiled in an even more complicated and wide-ranging lawsuit with Samsung Electronics. While $100 million may seem like much, it's mere spare change for a company that earned a profit of $6.62 billion in the third quarter alone. Apple is expected to report a blowout fourth quarter tomorrow. As such, neither Apple nor its Android opponents look ready to settle anytime soon.
Apple may have spent $100 million in its legal assault against HTC over what it believes is ripped-off technology used in Android mobile devices. That's according to Dan Lyons, who posted on his blog today about the rumored $100 million price tag for legal expenses for Apple's first set of claims against the company. A representative for Apple wasn't immediately available to comment to CNET on the figure. If true, that represents a significant cost--even for a company as cash-rich as Apple--for little gain. After more than a year of legal wrangling, the U.S. International Trade Commission came down in Apple's favor for only one of 10 patents, which HTC says it is readying a workaround for. The ITC also gave HTC several months to implement the workaround. Apple is pursuing legal action against a number of Android players because it wants to halt the growing momentum of Google's mobile platform. Ultimately, however, it will likely have to settle with some sort of resolution and cross-licensing agreement, although the companies are far apart in agreeing who would pay for what. Apple has another claim pending with the ITC, and is fighting off claims of infringement from HTC. Apple is also embroiled in an even more complicated and wide-ranging lawsuit with Samsung Electronics. While $100 million may seem like much, it's mere spare change for a company that earned a profit of $6.62 billion in the third quarter alone. Apple is expected to report a blowout fourth quarter tomorrow. As such, neither Apple nor its Android opponents look ready to settle anytime soon.
Developers like iPhone, but here comes Android
Developers like iPhone, but here comes Android
The study also examined the number of developers looking to adopt new platforms next year--that is, smartphones for which they're not already creating apps. Looking specifically at those developers, 29 percent of them expect to add Android to their mix in 2011. The iPad, which debuted earlier this year, will tie for second place with Microsoft's newly launched Windows Phone 7, each drumming up new interest among 20 percent of developers. Only 8 percent of those polled said they plan to add Apple's phone to their development plates--perhaps, in part at least, because the iPhone has already established a strong footing among developers.Overall, mobile app developers and publishers are looking at a surge in business next year. A full 31 percent expect sales of their apps to rise by 100 percent or more in 2011, 17 percent are eyeing an increase of 50 percent or more, while only 10 percent say their sales are likely to be flat.To compile its study, mobile ad company Millennial Media teamed up with digital media outlet Digiday and an analyst from financial services firm Stifel Nicolaus. The group surveyed more than 500 app developers, publishers, and advertisers about their mobile platform plans.The survey results echo those from a similar study conducted in September by IDC and Appcelerator, which found that developers favor the iPhone for the near term but are eyeing strong long-term potential from Android.
The study also examined the number of developers looking to adopt new platforms next year--that is, smartphones for which they're not already creating apps. Looking specifically at those developers, 29 percent of them expect to add Android to their mix in 2011. The iPad, which debuted earlier this year, will tie for second place with Microsoft's newly launched Windows Phone 7, each drumming up new interest among 20 percent of developers. Only 8 percent of those polled said they plan to add Apple's phone to their development plates--perhaps, in part at least, because the iPhone has already established a strong footing among developers.Overall, mobile app developers and publishers are looking at a surge in business next year. A full 31 percent expect sales of their apps to rise by 100 percent or more in 2011, 17 percent are eyeing an increase of 50 percent or more, while only 10 percent say their sales are likely to be flat.To compile its study, mobile ad company Millennial Media teamed up with digital media outlet Digiday and an analyst from financial services firm Stifel Nicolaus. The group surveyed more than 500 app developers, publishers, and advertisers about their mobile platform plans.The survey results echo those from a similar study conducted in September by IDC and Appcelerator, which found that developers favor the iPhone for the near term but are eyeing strong long-term potential from Android.
Developer- Game consoles aren't the future
Developer: Game consoles aren't the future
BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk had some rather interesting things to say this week about the future of the gaming business.Zeschuk, whose company has created major console hits like Mass Effect 2, said that going forward, the video game industry won't rely so heavily on the console market. In fact, he believes consoles could be a relic of the past as more players turn to portable devices to get their game on."The future isn't necessarily on console," Zeschuk said at the Develop Conference, an event for European game developers. "That's the past. It's going to be a strong thing going forward, but the future is in all of these new businesses that are starting up."Zeschuk went on to say that kids, the next generation of gamers, are playing titles "on iPhones and iPads." He also said that Nintendo's upcoming portable-gaming product, the 3DS, "looks pretty amazing," and a device that BioWare will be focusing on in the future. Interestingly, Zeschuk even said the company had a DS game in development, and stopped building it to "look at the iPhone instead."Zeschuk's comments, while undoubtedly a little annoying to hard-core gamers, might make some sense when applied to the latest gaming data. According to Flurry Analytics, which calculated portable gaming market share recently, the iPhone is growing at a rapid rate as a desired gaming platform.In fact, from 2008 to 2009, the smartphone's market share jumped 14 percent from 5 percent market share in 2008 to 19 percent in 2009. Over the same period, Nintendo's DS market share slipped by 5 percent. Granted, the iPhone leans more to the "casual" side than the DS, but given how limited the average gamer's entertainment time is, Nintendo might want to worry.(Via Eurogamer)
BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk had some rather interesting things to say this week about the future of the gaming business.Zeschuk, whose company has created major console hits like Mass Effect 2, said that going forward, the video game industry won't rely so heavily on the console market. In fact, he believes consoles could be a relic of the past as more players turn to portable devices to get their game on."The future isn't necessarily on console," Zeschuk said at the Develop Conference, an event for European game developers. "That's the past. It's going to be a strong thing going forward, but the future is in all of these new businesses that are starting up."Zeschuk went on to say that kids, the next generation of gamers, are playing titles "on iPhones and iPads." He also said that Nintendo's upcoming portable-gaming product, the 3DS, "looks pretty amazing," and a device that BioWare will be focusing on in the future. Interestingly, Zeschuk even said the company had a DS game in development, and stopped building it to "look at the iPhone instead."Zeschuk's comments, while undoubtedly a little annoying to hard-core gamers, might make some sense when applied to the latest gaming data. According to Flurry Analytics, which calculated portable gaming market share recently, the iPhone is growing at a rapid rate as a desired gaming platform.In fact, from 2008 to 2009, the smartphone's market share jumped 14 percent from 5 percent market share in 2008 to 19 percent in 2009. Over the same period, Nintendo's DS market share slipped by 5 percent. Granted, the iPhone leans more to the "casual" side than the DS, but given how limited the average gamer's entertainment time is, Nintendo might want to worry.(Via Eurogamer)
CNET Mobile Phones iPhone shipments last quarter likely to set a record iPhone shipments last quarter likely to set a record
Apple's big-screened iPhone 6 and 6 Plus may have drummed up overall iPhone shipments as high as 69 million last quarter, based on new analysis from Morgan Stanley.
In an investor note released Tuesday, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty offered her firm's latest prediction for iPhone shipments, upping its previous forecasts of 62 million and later 67 million. Regardless of the final shipment and sales figures, the quarter will almost certainly beat Apple's previous record of 51 million iPhones sold in the final quarter of 2013. That's because demand for the new iPhones far outweighed supply through the end of 2014.
The final quarter of 2014 is critical because it marked the first full quarter of sales for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus -- and because it coincided with the holiday-shopping season, which is generally the strongest quarter each year for retailers. In addition, when Apple released the new iPhones in September, the company finally gave in to consumer pressure for bigger screens, allowing Apple to compete more directly with Samsung's Galaxy lineup. The December quarter results will indicate whether Apple's decision to boost screen sizes to sizes to 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches has paid off.
iPhone 6 supply only recently caught up with demand, at least based on the availability of the phones through Apple's online store. It wasn't until the second week of January that Apple's website showed all models of the new iPhones in stock in all colors and capacities and across all four major US carriers.
Looking at the current quarter that ends in March, Huberty said she believes that iPhone shipments could surpass Morgan Stanley's current estimate of 50 million because Apple suppliers are apparently building more than 52 million units and Apple may be requesting even more in order to increase inventory.
On a related topic, Huberty expects 3 million shipments of the Apple Watch during the current quarter -- a number that would ring up an additional $1.4 billion in revenue.
"We believe Watch expectations remain too pessimistic," Huberty said. "Our surveys and industry conversations indicate strong interest in wearables, especially Apple's Watch."
A spokesperson for Apple declined to comment on the report.
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