Publishers saw the iPad as a chance to turn back the clock and convince consumers to pay for content in a new form. But that dream has collided with reality, and now some content producers — including MIT’s Technology Review — say the standalone content app is dead. Read more »
A New York man claims Apple charged him twice for the same song on iTunes and then refused to give him his money back. But the iTunes Store terms of service requires all users to agree to its no refund policy. Read more »
Inkling, which started out as an iPad textbook publisher and recently launched an interactive e-book publishing platform called Habitat, is moving further into the consumer realm with a new series of Frommer’s interactive digital travel guides. Read more at paidContent »
The challenge is no longer finding a great podcast, but automating the subscription process on the device you intend to listen on. Here’s a step-by-step guide for all the different ways you can subscribe and sync your favorite podcasts to any device. Read more »
From the iTunes interface it appears you have to choose the option of either local or iCloud backup of your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. But that’s not true. You can do both! Here’s a quick tutorial on how to do it. Read more »
Last week, the Department of Justice sued Apple and five book publishers for allegedly colluding to set e-book prices. What does the suit mean for readers today and in coming weeks? Read more at paidContent »
Apple came under fire last year from parents whose children racked up credit card charges on apps that were supposed to be “free.” Apple tried to throw out a lawsuit over the apps but a judge found the parents suffered sufficient harm to pursue the case. Read more at paidContent »
The music industry enjoyed its best sales performance for eight years in 2011, as CDs’ collapse decelerated, digital sales continued growing… Read more at paidContent »
The emergence of the big data phenomenon is fundamentally changing everything from the way companies operate to the way people interact to how the world deals with outbreaks of infectious diseases. Here we highlight 10 case studies illustrating how big data is changing the world. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Sony’s music labels have agreed to pay almost $8 million to bands like Allman Brothers and Cheap Trick which claim the company shortchanged… Read more at paidContent »
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX), which is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to compete with premium cable channels like HBO and Showtime in the… Read more at paidContent »
Wal-Mart is looking to use its leverage in Hollywood to accelerate the movie industry’s move to cloud-based storage and digital commerce. In the process, it could steal a march on other providers of cloud-based media lockers like Apple, Google and Amazon, whose platforms to date are ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The Academy Awards tend to favor movies released in the last few months of the year, so many of this year’s top contenders are still in theaters. But some nominees have been out long enough to be available on digital platforms. Read more »
The 30-pin dock connector featured on every iPhone and iPad ever sold by Apple, as well as a huge number of iPods, may be headed for history’s dustbin. Apple is reportedly considering a move to a smaller connector on the next iPhone. Read more »
Beat Hazard Ultra is an asteroid-style, shoot-from-the-middle, space arcade game for iOS that can satisfy the most extreme, old-school Galaga addictions. What makes Beat Hazard Ultra stand out is the fact that game play is set to your own music library. Read more »
With new products from a variety of players like Google and Isis comes a potentially confusing year as the term “mobile wallet” gets thrown around repeatedly. What exactly is the “mobile wallet”? Here are some important definitions for those looking to make a move in the space. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Berlin is famous for its thriving music scene — and now local startup wahwah.fm is taking on the idea of pirate radio with a social, mobile app that lets you broadcast to your friends. Read more »
Apple on Thursday released a developer edition of Mountain Lion, the next upgrade of it’s operating system that will go on sale sometime in summer this year. As part of the news, the company shared some metrics about OS X Lion (version 10.7). For instance, the […] Read more »
DoubleTwist, a popular free media play application for Android, has improved its software to include over-the-air podcast subscriptions. The new feature is available as part of the DoubleTwist Pro in-app upgrade, a $4.99 fee that also adds AirPlay support, wireless media synchronization and album art downloads. Read more »
It took one allegation of download bots on a message board, very little in the way of actual confessions, and a whole lot of murmurs, but Ap… Read more at paidContent »
Research In Motion is undeniably on the ropes at the moment, with the mobile handset maker weathering a decline in global market share, dela… Read more at paidContent »
Apple is reportedly looking to partner with TV operators for the launch of its upcoming iTV product. Why would it? Because doing so would give it more content, enable it to offer a better user interface, and give it wider distribution. Read more »
Your smartphone is already your mobile stereo. Why not make it the centerpiece of your car’s sound system too? That’s what makers of the Devium Dash, a kit you install in your car that makes your iPhone or iPod touch fit right in your car’s dash. Read more »
This year’s CES was the biggest in the show’s 44-year history. It boasted 15 miles of exhibit hall aisles, 3,100 booths and 153,000 attendees. It is easy to be jaded by the endlessly repetitive products, but the thousands of innovations point toward a future of connectivity. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Path has updated its app for the iPhone with the debut Wednesday of version 2.0.5. The key new part of the update is the addition of a new effect called “Depth” that brings what’s known as tilt-shift capabilities to Path’s photo taking feature. Read more »
IOS development is not for the faint of heart, and a new blog post by developer Kent Nguyen does a good job of pointing out exactly why. Nguyen targets those who would be footing the bill for app development, in the hopes of lessening sticker shock. Read more »
A dedicated Apple TV set was a hot topic at the end of 2011. So far in 2012, news on that front has been relatively quiet, but a new note by longtime Apple TV set booster and Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is reigniting the discussion. Read more »
Apple released a fairly big update for its Final Cut Pro X video editing app on Tuesday. It only tips the version number slightly up to 10.0.3, but it brings a couple of major additions pro users have been clamoring for, including multi-camera editing. Read more »
Macworld | iWorld had some fantastic products. Ignoring anything that wasn’t actually shipping, since so many products never actually make it to market , here are my top picks from the show. They include most iDevice companions, but also one product any Mac user wil love. Read more »
I often wear an iPod nano as a watch, but with Android wrist-top devices appearing with much more to offer, it’s feeling a little behind the times these days. Something like Antonio De Rosa’s new iWatch2 is closer to what I’d like to see from Apple. Read more »
Apple’s iPhone was a hot seller in the company’s first fiscal quarter of 2012, but that’s nothing compared to what one analyst predicts we could see in just a couple of years’ time. Morgan Stanley thinks Apple’s efforts in China could pay big dividends by 2013. Read more »
Tank Riders is a good cross between a maze, puzzle and third-person shooter game. Thanks to well-thought-out maps, Polarbit has done an amazing job at keeping the gameplay interesting enough in single-player mode, while also making multiplayer competitive and fun. Read more »
Could Apple spend its $100 billion in cash to create a virtual cable operator to compete with Comcast and the like? Sure. But it would have a really hard time offering a competitively priced service and building a profitable business out of it. Read more »
While the target audience for Macworld | iWorld is your typical consumer, there are a few vendors in attendance that are focused on reaching developers. If you’re a developer yourself, or work with developers, you might want to stop by the following vendors during the show. Read more »
Chasing the post-download digital music opportunity, veteran services are seeking scale to fight dominant newcomers, whilst strangers from o… Read more at paidContent »
Browsing recent App Store releases, I came across Minecraft – Pocket Edition, with a version 1.0 update. Thinking it might be a major update to Mojang’s smash hit, I clicked through — only to find a completely different app trying to lure customers who aren’t paying attention. Read more »
iTunes may be great for syncing your iOS devices, or buying songs, movies, apps and books, but it’s not exactly the most nimble music player anymore. Here are five great Mac-compatible alternatives that focus on the music, without the bloat that iTunes brings. Read more »
Apple’s iPhone 4S has helped it regain ground lost to Android in consumer smartphone market share, but it’s also having a very positive effect on enterprise adoption, according to a new report. The iPad remains by far the top tablet in business. Read more »
Sony (NYSE: SNE) Ericsson (NSDQ: ERIC), as it winds up as a troubled joint venture to become fully part of Sony, is spinning out some talent… Read more at paidContent »
In a note to investors today, Sterne Agee’s Shaw Wu discussed his company’s expectations for Apple’s earnings call Tuesday afternoon, which were up once again from earlier predictions. Wu’s revised estimate joins a chorus of rosy outlooks about the Mac-maker’s performance. Read more »
