Amazon plays a great hand with HBO but game isn't over
With a narrow view of history, you could call Amazon's HBO deal historic. After all, the agreement, announced Wednesday, gives members of Amazon's $99-a-year Prime program a back catalog of coveted HBO shows -- the first time they've been made available for an outside streaming service. And make no mistake, this is a big win for Amazon against Netflix, its chief streaming rival, and should delight a swath of faithful Amazon customers. HBO's programming is some of the most popular and praised in the world, with the network yearly garnering more Emmy nominations than any other and its shows frequently among the most purchased (and pirated) online. The pact spans several years, so more content will become available as it progresses, and HBO has never before licensed so much bingeable programming to people who don't pay for HBO itself through a cable or satellite company. But it's not a revolutionary deal -- it follows the same subscription video licensing mold of many agreements that have come before it.And the byzantine system of video licensing means some consumers may be confused about what is new here, and what is missing.CBS's "Under the Dome"CBS Most subscription video licensing arrangements, the HBO-Amazon deal included, exclude very recent content and instead offer access to series already off the air, or old seasons of current programs. But there is a precedent of a media company compromising on how long that lag must be, to great success: Amazon's agreement with CBS for its summer sci-fi hit "Under the Dome." With CBS, Amazon invested in the show up front in exchange for exclusive rights to stream it through its Prime Instant Video service just four days after each episode broadcast. CBS was able to make the show with unusually high standards for a summer program -- big special effects, expensive sets, a large cast -- and the company benefitted not only from high ratings during the broadcast but also extra revenue from Amazon and international licensing. For Amazon, "Under the Dome" turned out to be one of the most-watched shows on Prime. (Disclosure: CNET is owned by CBS.) Still a pipe dreamA similar HBO pact would be a revolutionary, not just for Amazon but for the business of television. It would make the most die-hard cord cutters happy, for sure. Cord cutters, or people who have forsaken a pay-TV service like cable for online video alternatives like Netflix, have long salivated over HBO's online video-on-demand service HBO Go, which is a trove of content online as soon as it airs. But HBO hasn't -- and likely won't soon -- make HBO Go or its newest, hottest content available to anyone other than people who pay for HBO on cable or satellite. Parent company Time Warner still makes the vast majority of HBO revenue from pay-TV subscriptions. In 2013, HBO subscriptions generated $4.2 billion dollars for Time Warner; HBO content sales -- like licensing deals and pay-to-play purchases -- were $658 million. And Time Warner Chief Executive Jeffrey L. Bewkes has said the company's focus would be on people who pay for TV rather than those who don't. Time Warner CEO Jeff BewkesShara Tibken/CNET"You often hear that question about 'over-the-top' as though the real opportunity are the people that have broadband but not TV," he said at a Goldman Sachs media conference in September. "Where do you think the likely next subscriber is? Is it the 70 million homes that have bought 200 channels of stuff and they haven't bought HBO? Or is it the 5 million or 10 million that didn't buy either HBO or that?" "It's pretty obvious, it's the 70 million up. So we're working more on that." Amazon shares were recently down 1.4 percent, or $4.65, at $324.67. Time Warner shares were up 1.5 percent, or 99 cents, at $65.91. Amazon's agreement with HBO is a small step in the direction of that cord-cutter ideal, though. HBO has never before granted unlimited streaming access to its programming -- albeit older programming -- through a subscription service unless that subscription was to HBO itself. What Amazon Prime users getThe complications of TV licensing mean Amazon's pact with HBO has confused some consumers about what is included, what is missing, and what is new. So let's try to lay it out. The Amazon Prime deal includes many past HBO series in its back catalog, like "The Sopranos," "Deadwood," and "The Wire." It also includes earlier seasons of series that are still airing this year, like "Boardwalk Empire" and "True Blood" (both shows are due to end with their upcoming seasons).As time goes by, older seasons of current shows like "Girls" and "The Newsroom" will become available about three years after they air. So, for example, because the first season of "Girls" aired from April to June 2012, it should be available on Prime next year. HBO's "Game of Thrones"HBOHowever, Amazon Prime won't have "Game of Thrones," at least not under this agreement. Nor will it be able to offer "True Detectives." Neither is mentioned in Amazon's press release, and both are huge hits for HBO, which is keeping them firmly behind its moat. Amazon declined to elaborate further on the pact and what is included, but you can scan its press release to check if your favorite series is mentioned. HBO has made its programming available online via pay-to-play businesses run by Apple's iTunes and Amazon. Amazon's pay-to-play Amazon Instant Video service is different from Prime Instant Video, which is an unlimited subscription. Despite the deal with Amazon, if you want to watch the latest episodes of HBO's most popular programs, you'll have to keep the cord and pay for TV. Or, considering HBO CEO Richard Plepler's lax philosophy about password sharing, just find a generous friend who does.
Intel's push for simpler portable devices
Intel's push for simpler portable devices
MeeGo is a combination of two different operating systems â€" Nokia's Maemo and Intel's Moblin â€" to produce a single operating system, which according to Intel was designed to "reduce fragmentation", or in other words reduce the number of different systems. The other main open-source platform in this category is Google's Android.Intel said that fewer operating systems to learn was of benefit to both consumers and programmers.MeeGo offers two different modes, an iPhone-like "Simple" mode and the multimedia-intensive "Panel" mode, which aggregates web pages, social media feeds and media playback."What we wanted to do was create a rich, dynamic user interface that puts the information that you want and the content that you enjoy front and centre in a fresh and intuitive way," said Doug Fisher, Intel's vice president and general manager of systems software.MeeGo 1.0 was released on 27 May 2010 and supports netbooks, while the next MeeGo, version 1.1, is due in October and will expand support to include smartphones.Intel also detailed its AppUp store, which is a cross-platform attempt to compete with the likes of Google's Android Marketplace and Apple's iTunes. The first company to support it is Asus, with links to the store on its latest crop of netbooks.Atom everywhereOn the hardware side, Intel aims to offer "Atom Everywhere" with the low-power processors gracing everything from netbooks to phones and even TVs.Intel representatives said the Atom processor and MeeGo will be designed to work well together, but they also pointed out that the Atom processor was "OS-agnostic" and would work just as well in an Android or Windows environment.Doug Fisher showed off a prototype Intel tablet running MeeGo at Computex, which was similar in appearance to Apple's iPad, though a little thicker.Intel announced it had started production on a dual-core version of the Atom processor, codenamed Pine Trail, which would be available in netbooks in Q3 2010. The new processors will be able to playback native 1080p streams â€" a limitation on current netbooks â€" and enable faster browsing as well.Desktop processorsWhile Intel's focus during Computex was firmly on mobile computing, the company also announced new "mainstream" processors and gave us a glimpse of what is coming next year. The company announced two new "unlocked" mainstream PC processors at the show, the Core i7-875K and the Core i5-655K, which are able to be overclocked on the fly, meaning better performance without additional cost."Who needs this performance? You! Me! Doing normal stuff!" said Mooly Eden vice president of Intel's PC client group with a dramatic flourish.But the company says its coup de grâce is the upcoming Sandy Bridge processor due in 2011, which will integrate a graphics processor on-board and focus on increased performance and low power consumption.
MeeGo is a combination of two different operating systems â€" Nokia's Maemo and Intel's Moblin â€" to produce a single operating system, which according to Intel was designed to "reduce fragmentation", or in other words reduce the number of different systems. The other main open-source platform in this category is Google's Android.Intel said that fewer operating systems to learn was of benefit to both consumers and programmers.MeeGo offers two different modes, an iPhone-like "Simple" mode and the multimedia-intensive "Panel" mode, which aggregates web pages, social media feeds and media playback."What we wanted to do was create a rich, dynamic user interface that puts the information that you want and the content that you enjoy front and centre in a fresh and intuitive way," said Doug Fisher, Intel's vice president and general manager of systems software.MeeGo 1.0 was released on 27 May 2010 and supports netbooks, while the next MeeGo, version 1.1, is due in October and will expand support to include smartphones.Intel also detailed its AppUp store, which is a cross-platform attempt to compete with the likes of Google's Android Marketplace and Apple's iTunes. The first company to support it is Asus, with links to the store on its latest crop of netbooks.Atom everywhereOn the hardware side, Intel aims to offer "Atom Everywhere" with the low-power processors gracing everything from netbooks to phones and even TVs.Intel representatives said the Atom processor and MeeGo will be designed to work well together, but they also pointed out that the Atom processor was "OS-agnostic" and would work just as well in an Android or Windows environment.Doug Fisher showed off a prototype Intel tablet running MeeGo at Computex, which was similar in appearance to Apple's iPad, though a little thicker.Intel announced it had started production on a dual-core version of the Atom processor, codenamed Pine Trail, which would be available in netbooks in Q3 2010. The new processors will be able to playback native 1080p streams â€" a limitation on current netbooks â€" and enable faster browsing as well.Desktop processorsWhile Intel's focus during Computex was firmly on mobile computing, the company also announced new "mainstream" processors and gave us a glimpse of what is coming next year. The company announced two new "unlocked" mainstream PC processors at the show, the Core i7-875K and the Core i5-655K, which are able to be overclocked on the fly, meaning better performance without additional cost."Who needs this performance? You! Me! Doing normal stuff!" said Mooly Eden vice president of Intel's PC client group with a dramatic flourish.But the company says its coup de grâce is the upcoming Sandy Bridge processor due in 2011, which will integrate a graphics processor on-board and focus on increased performance and low power consumption.
Apple iCloud Drive aims for better content access
Apple iCloud Drive aims for better content access
Apple on Monday at its Worldwide Developers Conference showed off a new feature in OS X Yosemite, its upcoming operating system launch, that should make iCloud a bit more useful to users.The feature, called iCloud Drive, provides access to documents and content saved in iCloud within OS X Yosemite's Finder window. The feature lets users work within the document and store files however they want with help from folders and tags. Synching also has been added. When users add content to the iCloud folder, it automatically syncs to other Macs. That information is also accessible via iCloud on iOS devices, as well as Windows-based PCs.When iCloud Drive is used, it can work across applications. Indeed, when users open documents from a third-party app, edits are automatically saved and synched across devices.The Cupertino, Calif.-based company holds only two or three major events a year, and WWDC is one of them. The annual confab for developers takes place June 2 to 6 in San Francisco's Moscone Center, with about 5,000 lucky, lottery-winning app makers descending on the city. Apple kicked off the event Monday with its highly anticipated, two-hour keynote event featuring CEO Tim Cook and other executives.Related linksApple unveils OS X YosemiteWWDC 2014: The pre-show Mac lineup report cardWith no 'amazing' devices due at WWDC, Apple's Tim Cook feels the heatApple has its best product lineup in 25 years in store for 2014, says iTunes head Cue For Apple, this year's developer conference comes at a critical time. Apple continues to sell millions of iPhones and iPads, but demand for the devices has started to slow. Google's Android software, and particularly vendors such as Samsung, have been gaining market share and have made inroads in former Apple strongholds like education. Apple also hasn't released any truly revolutionary products since the iPad in 2010, while rivals such as Samsung introduce new devices every few months.Apple has used its WWDC keynote event as a chance to introduce new products in the past. But it more recently has focused on software, saving new mobile device announcements for separate events. The company is expected to launch many new devices in the fall as part of what it calls its "best product pipeline in 25 years." However, concerns have emerged that Apple may have lost some of its innovation edge -- a worry that Cook and his team have tried to quell by promising "exciting new product categories" for 2014. The new iCloud Drive feature shown off by Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, should make those seeking improved, albeit simple, data storage happy. But Apple failed to point out what kind of size restrictions might apply to the service. The company also did not say whether the feature would cost an additional sum.Apple WWDC 2014 event photosSee full gallery1 - 4 / 30NextPrevThis story is being updated. To read more about news from the event, follow along in the CNET liveblog. Check out all of our WWDC coverage here.
Apple on Monday at its Worldwide Developers Conference showed off a new feature in OS X Yosemite, its upcoming operating system launch, that should make iCloud a bit more useful to users.The feature, called iCloud Drive, provides access to documents and content saved in iCloud within OS X Yosemite's Finder window. The feature lets users work within the document and store files however they want with help from folders and tags. Synching also has been added. When users add content to the iCloud folder, it automatically syncs to other Macs. That information is also accessible via iCloud on iOS devices, as well as Windows-based PCs.When iCloud Drive is used, it can work across applications. Indeed, when users open documents from a third-party app, edits are automatically saved and synched across devices.The Cupertino, Calif.-based company holds only two or three major events a year, and WWDC is one of them. The annual confab for developers takes place June 2 to 6 in San Francisco's Moscone Center, with about 5,000 lucky, lottery-winning app makers descending on the city. Apple kicked off the event Monday with its highly anticipated, two-hour keynote event featuring CEO Tim Cook and other executives.Related linksApple unveils OS X YosemiteWWDC 2014: The pre-show Mac lineup report cardWith no 'amazing' devices due at WWDC, Apple's Tim Cook feels the heatApple has its best product lineup in 25 years in store for 2014, says iTunes head Cue For Apple, this year's developer conference comes at a critical time. Apple continues to sell millions of iPhones and iPads, but demand for the devices has started to slow. Google's Android software, and particularly vendors such as Samsung, have been gaining market share and have made inroads in former Apple strongholds like education. Apple also hasn't released any truly revolutionary products since the iPad in 2010, while rivals such as Samsung introduce new devices every few months.Apple has used its WWDC keynote event as a chance to introduce new products in the past. But it more recently has focused on software, saving new mobile device announcements for separate events. The company is expected to launch many new devices in the fall as part of what it calls its "best product pipeline in 25 years." However, concerns have emerged that Apple may have lost some of its innovation edge -- a worry that Cook and his team have tried to quell by promising "exciting new product categories" for 2014. The new iCloud Drive feature shown off by Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, should make those seeking improved, albeit simple, data storage happy. But Apple failed to point out what kind of size restrictions might apply to the service. The company also did not say whether the feature would cost an additional sum.Apple WWDC 2014 event photosSee full gallery1 - 4 / 30NextPrevThis story is being updated. To read more about news from the event, follow along in the CNET liveblog. Check out all of our WWDC coverage here.
SanDisk confirms death of TakeTV and Fanfare
SanDisk confirms death of TakeTV and Fanfare
SanDisk has killed off the Fanfare video download service and its companion hardware, the TakeTV. A terse note on the Fanfare Web site indicates that the "Fanfare beta has come to a conclusion, and the Fanfare application will be disabled as of 5/15/08." As for the TakeTV hardware, a representative for SanDisk has confirmed to CNET that the TakeTV is no longer being sold. However, she went on to point out that existing users still will be able to use the product's drag-and-drop feature for watching a variety of (non-Fanfare) digital videos on their TV. In other words, unlike those stuck with oversized paperweights when the Akimbo and MovieBeam services shut down, the TakeTV, at least, is still a usable product.With just a handful of content partners (CBS and Showtime were the only top-tier names), Fanfare always had the feel of a poor man's iTunes Store. But we felt the TakeTV hardware was better targeted at the BitTorrent crowd, anyway. It provided a quick, easy, and transportable way to watch DivX, Xvid, and MPEG4 videos on your TV. Yes, the technophile crowd sniffed in indignation--"we can already do this with our Xbox 360/PS3/MythTV/laptop-to-TV video output!"--but for anybody who's ever had to suffer through wireless network frustrations, the sneakernet solution is an attractive alternative.To that end, if you're network averse and lamenting the loss of the TakeTV, look instead at a game console (Xbox 360 or PS3) or DVD player with DivX compatibility. Use a rewriteable DVD--or, if the unit has the jack, a USB flash drive--and you'll pretty much have a DIY TakeTV. It'll just be up to you to supply the content in a compatible digital video format.NewTeeVee via Gizmodo
SanDisk has killed off the Fanfare video download service and its companion hardware, the TakeTV. A terse note on the Fanfare Web site indicates that the "Fanfare beta has come to a conclusion, and the Fanfare application will be disabled as of 5/15/08." As for the TakeTV hardware, a representative for SanDisk has confirmed to CNET that the TakeTV is no longer being sold. However, she went on to point out that existing users still will be able to use the product's drag-and-drop feature for watching a variety of (non-Fanfare) digital videos on their TV. In other words, unlike those stuck with oversized paperweights when the Akimbo and MovieBeam services shut down, the TakeTV, at least, is still a usable product.With just a handful of content partners (CBS and Showtime were the only top-tier names), Fanfare always had the feel of a poor man's iTunes Store. But we felt the TakeTV hardware was better targeted at the BitTorrent crowd, anyway. It provided a quick, easy, and transportable way to watch DivX, Xvid, and MPEG4 videos on your TV. Yes, the technophile crowd sniffed in indignation--"we can already do this with our Xbox 360/PS3/MythTV/laptop-to-TV video output!"--but for anybody who's ever had to suffer through wireless network frustrations, the sneakernet solution is an attractive alternative.To that end, if you're network averse and lamenting the loss of the TakeTV, look instead at a game console (Xbox 360 or PS3) or DVD player with DivX compatibility. Use a rewriteable DVD--or, if the unit has the jack, a USB flash drive--and you'll pretty much have a DIY TakeTV. It'll just be up to you to supply the content in a compatible digital video format.NewTeeVee via Gizmodo
How to set a monthly iTunes allowance for your kids
How to set a monthly iTunes allowance for your kids
There are plenty of iOS devices on holiday wish lists this year. Which means there's bound to be plenty of iOS devices under trees, waiting for anxious kids to unbox and begin using them. On the other side of those iOS devices are parents, like you, trying to figure out how to limit the amount of spending on games, apps, books music and movies their kids (or perhaps themselves) can do in iTunes. Today I found a feature in iTunes I didn't know existed; the ability to set up a monthly iTunes allowance for specific Apple IDs. Brilliant! It turns out this feature has been around for a while, considering its Apple support page was last updated in 2010. This is what you'll need to do in order to set up an iTunes allowance. Click to enlargeScreenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETLaunch iTunes and navigate to the iTunes Store homepage. On the right side, you'll see a listing titled "Buy iTunes Gifts." Click on it. Click to enlargeScreenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETScroll down until you find the allowances section. Click on Set up an allowance now.Click to enlargeScreenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETThe rest of the process is pretty simple. Enter your name, the recipients name, set a monthly limit (your Apple ID will be billed this amount on the 1st of each month), and enter the recipient's Apple ID. If one doesn't exist, you can create a new Apple ID on the next page. That's it. Now your account will be billed for the amount you selected (between $10 and $50) and credited to the Apple ID you entered during setup. You can always go back and cancel the allowance by visiting your Account page in iTunes. Sure, a family can just share an Apple ID, and iOS restrictions can be put in place. But as soon as your kids learn your password(s), your credit card will be in trouble. Setting up a separate Apple ID and setting an allowance seems to be a sure way of reducing any damage the kids can cause to your wallet.
There are plenty of iOS devices on holiday wish lists this year. Which means there's bound to be plenty of iOS devices under trees, waiting for anxious kids to unbox and begin using them. On the other side of those iOS devices are parents, like you, trying to figure out how to limit the amount of spending on games, apps, books music and movies their kids (or perhaps themselves) can do in iTunes. Today I found a feature in iTunes I didn't know existed; the ability to set up a monthly iTunes allowance for specific Apple IDs. Brilliant! It turns out this feature has been around for a while, considering its Apple support page was last updated in 2010. This is what you'll need to do in order to set up an iTunes allowance. Click to enlargeScreenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETLaunch iTunes and navigate to the iTunes Store homepage. On the right side, you'll see a listing titled "Buy iTunes Gifts." Click on it. Click to enlargeScreenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETScroll down until you find the allowances section. Click on Set up an allowance now.Click to enlargeScreenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETThe rest of the process is pretty simple. Enter your name, the recipients name, set a monthly limit (your Apple ID will be billed this amount on the 1st of each month), and enter the recipient's Apple ID. If one doesn't exist, you can create a new Apple ID on the next page. That's it. Now your account will be billed for the amount you selected (between $10 and $50) and credited to the Apple ID you entered during setup. You can always go back and cancel the allowance by visiting your Account page in iTunes. Sure, a family can just share an Apple ID, and iOS restrictions can be put in place. But as soon as your kids learn your password(s), your credit card will be in trouble. Setting up a separate Apple ID and setting an allowance seems to be a sure way of reducing any damage the kids can cause to your wallet.
Taiwan minister catches flak for iPhone 5 posting
Taiwan minister catches flak for iPhone 5 posting
Taiwan is up in arms over comments a government official made on his Facebook account.Hu Yu-wei, Taiwan's information minister, posted a picture of the iPhone 5 on his Facebook account yesterday, along with a caption, saying "Help the economy and bolster consumption," according to the Associated Press, which was first to report on the story. Soon after, Hu was hammered by critics, who said that he wasn't supporting his country.Taiwan is currently suffering through a sluggish economy that could use a jump-start from consumer spending. The government has tried to encourage consumers to buy Taiwanese products, including smartphones from that country's HTC. By seeming to urge consumers to buy an iPhone 5, Hu was criticized for lacking patriotism.In his defense, Hu issued a statement saying that he currently owns the HTC One, adding that the "accusation of my being not patriotic was a misunderstanding."Still, the issue seems to indicate the fierce patriotism that follows certain company products. In tough times, consumers are urged to support those products that will benefit the country. A similar scenario plays out in South Korea, where government officials nearly exclusively own Samsung products and often urge consumers to do the same.But is that right? As Hu pointed out, "all Cabinet officials can be free from fears of being caught not using HTC phones" in his country.
Taiwan is up in arms over comments a government official made on his Facebook account.Hu Yu-wei, Taiwan's information minister, posted a picture of the iPhone 5 on his Facebook account yesterday, along with a caption, saying "Help the economy and bolster consumption," according to the Associated Press, which was first to report on the story. Soon after, Hu was hammered by critics, who said that he wasn't supporting his country.Taiwan is currently suffering through a sluggish economy that could use a jump-start from consumer spending. The government has tried to encourage consumers to buy Taiwanese products, including smartphones from that country's HTC. By seeming to urge consumers to buy an iPhone 5, Hu was criticized for lacking patriotism.In his defense, Hu issued a statement saying that he currently owns the HTC One, adding that the "accusation of my being not patriotic was a misunderstanding."Still, the issue seems to indicate the fierce patriotism that follows certain company products. In tough times, consumers are urged to support those products that will benefit the country. A similar scenario plays out in South Korea, where government officials nearly exclusively own Samsung products and often urge consumers to do the same.But is that right? As Hu pointed out, "all Cabinet officials can be free from fears of being caught not using HTC phones" in his country.
Tabs, Reading List land in mobile Safari
Tabs, Reading List land in mobile Safari
The feature for saving stories to be read at a later time, popularized by the Read It Later and Instapaper browser add-ons, will now come as a standard feature in Safari mobile. Reading List provides a more modern, simpler way to bookmark Web sites to be read at a future date. It's most often used for articles, especially lengthy ones, although it can be used to save any site on the fly.The desktop Safari's Reader feature for streamlining lengthy articles or slideshows is also coming to mobile Safari. Originally introduced at last year's WWDC, Reader streamlines lengthy articles, stripping out ads but not relevant images, and darkens the edges of the browser to make it easier to focus your attention on the story at hand.Most notably for Twitter users, you can now send tweets from directly within Safari. It's no longer necessary to open the Twitter app separately. This is part of the deeper system integration of social media into iOS. While it doesn't have a major impact in-browser, it's likely to change social networking across many apps that do core tasks like iTunes or the camera app.
The feature for saving stories to be read at a later time, popularized by the Read It Later and Instapaper browser add-ons, will now come as a standard feature in Safari mobile. Reading List provides a more modern, simpler way to bookmark Web sites to be read at a future date. It's most often used for articles, especially lengthy ones, although it can be used to save any site on the fly.The desktop Safari's Reader feature for streamlining lengthy articles or slideshows is also coming to mobile Safari. Originally introduced at last year's WWDC, Reader streamlines lengthy articles, stripping out ads but not relevant images, and darkens the edges of the browser to make it easier to focus your attention on the story at hand.Most notably for Twitter users, you can now send tweets from directly within Safari. It's no longer necessary to open the Twitter app separately. This is part of the deeper system integration of social media into iOS. While it doesn't have a major impact in-browser, it's likely to change social networking across many apps that do core tasks like iTunes or the camera app.
Apple to donate portion of holiday sales to AIDS fight
Apple to donate portion of holiday sales to AIDS fight
Apple has launched a campaign that will allow its customers to support World AIDS Day 2014 through donations derived from app purchases from its App Store.During the two-week campaign, which begins Monday, Apple will offer 25 apps with exclusive new content for (RED) and donate the proceeds from their sales to the Global Fund to fight AIDS.Some of the apps participating in the campaign include Angry Birds, Garage Band, and FIFA 15, among many others."Apple is a proud supporter of (RED) because we believe the gift of life is the most important gift anyone can give," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "For eight years, our customers have been helping fight AIDS in Africa by funding life-saving treatments which are having a profoundly positive impact. This year we are launching our biggest fundraising push yet with the participation of Apple's retail and online stores, and some of the brightest minds in the App Store are lending their talents to the effort as well."Additionally, a portion of the global sales made at the company's online and retail stores on November 28 (Black Friday) and December 1 (Cyber Monday) -- traditionally the two busiest shopping days -- will also be donated to the fund. On Black Friday, Apple customers in the US will receive a special edition iTunes gift card with the purchase of specific (RED) Apple products. Apple will donate an unspecified percentage of each qualifying sale to the Global Fund for each card distributed. The campaign marks the first time Apple has marshaled its App Store developers in support of (RED). Apple's partnership with (RED), the charity founded by U2 frontman Bono to eradicate HIV/AIDS in Africa, began in 2006 with Apple donating $10 for every iPod Nano Red Special Edition it sold."Apple isn't just in the fight to end AIDS. They are setting a new bar for business, giving $75 million and counting to the Global Fund as part of their partnership with (RED)," Bono said in a statement.
Apple has launched a campaign that will allow its customers to support World AIDS Day 2014 through donations derived from app purchases from its App Store.During the two-week campaign, which begins Monday, Apple will offer 25 apps with exclusive new content for (RED) and donate the proceeds from their sales to the Global Fund to fight AIDS.Some of the apps participating in the campaign include Angry Birds, Garage Band, and FIFA 15, among many others."Apple is a proud supporter of (RED) because we believe the gift of life is the most important gift anyone can give," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "For eight years, our customers have been helping fight AIDS in Africa by funding life-saving treatments which are having a profoundly positive impact. This year we are launching our biggest fundraising push yet with the participation of Apple's retail and online stores, and some of the brightest minds in the App Store are lending their talents to the effort as well."Additionally, a portion of the global sales made at the company's online and retail stores on November 28 (Black Friday) and December 1 (Cyber Monday) -- traditionally the two busiest shopping days -- will also be donated to the fund. On Black Friday, Apple customers in the US will receive a special edition iTunes gift card with the purchase of specific (RED) Apple products. Apple will donate an unspecified percentage of each qualifying sale to the Global Fund for each card distributed. The campaign marks the first time Apple has marshaled its App Store developers in support of (RED). Apple's partnership with (RED), the charity founded by U2 frontman Bono to eradicate HIV/AIDS in Africa, began in 2006 with Apple donating $10 for every iPod Nano Red Special Edition it sold."Apple isn't just in the fight to end AIDS. They are setting a new bar for business, giving $75 million and counting to the Global Fund as part of their partnership with (RED)," Bono said in a statement.
Apple testing NFC chips in next-gen iPhone-
Apple testing NFC chips in next-gen iPhone?
Apple raised some eyebrows over the weekend when news spread it had hired an expert in mobile payments. But now there's a report that says the company is already testing a prototype iPhone with near-field communication (NFC) chips inside, which could pave the way for using future iPhones as a mobile wallet.TechCrunch heard from an unnamed source that on Tuesday Apple is testing an iPhone with NFC chips it's ordered from NXP Semiconductor. It's not clear what kind of tests, and it could be very preliminary in nature. But coupled with the hire of Benjamin Vigier from mFoundry as mobile payments product manager, it does seem possible that Apple could be planning to open up its premier product to the world of commerce outside of iTunes.First, what is NFC? It's a technology that allows data to be sent wirelessly over very short distances, around 4 inches. It sends data from a chip inside a device like a phone, to a payment terminal, or even another device. While mobile payments is an obvious use--this is used in places outside the U.S. for things like paying bus or train fare--it's not the only one. It could also be used to transfer data between devices very near each other, say an iPhone and a laptop.But using it for payments seems like almost a no-brainer for Apple, which has 150 million credit cards already hooked up to iTunes accounts, as CEO Steve Jobs announced in Juneto its annual meeting of developers. Plus, this is a burgeoning area of the wireless world. There are applications being built for iOS devices as well as Android and other platforms that enable mobile payment, so why not just build a contactless payments feature right into the iPhone hardware? (For an overview of the current state of mobile payments, see my colleague Jessica Dolcourt's post from Friday.)Apple tends to ship new iPhones in the early summer, so if Apple does end up putting NFC chips in the next version of the phone we'll still have wait awhile to see what they come up with.
Apple raised some eyebrows over the weekend when news spread it had hired an expert in mobile payments. But now there's a report that says the company is already testing a prototype iPhone with near-field communication (NFC) chips inside, which could pave the way for using future iPhones as a mobile wallet.TechCrunch heard from an unnamed source that on Tuesday Apple is testing an iPhone with NFC chips it's ordered from NXP Semiconductor. It's not clear what kind of tests, and it could be very preliminary in nature. But coupled with the hire of Benjamin Vigier from mFoundry as mobile payments product manager, it does seem possible that Apple could be planning to open up its premier product to the world of commerce outside of iTunes.First, what is NFC? It's a technology that allows data to be sent wirelessly over very short distances, around 4 inches. It sends data from a chip inside a device like a phone, to a payment terminal, or even another device. While mobile payments is an obvious use--this is used in places outside the U.S. for things like paying bus or train fare--it's not the only one. It could also be used to transfer data between devices very near each other, say an iPhone and a laptop.But using it for payments seems like almost a no-brainer for Apple, which has 150 million credit cards already hooked up to iTunes accounts, as CEO Steve Jobs announced in Juneto its annual meeting of developers. Plus, this is a burgeoning area of the wireless world. There are applications being built for iOS devices as well as Android and other platforms that enable mobile payment, so why not just build a contactless payments feature right into the iPhone hardware? (For an overview of the current state of mobile payments, see my colleague Jessica Dolcourt's post from Friday.)Apple tends to ship new iPhones in the early summer, so if Apple does end up putting NFC chips in the next version of the phone we'll still have wait awhile to see what they come up with.
Apple leaves the Kindle Fire alone with latest iPad
Apple leaves the Kindle Fire alone with latest iPad
If Apple is at all worried about Amazon's emerging iPad rival, the Kindle Fire, it showed no signs of it at the launch of its new iPad today.The rumor mill, always in overdrive in advance of Apple launch events, suggested that the company might debut a smaller iPad that would compete more directly with the 7-inch Fire. There was some speculation that Apple might try to match the Fire's $199 price, or at least offer a device that was within $50 or so.There was some logic to that thinking. The Fire has become the only true competition to the iPad in the tablet world. Stifel Nicolaus analyst Jordon Rohan estimated that Amazon sold as many as 6 million Fires in the fourth quarter.Like plenty of rumors about Apple launches, the Fire-rival speculation was wrong. Apple launched the third-generation iPad, but it comes in the same 9.7-inch size as the current model. And the pricing scheme is roughly the same as well, starting at $499, though the iPad 2 will stay on the market and cost $399.Apple executives barely mentioned the competition at all. At one point, Chief Executive Tim Cook tweeked the Samsung Galaxy tablets as being overgrown mobile phones."The competitive tablets aren't gaining traction," Cook said.Amazon, though, was never mentioned. That may be because the Fire's price tag is simply too low for Apple to match. Amazon, after all, benefits from selling books and other goods through its online store, allowing it to accept razor thin margins on the device.During the presentation, Cook mentioned that the iPad was the favorite reading device among Apple products for its customers. It was also the favorite gaming device and e-mailing gadget as well. To Apple, the iPad fills more than just the niche in which the Fire resides.
If Apple is at all worried about Amazon's emerging iPad rival, the Kindle Fire, it showed no signs of it at the launch of its new iPad today.The rumor mill, always in overdrive in advance of Apple launch events, suggested that the company might debut a smaller iPad that would compete more directly with the 7-inch Fire. There was some speculation that Apple might try to match the Fire's $199 price, or at least offer a device that was within $50 or so.There was some logic to that thinking. The Fire has become the only true competition to the iPad in the tablet world. Stifel Nicolaus analyst Jordon Rohan estimated that Amazon sold as many as 6 million Fires in the fourth quarter.Like plenty of rumors about Apple launches, the Fire-rival speculation was wrong. Apple launched the third-generation iPad, but it comes in the same 9.7-inch size as the current model. And the pricing scheme is roughly the same as well, starting at $499, though the iPad 2 will stay on the market and cost $399.Apple executives barely mentioned the competition at all. At one point, Chief Executive Tim Cook tweeked the Samsung Galaxy tablets as being overgrown mobile phones."The competitive tablets aren't gaining traction," Cook said.Amazon, though, was never mentioned. That may be because the Fire's price tag is simply too low for Apple to match. Amazon, after all, benefits from selling books and other goods through its online store, allowing it to accept razor thin margins on the device.During the presentation, Cook mentioned that the iPad was the favorite reading device among Apple products for its customers. It was also the favorite gaming device and e-mailing gadget as well. To Apple, the iPad fills more than just the niche in which the Fire resides.
Apple leases extra office space ahead of HQ 2.0
Apple leases extra office space ahead of HQ 2.0
Apple is said to have inked a deal on new office space near its existing Cupertino, Calif., headquarters that will house up to 1,300 additional employees.The deal, which was reported by the Oakland Tribune yesterday, will give Apple 373,000 square feet in the Results Way Corporate Center, located a few minutes away from Apple's main offices.The extra space is a band-aid while Apple works on approval from the City of Cupertino to begin work on a new campus located across town on 150 acres, some of which was purchased from Hewlett-Packard. When completed, that building promises to hold 12,000 company employees under one roof.While stumping for a new company headquarters last month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted that "Apple's growing like a weed," yet its main campus only fits around 2,800 employees. Jobs said the company had around 12,000 employees in the area who were being housed in nearby buildings, some of which were "not very good." "We've seen these office parks with lots of buildings and they get pretty boring pretty fast, so we'd like to do something better than that," Jobs said last month.The day after the pitch for the massive building, Cupertino Mayor Gilbert Wong said the town was "ready" for the project, and that there was "no chance we're saying no." Nonetheless, Wong noted that the project is being reviewed just like any other building, including a study on various environmental impacts. Following the expected approval next year, Wong said Apple can begin submitting building permits to later break ground on the project, with an estimated completion date of 2015.This is Apple's latest high-profile leasing deal for big space in the area. A report in May from Data Center Knowledge noted that Apple signed a seven-year lease with DuPont Fabros Technology worth 11,000 square feet of data center space in its Santa Clara, Calif., facilities.
Apple is said to have inked a deal on new office space near its existing Cupertino, Calif., headquarters that will house up to 1,300 additional employees.The deal, which was reported by the Oakland Tribune yesterday, will give Apple 373,000 square feet in the Results Way Corporate Center, located a few minutes away from Apple's main offices.The extra space is a band-aid while Apple works on approval from the City of Cupertino to begin work on a new campus located across town on 150 acres, some of which was purchased from Hewlett-Packard. When completed, that building promises to hold 12,000 company employees under one roof.While stumping for a new company headquarters last month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted that "Apple's growing like a weed," yet its main campus only fits around 2,800 employees. Jobs said the company had around 12,000 employees in the area who were being housed in nearby buildings, some of which were "not very good." "We've seen these office parks with lots of buildings and they get pretty boring pretty fast, so we'd like to do something better than that," Jobs said last month.The day after the pitch for the massive building, Cupertino Mayor Gilbert Wong said the town was "ready" for the project, and that there was "no chance we're saying no." Nonetheless, Wong noted that the project is being reviewed just like any other building, including a study on various environmental impacts. Following the expected approval next year, Wong said Apple can begin submitting building permits to later break ground on the project, with an estimated completion date of 2015.This is Apple's latest high-profile leasing deal for big space in the area. A report in May from Data Center Knowledge noted that Apple signed a seven-year lease with DuPont Fabros Technology worth 11,000 square feet of data center space in its Santa Clara, Calif., facilities.
Apple leapfrogs RIM in Q3 smartphone sales
Apple leapfrogs RIM in Q3 smartphone sales
Apple CEO Steve Jobs proclaimed earlier this week that his company is leaving RIM in its dust, an now one industry analyst firm has stepped up to corroborate that.GigaOm noted a Strategy Analytics' report today saying that Apple overtook RIM during the third quarter, shipping 15.4 million smartphones compared to RIM's 12.3 million.Nokia, still the worldwide leader of smartphones, shipped 26.5 million devices. But it wasn't just Apple that improved: the entire smartphone market grew to 77 million units, 78 percent better than a year ago, the report states.Strategy Analytics' report echoes, but doesn't exactly match, the numbers Apple shared on its fiscal fourth quarter earnings call Monday. "We sold 14.1 million iPhones in the quarter," Jobs told investors. "It handily beat RIM's 12.1 million BlackBerrys sold for their most recent quarter. We've now passed RIM, and I don't see them catching up with us in the foreseeable future."The BlackBerry maker didn't appreciate Jobs' aggressive comments. Shortly after, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie posted a blogcalling Apple's counting methods into question and accusing Jobs of only telling customers "half" the story.Balsillie pointed out that his company's quarter ended in August, while Apple's ended in September, a traditionally lucrative smartphone-selling period. Strategy Analytics' report also covers three months, but it's not clear which three months it's taking into account.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs proclaimed earlier this week that his company is leaving RIM in its dust, an now one industry analyst firm has stepped up to corroborate that.GigaOm noted a Strategy Analytics' report today saying that Apple overtook RIM during the third quarter, shipping 15.4 million smartphones compared to RIM's 12.3 million.Nokia, still the worldwide leader of smartphones, shipped 26.5 million devices. But it wasn't just Apple that improved: the entire smartphone market grew to 77 million units, 78 percent better than a year ago, the report states.Strategy Analytics' report echoes, but doesn't exactly match, the numbers Apple shared on its fiscal fourth quarter earnings call Monday. "We sold 14.1 million iPhones in the quarter," Jobs told investors. "It handily beat RIM's 12.1 million BlackBerrys sold for their most recent quarter. We've now passed RIM, and I don't see them catching up with us in the foreseeable future."The BlackBerry maker didn't appreciate Jobs' aggressive comments. Shortly after, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie posted a blogcalling Apple's counting methods into question and accusing Jobs of only telling customers "half" the story.Balsillie pointed out that his company's quarter ended in August, while Apple's ended in September, a traditionally lucrative smartphone-selling period. Strategy Analytics' report also covers three months, but it's not clear which three months it's taking into account.
Apple leans on Samsung for iPad displays, says researcher
Apple leans on Samsung for iPad displays, says researcher
Apple just can't seem to shake Samsung. Despite the two companies' bitter legal battles, Samsung became the largest supplier of iPad displays in the first quarter, according to DisplaySearch.The market researcher said Samsung Display reclaimed its position as the top iPad display panel supplier, shipping 5.2 million units of 9.7-inch panels with a resolution of 2,048x1,536, accounting for 62 percent of total shipments of that display size and resolution, according to a report from BrightWire News, which cited a ZDNet Asia (Korean language) report. Related storiesThe Apple A8 'fab' enigma: Is it TSMC, Samsung or both?The displays with those specifications are used by Apple for the iPad Air and iPad with Retina display. LG Display, also a major display supplier to Apple, saw its share of that display size/resolution plunge to 38 percent in the first quarter from about 61 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013. Apple said that sales of iPads declined 15.9 percent when it reported its second quarter results on April 23.It should be also noted that Samsung is not out of the running as a future purveyor of processors to Apple, despite Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC's) expected participation as a supplier to Apple of the next-generation A series processor. Apple could still source the next-gen so-called A8 processor from Samsung as well as processors beyond the A8, according to VLSI Research.
Apple just can't seem to shake Samsung. Despite the two companies' bitter legal battles, Samsung became the largest supplier of iPad displays in the first quarter, according to DisplaySearch.The market researcher said Samsung Display reclaimed its position as the top iPad display panel supplier, shipping 5.2 million units of 9.7-inch panels with a resolution of 2,048x1,536, accounting for 62 percent of total shipments of that display size and resolution, according to a report from BrightWire News, which cited a ZDNet Asia (Korean language) report. Related storiesThe Apple A8 'fab' enigma: Is it TSMC, Samsung or both?The displays with those specifications are used by Apple for the iPad Air and iPad with Retina display. LG Display, also a major display supplier to Apple, saw its share of that display size/resolution plunge to 38 percent in the first quarter from about 61 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013. Apple said that sales of iPads declined 15.9 percent when it reported its second quarter results on April 23.It should be also noted that Samsung is not out of the running as a future purveyor of processors to Apple, despite Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC's) expected participation as a supplier to Apple of the next-generation A series processor. Apple could still source the next-gen so-called A8 processor from Samsung as well as processors beyond the A8, according to VLSI Research.
Apple launches tool for creating iAd mobile ads
Apple launches tool for creating iAd mobile ads
Apple has rolled out a new tool for developers looking to create ads for iAd, the company's mobile-ad platform.Launched yesterday, the new iAd Producer is designed to help developers create, test, and launch mobile-ad campaigns to run under iAd. Freely available to any paid member of Apple's iOS Developer Program, iAd Producer runs under Mac OS X 10. (No word from Apple on a possible Windows version.)The software presents a visual design layout in which developers can specify the device they wish to design for and then see how their ad would flow from page to page. Developers can choose from a variety of templates, components, and animations to build their ads. In the final stages, iAd Producer will validate the ad to track down any errors and then optimize the various files that make up the ad.iAd Producer uses HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript as the technologies behind the ads. Less experienced programmers can stick with the basics to build their ads, while more advanced developers can tap into JavaScript programming and debugging to fine-tune the code behind.By using HTML5 and CSS3, iAd Producer also offers an alternative to Adobe Flash Professional, which many designers traditionally use to build mobile apps and ads. Apple, which has made no secret of its dislike of Flash, has engaged in a word of words with Adobe over such issues as the use of Flash vs. HTML5 as the standard for rich Web content.
Apple has rolled out a new tool for developers looking to create ads for iAd, the company's mobile-ad platform.Launched yesterday, the new iAd Producer is designed to help developers create, test, and launch mobile-ad campaigns to run under iAd. Freely available to any paid member of Apple's iOS Developer Program, iAd Producer runs under Mac OS X 10. (No word from Apple on a possible Windows version.)The software presents a visual design layout in which developers can specify the device they wish to design for and then see how their ad would flow from page to page. Developers can choose from a variety of templates, components, and animations to build their ads. In the final stages, iAd Producer will validate the ad to track down any errors and then optimize the various files that make up the ad.iAd Producer uses HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript as the technologies behind the ads. Less experienced programmers can stick with the basics to build their ads, while more advanced developers can tap into JavaScript programming and debugging to fine-tune the code behind.By using HTML5 and CSS3, iAd Producer also offers an alternative to Adobe Flash Professional, which many designers traditionally use to build mobile apps and ads. Apple, which has made no secret of its dislike of Flash, has engaged in a word of words with Adobe over such issues as the use of Flash vs. HTML5 as the standard for rich Web content.
Apple launches iPad app for iPhoto, updates others
Apple unveiled a new version of iPhoto today alongside the new iPad. The company is bringing the photo software, already found on MacBooks, to the iPad. Apple executives showed off the editing capabilities of the new iPhoto app and said it would work with photos up to 19 megapixels.While most fixate on the hardware, Apple has taken equal care to ensure that its software and breadth of available apps complements the device. Many of the other tablets have languished due to the lack of app support.Related storiesAll iPad HD coverage from CNETApple iPad with Retina Display makes its debutApple TV announced, with 1080pApple iOS 5.1: First TakeThe iPhoto app is available today and will cost $4.99.Apple also announced updates to GarageBand and iMovie, also available today. Users can create movie trailers using the app. The iMovie app includes music that was specifically composed for Apple. GarageBand, meanwhile, will get "smart strings," a note editor, and work with iCloud. The apps will stay $9.99.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.Play
Apple launches ad for 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro
Want to get a better look at all of the gorgeous angles of Apple's new 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro?A new Apple "Colors" ad does just that. With "for the pro in all of us" as the tagline for the ad, it appeared during ABC's "Modern Family," as well as other shows earlier. In the ad, Apple does a 90-degree pan and seems keen on showing the display from all angles to underscore the wide viewing-angle attributes of its IPS tech. As a quick refresher, the just-announced 13.3-inch MBP has a 2,560-by-1,600 pixel density display.That yields 227 pixels per inch. And can scale to a resolution of 1,680-by-1,050.By comparison, the 15.4-inch Retina MBP announced back in June boasts a pixel density of 2,880-by-1,800, which translates to 220 pixels per inch.It can scale to a resolution of 1,920-by-1,200. Both come with latest Intel Ivy Bridge processors, 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L memory and solid-state drives -- though the 13.3-inch model is not offered with a quad-core processor and discrete Nvidia graphics, like the 15.4-incher.The 13-inch MBP starts at $1,699 with a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor that can turbo boost up to 3.1GHz.Related stories13-inch Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display: CNET Editors' Take
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