Amazon, get out of the e-book pricing business
Now, before I go any further, let me clarify one thing: I absolutely believe $15 is too high a price for e-books. I believe and have said many times that the publishing industry threatens to strangle the baby e-book market in its crib with everything from DRM to refusing to allow text-to-speech features in e-readers to trying to impose antiquated release windows for e-book editions, and that includes the idea that a digital copy of a book should cost $15. That said, it's time to let the market decide what it's willing to pay.Amazon is, finally, doing the right thing (albeit passive-aggressively in the extreme) by getting out of the way of publisher pricing and letting consumers decide what they'll pay for e-books. What Macmillan is asking for is the same thing the music industry eventually demanded from both Apple and Amazon: variable pricing for digital goods. Yes, Macmillan wants to price new and major titles between $12.99 and $14.99, but they're also talking about a pricing floor of $5.99. They're trying to maximize revenue on the top sellers, but also retain the flexibility to drop the prices as the market demands. That's actually how it should work.Now, you could argue that Apple launched digital music sales into the stratosphere by turning digital music into a loss leader with the 99-cent track. But in truth, we had no idea what the market was willing to pay for digital songs. That consumers snapped up those 99-cent tracks could be proof that the price was too low. The variable pricing scheme may not be as popular with buyers, but it is generating revenue for the labels, and business is all about finding that perfect balance of sales and revenue. In the digital music world, labels are testing the price elasticity of demand for their product in the reverse order it normally happens. Starting low and raising prices over time is, higher revenues notwithstanding, not the standard way of things. So, the book industry is basically saying they'd prefer to proceed in the more generally accepted capitalist format: you charge a lot up front to recoup initial marketing or R&D or production costs, and the price diminishes over time--or, as I think will be the case with e-books, you charge too much at first, figure out no one's going to buy the darn things at 15 balloons, and settle in at $9.99 within a few years. But just as it wasn't Apple's place to dictate the 99-cent price to the music industry, it's not Amazon's right to tell the publishing industry what to charge for their books. Again, seriously, I can't believe I'm saying this. But put succinctly: sometimes you've got to let people make the mistakes they're going to make, even if you know they're wrong. And if the publishers, the music industry, the film industry, and anyone else wading into digital distribution can get the mistakes--DRM, restrictive prices, idiotic release windows, and the like--out of the way up front, the market will much more quickly settle into something we can all live with. Look, Amazon's not the hero of this story, and neither was Apple. They're insisting on price points that are beneficial to them, because they've got serious business models built on moving digital media. (And it's not like Amazon is the savior of authors and the publishing industry overall, either.) But if resalers are allowed to fix the prices for entire industries, it's not good for those industries. Period. Yeah, the music industry biffed it big time by resisting digital distribution for all those years. God only knows how much revenue they lost over time (I once tried to calculate it and came up with about 100 quadrillion dollars). But we also don't know how much money they lost while their goods were being sold at an artificially low price. The point of the free market is to let the market decide what it's willing to pay for goods and services. Amazon's the money-making middleman that's actually prolonging the fight by preventing the market from doing its work. So, go crazy, Macmillan. Put up your $15 e-books. I'm probably not going to buy very many of them, because honestly, $9.99 just feels right to me. But I might be wrong, and it's about time we found out so we can all just settle down and create the future of book publishing together, OK?
iOS 4.1 offers new photo features, bug fixes
iOS 4.1 offers new photo features, bug fixes
Though music and entertainment were the of focus of Wednesday's Apple press conference in San Francisco, CEO Steve Jobs devoted a few minutes to the next release of the company's mobile operating system. iOS 4.1 will be available next week for the iPhone and iPod Touch. And in a change from previous OS updates, it will be free for iPod Touch users.Here's a summary of the new features that Jobs announced. We'll add to this list as we learn of other additions and we'll follow up with a hands-on review after next week's release.Bug fixesThese will be for the proximity sensor, Bluetooth, and iPhone 3G performance. Though Jobs didn't detail the specific problems that Apple is fixing, we've experienced the latter two issues on the iPhone 4 and previous models. In fact, Bluetooth connectivity with stereo headsets was one of the first issues we noticed with the iPhone 4 the day it went on sale. I'll be most interested to see how the update will change 3G data reception. As you'll remember, Apple's previous 4.0.1 update from July addressed only how the device displays bars on the signal meter. And that same month, Apple gave away free bumpers after customers complained about problems with the iPhone 4's antenna.#nlrText { float: right; width: 170px; padding: 5px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; border: 1px solid #999; background: #FFFFEF; } #nlrText h4{display: block; font-size: 1.4em; padding: 0; margin: 0; color: #900; }Apple's music eventHere's a brief rundown of what Apple announced at Wednesday's press event. iOS 4.1Free update for iPhone, iPod Touch will be available next weekiOS 4.2To come in November.New iPodsA major refresh of iPod lineup, including the Shuffle, Nano, and TouchPingNew iTunes 10 with social-networking music features Apple TVNew, smaller cloud-based Apple TV For more details on these announcements, read our summary post here.HD videoYou'll now able to upload high-definition (HD) video over Wi-Fi.TV rentalsThough iTunes has long offered movie rentals, iPhone and iPod Touch customers will now be able to rent television programs on their devices.Game CenterEver since Jobs first announced Game Center at the iOS 4.0 announcement last April, we've known that the feature was coming later in the year. And now, after five months of waiting, it's finally here. CNET's Scott Stein will take a deep dive into Game Center when it's ready.HDR photosTaking a page from the standalone camera world and from the Pro HDR app, the iPod Touch and iPhone will gain the capability to take HDR photos, which stands for high dynamic range. It's an added step that will help you get the best photos, particularly when the light may be challenging.When you tap the option on the screen, the device's cameras will take three photos in rapid succession. One image with normal exposure, another will be underexposed, and the third will be overexposed. To finish off, the devices will combine the shots into a single HDR photo. You'll find it in your photo gallery along with the normal image.As I mentioned, we'll follow up with a closer look at iOS 4.1's features when it's released next week. Until then, tell us about your favorite new addition. And if Apple missed something, let us know that, too.
Though music and entertainment were the of focus of Wednesday's Apple press conference in San Francisco, CEO Steve Jobs devoted a few minutes to the next release of the company's mobile operating system. iOS 4.1 will be available next week for the iPhone and iPod Touch. And in a change from previous OS updates, it will be free for iPod Touch users.Here's a summary of the new features that Jobs announced. We'll add to this list as we learn of other additions and we'll follow up with a hands-on review after next week's release.Bug fixesThese will be for the proximity sensor, Bluetooth, and iPhone 3G performance. Though Jobs didn't detail the specific problems that Apple is fixing, we've experienced the latter two issues on the iPhone 4 and previous models. In fact, Bluetooth connectivity with stereo headsets was one of the first issues we noticed with the iPhone 4 the day it went on sale. I'll be most interested to see how the update will change 3G data reception. As you'll remember, Apple's previous 4.0.1 update from July addressed only how the device displays bars on the signal meter. And that same month, Apple gave away free bumpers after customers complained about problems with the iPhone 4's antenna.#nlrText { float: right; width: 170px; padding: 5px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; border: 1px solid #999; background: #FFFFEF; } #nlrText h4{display: block; font-size: 1.4em; padding: 0; margin: 0; color: #900; }Apple's music eventHere's a brief rundown of what Apple announced at Wednesday's press event. iOS 4.1Free update for iPhone, iPod Touch will be available next weekiOS 4.2To come in November.New iPodsA major refresh of iPod lineup, including the Shuffle, Nano, and TouchPingNew iTunes 10 with social-networking music features Apple TVNew, smaller cloud-based Apple TV For more details on these announcements, read our summary post here.HD videoYou'll now able to upload high-definition (HD) video over Wi-Fi.TV rentalsThough iTunes has long offered movie rentals, iPhone and iPod Touch customers will now be able to rent television programs on their devices.Game CenterEver since Jobs first announced Game Center at the iOS 4.0 announcement last April, we've known that the feature was coming later in the year. And now, after five months of waiting, it's finally here. CNET's Scott Stein will take a deep dive into Game Center when it's ready.HDR photosTaking a page from the standalone camera world and from the Pro HDR app, the iPod Touch and iPhone will gain the capability to take HDR photos, which stands for high dynamic range. It's an added step that will help you get the best photos, particularly when the light may be challenging.When you tap the option on the screen, the device's cameras will take three photos in rapid succession. One image with normal exposure, another will be underexposed, and the third will be overexposed. To finish off, the devices will combine the shots into a single HDR photo. You'll find it in your photo gallery along with the normal image.As I mentioned, we'll follow up with a closer look at iOS 4.1's features when it's released next week. Until then, tell us about your favorite new addition. And if Apple missed something, let us know that, too.
Apple in hot water over ebook pricing
Apple in hot water over ebook pricing
The firm alleges that the agency model of pricing used by Apple, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster is illegal price fixing, and violates various US federal and state antitrust laws.Under the agency model, publishers set prices and retailers claim a 30 per cent commission on the gross sale price. Up until last year, ebooks were sold under the wholesale model, where the publisher sold the book to the retailer outright; the retailer could then set their own prices. Paper books are still sold under the wholesale model.Apple already had an agency model in place on the iTunes app store prior to iBooks, which it launched in April 2010 with an agency model. The lawsuit, filed 9 August 2011, claims that the five publishing houses and Apple conspired to increase prices and to force Amazon to adopt the agency model, abandoning its pro-consumer discount pricing. Amazon adopted the model in March last year. The publishers had been concerned that Amazon's pricing would set expectations for lower prices that they weren't willing to meet, while Apple was worried that Amazon's freedom from the agency model and lower prices were damaging its market opportunity, according to Hagens Berman. "Apple believed that it needed to neutralise the Kindle when it entered the ebook market with its own e-reader, the iPad, and feared that one day, the Kindle might challenge the iPad by digitally distributing other media like music and movies," the firm said.The firm went on to add, "The complaint notes that Apple CEO Steve Jobs foreshadowed the simultaneous switch to agency pricing and the demise of discount pricing in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in early 2010. In the interview, he was asked why consumers would buy books through Apple at $14.99 while Amazon was selling the same book for $9.99. "The prices will be the same," he stated."The result of all of that, concludes the lawsuit, is this: "As a direct result of this anti-competitive conduct as intended by the conspiracy, the price of ebooks has soared.The price of new bestselling ebooks increased to an average of US$12 to US$15 â€" an increase of 33 to 50 per cent.The price of an ebook in many cases now approaches â€" or even exceeds â€" the price of the same book in paper even though there are almost no incremental costs to produce each additional ebook unit."Random House, which was the last publishing house to adopt the agency model, is not included in the suit.Hagens Berman also filed a class-action suit one day prior, on 8 August 2011, against the six big publishing houses, on the grounds that they are under-reporting ebook sales and are therefore underpaying authors' royalties.
The firm alleges that the agency model of pricing used by Apple, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster is illegal price fixing, and violates various US federal and state antitrust laws.Under the agency model, publishers set prices and retailers claim a 30 per cent commission on the gross sale price. Up until last year, ebooks were sold under the wholesale model, where the publisher sold the book to the retailer outright; the retailer could then set their own prices. Paper books are still sold under the wholesale model.Apple already had an agency model in place on the iTunes app store prior to iBooks, which it launched in April 2010 with an agency model. The lawsuit, filed 9 August 2011, claims that the five publishing houses and Apple conspired to increase prices and to force Amazon to adopt the agency model, abandoning its pro-consumer discount pricing. Amazon adopted the model in March last year. The publishers had been concerned that Amazon's pricing would set expectations for lower prices that they weren't willing to meet, while Apple was worried that Amazon's freedom from the agency model and lower prices were damaging its market opportunity, according to Hagens Berman. "Apple believed that it needed to neutralise the Kindle when it entered the ebook market with its own e-reader, the iPad, and feared that one day, the Kindle might challenge the iPad by digitally distributing other media like music and movies," the firm said.The firm went on to add, "The complaint notes that Apple CEO Steve Jobs foreshadowed the simultaneous switch to agency pricing and the demise of discount pricing in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in early 2010. In the interview, he was asked why consumers would buy books through Apple at $14.99 while Amazon was selling the same book for $9.99. "The prices will be the same," he stated."The result of all of that, concludes the lawsuit, is this: "As a direct result of this anti-competitive conduct as intended by the conspiracy, the price of ebooks has soared.The price of new bestselling ebooks increased to an average of US$12 to US$15 â€" an increase of 33 to 50 per cent.The price of an ebook in many cases now approaches â€" or even exceeds â€" the price of the same book in paper even though there are almost no incremental costs to produce each additional ebook unit."Random House, which was the last publishing house to adopt the agency model, is not included in the suit.Hagens Berman also filed a class-action suit one day prior, on 8 August 2011, against the six big publishing houses, on the grounds that they are under-reporting ebook sales and are therefore underpaying authors' royalties.
Say goodbye to Winamp as AOL shuts down the media player
Say goodbye to Winamp as AOL shuts down the media player
Winamp was first released in 1997 and set itself apart from the crowd with a skinnable interface, as well as its infamous Winamp catchcry every time the software booted up: "it really whips the llama's ass".With support for a multitude of formats from AAC, MIDI and WAV, Winamp saw its popularity boom in the halcyon days of the late 1990s when MP3 file sharing really took off. The program was small, meaning that it was one of the quickest media players on the market.Winamp was bought out by AOL in 1999 in a deal worth US$400 million â€" this also included the acquisition of now-defunct internet radio website Spinner.com. Incidentally, that service was also shut down by AOL in August 2013.Winamp versions for Android and Mac followed years later after the AOL acquisition, but the media player never again reached the same height of popularity that it had in the late 1990s.The closure announcement was made on Winamp's website, which read:Winamp.com and associated web services will no longer be available past December 20, 2013. Additionally, Winamp Media players will no longer be available for download. Please download the latest version before that date. See release notes for latest improvements to this last release. Thanks for supporting the Winamp community for over 15 years.Ars Technica confirmed the closure with Geno Yoham, general director of Winamp.The classic Winamp interface.(Credit: Softonic)Nullsoft's relationship with AOL appeared troubled even in 2003 when Gnutella author and Winamp developer Justin Frankel wrote about his struggles on his website. "The company controls the most effective means of self-expression I have," he said. "This is unacceptable to me as an individual; therefore, I must leav (sic).""I don't know when it will be, but I'm not going to last much longer. I have nothing but respect for the company â€" I've just come to realise that it is time to do something different." Frankel left soon after Winamp 5.0 was released in 2003.According to Ars Technica, Winamp still has millions of users worldwide, while former employees estimate its yearly revenue at US$6 million.AOL will shut down Winamp on 20 December. Until then, the software is still available for download, alongside a library of thousands of skins.
Winamp was first released in 1997 and set itself apart from the crowd with a skinnable interface, as well as its infamous Winamp catchcry every time the software booted up: "it really whips the llama's ass".With support for a multitude of formats from AAC, MIDI and WAV, Winamp saw its popularity boom in the halcyon days of the late 1990s when MP3 file sharing really took off. The program was small, meaning that it was one of the quickest media players on the market.Winamp was bought out by AOL in 1999 in a deal worth US$400 million â€" this also included the acquisition of now-defunct internet radio website Spinner.com. Incidentally, that service was also shut down by AOL in August 2013.Winamp versions for Android and Mac followed years later after the AOL acquisition, but the media player never again reached the same height of popularity that it had in the late 1990s.The closure announcement was made on Winamp's website, which read:Winamp.com and associated web services will no longer be available past December 20, 2013. Additionally, Winamp Media players will no longer be available for download. Please download the latest version before that date. See release notes for latest improvements to this last release. Thanks for supporting the Winamp community for over 15 years.Ars Technica confirmed the closure with Geno Yoham, general director of Winamp.The classic Winamp interface.(Credit: Softonic)Nullsoft's relationship with AOL appeared troubled even in 2003 when Gnutella author and Winamp developer Justin Frankel wrote about his struggles on his website. "The company controls the most effective means of self-expression I have," he said. "This is unacceptable to me as an individual; therefore, I must leav (sic).""I don't know when it will be, but I'm not going to last much longer. I have nothing but respect for the company â€" I've just come to realise that it is time to do something different." Frankel left soon after Winamp 5.0 was released in 2003.According to Ars Technica, Winamp still has millions of users worldwide, while former employees estimate its yearly revenue at US$6 million.AOL will shut down Winamp on 20 December. Until then, the software is still available for download, alongside a library of thousands of skins.
How to set up e-mail alerts on your Pebble Watch
How to set up e-mail alerts on your Pebble Watch
On Thursday, Pebble released an update to its iOS app for the Pebble Watch that added a workaround for e-mail alerts. Up until now, iOS users would have to go to Notification Settings and toggle the "View on Lockscreen" setting any time their phone and watch lost Bluetooth connection. So if the phone was restarted, or you simply wandered out of range for the two devices to stay connected, you'd have to do "the finger dance" (as named by Pebble users) in order to get alerts back. Even then, e-mail alerts were hit or miss. With the latest Pebble for iOS update, users are able to add a Gmail or IMAP-based account to the app, and it will poll for new e-mails every 9 minutes. That's right, alerts won't be anywhere near instant. Bummer. The good news is that if you're one of the unfortunate few who have had to set up your Gmail account as a true Gmail account, and lost Exchange support, the 9-minute window is a little bit quicker than the 15-minute refresh time frame. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETTo get started, download and install the Pebble for iOS update; upon launching the app, you'll see a new e-mail notifications icon. Tap on it and select the e-mail account type you'd like to set up. You're able to add a Gmail account, or an IMAP account, like your iCloud e-mail. (You can find the iCloud IMAP settings here)Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETOnce you've entered your credentials and approved Pebble to access your account, you'll see the account listed on the e-mail notifications page. You can tap on the blue button to temporarily disable notifications for a specific account, or tap on the arrow next to the e-mail address to edit account info. You can read more about e-mail notifications, or ask questions if you run into any issues, on the Pebble support forums. Again, alerts every 9 minutes for only unread messages isn't ideal, but it'll do for now. I can't blame the Pebble team for this, as it's the limitations of iOS that are at fault. Hopefully with iOS 7, things will start looking on the up and up for iOS users who want to get more out of the Pebble Watch.
On Thursday, Pebble released an update to its iOS app for the Pebble Watch that added a workaround for e-mail alerts. Up until now, iOS users would have to go to Notification Settings and toggle the "View on Lockscreen" setting any time their phone and watch lost Bluetooth connection. So if the phone was restarted, or you simply wandered out of range for the two devices to stay connected, you'd have to do "the finger dance" (as named by Pebble users) in order to get alerts back. Even then, e-mail alerts were hit or miss. With the latest Pebble for iOS update, users are able to add a Gmail or IMAP-based account to the app, and it will poll for new e-mails every 9 minutes. That's right, alerts won't be anywhere near instant. Bummer. The good news is that if you're one of the unfortunate few who have had to set up your Gmail account as a true Gmail account, and lost Exchange support, the 9-minute window is a little bit quicker than the 15-minute refresh time frame. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETTo get started, download and install the Pebble for iOS update; upon launching the app, you'll see a new e-mail notifications icon. Tap on it and select the e-mail account type you'd like to set up. You're able to add a Gmail account, or an IMAP account, like your iCloud e-mail. (You can find the iCloud IMAP settings here)Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETOnce you've entered your credentials and approved Pebble to access your account, you'll see the account listed on the e-mail notifications page. You can tap on the blue button to temporarily disable notifications for a specific account, or tap on the arrow next to the e-mail address to edit account info. You can read more about e-mail notifications, or ask questions if you run into any issues, on the Pebble support forums. Again, alerts every 9 minutes for only unread messages isn't ideal, but it'll do for now. I can't blame the Pebble team for this, as it's the limitations of iOS that are at fault. Hopefully with iOS 7, things will start looking on the up and up for iOS users who want to get more out of the Pebble Watch.
Taiwan university sues Apple over patent infringement -- again
Taiwan university sues Apple over patent infringement -- again
Apple has been sued by a Taiwan-based university for the second time.The company on Friday was hit with a lawsuit by the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan related to a patent the university owns on video compression technology. The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, claims that Apple's use of video compression technology in its FaceTime video-chatting feature, as well as QuickTime, violates the university's patent.The university last year hit Apple with a patent-infringement lawsuit over the company's use of Siri and voice-to-text functionality. As with the previous lawsuit, the university this time around is asking for damages and Apple to stop selling products that use FaceTime or QuickTime. In other words, the university is asking for Apple to stop selling just about all of its products.Apple is certainly no stranger to patent lawsuits. The company has both launched suits against other companies or had them foisted upon its own products. So far, very little has come from any of those suits.(Via Patently Apple)
Apple has been sued by a Taiwan-based university for the second time.The company on Friday was hit with a lawsuit by the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan related to a patent the university owns on video compression technology. The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, claims that Apple's use of video compression technology in its FaceTime video-chatting feature, as well as QuickTime, violates the university's patent.The university last year hit Apple with a patent-infringement lawsuit over the company's use of Siri and voice-to-text functionality. As with the previous lawsuit, the university this time around is asking for damages and Apple to stop selling products that use FaceTime or QuickTime. In other words, the university is asking for Apple to stop selling just about all of its products.Apple is certainly no stranger to patent lawsuits. The company has both launched suits against other companies or had them foisted upon its own products. So far, very little has come from any of those suits.(Via Patently Apple)
Taiwan Semiconductor eyes Q2 for next-gen iPhone TouchID production
Taiwan Semiconductor eyes Q2 for next-gen iPhone TouchID production
Apple's TouchID fingerprint sensor will be in the next iPhone, according to a new report.Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC), the production house that manufactures the fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 5S, will start in the second quarter producing TouchIDs for the company's next iPhone, Patently Apple reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with its plans.This time around, TSMC has a different plan for producing the TouchID. In the iPhone 5S, the company relies on backend production of components to other firms. With the next iPhone, however, TSMC will handle the backend technology -- wafer level-chip scale packaging, according to Patently Apple. The hope is that bringing in house all elements of the TouchID will improve yield and get the component to devices more quickly.As one might expect, Apple has provided no information on plans for its next iPhone; though, the company is expected to announce a new handset sometime this year.
Apple's TouchID fingerprint sensor will be in the next iPhone, according to a new report.Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC), the production house that manufactures the fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 5S, will start in the second quarter producing TouchIDs for the company's next iPhone, Patently Apple reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with its plans.This time around, TSMC has a different plan for producing the TouchID. In the iPhone 5S, the company relies on backend production of components to other firms. With the next iPhone, however, TSMC will handle the backend technology -- wafer level-chip scale packaging, according to Patently Apple. The hope is that bringing in house all elements of the TouchID will improve yield and get the component to devices more quickly.As one might expect, Apple has provided no information on plans for its next iPhone; though, the company is expected to announce a new handset sometime this year.
Apple to music labels- $10 a month for streaming is too high
Apple to music labels: $10 a month for streaming is too high
Apple is meeting with music companies to rework deals and reduce the cost of its subscription-based streaming music service Beats Music, a new report claims.Apple is holding discussions with major music labels to establish new rights and features for a new version of Beats Music, Recode reported Thursday, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the company's plans. The deal would create a new framework for labels to get paid for streaming tracks while also making it more economically feasible for Apple to reduce the service's cost from its current $10 per month, the report claims.Apple declined CNET's request for comment on the matter.The relationship between digital music and major labels has been strained. Starting in the 1990s, digital music has hurt traditional music sales in the CD space, and few companies have been able to navigate licensing deals with labels without getting some scratches and gashes along the way. Apple has had its share of run-ins with record labels, though the relationship has improved in recent years.For streaming services, labels have inked deals that require companies, like Rhapsody and Spotify, to charge $10 for their premium services. Apple wants to change that for Beats Music and potentially gain an upper hand.Apple closed its $3 billion Beats acquisition in August. The company made no indication at that time what it had planned for Beats Music, but the service is still operating. Recent reports have suggested that Apple could do everything from scrapping Beats Music entirely to simply modifying it. The latest report suggests that changes are coming to Beats Music, but they won't occur until next year, giving Apple ample time to negotiate with the labels.For now, it appears Apple's main focus is on Beats Music, but the company also operates its own free, ad-supported iTunes Radio. It's not clear whether that service had made its way into the conversations yet.
Apple is meeting with music companies to rework deals and reduce the cost of its subscription-based streaming music service Beats Music, a new report claims.Apple is holding discussions with major music labels to establish new rights and features for a new version of Beats Music, Recode reported Thursday, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the company's plans. The deal would create a new framework for labels to get paid for streaming tracks while also making it more economically feasible for Apple to reduce the service's cost from its current $10 per month, the report claims.Apple declined CNET's request for comment on the matter.The relationship between digital music and major labels has been strained. Starting in the 1990s, digital music has hurt traditional music sales in the CD space, and few companies have been able to navigate licensing deals with labels without getting some scratches and gashes along the way. Apple has had its share of run-ins with record labels, though the relationship has improved in recent years.For streaming services, labels have inked deals that require companies, like Rhapsody and Spotify, to charge $10 for their premium services. Apple wants to change that for Beats Music and potentially gain an upper hand.Apple closed its $3 billion Beats acquisition in August. The company made no indication at that time what it had planned for Beats Music, but the service is still operating. Recent reports have suggested that Apple could do everything from scrapping Beats Music entirely to simply modifying it. The latest report suggests that changes are coming to Beats Music, but they won't occur until next year, giving Apple ample time to negotiate with the labels.For now, it appears Apple's main focus is on Beats Music, but the company also operates its own free, ad-supported iTunes Radio. It's not clear whether that service had made its way into the conversations yet.
Apple to let multiple Apple IDs merge, report says
Apple to let multiple Apple IDs merge, report says
As the chorus of complaints grows over Apple's unwillingness to merge Apple IDs, it appears the company might soon change its stance on the matter.According to MacRumors, two of its readers have contacted Apple CEO Tim Cook to see if Apple will eventually allow users to merge their Apple IDs. Those readers, MacRumors says, received word from an Apple executive relations employee, who said that the company is planning to allow for that functionality.Apple has long denied customer calls for merging IDs. However, with the launch earlier this year of automatic downloads, complaints about that policy started to grow. The feature allows people to automatically download, to their devices, music, apps, and iBooks that had already been downloaded on other platforms, like their computer. The issue, though, is that in some cases, users had been downloading content to a device from one Apple ID, and have another Apple ID assigned to, say, their iPhones. In those cases, content cannot be synced between the devices.According to Apple blog TUAW in a report in June, people who tried to switch their Apple IDs to download the content received an error message saying that they could not "auto-download or download past purchases with a different Apple ID for 90 days."As MacRumors points out, the inability to merge Apple IDs has also become a problem for iCloud developer testers who want to be able to sync content between products, but are not getting everything properly synced because of their use of multiple IDs.That said, it's tough to estimate how many people are affected by the lack of ID merging. In many cases, consumers have a single Apple ID, and thus, the quirk doesn't affect them. But the problem has apparently become enough of an issue for Apple to move forward on a fix.Apple did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.
As the chorus of complaints grows over Apple's unwillingness to merge Apple IDs, it appears the company might soon change its stance on the matter.According to MacRumors, two of its readers have contacted Apple CEO Tim Cook to see if Apple will eventually allow users to merge their Apple IDs. Those readers, MacRumors says, received word from an Apple executive relations employee, who said that the company is planning to allow for that functionality.Apple has long denied customer calls for merging IDs. However, with the launch earlier this year of automatic downloads, complaints about that policy started to grow. The feature allows people to automatically download, to their devices, music, apps, and iBooks that had already been downloaded on other platforms, like their computer. The issue, though, is that in some cases, users had been downloading content to a device from one Apple ID, and have another Apple ID assigned to, say, their iPhones. In those cases, content cannot be synced between the devices.According to Apple blog TUAW in a report in June, people who tried to switch their Apple IDs to download the content received an error message saying that they could not "auto-download or download past purchases with a different Apple ID for 90 days."As MacRumors points out, the inability to merge Apple IDs has also become a problem for iCloud developer testers who want to be able to sync content between products, but are not getting everything properly synced because of their use of multiple IDs.That said, it's tough to estimate how many people are affected by the lack of ID merging. In many cases, consumers have a single Apple ID, and thus, the quirk doesn't affect them. But the problem has apparently become enough of an issue for Apple to move forward on a fix.Apple did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.
Apple looks to iPad Mini, iPhone 5 to deliver 'exciting' September-
Apple looks to iPad Mini, iPhone 5 to deliver 'exciting' September?
Get ready for an "exciting" September from Apple.Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White said today, according to Apple blog AppleInsider, that the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is preparing an "exciting" September that will see the launch of its next-generation iPhone and the iPad Mini.According to AppleInsider, White based his predictions on discussions he's had with "local contacts" in Apple's supply chain in Taipei. He didn't provide any concrete details on what the devices might look like or components they might come with.Related storiesiPhone 5 likely to launch by Sept. or Oct., says another analystNew iPhone, iPad launching later this year?Every iPad mini rumor there's ever been -- all in one placeLatest iPad mini rumor puts price at $200 with 8GB of storageSpeculation abounds over when Apple might finally launch the iPhone 5 and the long-rumored iPad Mini. Conventional wisdom puts the iPhone 5 launch date at October. The latest word on the iPad Mini's launch date has been narrowed only to the second half of 2012.However, at this point, there's no telling for sure that either product exists, so any speculation on a release date should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. Hopefully we'll learn a bit more about Apple's product plans next week at the Worldwide Developers Conference.CNET has contacted Apple for comment on White's statements. We will update this story when we have more information.
Get ready for an "exciting" September from Apple.Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White said today, according to Apple blog AppleInsider, that the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is preparing an "exciting" September that will see the launch of its next-generation iPhone and the iPad Mini.According to AppleInsider, White based his predictions on discussions he's had with "local contacts" in Apple's supply chain in Taipei. He didn't provide any concrete details on what the devices might look like or components they might come with.Related storiesiPhone 5 likely to launch by Sept. or Oct., says another analystNew iPhone, iPad launching later this year?Every iPad mini rumor there's ever been -- all in one placeLatest iPad mini rumor puts price at $200 with 8GB of storageSpeculation abounds over when Apple might finally launch the iPhone 5 and the long-rumored iPad Mini. Conventional wisdom puts the iPhone 5 launch date at October. The latest word on the iPad Mini's launch date has been narrowed only to the second half of 2012.However, at this point, there's no telling for sure that either product exists, so any speculation on a release date should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. Hopefully we'll learn a bit more about Apple's product plans next week at the Worldwide Developers Conference.CNET has contacted Apple for comment on White's statements. We will update this story when we have more information.
Apple looks to be amping up Siri with hiring binge
Apple looks to be amping up Siri with hiring binge
Siri could be getting a lot better at her job. Apple posted 12 new Siri-focused jobs over the weekend, according to Fast Company. The open positions include software engineers, operations engineers, and interaction designer. This means that Apple's speech recognition personal assistant may be getting an overhaul.The job description for Siri software engineers says, "The Siri team is looking for an exceptional engineer to help build out new areas of expertise for Siri, expanding the product's capabilities for millions of users," while the description for Siri interaction designer says, "The successful candidate will contribute to extending Siri's capabilities, knowledge, and intelligence, helping invent new techniques for conversational interaction, and building practices, processes, and standards that will become a foundation for design and innovation far into the future."Apple purchased Siri in early 2010. At the time, the company had a voice assistant app that could turn voice commands into software actions. After purchasing the company, Apple spun it into an exclusive feature for the iPhone 4S. The technology is now in several Apple devices.Related storiesSteve Jobs: Let the post-PC era begin (live blog)At SRI, developing an expertise in R&D, innovationReport: Apple using Nuance voice tech in data centerWatching TV backfires during 'SuriTV' parodyApple iPad live blog (Wednesday, March 7) Despite Siri getting some flack over lack of efficacy, Apple has stated publicly that it has high hopes for its speech recognition personal assistant. In a talk last year, Apple's CEO Tim Cook noted that the product was still in beta, but that he already felt like he couldn't live without it. He then compared it to the kind of user interface changes the company underwent when going to multitouch trackpads on its iPhones and iPads. Last September, one of Siri's founding members Adam Cheyer left the company. He was the second Siri co-founder to leave Apple after joining the company post-acquisition. Shortly after the debut of Siri on the iPhone 4S, Siri co-founder and CEO Dag Kittlaus left the company as well.
Siri could be getting a lot better at her job. Apple posted 12 new Siri-focused jobs over the weekend, according to Fast Company. The open positions include software engineers, operations engineers, and interaction designer. This means that Apple's speech recognition personal assistant may be getting an overhaul.The job description for Siri software engineers says, "The Siri team is looking for an exceptional engineer to help build out new areas of expertise for Siri, expanding the product's capabilities for millions of users," while the description for Siri interaction designer says, "The successful candidate will contribute to extending Siri's capabilities, knowledge, and intelligence, helping invent new techniques for conversational interaction, and building practices, processes, and standards that will become a foundation for design and innovation far into the future."Apple purchased Siri in early 2010. At the time, the company had a voice assistant app that could turn voice commands into software actions. After purchasing the company, Apple spun it into an exclusive feature for the iPhone 4S. The technology is now in several Apple devices.Related storiesSteve Jobs: Let the post-PC era begin (live blog)At SRI, developing an expertise in R&D, innovationReport: Apple using Nuance voice tech in data centerWatching TV backfires during 'SuriTV' parodyApple iPad live blog (Wednesday, March 7) Despite Siri getting some flack over lack of efficacy, Apple has stated publicly that it has high hopes for its speech recognition personal assistant. In a talk last year, Apple's CEO Tim Cook noted that the product was still in beta, but that he already felt like he couldn't live without it. He then compared it to the kind of user interface changes the company underwent when going to multitouch trackpads on its iPhones and iPads. Last September, one of Siri's founding members Adam Cheyer left the company. He was the second Siri co-founder to leave Apple after joining the company post-acquisition. Shortly after the debut of Siri on the iPhone 4S, Siri co-founder and CEO Dag Kittlaus left the company as well.
Apple looks to add Galaxy S4 to Samsung lawsuit
Apple looks to add Galaxy S4 to Samsung lawsuit
Although a federal judge has requested that Samsung and Apple pare down the number of infringements in their lawsuit in California, the iPhone maker actually wants to pile on.According to FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller, Apple on Monday requested that U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh allow it to add the Samsung Galaxy S4 to the list of Samsung products that Apple believes violates patents it owns. Apple currently has 22 products that it claims violate its patents. The Galaxy S4 would be added to that list.According to Mueller, Apple analyzed the S4 and "has concluded that it is an infringing device and accordingly intends to move for leave to add the Galaxy S4 as an infringing product." To keep the product list at 22, Apple will remove one allegedly infringing device from its case.Related storiesDialed in 110: Lessons for Android (podcast)Samsung's diva actKodak patent complaints target Apple, RIM3D TV FAQVerizon Wireless revamps unlimited calling, data plansApple is not alone in offering up nearly two dozen allegedly infringing devices. Samsung has also brought to the court 22 Apple devices that it claims violate its patents. By February, however, Samsung and Apple must reduce the number of allegedly infringing products to 10 per side. They are also being asked to only include five patent-infringement claims per side.Samsung's Galaxy S4 is the company's latest launch in its flagship line. The device comes with a 5-inch HD display, up to 64GB of memory, and 4G LTE. It's widely viewed as the iPhone's best competitor and likely going to be the biggest threat to Apple's next smartphone launch.
Although a federal judge has requested that Samsung and Apple pare down the number of infringements in their lawsuit in California, the iPhone maker actually wants to pile on.According to FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller, Apple on Monday requested that U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh allow it to add the Samsung Galaxy S4 to the list of Samsung products that Apple believes violates patents it owns. Apple currently has 22 products that it claims violate its patents. The Galaxy S4 would be added to that list.According to Mueller, Apple analyzed the S4 and "has concluded that it is an infringing device and accordingly intends to move for leave to add the Galaxy S4 as an infringing product." To keep the product list at 22, Apple will remove one allegedly infringing device from its case.Related storiesDialed in 110: Lessons for Android (podcast)Samsung's diva actKodak patent complaints target Apple, RIM3D TV FAQVerizon Wireless revamps unlimited calling, data plansApple is not alone in offering up nearly two dozen allegedly infringing devices. Samsung has also brought to the court 22 Apple devices that it claims violate its patents. By February, however, Samsung and Apple must reduce the number of allegedly infringing products to 10 per side. They are also being asked to only include five patent-infringement claims per side.Samsung's Galaxy S4 is the company's latest launch in its flagship line. The device comes with a 5-inch HD display, up to 64GB of memory, and 4G LTE. It's widely viewed as the iPhone's best competitor and likely going to be the biggest threat to Apple's next smartphone launch.
Apple looking to hire experts to help create fitness products
Apple looking to hire experts to help create fitness products
Apple seems to be gearing up for a fitness product, at least based on details from a new job posting.Listed Thursday on Apple's job site but since taken down, the ad was seeking a "User Studies Exercise Physiologist" to put in 40 hours a week at Apple headquarters in Santa Clara Valley. As quoted below from the ad, Apple is looking for people who not only are knowledgeable about cardiovascular fitness but can put that knowledge toward the design of products.Design and run user studies related to cardiovascular fitness & energy expenditure, including calories burned, metabolic rate, aerobic fitness level measurement/tracking and other key physiological measurements.Candidate will be knowledgeable about the physiological effects being measured and how to avoid potential inaccuracy and experimental error due DOE flaws and/or reference monitor (i.e. metabolic cart, etc.) usage issues.The role will need to apply relevant knowledge to the design of products and their testing/validation through user studies.What type of product could Apple be cooking up? A few candidates come to mind, but a smartwatch is certainly near the top of the list. The much-rumored iWatch would be a logical choice to record and track your health and fitness, especially as you walk, jog, or exercise.The job listing comes on top of a recent report from 9to5Mac that Apple has hired a self-proclaimed "expert on sleep research" with experience in wearable sensors.The full adScreenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET(Via 9to5Mac)
Apple seems to be gearing up for a fitness product, at least based on details from a new job posting.Listed Thursday on Apple's job site but since taken down, the ad was seeking a "User Studies Exercise Physiologist" to put in 40 hours a week at Apple headquarters in Santa Clara Valley. As quoted below from the ad, Apple is looking for people who not only are knowledgeable about cardiovascular fitness but can put that knowledge toward the design of products.Design and run user studies related to cardiovascular fitness & energy expenditure, including calories burned, metabolic rate, aerobic fitness level measurement/tracking and other key physiological measurements.Candidate will be knowledgeable about the physiological effects being measured and how to avoid potential inaccuracy and experimental error due DOE flaws and/or reference monitor (i.e. metabolic cart, etc.) usage issues.The role will need to apply relevant knowledge to the design of products and their testing/validation through user studies.What type of product could Apple be cooking up? A few candidates come to mind, but a smartwatch is certainly near the top of the list. The much-rumored iWatch would be a logical choice to record and track your health and fitness, especially as you walk, jog, or exercise.The job listing comes on top of a recent report from 9to5Mac that Apple has hired a self-proclaimed "expert on sleep research" with experience in wearable sensors.The full adScreenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET(Via 9to5Mac)
Apple lists quad-core chip in iOS 5.1 beta, report says
Apple lists quad-core chip in iOS 5.1 beta, report says
The iPad and iPhone are going quad-core, according to a report citing references in the latest iOS beta.9to5Mac said it has evidence that Apple will bump up future iPhones (iPhone 5?) and iPads (iPad 3?) to quad-core processing.The A5 chip used in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S is dual-core."While not quite confirming that a quad-core processor will power Apple's third-generation iPad, we have obtained evidence that suggests Apple is currently working on quad-core iOS devices," 9to5Mac said Friday. That reference comes in the latest iOS 5.1 beta "processing-core management software," the Apple-centric site said. Industry sources familiar with Apple's chip strategy, who talked with CNET today, agree that Apple is going quad-core with its next A6 chip.They say Samsung will make (or is making) that processor either in South Korea or at its Austin, Texas facility.The source added that Samsung is boosting wafer starts (the number of semiconductor wafers fabricated) in part to support the supply of the A6 to Apple. If all of this is true, Apple won't be the first to go quad-core with an ARM-based design in a tablet.Nvidia beat them to it with the Tegra 3 chip, already found in products like the speedy--and well-received--Asus Transformer Prime. But you can bet that Apple will inject some secret sauce into its quad-core A6 that makes the iPad and iPhone even faster while maintaining respectable power efficiency. And Apple will need the extra oomph to power its upcoming high-resolution iPad 3 that is expected to boast a QXGA, 2048x1536 "retina" display. Another intriguing possibility--further down the road--is that Apple uses this extra horsepower in a hybrid product that incorporates elements of both the iPad and MacBook Air.
The iPad and iPhone are going quad-core, according to a report citing references in the latest iOS beta.9to5Mac said it has evidence that Apple will bump up future iPhones (iPhone 5?) and iPads (iPad 3?) to quad-core processing.The A5 chip used in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S is dual-core."While not quite confirming that a quad-core processor will power Apple's third-generation iPad, we have obtained evidence that suggests Apple is currently working on quad-core iOS devices," 9to5Mac said Friday. That reference comes in the latest iOS 5.1 beta "processing-core management software," the Apple-centric site said. Industry sources familiar with Apple's chip strategy, who talked with CNET today, agree that Apple is going quad-core with its next A6 chip.They say Samsung will make (or is making) that processor either in South Korea or at its Austin, Texas facility.The source added that Samsung is boosting wafer starts (the number of semiconductor wafers fabricated) in part to support the supply of the A6 to Apple. If all of this is true, Apple won't be the first to go quad-core with an ARM-based design in a tablet.Nvidia beat them to it with the Tegra 3 chip, already found in products like the speedy--and well-received--Asus Transformer Prime. But you can bet that Apple will inject some secret sauce into its quad-core A6 that makes the iPad and iPhone even faster while maintaining respectable power efficiency. And Apple will need the extra oomph to power its upcoming high-resolution iPad 3 that is expected to boast a QXGA, 2048x1536 "retina" display. Another intriguing possibility--further down the road--is that Apple uses this extra horsepower in a hybrid product that incorporates elements of both the iPad and MacBook Air.
Apple iWatch likely to launch in second half of year, says analyst
Consumers eyeing an Apple iWatch could see one on their wrist sometime in the second half of the year.Apple is expected to give the signal to the supply chain this month to start cooking up components for the much-rumored iWatch, says Citi's Glen Yeung. With parts suppliers ready to kick off production, the analyst sees a second-half launch as "increasingly likely" for Apple's high-tech watch."We believe iWatch is in a greater state of readiness, with the supply chain now waiting for the production go-ahead from Apple," Yeung said in an investors note released today. "We suspect the go/no-go decision will be made in June and are leaning toward a 'go' outcome at this time."Reports have surfaced over the past few months that Apple would come out with a smartwatch. Apple naturally has been silent on the subject. But some recent tidbits suggest that an iWatch may be on the way.Apple reportedly has filed for a trademark on the "iWatch" brand in Russia. Taiwanese news source Economic Times recently said that Apple has been checking out 1.5-inch OLED screens for a smartwatch. And a story from Bloomberg said that the iWatch is slated to roll out as soon as this year.
Apple iWatch could trigger sales as high as $17.5B -- analyst
Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted at a new product category during the company's earnings call last month. And Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty says she believes that category is most likely a wearable device.Reports and rumors have run rampant about a possible smartwatch from the minds of Apple. If such a device does clock in this year, Huberty predicts that Apple could generate as much as $17.5 billion in revenue during the first 12 months. That number assumes a price tag of $299 and a customer base similar to that for the iPad. In contrast, the iPad triggered sales of $12 billion and the iPhone $2.5 billion during their initial years, according to the analyst. However, supply constraints for an iWatch could limit first-year revenue to anywhere from $12 billion to $14 billion, which would still mean a 6 to 10 percentage point bump in Apple's 2015 revenues.And just who would buy the iWatch?"Our working assumption is that iWatch largely will be adopted as an accessory device and, therefore, sold into the existing customer base, like the iPad, rather than to new customers, like the iPod or iPhone," Huberty said in an an investors note released on Tuesday.
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