At a cable industry gathering earlier this week, News Corp. founder and CEO Rupert Murdoch opined that more newspapers should take a cue from the Wall Street Journal and have customers pay for content. He thinks The New York Times in particular could benefit from making such a premium move. Meanwhile, over on the Nieman Journalism Lab Blog, Martin Langeveld tries to make the case that the more they charge, the less money the newspaper companies will make.
They’re both interesting theories, especially considering that advertising on the web has thus far proven to be the one big winner. Down in Austin, Texas, Trilogy, a once-high-flying startup, is “reinventing the newspaper business for the Internet Age,” with a venture-backed online newspaper. I wonder what you guys think: Will you pay for content on the web? If yes, what kind of content? And no, porn doesn’t count.
UPDATED: Ever since I broke up with my iPhone, not a day passes without me hearing from someone who shares the same sentiments about AT&T’s network. AT&T, of course, has done little more than hem and haw about the problem, which is much more widespread than we think.
This week at our Green:Net conference, a number of people came up to me to share their frustration with the iPhone/AT&T 3G network; most said they switch to the slower EDGE and/or Wi-Fi in order to use their iPhone. So in an attempt to gauge the extent of the problem, we have created a poll/survey. Update: To be clear, we have issued this in an effort to understand the extent/nature of the problems that folks are having with the AT&T iPhone. If you are happy with it, please fill out only the questions that reflect that and skip the ones that don’t apply to you. We will present the results in context.
Microsoft has launched its largest consumer marketing campaign focused on the broad potential of Windows across PCs, the web and mobile devices to date. The reviews are in — the blogging corps have given it a thumbs down. I kinda found it funny, but then I love everything Jerry does. And Bill Gates acts almost human. However, if the ad is trying to engage me about Microsoft and Windows, I give it an “F.” What do you think? Take the poll and share your thoughts.
Earlier this evening, Apple sent out an email to Mobile Me subscribers, giving us free 60-days of service in acknowledgement of outages and poor performance that had plagued the service earlier this summer, leading to a lot of complaints. Earlier, the company had offered a free 30-day extension to MobileMe subscribers. In some ways I was a tad mollified by this latest offer.
The offer, ironically came hours after I asked people who follow me on Twitter if they were frustrated with Apple’s support. What prompted me to ask that question was that a couple of friends emailed complaining about long wait times on the phone to get help with their iPhones. One of them is a life-long Apple user and his anger was quite telling. Anyway, the replies on Twitter came thick and fast. A few had no complaints, some were willing to put up, but there were quite few who were not shy about their dissatisfaction with the support service.
These problems shouldn’t be a surprise: the company has gone from making just computers to a slew of devices, including the iPhone, a mass-market product. It has increased the number of problems that crop up with various devices, putting a lot of stress on Apple’s support system. For me personally, a visit to the Apple store typically solves all the problem — or they replace the device (iPod for example) itself. Anyway, I wanted to take a poll and get your read on Apple’s support system.
Warning: This story is meant for our U.S. readers only. As many of you already know, I am giving Olympics the miss and perhaps that is why I am not familiar with the daily coverage on NBC and its online properties. The Olympics apparently have proved to bea bonanza for the company. The Peacock Network CEO Jeff Zucker thinks the viewership number of Olympics prove that network television is still dominant. Mattew Ingram says not so fast, buddy, because Olympics come around once every four years. What about rest of the years… when viewership is declining, because somehow viewers can’t make must-see-TV.
Unfortunately, not everyone seems to be pleased with NBC’s coverage — too many ads, inane and bland commentary and time-delay tactics have got people hopping mad. While Zucker seems to be crowing about how well the Olympics are doing online, Rafat Ali of PaidContent points out that Yahoo’s Olympics section beat out NBCOlympics.com, and sees it as a missed opportunity, thanks to what is described as “bottled excitement.” Russell Beattie, a good friend, pointed out in his typical no-bullshit style that NBC has ruined the Olympics. “What should be a privilege for a national broadcaster has been turned into an extortion racket, holding the Olympics hostage with all of us paying the ransom,” he wrote. NewTeeVee’s Chris Albrecht added, “This could have been a golden moment for online video — too bad NBC just couldn’t stick the landing.”
What grade would you give the NBC coverage, both on TV and on the Internet? Take our poll and leave a comment.
So in a couple of days the iPhone 3G is going to go on sale. Like many of you I am going to get this device as part of my duties as an intrepid reporter (and a shameless Apple-holic.) However, if you are rational, then you might want to read these reviews by the big three tech writers and their take on the iPhone 3G before you decide to hand over your credit card to the sales people.
Walt Mossberg/WSJ: “I found it to be a more capable version of an already excellent device. And now that it’s open to third-party programs, the iPhone has a chance to become a true computing platform with wide versatility…if you can live with the higher service costs and the weaker battery life.”
Edward Baig/USA Today: “With GPS newly added to the mix, this handheld marvel has no equal among consumer-oriented smart phones. While not everything on my wish list made it onto the new device, Apple has raised the bar with iPhone 3G. To which I offer an enthusiastic thumbs up.”
David Pogue/NYTimes: “It’s not so much better that it turns all those original iPhones into has-beens. Indeed, the really big deal is the iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store, neither of which requires buying a new iPhone.”
I am sensing some hesitation on the part of the these reviewers. And now that you have read their reviews, are you still interested in buying the iPhone 3G.
“iPhone, till now, has not exactly been video-friendly,” writes Liz over on NewTeeVee. And that is a damn shame because the screen is pretty awesome and made for enjoying video-on-the-go.
However there seems to be a thought that the new version with video features and 3G could change that. “I personally haven’t been persuaded by the touch-screen dream machine yet, but I’m thinking this could be my moment. How about you?,” Liz asks. Take our poll, and answer her question.
While not so uncommon overseas, bandwidth caps and metered broadband are coming to the US market place. Time Warner is the first major cable company to announce its metered broadband strategy & prices for a small Texas market, in what can be described as draconian.
We have written about Bend Broadband of Oregon resorting to such tricks. Comcast, recently proposed bandwidth caps as well. What it means: get ready to pay more and get less for broadband. Will this spur into action, and switch ISPs or look for alternatives. Take our poll and share your opinion.
PC Advisor, a UK-based magazine, reports that Cisco Systems (CSCO) may phase out its Linksys brand all together, making the company it acquired in March 2003 for $500 million a product category, according to Cisco’s VP of SMB solutions marketing, Rick Moran.
Last year, Cisco CEO John Chambers ruffled some feathers when he made similar kill Linksys noises. (See YouTube video) The idea is to simplify the product lines and branding. I wonder if it is such a good idea? In small biz and SOHO markets, Linksys is more well-known than Cisco. Moreover, this goes against Cisco’s strategy to woo the consumers. Have your say in our poll, below the fold.Continue »
The Wall Street Journal reports that a growing number of companies are thinking about blocking online videos in the workplace — blaming productivity loss and clogged pipes for such a draconian line of thinking. Folks at NewTeeVee are in a tizzy about this. “Online video is a great way for workers to kill five minutes in between soul-crushing meetings and memos,” writes Chris. Are companies overreacting? Or do they have a legitimate gripe? Take our poll and let us know what you REALLY think![poll]
Warning: This story is meant for our U.S. readers only. As many of you already know, 
